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sUMMER 2013 Volume 3
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CENTRAL WEST LIFESTYLE PTY LTD trading as Central West Magazine ABN 151 6322 9418 ADDRESS PO BOX 1050 DUBBO NSW 2830 PHONE 0429 441 086 FAX 02 6867 9895 WEBSITE www.centralwestmagazine.com.au FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/CentralWestLifestyle PUBLISHERS, ACCOUNTS & ADVERTISING Elizabeth & Alex Tickle info@centralwestmagazine.com.au
DISTRIBUTION Central West Lifestyle magazine is published quarterly (available on the first day of each season) and distributed to selected newsagents and retail outlets within the Central West and in the bordering regions of the Far West, North West, Southern Highlands, Canberra, Goulburn, Northern and Eastern suburbs of Sydney, in addition to a selection of other rural and coastal areas of New South Wales. In addition, unsold magazines are distributed to cafes, health waiting rooms, quality hotels/motels, bed and breakfast establishments, hair and beauty salons and tourist outlets.
CONTENT COVERAGE AREA
EDITOR Elizabeth Tickle editor@centralwestmagazine.com.au CHIEF WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER Jake Lindsay jake@centralwestmagazine.com.au ART DIRECTOR & DESIGN Kate Boshammer design@centralwestmagazine.com.au Š Central West Lifestyle Pty Ltd 2013 All Rights Reserved No part of this magazine may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the publisher. While every care is taken in the publication of Central West Lifestyle magazine, the publishers will not be held responsible for omissions, errors or their subsequent effects.
Environmentally responsible, Titan Plus Gloss, produced in an ISO 14001 accredited facility ensures all processes involved in production are of the highest environmental standards. FSC Mixed Sources Chain of Custody (CoC) certification ensures fibre is sourced from certified & well managed forests.
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13 CONTENTS
81
summer 2013 6
From the Publishers
8
The Bush Oracle
10 Your letters
26
12 Meet your CWL team 13 As you sow, so shall you reap
59
A tale of tough times and fortuitous decisions
18 A toast to family
76 Compassion conscious
The family behind Windowrie’s award-winning wines
Carrying on the Larcombe tradition
24 Ready, willing and Abe
78 Higher duties
Abe Damen is a man on a mission in business
The nurse who offers hope at 20,000 feet
26 In the driver’s seat
81 Splendour in the grass
The fulfilling life of Orange mayor John Davis
The fine formalities of Orange garden “Tannachie”
29 Town feature: Wellington
86 The heat is on
Discover the second oldest settlement west of the Blue Mountains
66 Care and responsibility
Bathurst’s iconic All Saints’ College
Gardening advice for the summer season
91 Serenity now
The peaceful contemporary home on the banks of the Cudgegong River
70 Records crowds unite for ICPA
97 Home and style
Trangie country garden day attracts 800
72 School spirit
Strong values at Peak Hill Central School
74 Challenge accepted
Enterprising Dubbo couple Rick & Narelle Lindner
How to best present your home for sale, prepare for Christmas decorating and discover unique Central West businesses
109 Grand plans
Dubbo home “Ranelagh” restored to former glory
36 On the COVER
91
Mardi and Hugh Taylor of “Willunga”, Wellington. Their story can be found in the Wellington feature on page 36. Photography: Shot by Jake
109
51
41 113 Rich and rare
147 High achievers
The vibrant history of “Dundullimal”
117 Lucknow’s treasure trove
152 Essential adventures
Dare to delve into Darcy’s Old Wares
121 Hide and seek
Expect the unexpected at this famous Lucknow store
123 Summer love
Colour and style to inspire in our new fashion spread
129 Sartorial splendour
The country fashionista carving her way in couture
133 A fruitful harvest
The joys of a country larder and nostalgic recipes
136 In good hands
156 Events in the west
Upcoming events and a full calendar to enjoy summer in the Central West, plus snapshots from Sweden in the West, Merriwa show, the CWL launch in Cowra, Forbes show, Mudgee Calcutta for a Cure, Wagga Ag Races and Coonamble Gold Cup.
168 Central West weddings
Surprise family and friends with a gift from the kitchen
142 Scottish highlights
Explore history and fame at the Henry Parkes Museum and The King’s Castle exhibition
Beautiful brides and dashing grooms say “I do”
175 Our advertisers
The dining experience at charismatic Two Doors
138 Spread the love
123
A burning desire to fly fulfilled
The businesses that grace our pages and region
176 The last laugh
A Royal tribute to one of the oldest buildings in the country
An enthralling collage of castles and history
133 167
160
165
168
From the Publishers We welcome in another new season and we trust you are able to enter summer with an anticipation for all the joys that these months bring. Our CWL progress has been exciting as we watch the magazine sales across many centres reach phenomenal levels. We are so very appreciative of you, the readers, for embracing our magazine in such a positive way. CWL enjoyed the last of our launches at Cowra, held in fine style at The Mill. The Mill is such a gorgeous venue and our advertisers, community members and team had an amazing night. Thank you to Petrina and the team for a memorable evening. A feature of the past three months was attending the Merriwa Show. President Rob Tindall and his committee have staged yet another popular annual event. A country show is the culmination of many months of planning and hard work and great credit must go to all the individuals who show such commitment to their local community. It was wonderful to meet Les Bailey, an icon of the district, who opened the show. Les has been made a life member and is very proud of the fact that his grandfather was the first president in 1907. We enjoyed attending the Dandaloo Country Garden day and marvelling at the beautiful garden of Matt and Sally Montgomery, “Kooyong”, Trangie. A large crowd enjoyed a wonderful day out with delicious food on offer and a fashion parade with clothing from Ewe Two, Trangie. Funds raised went to the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA), a very worthy cause that aims to assist isolated children and their families achieve a quality education. Having a CWL stand at the Australian National Field Days in Orange in October allowed us to meet many readers and advertisers. And it provided us with an excellent opportunity to meet and network with people from diverse parts of the Central West who gave us incredible story leads for future issues.
The final CWL launch was held in fine style at The Mill, Cowra, and was attended by many advertisers from the local area. Pictured are Jackie Yeo of Finn’s Store and Michele Porter, who both played an important role in the Canowindra town feature in our last edition. At the time of writing, the small town of 2100 had sold more than 500 copies of the spring magazine.
We always love receiving feedback in the form of emails or comments in conversation about what we are doing well or what we can improve on. Thank you for taking the time to give us your valued thoughts and opinions. On behalf of the team at CWL, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our valued advertisers and readers for your support of our new publication. We would like to wish you and your families a happy Christmas and a healthy and rewarding 2014. Warm regards,
Elizabeth and Alex Tickle
6 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013
We enjoyed attending the Merriwa Show in September and were proud to sponsor the Interbreed Champion Breeders Group in the stud beef cattle section. We’re pictured here with the judge of the commercial cattle on the day, Dennis Strachan, NSW Livestock Manager, Woolworths.
THE BUSH ORACLE G’day, fellow life travellers! It’s been a big three months since we last hooked up. During this time we’ve ushered in a new PM, adjusted to daylight saving and taken up the fight against hayfever, fire and the long, hot dry spells associated with an Australian summer. I’ve been out and about in the Central West, filing stories for this bumper issue and meeting some resilient and enterprising business folk. Everybody knows somebody and I’ve been advised that the tough old character featured on this page in our first magazine is none other than stockman and contract musterer Larry Blackhall (pictured). He calls Wellington home, which is a coincidence considering the friendly and historic town is this edition’s feature town. Basing myself at the revamped Cow and Calf Hotel, I enjoyed meeting some wise farmers along with a smattering of fair-dinkum characters of the calibre of Chick Jones, Roy Spicer, Danny and Geoff Hawke, Peter Conn and Tony Abra, to name but a few. I ran into a mob of several hundred bikers (Rebels) en route to Perth and survived that ordeal before having a more sedate ale with former Wallaby great and local legend Jon White. That went down as well as the bubbly shared with the delightful owner of probably the oldest home in Wellington. Thanks for the effort, Karen! You could write a book about the locals in this town but this is a magazine and apologies to those I couldn’t squeeze in. Keep a look out for more Wellington identities and great homesteads in further editions. To spice things up a bit I flew in a chopper over Orange and ballooned over the stunning canola crops of Canowindra (thanks to Joel Stewart and the Kerrs for getting me off the ground). Flying high in the sky is a truly liberating experience and a great way to see the country. My Nikons were given a solid workout and we’ll have a big spread of the bush from above in the next magazine along with a comprehensive look at Mudgee. Also made it to our final magazine launch in Cowra, staged in the magnificent surroundings of The Mill, and met some great people who are genuinely excited about CWL’s direction.
8 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013
It’s been a tremendous year, launching our new baby and letting our Sydney cousins know what they are missing! I’ll finish by wishing all our readers and valued advertisers a happy Christmas and best wishes for 2014. Now it’s time to prepare for my next little assignment – documenting the inaugural Airlie Beach Music Festival, featuring 74 of the country’s top bands. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it!
Shot by Jake
Thought for the day: You know you're getting old when your back goes out more than you do!
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your letters ......................................................................................
...................................................................................... I have read the spring issue of Central West Lifestyle, which continues the high quality of presentation established by the first issue. Rural Australia is embedded in my upbringing. It is also a part of my business and our family’s recreational life. Therefore it is wonderful to see the Western Districts being given such a sophisticated and stylish platform for promotion and telling of their stories. Congratulations on the quality of the magazine, which I consider is an equal to similar productions in England or mainland Europe that showcase regions of interest in other countries. Far from being out of sight, rural Australia and in this case, the Central West, are crucial to the economic health and wellbeing of our cities and nation. I consider that your new magazine will make an important contribution communicating the value of the Central West to the rest of us who live on the coastal fringe. Richard Mann, Director, Ecosystem Architecture, Sydney
...................................................................................... The Central West Lifestyle magazine would be the greatest seasonal magazine we have had the pleasure to sell during our 58 years as newsagents. The magazine is a newsagent’s dream and a reader’s absolute delight. Full of wonderful stories and photographs of the things we all value: people, places, family, and all those amazing characters who make our Central West such a great area to live. It is truly a historical record of our lifestyle. Congratulations on a magnificent family-produced magazine. We look forward to the summer edition. Joe and Peter Snare, Snares Newsagent, Dubbo (newsagents since 1955)
...................................................................................... The wonderful photo of Duntryleague on the cover of your second issue brought back vivid memories of my Orange years 1941 to 1946! We’ve stayed at Duntryleague, played golf there and loved its ambience. The quality of your publication rivals the well-established English periodicals covering the fascination of homes and gardens in the UK. Congratulations!
I am writing to let you know how excited I was to discover, purchase and then sit down to read your beautiful magazine in my custom furniture design and retail studio recently. Your glossy magazine is the first one I can remember buying from my local newsagency in well over five years! As a long-time resident of Dubbo and a woman, who loves a good yarn and a good read, I was both passionately and compassionately driven to save time and spare your ears by writing. In a nutshell, I sincerely wanted to thank you all for your obvious quality efforts in bringing such a valued product direct into my workplace, home and right around the traps! Your approach and efforts in meeting, researching and promoting our unique people, places, businesses and other things is genuinely understood by myself, all of my extended family, friends and customers as being “exceptional”. The results of your efforts are evidenced in both the magazine’s outstanding value and journalistic integrity. I love that you are profiling the lives of many unique and interesting people, businesses and places. In this regard, I can see many significant social, economic, cultural and heritage-connected benefits. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next issue. Love it, love it, love it! Peta Carolan, Designer Décor & Gifts – Furniture for a Lifetime, Dubbo
...................................................................................... Just a short note to say how pleased I am to be an advertiser in your beautiful magazine. I thoroughly enjoyed the launch at Duntryleague, Orange, in June and have enjoyed reading the articles in your inaugural edition and in the spring edition. The articles (and photography) I have taken time to read have been captivating. I look forward to your forthcoming editions. I am sure many of your growing readership are too. Jasmin Bond, Greentrees Guest House, Orange
...................................................................................... Congratulations on a magazine that is stylish, interesting and perfect for people living in the country and a great promotion for our city cousins. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Mrs Edna Elder, CWA stalwart, (Never say never again – page 60 in the spring edition) and she is a very hard working, true country lady at heart. I thoroughly recommend this magazine to all women, and men! Gail Hayden, President, Nashdale CWA
...................................................................................... Central West Lifestyle is a wonderful magazine with great coverage of Central West country issues. Well done!
Ray Hollings A.M., Pymble
Tom Sheehan, Orange
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10 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013
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The spring edition of Central West Lifestyle magazine is awesome! Such a big edition too. Congratulations! I am so excited that the Central West is being recognised in such a stylish way. It gives me great pride and pleasure to share it with my city family and friends. When I first moved to Wellington, one of my best friends expressed grave concern. She thought I would die of boredom living so far out in the country. On the contrary, my life here just gets better and better. I spent all day on Saturday, with five other ladies, upgrading my motorcycle skills on the Dubbo kart track. I am thrilled to belong to the Outback Writers Group and the Mudgee Valley Writers Group. There is a night-time tennis club in Wellington, which I have recently joined. All this, plus local food festivals, markets, Opera in the Vineyards, etc. Can’t wipe the smile off my face! The wealth of heritage buildings here in the Central West is stunning. Your magazine is showcasing them so wonderfully well. I wouldn’t be surprised if the magazine is the catalyst for causing the city gates to burst open! I’m sure there are lots of people in the city with huge mortgages who would benefit from moving to the Central West. Once again, congratulations to you and all the team.
Recently, a hairdressing client’s husband was waiting patiently for his wife to have her hair done in our salon in Dubbo. Upon leaving, she told her husband she was finished but it was obvious he was busily engaged reading the latest CWL in the waiting lounge. He informed his wife he was not ready to leave as he was engrossed in a story. We were amazed at this, as it is often quite hard to keep men in a hairdressing salon! Everyone has been talking about CWL. They are loving the stories as they involve local people. We especially appreciate the quality of the photography. Many of our clients are asking about the people behind the publication. The team photos allow us to put a face to a name. We are really looking forward to reading the summer edition and sharing it with others in our salon.
Karen Russell, “Camelot”, Wellington
...................................................................................... I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through the spring edition of your magazine. Very impressed with the quality of the photographs taken, seeing advertisements of businesses in the Central West, reading different stories and even the recipes at the back! I look forward to getting hold of your next edition! Elizabeth Xuereb, Liz’s Homemade Soy Candles, Melts and Tealights, Elong Elong
...................................................................................... I just wanted to congratulate everyone involved in producing your beautiful magazine. It is wonderful to read about people who are from this region. I especially liked the article on Jimmy Westwood, in the winter edition (page 89). My dad has been a fan of his for years and I have seen him at the trots over the years with his wife. It was great to read their story. The article about Justin Sanderson (page 110) was also wonderful to see. I have known his parents for years and Justin is an enormous credit to them. He is so young and has already achieved so much. So keep up the great work and I can’t wait for the next edition. Kyle Read, Dubbo
...................................................................................... As hard-working primary producers there was never the time to relax with a magazine. But now as retired oyster farmers, life’s luxuries include a good cuppa, our favourite chair and the spring issue of CWL – a perfect way to while away the hours in our cosy Mid North Coast sunroom. We love to read the “salt of the earth” stories in CWL. It’s a real family magazine. There’s something for everyone. What a great way to ensure that the love of God’s country and all the life it holds is not lost to the next generation. We have seen some incredible magazines but CWL tops the lot! The detail and the photography is A1 and the stories and the photographs bring back lots of memories for these two country bumpkins! May your journey and success with CWL be everlasting. Betty and Bob Moran, Tuncurry
Ian Whiteman and Renee McIntosh, Trio Hairdressing, Dubbo
...................................................................................... After recently returning from our annual visit to Kenya where our family have established a school for orphaned and poor children, I was feeling a little homesick for Kenya. It took me a good month this time to settle into our extremely fortunate lives here in the Central West. We live on a beautiful property on the Winburndale and Cheshire Creeks, and this spring was producing such a show of flowers, but my heart was elsewhere – I even had trouble reading, which I adore! Then one day I noticed a new magazine at the newsagency, and to be bluntly honest, I was short of money to purchase it. So I waited a week or two, and after returning to work I was able to purchase the Central West Lifestyle magazine and have not regretted one cent paid! My first impression was how magnificently big it was! Secondly, the presentation of articles and advertising were blended beautifully. Your advertising is subtle and sophisticated. My husband, Peter, who is never interested in my magazines, enjoyed the feature on Canowindra, especially Charlie McCarron and his Holdens (page 84). Peter is an artist and a bit of a collector and has three old Holdens, all working, with two registered. I love the way you have presented your family and team. People need to be inspired and you have done just that! Thank you for putting the balance back into my life and all the very best for the future success of Central West Lifestyle magazine. Carla Robinson, Duramana
...................................................................................... I have been in the newsagency business for 25 years in Canowindra. CWL has been my biggest seller ever. With the recent town feature on Canowindra in the spring edition, word got around like wildfire and people came from everywhere to buy CWL. Local people bought a copy to put on their coffee table, had visitors and then found themselves purchasing more copies as they had chosen to let their visitors take CWL home with them! On numerous occasions when family reunions were held locally, CWL became a great gift to share memories and nostalgia. People who are not connected to the town have been purchasing CWL. Recently a gentleman from Goulburn who was travelling through to Narrabri took three copies for his relatives and friends. CWL has been a great addition to our newsagency and I fully expect these exceptional sales to continue. Debbie Rice, Canowindra Newsagency
...................................................................................... Share your feedback: Facebook: www.facebook.com/CentralWestLifestyle Email: info@centralwestmagazine.com.au
...................................................................................... CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 11
Meet your team
ELIZABETH TICKLE Publisher & Editor
ALEX TICKLE Publisher & Advertising
JAKE LINDSAY Chief Writer & Photographer
KATE BOSHAMMER Art Director & Design, Writer
LISA STARR Advertising Design
ELIZABETH SWANE Garden Editor
ANGUS WADDELL Photographer
ANNA TICKLE Writer
CATHERINE PLAYER Writer & Advertising
MICHELLE KENT Fashion Stylist & Writer
PIP TEYS Home & Style and Travel Writer
DAYNA TIERNEY Writer
CHRISTINE LE FEVRE Food & Lifestyle Writer
SOPHIE HANSEN Food Writer
KIM CURRIE Food Writer
LORRAINE HILLS Country Cuisine Writer
SHARON HILL Advertising
NERIDA INGRAM Advertising, Writer
JENET STEWART Photographer & Writer
GINA CRANSON Proofreader
More information on the team can be found on our website: www.centralwestmagazine.com.au
12 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013
AS YOU SOW,
so shall you reap
THE STORY OF JOHN REEN IS NOT THE AVERAGE TALE. IT'S A STORY OF TOUGH TIMES AND OF ALLURING OCCURRENCES THAT SOME MAY CALL LUCK OR FATE. JOHN IS A MAN SHAPED BY HIS HARD EARLY YEARS, WHO IS AFRAID NOT OF RISK NOR OF SUCCESS, AND WHILE QUIETLY SPOKEN, YOU FIND YOURSELF HANGING ON TO HIS EVERY WORD. WORDS: KATE BOSHAMMER IMAGES: SHOT BY JAKE