Berringa Community News See us on line at www.berringacommunitynews.com.au
Spring 2014
News and views from the residents of Bellbridge, Bethanga, Granya & Talgarno Circulation: 560 ABN: 96 071 800 843 We gratefully acknowledge our continuing sponsorship partner, Davis Sanders Homes. Local owners Renee & Murray Pigdon are Berringa residents and their generous sponsorship helps us meet our printing costs. See advertisement page 5
Thank you to Bethanga Action Group Inc. for the donation of $50.00 , Bethanga CFA for donation of $100.00 and Bethanga Gymkhana Inc. for the generous donation of $350.00
“Say Cheese”
“Talgarno Gold” is a local cheese-making enterprise owned and operated by Mike and Sue Turner.
butter and icecream from the ‘farm gate’. Cheeses available will include several varieties of hard cheese (such as Gouda, cheddar and Wiltshire), soft cheeses (including feta and camembert) and blue cheeses. Where possible, Mike will also make varieties ‘to demand’.
In 2009, Mike, originally from Zimbabwe, and Sue, from New Zealand, settled in Talgarno after Mike took up a position as Mechanical Projects Manager at Charles Sturt University. Mike had previously owned a dairy farm in Zimbabwe for about 20 years, which supplied pasteurised and packaged milk, cheeses and flavoured milks to schools and major supermarket chains. He then spent nine years in New Zealand where he started up a small herd of Guernsey cows, again supplying milk and cheeses locally. Although Mike came to Australia with valuable experience and an extensive knowledge of milk and cheese production, he nevertheless undertook a further course to familiarise himself with Australian conditions, similarities and differences. Mike’s Talgarno herd of Guernseys produces milk containing the A2 protein, which is suitable for people with a lactose intolerance. He also uses non-animal rennet, making it suitable for vegetarians. Mike has chosen the Guernsey breed for both their temperament and good production rates - 20 litres of their milk produces 2.2 kg of cheese, compared to Holstein Friesian cows which produce 1.6 kg. When registered as a factory (in approximately four weeks), Mike and Sue intend to sell cheese,
Mike Turner serves up the cheeses he made at Talgarno Gold
Cont’d page 2........
COMMUNITY REPORTS
This section is for individuals in the community to share their stories, ideas, poems and reports about local happenings etc. Email items to info@berringacommunitynews.com .au or post/drop in to 341 Wises Creek Road, Talgarno.
THIS ISSUE COMMUNITY REPORTS
• Talgarno cheese makers • Cathy McGowan visit to the area • Funding for Defibrillators for Bethanga & Bellbridge • School tree planting activities
REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS
• Becs Banter • Weather prospects • Peninsula Neighbourhood Watch • Pub News
COMMUNITY NOTICES
• Births, deaths and marriages • Hall hiring and news • Useful information
SHIRE NEWS
• Towong Shire Happenings
CLUBS & GROUPS
• Berringa CERT • Bethanga Recreation Reserve • Fire brigades • Bethanga action group • Soccer club and more...
CHILDREN’S GROUPS & SCHOOLS • • • •
Bethanga PS Talgarno PS Playgroup Kinder
......cont’d from p1
Mike and Sue are also conducting cheese-making workshops which will be advertised in the Berringa News. Both individual and small group workshops can be arranged. Courses will run from 9am to 3pm, with lunch included and will cost $260 per person. In the first lesson, participants make a fast-curing table cheese and feta to take home and enjoy. Subsequent workshops extend participants’ knowledge and make other cheese varieties. The classes are relaxed and provide much individual attention.
For the past two years, Mike and Sue have generously donated four free cheese-making lessons to the charity “Give Me 5 for Kids”, which provides funds directly to children’s wards in local regional hospitals to improve the facilities and services offered to sick kids. Contact details: Mike and Sue Turner Talgarno Gold , 1324 Murray River Road, Talgarno Phone: (02) 6020 1195 Email: info@talgarnogold.com.au Di Singline BERRINGA KINDERGARTEN INC 18 - 20 CRAIG DRIVE BELLBRIDGE VIC 3691 ABN: 79434563830 PH: 02 6026 4373 Email: christine.cameron@towong.vic.gov.au
Berringa Kindergarten OPEN DAY Monday 8th September 10am-12pm
Explore our wonderful kindergarten and meet our caring and professional educators. Enjoy morning tea, face painting, balloons and kinder activities. All 3 and 4 year olds welcome
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Federal Member for Indi, Cathy McGowan listens to issues from constituents. Federal Member for Indi, Cathy McGowan met with people in Bellbridge, Bethanga, Bonegilla and Talgarno on Thursday, July 31. It was a timely opportunity for Cathy to come to the area and meet with constituents to discuss issues, including local government, land and planning use, mobile phone coverage, NBN and the need for a national plan to fix rural roads and bridges. Cathy was encouraged by the level of engagement within the communities and willingness to take action to get problems addressed. The Independent Member for Indi will be reporting back to the community with outcomes from the visit and looks forward to hearing the success people have had in getting resolutions to their issues. Highlights of Cathy’s visit included the presentation of a letter from The Victorian Landcare Council (VLC) made by Jim de Hennin, Chair, Wises Creek- Talgarno Landcare and a NE delegate for the VLC, inviting Cathy to be Landcare Champion as a Victorian representative in the Commonwealth Parliament; the invitation Jim de Hennin, Chair of Wises which she willingly accepted as well as an invitation to visit the Bonegilla Migrant Creek- Talgarno Landcare and Museum when the Manager Christine Thorpe outlined the plans for the centre and Federal Member for Indi, Cathy its volunteers. McGowan. Julie de Hennin
Heart starters for Bethanga and Bellbridge The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is seeking donations from groups and individuals to install public access Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) centrally in both Bethanga and Bellbridge. An AED is a small, portable easy to operate lifesaving medical device designed to deliver an electrical shock to a person who is having a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. From the time that the Sudden Cardiac Arrest event occurs to the time that medical help arrives is critical. The only definitive treatment for victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest is defibrillation. Sudden Cardiac Arrest usually happens without warning and the majority of people have no previously recognised symptoms of heart disease. For the best chance of survival from Sudden Cardiac Arrest caused by Ventricular Fibrillation, an AED should be used within the first 3-5 minutes after collapse. Currently less than 5% of victims survive largely because a defibrillator does not arrive in time. An AED can increase the survival rate to 50% and in some situations like commercial airlines around 70%.
Just as seat belts or airbags do not save every life in a traffic accident, a defibrillator will not save every person who suffers a Sudden Cardiac Arrest however many lives could be saved if more people had access to an AED. The CERT team has a defibrillator but sometimes we may not be available or it may take 15 minutes or so for the team to arrive. CERT will provide training using the defibrillator and CPR for those that are interested but the public access AED is designed to be used by a non-medical layperson to save the life of an unconscious victim. The devices advise the user about how to apply the device and whether or not to administer a shock. Most of the time, the AED will advise the user with voice prompts to administer CPR, depending on the needs of the victim, The AEDs cost about $3000 each. Donations can be made by • direct deposit to Berringa CERT BSB 640 000 Account no 559979516, as reference use defib and your name • by cheque to Berringa CERT , 1 McEwan St, Bethanga 3691, • or cash payments made at the Bellbridge or Bethanga Shop. All donations are tax deductible. If you or your organisation requires a receipt please contact Carol Marshall, President Berringa CERT on 6026 4041 or email berringacert@gmail.com For more information please call Carol Marshall or myself. Julie Miller Team Leader Berringa CERT 6020 1107 Email: juliemiller@skymesh.com.au
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Junior volunteers help beautify Bethanga An enthusiastic junior workforce in Bethanga managed to plant 120 trees and shrubs along Martins Road at a recent tree-planting day; an experience that has helped local youngsters to grow their appreciation for the environment. “We wish to thank our junior volunteers, staff members and parents from Bethanga Primary School,” said Cr Mary Fraser OAM, Towong Shire Council Mayor. “It has been great to have the local students get involved in Council’s vegetation program in Bethanga”. The tree-planting day was part of a progressive three-year program involving the removal of pest plants along the roadsides approaching Bethanga and replacing these with appropriate native species. Mr David Buntine, Council’s Forestry Officer, said that the children, who were armed with spades,
shovels, trowels and hammers, brought a contagious enthusiasm with them on the day. “To some of the students it was a brand-new experience – they had never planted trees and shrubs before,” said Mr Buntine. “It was a pleasure to work along with them and see them learn about their local environment”. Bethanga Primary School Principal, Ms Deb Bowman, said that the whole school was able to participate in the tree-planting day. “We greatly appreciated the chance as a whole school to get out into the beautiful Bethanga surrounds, appreciate our environment and make a difference in our community by giving of our time and energy,” she said. “Our students will be able to watch the trees grow and reflect on the great day that was had!” For more information about Council’s vegetation management program in Bethanga, please contact Mr David Buntine on 02 6071 5100.
The Bethanga Small Farm Family Field Day will provide land and resource management information aimed at small rural property owners. The event will be fun and family friendly. We are looking for local environmental service providers to share information about their business on the day. If you provide contracting services to small rural properties please contact Lois on: lois.cochrane@landcarevic.net.au or 6043 7627. This event is hosted by the North East Regional Landcare Facilitator project.
Date & Time: Sunday 19th October 10am – 3pm Venue: Bethanga Soldiers Memorial Hall Cost: Free
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BETHANGA PUB (COURTHOUSE HOTEL)
Nestled in the picturesque village of Bethanga and serving the coldest beer around Friendly atmosphere. Great food. Shaded beer garden. Juke box. Pool table. Lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Lunch 12pm to 2pm Dinner 6pm to 8:30pm. Please book early for dinner week nights. PIZZAS & TAKEAWAY 7 days per week Enquiries: 6026 4214
Pub News, At last it would seem we are heading into some warmer weather. I think most of us will welcome it with open arms. We would like to take this chance to wish all our staff members good luck in their upcoming final exams, especially those doing their VCE. We’re sure they will all do their best . Good luck guys. We were saddened by the sudden passing of John Seabrook, a loyal patron and a truly genuine man. Johno helped out at the hotel on numerous occasions, whenever asked, help was never refused. You are being sadly missed Johno. Rest in Peace. We would also like to send our condolences to Greg Mather on the passing of his wife Sue. Sue, as we know, had her ups and downs health wise but her strength and courage throughout was something to behold. Again condolences to both the Mather and the Seabrook families . On a brighter note, the football tipping competition is the closest I can remember it ever being. At the end of Round 19 the leaders board is as follows Seniors 1. Wayne Kirkwood 113 2. Brodie Sirl 111 3. Leslie, Tubby, John Bayliss 110 4. Holly Eckert, Carolyn Packer 109 Juniors 1. Harry Eckert 108 2. Archie Scammell, Will Scammell and Ethan Fied 104 As many of you know the last 4 rounds scores are not revealed until the breakup BBQ and trophy presentations on Saturday 20th September.
At the time of writing of this newsletter we are coming into the final home and away round and a little bird told me that the leaders Board may have changed considerably and scores are even closer, so come and join in the BBQ where all will be revealed. Non Participants in the tipping are welcome to the BBQ at a cost of $5.00 per head for adults. Children Free We had a surprise visit by the Variety Bash Rally in July . Around 64 cars were participating. Lots of car tooting, some unusual horns, some very strange looking cars and loads of fun. Unfortunately they came through on a Friday at about 2.30 pm so many people did not get the chance to see them. Christmas Lunch will be on again this year after last years success. A great time was had by all including the staff. . Believe it or not we are already receiving bookings for this year’s lunch, so if you were thinking of having Christmas lunch with us it would probably pay to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Don’t forget the 2nd Saturday of each month Bethanga Music Club . Thanks to all the musicians who perform and do great job entertaining us all. Thanks heaps. Father’s Day is fast approaching- there are still some vacancies but bookings would be advisable. Clearance sale Discounted old stock 50% , concrete garden ornaments, water features and furniture. A great gift for Father’s day. All stock must be cleared by the end of September The SR 500 club crew are back in town in November and we look forward to our 11th year. Well that’s all. Happy spring, Happy gardening, Good luck to any sport teams that you may follow who are in finals. Cheers from all the Crew at the PUB.
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Bec’s Banter Rebecca Chettleburgh has experience and qualifications in the area of no-dig and permaculture gardening, and an interest in controlling environmental pests . She has generously agreed to be a regular columnist and adviser. If you have any questions or want information about gardening pests, problems and solutions email Rebecca at info@ berringacommunitynews.com.au or call her on 6026 4033
Raised Garden Beds I have decided that raised garden beds are the answer!!! I have recently had a hip injury and believe me, I didn’t think I would have this kind of problem for many, many more years, but here it is .. and bending down to garden at ground level is just not an option! I have one galvanised raised garden bed at the moment in my garden made by Kergunyah Garden Arts, but have ordered another three, so that I can have most of my vegies in raised beds. Here is the link for you to have a look at a couple of photos https://www.facebook.com/pages/ Kergunyah-Garden-Arts/811571858859253 There are many benefits in having a raised garden bed: • Being able to create fantastic soil • Topping up the garden bed with compost and mulch • Putting a worm tower in the middle of your bed for added nutrients • Growing food intensively. • Being able to keep an eye on moisture levels easily • Able to check on your plants for pest and diseases from a great height, and • Many, many more.
One thing I do is to put a piece of wool carpet offcut down the western side of my raised beds, so that they don’t heat up too much in the February sun. I also plant herbs and flowers on the western sides of my beds to help shade my vegies a bit. I am really excited to get my beds organised for summer planting and also have another plan in the making - building a raised wicking bed, this is exceptionally easy and really worth it. I have some friends who have built them and reckon they are the bee’s knees. Here is a fantastic link from ABC Gardening Australia on how to make a very good wicking bed: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/ stories/s4010599.htm Hoping you got any bare rooted trees in for this year, don’t forget the nurseries often have fabulous sales on at the end of winter on their left over stock. Just remember to have a good look at the tree roots and make sure they haven’t dried out too much and that they don’t have any major injuries , swap these for healthier specimens, if possible. This is the BEST time to be gardening….woo hoo!! Bec
Bethanga Music Club For ALL people interested in LIVE music. If you’re a beginner - come and learn. If you’re a legend - come and teach. A place for everyone to come and share.
7pm on second Saturday of every month
More than just an open mic Come and join in the fun of the all-in jam session in the Tim Hancock Music lounge
Proudly hosted and supported by the Bethanga Hotel, Bethanga Bay Rd, Bethanga. 6026 4214 For further information or general enquiries contact Mark via email: bhanjmo@hotmail.com
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Prospects for the Season Ahead
Thank you to Greg Hayes who has agreed to regularly contribute weather related articles for Berringa Community News readers.
Rainfall Round-up The winter rainfall (May to end July) was 203 mm, almost exactly equal to the average (202 mm) and 7% above the median (189 mm). May and June were slightly above average and July a bit below.
Looking at the year to date totals, our total of 491mm is 27% above average and 53% above the median.
Prospects for Spring (August through October)
The experts are still hedging their bets about whether an El Niño will develop this spring. The reason they are unsure is that the ocean water movements are doing one thing (warming) but the atmospheric conditions are working in the opposite way tending to cool the ocean. A majority of the climate models still suggest that we may move into an El Niño late in spring or in the summer. The outlook for most of Victoria and southern NSW is a 60% chance that it will be drier than normal but for eastern Victoria it is expected that rainfall will be close to the median. We are right on the boundary (between central and eastern Victoria) so I guess we should assume for our part of the world that it will be a bit drier than average (207mm) this spring. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) index has been negative since mid-June but it is expected to return to neutral by spring. This adds to the likelihood of a drier than normal spring in southern Australia. Although the upper layer soil moisture is now below normal, it is still well above average in the sub soil so it won’t take much rain to get pastures firing now that the weather is warming. The next 2-3 weeks will be critical to the late spring feed/hay supply; we need 50 mm by mid September to make up for a dry August. Greg Hayes
The BOM forecast for winter was accurate for our district -- BOM suggested rainfall would be close to the median 189 mm and we received 203 mm. After travelling so well up to the end of July, August has been a different story – at the time of writing (August 26) our total for the month was just 14.8mm which is the driest August since 1982 (10mm). It is less than the 95th percentile meaning that more than 95% of all years on record had higher rainfall than this August!
For Hire
Bobcat Posthole Borer Trencher Tip Truck
Soil-Road Base Supplied 02 6020 1153 8
COMMUNITY
NOTICES
This section is for community members to give notice about local happenings, births, deaths and marriages etc. Email to info@berringacommunitynews.com.au
Wymah Ferry Operating hours 7am – 8pm During daylight saving 6am – 9pm
(NB no meal closure times) OUTSIDE THESE HOURS
Ring the contractor, 6020 2038
Berringa Community Centre - Bellbridge
For future bookings of the Berringa Community Centre in Bellbridge, please ring the Towong Shire Council's Customer Service Centre on 6071 5100. Any of the staff there will be able to make a booking or alternatively confirm if the Centre is already booked. They will ask for details such as: * time of meeting * duration of meeting * date of meeting * contact name * contact phone number At the time of making the booking, you will be advised of the charge and where to collect the keys to the Centre. Keys should always be returned to the same collection point after the meeting.
Talgarno Hall CORRYONG BUS & FREIGHT Passenger and freight service between Albury/Wodonga and Corryong along Murray River Road Daily Monday to Friday Maurie Johnston 0427 240 077
Hall hire rates, which include air conditioning costs, are: Community meetings under 3 hours $15, meetings over 3 hours $25. Local resident function hire $150 plus $150 bond (includes insurance). Non-resident function hire $250 plus $150 bond (includes insurance). Use of pizza oven free - but booking essential The old chairs and the tables are available for hire by donation. For bookings contact Anthea 6020 1134
Bethanga Soldiers Memorial Hall Hall and Supper Room Available for Hire Functions and Meetings Day / Night Air Conditioned / Heated Competitive Rates For more Information: Contact: Graham Maynard 6026 4007, Peter Schmidt 6026 4325 For Hall Bookings: Contact: Bethanga General Store 6026 4215
Women’s Health Clinics Clinics are held at Bellbridge every three months at the Maternal Child Health Centre/ Community Centre Bellbridge. Clinics are also held at Tallangatta on the first and third Monday of each month. All ages welcome This is a free service. Appointments necessary. For bookings or further information phone the Tallangatta Health Service Sue Reid 6071 5270
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Granya Hall Fees for the hall hire Non-profit organisations $ 60.00 including tea and coffee. For other functions it will be $100.00 included is $40.00 to cover public liability insurance. Catering $ 8.00 a head Community Meeting $ 15.00 Bookings and Information contact
Located 55 KM from Albury Wodonga overlooking picturesque Lake Hume, the shop is located at the old Granya Hotel.
Kaye Guilliamese Kjfarm@gmail.com 6072 9598
The shop is open 7 days a week 9am – 6pm Except For Monday open 9am-12pm And Sunday open 11am-6pm Restaurant Bookings are essential
Ph. 6072 9548 Fully Licenced Premises Mon Closed
Tues Closed
Wed Lunch 12pm-2pm Dinner 6pm-8pm
Fri Lunch 12pm-2pm Dinner 6pm-8pm
Sat Lunch 12pm-2pm Dinner 6pm-8pm
Sun Lunch 12pm-2pm Dinner 6pm-8pm
Thurs Lunch 12pm-2pm Dinner 6pm-8pm
We also provide Accommodation Bed & Breakfast Backpacker Rooms, Two bed room Weekender/ Fisherman’s Lodge Ring for pricing Hot Cold Drinks, ICE, News Papers, Photo Copying, Stamps and Grocery Items GAS, decanting and exchange 45kg also available for exchange
3100 Murray River Road Granya Vic 3701 Ph. 6072 9548 Fax 6072 9543
www.facebook.com/granyastore www.granyastore.com.au
G
ranya Museum
Tuning into Kids Tuning into Kids – is a five week parenting program that supports parents to become more aware of their child’s emotions and the impact of these emotions. Parents will learn how to develop an ability to label and understand their child’s emotions and how to support their child in learning to regulate these emotions. Parents are therefore able to use their children’s emotional experiences as an opportunity for connecting, teaching and problem solving. When: Monday 7-9pm 20th Oct to 17th November Where: Community Centre Bellbridge Cost: Provided by Towong Shire Bookings Essential: Berringa Kindergarten 6026 4373
Specialising in pioneer families. Open by appointment 6072 9534
Soiled Farm Track & Driveway Fix Erosion problems (gateways, creek crossings) Sites Purpose built machine Peter McGrath, Bethanga Ph: 02 6026 4737
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MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH Berringa Community Centre
Do you have young children? Have you accessed Council’s Maternal and Child Health Service for free health, developmental and learning checks? Towong Council’s Maternal and Child Health Service is available in Bellbridge on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Drop in to see a qualified nurse between 9.30 am and 12.00 noon or arrange an appointment for the afternoon. Home visits can also be arranged for a time that is convenient for your family. For more information or to make an appointment call Trudi Ellis on 6026 4228 or 0417 535 978
Bellbridge Lake Hume Store Under New Management!! Trading Hours Monday to Friday : 7am to 7pm Saturday & Sunday: 8am to 7pm
(02) 6026 4001 *TAKE AWAY FOOD *EFTPOS * COLD BEER *GAS * GROCERIES *FRIENDLY SERVICE
Cooking will cease 15 minutes prior to closing
Hot chips Potato Wedges Battered Fish Grilled Fish Fish Cakes Calamari Seafood Sticks Tassie Scallops Crumbed Prawns Hamburgers Chicken Schnitzels Egg and Bacon Rolls Steak Sandwiches Dim Sims Potato Cakes
Battered Sav’s Chicko Roll Spring Roll Corn Jacks Wing Dings Chicken Nuggets Pies/Sausage Rolls Souvlakis - Lamb or Chicken Chicken Chilli Tenders Chicken and Garlic Balls And much more
We also do toasted sandwiches, meat and salad sandwiches and rolls, coffee and tea. We have a wide range of alcohol and groceries. Fresh bakery breads available. Orders welcome for rolls and other types of breads. Try our fresh cakes and apple pies. Weekly specials will be posted on the boards outside the shop. Papers available 7 days a week!!
Riverina Regional Library Southern Mobile Library MEMBERSHIP • Membership is free • Proof of current address is required to register as a member • Members under 18 years of age need a guarantor to provide identification and signature BORROWING • Up to 20 ITEMS can be borrowed • 4 WEEKS loan period for books, magazines, CDs, DVDs - limit of 6 RESERVATIONS • Items can be reserved through the catalogue on the RRL website www.rrl. nsw.gov.au • A fee of $1 per item is applied to all reservations RENEWALS • Loans may be renewed (unless they have been reserved by another borrower) • Log onto the website www.rrl.nsw. gov.au and click on the Manage Your Loans link or Phone 02 6926 9760 to renew your loans Items may be borrowed and returned at the Mobile Library only. TIME TABLE Thursday monthly 11 September, 9 October, 6 November Bethanga 9.15 - 10.30 Bellbridge 11.00 -11.30 Talgarno 12.00 -12.30 Granya 1.30 - 2.00 Visit the website for further information www.rrl.nsw.gov.au
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Residents urged to ‘Detox your Home’ from hazardous household chemicals Towong Shire residents are being urged to ‘Detox your Home’ – a safe, free and easy-to-use service to dispose of common household chemicals without harming your health or the environment. The household chemical collection service is coming to Wodonga on Saturday 6 September. Towong Shire Council, in partnership with Sustainability Victoria, is encouraging residents to take this opportunity to get rid of unwanted – and potentially dangerous – items like pesticides, detergents and weed killers.
Chemicals should not be
The Detox your Home collection will be held at the Wodonga Waste Transfer Station, 29 Kane Road, Wodonga between 10am and 2pm on Saturday 6 September. Detox your Home is administered by Sustainability Victoria in partnership with local governments and is funded by the Victorian landfill levy. Visit www. sustainability.vic.gov.au/detoxyourhome for a full list of items that can be disposed of at the upcoming collection.
Free chemical collection to Detox your Home Detox your Home is a safe, FREE and easy-to-use service to dispose of common household chemicals without harming your health or the environment. Wodonga’s collection Saturday 6 September 2014 10.00 am to 2.00 pm Wodonga Waste Transfer Station, 29 Kane Road, Wodonga
Simply turn up on the day with your unwanted items and we’ll do the rest. For more information:
sustainability.vic.gov.au/detoxyourhome
1300 363 744
430536
ZO430658
“Household chemicals can be dangerous,” said Cr Mary Fraser, Towong Shire Council’s Mayor. “They can harm your family and your pets, add extra fuel to a house fire, release toxic fumes and pollute the environment for future generations, which is why residents should take advantage of the free Detox your Home service to safely dispose of unwanted items.”
placed out with the regular rubbish collection because they could explode, ignite, leak or mix with other chemicals explained Cr Fraser. Disposing of chemicals by pouring them down the drain can also pollute waterways, cause harm to animals and vegetation and contaminate drinking water.
FREE QUOTES AND HOURLY RATES AVAILABLE P.O Box 93, Tallangatta, VIC. 3700. Ph: 02 60712977
LOCAL QUARRY MATERIALS AVAILABLE Float Hire, Bulk Earthmoving, Bitumen Spraying, Water Cartage, Dam Cleaning, Road and Site Work, Bulldozer Available. Email: tcm@bigpond.net.au Richard Fraser 0418 445 206
Richard Sharpe 0418 443 221
Ken Crockett 0418 231 308
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Stock Grid Policy changes to result in improved road conditions Towong Shire Council has recently adopted a revised Stock Grid Policy and implementation strategy to address the ongoing issues that stock grids on public roads pose to road users. “The revised Stock Grid Policy seeks to encourage the removal of existing stock grids and the fencing of property boundaries adjacent to road reserves,” said Cr Mary Fraser OAM, Mayor of Towong Shire Council. “This is intended to exclude livestock from the road reserves ensuring that Council can maintain the roads to Council’s agreed standard. It also removes any legal liability associated with the grids for both the property owner and the Council.” Council has resolved that in recognition of the unique financial and physical circumstances that may be present in regard to each stock grid, owners would be able to choose to retain their grid or fence the property road boundaries. If electing to retain the stock grid, owners would have to sign a legally binding 173 Agreement. This Agreement acknowledges the obligation of the owner to replace and/or maintain the grid to the Council specified standard, maintain appropriate annual public liability insurance and pay an annual stock grid grazing permit fee. The proceeds of the fee will be used by Council to fund the additional reactive maintenance required on roads where stock has access to the road reserve. A recent series of inspections of stock grids in the Shire has identified 143 stock grids on public access roads. The condition of these grids was rated on a scale of 1-5 based on the structural condition of the grid, the surrounding foundation and the rails. It was found that 46% of the grids inspected were deemed to be in unacceptable condition and posed a hazard to public traffic on these roads.
HARDWASTE AND GREENWASTE COLLECTIONS • Bethanga Saturday 4 October 10am - 1pm • Granya Sunday 5 October 10am - 1pm • Tallangatta Valley Saturday 11 October 10am - 1pm • Eskdale Sunday 12 October 10am - 1pm • Biggara Saturday 18 October 10am - 1pm • Nariel Valley Sunday 19 October 10am - 12noon • Lucyvale Sunday 19 October 1pm - 3pm Bookings are essential. To make a booking, or to find out more about the hardwaste and greenwaste collections, contact Council on 02 6071 5100. Don’t forget to present your waste voucher, issued with rates notices, to dispose of your waste free of charge.
”The maintenance of affected roads is of continuing concern to Council as the presence of stock has a detrimental effect on pavement condition, particularly in wet weather. As an example, it is sometimes difficult to maintain two wheel drive access, functioning drainage and maintenance of guide posts and signage due to stock impact,” Cr Fraser OAM explained. “Council regularly receives requests, especially in the winter months to address these types of road maintenance issues. However, under Council’s current Road Management Plan, routine maintenance targets do not apply to unfenced roads because it is simply not practical to maintain roads to a specified standard where stock has access to the road reserve. This is predominantly because the cost of maintaining reasonable service is prohibitive,” Cr Fraser OAM explained. “Our long term goal is to progressively remove grids by encouraging the fencing of roads as an alternative to upgrading a grid which may be substandard. This would relieve the property owner’s ongoing maintenance and liability responsibilities. It would also allow Council the opportunity to improve maintenance standards.” Council will provide stock grid owners with written notification of the above by 31 July with a response requested by 30 September 2014. Owners will then be expected to action their nominated choice by 30 September 2015.
Council Meeting Dates 2014 Towong Shire Council has determined the following dates for 2014 Council Meetings: Meetings commence at 10am.
Date September 2, 2014 October 7, 2014 November 11, 2014 December 2, 2014
Location Corryong, Council Office Bethanga, Public Hall Corryong, Council Office Tallangatta, Council Office
Council meetings commence with open forum where residents are invited to address the Council on matters that concern them. Agendas are available for viewing at the Council Office (Corryong and Tallangatta), Bethanga Store, Tintaldra Store, Eskdale Store, Walwa Store, Mitta Mitta Store, Koetong Hotel and the Tallangatta and Corryong libraries or via Council’s website www.towong.vic.gov. au. If you require any further information in relation to Council Meetings contact Diana Snaith on (02) 6071 5100 or 1300 365 222 (local call cost).
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PENINSULA NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH August 2014
Area Co-ordinator: Ross Mitchell Ph 0418 215 076 Secretary: Julie de Hennin Ph 0412 433 499
Assistant Area Co-ordinator: Carolyn Butko Treasurer: Nene Green Ph 60 201144
FOR YOUR DIARY Next and final meeting for 2014 th
AREA CO-ORDINATOR'S REPORT
The Community Meeting and AGM at Talgarno on th Wednesday 20 August were well attended. Thanks are extended to the Talgarno community members who organised this evening. A highlight of the evening was the presentation by local resident and Inspector of Police NSW, David Cottee. A summary of his presentation is included in this newsletter. As Area Co-ordinator of Peninsula Neighbourhood Watch it gave me much pleasure to provide an over view of the achievements for the year; including a meeting held at each of the 4 major community centres in our area with a guest speaker; the trial of having a sausage sizzle prior to each meeting; another successful Wood Raffle which is PNHW annual fund raiser; receipt of a generous donation from the Bethanga Gymkhana Committee; continuation of ‘Senior Student Community Award’; the ongoing profiling of PNHW with gate and road signs and our association with LSC Nev Barrow whose professionalism and dedication to the safety of our community is exemplary. My sincere thanks is also extended to the numerous community members who generously give of their time and work together to create our community as a safe place for everyone to live. Neighbourhood Watch is a community based crime prevention program which aims to create safe communities for us all to live in, so if you see something untoward please report the incident to the police immediately, including details of What? Where? People? Vehicles? (make, colour, model etc) ...... I look forward to another successful year and warmly invite you and any new comers to the area to join with us at our final meeting for the year at the Bellbridge th Community Centre on Wednesday 19 November at 7.30pm. You bring a salad or sweet to share and PHNW provides chicken. You will be invited to make a gold coin donation for the chicken. Best wishes, Ross Mitchell, Area Co-ordinator PNHW.
Bellbridge Community Centre – 19 Nov 7.30 pm Community Meeting and Christmas Dinner – Please bring a salad or desert to share. Chicken is provided. Please bring your own drinks – children also very welcome. This evening is a great way to meet up with your neighbours and catch up on the latest Peninsula Neighbourhood Watch news. Hope to see you there and why not suggest to a friend or neighbour too that they come along!!!.
Peninsula Police Report
13/05/14 Report of Theft of Trailer, Lees Crescent Bellbridge. Between 5.30pm 12/05/14 & 9.30am 13/05/14 Unsecured trailer stolen from front nature strip outside residential address. Value $650.00.Trailer recovered 13/05/14 in Ludlow’s’ Reserve after being used in a Burglary at Lake Hume Resort in NSW. Cross Border investigation continuing. 18/05/14 Report of Fire, Dwyer Crescent, Bellbridge, between 7.30am & 12.30pm,a small fire lit by unknown means in garden bed at residential premises. Self extinguished. Damage value $20.00 to garden watering system. Nil suspects. 01/06/14 Report of Theft, "The Kurrajongs" Murray River Road, Thologolong, between 12.00pm 26/05/14 & 12.00pm on 30/05/14 Unknown persons attended the camping area and removed several tree guards erected by Friends of Mt Lawson as part of re vegetation of the area. Value $520.00.Nil suspects. 01/06/14 Report of Use Firearm on Private Property, Lehmans Road, Talgarno. Between 5.00pm 31/05/14 & 8.30am on 01/06/15 Unknown persons on foot on private property shot and killed a Ram. Value $300.00. Nil suspects. 21/07/14 Report of Attempted Murder, Armed Robbery, Bushland off Koetong Creek Track, Bungil. Between 9.00pm 27/06/14 & 4.30am 28/06/14.1 Male offender arrested, charged & remanded in custody. Wodonga Criminal Investigations Unit investigating.
Regards, Neville BARROW - Leading Senior Constable 25254 | Bethanga Police Station | Address: 1 Bethanga Bay Road, Bethanga, VIC 3690 | DX: 219763 Email: neville.barrow@police.vic.gov.au Phone: (02) 60 264204 Mobile: 0417722952 Fax: (02) 60 264600 |
Peninsula Neighbourhood Watch - our community based crime prevention program
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Report from Guest Speaker, Inspector of Police NSW, David Cottee -‘ Ice Age’ David Cottee is currently an Inspector of Police at Albury (NSW) and has been a serving police officer for over 31 years with experience in western Sydney metropolitan stations, Lithgow and Albury. David recently was a panellist on a public forum held in Wodonga on the topic of ‘Ice’. David started his presentation at the Neighbourhood Watch meeting on a short history of drug addiction in the past 50 years in the Western world, including the use of heroin, cocaine and cannabis as ‘drugs of choice’ and the introduction or rise in popularity of other drugs such as amphetamines (speed), ecstasy and the more recent emergence of ‘Ice’ or ‘crystal meth. The term refers specifically to the drug ‘methamphetamine hydrochloride’. It is also known by a number of other terms, including ‘shabu’, ‘shard’ or ‘glass.’ The drug is a powerful synthetic stimulant. There was some discussion as to how some of these drugs have emerged and changes in social culture in terms of acceptance of drugs, which has included a generational acceptance through popularity of other drugs. Part of this relates to acceptance of route of delivery. ‘Ice’ can be swallowed, injected, snorted or smoked (usually through a glass pipe). Smoking is most popular and transcends previous social or personal barriers to intravenous drug use. Smoking also delivers the effect of the drug within seconds.
One of the key points of the discussion that followed was the need for people to notice changes in behaviour of loved ones and friends and if so, be prepared to have that courageous conversation with them about help they might need. Treat the problem as a health problem. Seek professional help if necessary. Call on other family members to assist. Be prepared to speak with your kids from an early age about the ability to say NO to peer group pressure in relation to any activity, but specifically in relation to drug use of any kind. It is easier not to start than it is to stop. But at all times, never give up hope and support for loved ones. Sincere thanks are extended to David for being the guest speaker at our recent Peninsula Neighbourhood Watch meeting and providing a most enlightening and topical talk about ‘Ice.’ Your Peninsula Neighbourhood Watch Team, th appointed at the AGM on Wednesday 20 August 2014.
One of the main differences between ‘Ice’ and its closely related cousin amphetamine is purity, which is closely linked to addictiveness. Whereas amphetamine is generally 5-7% pure in terms of the presence of the drug with other chemicals, seizures of ‘Ice’ are generally well over 90% pure. Conversations with addicts have indicated that many of the users had a physical and psychological addiction within 3 uses of the drug, for some it was after using it once. The effects of ‘Ice’ include increased confidence and feelings of pleasure and alertness. Over time, increased doses are required to get the same result. Other symptoms include increased heart rate, teeth grinding, sweating and increased breathing rates. As users withdraw they may suffer paranoia, hallucinations and /or sensations that something is crawling under the skin and related sores as they scratch at the skin. Appetite loss leads to marked weight loss. Feelings of depression accompany use of the drug, as does withdrawing from normal social activities and work. Some idea of the scope of the problem was presented to the group in relation to the number of people arrested in the Albury/Wodonga areas and also arrests in more country locations of recent times. Current policing initiatives were focussed on drug suppliers and on users who take drugs and drive cars.
Area Co-ordinator: Ross Mitchell Assistant Area Co-ordinator: Carolyn Butko Secretary: Julie de Hennin Assistant Secretary: Vacant – Can you help? Treasurer: Nene Green Home Security: John & Carolyn Butko Road signs: Peter & Di Schmidt Newsletter Team: John Tudor, Annie Berber, Julie de Hennin
Hey Mate!
Have you got your NHW sign on your gate?
We want your help to refresh our presence by replacing your old NHW gate sign with new ones. We want to remind visitors (good and bad) and ourselves we are a Neighbourhood Watch Community and we are committed to having a community that is a safe place to live and we are watching out for each. We have new metal signs, and the soft plastic signs with tie tags, that are free and we ask you to attach these to your gate or fence please. Why not say to your neighbour ‘Hey mate! Have
you got your NHW sign on your gate?’ For EMERGENCY, call 000 (triple zero) or 112 (from your mobile phone) These calls are free.
Peninsula Neighbourhood Watch - our community based crime prevention program
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CLUBS AND GROUPS
no street names and no or obscured house numbers.
BERRINGA CERT In an Emergency call 000
This year our call outs have been slightly higher than in previous years with 42 callouts; however, seven of these we unable to respond to as we did not have 24/7 cover. We had two retirements during the year leaving us with 13 members to cover the seven days. We often are unable to cover all the weekend and some weekdays. If anyone else wants to join please contact me as applications close in early September. The number of call outs each member attended varied depending on individual availability. Everyone had at least one call out this year but one member attended 21 callouts. Of the call outs we attended, there were 16 to Bethanga, 11 to Bellbridge, 7 to Talgarno and one on the other side of the Bethanga Bridge. Our average response time was 17 minutes with the quickest 6 minutes and the longest 29 minutes. This is a great result considering the need to calmly find your pager, turn off dinner, stoke the fire, wash your hands or even get up, contact your partner, get dressed and contact AV to acknowledge the call out. Then travel safely, in my case the 13 km to Bethanga or 17 km to Bellbridge, at the speed limit. Finding the property for those on the rural numbering system is easier since the standard numbers have been put up but Bethanga township presents some challenges with changing street names,
There were seven callouts on Sundays and Tuesdays, five on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, four on Saturdays and two on Mondays. The call outs were evenly spread between the shifts - 13 nights (8pm 8am), 12 mornings (8am – 2pm) and 12 afternoons (2pm – 8pm). Eight of the nightshift call outs were after midnight. The call outs across the year come in clusters: five callouts in spring, nine in summer, 16 in autumn and six in winter, but we had two months with no callouts and three months with only one callout. The average age of our patients was 62 with half aged 70 plus. Our youngest was 11 years old. Fifteen of the callouts were medical, 9 trauma, 5 cardiac, 4 respiratory and 2 motor vehicle accidents. This year two of the cases particularly reinforced to the team of why we do what we do and the importance of enduring the repetitive training we do two nights a month. It also reminded me of what we are asking volunteers to mentally and emotionally expose themselves to. We thank AV for the support and services they offer to us. At Sharon Gale’s funeral, the Gale family requested donations in lieu of flowers to be made to Berringa CERT. Les would like CERT to use the funds to install a public access AED in Bethanga. The CERT team and committee believes that this would be a great way to contribute to the community’s wellbeing but believes that one should be also be available in Bellbridge. The cost of an AED is around $3500. CERT will ask other community groups and individuals to contribute towards the costs as well as look for available grants. (see page 3 for more information) I would like to thank all the team for the time they give to providing this valuable service to our community, the community for their ongoing support and Bethanga Primary School for allowing us to use the school for our monthly training. Keep well, Julie Miller Team Leader Berringa CERT juliemiller@skymesh.com.au 6020 1107
BETHANGA ANGLER’S CLUB Just a reminder that members can weigh fish in at the Bethanga Hotel at any time and we would like to hear from anyone who would like to become a member. Happy Fishing, CATCHYA soon Brian 6026 4214
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BETHANGA CRICKET CLUB
BETHANGA RECREATION RESERVE
For further information contact,
SR500 Weekend 15 and 16 November Come and enjoy a great day or weekend if you like old motorbikes etc. Their contributions to the community over the years has been wonderful.
President, Brodie Sirl 6026 4504 or 0457 269 309
BETHANGA ACTION GROUP The Bethanga Action Group Inc. had their winter meeting on the 12 August at Bethanga Hall and we welcomed Councillor David Wortmann. We appreciate him coming along to our meetings when he is available, it is an opportunity for us to put forward any ideas or problems that the community have presented to our group. We welcome any input from the community and would welcome any locals or newcomers to come along to our meetings and perhaps present fresh ideas. We are a very relaxed group, small in numbers and would love to see some new faces at our meetings so that we may continue to make improvements in the community. Our local actress Liz McBarron presented a very professional and talented one woman show “From Page to Stage” on Friday evening 8 August and we would like to thank all that attended this fundraiser and the money raised will be put to good use. We have our Annual General Meeting coming up on the Tuesday 7 October, please come along and don’t be afraid of getting a job although I think our “old” committee would be quite happy for a change. We do have some good cooks in town and supper is quite tasty, so come along for a cuppa and meet some locals. Our meeting dates for the remainder of 2014 are: Tuesday 7 October, AGM, 7:30 pm Supper Room Bethanga Hall Tuesday 9 December, Christmas meeting, 7:00pm Bethanga Hall, a nice social evening followed by a meal and all are welcome. Di Schmidt 6026 4325 Judi Maynard 6026 4007 Dave Elder 6026 4363
PENINSULA MEN’S SHED
The men gather at the shed from 9 am every Wednesday and all new members are welcome. The shed is located in Sirl Street, Bethanga (the old Shire depot). For further information phone 6026 4418. Bob Price Acting President
Soccer Great to see the kids having a great time and Roland and all the parents that help the kids enjoy their day. Pony Club It is great to hear that the pony club is getting close to being up and running. I would encourage parents and likeminded youngsters to get involved. I’m sure it will be great fun for all. Trees As some of you have noticed and from the feedback I and many on the committee have been getting over the years, some of the Elms are a concern because of their age, disease/elm leaf beetle and safety. The committee would welcome any constructive ideas or alternatives. One thing that is for sure is that the elm trees contribute to making the recreation reserve and the town a lovely spot. Mary and John Northey have kindly put some time aside in the near future to spray the Elms for elm leaf beetle. Around the ground • At the bottom end of the oval, the Towong Shire has put soil and fill to the uneven area between the bottom of the oval and creek in the paddock area. Whilst still allowing natural drainage it will
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make it easier to maintain while giving more usable ground in the future. •
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The rubbish pile has now been burnt and in next week or so will be tidied up, spread out to level the area and grassed over. The existing work is grassing over nicely. We have been in discussion with Landcare, CFA , Towong Shire and others about tidying up the existing creek area including machine mulching of pivot, blackberry etc. and some spraying. New fencing for the treed area (10 m), this could also be used as a laneway for stock and make it easier to maintain. A small wetland near the old loading area on the far side may be constructed, as it is an area that is always hard to maintain because of wetness. This would also make it easier to manage horses or other livestock into the future, as a management tool, whilst nurturing the environmental aspect, as well as allowing people to enjoy on their walks around the oval.
Improvements • Canteen plumbing has been upgraded. •
New lights around the oval to increase lighting capacity and fixing none working lights, resulting in reduced running costs.
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Canteen power to be improved to stabilise drop outs from overloads on big event days.
Meeting dates All are welcome to attend and your thoughts and constructive information is always appreciated. If you can’t attend in person, send an email or write to the President or Secretary/Treasurer. Meeting dates: Wednesday 5 November 2014, 7pm Wednesday 28 January 2015, 7pm (AGM) Contact David Elder, President. 0408 281 006 or Email: Davidcaelder@bigpond.com.au Adam Dyde, Secretary & Treasurer, Bethanga Recreation Reserve Committee of Management 0400 227 422, Address: 166 Flagstaff Road, Bethanga Recreation Reserve Hire Fee Local (individual) day hire - $100 Community group (non-profit) day hire - $50 Bond $100, refundable Non local hire fee – negotiable For hiring enquiries, please contact Mary Northey 6026 4257
BETHANGA AUTOMOTIVE & Small Engine Repairs
Mick Childs Ph:6026 4881 Mob:0414 427413
(Please leave message if not answered- Landline Preferred)
Vehicle Services and repairs to cars, tractors, trucks, small and stationary engines. Starter ropes and Caltex oils and lubes available Workshop Facilities Onsite repairs (when viable) Competitive Rates
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TALGARNO CFA It has been a quiet period for the brigade in terms of callouts but there has been a bit happening behind the scenes in the training area and in new members. The brigade has organised annual refresher training for members as well as training in the use of the new digital radios that have been fitted to both the tanker and the slip-on. Since all radio traffic will now be directed to VicFire radio rather than the Tallangatta Group, protocols are needed to make sure nobody spends too much time getting their messages across. If any members are unaware of the new protocols, it would be a good idea to talk to the Captain or Lieutenants before the fire season starts to get up to speed. There are currently five new members undergoing Minimum Skills Training, which is fantastic; they are all young and will help the brigade abandon the Dad’s Army image that it currently holds. Anybody in the community wanting to join the brigade is most welcome. The brigade has been successful in obtaining a grant for some equipment for the fire shed and this year the grant focussed on training aids (TV/DVD) and a freezer for water bottles and ice to go into eskies on the units. It won’t be long before the fire season starts again, so now is a good time to finish burning off remembering to notify VicFire (1800 668 511) about the burn so that we don’t get false alarms. Also, now is the time to
prepare firebreaks by mowing and/or spraying roadside frontages. The brigade will endeavour to burn off the roadside, provided that the landowner has prepared an adequate firebreak between the property boundary and the road. This firebreak should be at least three (3) metres wide and it should be cleared so that the tanker can travel along it safely. Any landowner wishing to have the road frontage burned this year should contact Peter Star (6020 1171) or Michael Elliot (6020 1174) for further information. There have been some nasty house fires in Victoria in recent times and now is a good time to check that you are well prepared. Make sure that: • • •
Your smoke alarm battery has been renewed and to check that it is working. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher or fire blanket handy in the kitchen. You and your family have a fire plan and all know what to do in the event of a fire.
Please be careful this coming fire season to make sure that you don’t inadvertently start a fire. There will be a Pre-Season General Meeting in October at a date to be announced and all community and brigade members are urged to attend to obtain the latest information about the upcoming fire season Don’t forget the monthly BBQ held at the fire shed at 6pm on the second Friday of each month. Greg Hayes
Bethanga General Store [open all hours]
6.30 AM to 7 PM Monday to Saturday. Breakfast if ordered. 8.30 AM to 7 PM Sunday and later for food orders. General provisions, newspapers and magazines. Fuel --- last fuel before Walwa. Local agent for Elgas 45 kg bottles supplied to properties. Refills and Swap and Go Dine In or Takeaway Tea, cappuccino and soft drinks Sandwiches (Toasted if required). Fish and chips, potato cakes, calamari and a host of other wonderful delicacies - menu board in shop. A children's playground next door makes for a wonderful family experience. Please make food orders as early as possible, stating a pick up time, this maintains optimum quality and temperature of food. Please ring for orders and enquiries 6026 4215.
BETHANGA CFA Fire calls 000 Burn Notifications VICFIRE 1800 668 511 Victorian Bush Fire Information 1800 240 667 All peninsular Fire Units - UHF 10 INCIDENTS 22 May 9:31am Call: Car fire Drummond Road Talgarno Four members responded in Tanker 1 and a private vehicle to assist Talgarno. The car was quickly extinguished and we returned after a short time. The car was completely destroyed. 11 July 5:53pm Call: Motorbike fire Springdale Road Eleven members responded in Tanker 1, Bethanga Slip on and three private vehicles. The fire was extinguished with a Dry Chemical fire extinguisher by the first member on the scene and the responding appliances were called off en route and returned to their stations. Even though the bike was extinguished within six minutes of the 000 call, it was completely destroyed.
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SAVING YOUR PROPERTY FROM FIRE The last two incidents the Brigade has attended have resulted in fire destroying vehicles. Property, including homes and motor vehicles can be totally destroyed by fire within a matter of minutes. It is often the case that brigades cannot get to the fire in time to save your property. The best chance of saving your property is what you can do for yourself in the first few minutes when the fire is small. Having a $25 Dry Chemical fire extinguisher in your vehicle and home can save many thousands of dollars. Maybe ask Santa for one instead of socks n jocks!! DIGITAL RADIO COMMUNICATIONS Over the last six months, all Victorian CFA brigades have changed to a new trunked digital radio communications system. This new system is a vast improvement over the old analogue system with 99% state wide area coverage and crystal clear audio. We will also be kept up to date with the latest incident information as we will be communicating directly with Vic Fire who is the 000 fire emergency call center. All brigades including Bethanga have undergone detailed training on the new system. The general public can listen to the new CFA digital transmissions using a digital scanner, internet streaming on computers or scanner Applications on smart phones. SPRING IS HERE We have had a quiet winter - keep up the good work! The wet winter has given us the best growing season for some time, so we can expect a lot of grass in the coming months. When that grass cures, it will quickly become very hazardous, so be mindful of this when going about your day-to-day activities when the weather warms up. It is never too early to begin your preparations for the fire season: • • •
Clean out the gutters and keep them clean. Keep the grass short around the house and buildings. Remove any flammable rubbish lying around.
Luke Turner
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Builder & Farmer
Renovations Stock Work Repairs & General Carpentry Fencing Servicing Northeast & Surrounding areas Free, hard to beat quotes Ph: 0429 189 942 10 Lyndon Avenue Bellbridge VIC 3691
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Check your fire fighting equipment for serviceability. Look around and assess your individual fire risks and discuss with your family and neighbours about what you are going to do if there is a fire (This is a basic fire plan). Check your gas BBQ equipment for leaks.
RESPONSIBILITIES WHEN BURNING OFF Notify VICFIRE Tel 1800 668 511 of your location and intention to burn. Remember your responsibilities when conducting a burn off. No burning off during the fire danger period without a permit. You must be present at your burn off at all times. You must have sufficient fire suppression equipment on scene. You must have sufficient and capable man power on scene. If the fire gets out of control, you are responsible for any damages and costs involved any time of the year. We want you to know that local brigades are non-judgmental and are happy to come to your assistance when needed. Please be responsible when burning off as Police and high level CFA officers are taking firm and sometimes costly action against anyone that lets their burn get out of control. Recent burns that have been logged
with VICFIRE have resulted in far less false alarms for the Brigade; Thankyou! COUNCIL FIRE PERMITS FOR TOWN RESIDENTS It is a council law that, if you live within town limits, you must obtain a permit to burn from them at all times of the year. The good news is that Council is issuing these permits and it is simple, quick and free. If you ring Council on 02 6071 5100 they can fill out the permit over the phone and send it to you via email. You do not need a permit to have a fire bucket for warmth but you must still comply with the responsibilities above. TOWONG SHIRE PROPERTY INSPECTIONS The Council Fire Prevention Officer will be conducting inspections of township properties before the start of the Fire Season. It is in your own interest to ensure that you comply promptly with any direction that Council make particularly regarding the long grass within the town limits. If you have any issues with long grass adjoining your property, notify the Council. BRIGADE PREPAREDNESS The Brigade will be carrying out roadside fuel reduction burns on the roads mainly west of the Bethanga township nearer to the commencement of the Fire Season. This reduces the likelihood of random fires and provides excellent
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training for Brigade members. It takes a fair bit of time and effort! The brigade is also working with the Bethanga Rec Reserve with the aim of achieving fire prevention works in the creek from behind the shop to the Rec Reserve entrance. FIRE AWARENESS Brigade firefighters are alerted to incidents by Pager message. The Pager message also triggers the Fire Siren at the Bethanga Fire Station for 90 seconds. The siren alerts everyone to an incident occurring, so take the time to go outside and look around – it could be your neighbour’s fire! Fire information is available to everyone by means of a Fire Ready App for your Mobile Phone and from
the CFA Web Site on the Internet, so if you live outside of the sound of the siren, this will be of particular interest to you. NEIGHBOURING BRIGADE CALL OUT The Bethanga Brigade operates closely with the Talgarno Brigade. When an incident occurs in our Brigade Area, Talgarno is called out as a back-up and vice versa. The Bethanga fire siren will sound for incidents that we are alerted to in our own area plus neighbouring areas. TRAINING Talgarno and Bethanga brigades have joined force to providing minimum skills training for new members from both brigades.
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Around six members from Bethanga and five from Talgarno will have completed their training, ready for the summer fire season. We also have two members currently completing their Level 2 first aid training and three members completing Crew Leader courses. We also have nominated quite a few members to complete low structure training. BETHANGA PRIMARY SCHOOL TRAINING Members of the Brigade visited the School and trained staff in the use of Dry Chemical Extinguishers and Fire Blankets. Another visit before the end of the School Year is planned to introduce students to fire awareness and volunteering. VICTORIAN EMERGENCY SERVICES EQUIPMENT PROGAMME GRANT The Brigade successfully obtained a grant of $667 from the Government under the VESEP Scheme for 2/3 the cost of a chainsaw, with the Brigade responsible for providing the other $333 from our own funds. The chainsaw will be a valuable additional tool in some fire situations. BELLBRIDGE FIRE SHED The Slip-On Light Tanker is stabled at the Bellbridge Fire Shed. For the last two years, the Brigade has been seeking to cut the roadside kerb outside the shed in order to provide smoother entry and exit for the tanker. The bureaucracy finally seems to be catching up and we hope to see action very soon. COMMUNITY SAFETY LIAISON COORDINATOR The CFA now requires all Brigades to appoint a Community Safety Liaison Coordinator from 2015. The role is still not fully developed, but the Brigade has elected Jim Jefferies to initiate the job. It looks like Jim will be a point of contact for liaison, advice and information for the public and members. John Northey Captain, 6026 4574 0414 931 442 Jon O’Neill Secretary/Treasurer, 6026 4823 Jim Jefferies Community Safety Liaison, 6026 4166
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ROTARY CLUB OF BELLBRIDGE LAKE HUME
PARCEL COURIER SERVICE
Christmas in July Function held on 27 July About 35 elderly residents from the peninsula area attended a function held at the Bellbridge Community Centre organised by the Rotary Club. They were treated to a two course lunch with beverages, sing-along and friendship. Christmas Carols Christmas carols will be held on Sunday 7 December, commencing at 6.30pm at the Boat Club, Bellbridge. Santa will be in attendance as well as the choir singing Christmas carols. Drinks and sausages will be available as usual.
Bandiana-Killara-Ebden-Bonegilla-Hume WeirBellbridge-Bethanga-Springdale and Talgarno
Australia Day Celebrations will be held at the Bellbridge Community Centre. Start thinking about worthy citizens for our local awards.
Parcels can also be collected from the Bethanga Post Office. Prices start from $3.50 per parcel depending on size
Lake Hume Fishing Classic This event will be held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November at the Lake Hume Tourist Park with registrations on the Friday and fishing times on the Saturday and Sunday morning. Numerous prizes will be awarded over the two days. Meals will be provided on the Saturday night and Sunday lunchtime. Alcoholic and soft drinks will also be available. No BYO.
Contact Laurie Scott on
FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND REGISTRATION PLEASE GO ONLINE TO WEBSITE www. lakehumeclassic.com.au or contact a Rotarian associated with the Bellbridge Club. Regards Andrew Christy
TALGARNO AND DISTRICT BRANCH CWA It is with regret that this will be the last report from the Talgarno and District Branch of CWA. It has been decided to go into recess for 12 months with the view to closing. We have been trying for a long time to encourage new members but have had no success. I am including a Fact Sheet with this article so you can see that we are not just about tea and scones. You may be interested in starting an evening branch as most people work days. However, contact one of the numbers below if you want more information. Another regret is that the new branch in Corryong does not want to take on the Corryong CWA Hall as it needs a lot of maintenance and is costing approximately $1500 a year and only earning a fraction of this. Moves are being made to put the property on the market. The Upper Murray Group held its Half-Yearly Conference in Corryong on the Tuesday 19 August and was attended by all Branches. The State President
As your local Postal Licensee, I am also able to pick up parcels from Snow White in Albury and any parcel from Australia Air Express in Wodonga and deliver them as part of my normal run. I service the following areas:
BH: 6026 4223, AH: 6026 4251 or 0407 567 600 Contact Snow White Bus Depot 6021 4368 Mrs Dorothy Coombe spoke to us of the changes within the Association. The Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 and our Constitution Revised June 2014 have made these changes necessary. Our State Office Bearers are bringing the Association into the 21st Century. Our meeting for September will be at the Albury Golf Club on Monday 1 September, this meeting will be our AGM and probably our last date is to be decided. Contact members below for further information President: Mrs Elizabeth Schmidt 6059 4253 Secretary: Mrs Janet Coker-Godson 6026 4269 Treasurer: Mrs Deidre Bawden 0409 673 534 The Country Women’s Association of Victoria Inc. A 0004857F ABN 55 584 949 677 •
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The Country Women’s Association of Victoria Inc. (Association) is part of the largest women’s organisation in Australia. It is a non-party political and nonsectarian organisation for country and city women. It aims to improve conditions by community service more especially as they affect the welfare of women and children. 22
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Members work for the welfare of all women and children through representation to all levels of government, undertaking fundraising events, providing networking opportunities and teaching life skills. The Victorian Association was formed on 12 March 1928 and today in its 85th year boasts over 5,000 members. Each member belongs to one of 300 branches state-wide that maintains its own program and is empowered to support community needs. The Victorian Association is a member of the Country Women’s Association of Australia (CWAA). Across Australia the Association has more than 25,000 members in 1,500 branches. The Victorian Association is a member of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), which has nongovernment organisation status at the United Nations. ACWW has over 9 million members in 62 countries around the world. Throughout Victoria branches meet monthly to take on any number of initiatives – be it fundraising for causes, lobbying for better services for women and children or helping out in times of emergency and natural disaster, sharing in interest groups to develop skills in areas such as craft, cooking, gardening, singing, dancing, public speaking, photography and others. The Association continues to achieve and make great contributions to the State, the Country, the South Pacific Area and world-wide projects to improve the living standards of women and children. We encourage new women to join so the
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Association can continue its work. The Association continues to lobby Government for improved services and has made submissions on food labeling laws, importation of product regulations, Problem Gambling, foreign ownership of land regulations, transport, education and medical services and much more. The Association assists in crises and administered funding provided by the Federal Government to assist people in drought. Continual support has been given to those affected by the fires and floods through provision of “pamper packs”, crafted goods and financial support. Emergency and welfare support is provided continually. Scholarships have been provided since 1946 to assist with education expenses. Each year the Association raises funds for two selected recipients. In 2013 they are the Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust and the “What Can I Do” project in support of the elimination of Family Violence. The Association maintains representation on: Foodbank Victoria Council on the Ageing (COTA) FarmSafe Victoria Travellers Aid Community Utilities Advocacy Centre (CUAC) Royal Flying Doctors Service Victoria (Health Services Advisory Committee) United Nations Association Australia (Vic) Status of Women Network plus other women’s lobby groups. The Association is a diverse organisation with more than tea and scones on the menu.
RAY’S CARPET CLEANING Situated in Talgarno Many years experience Not steam cleaning or dry cleaning Fantastic results guaranteed Call Ray Dawson on: 0409 455 477 or 6020 1282 23
LAKE HUME SOCCER CLUB Lake Hume Soccer Club’s 2014 season is drawing to a close and we can’t remember a wetter season than this one. Quite a few saturated Saturdays have seen our sessions cancelled, but for some die-hards, the pouring rain, flooded grounds and freezing temperatures have been no impediment to having a kick. Having braved the colder days and overcome our coughs and colds, the fabulous spring weather has invigorated our young players and just in time, for our season blossoms with the classic “equalizer”, the Parents v. Kids match. Last year’s match was a football lesson – for the parents. It also served to remind the Mums and Dads why we do warm ups, what the hamstrings, quads and calves used to do, as well as how good a hot bath with Radox is (old person’s stuff). No doubt the kids will show the same enthusiasm they have displayed all year and will give the “oldies” a good workout/soccer lesson. The 2014 Committee want to thank all the players this year for the enthusiasm, good humour and great attitude they bring to our Saturday sessions. We also want to thank all the parents, grandparents and carers who support the club week in and week out and for the friendly atmosphere they generate. We hope 2015 will be bigger and better and that the future stays bright. Stay safe till then and keep practicing.
For more information on the club and our activities call Roland Linssen (President) 0412 085 690 or Helen Wilson (Secretary) 6026 4404.
playing this coming season please call Jarrod Stephenson on 0417 228 445 or Alicia Phillips on 6072 9512.
BETHANGA GOLF CLUB
We are also encouraging anyone interested in a social hit and some coaching tips or giving their children the opportunity for some practice and some coaching tips, to come down to the courts on a Sunday afternoon at 3pm and stay on for a BYO BBQ dinner or wood fired pizzas. Everyone is welcome to join us.
New members and visitors are most welcome to come along and join us at one of the hidden gems of North East Victorian Golf. Brett Gilbee – Captain
TALGARNO TENNIS CLUB Hi all! We are in preparation for settling our Section 1, 2 and junior teams for the 2014-15 summer season. The season is likely to commence on Saturday 11 or 18 October. Our club welcomes any individuals and families who would like to have a hit, regardless of whether you call yourself a tennis player or not! If you are interested in having some good fun on Saturday afternoon and getting to know some of the locals from Talgarno and around the district, then please come and join us.
Brendan Pearson Co-Secretary 0408 610 277 talgarnotc@gmail.com www.facebook.com/talgarnotc
EXERCISE CLASSES Want to lose weight or improve your level of fitness? Why not try our fitness classes? These continue to run at the Talgarno Hall on most evenings and
Learn Taekwondo for self defence, fitness or sport
To express your interest in Talgarno Community Hall Thursday 6pm -7.30pm FIRST LESSON FREE Instructor David Cottee
3rd Dan (Kukkiwon certified) NCAS Level 1 Coach Senior First Aid
Adult Fitness Sessions Tuesday, Thursday 7.30pm Sunday 7- 8pm
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have proven to be very popular. Classes begin at 7:00pm on Sundays and Tuesdays until daylight savings then 7pm Sundays and 7.30 Tuesday Also Thursday nights or afternoons - times vary so call to check. All sessions run approximately 1 hour and cost is a minimal $2. There are additional sessions on most other evenings from 7:00pm by arrangement.
CRAFT GROUP
Most sessions are aerobic circuits. Equipment now includes a running machine, exercise bike and recumbent bike (both with heart monitors), cross trainer and an array of hand weights, fit balls, medicine balls, a kick bag and other ancillary equipment. Come and enjoy the fun. New members are always welcome. You work at your own pace in a friendly group atmosphere.
Anglican Holy Trinity Bethanga. For all enquires, phone
For more information, contact David or Vicki on 6020 1147 (just leave a message on the answering machine if they can’t get to the phone).
POLE WALKERS On Wednesdays at 10am (9am in summer), a group of locals meet to walk with poles around the scenic spots of our peninsula. Pole walking uses up approx. 20% more calories than just ordinary walking and you use approx. 80% more of your body muscles. You feel terrific at the end of an hour, not only from the exercise but the friendly company. If you wish to become a pole walker call Di Schmidt 6026 4325 Shirley Eddington 6026 4330
Held on the last Friday of the month. Come and share ideas and enjoy each other’s company. For further information contact: Joan Elliot 6020 1177
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Jeanine Pearce 6026 4243 Catholic Assistant Priest is now Fr. Bernie Agustines. Mass times: Mass is the 2nd Sunday of every month at 12 noon, with the option of lunch at the Bethanga Pub afterwards.
Looking for a plasterer to fix holes, do extensions or renovations? Give
PETER JACKSON a call on 02 6026 4040
NSW Licence 41348C
BETHANGAIBELLBRIDGE EXERCISE GROUP
Gentle Strength and Balance Exercises, Warm Water Exercises every six weeks Where: Bethanga Hall When: Tuesday Time: 2.30pm to 3.30pm Cost: $4 BENEFITS OF EXERCISE • Reduces INCIDENCE OF FALLS and FALL RELATED INJURIES • Lessens ARTHRITIS PAIN • Improves bone density in people with OSTEOPOROSIS • Is effective in improving glycaemic control in patients with TYPE 2 DIABETES • Improves SOCIAL LIFE and helps maintain INDEPENDENCE • Acts as an ANTIDEPRESSANT in depressed people and improves MOOD and ANXIETY Di Schmidt 6026 4325 Jennie Miller, Angela Stephenson, Tallangatta Health Service 6071 5200
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Wises Creek Talgarno Landcare Group For your diary
Monday 20 October 7.30 meeting at Talgarno Primary School Sunday 14 December Christmas Walk, Talk, Learn and Eat . Details next Berringa Community News
NEW MEMBERS ARE WELCOME Julie Miller Secretary 02 6020 1107 Jim de Hennin President 02 6020 1136 Hugh Dunchue Treasurer 02 6026 4715 wctlandcaregroup@gmail.com
Bethanga Landcare Group Do you like to get out and enjoy nature? Do you want to learn about our flora and fauna? Do you want to improve our local area by increasing biodiversity? Do you want to reduce weeds and improve pasture? Do you want to compost your scraps and grow your own fruit and vegetables?
Recently some members requested and have been supplied with Landcare farm gate signs. It is planned to move the roadside sign on Lake Road close to the Bethanga Bridge to be more inclusive of the Bellbridge residents. Works are planned at the Eastern side of the Recreation Reserve and planning is underway to again tackle the creek adjacent to the town (initially this will involve weed removal).
Bethanga Landcare Group (BLG) can help you with these activities. BLG formed in 1993 and incorporates the catchments of Bethanga Creek and Spring Creek and includes the townships of Bethanga and Bellbridge. Recently BLG have had speakers discussing Biological pest control, Blackberry control, and the identification & health of our local frog species. BLG is part of the Mitta to Murray Blackberry Action Group.
Our coming events include field days and day and night-time nature walks.
In July we had a community tree planting day and a social BBQ. We have also given 700 native trees and shrubs away to 40 members. The group works with the shire in roadside weed control and planting of appropriate native species. The shire has recently assisted the Bethanga Primary School children in planting along Martins Road near the Smelter site (replacing the wild plum trees). The group works with Parks Victoria in revegetating the Bethanga Commons to restore native habitat, create wildlife corridors and hence encourage native fauna.
If you are interested join up with BLG (or at least get onto our mailing list). Send your email address to Leon at leonhelmrich1@bigpond.com Visit our website for information, activities and photographs: http://northeast.landcarevic.net.au/bethanga Or ring Roger on 04 0026 4079. Upcoming events: Small Farm Field Day @ Bethanga Hall October 19 Frog information evening, Springdale Road, October 25 BLG Meeting 7pm @ Bethanga Hall November 19 Family friendly night walk (fauna by spotlight), nightfall, Flagstaff Road, November 29 TBC
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Bellbridge Kindergarten children put their learning about trees into practice. Dressed in beanies, gloves and jackets for the cold morning, ten enthusiastic children from the Bellbridge Kindergarten, their teacher and several parents and grandparents travelled to Jim and Julie de Hennin’s Talgarno property to plant a few trees. The adventure started with a bus trip on the ‘big bus’ and ‘it was very exciting’ Marnie said. At the tree planting site the children collected a tree guard, wrote their name on the guard and drew a picture and then with guidance from the adults all planted a tree or two. The morning concluded with a picnic morning tea, which also include a birthday celebration for Belle. The children then returned to the kindergarten on David’s bus. Julie de Hennin
Rebecca Caspar
Mobile Hairdresser All cutting & colour techniques in the comfort of your own home.
0438 903 772
Short term holiday rental Mo’s Cottage, a Home away from Home at Bellbridge. Fully equipped 2 bedroom cottage - Lake Hume views. The luxurious feel of a retreat and a home in one. Enquiries: Phone 0400 12 9958 www.alburywodongacottages.com.au
Jamie Swinnerton Electrical Pty Ltd 461 Lake Road Bethanga
Electrical Licence Numbers. Vic 13611 NSW 147315C
Specialising in domestic, commercial, industrial, rural, underground, safety switches etc. Phone 0419 419 048 After Hours 6026 4140 Fax 6026 4130
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Children’s Groups Playgroup Community Early-years Childcare (FARMS) for children, continues to operate at the Talgarno Hall every Tuesday and Thursday. Hours of operation are 9.00am to 5 00pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for young children to interact and socialise with others in a relaxed atmosphere.For more information call 6056 4399 or go to www. awcc.edu.au/CommunityEarly-yearsChildcare
Playgroup is on every Monday from 10am until about lunch time in line with Victorian school terms. Everyone is welcome, we have a range of ages from 18 months to 5 years. We enjoy the use of a fantastic range of toys and creative materials, and the mums enjoy a nice hot cuppa as well. Playgroup is free!!
Maternal & Child Health
You can purchase a $25 membership to Playgroup Victoria ,optional (this includes insurance).
The service is under the care of the Towong Shire. The service at the Bellbridge Community Centre is open on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. There is an open consultation from 9 am until 12 noon, followed by afternoon home visits. Friday afternoon consultations are also available by appointment. For enquiries and appointments, please phone Trudi Ellis 0417 535 978 or 6026 4228 (on Bellbridge days).
We meet at alternating venues, so just give Simone a call to find out where we will be meeting next. See you there! Contact: Simone Eddington Mobile: 0404 223 051 Phone: 02 6026 4763
Berringa Kindergarten
The children of Berringa Kindergarten have had a busy Term 3 to date. A few weeks ago, the children and some parents visited Jim and Julie de Hennin’s farm for the wonderful experience of planting a tree, for National Tree Planting week. Despite it being a cold day, the children put a tree in the prepared ground, and went on to the farm house for other related activities. In addition, the children saw the lambs, collected eggs from the hen house and meet the sheep dogs. They had a great morning, and saw another aspect of the community in which they live.
We were very fortunate to have a visit from the Northern Sub Region Koorie Engagement Officers to our kindergarten to share some of their culture with us. The highlight of their visit were painting and throwing their boomerangs! We have been discussing being safe at kindergarten with the children. We have been discussing being safe at kindergarten with the children.To reinforce this message, we have had a visit from the Responsible Pet Education team, and have watched an interactive Farm Safety DVD featuring Scallywags the Scarecrow! Some other interests of the children are: Babies, working in the Mud Patch and observing the local birds. The hard working parent committee have purchased some large beautiful indoor plants to provide a natural indoor environment for the children’s play. The day of the Three year Old session is changing from Wednesday to Friday as of the 22nd August. Parents who have a child turning 3 by the 30th April this year are welcome to enrol their child. Enrolment forms are available at the kindergarten. The kindergarten is open Wednesday and Friday if you have any questions. Christine Cameron. Berringa Kindergarten Director. Ph 02 60432547.
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Bethanga Primary School News As we journey through to the end of a very chilly winter, term three has been both busy and rewarding at Bethanga Primary! At the junior end of our school, our foundation students are active, confident literacy and numeracy learners and sociable little people. At the senior end, our year six students are already participating in transition to secondary school and we realise how much we are going to miss them when they move on. In addition to the focus on literacy and numeracy development, we continue to place an emphasis on the growth of “good people” who possess the virtues of empathy, compassion, honesty and humility. “Treating others the way we want to be treated,” is a motto we want our students to hold for life. Events and experiences over the past three months have included; •
Athletics for years 3-6 at the Albury Athletics Track.
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A visit from local author Susan Berran who inspired our whole school to take risks, have fun and write about things which they love and are passionate about.
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A pyjama day fundraiser for “Give me 5 4 kids,” which raised $111.00 for the children’s wards of our local hospitals.
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Alana, Charlotte M, Casey and Josh travelling to Broadford to compete in the zone cross country! Casey came 14th (just missing out by two places to make the state cross country,) Alana 23rd, Charlotte 40th and Josh 59th. We were so proud of all efforts on the day!
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Our outgoing school Captains Alana McMillan and Amy Wood praised for their leadership and organization during term two as we welcomed term three captains Sienna Bell and Amy Swinnerton. Bob, Bruce and Duncan from the Bethanga Men’s Shed joining us for a weekly woodworking project with six of our senior students. A wonderful opportunity for our students to learn new skills and create a fantastic toolbox. We are pretty certain our visiting experts are enjoying their time at school too!
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Our combined choir participating in the Albury Wodonga Eisteddfod. We came first in our section with very favourable feedback and scores from the adjudicator.
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Our whole school planting 120 trees on the side of Martin’s Road on August 8th. This was in conjunction with Towong Shire and we thank David Buntine and Rachel Gadd for their organisation and involvement. We were inundated with help from parents plus a Grandad (thanks Harold.) The weather was beautiful and a lovely way to end the week. We will continue to find other ways our students can give of themselves to help out around our community!
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School photos on August 11th with lots of smiles!
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The Variety Club Bash coming via Bethanga on August 15th. Our students were amazed by the cars, characters and surprises. Miss Christie reported that she had never heard so many children say “This is the best day of my life!” Great thanks to the Bash participants for stopping at school and making a very normal Bethanga day quite spectacular. As a result of such generosity to our school, we have had a donation day at school and proceeds have been sent off to the Variety Club. Sammy in year one also proposed a clothing donation with proceeds sent to a local charity.
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Our years 3-6 attending a science session at Charles Sturt University as part of National Science Week with sessions about the Cosmodome, sound and sustainability.
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Our whole school exploring and extending their knowledge about space and our universe. This has been an engaging rich task and we have been amazed by the enthusiasm and commitment to learning demonstrated by our students.
Staffing changes have seen Tonya Ellis replace Jen Franks who embarked on a long service leave journey to WA with her husband Phil for all of term three. Al Byrnes (our ES staff member) was successful in obtaining full time work at Wodonga Primary. We will miss Al greatly but at the same time, congratulate her on her success with a full time position.
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15 Mile Creek Camp for thirteen year 3/4 students and Mrs B. We had an amazing time at this incredible camp! We experienced bark hut building, damper baking, flying fox, rock wall, bush walking, initiatives and a freezing creek walk At night the students played games in the dark with torches and also had stories and a photo slide show.
We are moving into a very exciting time for our school as we participate in a peer review of our strategic plan from the past four years to reflect and set goals for the next four years. Families have actively been encouraged to provide feedback about what we are doing well and also identify opportunities to be harnessed to make our school even more effective for our local children.
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A casserole night held for parents and our local community at the Bethanga Golf Club. We drew our wood raffle and the proceeds of the night and raffle raised over $500
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A visit from Frank Kofoed of the Border Section of the Naval Association along with five other members. Mrs Johnston presented a naval book to our school which was accepted by Tommy Taylor. The organization presents a book annually to one local school.
Please remember to encourage families with children for 2015 Foundation to give us a call at school so we can organise a tour and send out an information pack. The year is flying by and transition is now a focus for those both beginning at Bethanga and also those departing for their secondary school journey in 2015. We already have four Foundation students for 2015 and plans are being made for a wonderful transition to Primary school involving several sessions at school in term four.
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Winter Sports for our years 3-6 students with teams represented in netball and football. A great day was experienced by all.
Take care and more news next edition! Deb Bowman
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Talgarno Primary School “Providing a Quality Education in a Caring Environment.” www.talgarnops.vic.edu.au
www.facebook.com/talgarnoprimaryschool
ph 6020 1143
It’s A Bright Future For Talgarno Primary School An important community meeting was held on 12 August to discuss the future directions for our school. It was well attended with Councillors Fraser, Wortmann and Scales attending, and many prospective parents from the community. Future land developments, child care options and many young families moving to the area in the last 6 months is promising for the school in achieving our goal of 15 students in 2015. Before we get too far into what has been happening around the school, we would like to thank a few very important school community members for their hard work recently. Thanks to Graham Redman for his handy fence and gate work around the entrance to our school, I think you would all agree the entrance is looking very tidy indeed. Thanks to John and Julie Wilson for looking after the lone pine tree over the last five years, that was planted on our tree planting day. And finally thanks to Craig Schubert for his hard work in the role of School Council President over the last few years.
What’s been happening? In late Term Two we held an end of term celebration which showcased the student’s impressive Lego sculptures of world landmarks, which tied in to the geography theme we focused on. Students also read their own versions of ‘The Wrong Book’ to the audience. Many community members and parents attended, and enjoyed a pleasant lunch including sausage rolls made by the students. Also in Term Two we held a very successful trivia night for the second year in a row, with over $700 raised and much fun was had by all that came along. We would like to pay thanks to our friend Jono Toohey from Albury DJ Entertainment for providing his services on the night and all the local sponsors
for providing great prizes. Our students are enjoying the focus on Space in Term Three, learning about the planets, stars, solar system, atmosphere and the features that set Earth apart from the other planets. The excursions to Tallangatta Secondary College and Charles Sturt University for Science Week were a great complement to the students learning. In maths many of our students are focusing on multiplication and in literacy we are continuing our strong reading program, encouraging the skill of story writing and report writing after researching various topics.
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Fortnightly coffee mornings - all community members welcome MARC van visits to Bethanga Primary School continuing fortnightly End of year celebration and concert in last two weeks of Term 4 Community Casserole and Bonfire Night on Friday 5 September at 6pm -
On 25 July our students went crazy for the cystic fibrosis fundraiser; Crazy Hair Day! Lots of fun was had styling hair in to all types of weird and wonderful designs and plastering pink spray all over their styles! Talgarno Primary School was very fortunate to receive a visit from the Wodonga Bunnings Warehouse staff for a tree and vegie planting day on 13 August. All trees and seedlings were provided by Bunnings and the student’s enthusiasm for the tree planting and the vegie garden was infectious! The Border Mail sent a reporter and photographer out to capture the moments and are writing a story for the Education insert in the Wednesday paper. In addition to this story in the media, we have had a visit from Prime News for 22 August to further showcase the great learning opportunities at the school and invite enrolments for the year 2015. This Story went to air on Friday 22nd on the 6 o’clock news and will also be available to watch on their website and Facebook page.
As usual, please don’t hesitate in contacting us to find out how you can help at your school. Our students are always keen to see different faces at the school, and our community members no doubt have many skills to share, be that for the students or keeping the grounds up to scratch. In addition please let us know if you have any suggestions for how the school can be used by other community groups. We are keen to see the school used as a community asset for all, not just children in the community. Our Acting Principal, Glenda Boyer, can be contacted if you have any queries about enrolling your child at the school or for any other matters.
On the agenda • • • • •
Story writing afternoon for National Literary & Numeracy Week on 26 August An Indonesian Day at Tallangatta on Friday 29 August Berringa Kinder excursion to Talgarno Primary School in October. Foundation students orientation and transition afternoons in November Regular visits to the Community Early Years Childcare service at Talgarno Hall
Finally.enjoy the beautiful sunshine in Spring and we look forward to updating you all in the Summer edition of the Berringa Community News. Many thanks for all your support, Glenda Boyer, Belinda Toohey and the Talgarno Primary School Council.
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Antennas PDI Antennas Bookkeeping & Admin
0422 374 930
Rosalie Warde
6026 4450 6057 4777 6057 8888 6026 4744 6024 7792 0409 180 649 0429 189 942 6026 4040 6043 2456 6020 1100 0468 797 980
Carpet Cleaning Ray’s Carpets Cleaning Cemeteries Bethanga – Lawrence Packer Granya – Michael Warnock Talgarno - Jane Wood Electrical Contractors
6020 1282
Jamie Swinnerton Electrical George Stahl
0419 419 048 0405 032 503
6026 4489 6072 9534 6020 1151
Equipment and machinery Tallangatta Construction & Maintenance
EJT Ground Maintenance Bob Cat Hire Soiled Redi2Hire Florist Wedding Flowers By Sarah General Stores & PO Bellbridge Lake Hume Store Bethanga General Store Bethanga PO Granya Store Hair & beauty Lorraine Craig – massage Rebecca Caspar Mobile Hairdresser Wilson-Nichol Hairdressing
6026 4214 6026 4450
Machinery Repairs
Building and Trades Davis Sanders Homes Wunderbar – screens Complete Flooring Solutions Big River Roofing Red’s Carpentry Luke Turner Builder & Farmer Peter Jackson Plasterer Mark Jones Concrete Rendering Dave Walker Painter Steelwork Handyman - Josh
Hotel Bethanga Hotel Justice of the Peace Rosalie Warde - Reg’n 12324
6071 2977 0414 536 138 6020 1153 6026 4737 6024 2294 0488 721 158 6026 4001 6026 4215 6026 4223 6072 9517
Ken Merkel 6026 4389 6026 4881 Mick Childs Museum Granya Museum 6072 9534 Pest Control High Country Pest Control 0418 570 194 Public Halls & Community Centres Bellbridge - Towong Shire 6071 5100 Bethanga - Graham Maynard 6026 4007 Bethanga Rec Reserve Mary Northey 6026 4257 Granya - Kaye Guilliamese 6072 9598 6020 1134 Talgarno - Anthea Redman Sport & Recreation Taekwondo Adult Fitness Pole Walking Craft Group Talgarno & District CWA Talgarno Tennis Club Bethanga Strength Training Bethanga Golf Club Mens Shed Bethanga Rotary Bethanga Anglers Club Bethanga Music Club Bethanga Cricket Club Lake Hume Soccer Club Churches Holy Trinity, Bethanga St. Francis, Bethanga Transport Corryong Bus & Freight Laurie Scott – Parcel Service Wymah Ferry
6020 1147 6020 1147 6026 4325 6020 1177 6026 4269 6048 4134 6026 4192 6026 4489 6026 4418 6024 6006 6020 4214 6026 4214 0457 269 309 0412 085 690 6026 4243 6072 9509 0427 240 077 0407 567 600 6020 2038
6026 4156 0438 903 772 6071 2388
Calling all local services and tradies, advertise your service here , it is only $10 for the year for four editions (or FREE for any display advertisers). If you would like to be listed or want to recommend someone , please call us on 6020 1107 or email info@berringacommunitynews.com.au
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CLASSIFIEDS Our local classifieds reach 550 households or about 2000 people – just pop $2 (cash or stamps) and your details into an envelope, and send it to Berringa Community News, 341 Wises Creek Rd, Talgarno 3691.
FOR SALE. Slate Pool Table. Coin mechanism, requires new felt. $500 ono. At Bethanga Recreation Reserve. Tel. Brett (AH. 02 60264642). Tired of mowing the orchard or small paddocks? Quiet, coloured Dorper wether lambs for sale Contact Rhonda on 6026 4715 Recipe Wanted. I have had several requests for the recipe of a biscuit that was available at the Gymkhana. Unfortunately I do not know who supplied them. Been told it tasted just like a Carrot Cake. Could you please contact Mary Northey on 6026 4257 or Email: marynorthey@dodo.com.au if you are willing to pass it on. FOR SALE Milk separator (complete) $50.00 Tractor seat stools x 2 $50.00 Large metal wash tub $25.00 Phone 6026 4007 WANTED Fowlers preserving jars Phone 6026 4007 Advertising rates have been fixed at 25c per sq. cm & classified ads at $2 each.
We would like to thank Laurie Scott, Lyn Whitehead, and Michael Wood for their on-going support in delivering the Berringa Community News If you have a story to tell or information to share with our community please contact one of the team. Alternatively you can email articles to info@ berringacommunitynews.com.au or post to 341 Wises Creek Road, Talgarno.
COMING EVENTS
Date Event September 1 CWA Meeting 5 Talgarno PS casserole & bonfire night 6 Detox your home collection 8 Berringa Kinder Open day 12 Talgarno CFA BBQ 13 Bethanga Music Club 20 Footy tipping comp BBQ October 4 Hard Waste collection Bethanga 5 Hard Waste collection Granya 7 Bethanga Action Group AGM 7 Towong Council meeting Bethanga 10 Talgarno CFA BBQ 11 Bethanga Music Club 19 Bethanga Small Farm family field day 20 WCT Landcare meeting 20 Tuning into kids 25 Frog info evening Bethanga Landcare November 1 & 2 Lake Hume Fishing Classic 5 Bethanga Rec Reserve Meeting 8 Bethanga Music Club 14 Talgarno CFA BBQ 8 Bethanga Music Club 15 & 16 SR 500 19 Peninsula NHW Meeting & christmas dinner 19 Bethanga landcare meeting 21 DEADLINE BERRINGA NEWS SPRING EDITION 29 Bethanga Landcare spotlight night December 7 Rotary Christmas carols Bellbridge 9 Bethanga Action Group Christmas Meeting 14 WCT Landcare christmas function
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See us on line at www.berringacommunitynews.com.au
Editing - Lea Casey, Julie Miller (6020 1107), Elizabeth Wood , Di Singline (6026 4248) Treasurer- Rhonda Sinclair (6026 4715), Proofreading- Kerrie Stephenson Berringa Community News is a community initiative. Published articles and advertisements are submitted by members of the community and as such are not necessarily the work or views of the editors.