#3 Central West Lifestyle | Summer 2013

Central West

LIFE ST Y LE summer 2013

FALLING IN LOVE WITH

Wellington RICH IN HISTORY AND FULL OF COLOURFUL CHARACTERS

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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 ......................................................................................

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Share your feedback: Facebook: www.facebook.com/CentralWestLifestyle Email: info@centralwestmagazine.com.au

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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

John says he’s never looked back since that day. His luck had turned around and his new investment was the beginning of a long and successful presence in the dairy industry. The famous “lot four” went on to become one of the few cows in Australia that produced a phenomenal thousand pounds of butterfat annually, over three consecutive years.

She was soon joined by more females, purchases carefully selected by John to continue building his small, quality herd. Over his acclaimed breeding career his cows often featured in The Land newspaper’s “highest producing cow of the month”, and created state and national records for butterfat and milk production, as well as achieving numerous local and royal show wins. Being so close to the city, John made use of the nearby breweries and flour mills, and would source two or three loads of their by-product grain each week to keep his production levels high, and was also able to lease some additional nearby land.

After some time spent reading English and American dairy journals, John knew there were better genetics out there and progress to be made.

He wanted to modernise and advance the Australian dairy industry, and so he did. John led the way in importing his choices of outstanding genetics, and carrying out artificial insemination and embryo transfer programs in his herd. This interest took him and his supportive wife Monica to America to cast a critical eye over the offerings.

On one occasion on their trip, during a guided tour of a genetics centre, John slipped away from the crowds to inspect the stock on his own. An older cow caught his eye, and on discussion with the man cleaning her stall, John realised he knew the cow, her breeding and her production from his research reading the journals. The next day, the tour leader took the visitors right past a particular bull pen, rather than pausing to inspect the animal.

There was no stall card with the bull’s information and he wasn’t in his prime. However, John’s instinct and impression of the bull told him differently and he made inquiries. The bull was, in fact, a son of the cow he was impressed by the day earlier. He was privately owned and only in the centre to enable the owners’ neighbours to obtain some of his genetics, rather than to be marketed by the company. Once he was collected, his straws would be eligible to export to Australia, and while John didn’t have the money to spend, such was his feeling about the bull that he committed to purchase 500 straws at $10 each, with funds loaned from his brother.

JOHN REEN WAS BORN IN SYDNEY in 1942 as the second child in a family of five children. His father was a fitter and turner and his mother was a hard-working woman characteristic of her time. In 1955 his family bought 103 acres (42 hectares) to operate a dairy farm beside Sydney’s water supply, Prospect Reservoir, just 15 kilometres from the heart of Parramatta.

Going on to start his own trade as a boilermaker, John’s training was cut short when his father was tragically killed in a car accident.

At a mere 19 years of age with the world at his feet, John made the chivalrous decision to return home to support his family.

In a time of no real income, meals were often bread and grease in the pan, and tomatoes and eggs were shared by neighbours. Sacrifices were made and the goal was clear: to do whatever it took to hang onto the farm and pay that place off. John worked tirelessly to help support his mother and three younger siblings, rearing poddy calves and making do with his only method of transport, a pushbike.

The days continued to be tough with limited scope and exposure to opportunity. However it was a new beginning when John agreed to attend a Holstein sale at Moss Vale with a nearby dairy farmer, Billy Strong, who felt John needed a break.

The break came in more than one sense of the word. While still very green, but not without gut instinct, John’s eye was taken at first by a heifer, lot nine, only to be told by Billy not to get his hopes up because in fact he was going to take her home. Not one for dwelling on what might have been, John moved his intuition-driven interest to his second choice, lot four. She was knocked down to her new owner for a sum of $400, a bank loan John repaid within the year.

14 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

This proved a fortuitous choice well made, resulting in a resounding imprint left on John’s herd and offers from other breeders of $1000 per straw in the bull, 100 times what he paid.

While his dairy herd and reputation were flourishing, additional pressure was being placed on John to support Monica and his growing family of four small children. Although they never had “a lot”, John says they always “had enough”. Monica would help in the dairy and John spent most of his life barefoot and in a blue singlet and stubbies. They were humble, hard-working people.

However, following the death of his mother, John was advised by her solicitor and accountant that he would need to sell everything, or one day leave the place broken-hearted. The dairy wasn’t viable, it was the breeding of cattle that was getting the family through, so things would have to change dramatically in the dairy for them to stay.

With the added pressure from siblings to stay and continue the dairy, John kept this information to himself and carried the load so Monica didn’t have to. Though worried immensely about their situation of being between a rock and a hard place, John assured her that everything would be all right and they would just get through the next 12 months.

During this time, a relationship developed between John and fellow dairy farmers from near Dapto, about two hours away. Three brothers, who had achieved great success in the show ring, approached John to partake in an annual female production sale with them. He’d need to present 20 heifers for the sale and get them to Dapto. > Right: John with his daughter and son-in-law, Annie and Tony Scott, and their son Riley; age is no boundary for John, who is still actively involved in running the property; the magnificent “Karoo” home was built in 1938.

country dynasty

As flattering as this offer was, John tossed the idea around in his mind for three weeks. After exasperated consideration over risk, reputation and finances, he agreed, but only for one year. Fortune was with John once again, as prior to the sale the Queensland government announced incentives for farmers to introduce new stud dairy cattle into the state, to improve their industry.

The buyers flocked and the sale exceeded all expectations. John had previously privately sold his heifers for the substantial sum of $2000 each, and they had recently turned down an offer of $3000 for one of the females destined for the sale.

The heifer went on to make $10,500 in the sale, with many others selling for $8000.

Less than two years after being advised of the need to sell, John was back on his feet.

Not surprisingly, and despite his initial intention of participating for just one year, the sales continued.

Life was enjoyable at “Monhaven”. Despite the early starts and hard days, John, Monica and their four children – Dan, Pat, Theresa and Annie – relished everything rural life had to offer, and there was never a shortage of excitement just outside their farm gate.

Labelled “Lovers’ Lane” by the locals, the dead-end road provided a secluded spot for engagement in questionable activity away from prying eyes. It was not unusual for a car to be parked on the side of the road at any time of day or night, and while affairs were the regular pursuits, the lane also played host to its share of murders and suicides.

While the visitors rarely gave the locals any trouble, there was an occasion when John, who was game to take on anybody who stood in his way, experienced a close call involving being chased across paddocks by a knife-wielding madman. In another instance, he resorted to pushing a panel van out of his driveway entrance with his tractor when the occupants refused to move the vehicle. Visitors to Lovers’ Lane would take their chance with the local farm children, who’d ride their pushbikes down to spy, play pranks and relieve the occasional tyre of air.

The simplicities of everyday life came to a screeching halt in 1988 when Monica received a phone call from the state planning authority. Their representatives visited the following day to inform John and Monica they were going to build a race track near their property. There would be dust, there would be noise. Farm life would never be the same.

They offered the family the going rate to acquire their property, the amount they’d paid other landholders in the area. The authorities had no price opposition on the land, as the area was zoned part of the green belt around Sydney, and therefore did not hold appeal to investors as it was unable to be developed.

Above: John and grandson Riley get on famously; three generations – Riley, Annie and John; this man always has his finger on the pulse; Karoo Angus stud heifers in the scenic surrounds of a tidy operation.

country dynasty

John didn’t accept their offer, but delayed further negotiation until he spoke to his solicitor, who also happened to be from a dairy farming family.

The following week, loud and clear on the pages of the Sydney Morning Herald, were the plans for Eastern Creek Raceway. A third of the track was on “Monhaven”.

The Reen family were settled and happy, they had their roots down and didn’t have any desire to give up their property, cleared by John’s father with a crowbar and axe, nor move one of the highest producing herd of dairy cows in the state. The authorities wanted them out in six weeks, but they weren’t going down without a fight.

The media hounded John for comments, television helicopters hovered and the radio news spoke of the “greedy dairy farmer holding the state to ransom”. The premier and his team paid a visit to John, to try to negotiate a deal. He stood up for himself, and certainly didn’t invite them in for a cuppa.

He had knowledge that while the government couldn’t resume his land, he would not be able to win his fight, so he inspected “Karoo”, a property at Meadow Flat, between Bathurst and Lithgow, a picturesque piece of land he found out about through his local vet. The vet’s secretary had previously lived at Orange and had often driven past “Karoo”, dreaming about the home that bore a striking resemblance to the house in Gone with the Wind.

Following countless visits to his solicitor, after daylight hours to avoid the press, John put together the terms on which he would sell “Monhaven”.

The day he went to the Crown Solicitor to sell the farm was the day of the “Karoo” auction. Just an hour and a half after finalising the sale of “Monhaven”, John bought “Karoo” in the auction room of Dalgety House in Sydney.

It’s a rare man who can pull off such a feat. The Reen family left “Monhaven” in March 1989, after their last female sale, to make the move west to “Karoo”.

After years of experience with stud dairy cows, John easily turned his hand to the beef cattle industry, with similar success. Over the past 20 years he has built the Karoo Angus stud into a well-reputed operation, with the assistance of his younger daughter Annie Scott, and more

recently, her five-year-old son Riley, who adores his grandfather. The family run 300 stud cows and 800 commercial females on 5200 acres (2100 hectares) of stunning slopes, selling their bulls through their onproperty sale in September, as well as privately.

Annie has proven herself as a hard-working and astute member of the “Karoo” team, tackling physical work outdoors with the same finesse she handles the administration and marketing aspects of the business.

She also assists her husband, Tony, with the management of his earthmoving business, and has become John’s right-hand woman since the passing of his beloved Monica in early 2008.

John said that three exceptional women have been instrumental in shaping his life – his mother, wife and daughter – who all share the traits of being constructive, kind and loving. He says he wouldn’t be where he is today without them.

It’s hard not to be drawn to “Karoo” and its custodians. The family has transformed the property into a magnificent spectacle of productive cattle, well-managed pastures and impressive infrastructure. The stately home, built in 1938, boasting 14- and 16-foot ceilings, four bedrooms and three bathrooms, is the jewel in the crown. It’s a peaceful place to bring their family together and is a symbol of John and Monica’s years of toiling and smart decisions to secure their future.

John seems to have a gift of recognising opportunities and assessing character in people. He is a man of few words and the ones he does choose are well considered. After a life of turning lows into highs, they are without a doubt, words worth listening to. CWL Fred Middleton has been part of "Karoo" all his life. He started working there as an enthusiastic 15-year-old and retired 50 years later to the old Cobb and Co homestead at the front of the property. This delightful bushman has just turned 70, and although never married, is known as a handy cook and even better yarn spinner.

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 17

A TOAST TO FAMILY THERE’S VIBRANCY IN A DROP OF WINDOWRIE WINE. DESCRIBED AS MEDIUM BODIED, THESE AWARD-WINNING, WORLD-CLASS WINES ARE JUDGED IN TERMS OF RICHNESS, INTENSITY AND AROMA. WORDS: CATHERINE PLAYER IMAGES: ANGUS WADDELL

FAMILY OWNED and run for 25 years by the O’Dea family, Windowrie represents far more than could ever be defined by one’s palate alone. It is the intangible fruits of love, labour and determination encapsulated in each bottle that carries Windowrie’s true spirit.

Patriarch David O’Dea seats himself at the table. Lawn clippings fall from his shirt as I ask if he minds answering some questions about his family’s winemaking business. Though polite, at first he seems slightly reluctant.

Following his father’s strict orders, David sought the advice of a hydrologist who said that there were massive water deposits under the now Windowrie estate. “Years ago there was a huge eruption and the Lachlan river changed courses but the old river stayed underground. We now tap into that old river,” David explains.

Within minutes, though, we are chatting about family, past and present.

I have found David’s passion and we are away.

After living alone for the first five years at Windowrie, David eventually married an old school friend, Elizabeth (Wizz) Hegarty. Wizz was off the land herself and was only too happy to follow her husband out to Cowra to begin their new life, wheat and cattle farming. “We married in 1964. We will be married 50 years next year, though it only seems like three,” David reflects.

Fresh from graduating at Hawkesbury Ag College, a 20-year-old David O’Dea approached his father, Cecil, for help. He needed security for a loan to purchase some land to begin his farming life. Keen for adventure, David wanted a property way out west to run thousands of cattle. “I liked cattle,” David says wryly. His father, a lawyer from Rose Bay, had the insight and the economic persuasion to determine that his help would be forthcoming only on one uncompromised condition. “The land you purchase must have an abundance of water,” he insisted. Fathers often know best.

David and Wizz eventually built onto an old residence that had been specifically built for boundary riders on the property. Windowrie was once part of a huge property called North Logan. It was at least 56,000 acres and stretched from Windowrie all the way to Cowra. Often boundary riders were too far away to make it back to the homestead at night so this mud pise cottage built in the 1870s gave them somewhere to camp. It was in this house that the O’Deas would raise four children, establish the homestead’s magnificent gardens and eventually turn their attention to the successful growth and production of wine.

“Oh yes, sure,” he says with some hesitation. “If that’s what you would like.”

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local winery

Changing from more traditional farming in 1987, David explains the switch to grapes. “It wasn’t so much a necessity, it was more that there were two things I didn’t like about ordinary farming. One was that if you planted a crop every year you went back to bare dirt and you started again. I’ve always wanted permanency and so I put in a couple of acres of cherry trees and 30 acres of vineyard. I thought, ‘They’ll always be there. Each year, they will renew’; and the other thing is that we’ve got very good underground water here and I wasn’t utilising it with growing wheat, barley or oats. I just thought, ‘You know, we’ve been given the luxury of having the water, let’s do something with it. Let’s use it!’ ” So that’s just what the O’Dea family did. David and Wizz grew their vineyard into a prospering family business producing medium-bodied wines. The apparent “freshness” that distinguishes their wine from others is a culmination of many factors but keen family spokeswoman, marketing manager and youngest daughter Petrina (Nook) O’Dea attributes their wines’ vibrancy to proximity. “There is literally 15 minutes from the grapes being picked to the crusher. This is particularly important for whites,” she says.

Youngest son and viticulturist Jason (Jase) O’Dea, explains the choice in production of medium-bodied wines: “Twenty years ago, we were trying to grow big Barossa-style wines because that’s what everyone did but what was occurring naturally here was medium-bodied varietal. The wine has the flavours of the grapes – fruit characteristics. Soil, climate and winemaking are factors also. The thing about being medium bodied is that there is a lot of flavour but not very high alcohol. We’re picking them earlier. We’re not letting them get to 14 or 15 per cent and I think the industry in general is going that way.”

Jason’s wine-production style is firmly embedded in the ideology of “Terroir”. It is a slowly trending concept employed in the production of wine, tea and coffee, among other crops. > Above from left: David and Wizz O’Dea with three of their four children, Stephen, Jason and Petrina; the guests of Neila @ Windowrie enjoy The Blending Bar and wining and dining in a shady setting.

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local winery

The premise is that producers should consider the naturally occurring characteristics of their specific region in their production. This consideration, coupled with his ongoing commitment to organics and environmental sustainability, led to the production of Windowrie’s Pig in the House range of wines and Windowrie’s organic accreditation.

Windowrie wine has its presence in many countries worldwide. Its biggest export is to China. “We were recently very fortunate in China,” David shares.

“We won what they call a Double Gold at the international wine show there.”

Almost by design, the O’Dea children all underwent study that one way or another furthered the advancement of the family business. Eldest son Stephen (Steph) has a construction business in Orange and was instrumental in the restoration of the historic Mill in Cowra, now Windowrie’s cellar door. Eldest daughter Dimity (Doe) studied Wine Marketing at Roseworthy. Doe now lives with her husband in Europe and continues to forge ahead the presence of Windowrie wine on a global scale. Jason (Jase) is Windowrie General Manager, having studied viticulture at CSU Wagga Wagga, while youngest child Petrina studied Digital Media at CSU Bathurst and is in charge of the sales and marketing division.

David couldn’t be more proud of his children’s successes. “My kids are just brilliant,” he says. “I’m glad that they are not in earshot to hear me say that.

They know what they are doing. They’re progressive, you know.”

On further contemplation he continues: “I mean, the industry’s big downer, and this is nothing in comparison to properties recently being burnt to the ground, but we’ve lost a lot [fruit] to the frosts this year – it’s the worst we’ve seen in 25 years. Down in Riverina, they’ve lost up to 70 per cent. That’s the fun of it though. Farmers are in the lap of the gods, really.”

On the day of my visit to Windowrie, Jase and Petrina are intensely busy.

Aside from their normal duties, they are preparing for the weekend’s celebration. Neila, a local Cowra restaurateur, in combination with Windowrie, is hosting a special food and wine lovers’ event to mark Windowrie’s 25 years in the industry. It’s all systems go. As we watch these two O’Dea children flit from one job to the next, I ask David what separates his wine from the rest. Quietly and with evident pride he simply points to his kids. Finally, he whispers “Them.” CWL Above from left: David and Wizz O’Dea will celebrate 50 years of marriage in 2014; the peaceful surrounds of the gardens are perfect for entertaining; multi-talented Cowra musician Liz Webb performed at the Neila @ Windowrie function; guests enjoyed a selection of the family’s wines and cuisine by Cowra restaurateur Neila.

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Share our wine this Christmas These award winning single vineyard wines are sourced from the Cowra, Hilltops and Orange regions

WINDOWRIE

2013

Christmas Offer

Order 5 bottles of Family Reserve wine and receive 1 bottle of Family Reserve

Sparkling Chardonnay FREE Simply go to

www.windowrie.com.au and enter promo code

HoHoHo

The O’Dea Family

W W W.W I N D O W R I E . C O M . A U

2013

BRONZE 2013

BRONZE 2013

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2013

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DOUBLE GOLD

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Proudly celebrating 25 years in the wine industry BRONZE 2013

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CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 23

READY, WILLING AND ABE DON'T BE FOOLED BY HIS YOUTHFUL LOOKS. ABRAHAM “ABE” DAMEN IS A MAN ON A MISSION AND IS TAKING HIS NEW DUBBO-BASED BUSINESS, KITCHEN AND RENOVATION CONCEPTS, TO DIZZYING NEW HEIGHTS. Ambitious, daring and with impressive runs on the board already, Abe Damen is thinking big. Business has increased tenfold since opening up three years ago in Dubbo's industrial estate.

Abe grew up in Coonabarabran where his parents, John and Joy, tried their hand at everything from running a goat farm, an antique shop, gallery and cafe as well as the well-known Circle Second Hand shop.

Abe graduated from Coonabarabran High School in 2004, where he came third in the state for engineering.

“I knew then I wouldn't be doing anything else and won a scholarship to study electrical engineering at the University of NSW for the next four years,” he said during a quick visit by CWL to his factory and showroom.

“University was a real eye-opening experience and I stayed on campus where I met a lot of interesting people from the upper academic level along with some lifelong friends.”

During his third year at university, Abe started tutoring other students while working for AECOM, the world's largest design engineering firm. He stayed there for 18 months and learnt about the business world while working on the Kurnell desalination plant.

At one stage Abe and a few others had to supply all the electrical design information to about 150 sparkies while managing about half a million electrical connections. Later he worked on Canberra windfarms, on the electrical distribution side of things, and wrote a thesis on wireless energy transmission.

"My parents were looking to expand their kitchen business at the same time and I thought ‘let's do something a little bit more challenging’, so they gave me a small start-up fund and off I went,” he said.

The original concept was to produce standard configurations for kitchens in the Coonabarabran district. The family had been importing all their products from China but a lot of time and money was spent in ensuring the imported stock was always good quality and met Australian standards. Things had to change.

Abe made the decision to set up his business within a two-week period. “I went to Hawaii, got back here and started setting up the next day, not really knowing what I was getting into,” he recalled. “This was an empty shed when I commenced in 2010. Me alone in this giant shed, it got kind of lonely.”

It was never going to be a one-man business and today he employs seven full-time employees plus his parents when required. Abe concedes he has learnt a lot from John and Joy and still uses them in an advisory capacity and as a sounding board for new ideas.

He no longer imports from China, having recently installed a fully automated panel processing line that not only allows his business to compete with the Chinese product line but also offers greater control of products. The two machines, valued at about $300,000, potentially can do the work of about six men.

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young business success

"It's never dull and I'm not afraid of a challenge, otherwise I wouldn't be here,” Abe said. “I don't fit the traditional mould of what to do and what not to do. I enjoy risk. At the end of the day I wanted to be in control of something. If it succeeded it would be my doing, and if it failed it was on my head. That's a lot of motivation."

Abe has the business acumen of many men twice his age and offers forthright advice on branching out on your own.

"Think very hard about venturing into your own business. Everything will take twice as long and cost twice as much as what you imagine," he said.

"Perhaps I was a little naive at the start but it doesn't take long to work out what you can and can't do, so focus on what you can do and pay staff and other service providers what they are worth. Staff are the core of your business and good staff should be rewarded."

In Abe's first year the business averaged about a kitchen a week, now it's more like seven to eight a week, but the biggest changes are in his client base and market share. As well as supplying the private residential market, he now supplies several builders and also does commercial fit-outs.

Initially Abe's kitchens were all less expensive flat packs but with the new machinery and skilled employees, custom kitchens are often what customers are seeking. The business now caters for all needs and price ranges as knowledge, services and products evolve. As well as the kitchen range, he now sells tiles, wardrobes, laundries, vanities, sink and tap ware and floating floors.

ABE'S OTHER LOVE While Abe loves being a businessman, he also relishes time with his ebullient fiancée Kate, who came into his life at the Randwick Races through a mutual friend of a friend.

Kate teaches Italian at a Dubbo school. She is also the social co-ordinator or social queen of the Dubbo Young Professionals Network, a group that started up last year to create social and professional networking opportunities for 18- to 35-year-olds.

She can speak eight languages but Kate admits she is in awe of Abe's persistence. She says her man rarely switches off, even when he sleeps! Abe agrees he gets some of his best ideas at 3am.

The two are an engaging match and their enthusiasm for life is infectious. "When we are out with friends he is always thinking about his next big plan," Kate laughed.

Abe is quick with a response. "I love the challenge but I'm not in this business to do kitchens. I'm in this business to do business. I enjoy the wheeling and dealing, the challenges of setting up new machinery, finding new clients, and implementing systems that make our business more efficient and productive,” he said.

"That's what really drives me. It's not about every kitchen going out the door but more about the overall direction the business is heading. That's where my passion really lies."

Although Dubbo will always be the manufacturing hub, Abe aims to have another outlet in Orange by the end of the year. Ultimately he'd like to have 10 or 20 stores across the eastern seaboard. CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

NEWS FLASH: In October 2013, Kitchen and Renovation Concepts won two awards at the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce and Industry Orana Mutual 2013 Rhino Awards. The business took out the Excellence in Small Business award, as well as the Excellence in Innovation title (under 10 employees). Congratulations Abe!

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 25

In the driver’s seat

JOHN DAVIS LOVES COUNCIL, POLITICS, CLASSIC CARS AND THE WESTS TIGERS BUT HIS REAL PASSION IS SELLING WHEELS TO “FAIR DINKUM AUSSIES” IN THE BUSH.

THIS LONG-TERM Orange local is not only the mayor but principal of John Davis Motors, a leading business in town with a staff of 30.

Although John was born in Gosford, his big heart has always been in the “Big O”. He went to school here (at Orange Public and Orange High) and in early 1968 got his foot in the door of the motor industry.

Nearly 45 years later he is still here – albeit on a much grander scale than those early days, selling second-hand Ford cars.

John worked for only three bosses before acquiring his own dealership in 1983. He had big dreams and a year later took on the Suzuki dealership, which greatly enhanced his reputation from “being merely a used car salesman”.

For years he was hounded to take on Mazda and eventually agreed in 1999, just before the Mazda boom. Today John Davis Motors is the biggest country dealer of Mazdas in Australia, selling 600 new vehicles last year.

“In the old days we used to sell about 60 used cars a month,” he said. After a quick tally, John reckoned he may well have sold more than 20,000 cars over the past 30 years.

Another outstanding success was the Volvo dealership in 2011. John Davis is a man driven by success and only recently purchased the Mazda dealership in Young, to complement the million-dollar upgrade on his Mazda branch in Forbes.

“We are now covering 20 per cent of the state,” he said proudly from a comfortable lounge set in an exclusive 50-acre mountain-top retreat overlooking the town he has served as mayor since 2004.

26 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

“DONE GOOD” The substantial Davis homestead is clean, spacious and tastefully decorated. On the eastern side is a magnificent undercover pool that is a hit with family and friends in summer.

The property is so elevated that at least six inches of snow falls a couple of times each winter.

Free time is something John Davis normally doesn't have to worry about.

With two major jobs to hold down, his appointment diary is rarely blank and the days and nights are often long.

When he gets the chance, however, one of his favourite things is taking a stroll around his hobby farm. He named the place “Done Good” after football legend Jack Gibson but it could just as easily have applied to John's record in business.

The name is particularly apt given John's unbridled passion for rugby league, especially the Wests Tigers. Back in his playing days he was a hard-hitting captain/coach for the Blayney Bears, bagging five premiership trophies along the way.

local mayor

While those days are long gone, up here in the high country, far away from the public glare, John Davis likes to reflect on a fortunate life spent with wife Kay and his close-knit family.

FAMILY LIFE

His mind wanders back to growing up in the so-called “lucky country” in the 1950s. Life was tough and luxuries were few. Kay's father was a blacksmith and John's father a professional roo shooter, wood carter and general labourer before joining the railway.

“I worked at Myers with some of John's best mates and one of them organised a blind date for us at a ball. I initially thought he was arrogant but in fact he was rather shy,” she recalled.

John and Kay Davis love a good laugh, and Kay is full of yarns, including the corker about how she met her future husband.

“He worked himself to death,” John said quietly. “It's amazing what you can achieve in one generation.”

“He didn't drink in those days. We had a slight altercation on the dance floor and I ended up pouring my drink over his head because he wouldn't stop talking!”

While being hugely successful, John still likes the old adage “the harder I work, the luckier I get”.

“She is strong, all right,” John interjected. “She even has a swear jar for our outback trips!”

As we walk around the farm, John is watching for storms coming in from Mount Canobolas while casting an eye over his small but elite cow herd sharing the best views of any beasts in the country.

These trips, under the banner of the Bourke Police and Community Outback Treks, have been going on for 29 years and have raised more than $400,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and local communities.

He is relaxed, happy and grateful for what life has thrown at him. Nearing the homestead, John tells me how he heard about this place coming on the market about five years ago.

John and Kay love these bush adventures and believe the Aussie backyard is the biggest and best in the world. “I don't like to see prizes on television for overseas holidays,” John said. “We need to visit our own glorious country.”

He had been living with wife Kay in a dream house in town but this was clearly something else. “I saw it on the Thursday but never actually went inside before making an immediate offer,” John recalled with a grin.

The offer was finalised within 24 hours but he still hadn't consulted his wife in the ultimate test of faith in his relationship.

A few months later came the world recession that tested their financial resolve but there was no doubt John Davis would trade his way out.

It is only now, he concedes, that he's really starting to enjoy his slice of paradise, which is proving a congenial meeting place for his three children and six grandkids all under the age of six.

They've all grown up in the family business. Cassandra is sales manager, Benjamin a joint partner with his father and Gabrielle a stay-at-home mum, while John's brothers Terry and Kevin have been with the used car department since the early days.

Family has always played a big role in their lives with Kay (nee Miskell) being one of 15 siblings, many of whom still live in the Blayney district.

It follows there would have to be a huge extended family. In fact, John and Kay now have no fewer than 49 nieces and nephews, more than 90 great nieces and nephews and even great, greats.

Although he has travelled to some of the “flashest places on earth”, John prefers the simpler life in Orange, a city that he firmly believes in and promotes at every opportunity.

Not many people understand councils like John Davis, who put in 17 years with Blayney Council, including the last 10 as mayor. Upon his return to Orange he was elected to council immediately and has been mayor for the past nine years out of 10.

“I love being mayor,” he said. “Not for the pomp and ceremony but for the chance to help change the world, little chunks at a time.”

John admits politics have changed dramatically over the past few years.

“It's very personal now,” he said. “People are now playing the person and not the position.”

For the record, the mayor said this would definitely be his last term, finishing in 2016 after an unbeaten 30 years in local government.

Although he is due for retirement there is a lot more energy in John Davis than many men half his age. It's been a stellar career and when he finally hangs up his many hats he really can lean back and say “Done good”. CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

Facing page: John Davis has a collection of 10 classic cars, mostly Fords. One of his favourites is this 1967 Ford Galaxie; the “Done Good” homestead.

Above: John started working in the motor industry in 1968; the elevated outlook of “Done Good”; family plays a big role in the lives of John and Kay Davis.

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 27

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w w w. l a ke v i e w c a b i n s . c o m . a u

range in summer

Tuesday 31 December Party Under the Stars. Family New Years’ Celebrations Wednesday 8 to Sunday 12 January – 22nd Annual Elvis Festival in Parkes Saturday 18 January Orange Picnic Races, Towac Park Sunday 26 January Australia Day - Cook Park Family Day Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 February Gnoo Blas Classic Car Motor Show, Jack Brabham Park Friday 7 to Monday 17 February Slow Summer including the Banjo Paterson 150th Celebrations Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 Feb Colour City Running Festival

28 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

TOWN FEATURE:

Wellington

THE WELLINGTON CAVES MAY HAVE HELPED PUT WELLINGTON ON THE TOURIST MAP, ATTRACTING MORE THAN 30,000 VISITORS A YEAR, BUT THERE IS A LOT MORE TO THIS RURAL TOWN – THE SECOND OLDEST SETTLEMENT WEST OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS – THAN MEETS THE EYE. WORDS & IMAGES: SHOT BY JAKE

WELLINGTON

Wondrous

WELLINGTON

THE AREA WAS ORIGINALLY occupied by the Wiradjuri people before explorer John Oxley arrived in 1817 and named it “Wellington Valley” after the First Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley.

Wellington was established in 1823 as an agricultural station with squatters settling along the Macquarie Valley in 1832. By then the convict settlement had ceased but a village called Montefiores was established on the north side of the Macquarie River crossing.

The town of Wellington was gazetted in 1846 but it wasn’t until 1885 that Wellington was proclaimed a town. One of its hotels, the Lion of Waterloo, established in 1842, is now the oldest operating west of the Blue Mountains and is near the location of the last recorded duel fought on Australian soil in 1854.

As a regional centre Wellington benefited by the development of the goldmining industry in the district from the 1850s prior to the railway from Sydney reaching here in 1880.

Today Wellington is the centre of rich agricultural land with lucerne and vegetables grown along the river, and wheat, wool, fat lambs and beef cattle grown on surrounding pastures.

Thanks to the caves and phosphate mine, tourists are visiting in record numbers. These perfectly preserved relics of prehistoric time lay hidden beneath the surrounding landscape until their secrets were unlocked in the early 1800s.

The caves were frequently vandalised until 1884, when they were declared a natural reserve.

Organised tours of Cathedral Cave, formed over millions of years, began a year later and people from all over the country and indeed the world today marvel at the famous stalagmite that reaches a staggering 15 metres high.

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WELLINGTON

FROM THE MAYOR HELLO AND WELCOME TO WELLINGTON, the second oldest inland colonial settlement in Australia and part of the Wiradjuri Nation. We invite you to come and experience some good old-fashioned country hospitality and take the time to soak up our beautiful natural environment.

Blessed with having abundant water from the Macquarie and Bell rivers, the township of Wellington is located in a rich fertile valley surrounded by the ruggedly beautiful Catombal Range. We boast a number of attractions including our world-famous limestone caves, nationally acclaimed native arboretum and the mighty Lake Burrandong, a man-made lake 3½ times the size of Sydney Harbour. If the great outdoors is what excites you, we have it all.

But don’t forget to socialise while you’re with us. Put yourself on show and have a punt at our premier horseracing event, the Wellington Boot. Take in the yesteryear of the Vintage Fair and swap meet, come and join us at SpringFest or the Man from Ironbark Festival and take a look through one of our many private gardens on display. You won’t be disappointed.

And you’ll need to feed and water yourself while you’re here. Check out our many hotels, including the historic Lion of Waterloo Tavern, one of the oldest continually operated licensed premises in Australia.

If it’s modern you’re looking for, be sure to sample the menu at the newly renovated Cow and Calf Hotel.

Above all, if you’re coming through this way call in and say g’day. Better still, stay for a while and experience what the Wellington valley has to offer. Check out our website at www.visitwellington.com.au and like us on Facebook.

Councillor Rod Buhr

E

it s i v , n u f f o r e njoy a summ

Wellington

where Mountains and Rivers meet

www.visitwellington.com.au | 1800 621 614 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 31

WELLINGTON

WELLINGTON

According to Peter

BY RETIRED LOCAL FARMER AND HISTORY ENTHUSIAST PETER SHERIDAN

ON AUGUST 19, 1817, LIEUTENANT JOHN OXLEY, SURVEYOR GENERAL, AND HIS PARTY OF EXPLORERS ENTERED THE WELLINGTON VALLEY. OXLEY WAS SO IMPRESSED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE VALLEY HE DESCRIBED IT AS THE “VALE OF TEMPE”.

OXLEY WAS PART of a government push to explore and open up the country west of Bathurst. The valley contained two rivers and a mountain and a very rich agricultural region.

(Lebanese), who carried Wellington during the depression and lived by the “Pay me when you can” motto.

In 1823 Lieutenant Percy Simpson was sent to Wellington Valley to establish a convict settlement with supplies enough to grow crops and herd animals. About 50 convicts were brought to Wellington by a company of 30 soldiers.

Then later in the 1960s came the Greek cafe culture. We used to get groceries out from Geurie from Kaloutsis’ shop or often after mass on a Sunday we would go down to the Golden Key and Dad would have a small scotch with Theo Stathis and talk about the world and all its troubles.

By 1825, more than a dozen substantial buildings had been built south of the present town on a hill overlooking the Bell River.

I would have an ice-cream with chocolate topping and malt. Later a flounder from Bill Tarros’s cafe was a must.

In Simpson’s first report to the government on March 1, 1823, he makes some interesting references to the native inhabitants of the valley.

“The natives are not numerous, and in appearance something like those of Sydney, but better made and more pleasing countenances. They seem quite harmless and certainly not savage or warlike, as I was informed at Bathurst, but quite inoffensive and very familiar.”

In 1880 the rail line came to Wellington, which opened the town to being a rail centre and in the process formed a lot of little villages, like Geurie, about every 20 kilometres or so along the line, with fettlers necessary to keep the rail line open.

The railway yard at Wellington developed with a goods shed, unloading crane, engine turntable (which is still there under soil), two-storey accommodation and refreshment rooms at the station.

The rail bridge over the Macquarie is the original 1880 rail bridge. At all these maintenance depots there were white tents with the workers bustling around and leaving very early on their rail trikes to row up or down the line to do repairs, returning late in the afternoon.

The 1930s were the depression years. I can remember Dad having the utmost respect for the Ling family (Chinese) and Mellick family

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SCHOOLING I started with correspondence at home but this was a failure. Dad would start a tractor and I’d be gone. I then went to Ponto School, 12 pupils and one teacher for a year or so. This meant riding on horseback eight miles to school and the same home or catching a ride in Col Paroissien’s old T-model Ford.

No buses in those days so it meant boarding in town or boarding away for further education. I ended up with the latter for all my schooling but wouldn’t recommend it.

I can remember when I was about six helping Dad drive a mob of 120 lambs to Arthurville to load on the train.

We would leave the night before, taking them up the road about four miles for an early start the next morning while it was still dark. We had to have them on the train about 4pm for the engine to pick the rail truck up.

In the 1940s gypsies came around three or four times each year in their horse-drawn covered wagons. They would sell you knives or sharpen them through to selling you clothing items.

WELLINGTON In some areas they had a bad name but that was not the impression I have of them. After the war there were a number of beggars wandering the back roads with their sugar bags containing all their worldly goods.

If they approached a property and received assistance they would leave a stone on the front gate-post so that the next person knew he may receive a favourable welcome.

Just after the war Dad bought a new Jeep which I learnt to drive, including up and down the banks of the Little River and also along the dry sandy river bed. I wouldn’t do it now, too dangerous.

The 1940s was a very dry decade and with rabbits in their millions.

The land was just a dust bowl. Dust storms occurred regularly. You would see the sky to the west just start turning red then it would get closer and closer to a point where you could only see yards in front of you through the dust.

My brother and I would want to go outside and play in the dust but our mother had other ideas, saying we would get cut in half with a sheet of corrugated iron.

With the first sign of a dust storm you had to close all the windows and doors and place towels in any cracks. After the storm the house would still have a layer of red dust throughout.

We would only go to town once a fortnight for groceries, mainly lighting kerosene, as we grew our own vegetables, made our own butter and ice-cream. We would have a pie and peas at Kimbells Kitchen then go back home again in the old Plymouth.

FARMING Wheat was also a serious income for us. The old W30 McCormick Deering kerosene tractor with iron wheels with spuds on them for grip. It wasn’t long before the wheels were converted to rubber because the spuds use to break off. The combine would sow about three metres wide at a time.

The super came in multi-layered paper bags weighing 112 pound per bag. There was a period where the bags were plastic. Now of course it comes in one tonne bags to put in your 20-metre wide sowing rig with a grouper pulled by a 4x4 drive, 400hp tractor guided by satellites.

Harvest was different with a tractor-drawn header cutting about three metres and would crawl around say a 140-acre paddock stopping about four times to unload five or six bags of wheat in a crooked line across the paddock.

Someone would come around and stitch up the bags with a needle and twine with a leather patch on his hand so he could push the needle through the tough bag. In the 1960s bulk handling was introduced, which did away with all that.

When you realise the current headers have up to 46 feet combs (fronts) with hoppers carrying eight or nine tonnes of wheat that can be filled in about 12 minutes and be guided to a certain extent by satellites, you can see how far we have come in my lifetime.

The 1950s were very wet. You had to use horses to move stock as the ground was too boggy for vehicles and even with the horses you had to walk everywhere otherwise they would bog up to their knees.

COMMUNICATIONS I remember the phone line was two wires, above ground, the 10 miles to Geurie exchange, sometimes from tree to tree. There were five or six other properties on the same set of wires and as a result everyone could listen to your conversation.

If the phone didn’t work it was probably because a limb had fallen across the line and broken it so you had to do a repair before the phone worked again. Compare that with today with your phone in your pocket and able to talk to anyone in the world.

What about transport, from horses to fast cars to jet aircraft to the moon! The world is now being run by computers.

wellington

Country comfort MOVING FROM THE CITY TO A 5000-ACRE WOOL AND CROSS-BRED LAMB ENTERPRISE AT “WILLUNGA”, WELLINGTON, WAS THE SMARTEST DECISION MARDI TAYLOR EVER MADE. NOT ONLY did she marry farmer Hugh and have three beautiful children, Josie, 9, Shep, 7, and Olivia, 4, but she also managed to continue her career in the bush.

Mardi is a paediatric occupational therapist and runs a private practice three days a week in Wellington. She helps children with autism, and some of her clients come from hours away.

“It’s an incredible job and sometimes demanding but the benefits and the little milestones the kids make, make it all worthwhile,” she said.

It’s a busy life with the kids, the farm and community involvement but Mardi would have it no other way. Her next project is to go to the next level with her business and create a Children’s Therapies and Wellbeing Centre.

Her experience thus far has shown that Wellington is ideally located for such a service, and its peaceful beauty is an added bonus.

Mardi loves telling the story of how she ended up here. Hugh’s family owns Yamba Station, Carinda, which was managed by her uncle Kieran Potter.

One weekend when Mardi was only 19, she drove 10 hours out west to check out the shearing, met the boss’s son and fell madly in love!

“Hugh was jackerooing on a neighbouring property when we met, and for years I would send him scented love letters from Sydney,” she said.

“Being a city girl I didn’t know all the mail went in one bag and before long the whole district knew something was going on – they could smell it in the mailbox!”

Mardi eventually moved onto the property after her honeymoon on Brampton Island in 2002. > 36 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

farm life

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 37

WELLINGTON

“I arrived at this small, cosy cottage that hadn’t been touched for 50 years and the painter was still putting the finishing touches on the cottage revamp Hugh and I did before the wedding,” she explained.

With daughter Josie on the ground, and another on the way, the Taylors knew they would one day have to increase the size of their home, just 100 metres from the woolshed.

“The original old homestead burnt down in the 1940s and the cottage we lived in was the old shearer’s hut, which explains its close proximity to the woolshed.”

The plans were submitted the following day to council and the major extensions were completed within 12 months by Hugh’s cousin Mark Taylor.

They both wanted an open-plan homestead with plenty of light and high ceilings. The family congregate here most of the time, with the kids’ bedrooms and rumpus room in the old cottage.

Mardi loves country life and still gets excited by the little things like her kids riding their bikes down their gravel driveway to the bus stop.

The golden voice of radio, John Laws, jackerooed here in his youth and often talks about his time at “Willunga” while on air. It’s possible he may have camped right where we are talking.

“I have the horses I dreamed of as a child in suburban Sydney and I feel part of a vibrant community of entrepreneurs bringing beautiful old buildings and new ventures to life,” she said.

In 2006 the pair decided to take the plunge and extend the house. One night they sat down with a scale ruler and drew up plans with Mardi’s parents, Ron and Julie Long, who have a wealth of building experience.

“I am a hopeless romantic. I guess that’s brought me out here and what gives me the optimism to contribute to building Wellington as a sought-after destination for families.”

Hugh (centre) helping his father and brother, Bruce and Geoff Taylor, “Gunnegalderie”, Wellington, with the drenching.

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On your next trip to Wellington be sure to visit the extensively refurbished Cow and Calf Hotel.

It is fitting that the hotel re-opened in its 150th year and features a modern front bar, lounge with open fire, an extensive all weather beer garden, 20 stunning guest rooms, and a bistro that trades 11am to 9pm every day of the week.

Whether it be a quick lunch, an intimate dinner, or a large function, the Cow and Calf is equipped to make your time in Wellington memorable.

An ever changing menu featuring some of the best local produce, combined with an extensive wine list and 11 beers on tap will please even the most discerning diner.

If you are looking for an overnight stay or group booking, the Cow and Calf offers 20 guest rooms, modern bathroom facilities, a guest lounge, and secure swipe card access.

The hotel also features a convention/meeting room with state of the art audio visual facilities that is capable of meeting the needs of groups from 10 to 40 people.

So the next time you are in town, please drop in for a visit or check us out at cowandcalf.com.au

135 LEE STREET WELLINGTON NSW

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P 02 6845 2710

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WWW.COWANDCALF.COM.AU

WELLINGTON

The next

BIG THING WELLINGTON’S RECENTLY REFURBISHED COW AND CALF HOTEL IS CELEBRATING ITS 150TH BIRTHDAY AND EVERYBODY IS INVITED TO THE PARTY! THE HISTORIC HOTEL, WHICH STARTED LIFE IN 1863 AS THE CLUBHOUSE, HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE THANKS TO A RECENT $2.2 MILLION FACELIFT. WHEN CHOOSING a fresh name, new owners Peter and Shany Lewsam knew they wanted something rural. Peter liked the sound of Armidale’s Whitebull Hotel and reckoned the Cow and Calf was a catchy name well-suited to this rather special watering hole.

During our Wellington visit, this dynamic pair found time in their hectic work schedule to sit down and tell CWL a little about how they came to run one of the town’s eight pubs.

It’s a story with humble beginnings. Picture a 15-year-old son of a Newcastle butcher flipping burgers at McDonald’s and dreaming of a brighter future. That was Peter, who within only 10 years was managing the first of a dozen McDonald’s stores throughout the country, including Perth.

It was while managing the Port Macquarie store that he first met Shany. “She was 17 when we met, which caused a bit of grief with her parents, but we have just had our 24th anniversary and it all worked out well,” Peter laughed.

Married life was a cocktail of love, adventure, travel and business.

In 1996 Peter opened a McDonald’s franchise in Wellington before buying Dubbo (2000), Mudgee (2007) and building another Dubbo restaurant (2009). The Lewsams had created burger heaven with 480 staff responsible for keeping just under 30,000 customers happy each week.

It was a whirlwind business that took them to many conventions all over the world for the best part of a decade. The family enjoyed visits to China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and New Zealand but their holy grail was America.

“I love the Big Apple,” Peter enthused. “It was everything I imagined, bustling with life and 26,000 restaurants in Manhattan alone. We looked at real estate there for, oh, three minutes and I nearly cried when it was time to go!” > CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 41

WELLINGTON

One of the biggest conventions ever staged was in Orlando, Florida, where 15,000 McDonald’s owners from all over the world learnt the finer points of the hamburger business while being entertained by the likes of Elton John and Beyonce.

They were great days but back home the pressure of running such a large enterprise was beginning to take its toll.

“We woke up one day and decided it was time for a change. The stress wasn’t worth it, so we sold both Dubbo stores in 2011, thinking we could handle the two smaller ones without too much of a headache,” Peter said.

“Later that year we decided to get out all together and the remaining stores were sold in 2012. We were thinking of moving back to the coast but we had our two kids at school here.

“Wellington has been good to us but we really needed a project to get us to stay. What really cemented our decision was finding a derelict old cottage for sale on 10 glorious acres out at Curra Creek.”

In typical fashion the plans for the house were roughed out on the back of a piece of paper and submitted a fortnight later. They are now in the final stages of finishing their self-sustaining green home (pictured above), which is “basically all glass looking onto the creek”.

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The big flood of the 1950s is still remembered by some long-term locals.

local pub

PUB LIFE While their dream home was being built, the pair looked in earnest for yet another project to sink their teeth into. The old Clubhouse had gone broke and they figured it was time to do something positive for the town.

“I really felt there was money in Wellington, you just needed to know where to dig,” Peter said. “I felt there was a hole in the market we could fill.”

While Peter and Shany had never poured a beer or made a hotel bed in their life, they are not short of commitment and drive once they believe in something. In the first five years with Macca’s they never had a day off.

They figured selling beers couldn’t be that different from selling burgers. “There was a misconception that if we had no experience running a pub we could fall into trouble but it has never fazed us,” Shany said.

The couple was inspired by the transformation of an old country pub in Willow Tree by Sydney entrepreneur Charles Hanna.

“His up-market pub boasts great atmosphere and food and we noticed it was so full by the end of the night they were turning patrons away,” Peter said. “That’s not a bad effort considering how many people live in Willow Tree.”

The Lewsams were now truly inspired and the budget was thrown out the window as the Cow and Calf underwent a complete refurbishment over 18 months, adding new carpets and fresh paint throughout. It was a ground-up refit including the floors.

There are now 20 fresh rooms and a restaurant with three full-time chefs who supply quality meals seven days a week from 11am to 9pm.

The rooms have only been opened for a few months but the positive feedback indicates the big effort doing them up was worthwhile. All beds are commercial quality and made by the Latex Bedding Company in Dubbo, while the sheets and carpet are all premium quality.

“Already we’re getting repeat business and solid bookings for summer, including several weddings, 21sts and other functions,” Peter said.

“We have swipe card access, which ensures total security. By the time you read this we will have a secured car park for those wanting the ultimate in security.”

There’s also live entertainment on Sunday afternoons in the new beer garden, complete with kids play area and big screens to watch the footy.

Peter and Shany Lewsam have finished the pub and just about completed their house. The obvious question is “what now?”

“Maybe a day off,” they laughed in unison.

Images: Shot by Jake & Angus Waddell

WELLINGTON

THE CHILL FACTOR WELLINGTON’S CACTUS CAFE AND GALLERY recently celebrated its 15th birthday.

Long-time local Marilyn Keirle has been here since she was eight, when her father opened a fruit and vegetable wholesale business in town.

She worked at the local pharmacy from age 17 and married the chemist in 1969. Four kids and many years later, Marilyn loves being back in the workforce.

Her shop was once home to the Sacred Heart Infants School, which was built in 1930 and remained as such until 1996. Marilyn knew the Spanish mission-style building would make an ideal place to shop and enjoy a meal.

“I try to use as much regional produce as possible and we make our meals old-fashioned, fresh and home-cooked,” she said.

“It’s a great meeting place, not just for locals but for tourists as well. We get people from everywhere and they come in all ages, from school kids to young mums and country ladies who drop in for a coffee fix, lunch and a wee bit of relaxed shopping.”

The business was opened by the Ambassador of Mexico in 1998 and has developed into a wonderful and warm place to chill, gather one’s thoughts and perhaps meet a stranger.

The Cactus employs about eight casual staff, and all of Marilyn’s kids, two girls and two boys, have learnt the ropes here at one time or another.

Her two sons now work at the pharmacy with their dad Roger and continue on with the great legacy of Keirle’s Pharmacy, 90 years after it was established.

Above: Marilyn Keirle (second from left) with Mary Sutherland, Niamh O’Brien and Bernard Cahill – some of the regular faces you will run into at the Cactus.

Fish river roasters from O'Connell freshly squeezed juices using seasonal fruit and vege morning and afternoon tea, including mal's scones, delicious carrot cake and much more lunch includes soup, nachos, tortillas, turkish hot press, pies, curry and more

We promoted our local and regional product, selling oils, jams, pickles and relishes, pistachios, honey, mustard, olives and Herbie's spices.

168 Percy Street, Wellington 2820

Phone | 02 6845 3913 Ladies, Mens & Children’s Designs and Styles for Special Occasions 44 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

Brands included in our range are Etiquette handbags Spencer and Rutherford Boo Radley, Seven Sisters Anna Chandler Design Riley Burnett Jewellery Betty Basics, L'occitane

33-35 Warne Street, Wellington Cactus is open from tuesday to Saturday from 10am till 5pm Take away coffee or food available Catering for daytime meetings or functions is easy to arrange Just ring us on 68454647 or fax 68454648 Email: cactus.cafe@bigpond.com Or now, find us on Facebook: Cactus café and gallery www.facebook.com/cactuscafeandgallery

WELLINGTON

Top brass HE’S KNOWN ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS THE BRASS BED MAN BUT WELLINGTON’S DANNY HAWKE IS A MAN OF MANY TALENTS. A KEEN HUNTER AND COLLECTOR, DEVOTED FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MAN, PHOTOGRAPHER AND PHILOSOPHER, THERE IS NOTHING THIS MAN WON’T TRY HIS HAND AT. FOR 25 YEARS this jack of all trades has devoted his life to restoring an iconic Wellington landmark that he has called home since he was a teenager.

In a former life it was called the Stragglers Inn, built in preparation for the building of the first wooden bridge across the river in 1866.

The old stables used by Cobb and Co coaches are long gone but the building, from the outside, remains largely unchanged from its original condition.

Barely a year after opening it had a name change to the Commercial Hotel before changing again in 1905 to the Commonwealth Hotel.

After George Newell’s time as licensee in the 1920s, the old inn was converted into a boarding house for the next 40 odd years before being reduced to a block of four flats rented out at $13 each a week.

Danny’s father, Geoff Hawke, saw potential in the place and bought the inn back in 1981 to house his Macquarie View Antiques business.

Danny, at age 16, came on board to help, was made a partner in the business and bought it seven years later when his father retired.

He then began a full restoration of the 14-room house (and cellar) that continues to this day. >

RISE AND SHINE The historic old building is only one chapter, albeit a big one, in Danny Hawke’s very full life. He is much wider known as the best brass bed man in the business.

So how did it all come about?

Apparently, Danny’s father once owned a gun shop but was becoming disenchanted with the business. Story has it that a long time ago he headed out west and returned a week later with a truckload of tangled, neglected and rusty farm pieces.

In subsequent trips young Danny discovered his father had a particular penchant for seeking out old, rusty cast-iron beds, which were piling up by the dozen.

Geoff was paying the cockies about five quid ($10) a piece for them and selling them to Sydney agents for 15 quid. He was happy with this arrangement until discovering one of his beds in Sydney, all done up, selling for 100 quid!

Inspired by what he’d seen, Geoff couldn’t get back to Wellington quick enough to kick off his new venture.

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“I remember sanding back beds and hanging around the workshop from a very early age,” Danny said.

Danny reckons his father was the original “picker” (from the hit TV show).

Geoff definitely passed on a love for all things old to his son, who has restored thousands of beds that end up in homes all over Australia.

He will never run out of work; there are literally hundreds of rustic relics, sourced from all over, ready to be brought back to life.

It’s a one-man operation and he does the whole lot from start to finish.

“The buck stops with me,” said Danny, who is sporting a crook back and torn tendons in his arms for his efforts in the physically demanding job over the past 30 years.

Danny’s wife, Katie, a school teacher, sometimes scratches her head in disbelief at his efforts. She agrees that apart from bad handwriting and the inability to shave, there is nothing her husband cannot master.

Katie said that Danny often found it hard to relax and was a workaholic who didn’t work by the clock. “Once he has got his teeth into a job, he won’t stop until the job is complete.”

local icon

FAMILY LIFE A few years ago Danny was approached to be a Cub Scout leader.

Son Thomas, nearly eight at the time, was the right age and there were fond memories of his Cub Scout days in Darwin in 1976 and the Scouting movement in Casino, where he finished his schooling.

Thomas, now 10, has just been awarded his Grey Wolf Badge while his dad is now Akela and Leader in Charge.

Daughter Sophie, 13, joined the Scouts at the same time and was fortunate to attend the Scout Jamboree in Maryborough. “This all happened because I offered to help out the Girl Guides and protocol forbade them from letting me on board,” Danny explained.

“I was very keen to help my daughter and others like her and the only way I could do this was to get her in the Scout movement.”

When he’s not on a community project, helping out a mate with their vehicles or making a custom bed, Danny enjoys a host of hobbies, including collecting rifles, fishing rods and Pentax cameras.

There are 90 cameras in his stellar collection, from a 1952 Asahiflex to the latest 645 D, a 40 megapixel medium format camera, a lovely toy that he’d like to shoot with more often.

Danny has been a hunter from the age of seven when he bagged his first magpie goose in a croc-infested swamp in the NT. As a young man he hunted buffalo, wild pigs, goats and hares.

This sharp shooter has been involved with the pistol range for nearly 30 years and loves history, particularly the last duel fought in Wellington.

“Apparently they were both so inebriated they missed their targets. I have fired similar flintlock pistols but unlike them, I hit my target,” he laughed.

Danny has even fired a four-bore twin Brunswick grooved Maharaja’s elephant rifle “with a kick on it that put me flat on my back”.

While he sounds like a modern-day Rambo, the opposite is true. A few years ago his daughter asked if she could go to church. “I was gobsmacked, never having been an overly religious or church-going type,” Danny said. “I asked her why and she said her friend was there.”

In typical Hawke fashion, Danny started attending himself and is now a member of the Anglican Church Parish council. “The thing I love about it is seeing young people off the street in a nurturing and loving environment, while learning good life values and morals,” he said.

Danny Hawke will never leave this amazing home he has created.

“I’ve put in too much blood, sweat and tears to walk away,” he said.

That’s a good thing for those who have just placed orders with the brass bed king.

Left: A sketch of the historic building in its early days as a pub.

Kitch & Sons began trading in 1906 has seen 4 generations of management in the same family.

Selling hardware, plumbing, building materials, furniture, giftware, bedding and paint.

KITCH KITCH TCH TCH

& SONS

& SONS

Hardware

rdware

If we don’t have it we will try to get it!

158 Percy St, WELLINGTON 2820

02 6845 2255 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 47

WELLINGTON

The White stuff WELLINGTON HAS UNEARTHED A FEW SPORTING LEGENDS OVER THE YEARS BUT FEW CAN SURPASS THE EFFORTS OF FARMER JON WHITE, A FORMER AUSTRALIAN RUGBY UNION PLAYER WHO MADE 24 TEST APPEARANCES FOR HIS COUNTRY BETWEEN 1958 AND 1965.

NOW AGED 78, Jonathon Parker Laidley White is regarded as one of the finest Wallabies of the 20th century.

It was no fluke the loosehead prop was selected in the Team of the Century in 1999, the Sydney Cricket Ground Walk of Honour in 2003 and the prestigious Wallaby Hall of Fame in 2009.

Inductees for the latter are drawn from all Test teams, starting with the first side in 1899.

To be eligible, a Test player must have demonstrated outstanding ability, sportsmanship, commitment, character and personal contribution to the team and game of their era.

Jon ticked all the boxes and then some. In 1963, in the early days of the gold jersey, the Wallabies squared the four-Test series against the Boks in South Africa for the first time. The front row was arguably the greatest in Wallaby history with Jon White, Peter Johnson and skipper John Thornett.

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local artist It was a troubled time in South Africa’s history with apartheid rearing its ugly head at every Test match. “When I last played, there was total segregation of the white and coloured folk, and this was very evident in the stands,” he told me from his homestead on “Narrawa”, a small mixed farm he has called home for the past 25 years.

“In the fourth Test we had the game fairly well in hand when the ref gave them [the Springboks] a penalty. Chaos erupted and over 200 cars were flipped over by the time the game resumed. The riot must have shaken us a bit because the Boks went on to win comfortably.”

Although this was 50 years ago, Jon has a great memory, despite not being able to locate his old rugby boots for our photo shoot! He told me that in his final days of rugby he was playing with two odd boots, perhaps the only Wallaby to ever do so!

Playing for Australia or playing with the boys from Yeoval (which he did for many years both before and after his Wallaby reign, including playing in 11 grand finals) was all part of the culture back in the glory days.

Just like going to boarding school in Sydney. It was at The King’s School, Parramatta, that his love of rugby was first ignited. Founded in 1831, King’s is Australia’s oldest independent school and over the years has produced 28 Wallabies.

Playing in the second XV, Jon White perhaps wasn’t looking like future Wallaby material but unlike most of his school pals, this country lad hadn’t finished growing.

By the time he was wearing the No.1 jersey for his country he had grown into a formidable 16 stone plus man mountain with big hands and massive legs built for the hard yards.

Story has it that he stayed fit heaving wheat bags on the family farm and that he struck fear into opponents around the world.

As for his fierce on-field reputation, Jon said he was a well-behaved player who was never sent off. “I liked to get to where I wanted to get by good technique rather than the brutal methods adopted by others.”

It’s been a good life, he conceded over a glass of wine, and one made infinitely better by the inclusion of wife Margie, who has been a faithful supporter and best friend for nearly 50 years.

The pair met in Sydney through family connections. “Margie was only 19 when we married and it really was the case of Farmer takes a Wife,” he chuckled.

Jon retired from farming in 1995 and today leases most of his country to the neighbours. He occasionally jumps in a tractor to help out a mate but these days is quite content dabbling in his other great love of painting.

It was only much later in life that Jon discovered his artistic bent after picking up a paintbrush and trying his hand at a few farm landscapes. He also enjoyed taking aerial snaps from planes that he would later lay down on canvas as well as painting flowers.

Jon’s talents with a paintbrush shouldn’t be so surprising. His mother, Mary White, ran an art school at Edgecliff yet never lived to see her son follow in her footsteps. After Mary’s passing, all her art supplies were trucked up to the farm.

They had been intended for granddaughter Cressida but it was Jon who eventually displayed the greatest interest.

“One day I decided to have a dabble, which in turn led to a few lessons with Dubbo artist Peter Mortimore and culminated in three exhibitions, including two of my own,” he said.

At the end of the day, Jon White holds many cherished memories and not just of rugby and playing in front of packed audiences on some of the game’s most hallowed grounds.

There are so many lives packed into Jon White that it’s hard to stop them blurring into one another, but one role that never deviated was his life as a farmer and grazier in two small country communities.

“Selling artworks and embryos helped pay for my kids’ education so I guess they’re both a bit tied up,” he explained. “I don’t really have a particular style and my art is really bit of everything, including abstract.”

While there are plenty of well-placed artworks around the cosy homestead, it is the subject of rugby that gets most airplay in this home. By the time you are reading this Jon will have just returned from South Africa, where he will have celebrated his 50th anniversary tour with 10 former teammates.

There were a few highs, like the time he sold a heifer for $22,000 from his beloved Goonoo Poll Hereford stud at Yeoval in 1985.

While he concedes that rugby has opened up many doors for him, he doesn’t accept that Wallabies are heroes. “While this is a nice accolade, I still believe the real heroes of this country are the blokes that put their lives on the line in the call of duty,” he said.

Over the years he invested in many artworks, especially from established Aboriginal artists, and even sold the odd one for a lot more than his heifer.

Honorable words indeed from one of nature’s true gentlemen and a team player in every sense of the word.

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 49

WELLINGTON

Homes sweet homes MICEAL AND HELEN O’BRIEN came to Wellington in 1990, and taken by the town’s charm bought “Carinya” just a year later. By 1998 the bed and breakfast had developed, and the lovely homestead needed filling.

The intuitive two acquired another house nearby and decided it was time to do a major makeover. A 12-month complete restoration created what is now Mackay’s Rest, the first self-contained cottage in Wellington.

It was named after one of its beloved occupants, Betty McKay, and has been thriving ever since.

In late 2012 the pair bought yet another cottage close by in Maxwell Street and spent nine months during 2013 restoring and beautifying the residence, but this time it was a timber vernacular structure with multiple walls and most ceilings covered in Wunderlich (pressed metal).

Three and a half rooms were completely demolished and replaced by an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space with boundless windows to the north, creating an open, limitless feel.

The transformation of the building has been remarkable and demonstrates Miceal and Helen’s tremendous work ethic. Paint can improve almost anything, but the off-white walls and deep grey in the hall that highlights the beautiful fretwork now extends to the front of the house and makes for a stunning statement.

Groups of up to nine can be comfortably accommodated at the self-contained Yahgunyah Cottage, now also open for business.

YAHGUNYAH SELF CONTAINED COTTAGE

30 Maxwell St, Wellington Yahgunyah cottage, a newly renovated timber vernacular building, is one of the many fine examples of the 1920’s era.

Beautiful fret work shines in the hall way and the front of the building, with lovely spires to add much interest. The treasure of Wunderlich is in on walls and ceilings in most rooms and hall.

Yahgunyah Cottage features 4 bedrooms and sleeps up to 9 guests. It boasts 2 ensuites and a 3rd shared bathroom.

A beautiful north facing family room finishes off the house.

Loaded with sunshine, light and personality...It’s simply gorgeous.

RECEPTION 111 ARTHUR ST

6845 4320

50 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

WELLINGTON

The spice of life HE LEADS A QUIET LIFE AND THAT'S THE WAY HE LIKES IT BUT WELLINGTON'S REVERED WW2 VETERAN ROY SPICER KNOWS A BIT ABOUT HISTORY. HE'S LIVED MORE THAN 90 YEARS OF IT AND HAS A SPECIAL COLLECTION OF AUSTRALIAN MEMORABILIA THAT BRINGS A TEAR TO THE EYE.

war veteran

WHEN HE MOVED into town eight years ago with wife Vera, Roy Spicer was determined to continue collecting his “old stuff”, a hobby he’s enjoyed all his long life.

“A great man called Lyall Green (formerly of Tamworth) was my teacher in New Guinea. He was our leader and helped keep us alive. At the time I wasn’t any good at writing and he helped me out a lot.”

“I can even recall collecting Aboriginal relics from the early droving trips with my father,” he said. Roy’s daughters, Robyn and Jenny, who drop in most days to say hello, call him “Hawkeye”, due to his uncanny ability to spot things a mile away.

For a 91-year-old, Roy has a razor-sharp memory and doesn’t mind talking about his war experiences. The worst aspect was suffering friendly fire from American forces, a terrible truth that still gives him nightmares.

The best moment was being told he was finally going home.

Roy has collected a ton of stuff in his day but the items he really cherishes are his cowbells, handcuffs and leg irons. And his toy train that comes with all the bells and whistles.

“There’s not many of us left now,” he sighed. “There are only about 18 men still kicking from our battalion.” Soon he hopes to return to Papua New Guinea and see how things have changed since his last visit nearly 70 years ago.

A FORTUNATE LIFE This quietly spoken old timer, born in 1922, has enjoyed a tremendous innings. His father worked as a horse breaker, blacksmith and drover. There were nine in his family but Roy and brother Bobby are the only ones left.

After the war Roy was keen to get back to civilian life as quickly as possible. He married his sweetheart, Vera, 26 days after coming home and the pair enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship.

He left school at 14 to go carting hay with a pitchfork and later tried his hand at cooking until he found a strategically placed large carpet snake nestled in his bag of potatoes!

For most of his working life Roy helped build homes and factories in Sydney before moving to Burrendong Dam to be with his brother on a small farm.

“These scallywags threw the bloody thing at me and I knew it was time to get the hell out of there,” he laughed. “I packed up my gear and fled towards Parkes. I had no money and was forced to sell bananas all day just to get my fare.”

“The doctor finally retired me because of thrombosis of the leg. He reckoned I got it from walking on concrete all day. It’s a bugger of a thing to deal with and my legs are always swelling up.”

Before the outbreak of war Roy was a rabbit trapper. “There were 10 of us and the boss would drop us off at different camps and we were paid two shillings a pair,” he recalled.

Vera died several years ago and Roy still misses her dreadfully. “It’s a lonely life without her, let me tell you.” Fortunately, he has many of Vera’s beautiful paintings on the wall to remind him of the enduring love they shared for more than 60 years.

Being the inventive type, Roy designed a simple method of carrying the traps on a bicycle (see photo). When it was full of rabbits you’d simply wheel it back to camp.

Wellingtonites should be mighty proud to have such a delightful, unsung hero living in their own backyard. Roy Spicer, you are the real deal and backbone of this great nation. I dip my lid to you!

In 1943 he was sent to New Guinea, serving his country for two years and three months without a single day of leave.

“I used to be called Master Curly by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels. We would never have won the war without the help of those fellas,” Roy said, shaking his head.

52 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

Above: Roy has never missed an Anzac Day march in 68 years. Not one. He often leads the march. Right: A selection of Roy’s impressive collectables, including an old 1850s jail door from Coober Pedy and a bike he’s been working on. When finished, this bike will also have a billy can and swag. Depending on how Roy’s finances are at the time, he will sell it for $500 or donate it to a worthy cause.

WELLINGTON

WELLINGTON

A country practice DR IAN SPENCER, OAM, CAN'T REALLY EXPLAIN WHY HE CHOSE TO WORK IN THE COUNTRY. BACK IN THE 1960S IT WAS CONSIDERED AN UNUSUAL CAREER OPTION, WITH MOST DOCTORS OPTING TO PRACTISE IN THE BIG CITIES. NOW THAT he has been in Wellington for 30 years he thinks he may have the answer.

“Wellington is a great little town in a truly beautiful valley where two rivers meet,” he said.

"It offers a great lifestyle and it's a wonderful place to bring up kids. I am blessed to be able to live on a property called “Narroogal Park” on the Bell River while having the opportunity to play a pivotal medical role in the town and community.”

Ian concedes country medicine has changed enormously over the past 40 years, some for the good and some for the not so good. The downgrading of services at the local hospital, he said, was inevitable.

“I still think local communities want simple things done locally and complex things done at a base hospital or at tertiary centres. Sadly, many of the simple services that were done locally have gone but that seems to be the way of the western world. I think they call that progress.”

Ian has always been interested in education and so taking registrars was always going to be part of the business. He started doing this in 1978 when the training schemes for general practice were just being formulated.

He was a doctor in Bourke at the time and the registrars became an integral part of the workforce. Both there and in Wellington, they gained enormous experience and confidence in all medical issues, always under the supervision of Ian or one of his colleagues.

Over 35 years, Ian estimates he has helped about 200 doctors in the training stage of their careers, either as rural registrars or medical students.

54 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

The training has been a “win win” situation for the town. The rural registrars earned great experience and the town and hospital received full-time cover for their essential medical services.

It is interesting to note that almost all the doctors in town, whether they work at the Swift Street Medical Centre or at the Wellington Aboriginal Community Health Service, were at one stage registrars of the training practice.

Dr Nathan Zhou was one of Wellington's favourite registrars who stayed on to work for several years. He made many good friends in the town and many patients remember him with great fondness.

The same could be said for this hard-working doctor who shows no signs of slowing down.

“Some people say I'm a workaholic but I don't make any apologies for that,” he said.

“I came from a family where my grandfather and then my father were the only workers in their families who had a job during the depression. I was brought up to believe that working hard was part of the survival process.”

In a long and distinguished career, Ian can now reflect upon babies he has delivered who have grown up to be parents of their own and middleaged parents who are now elderly folk in the twilight of their lives.

“To be able to see life's cycle from cradle to the grave in a community where you live and know almost everybody is truly a wonderful experience,” he said.

Above: Wellington patient Doug Stewart in the capable hands of Dr Nathan Zhou and Dr Ian Spencer OAM.

WELLINGTON

Roaring trade THE LION OF WATERLOO TAVERN on Wellington's northern side of the Macquarie River has a rich and colourful past dating back to the mid-19th century when Cobb & Co coaches rolled into town.

It is also the sight of Australia's last known pistol duel between two pickled patrons who both missed their mark before retiring to the tavern for another round of drinks!

This was the way of settling any decent argument back in those so-called colonial days of Australia's history.

The charming old hotel was named after the Duke of Wellington, who after defeating Bonaparte, was referred to by his soldiers as the Lion of Waterloo.

The tavern was built in 1842 with the same external slab timber walls that have remained virtually untouched and in mint condition.

It is one of the few remaining wooden buildings of this vintage still standing, most having being burnt down or bulldozed years ago.

The Lion of Waterloo continued trading until the late 1800s when it lost its licence due to the growth of nearby Wellington, which boasted several major advantages, including the railway.

Wellington became the commercial centre of the area at the expense of the village known as Montefiores. The Lion could easily have been lost forever.

She ushered in the 20th century and was used for a number of purposes including a private residence. In the late 1980s it was purchased and restored as a tavern.

Lion of Waterloo barmaid Monique Perry pours a cold one for regular patrons Leo “Smoky� Dawson and James Whale.

The licence was re-issued in 1991 and The Lion of Waterloo has proudly traded as a hotel since that time.

The Lion of

Waterloo

Dating back to 1841, this tavern was a popular stop for coaches, including the Cobb & Co, after crossing the Macquarie River.

The Tavern still welcomes visitors and has some interesting history of its own - in 1854, it is said to have witnessed the last known duel in Australia. This historic tavern with its rustic charm is open daily for drinks and dinner.

Open from 4pm Daily

| Cnr Gipps & Montefiores Streets, Wellington NSW 2820 | 02 6845 3636 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 55

WELLINGTON

History and mystery DOING UP AN OLD HOMESTEAD IS A MAMMOTH UNDERTAKING AT THE BEST OF TIMES. RENOVATION REQUIRES SKILL, PERSISTENCE AND DEEP POCKETS BUT IT ALSO HELPS IF YOUR HEART IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE. THIS IS CERTAINLY the case for Peter and Christine Conn, who bought "Towri", Maryvale, in 2006, to grow various crops and run their Kombyana Dohne Merino Stud (a dual-purpose sheep renowned for its wool and fat lambs).

The 396ha block boasted quality soils and a picturesque location, but it was the Federation homestead that was the real jewel in the crown.

The complete history of the homestead remains a mystery to all, including the historical society.

There are no records as to when it was built, who the builder was or how it was built.

The common belief is that the manager of the Commercial Bank of Wellington and owner of "Towri", one C.H. Barton, built it for his forward-thinking manager, Robert Smith, in the late 1870s.

The "Towri Homestead", as it was known, became the centre of many district functions.

In July 1900, The Wellington Times described it as being “one of the most convenient and attractive in the country, placed on an elevation overlooking the fertile valley”. Visitors from near and far were suitably impressed with the double-brick structure containing 11 rooms, including the 10-foot hallway.

The U-shaped homestead’s small central courtyard provided a cool environment in summer and warmth in the winter. It is understood the maids lived on the wings and only entered the front of the house to serve the aristocratic owners.

56 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

The inside of the house was described at the time as spacious and cool with 13-foot ceilings, four bedrooms, four marble fireplaces and cedar floorboards.

When Peter, a fourth generation farmer, bought the property at auction seven years ago he had a fair idea of the daunting job that lay ahead.

A thorough inspection revealed the building's structure was relatively sound. It was the sadly neglected interior, however, that made him scratch his head.

The place hadn't been lived in for nearly 50 years. White ants had moved in, plaster was peeling off, the roof and gutters needed replacing and plumbing was non-existent.

A total overhaul was in order, including a fresh paint job inside and out. The renovations started almost immediately but it wasn't until Easter 2012 that the Conn family were finally able to move in.

Peter and Christine have three children, with eldest son Jason working on the farm. Timothy is a heavy vehicle mechanic in Dubbo, and Aleisha is studying occupational therapy at Newcastle University.

One aspect of the house they delight in sharing with guests is the old servant bell, which had been covered in seven layers of paint. Peter had the elaborate device restored to working order but laments the fact there are no longer any maids in starched white petticoats marching to his beck and call.

The Conns have done a magnificent job in bringing the old homestead back to life. It's been 130 years since it was built and now "Towri Homestead" looks certain to become home for many more generations of farmers in the Maryvale district.

Below: The restored servant bell.

Right: “Towri Homestead” has been restored to its former glory; current custodian Peter Conn reflecting on their hard work on the verandah; and with his son Jason in their canola crop.

historic home

cw treasure

Keeping up with Mrs Jones THERE HAVE BEEN many career highlights in the life of much-loved Wellington music teacher and local identity Marlene “Chick” Jones.

This pocket-sized dynamo has met the Queen at Government House and attended the Covent Garden Opera in London to hear one of her students, Hugh Francis, sing.

She was also the first boarding mistress at Sydney’s prestigious Saint Ignatius’ College (Riverview) where she produced several musicals in her capacity as head of music at the junior school.

But it’s what this 76-year-old achieves on the local scene that continues to amaze.

She plays the organ at two churches, is honoured to play at funerals and enjoys a great rapport with both staff and students at Wellington Public School.

CWL caught up with Chick while she was taking a class for her latest musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Chick found Joseph in the form of year 6 student Liam Russell, whose great voice motivated her to do the school production. She also found a very talented teacher, Kate Boland, to direct and choreograph the musical.

The show is of Ben-Hur proportions, involving nearly 100 students, half the staff and lots of parents. The school recently held a two-day Joseph camp with a sleepover and Chick 58 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

described it as one of the most rewarding things she has ever done.

who played the piano beautifully despite her arthritic fingers, and her aunt, Mary Hughes.

Chick has now been involved with the school for 10 years, training choirs for eisteddfods as well as teaching piano, guitar and singing to the young people in the district.

“She was given her ‘dameship’ not because she was married to former prime minister Billy Hughes but because of her work with orphan children in London during the war,” she said.

“I was asked to teach percussion to specialneeds children and trained the school band for two years. It was during this time I began enjoying being with the students and teachers, while developing a love and respect for public education,” she explained between practice.

Despite all of Chick’s achievements in the musical world, she never attained any degrees or certificates in teaching but relied on “E and R” (experience and reputation).

Spending time with young students reminds her of her own musical experiences as a young girl at the Convent of Mercy, in Wellington, as a piano student and later at PLC, Orange, where she was school captain.

By the time of her 18th birthday she was married to Peter Jones and became a mother.

Within six years she had a bustling family of five children and is now a grandmother to 10 kids and one great grandchild.

While she adores children, Chick also holds a special place in her heart for the elderly, whom she sings for on regular occasions.

“Some may have dementia but music is a language to them,” she said. “Music reaches them where the power of speech doesn’t.”

Chick credits her ability and drive to several strong role models like her grandmother,

These attributes have helped sustain Chick in the face of adversity.

“The greatest challenge I faced was being married at such a young age and helping to raise a large family,” she said.

Chick admits she couldn’t have done it without the unfailing support of her husband Peter.

“There have always been challenges,” she added. “Like being asked to teach at a large school like Riverview. There were huge obstacles but I was never afraid of them. It didn’t stop me from having a go, particularly when I didn’t have those degrees beside my name.”

It is that fire in her belly and combined love of family and music that keeps Marlene, Chick or Mrs Jones – however you choose to address her – moving boldly forward in our rapidly changing world.

A floral victory

garden

DURING SPRING 2013, A GROUP OF WELLINGTON RESIDENTS KNOWN AS THE WELLINGTON GARDEN GROUP INC. HOSTED AN INAUGURAL OPEN GARDEN EVENT, SHOWCASING SEVEN TOWN AND COUNTRY GARDENS AND THE PEOPLE WHO CREATE AND NURTURE THEM. OPENING PRIVATE GARDENS to the public – having everything looking picture perfect on the day, behindthe-scenes organisation, maps and publicity, catering and refreshments with help from Wellington Rotary Club and Wellington Quota – is a huge undertaking.

The organisers and garden owners are to be commended for their valuable contribution to the community of Wellington.

Here we’ve featured a town garden and a country garden, and congratulate all garden owners on their fabulous efforts – raising $17,000 for Wellington organisations Maranatha House (aged-care hostel accommodation) and PAPA (providing low-rental selfcare accommodation for the aged).

For further information go to www.visitwellington.com.au.

Words: Elizabeth Swane Images: Angus Waddell

Clockwise from top: Frothy lilac blooms of Paulownia or Princess Tree; an immaculate lawn surrounds the house; curved paths and mixed plantings including iris create interest; lime green maple leaves contrasts with coral bark; long flowering, hardy pink Valerian.

MONTGOMERY GARDEN, MONTEFIORES

garden

MONTGOMERY GARDEN Jan and Vance Montgomery were originally city dwellers, who fell in love with the Wellington Valley, the converging rivers and the local community. They purchased this site, and designed a home for their retirement to respect and complement the interesting cluster of local historic buildings and enable them to enjoy the adjoining rivers and rural outlook.

Their garden is an integral component, and is designed to provide privacy, surprise, interest, colour, form, and contribute to the streetscape and enjoyment of others. We’d happily say they have achieved their desired outcome and more. The garden is just nine years old, and incorporates existing stunning Paulownia trees on the western boundary, a large pistachio at the rear, and a wonderful clump of poplars on the north west corner.

Enjoying the benefits of rich, fertile, deep loam soil together with a high-quality bore supplying water, generous exposure to the northern sun and protection from the late afternoon western sun, Vance and Jan have almost perfect conditions in which to create and maintain their beautiful garden.

Together they have constructed all the garden improvements, paving, stone walls, post and rail fences, mulch boxes and crushed gravel pathways.

Jan, who has been responsible for much of the plant selection, said: “I take a pretty relaxed approach, I’m not a technical gardener, I just enjoy our garden, if I like something I pop it in where I think it might grow.”

Jan and Vance’s roses came from an ex-cut flower rose farm. They bought a dozen of each colour. These re-homed bushes include fragrant red Mr Lincoln, bi-coloured Double Delight, unnamed Yellow, cerise pink Peter Frankenfeld, and white Iceberg.

Vance’s design skills as an architect are clearly evident in the garden’s layout with its expansive sweeping lawns, serpentine pathways, use of repetition and surprises hidden from view. On the day of our visit, his lush green lawns were proof of past experience on a 100-acre turf farm. An abundance of quality bore water is helpful in hot conditions, and this verdant green carpet was the perfect foil for the soft lilac blooms dripping from the Paulownia trees that edge the western boundary.

L-R from top: View from the shady grape vine-covered pergola; natural gravel pathways and stone walls complement the pretty plantings; a Chinese elm provides cooling shade; curved gravel pathways and clever plant combinations create a relaxed feel; productive vegetable garden is edged with timber sleepers; highly fragrant Double Delight rose; uniform plantings of Double Delight roses border the driveway.

“MACQUARIE PARK” Located on the banks of the Macquarie River, around 8km from Wellington, Bev and Alan Hutchinson’s “Macquarie Park” country garden sits among a 4000-acre cattle and cropping farm.

The long entrance drive is lined with impressive rows of Kurrajong and White Cedar trees.

Purchased in 1998, the 1920s weatherboard and brick home had been added to and renovated in the 1960s. Further alterations occurred when the western end of the house burned down in 1992.

The homestead garden was in a very neglected state, and once dead and fallen trees had been removed, Bev began planning a country-style garden with formal beds.

Some very mature trees around the homestead include a huge Deodar Cedar and spreading 60 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

White Cedar, providing shade and wind protection.

Bev has a keen interest in roses, not only for the garden, but for exhibiting at local flower shows, and more than 240 bushes have been incorporated into formal rose beds within the garden. Twenty-seven standard and 80 floribunda white Iceberg roses make a beautiful display throughout the year. Bev maintains her roses well, regularly mulches with thick biscuits of lucerne hay that break down slowly and act as a barrier to the edge of the garden.

Many of the beds are edged with clipped buxus hedges, and feature plants are arranged symmetrically within the garden beds, lending a formal balanced feel without being too rigid.

WELLINGTON

Silver birch trees line an entrance walkway, and crepe myrtles are used throughout the garden for summer colour.

Pairs of trellised climbing roses now grace a former vegetable patch, and are smothered in spring blooms. These include the varieties Peace, Zephirine Drouhin, Peter Frankenfeld, Cornelia, Pinkie, Buff Beauty, Gold Bunny and New Dawn.

Further from the house, the garden has a park-like feel, with a mix of ornamental trees and productive fruits planted among the sweeping lawns. Mixed border plantings in scalloped beds edge the riverside fence, and include tough and hardy shrubs, trees, bearded iris and spreading ground covers.

An automatic irrigation system installed two years ago helps maintain the lawn areas over summer, and Bev said this had been a huge help in reducing her summer workload.

Bev likes to use tough reliable plants, and said once they had put their roots down into the soil they were easy to look after. May bush, bottle brush, deciduous hibiscus, salvias, lavender, lilac, snowball viburnum and purple prunus are just a few of the many lovely plants in this country garden. Valerian, both pink and white, is a fantastic space filler and grows beautifully without any attention, while self-sown Sweet Alice alyssum volunteers colour.

Facing page: Macquarie Park is right on the banks of the Macquarie River.

L-R from top: Perennials and roses fill beds along the verandah with colour; roses are planted extensively around the homestead; formal features include this circular rose garden and fountain; Bev’s prize-winning roses; purple and white bearded iris; formal beds edged with Buxus and trellises swathed in climbing roses; reliable shrubs and easy care perennials provide year-round interest.

More Wellington gardening >

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 61

TIPS FROM WELLINGTON GARDENERS On Sunday, October 20, seven gardens were opened to the public. Elizabeth Swane was honoured to view all the gardens and meet the owners, and along the way gleaned some valuable local tips to pass on to our CWL readers: “Swanleigh” in Suntop, owned by Val and Alan Anderson, is a large country garden, where the alkaline bore water poses a challenge for some plants, however deciduous shade trees such as Claret Ash, Chinese Pistachio, Golden Elm and Robinia have thrived. Spreading swathes of hardy, sun-loving ground covers including gazania, arctotis, African daisy and pig face add easy-care long-lasting spring and summer colour.

The 2010 ABC gardener of the year, Frith Peters, at “Top Deck” in Suntop proves you can do a lot with very little in a harsh environment. Frith encourages plants to self seed – the beds full of a variety of colourful flowers including love-in-a-mist, larkspur, California and Flanders poppies. And there’s a reliable source of vegies, too, evidenced by an abundance of rocket, beetroot and silverbeet. One of the first things she and husband Allan did was to establish a windbreak planting of carob, Artemisia and wilgas to shelter the 120-year-old house and their new garden from prevailing hot westerly winds. West of the ranges Frith recommends Acacia iteaphylla as an excellent windbreak plant, which requires very little water.

In town, Helen and Miceal O’Brien at “Carinya” Bed and Breakfast combine gardening with recycling, displaying a quirky range of repurposed plant containers filled with annual flowers. Easy-care shrubs such as camellias and pretty white may bush provide early spring colour, roses and bearded iris bloom later in spring, followed by crepe myrtle for a summer show.

Next door, the compact prize-winning town garden of Noel and Helen Grimes is a plant lover’s delight.

Dividing the garden into different rooms makes clever use of the space, making it seem much larger than it actually is. Noel takes full advantage of his garden’s bounty and propagates many plants from cuttings, seed and division in his neat greenhouse.

High on an exposed hilltop at “Spring Mount”, the waterwise garden of Jennifer and Greg Wykes is home to a collection of drought-hardy plants such as emu bush and an interesting array of salvias, including an unusual brown-flowered variety called Salvia africana “Lutea”, creating year-round colour and valuable nectar for local birdlife.

Left: Jan Montgomery’s cutting-grown roses were sold to raise funds; pretty and tough, spreading ground cover Cerastium Snow in Summer.

Everyone’s

cup of tea

Style with Put The Kettle On

PUT THE KETTLE ON is a quirky outlet where you can peruse out-of-the-box gifts, homewares and clothes, while sipping on coffee in a warm, relaxing setting.

Katrina Taylor first established Put the Kettle On three years ago as an online store. Realising the obvious need for a shop front, she set up next door to the new Cow and Calf Hotel in Lee Street, Wellington, just a few months ago.

“People want to see, smell and touch things. They want to be able to feel what they are seeing,” Katrina smiled.

A long table encourages across-the-way conversation as you treat yourself to delectable cakes and other delights.

Katrina stocks local mixed media artwork, as well as a large range of trendy clothing and accessories.

You will find Woodwick candles, Rabbit Trap timber, and an assortment of handbags and furniture.

clothing | homewares | gifts | coffee & cakes! put the kettle on | 133 lee st , wellington 2820 open tuesday to friday 9am to 5.30pm & saturday 9 am - noon

The product range at Put the Kettle On is vast, and as you stroll through everything on offer, the kids can scrawl on the huge chalkboard.

Put the Kettle On is open from 9am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and from 9am till noon on Saturday.

WELLINGTON

Stable environment THE MACQUARIE STUD, on the Macquarie River on the outskirts of Wellington, is steeped in history.

The homestead was built in 1836, scarcely 50 years after the arrival of Captain Cook.

The homestead was erected even before Wellington was gazetted as a town. In these formative years, colonisation was still largely restricted to the coastal areas on the east coast.

Sydney was financially prosperous through its wool exports, the Myall Creek massacre of 28 Aborigines was the talk of the town and bushrangers were creating havoc in the district.

The rich history of the Macquarie Stud is not lost on David Baxter (pictured), who has called the sprawling 3000-acre property home for the past 32 years.

The sheep are long gone, replaced by prime horse flesh. The Baxter family have been breeding thoroughbreds on a commercial basis since the late 1960s, selling their finest in Sydney and the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.

There are currently about 80 brood mares and 50 odd yearlings on the place and David is keenly anticipating the arrival of 70 new foals this season, which will be born on four acres of floodlit foaling paddocks.

Feeding the mob is big business in itself, with storage for 250 tonnes of grain and 300,000 hay bales. The horses are trained on a 2600-metre fully irrigated and railed race track that runs adjacent to the river.

It’s not a bad life for the horses, admitted David, who can watch them frolic from the sweeping verandahs of the majestic old homestead.

The iconic residence has withstood the test of time for a mammoth 177 years and from the look of it, will forever remain as a tangible link to the past.

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 63

WELLINGTON

Happily ever after WHEN THE SELLING AGENT TOLD KAREN RUSSELL ABOUT AN OLD HOUSE IN WELLINGTON FOR SALE 20 YEARS AGO, LITTLE DID HE REALISE HE WAS SELLING TO A FAIR-DINKUM CLOWN! BUT A CLOWN she was and not a bad one at that. Although her income was uncertain and irregular, Karen was clearly not your usual clown looking for a dirt-cheap investment property.

So when she first set eyes on the old wooden structure in Percy Street, Karen knew it was old.

But the cottage stored a few hidden secrets under its shabby, wooden exterior that no one could have expected.

“As a woman in my late 40s, it was an awkward age and gender to be earning my living as a magic clown,” Karen said with a straight face.

“My search for this elusive house ended right here when I laid eyes on the place for the first time. Poor, sagging, time-trodden ‘Camelot’, downgraded to land value only.

“To others, it may have been a ‘detonate and rebuild’ option, but I felt an undeniable thrill of possibility. My bank manager, however, failed to share my enthusiasm.

“Even a tiny bank loan was a laughable proposition, even sillier than my ridiculous occupation. He should have taken me seriously the first time around because my mind was made up.

“The third loan application, with the same bank, was approved. It even allowed for a small surplus amount so I purchased some secondhand tools to commence renovation.”

Magic happened!

It didn't take “Camelot” long to reveal its true identity. Between the layers of the internal walls stood an entirely different house built of ancient vertical slabs. Patches of vintage wallpaper winked back through the peepholes of the more recent cladding.

64 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

As news of these discoveries leaked out, there was a flurry of excitement among local historians. One day a coach load of excited Heritage Study university students arrived to analyse this newly discovered pioneer slab homestead.

Measurements were taken and notes furiously written. It was determined that the two small rooms at each end of the back verandah were “strangers” rooms. It seems that “Camelot” was built in an era when food and shelter were extended to random strangers on horseback.

With lots of dedicated care, “Camelot” began to shine. The local heritage advisor cautioned against removing the internal cladding, to preserve the old vividly coloured wallpapers.

Only one small peephole remains.

Although Karen had owned “Camelot” for 20 years, she didn’t move to Wellington until four years ago. Being a city girl and loving the coast, it was her first experience of country living and she adapted like a duck to water.

“Relocating to the country was a whole new experience that somehow felt right for me,” she said. “I think I am a city girl with a country heart.”

The sun is setting and Karen has cooked up a fine feed to be enjoyed under the stars with a glass of bubbly.

“Life is sweet but there have been a few rocky roads along the way,” she mused.

“About a decade ago my life changed radically when I walked away from a 40-year marriage, at retirement age. It was not anticipated. It just happened.

historic home

“Having a home of my own to run to was fortuitous. I had saved ‘Camelot’ and now it was her turn to save me.”

In the end they both saved each other and Wellington is the richer for it. As for Karen, she is getting on with her life and has fully embraced the town.

“Living here has enhanced my life in so many ways,” she said. “I bought myself a motorbike and joined the Ulysses Club, a bikeriding seniors group whose motto is ‘to grow old disgracefully’. I have also joined a couple of writers groups.”

As I leave Karen hands me her business card. On the back is a quote to finish this story: “Daring to live is the only viable option.”

Kimbell’s C afe The essential stopover place for every Traveller Sandwiches, cakes, pies, light meals and GREAT COFFEE!!

Eat-in or Takeaway THE WELLINGTON MEN’S SHED has been going for about five years and at last count there were about 60 enthusiastic members creating and restoring various items including a stretch limo.

Open 7 Days 8.30am - 5.30pm 44 Warne St, Wellington | 02 6845 1110

For all your haberdashery & patchwork needs Fabrics • Patterns • Kits • Knitting & Crochet Yarns Laces • Ribbons • Various Other Craft Items

Phone Carol 02 6845 1271

Email: carogai@bigpond.net.au | 146 Percy St, Wellington 2820 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 65

Care and responsibility CWL RECENTLY VISITED ALL SAINTS’ COLLEGE BATHURST, AN ICONIC COUNTRY CO-EDUCATIONAL BOARDING SCHOOL, AND FOUND AN INTERESTING BLEND OF HISTORY AND CARE. ALL SAINTS’ COLLEGE occupies a beautiful position in the Bathurst landscape and is well known among the families of regional NSW. The school has a long and proud tradition of excellence in academic success and sensitive boarding for girls and boys.

It consistently rates among the top schools in the state for HSC results with most graduating HSC students continuing their education at top universities in both Australia and overseas.

Head of College Dr Peter Miller (pictured below right) was appointed in 2008, taking his place in a long line of great Australian educators.

Having studied at the universities of Sydney, Nottingham and New England, Peter had previously been Head of Middle School at Barker College, Sydney and served on the staff of Shore School and Wellington College (UK).

Dr Miller has represented Australia in rowing, and is a keen coach of rugby and athletics. It is his vision and guiding hand that now sets the tone of this school. Today, All Saints’ College has a total enrolment of around 530 boys and girls from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12.

Founded in 1874, the college has a fascinating and colourful history, one that mirrors the story of both Australia and the region. Over a cup of tea in the historic dining hall and surrounded by the honour rolls of legions of past notable students, Dr Miller recounted a little of the rich history of the college.

In 1873 Canon Thomas Smith of Bathurst’s All Saints' Anglican Cathedral finally convinced Bishop Marsden to open a day and boarding college to serve both local and regional families for the education for their sons.

All Saints' College came into being in mid-1875 at its original site at the corner of Piper and Hope streets in town. The founding headmaster was Henry Kemmis, who set up the fledgling school. He was succeeded in 1878 by Edward Bean, the father of noted war correspondent and official World War 1 historian C.E.W. Bean (1879 -1968). The scholarly and enthusiastic teacher was head of All Saints’ for 11 years.

The younger Bean was an All Saints’ graduate and instrumental in the establishment of the Australian War Memorial and the popularisation of the ANZAC legend.

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With the coming of the war in 1914, enrolments dropped, good teaching staff became difficult to source and prices soared.

In June 1919 as the Treaty of Versailles was being signed and with the Spanish influenza raging in Bathurst, the college closed its doors. The land and buildings were sold to the NSW Department of Education for the construction of a new Bathurst High School.

“But as you can see, the story did not end there. All Saints’ College was merely in hibernation and the need for quality boarding education for district and regional families continued to be a pressing issue," Dr Miller said.

In 1922 the headmaster of Monaro Grammar in Cooma, the Reverend Lindsay Watson, sought permission to re-open All Saints’ on its present site. He purchased “Esrom House”, a classic Victorian mansion in the Italianate style, on the Macquarie River and 20 acres of adjoining land.

The All Saints’ Old Boys’ Union arranged for their beloved College Chapel, (which was threatened with demolition) to be dismantled and transported down from the school’s original site.

The college thrived during the inter-war years and despite the lean years of the Great Depression, continued its reputation for academic excellence and boarding for regional NSW. Enrolments steadily grew.

The pattern continued post World War 2 with much construction and consolidation. A big change came in 1977 when All Saints’ College became a co-educational school and amalgamated with Bathurst’s Marsden Anglican Girls School.

Close to the metropolitan centres of Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra, All Saints’ is just three kilometres from the centre of Bathurst. The school today aims to strike a balance between country living and the hustlebustle of the city.

Two boarding houses provide accommodation to a large proportion of the secondary school population. The boarding programs are centred on sensitive pastoral care and are especially targeted to integrate new students into the living-at-school experience. >

education

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education

A current boarder and a parent write of taking the momentous decision to leave home and family and move to a regional boarding school.

Current Year 12 boarder from Sydney Camilla McKenzie writes: I have been a boarder since last year when I was part-way through my Year 11 studies.

As a Sydney girl, moving away from the city bustle has been a rewarding experience.

After I settled into this new life, I found the peaceful setting of the school in the countryside and more relaxed attitudes of a country town have allowed me to focus on my studies without the distractions of the city lifestyle.

My study program has involved many excursions and interactive learning programs in Sydney, so I don’t feel that I have been disadvantaged by boarding away from the city. I am also able to keep in touch with my city family and friends.

The smaller college community, compared to my last city school, has meant the members of the teaching staff are able to engage with students at a more personal level and this has further enhanced my learning experience.

As a boarder, despite some early homesickness, I have certainly developed new life skills and acquired some lifelong friends. Boarding has also taught me to become much more independent.

Camilla’s Father Tim writes of his experiences in sending his daughter to board: Taking the decision to send Camilla to a regional boarding school was fraught and difficult. We realised during our selection process that some schools are a better fit for some children than others.

Having taken the plunge last year, Camilla found in All Saints’ a school that provides one of the most vital things in education: a school that cares.

It may be old-fashioned of me to write about school spirit, but I believe that it’s something to grab with both hands when it comes along because it is getting to be a rare commodity.

Our Milly had a steep learning curve, coming to board in Bathurst from the city, but she quickly learned that in a school like All Saints’, you are treated as a guest as well as a student.

If that is country hospitality, it also shows young people that being at school is as much about turning out decent people as it is about getting high marks.

The welcome that Milly received made the path to her HSC that much easier. She came to the college as a stranger and found something she never expected. In the process she also found out what she was capable of, and as her father, I couldn't be happier.

"Quality teaching and the depth of the relationships between our teachers and students remain the key to our success," said Dr Miller, as he prepared for his next appointment.

"In this beautiful and historic setting, we engage our students at the emotional level. This happens through superb teaching, pastoral care, engagement with technologies and through a real and genuine interest in where each of these young people is heading.” CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

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education

Record crowds unite for ICPA CLEAR BLUE SKIES and brilliant spring sunshine provided a perfect setting for the Dandaloo Country Garden day held near Trangie on October 13.

The Tottenham Branch of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association held the garden day in the magnificent rambling garden owned by gracious hosts Matt and Sally Montgomery, “Kooyong”, Trangie.

The ICPA is a voluntary non-profit organisation of parents and interested parties dedicated to ensuring that all rural and remote children have equity and access to a continuing and appropriate education from preschool through to tertiary study.

A record crowd of around 800 Central Western and Far Western visitors supported the worthy cause and experienced a wonderful day out. “Kooyong”, an inspirational 11-year-old garden is testament to what can be achieved in hot, dry and low rainfall areas. Owners Matt and Sally have created a colourful, showcase garden that boasts more than 80 roses. The “Kooyong” garden has clay soils but has the advantage of a consistent water supply from the new Trangie Nevertire domestic system.

Features of the day included a vast array of stalls including handmade silver jewellery, garden art, plants, food produce and millinery. Fashion boutique Ewe Two from Dandaloo promoted well-known labels Yarra Trail, Boo Radley, Vigorella, Indigo and Co and Manvi through a popular fashion parade.

Words & images: Elizabeth Tickle

From top: Part of the hardworking ICPA committee at their promotional stand. Back: secretary Wendy McAnnally and president Judith Bryan. Front: Kath Mackinnon and Belinda Haigh; Bill Berryman with his wife Simone Berryman and friend Jo McCallum, both ladies are ICPA commitee members; owners of the beautiful “Kooyong” garden, Matt and Sally Montgomery; visitors to the Dandaloo open garden day, Melissa and David Greig and their baby Evelyn, and Tim and Lyndel Ellem with Stephen Chase.

Join our global learning community, educating and empowering young women to serve and shape their world.

Apply now for Scholarships Visit www.wenona.nsw.edu.au to register online and find out about our Residential Program, impressive results and caring community. Email registrar@wenona.nsw.edu.au or phone +61 (02) 9409 4440.

Wenona School, 176 Walker Street North Sydney.

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@Wenona_School

2015 SCHOLARSHIPS NOW OPEN

Kinross Wolaroi School offers Pre-Prep to Year 12 co-educational learning in a safe and friendly country environment, with separate boarding sites for boys and girls from Year 7.

With over 125 years of educational experience and outstanding facilities and resources to draw on, our HSC graduates regularly feature in the State’s top 10%.

Scholarships applications for entry to Years 4 to 11 in 2015 are now open in the following categories: Academic, Music, General Excellence, Boarding, Ex-student and ICPA. Registrations Close: Wednesday 19 February 2014 Examination Date: Friday 28 February 2014

Apply online www.kws.nsw.edu.au

Visit www.kws.nsw.edu.au or contact Registrar, Michelle Pryse Jones directly P: 6392 0403 M: 0427 683 751 E: mprysejones@kws.nsw.edu.au

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education

SCHOOL SPIRIT DRIVING ALONG THE NEWELL HIGHWAY, VISITORS TO PEAK HILL ARE GREETED WITH A SIGN WELCOMING THEM TO THE TOWN WITH A HEART OF GOLD. BUT IT IS ENTERING THE CENTRAL SCHOOL, SOON TO CELEBRATE ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY, THAT ONE FINDS THE HEARTBEAT OF THIS COMMUNITY. PEAK HILL CENTRAL SCHOOL principal Paula Payne is passionate about her role in leading and inspiring the school of 180 students and staff to be the best that they can be, believing that anything is possible for them.

Paula (pictured left) has spent all but two years of her teaching career in rural NSW, however it is as principal of this K-12 school she has found her niche. She began her teaching career in Grenfell and after positions in Greystanes and Maclean she returned with her family to Wellington where she taught at that high school before taking a promotion to Molong.

Experiences as a Middle Years Consultant impressed upon her the importance of building continuity of learning. After working with Dubbo College and as a National Partnership Mentor she applied for the principalship of Peak Hill Central School.

When asked what is unique about her school her enthusiasm is infectious. “The students from Kindergarten to Year 12 are special. It is for me an opportunity to know each of them.

With 51 per cent Aboriginal students there is an acceptance of difference and diversity for each child.”

And know them she does! Moving around the school she names each of them and they respond, engaging in conversations and sharing anecdotes.

In Kindergarten it is the expectation that students will learn to read, write and develop their numeracy skills. Best Start data is showing trends where students are exceeding state expectations.

"We are building the belief that all students can and will succeed,” Paula said. “Years 10 and 11 are engaged in multiple pathways that are allowing them to transition to work or further education. Our partnership with CSU allows our students and their parents to access workshops and tours to make university a real possibility."

The Middle School is offering students in Years 5 to 8 the chance to study integrated units of work and be involved in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.

The Indigenous Sky Stories Project will link students with American students to share their astronomy stories. Teachers are committed to making a difference, and Professional Learning to develop teacher quality is a priority.

The Western Access Program enables students to extend the curriculum through technology, linking to teachers in other contexts while remaining in their home town. It is made possible by the dedication of the staff.

Their generosity of time and spirit extends to after-school learning centres, workshops, sports coaching, supervision of Active Kids After School, coordinating the Duke of Edinburgh, Schools Spectacular to name but a few.

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The foundation of the school is its commitment to positive behaviour for learning. The values of respect, responsibility, safety and success underpin all that is done as students are encouraged and supported to be learners and leaders.

"Our captains and student leaders are driving connections with the community, environmental improvements around the school, student well-being and school spirit," Paula said.

"Having won the 2013 Outstanding Central School Wudhagargarra Award in Western Region we have much to be proud of at our school and have every reason to celebrate our story for many years to come!" CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

Above: Peak Hill Central School student representatives with principal Paula Payne and co-ordinator Jeremy Whiterod; Year 11 student Rhianna Goodwin enjoys the opportunity to video conference with other schools; Tyden Barlow, Malachi James, Trevor Douglas, Miriama Barlow and Jade Gavin work in the garden; teacher Rachel Heywood, senior student and mentor Kasey Kilby and Kindergarten pupils with mascot Liddy the Reading Bug.

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Challenge accepted “WORK, LEARN AND HAVE A GO” could well be the simple mantra for successful Dubbo businessman Rick Lindner.

With wife Narelle he runs the Eagle Boys Pizza franchise as well as the Countryman Motor Inn. The work is full on, seven days a week, but this jack of all trades wouldn't change a thing.

Rick was born in Nairobi, Kenya, but a year later, in 1974, his father moved the family to a tiny town on the other side of the world to work on the famous Siding Spring Observatory.

The town was Coonabarabran and Rick enjoyed his schooldays there before kicking off his career at Blowes Menswear in Dubbo. It would be the first of dozens of jobs that would see him learning a myriad of different skills along the way.

In 1983 he started in the electronics field, repairing everything from cash registers to photocopiers. Next he ran a phone shop before joining Autobarn and later the Central West Community College as a new apprenticeship coordinator.

In a familiar trend, Rick was poached by Westpac and worked as a commercial manager before buying into a lawnmowing business just for something different.

This bloke will have a go at anything and was even delivering the mail on a postie bike for 12 months, always saving, learning and dreaming of his big break.

In 2011 Rick and Narelle invested in Eagle Boys. The job is demanding with 30 staff and thousands of pizzas going out all over town each week.

One would be forgiven for thinking that would be enough but the Lindners love a challenge so in 2012 they bought the 22-room Countryman Motor Inn. “A couple of years ago I was looking after the lawns for the previous owner and scored a sweetheart deal to get the freehold,” Rick said. “We are firm believers in what goes around comes around.”

Narelle manages the motel, runs the books for both businesses and cares for sons Ben, 17, and Jono, 14. Daughter Corrina, 19, is studying theology in Sydney and hopes to get into criminology.

Running a motel means long days with few days off. The Lindners call it part of the joy of business.

“The best part of the job is meeting new people each day along with our regulars,” Narelle said. “This place is run like a little community and we love following the progress of others also having a go.”

Rick said the secret was to keep moving and to step out of your comfort zone.

“Ask lots of questions, push yourself to the limit and never stop learning. The opportunities are there, you just have to see them.”

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Compassion conscious PAUL AND BARBARA CARTER BOUGHT THEIR FIRST FUNERAL HOME IN GILGANDRA 18 YEARS AGO AND CALLED IT GILGANDRA FUNERALS & MONUMENTS. TEN YEARS AGO THEY BOUGHT FOUR OTHERS IN THE AREA INCLUDING W LARCOMBE & SON, ESTABLISHED BY WILLIAM LARCOMBE BACK IN 1893.

W LARCOMBE & SON began in Dubbo as stonemasons and then began conducting funerals in 1932. They grew to become arguably the most respected funeral directors in the area. Today, Paul and Barbara aim to carry on the fine tradition of the Larcombe family in caring for the community of Dubbo and surrounding districts, including Cobar, Bourke, Trangie and Narromine.

At the same time, the Carters are keen to embrace new ideas and opportunities. In July 2012, they bought Dubbo’s St Andrews Uniting Church, now known as St Andrews Chapel.

It was not only the perfect addition to their business but a natural progression as it allowed for funerals and weddings to be conducted under the one roof.

The Carters admit there’s been a growing change in the way that funeral services are held these days. Even though a lot of families still want a traditional funeral, such as a church service followed by a graveside committal service, other families are opting to have the funeral in one location.

The options are to have either a private family burial or cremation service first, followed by a public memorial service, making St Andrews the ideal location either way.

Families are also choosing to become more involved in the content of the funeral, making it more personal and more about the deceased.

Paul and Barbara aim to offer guidance and give people the choices and options available to them but it is always the family’s decision.

“Our belief is that the content of the funeral service is between the family and the minister or funeral celebrant,” Barbara said. “Our task is to help put the service together.”

Adjoining the chapel is a linkway and a large hall with a fully equipped kitchen where families are able to enjoy refreshments after the service.

“Families are also able to have PowerPoint presentations and in addition to that, we are in the process of having screens put in the linkway and hall,” Paul said.

If there is an overflow from the chapel, everyone will be able to view the service. The interior of the chapel seats around 280 people, the linkway about 100 and the hall about 100, so the company can cater for most services.

The catering is usually done by Lorraine Mindham, a popular Dubbo caterer, but families can use another if they choose. W Larcombe & Sons also use St Andrews to hold seminars on grief and loss, as well as their yearly Remembrance Service, held in November.

“The grief and loss seminars are part of our Community Services Program, which we started about three years ago,” Barbara said.

Conducted by Donna Drew, a qualified grief and trauma counsellor, the sessions are held for client families as well as nursing home staff, hospital staff and schools. They are held four times a year in towns such as Dubbo, Gilgandra, Trangie, Nyngan, Narromine, Yeoval and Coonabarabran, where a session was held after the devastating bush fires.

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local business

Donna also conducts follow-up calls to families after the funeral to see how they are coping. Another aspect of business is their florist, Flowers on Talbragar Street.

“Our qualified florists not only do our funeral flowers but also the flowers for St Andrews when a wedding is held as well as walk-in orders,” Barbara said.

The business covers a large proportion of NSW installing monuments, creating a solid reputation for quality and workmanship. They not only supply and install new monuments but also undertake restoration work.

“All our letter-cutting is done in our factory here in Dubbo. We supply a large range of styles made from terrazzo, marble and sandstone but the most popular is granite because of its longevity and beauty,” Paul said.

In the best of traditions of caring for the community, the Carters are taking their company into the future.

W Larcombe & Son is a now a one-stop shop for families, with the knowledge, venue and florist as well as two funeral presiders on staff.

“Our company also does printing of orders of service so families need only to come to us and we take care of the rest,” Paul said. CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

L-R from top: Paul and Barbara Carter with John Kaus, executive secretary for the Funeral Directors Association, Sydney; Trevor Hampson (centre) has been working for W Larcombe & Son for 54 years. He is pictured with wife Gwen and Barbara; the Carters purchased the stunning St Andrews Chapel in 2012; Barbara with mayor Mathew Dickerson and caretaker Ian Bourchier; Paul and Barbara Carter with Fr Greg Bellamy; W Larcombe & Son staff members Callum Ryan, Peter Andrews, Donna Morris and Peter Smith; Uniting Church lay ministers Ian and Carolyn Sharp have both preached in the old church.

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HIGHER DUTIES THIS YEAR THE ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE (RFDS) CELEBRATES ITS 85TH BIRTHDAY. CWL RECENTLY DROPPED INTO THE DUBBO OPERATION TO MEET A HIGH-FLYING NURSE WHO OFFERS HOPE TO OUTBACK PATIENTS WHILE CRUISING AT 20,000 FEET. ON ANY GIVEN shift, Karen Barlow has no idea where she will be going or what she will be doing. As a senior flight nurse with the RFDS, all she knows is that she can, and will be, called out at any moment during her 12-hour day.

“In this job you are often meeting patients and their families at really trying and sad times, for example their child is very unwell or a family member has been badly injured in an accident. It never ceases to amaze me how strong these people are when faced with adversity,” she said.

Her chauffeur will be one of seven highly trained pilots on the roster and her mode of transport sits in a nearby hangar – one of the two specially fitted out Beechcraft 200 King Airs worth about $8 million each.

"Add in the drought and hard times on the land and you realise what they are already dealing with and just how stoic they are. However, it is not all doom and gloom. It's hard not to get excited for parents having their first child or for young children who have never been on an aircraft to actually forget why they are being transferred.”

These life-saving machines of the air represent the core of the Dubbo branch of the RFDS, established in 1999.

Karen was among the first on board and is one of the seven flight nurses who work here, all midwives with backgrounds in either intensive care or emergency.

“We all have different interests, ideas and knowledge, making for a very balanced, cohesive team,” Karen said.

Working alongside the pilots and nurses are an engineer, two administration staff and a base manager. The team’s job is to keep aircraft and staff ready for any emergency. The average is three call-outs per day, which equates to about 700,000 kilometres each year.

For a lot of the time Karen will cruise at 475km/h in a unique office, 20,000 feet above the ground. In some cases she will have to draw on all her 14 years’ experience as a flight nurse to get her through the long days and nights.

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Karen admits she loves just about every aspect of her job.

“Every day is different. You never know where you will end up or what you will be doing,” she said. “For example, you might transfer a trauma patient from a motor vehicle accident in the morning and care for a labouring woman in the afternoon.”

Until recently, Karen held the record for being the only flight nurse who hadn't delivered a baby on board the aircraft for 12 years.

“This record came to an end one fine day in Walgett when we were just about to take off and the patient’s water broke. We returned to the terminal and she delivered before the engines had turned off. All a bit of a rush but a happy ending,” she said.

Bad weather, she added, could make for interesting times, especially if there was a patient on board experiencing the bumps with her.

profession

“The bonus is working with experienced pilots who are always calm and unflappable under pressure, tell you what's going on and always get us home safely.”

While Karen enjoys the kaleidoscope of colour from her window she is always on the lookout for a shift in the weather. More than anyone, she has seen the effects of the dry spell gripping the land.

To pep up her spirits she might think of all the wonderful people she's met through her unique vocation. Who could forget meeting Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at a Longreach naming rights ceremony in blistering 40 degree heat!

“We did a dramatisation of a rescue for them to demonstrate the lifting device of the aircraft and they were very interested in the work of the RFDS and asked a lot of questions,” Karen said.

She said the worst aspect of her job happened when things didn't go to plan and time sheets went out the window. It's hard to plan ahead but husband Angus, a Dubbo stock and station agent, is used to the routine and enjoys providing his wife with regular weather updates.

"As any shift worker will tell you, you don’t always get to spend weekends and special occasions with loved ones. You have to have very understanding family and friends and make the most of your free time,” Karen said, adding that stress-relieving hobbies outside of work were recommended.

“I go to art classes every Thursday night with a great group of women from all walks of life, where we have a lot of laughs, a few glasses of red and a very patient, wonderful teacher,” she said.

“We also have a vegetable patch at home and there is always great ceremony if something survives long enough to produce vegetables we can actually eat!” CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

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26/09/2013 10:37:25 AM

SPLENDOUR

garden

in the Grass

AT FIRST GLANCE THE HOUSE AND GARDEN “TANNACHIE” APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN PLUCKED DIRECTLY FROM THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE. HOWEVER, THE BACKDROP OF TOWERING EUCALYPTS, SOUTHERN SLOPES OF MOUNT CANOBOLAS AND SURROUNDING 650-ACRE CATTLE FARM ARE DISTINCTLY AUSTRALIAN. WORDS: ELIZABETH SWANE IMAGES: ANGUS WADDELL Piers and Patricia Bannatyne moved from Sydney to Waldegrave, 20 kilometres south of Orange, in 1988, purchased the adjacent block in 1991 and commenced building their English-style house and complementary garden package in 1996. At the same time they commissioned Catriona Glanville of Outscape Landscape Architects to design the garden, incorporating elements of grand country estates the Bannatynes had visited in the UK. For protection from the elements, the garden began with a native tree line on the western side, and some exotic tree plantings down by the road, which formed the basis of an English woodland. Appropriately, in keeping with the English theme, the woods consist of mainly oaks, ashes, birches along with 45 other species of trees and shrubs.

The Georgian-style home is approached by a long sloping driveway lined with a double row of cottonwood poplars and Photinia to the east, and extensive shrubbery plantings including wonderful rhododendrons are on the opposite side.

The house entrance has a traditional circular gravel driveway, and the front garden plantings are symmetrical and immaculate.

Patricia refers to the clipped Teucrium as a “line of old fashioned radios”, but they are much more like sentinels, backed by clipped Pittosporum “James Sterling”, carefully under-planted with sculptural Heuchera and bordered by stone edging and perfectly trimmed grass.

The front garden is also home to a crab apple lawn with a semi-circular row of Malus ionensis trees, heavily laden with plump buds and pinky-white blossoms in late spring, and opposite, a bank of spring bulbs herald the arrival of warmer days. > “Tannachie” is named after the English country house of Piers’s great aunt in Malvern, Worcestershire; plump buds on Crab Apple Malus ionensis; cottonwood poplar trees line the driveway.

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Accessing the garden via a sunny courtyard, there is much to discover and enjoy. Formal elements include a walled garden, terrace plantings, a herb garden, sunken garden, parterres, an oak lawn and a secret garden.

Long retaining walls in front of and behind the house were built in 2000. The walled fruit and vegetable garden is home to lush citrus trees that soak up the heat from north-facing masonry walls.

Patricia has skilfully and intricately espaliered fruit trees – apples, peach, plums, apricot and quince – against the warm walls, making this productive area also a thing of exceptional beauty. A central large olive tree, and many perennial vegetables such as artichoke, asparagus, rhubarb and berries along with a rotation of seasonal vegetables provide abundant harvests and are distributed or preserved and bottled for later use.

The raised beds in the productive herb garden are conveniently located just outside the kitchen door, and lead to the balustraded terrace, artfully planted with parterres, shaped lawns, and a sunken succulent garden, which were developed in 2003. More than 620 dwarf English Box plants around the edge of the beds arrived as bare-rooted shrubs from Victoria, and variegated English Box and grey-foliaged Santolina have been used to complete the designs.

Hidden from immediate view, and bordered by a conifer hedge and enclosed by a honeysuckle screen, the Secret Garden is where Piers indulges his passion for colour, and a riot of annual flowers smother the ground. Through the archway, is a maple walk and an oak lawn – both bordered by an amazing collection of exotic cool-climate shrubs – too many to name, but including dogwood, unusual Viburnum, Kolkwitzia (beauty bush) and Escallonia.

The gardens and lawns around the rest of the house were progressively established from 2004 to 2006. Varied shrubbery on the lower terrace is planted in a symmetrical format, although here in a less structured way, contrasting with the exacting standards of the formal parterres above.

Beyond the lower terrace the gardens open out into an informal park-like area down the hill. >

Above: Raised herb beds and formal parterre gardens on the terrace; Piers and Patricia Bannatyne; immaculately trimmed Teucrium ‘Radios’.

Facing page, L-R from top: White Camellia ‘Nuccio’s Gem’; pendulous purple heads of Cerinthe major; Cornus, pink dogwood thrive in cool climates; deep purple bearded iris enjoy the sunny terrace garden; white Rhododendron ‘Mount Everest’; purple flowered Lamium; fragrant Choisya Mexican orange blossom; potted Clematis ‘Nellie Moser’; espaliered fruit trees in the walled garden.

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The steep bank behind the house posed a problem. Initial plantings of native shrubs were not successful, so in spring 2009, terrace construction with cross paths and steps proved a much better solution to the steep slope. It’s now much safer to work on and lots of added organic matter, along with irrigation, has encouraged new plantings to establish very well. The terraces are filled with a mixed blend of cold- and heat-tolerant shrubs, ground covers, spreading conifers, grasses and perennials. Deep blue Ceanothus flowers prolifically in early spring, and is joined in an annual cycle by a plethora of flower and foliage colour.

The garden on the house area was established on a cut site, exposing sub soil that required improvement using plenty of organic matter, botany humus, gypsum and lime. Elsewhere, the garden soil is a rich clay loam and generally well drained. “Plants don’t need a lot of encouragement to grow around here,” Piers said. He and Patricia use loads of mulch, old hay from the farm and there’s substantial prunings generated and reused as green mulch on the gardens. The water supply used to be dam water, which just held out during the drought, but is now supplied by a bore at the bottom of the garden.

Lawns are kept in order with a commercial-grade tractor-mounted mower, and clippings self mulched back into the grass.

Gardening on this sloping site is good exercise, and Patricia soon learnt to gather all the tools she needed before walking down to the woodland. Piers and Patricia have some help in the garden, especially pruning the large amount of formal parterres and hedging.

Chosen to suit the cold climate including light snowfalls, dry summer conditions with little or no humidity, and the elevation, the range and diversity of plants on this site is quite astounding, with many plants selected not only for flowering, but as much for the variation in foliage form or colour. Patricia has an extremely well-documented database of all the plants in the garden, including where and when they were planted, their source and comments on progressive establishment and growth.

Yet she and Piers do find time to relax and enjoy their garden, sitting in the pavilion on the terrace with a cuppa, admiring the results of their labours.

Later this year, the couple has plans to retire, downsize to a smaller home and garden in the town of Orange, where no doubt they will make their mark in a splendid and organised way. CWL Above: Terrace plantings feature mixed low plantings; the delightful crab apple lawn features Malus ionensis; brilliant blue Ceanothus is a highlight among shrub borders.

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seasonal gardening

The heat is on FOR SOME GARDENERS SUMMER IS ALL ABOUT SURVIVING THE HEAT, SO HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOUR GARDEN THROUGH THE HOTTEST MONTHS OF THE YEAR. All-important shade can make the difference, turning your garden into an oasis of cool relief. Green lawns are lovely, but don’t worry if your lawn turns brown over summer – generally they respond well, bouncing back once rain falls.

Bold and bright, mass plant flowers for maximum colour impact (www.oasishorticulture.com.au)

SUMMER SHADE

WATER

If you have space, consider planting shade trees around your home and garden. A wellpositioned shade tree will act as a natural air conditioner, cooling the air and making a long hot summer more bearable. Use deciduous trees if you’d like both winter sun as well as a cooling canopy of summer shade. Under-prune the lower branches as the trees grow, making an inviting spot for a table and chairs to relax and chill out.

Water gardens early in the morning while it’s cooler and evaporation is less, and apply water directly at the plant’s root zone, rather than over the foliage. Hosing late in the afternoon will cool you and your plants down, but watering deeply at the base is a better long-term strategy, encouraging roots to grow deeper into the soil where it’s cooler. Plants in pots or hanging baskets can cook on hot days, so where possible move these to a more sheltered spot during summer. Water potted plants daily and look after fly-in visitors too – top up the birdbath.

Observe the trees already growing locally, and make a list of favourites before you head off to the nursery. Although trees take a few years to establish it’s definitely worth the time invested.

Left from top: A shady retreat to escape the heat (Angus Waddell at “Tannachie”, Orange); Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) is a majestic shade tree with reliable autumn colour (Elizabeth Swane).

SUMMER ROSE PRUNING Summer pruning rejuvenates tired, leggy roses, improves air circulation, encourages strong growth and, best of all, produces a great autumn flush of blooms. There’s no need to be fussy, just shear off 30 to 40 per cent of the growth. Follow with a sprinkle of pelletised rose fertiliser, water deeply and top up mulch 30-50mm thick. Six to seven weeks later enjoy a display of beautiful blooms. Summer pruning can be timed for a special event. In around 42 days (and allow a little extra for fickle weather!) most roses will be in flower again.

PERENNIAL PLEASURES Hardy perennials like catmint (Nepeta), Valerian, Salvia, Campanula, Rudbeckia, and spreading herbs such as oregano, thyme and marjoram can be trimmed back after flowering. Simply go over the lot with hedge shears, cutting off dry, spent flowers and any tatty foliage. Give lavender and rosemary a light prune now, too, cutting them back to green wood and avoiding hard pruning into grey or brown stems that don’t readily reshoot. Bushy and productive, they’ll be looking great by autumn.

Right from top: Silver-foliaged lambs ears (Stachys) is hardy spreading ground cover and Cat Mint (Nepeta) is a perfect partner for roses (www.australianperennials.com.au).

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COOL LAWNS A cool carpet of green frames gardens beautifully, but not everyone has the luxury of water to keep lawns in top shape over the hottest months. Lawns bounce back, responding to rain when it finally appears, so if water is limited, give priority to trees, shrubs and edibles.

Raising the mower blades, allowing the grass to grow longer helps too, keeping the roots cooler. A hose-on liquid feed will green things up quickly before the festive season – ready for cricket, games or snoozing.

Above: Lawns respond well to summer rain (Angus Waddell, at “Macquarie Park”, Wellington).

FREEBIES February is a top time to take cuttings of fuchsias, geraniums and zonal pelargoniums.

They’ll form roots in a glass of water on the windowsill, or cuttings strike easily in pots filled with propagation mix. Sit pots in a shady spot, cover with a mini green house to keep humidity high, water when soil feels dry to the touch, and they’ll form roots in around six weeks, ready to be planted out in spring.

EASY CARE In early summer, clean up late spring annuals as they finish flowering, violas, love-in-a-mist, foxgloves, California poppy, sweet alice, marigolds, and forget-me-not. Most of these will happily self seed, popping up again next year, but if you like a more ordered look, collect the seeds into some mesh or paper bags and store sealed in envelopes somewhere cool and dry ready to sow next autumn.

Summer annuals – petunias, salvia, portulaca, cosmos, nasturtium and zinnia are certainly value for money, blooming for months over summer. As summer progresses, a light overall trim to remove spent flower heads, followed by a liquid feed will revive plants ready to extend the show well into autumn.

Left: Treat new Salvia ‘Armistad’ as an annual in frosty areas (www.australianperennials.com.au).

AUTUMN BULBS Beautiful flowering autumn bulbs can be planted now, they include sun-loving soft pink or white Belladonna Lily (or Naked Lady), Zephyranthes (White Rain Lily) with its green grassy foliage, golden Lycoris and elegant Nerines that produce spidery flowers in pink orange or white – lovely to naturalise under big trees. It’s a good time to browse through spring bulb catalogues, and place orders, but don’t even consider planting until the weather cools down in March or April.

HYDRANGEAS These summer stalwarts liven up shady gardens with their gorgeous mop head flowers. They do like some shade and wind protection, and deep watering makes the flower heads last longer.

Potted flowering hydrangeas add instant impact and colour to outdoor entertaining areas, to keep them looking their best on hot days stand pots in saucers filled with water. Tip out excess water once the heat-wave has passed. Oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), named for its sculptural oak leaf foliage, has cone shaped heads of white summer flowers, and the foliage colours brilliantly in autumn. It’s a bit tougher too, coping well with extremes of heat and cold.

Left from top: Unique Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ produces flushes of summer blooms; oak leaf Hydrangea ‘Snow Queen’ holds its summer blooms upright (www.flemings.com.au).

THE EDIBLE GARDEN There’s plenty of choice in the vegie patch, and summer salad vegies like tomatoes and cucumbers produce well in the heat.

Keeping the water up to thirsty vegies will be a regular job, daily or even twice daily in extreme conditions. Eggplant and capsicum ripen mid summer. Harvest quick-growing productive vegies, tomato, zucchini, and cucumber every few days. Excess crops make delicious relish and pickles.

From top: Raised vegie beds are easier to tend; Capsicum Long Sweet Yellow ripen golden; Tomato Large Fruit truss produces good-sized, flavoursome fruit (www.oasishorticulture.com.au).

PLANT NOW Asian greens, beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, chili, corn, leeks, lettuce, parsnip, potatoes, rhubarb, salad greens, silverbeet, spring onions and tomato.

CLEVER COVER Remember to shade young seedlings from heat and hot winds – a tunnel of shade cloth does the trick, and can be moved when milder conditions arrive. Most leafy greens tolerate some shade, and even benefit as they’ll be less heat stressed.

Grow these between other crops or even in shady spots in the garden among shrubs and flowers. Hot sun can also scorch ripening tomatoes so some temporary shade over the vines is a good idea.

SUMMER FRUIT TREES Trim back summer fruits, like peaches, plums and nectarines, straight after fruiting finishes. Cutting back the new growth by about half will reduce the trees’ summer water needs, maintain a manageable height for picking crops and will promote plenty of fruit next season.

HUNGRY PLANTS If you are in an area where you can grow citrus, they appreciate a midsummer feed with an organic citrus food, watered in well. In pots, the tip is little and often, use a pelletised poultry manure or a controlled release fertiliser – either for fruits or roses – both work equally well.

Mid-summer is also a good time to fertilise camellias and orchids as flower buds form.

Left: Well-fed citrus produce bountiful crops (Angus Waddell at “Tannachie”, Orange).

TOMATO TROUBLE SHOOTER Tomatoes are popular with gardeners, and pests love them too. Black sunken bases on fruit are most likely blossom-end rot so apply garden lime or dolomite before planting next season and water consistently and regularly through dry periods. Mulch helps prevent excessive evaporation.

White flies can be captured on sticky yellow cards hung near the crop, alternatively a spray with Natrasoap reduces the population.

Most tomato growers experience some fruit fly problems. Try these tips: grow smaller bite-sized tomatoes that are less troubled, harvest tomatoes green and ripen on the window sill, or use safe options like Eco-naturalure or Nature’s Way Fruit Fly Control. CWL Words: Elizabeth Swane

Dubbo Mowers & Chainsaws have recently been awarded the

Stihl 2012 National Dealer of the Year

David and the team are proud to receive this service award and thank our customers for their many years of support.

Dubbo Mowers & Chainsaws 28 Cobbora Road, Dubbo 6882 3122

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 89

Rural and Regional Architecture ……………..we come to you

Design and Project Management for Residential, Commercial, Retail, Industrial, Medical and Hospitality projects.

Our advanced knowledge of design, construction systems and materials enables ECOSYSTEM ARCHITECTURE to achieve high performing affordable buildings that achieve outcomes within budget and programmed targets.

© BHI ARCHITECTS PTY LTD

© BHI ARCHITECTS PTY LTD

We have developed design strategies for dealing with extreme climatic conditions and weather events for our buildings that provide comfortable conditions all year round.

Contact Richard Mann

02 8226 8549

ECOSYSTEM ARCHITECTURE | L26, 1 Bligh St, SYDNEY NSW 2000 E: richard.mann@ecosystemarchitecture.com.au

www.ecosystemarchitecture.com.au

contemporary home

Serenity now WHILE MANY FIRST-TIMERS OFTEN MISTAKE IT FOR AN UPMARKET RESORT, LESLEY ROBERTSON'S NEW MUDGEE HOME ON THE BANKS OF THE CUDGEGONG RIVER IS TESTAMENT TO HER FORESIGHT, DRIVE AND IMPECCABLE STYLE. IT'S BEEN a long haul getting to this point and Lesley is only sorry she can't share it with husband David, who passed away suddenly in 2001.

The pair married in 1975 and enjoyed a busy Sydney life working in the computing industry. A year later they purchased a 100-acre hobby farm about 10 kilometres from Mudgee and over the next four years planted four different varieties of grapes.

For the next 14 years the pair travelled to Mudgee every second weekend to work on the organic vineyard they called "Thistle Hill". A small cottage and winery were built and in 1984 Dave produced their first wines.

Dave’s passion for wines grew steadily from then on and in 1990 the Robertsons moved permanently to their new home in the bush with two young daughters in tow. After Dave's passing, Lesley continued to run the vineyard and winery on her own for the next eight years.

In 2007 she bought a beautiful vacant block of land in Mudgee, on the banks of the Cudgegong River, which meanders through town and eventually runs into Burrendong Dam. It was here she would build her dream home.

DESIGNING THE DREAM Lesley’s architect was Richard Mann from Sydney, while her interior designer was Sarah Ferris from Inside Out Ferris Interior Decorating in Mudgee.

“Because I was still running the winery when I started to build, I employed my architect to both design and supervise the building until completion. This was a great decision, as Richard quickly resolved any building challenges along the way and made it a stress-free exercise for me,” Lesley said.

“My brief to my architect was for my house to be as environmentally sustainable as possible, and Richard came up with a brilliant design of four separate pavilions connected by enclosed walkways.”

As an architect it was Richard’s role to translate Lesley’s desired lifestyle into a home.

“Careful use of materials and proportions were used so that the new home sat comfortably alongside one of Mudgee’s most significant historic homes,” Richard said. >

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contemporary home

In fact, Lesley agreed to lowering the house by one and a quarter metres with extra excavation so that it would blend naturally alongside the existing home.

Richard says the home incorporates many special design features so that it can withstand extreme weather conditions such as very high winds, extremes of heat and cold as well as bushfire. All of this was achieved within a carefully controlled budget.

Furneys is a fifth-generation local company that made all of the structural frames and installed the wall and roof cladding. Their quality and cooperation was much appreciated by Lesley and Richard.

The house faces north with 14 solar panels on the roof. Lesley collects her own rain water into four tanks holding 20,000 litres under her deck.

Veridian glass was an important factor when it came to the windows.

This special glass has insulating quality and is tinted light green to reduce glare from the inside.

The doors and clever ventilation harvest the cool breezes from the river and cooling ponds, avoiding the use of air conditioners. Lesley says there are many mid-summer days when the temperature hits 36 degrees outside yet the house is 12 degrees cooler.

MOVING IN The building project took one year and after selling “Thistle Hill” in April 2009 Lesley was ready to move in by August.

Although she lives in the big house on her own, Lesley has regular visits from her two daughters who are both married and starting their own families in Sydney and the South Coast.

For company, she has two labradoodles called Milly and Molly, two cats and five Japanese Koi, large fish that help keep the garden free of mosquitos.

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Lesley’s favourite room is the family/kitchen/dining room, the hub of the home where she cooks and entertains with family or her many Mudgee friends.

“I love to cook and constantly try new recipes on my guests, with my favourite meal being a roasted lamb shoulder recipe that cooks slowly for six hours. I often have guests to share this meal with me on the balcony overlooking the river,” she said.

The bathrooms are simple and stylish, with travertine tiles on the floor, and mosaic travertine in the trim. All the floors have under-floor heating.

Ivory travertine stone tiles line the house, with carpet in the bedrooms and formal living room.

“The floor tiles throughout the house make it incredibly easy to keep clean,” Lesley enthused. “They just don’t show any dirt.”

Every wall in the house has been painted just one colour, Murobond Nomad, although you would never guess as the light in each room is different.

“The house is very calm and relaxing with the constant sound of water trickling over a stone fountain. It really is a stunning block of land, making it a beautiful place to live. I absolutely love it,” Lesley said.

“There is nothing I would change. I would advise all new home builders to use professional people [architects and designers] who they respect and get along with to help them, as you only have one chance to get it right.”

A GARDEN OF JOY Lesley’s home was designed as a series of pavilions to embrace the gardens and natural landscape in every direction. This provided a wonderful opportunity for the garden to be designed by Susan Munro Ross.

“The block already had a number of established trees on it, planted by the previous owners, so the garden looks like it has been there for years.

I pump water from the river if the garden gets dry,” Lesley said.

The garden is cleverly designed to make the most of the block, with wide steps made from railway sleepers that lead gently down to the river.

Most of the plants are easy-care perennials that don’t require much maintenance, however Lesley planted some Floribunda roses as they grow particularly well in this area.

There is also a sprinkling of fruit trees, including a plum, a fig, a pomegranate and a quince, and also some Japanese Maples and Snow Pears, as they like the cool Mudgee winters.

“I have an outdoor table in my large internal courtyard and I also have another table on my deck overlooking the river. I entertain in both these areas,” she said.

This modern home ticks all the right boxes for comfort and style. It will stand as a legacy for generations to come of what can be achieved when you assemble the right team for a dream job. CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

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Mudgee’s Finest Heritage Listed B & B Accommodation Forgandenny House, 250m from the heart of Mudgee and overlooking Lawson Park and the Cudgegong River, is a magnificent Federation home, designed by architect Harold Hardwick for Dr Charles Lester.

Dr Lester was born in Mudgee, completed his medical studies in Edinburgh, where he met his future wife Mary Elizabeth Bruce. Returning to Mudgee to practice Dr Lester built Forgandenny House which is now owned by his great granddaughter Robbie and her husband Errol Holdaway.

A First Class B & B, Forgandenny House offers two Queen Rooms and one Queen Suite.

All rooms are spacious and elegantly appointed each with a private ensuite, reverse cycle air-conditioning, colour T.V. and original period furniture.

Enjoy the warmth of the fire in the guest lounge and feel the ambience of a bygone era. All rooms have French doors leading to the garden or veranda. Play tennis on our court, or just relax on the wide veranda while taking in the garden at sunset and experiencing the pleasures that only a stay at Forgandenny House can offer.

Wine tasting, exploring the picturesque countryside, browsing through weekend markets and enjoying a delectable meal at one of the many local eateries are a must when visiting Mudgee.

stay@forgandenny.com.au

www.forgandenny.com.au

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Highly recommended on Tripadvisor and by our many guests, one would have to say‌ this is just what the good Dr ordered.

Your hosts: Robbie and Errol Holdaway

Phone 6372 2437

Mobile 0438 151 719

15-19 Short Street, Mudgee

FRONT LABEL

PMS 122 PMS 476 PMS 7499

Bridge View Inn Apartment Self-contained B&B accommodation in the heritage-listed 1871 Bridge View Inn. 28-30 Louee Street Rylstone NSW 2849 For bookings contact: Peter Druitt & Co Real Estate Phone: 02 6379 1409 Email: rentals@peterdruittco.com AH Phone: 0409 516 546

www.golden-highway.com.au/bridge_view_inn_apartment.htm

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DESIGN OF DISTINCTION DESIGNER DÉCOR AND GIFTS, Dubbo, opened its doors to an exciting new business venture in July.

“We are all very proud and excited to open Designer Décor and Gifts’ doors and to launch jointly for sale our own locally designed and crafted quality hardwood dining furniture, other locally made décor items, very hard to find customer services and beautiful gift ideas,” owner Peta Carolan said.

Peta is thrilled to be working back in Talbragar Street, only a couple of blocks up from where her great grandfather Herb Whitney opened Dubbo’s custom manufacturing jewellery store back in 1919, now run by her sister Gina.

Peta loves working with her longtime partner, Bob Doick, owner and head cabinetmaker of Furniture for a Lifetime (Dubbo) and their wider supportive team of staff, family, friends, suppliers and customers.

“Our complimentary furniture design and quotation service is inspiring many to pull out their tape measures and turn their own unique furnishing ideas into reality,” Peta said.

“The overall friendly and supportive local response to our wide range of décor-related goods and services has been incredibly inspiring and heartwarming to say the least.

“Our unique hardwood timber furniture is crafted in Dubbo by firstly selecting each piece of premium timber (primarily from local timber mills) and then step by quality-controlled step we transform the rough sawn timber into a genuine local and Australian-made investment to be shared and cherished for many future generations,” Bob said.

“We warmly welcome our wonderful regular and potential new customers into the shop and our local factory six days a week.”

Goods and services include: • Quality one-of-a-kind Australian hardwood and mixed material furniture ready for delivery.

• On-site custom furniture design and quotations and local custom manufacturing service.

• Gorgeous gift ideas such as bright-coloured glass and amber mica lamps, Adina clocks, local artwork, Ecoya products, hand-turned timber bowls, chopping boards, timber-framed mirrors and more.

• An exquisite range of designer fabrics and upholstery services.

• Antique restoration and furniture repair services.

• Broad range of ready-made quality Ash hardwood dining and bar chairs from $275 each.

• Complimentary custom polishing and/or covering of in-store purchased chairs for easy colour and style matching around your new or existing dining table ready in time for Christmas dinner.

• Pick-up, delivery and storage services available and so much more.

Designer Décor and Gifts is a couple of doors down from the CBD Post Office in Talbragar Street. Just ask for Peta or give her a call on (02) 6884 7392.

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MATERIAL GAINS LOU GRANT has been in the fabric industry for more than 30 years, and for the past two has owned Material World Dubbo.

“We are proud to have a Luxaflex gallery, a trusted international brand that has existed in Australia for over 60 years,” Lou said.

Originally a Coonamble girl, Lou enjoys providing for the Central West’s homemakers.

“You will find their full range of window shades, blinds, window coverings and outdoor awnings. Customers seek the high quality, premium product that Luxaflex offers.”

The business offers a wide variety of quality custom-made curtains and soft furnishings, all created locally in a Dubbo workroom.

GIFTWARE WITH A DIFFERENCE, WOMEN’S CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES, FINE ART, FURNITURE AND CONTEMPORARY ARTEFACTS WITH COFFEE AND FINE FOOD. Open Thursday – Sunday 9.30 – 4ish Monday 9.30 – 3ish 35 Gaskill Street, Canowindra Phone 02 6344 1638

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Lou and her experienced staff are happy to give advice on your particular needs.

home & style

Time honoured MARTIN AND JUDY KING are proud to have won the Best New Business Award at the Crowe Horwath Carillon Business Awards 2013.

“This win is a fantastic surprise for King’s Antiques and is testament to Martin’s passion for and knowledge of the antiques trade,” Judy said.

AWARD WINNING

English furniture, interesting collectables, decorative items & vintage teawares for that special High Tea

Martin King is a highly experienced English antiques auctioneer and valuer in a new and exciting venture with his wife Judy, a sixth generation Bathurstian. After successfully running King's Auctions in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, for more than 35 years, Martin has moved to Bathurst to start up King's Antiques at Crago Mill.

King’s Antiques offers quality antiques, collectables and original vintage items at the right price, and is excited at the prospect of continuing to source genuine English antiques from the United Kingdom.

“King's Antiques certainly intends to continue contributing to the community through various sponsorships, fund-raising activities and encouraging tourism to the Bathurst region,” Judy said.

The shop is located at Crago Mill, 2A Piper Street, Bathurst, near the railway line off Havannah Street. Opening hours are from 10am to 4.30pm, every day bar Wednesday.

As you peruse the range of objets d’art, mirrors, metalware and pictures, you will be overcome with an appreciation of history and the small things.

Ceramics, glass, silverware and books line the shelves and tables. The vintage lover will relish the range of English china trios, cake stands and teawares.

2A PIPER STREET, BATHURST NSW 2795 (near the railway line off Havannah Street)

0417 785495 martin@kingsantiques.com.au www.kingsantiques.com.au OPEN 6 DAYS 10am – 4.30pm Wednesdays by appointment

Undergoing restoration, Crago Mill also includes a cafe and Winburndale Winery cellar door, and has proven to be the perfect place to house such a large array of beautiful antiques.

You can find King’s Antiques on their Facebook page, or their website, www.kingsantiques.com.au, where an online store will soon be up and running.

Above left: Martin and Judy King being presented with their award by Bathurst’s state Member Paul Toole and his wife Jo, and Bathurst Mayor Gary Rush.

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home & style

BIG RANGE

AT LITTLE FISH

ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL will strike you as you encounter the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere Jenny Spratt has created at Little Fish Gallery.

Jenny opened the original Little Fish Gallery in her hometown of Wellington. Two years ago she made the move to Dubbo, and the shop is now thriving on Boundary Road.

“I started it on a whim,” Jenny said. “Creating Little Fish Gallery was very much a spur of the moment decision, but it was something I had wanted to do for quite a while.

“It’s definitely a girl’s shop. We have a massive range of affordable products including homewares, giftwares, jewellery and glasswares.”

Popular brands such as LouenHide handbags, Woodwick candles, French Country glassware and Moko jewellery adorn the Little Fish Gallery shelves.

From clocks to lamps, figurines and stunning accessories, Jenny has covered everything with style.

Christmas is upon us, which means an exquisite array of wreaths, nativity scenes and other festive stock.

Words: Anna Tickle

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home & style I have been down this path on many occasions, too many to count, and each time I prepare my home for sale I attend to these 10 presentation necessities.

1. STREET APPEAL Your home needs to look its best. Tidy the yard, put out fresh mulch in the garden and have your front fence washed down.

Have your house and pavers, or concrete paths, professionally cleaned.

Trim all hedges and prune bushes and shrubs.

2. THE FRONT DOOR All buyers enter your home through the front door. Ensure the front door is immaculate, freshly painted and flanked by stylish potted plants. Add a new doormat.

3. SPRING CLEAN Decluttering will make the whole house feel larger and take away distractions from the buyer so that they can focus on the house. Create clutter-free surfaces and clean scrupulously.

4. LIGHT AND BRIGHT If the weather permits, open up your windows, doors and curtains, creating light and breezes. Lighting equates to impact. Turn on lights in kitchens and bathrooms. Lamps are effective in other areas.

5. GUESTS FOR THE WEEKEND? Treat buyers like your favourite guests. Set your table, add potted colour to your decks and verandah tables. Pop out a jug of water and your finest glasses on a tray with a bread loaf and linen napkins on a platter. Focus a lot of attention on your decks and entertaining areas, as these are very important to buyers.

6. BEDROOM BLISS Ensure the linen is freshly laundered, the doona cover neutral and a blanket neatly folded at the base of your bed. Add additional pillows and cushions to make your bed the feature item.

Clean all windows. Style your bedside tables with lamps and tabletop vignettes.

Selling Points THINKING OF SELLING YOUR PROPERTY? THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS TO ENSURE YOUR HOME IS PRESENTED WITH FLAIR AND STYLE, WORTHY OF BEING A FEATURE IN YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER’S HOMES FOR SALE SECTION. POTENTIAL BUYERS are looking for a home that makes them wonder at first sight. They are seeking that immediate attraction, something that makes them dream and visualise themselves in this home.

It is imperative to make your home as spacious as possible. Buyers will pay a premium for space. To achieve the sense of space, clutter must be removed at all costs and your home presented to the market in a manner that oozes ease of living.

Decluttering and restyling creates a light, spacious and crisp environment. It is also important to depersonalise your home in order to have the potential buyer developing an immediate and tangible connection with it. Remove family photos, quirky artwork and other décor that reflects your individuality. Bright featured walls generally do not appeal to the buyer; consider re-painting such walls in neutral tones.

Pack away all eccentric decorator items. Cull clothing in wardrobes in order to construct a streamlined and organised zone. Keep the décor uncomplicated and charming. Your imperative is to present your home so that many buyers will see its potential for them. Your property needs to be presented in a universally appealing manner.

Clean, clean, clean. Add sparkle and vitality by generating a spotless home! As tedious as it may be, every time you have an inspection or open house, make the effort.

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7. BATHROOM LUXURY Soaps, hand towels, towels and bath oils should be displayed in the bathrooms to resemble a hotel suite. Buy a new set of towels and new quality soaps that you just use for the open house/inspection. There is no need to spend a fortune; new items will always look fresh irrespective of the price.

8. FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS Fresh flowers positioned throughout your home in vases will add life, colour and energy. For my vases, I use viburnum cuttings and little conifer sprigs with pink roses for small vases.

I use peonies, long-stemmed roses and whatever else is blooming in my garden at the time for the larger vases. Hydrangeas and gardenias look amazing in bowls. Potted white orchids remain my staple home décor fall-back position if I’ve been unable to get to a florist.

9. MOOD MUSIC AND CANDLES Music works extremely well to set the mood as buyers can freely move about the house without feeling like someone is watching their every move. Strategically place a few scented candles around your home to add to the mood created by the music.

10. THE RIGHT TIME Finally, know the best hours in the day to present your house. If your house faces west, it is better to do an open house in the morning. If your house has a lot of shade, hold open houses in the warmer hours. Work out when the entertaining areas are sunlit but not too hot. You choose the time for the open house, you know when your home is at its best.

The more organised and prepared you are before listing your home for sale, the better your sale will proceed. It does take time and perseverance to present your home meticulously but it is well worth the investment.

Happy selling!

P ip

Words, photography and styling: Pip Teys

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home & style

Classy collection JULIE MENDHAM is the creator of a classy store on Anson Street by the name of Caboodle of Orange. For five years she has grown the business into the creative outlet it is today.

A huge variety of homewares, gifts and baby products line the shelves.

“We have knitting yarns, body products, baby gifts and all things lovely,” Julie smiled. “I enjoy supporting Australian-made products, such as souvenirs and body products.”

In store you will find a beautiful new array of Palm Beach candles and diffusers, and a quirky line of ceramic jewellery.

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Julie is a Central West girl, having grown up at Cumnock and now residing on a peaceful little farm near Blayney.

“We really do have everything we need in the Central West, with glorious food and wine. The friendliness of the people here makes it an easy place to live,” Julie said.

Caboodle has been at the same address for an incredible 35 years. It is proof that small businesses with style are bound to succeed in a region so rich in culture.

Words: Anna Tickle

Contact Listing Agent

R&H Dubbo 6882 1755 Agent Monica Henley 0410 615 505

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Lot 42 is offering approx. 8.67ha of rural oasis with power and an abundance of water. This is one of the last river frontage lifestyle blocks on rocky road with the entitlement to build your own dream home with views overlooking the majestic Macquarie River. There will not be another opportunity like this, to purchase a tranquil piece of paradise where all your dreams can come true.

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106 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

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home & style

That’s the spirit HO, HO, HO! Here we are at the end of another amazing year with the busy and somewhat stressful Christmas season upon us once again.

Christmas is the perfect opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends and indulge oneself at the close of another year. In this final article for the year, I want to help you decorate your home in the uplifting spirit of Christmas.

So let’s get to it. Pop on your favourite music and break out those treasures and adornments. It doesn’t matter whether your style at Christmas is predominantly silver sparkle and red with your home co-ordinated within an inch of this theme, or you create a collage of many different decorations accumulated over the years, or you take the chance to showcase the many hand-made trimmings made by children, grandchildren, friends and loved ones. Whatever your style, your home can achieve a keen festive presence.

Some years back a client gave me this brief: “I want to dress up my home at Christmas so it resembles the cover of Vogue Living yet I also need it to capture all of the sentimental collectables I have accumulated over the years.” Her collection of decorations made by her children at pre-school and primary school was quite large and when she tried to incorporate all of them they totally consumed the tree. She was reluctant to part with the treasured items, yet yearned for a more stylish way to present her tree each year.

After all, Christmas is such a special family time, and two trees really enhance the spirit flowing through your home.

The other feature that I spend a lot of time on is the table setting for our main dining table (be that formal dining or casual outdoor dining).

Ensure you have a centrepiece to surprise and excite! I enjoy styling my table using something old, something new, something festive and something hued.

This Christmas I plan to use the divine crystal wine goblets my dear friend and neighbour gave me for my birthday this year. These treasured glasses are 60 years old. I will be honoured to use them this Christmas (in fact, I’ve had my wine o’clock beverage in one ever since that particular birthday).

Is this your problem? It is quite common yet quite easily solved.

For something new I will use the black Irish birdcage I recently acquired while in Ireland on holidays. I will fill it with sparkling lights and fresh flowers.

My advice is this: Have two Christmas trees. Have a statement tree, which is easily dressed in your chosen theme, and have a second, smaller, quaint-looking tree and dress it with your home-made, sentimental favourites.

The festive component will be infusing my home with the joyous scent of Christmas. The divine scent of the Crabtree & Evelyn Noël range will fill up my home with the gorgeous aroma of fresh balsams, persimmon and festive mulling spices.

For your statement tree, select a style/theme that really appeals to you.

Red, black and Kelly green is popular this Christmas. Be disciplined – select your colour scheme and set about dressing your tree with colour-coded decorations consistent with the theme, tinsel, lights and sparkling ornaments. You will have to avoid crowding the tree with your sentimental adornments. Keep them for the second tree.

Finally, for something hued I intend to add fun to the black and red theme by adding Kelly green to the table. Miniature potted conifers, ever so classy, will be the final touch I make to my Christmas table this year.

Dressed in fine red and white stripes, these green highlights will surely make the table appetising for all!

Select the two most popular living areas of your home, allocate the statement tree to most expansive of these and then the second tree to the other area. I recommend this as one way to ensure you don’t have to compromise on your beloved family heirlooms.

To wrap up, put your energy into two trees and a sumptuously decorated table. I hope I have inspired you this Christmas. Have a wonderful Christmas and terrific fun with styling your home for the festive season.

Words, photography and styling: Pip Teys

P ip

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 107

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108 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

guesthouse

GRAND PLANS RESTORING ONE OF DUBBO'S MOST STATELY OLD HOMES INTO A REPUTABLE BED & BREAKFAST HAS BEEN A LABOUR OF LOVE FOR PETER ARANTZ. BUILT IN 1875 as a large townhouse with 17 rooms for successful local merchant Joshua Gill and his family, “Ranelagh” always possessed the wow factor. In the old days, visitors would arrive in elegant carriages and buggies in the circular driveway surrounded by expansive lawns.

It is located only two clicks from Dubbo Post Office on the Newell Highway and comes with 15 acres of prime real estate.

Peter knew he was on a good thing when he bought the property 21 years ago. It was about the same time he set up a car dealership in Dubbo (since sold) and Peter couldn't resist the temptation to undertake his biggest renovation project to date.

Initially a developer was planning to transform the block into a huge resort but the plans fell through and the old house on the hill was put up for auction.

It was pure coincidence Peter was there to buy it, despite having kept a watchful eye on the property since he was knee high to a grasshopper.

“It was run down and I couldn't move in straight away,” he said. “It needed to be rescued so I put on two permanent builders to work on the place for the next two years.”

Peter, at times, was a little overwhelmed.

“Parts of the home were quite derelict and I thought, ‘What have I done?’ I realised I was in for spending quite a few dollars but someone had to do it and I was committed.”

Thanks to previous work, Peter was confident he could bring the grand old estate back to life. Prior to “Ranelagh”, he had renovated his Baulkham Hills home as well the Cobbora Schoolhouse, built in 1886, which had been converted into a home.

Ranelagh’s current custodians, Peter Arantz and Brigid Keary.

“It had been empty for some time, and we did that up as well.

I guess we've had some experience with old homes,” he said modestly. >

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 109

guesthouse

Although Peter had amassed some furniture over the years, he needed many more unique pieces to give “Ranelagh” back her quintessential charm. Peter started attending auctions and antique sales, a chore that quickly developed into an enjoyable hobby.

If that wasn't enough, seven years ago Peter Jnr was born, another welcome, if unexpected, addition to the growing clan. Despite their original intentions of making “Ranelagh” a permanent home, seven years ago they moved to Orange.

Today the six-bedroom home is warm and inviting, with a full-size billiard table taking pride of place in the large formal area near the front of the house. The billiard room was originally a ballroom, complete with a sprung floor for dancing.

Apart from his own siblings living there, Peter has three grown-up children from his first marriage also based there. Son Shaun and wife Willa run the well-known Racine Restaurant, son Stuart is also into renovations and recently started The Edward Townhouses, while daughter Michelle is a mother-of-four married to miner Chris Edwards.

This had to be rectified to take the huge weight of the billiard table, which came from the Moss Vale Golf Club.

Peter and partner Brigid Keary have spent many a fine evening playing snooker, watching the footy on the home theatre system or relaxing in front of the cosy fire.

“I have a lot of fond memories of this place,” Peter said. “We used to run the B&B ourselves, cook breakfast for everyone and play thousands of games of snooker with our guests.”

While based in Orange, Peter still manages the bookings, collects young Peter from school and plays the odd game of golf.

Brigid used to be in hospitality and there have been many discussions as to which direction the pair may head with their pet project, including the prospect of passing on the baton.

Peter and Brigid agree that after 21 years it may be time to let go.

Brigid agrees.

“It's probably time for a new owner with fresh enthusiasm to take the property to the next level,” Peter said.

“They were great days and certainly helped cement our relationship,” she said.

Perhaps better than anyone, Peter understands no one ever really owns a place like his.

Brigid is a corporate lawyer who moved to Dubbo in 2005 but still regularly flies to Sydney to fulfil her obligations for global accounting firm Deloitte.

“You are merely a caretaker,” he said. “The property is on the market and that dream of sailing away (in his 60 foot American Hatteras moored in Pittwater) is finally becoming a reality.” CWL

Having found each other 10 years ago, the pair formed the ultimate Brady Bunch, with three kids from each partner making one big happy family.

Words & images: Shot by Jake

Left: The original Metters woodstove has been converted to electricity and is perfect for catering for large numbers.

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 111

Historic Ranelagh, 1875, Dubbo's most prestigious heritage home offers a unique, old fashioned, self-catering, Australian guesthouse experience.

Able to accommodate up to 20 guests in comfort, with over 650m2 of living area, Ranelagh offers two lounge rooms, eat in country kitchen, a full size billiard room, library, home cinema, antique and period furniture, open wood fires, extensive verandas, full size lit tennis court and swimming pool, all on acres only 2 kms to Dubbo’s CBD. Ranelagh offers six double bedrooms which can be booked individually or secured all together for the exclusive use of larger groups.

“Ranelagh has truly become a traveler’s destination in its own right.”

We welcome you in sharing Ranelagh For Reservations please phone Peter 0408 636 111

112 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

heritage building

Rich and rare “DUNDULLIMAL” MEANS PLACE OF THUNDER STORMS. WHEN YOU REPEAT THE NAME OVER AND OVER YOU CAN HEAR THE SOUND OF A THUNDERSTORM, AT LEAST ACCORDING TO LOCAL LEGEND OF THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS. THEY MAY NOT have the splendid ocean views they once enjoyed, but new caretakers of “Dundullimal” Tim and Suzie Gratton are the perfect, if not unlikely, custodians for the historic Dubbo property.

The fun-loving pair met at a fund-raising event in Sydney, where Suzie, a business development and fund-raising manager, was organising various artists to decorate 24 model eggs that were to be auctioned off at a ball.

One of the artists involved was Manchester-born Tim, who had arrived in the country in 1996 and was making a name for himself in the bodypainting genre in Australia after gaining renown in the body art world in Europe/USA. Suzie was impressed with his style and started managing him before romance crept into the equation, leading to their marriage on Shark Island in the middle of Sydney Harbour.

Tim, an ex-Navy man with a delightful Pommy accent and endearing sense of humour, loved living in their new apartment in Rose Bay with its expansive views over Sydney Harbour.

In 2010 the pair helped establish the Double Bay Food and Art Festival and it looked as though they would be contented Sydneysiders for a long time.

The call of the bush wasn't too far away however. Tim and Suzie began visiting the Western Plains over several years and decided that life could be more productive and less distracting away from the city.

In early 2011 Suzie was exploring for possible Body Art Festival locations and she visited “Dundullimal”, a fortuitous decision that would change the course of both their lives.

“I rang Tim and told him about this amazing place and that it would be a great location for a festival, however the manager at the time was a bit absent,” she said. “I later spoke to my daughter Sally about the property and with some encouragement from her got in touch with the National Trust, who own this historic home.”

In April 2012 the pair was given the nod to become new caretakers and live on-site.

Although they still owned the old Yee Lee General Store in Stuart Town, they decided to move to Dubbo around late 2010.

The “Wendy house” cottage they were supposed to live in was in very poor condition but the determined pair rolled up their sleeves and made it liveable.

Later on Suzie discovered that the property Sally lives on, “Belaringar”, was formerly owned

by Thomas Baird who sold in 1870 before moving to “Dundullimal”, meaning that mother and daughter are both living on original Baird properties. A small world indeed!

As we sit and talk, Suzie and Tim are keeping a watchful eye on the men entrusted to move an old church onto a site not far from the homestead to be used for wedding ceremonies. >

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 113

heritage building

The old Timbrebongie church has had several homes, including a stint at “Buddah”, near Narromine. Many years ago this property was owned by the MacKillop family, whose relatives included Mary MacKillop, canonised as Saint Mary of the Cross at a mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square in 2010.

The church was carefully relocated by Dubbo businessman Leo Fardell and son Allan in a delicate operation involving a low loader. Their tenacity in moving the fragile church from Narromine, across roughhewn paddocks to its final location, was a sight this Sydney pair is unlikely to forget.

“There is a strong suggestion that Saint Mary may have visited the church at ‘Buddah’ during some stage of her life,” Suzie said. “I'm sure the first couple married in there will receive a special blessing from our good saint above.”

Suzie said she was genuinely thrilled to have the opportunity to share this special place with newlyweds.

“We have helped celebrate over 30 weddings since we've been here and being part of each one is really a blessing,” she said.

“We've been really fortunate that we have never been rained out since we started. It's an intoxicating energy, although at 1am in the morning after a long wedding I may feel a little different!”

Tim said many locals enjoyed a good country wedding nosh-up in a farming environment.

114 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

“We call it unique and elegant, there is nothing else really like it.”

He often takes wedding guests on short tours around the property, sharing his passion for the history of not only white settlement but also the traditional owners. Tim loves sharing anecdotes and was giving guided tours within a month of being here.

“I try and tell a story not just recite dates,” he said. “I tell people about the old killing tree (that is still standing), and how it used to be a lookout for the station boys to spot oncoming riders from Wellington.”

It was not far from here that one of the largest Aboriginal corroborees witnessed in NSW history was staged, with more than 300 in attendance.

“The settlers in the Dundullimal homestead were fearful for their lives that night and didn't sleep but the next morning there was no one there, they'd all gone,” Tim said.

The sun is going down and Suzie is in her element.

When all the visitors are gone (there are more than 4000 a year) and there is no one else here, I feel a calmness creep over me,” she said.

“There is a nice energy here and although the job has consumed our lives we just love it. I no longer have to wear a suit to work and nor do I have to battle the Sydney traffic.”

For Tim, it's just another day in the best office in the world. What better place to celebrate a birthday beer in this nostalgic place he now calls home.

A VIBRANT HISTORY A visit to historic “Dundullimal” homestead provides a unique opportunity to see Dubbo's oldest building open to the public and experience how life might have been back in Australia's early pioneering days.

Records indicate that Europeans began settling in the Dubbo area during the 1830s and these first hardy squatters built temporary structures known as slab huts to live in.

In 1836 brothers Dalmahoy and Charles Campbell claimed the original “Dundullimal” run and erected such a dwelling. In those early colonial days Wellington, the nearest settlement, was a good day's ride away while a trip to Sydney could take up to six weeks.

Six years later John Maughan transformed the hut into a comfortable homestead fit for a gentleman of his wealth and standing.

The architectural style is Palladian in design, with two wings (now gone) either side of a central living area.

Maughan is also credited with building the imposing stone stables, quarried from the farm, as well as helping construct the first courthouse and lock-up in the nearby village of Dubbo, which by the 1850s was growing as a major stock route junction in the pastoral boom.

The property's next owner was philanthropist Walter Brocklehurst, who extended the stables and built a church, which was later moved north to a small village named after him.

In 1871 Thomas Baird assumed control and his large family were to farm there until the 1950s but the place was no longer what it used to be.

Over successive generations the place had been carved up into many smaller blocks as demand for land increased.

One notable subdivision occurred during World War 2, when a block of 300 acres was allocated for an army camp, which has since become home to the famous Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The big flood of 1955 caused extensive damage to the homestead and the place was abandoned for the next 30 years.

“The cows used to walk through the homestead in search of hay and, if it wasn't for the foresight of a handful of concerned locals back in the 1980s, this place could have been lost forever,” Suzie said.

After being left to the elements, the four hectares surrounding the old homestead, stables and shed were donated by the Palmer family (descendants of Thomas Baird) to the National Trust of Australia (NSW) in 1985.

With the help of a bicentennial grant and a dedicated group of volunteers, “Dundullimal” was restored to its 1850s grandeur.

Facing page: Suzie and Tim love living here; many of Tim’s artworks feature in the function room; the old stables and recently relocated church complement the rural setting.

Above: The old homestead features a replica of the original wallpapers, low ceilings and many original furnishings. The Cart Room housed a spring cart or a sulky, as pictured here. The carriage in the coach room would possibly have been a large double seat buggy capable of carrying the entire family. The second smaller vehicle was used when only one or two people needed transport. The Maughans were a “two car family” even in the 1860s!

Much credit is given to Sydney architect Clive Lucas and award-winning restoration builder Gary Waller, who moved his family from Sydney and away from the surf he loved to the Dubbo plains for two years of painstaking restoration work. He is still involved with the project to this day.

Today “Dundullimal” is one of only 33 National Trust buildings in NSW and is more accessible than any other, bar the Old Government House complex in Parramatta. The homestead is also believed to be the oldest surviving timber slab building in the country. CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake Lead image: Luke Peterson

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 115

LUCKNOW

6365 5437

Beads • Workshops • Jewellery & Gifts

116 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

LUCKNOW’S TREASURE TROVE THE LAST TIME FLUSTERED BUSINESSMAN KERRY “DARCY” CONDON REPORTED A KIDNAPPING TO THE LOCAL CONSTABULARY THEY LAUGHED IN HIS FACE AND TOLD HIM THEY HAD BEEN EXPECTING HIS CALL. THE BOYS in blue, like thousands of other regular travellers who slow down through the tiny village of Lucknow, just out of Orange, were familiar with the sight of a well-dressed mannequin hanging around the front of Darcy's Old Wares.

She was the business mascot, and without fail Darcy always managed to have her looking her best.

Famous for her dazzling red frocks and dubbed by those in the know as The Lady in Red, the mannequin's been a big hit with both locals and visitors for more than 20 years since Darcy first opened up shop.

A much sought-after trophy, she has been nabbed a few times by zealous collectors who cannot resist her feminine charm. Kerry reports it to the local police each time but she's never been sighted.

Someone, somewhere out there, knows somebody who may know the whereabouts of these lost girls but the Lucknow community remains tight-lipped.

Although a sensitive issue, it isn't one that causes Kerry any loss of sleep. This laid-back local legend, best known as Darcy, has plenty of mannequins up his sleeve and insists The Lady in Red tradition will live on.

It's a good gimmick and one that has drawn thousands of collectors to his gigantic shed, hoping to find something special.

Darcy reckons he may have more than 10,000 items for sale, making it probably the biggest old wares shop west of the Blue Mountains. The attraction is that you never know what you will stumble on.

Over the years Darcy has collected the unthinkable. There are old red phone boxes, petrol bowsers, early clocks, china cabinets and pinball machines. Then you can throw in lots of rustic farm equipment, old rusty wheels and even the odd FC Holden ute. >

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 117

collector

From an early age Darcy knew he was destined to be a full-blown, life-time collector. He started at 17, buying a few antique pieces, doing them up and selling them as a hobby but it was a further 20 years before he developed the confidence to turn his passion into a viable business.

He settled on the name Darcy’s Old Wares because Darcy had been a nickname since he was a kid but there was another reason.

“Before I opened, I went to the library and did a bit of homework,” he explained with a mischievous grin.

“Lucknow was once a famous goldmining town with one of the most prosperous veins found in the world. One of the mines was called the Darcy Estate Mine and that convinced me to go with the name Darcy.”

Fast forward another 20 years and Darcy’s Old Wares is still a one-man show, kicking goals and attracting visitors from all over the country. Some of his famous clients include blokes like John Williamson, Mark “Jacko” Jackson, Artie Beetson and “Chopper” Read.

Only recently Angry Anderson called in for a peep and purchased a heap of collectables from stock packed to the

rafters. He couldn’t get over the huge array of old stuff on offer. “When new people come into the store they are amazed how much we have,” Darcy said.

Retro is all the go at the moment, along with chrome kitchen tables and Eames furniture.

“Trends come and go over the years,” Darcy said. “Traditional antique furniture seems to be going by the wayside, replaced by 1950s to 1980s furniture.

Rustic charm is also becoming popular, like old farm gear.

“Many shops like mine have closed down but I keep going because I give a fair price and customers love coming back. If you’re fair with everything, everything will be fair with you.”

Look out for some great specials in March 2014, when Darcy’s Old Wares celebrates its 20th anniversary. It’s probably the oldest antique and old wares shop in the Central West and certainly one of the most colourful. CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

LETTERS FROM THE LADY IN RED Every year since her “kidnapping”, the original Lady in Red sends Darcy a Christmas card saying that she is still being well looked after by her proud new owners.

DARCY’S

Celebrating 20 YEARS in 2014 With Christmas just around the corner be sure to put Darcy’s on your list to grab your someone special that unique piece, or a range of classic vintage homewares!

Darcy’s ripe red cherries will be on sale once again this year from December, just in time for Christmas! facebook: Darcys Lucknow | darcysoldwares.com.au | 02 63655 126 | darcysoldwares@bigpond.com 118 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

Choices Flooring by Brights 61 George Street, Bathurst 6331 4866 choicesflooring.com.au

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 119

fashion

HIDE

and seek

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED AT THE FAMOUS LUCKNOW SKIN SHOP AND BOOT BARN. THE EYE-CATCHING COWHIDES STILL HANG OUTSIDE THE STORE, ABOUT TEN MINUTES SOUTH-EAST OF ORANGE, BUT IT'S WHAT LIES INSIDE THAT HAS TONGUES WAGGING. From Thomas Cook, Wrangler and Ariat clothing to Moda Immagine ladies fashion and now stocking RM Williams Stockyard, this shop has it all. The range of accessories include hats, gloves, wallets, scarves, belts and handbags.

There's also a huge range of work, western, riding and dress boots and all manner of sheepskin products.

Mother and son duo Dianne and Nathan Gee are run off their feet in their iconic store but they love it.

Prior to their retail years, the family has a history of manufacturing sheepskin boots spanning 45 years. They understand this particular product inside out.

The Gees have been at the Lucknow Skin Shop seven days a week for the past 17 years. Dianne and her husband Geoffrey purchased the business from the O’Malley family in 1996 and after Geoff’s passing Nathan stepped in as Dianne’s business partner.

Looking at the business from two different viewpoints has allowed the business to go in a new direction with multigenerational appeal. You can buy a present for grandpa or your newborn niece, now that the variety on offer is greater than ever before.

Nathan’s partner Angelique also performs a management role in the shop. Nathan and Angelique’s daughter Scarlett is the current radio star and their son Toby also has a starring role in their television advertising.

Lucknow Skin Shop and Boot Barn went online this year with their new website at www.lucknowskinshop.com.au.

“This has added to our workload of course, but it's been very exciting watching the website gain momentum,” Dianne said. “Each and every sale is met with absolute enthusiasm and we feel like it is a case of ‘watch this space’ as we still have lots of ideas to develop.

“We still have the occasional customer who says they thought we just sold cow hides and ugg boots. Once inside or online, they soon realise this couldn’t be further from the truth.”

The familiar old store is about to undergo a facelift.

“We have played a two-year waiting game due to red tape, however we think we are now just about to get started,” Nathan said.

“This will afford us much greater space to display all that we have on offer and give us some much-needed storage space. This will no doubt give us a fair headache while we make the transition and undergo some big cosmetic changes, but it is exciting.”

Words & images: Shot by Jake

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 121

Casual | Formal | Mother of the Bride | Accessories M - F 9am - 5.30pm, Sat 9am - 1pm 02 6362 6436 www.facebook.com/ArcadeImpressions arcadeimpressions@yahoo.com.au Shop 24-25 Orange Arcade, Summer Street, Orange 2800

122 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

summer

fashion

love

CLASH BRIGHT COLOURS WITH ORIENTAL PRINTS FOR A FRESH, BOLD LOOK THIS SUMMER Pre-loved 100% cotton dress by Upstream, Megan Salmon $70 (Frockwork Orange); pre-loved patent black heels by Nine West $45 (Frockwork Orange); turquoise and silver ring $19.95 (Arcade Impressions); 100% Merino wool Kimono belt (So Stella).

MIX FRESH WHITE HUES WITH VIVID SHADES OF ORANGE AND 100% cotton dress in white by One Season $159 and props (The White Place); Kuchi silver cuff $25 and necklace $29.95 (Worldly Treasures); sandals by Miz Mooz $119.95 (Gorgeousness).

Below: Hand-dyed sunhat $280 available in a variety of colours (Fiona Schofield Millinery); white tee by San Cerre $75, brown leather bag $249 (The White Place).

BLUE

fashion

COMBINE RELAXED, TAILORED PIECES WITH SOFT SILKS FOR SUBTLE

SOPHISTICATION

Linen blend summer blazer by Kain Label $340, white tee $75 by San Cerre, 100% silk black firefly pants by Lounge $210, necklace

by Fuzen Lifestyle $49.95 (The White Place); sterling silver ring $85 (Worldly Treasures); pre-loved patent black heels by Nine West $45 (Frockwork Orange).

fashion

EMBRACE LONG, FLOATY SILHOUETTES IN BRIGHT, FEMININE TONES, FINISHED WITH A

HINT OF GOLD

Exotic maxi dress in hot pink by Honey and Beau $179, gold earrings $19.95 and bracelet $24.95 both by Adorne (Gorgeousness); gold leather shoes by Eunice Jackson $159 (Eunice Jackson).

126 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

Stockists Arcade Impressions Orange Arcade, Shop 24-25 Summer Street, Orange (02) 6362 6436 www.facebook.com/arcadeimpressions Eunice Jackson 200 Anson Street, Orange (02) 6361 2755 www.eunicejackson.com.au Fiona Schofield Millinery Orange 0427 150 172 www.facebook.com/ fionaschofieldmillinery

EMBELLISH DELICATE

FLORALS WITH

OVER-THE-TOP JEWELS FOR A MODERN TAKE ON ’50s GLAM Peplum dress by Barbara Jane Collection $259.95 (Arcade Impressions); statement crystal necklace $49.95 (Worldly Treasures).

Frockwork Orange 111-113 Endsleigh Avenue, Orange (02) 6360 0706 www.frockworkorange.com.au Gorgeousness 124a William Street, Bathurst (02) 6332 6333 www.facebook.com/pages/ gorgeousness/264710080253858 The White Place 100 Byng Street, Orange (02) 6363 1160 www.thewhiteplace.com.au Worldly Treasures 232 McLachlan Street, Orange 0401 977 886 www.worldlytreasures.com.au

Stylist Michelle Kent, So Stella 0409 466 223 www.sostella.com.au fashion@centralwestmagazine.com.au Photographer Angus Waddell Photography 0427 428 454 www.waddell.com.au Model Lauren Venner

Venues - Orange Duntryleague Golf Course, Guesthouse and Function Centre (02) 6362 3466 www.duntryleague.com.au

Croagh Patrick Conference Centre, Accommodation and Online Learning Facility (02) 6362 7973 www.octec.org.au

www.frockworkorange.com.au (111Endsleigh Ave. Orange)

“ A Buyer & Seller of L ved Designer, Ladies, Mens, Childrens & Vintage Clothing” Mon - Fri 10 - 5pm Saturdays 10 - 2pm ish Private Group Bookings welcome, Nibbles provided

N

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128 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

fashion

Sartorial splendour THE AUTHENTICITY OF A QUALITY GARMENT IS A COG IN THE WHEEL OF SO STELLA, HEADED BY MOTIVATED COUNTRY FASHIONISTA MICHELLE KENT. BORN AND RAISED a Dubbo girl, she displays a passion for her craftmanship and an enduring motivation to go that one step further every time.

Michelle has resisted the cheap, easy option of outsourcing labour.

Instead she creates a matchless material masterpiece from initial design to the immaculate end product.

Pair a creative flair with relentless hard work, and you have Michelle, producer of trans-seasonal wardrobe essentials made from the highest quality fabrics.

She studied Fashion Design at the KVB Institute of Design in Sydney, and after graduating with Honours spent the past 11 years working in all facets of the industry. Michelle has lived every fashion enthusiast’s dream, having worked for the likes of Collette Dinnigan, Jigsaw and David Lawrence, and having dressed Miranda Kerr at a Wayne Cooper fashion parade.

“I got into fashion to be making, creating, sewing, and the country is the only place to do it,” Michelle said.

Her Orange lifestyle allows her to escape what she refers to as the “crazy money train” that is fashion in the city. She is a grounded woman with a vision for ethical, unique fashion design done without distraction.

“It’s really special that people see So Stella as an exciting venture,” Michelle said.

“I am very much with the belief that we have lost the beauty of fashion design today in the tumult of mass production.”

As a result, Michelle sits not at an office desk but at the forefront of every step in the design and production phases.

Clients can sit and witness the creation of their customised clothing in Michelle’s design studio, meaning the perfect product can come to fruition.

“That’s the way clothes were made back in the day, and it’s something that is lacking in fashion,” Michelle said. “It’s a labour of love for me, and watching a garment evolve over time is so rewarding.”

So Stella is accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia, a label that indicates everything is done domestically from start to finish.

At www.sostella.com.au you can view the myriad of exquisite pieces in Michelle’s collection. The modifications you desire are only a phone call away.

Words: Anna Tickle CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 129

www.sostella.com.au deliberately timeless

So Stella is a boutique fashion label based in Orange, NSW. All garments are ethically handcrafted from quality fabrics and can be ‘Tailor Made’ on request to suit your individual needs.

So Stella is available online or contact us to visit the Studio.

0409 466 223 | enquiries@sostella.com.au

A m y, Ni c o l e & C h ar l en e

2 1 7 C la r ind a St

Amy, Nicole

Pa r k e s N SW 2 8 7 0 P: 02 6862 5900 F: 02 6862 5911

&

1 Clarinda Street arkes nsw 2871 lephone: 68525900 ax: 6862 5911

o nefo r tyo neo nm ain@ b ig p o nd . co m .au

Charlene

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 131

DID YOU KNOW?

132 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

sEASONAL food

A fruitful harvest

Growing your own food isn't just a hobby; it is part of a healthy lifestyle. Children learn where food comes from. They can appreciate nature and the effect that we can have on our environmental horizon. Simple tasks, such as raking leaves, pulling weeds, growing seedlings or peeling a carrot they grew themselves, put them in touch with the world outside the plastic packet in the fridge. . . So grow your own food: It is trendy, politically correct, wholesome, good for the environment, good for our tight budgets and for our burgeoning waistlines. And it isn't hard. . . Get your hands dirty and enjoy the soil and the sunshine. Pick and plunder from outside your own windows. Enjoy the process from garden to table and all that is in between.� – Sally Cameron, author of Grow It Cook It.

THE JOYS OF A COUNTRY LARDER IMAGINE your teeth piercing the velvety flesh of a home-grown peach, plucked from the reaches of that very tree in your backyard. Truly feel the sticky sweet juice dribbling down your wrist, down your forearm and finally lingering on your elbow. Taste the sugary sweetness of it all, and as you do, think to yourself, “I grew this little symbol of perfection”. Because you made this with your bare hands, and the feeling of pride will hit you along with the delicious peachy buzz.

There exists no stronger connection with the soil and the changing seasons than eating food you have sown, nurtured and harvested.

Guests were encouraged to taste and share the abundance of country larder fare that had been produced with a collaborative, ongoing effort of many who gathered in the Bishop’s Court Estate kitchen to prepare for this special event.

Why not engage in an event of your own, and collaborate with other families and other generations in your area? Beautiful food brings us together, and when it comes straight from your backyard in the most natural, unchanged form, your body and soul will thank you.

Growing fruit and vegetables can be a very satisfying and rewarding pastime. Most can be harvested within a few weeks or months.

Vegetables can be grown almost anywhere, and a kitchen garden is one of the most pleasurable and rewarding gardens you can plant.

We have been given the gift of a beautiful land abundant with resources, with plentiful foods that are right at our fingertips. It is so important to utilise our distinct seasons and the wholesome array of nourishment that they cultivate for us.

Traditionally, the country larder is a place where your forebears would peruse the shelves, bursting with variety and ongoing sustenance for those difficult months. They were raised with a remarkable ability to effectively manage our land and reap the benefits.

Hours and hours were spent in the kitchen preserving and bottling vegetables and fruits and squirrelling delicious treats away for the cold times ahead.

It was our pleasure to have created a stunning Country Larder experience in the private chapel at Mayfield Gardens (pictured), as a celebration of traditional values and the rich produce of the Central ranges. From preserves to terrines, to freshly baked country tarts using heritage recipes, the team at Bishop’s Court Estate created a convivial long lunch. Homemade lemonade and local wines paired perfectly with everything from marinated cheeses from the region, to Earl Grey-infused figs, all with handmade tags and labels that created a feeling of organic simplicity.

FIGS IN EARL GREY AND BRANDY SYRUP INGREDIENTS 500g dried (ready to eat) figs 500ml Earl Grey tea Rind of ½ orange 1 cinnamon stick 150g granulated sugar 120ml brandy METHOD 1. Put the dried figs in a pan with the orange peel and cinnamon stick.

2. Add tea. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the figs are nice and plump.

3. Drain the figs and warm jam jars with some hot water.

4. Keep the tea on the heat, and add sugar.

Heat gently and stir until the sugar has dissolved, then boil it for a couple of minutes until mixture becomes syrupy.

5. Take it off the heat and stir in the brandy.

6. Add the orange rind and cinnamon stick to the figs, then place the mixture in warmed jars. Pour syrup over the top and remove any air bubbles.

7. Seal and store for a month in a cool, dark place.

LEMON-THYME JELLY For more than a couple of jars, you should double all the quantities below.

INGREDIENTS 6 lemons 15 sprigs fresh thyme 2 to 3 cups of sugar ½ tsp salt Glass jars METHOD 1. Juice the six lemons and cut the remaining rind. Pulp into ¼ inch pieces (using a food processor helps). Put the lemon juice and cut-up lemon (seeds and all) into a pot and cover with 6 cups of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 90 minutes. When ready, lemons will be easily pierced by a knife.

2. Drain everything well so that no solids are left (use a chinois or cheesecloth-lined strainer). Let the mixture sit overnight in the fridge.

3. Submerge glass jars in a water-filled pot and bring to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes and leave the jars in the hot water until they are needed. Add the lids in for the last couple of minutes.

4. Put some glass bowls into the freezer.

5. Put the mixture into a pot and add ½ cup of sugar for every cup of liquid that you have left. Add salt and bring to a boil. Keep it at a boil, and stir occasionally to dissolve sugar. While the mixture boils, foam will occasionally float up; skim off.

6. As the mixture thickens, dip a long spoon into the mix; once it starts running in a thickish stream, it’s time to start checking the mix with the glass bowls. Put a couple of drops from the pot onto a cold glass bowl from your freezer. This’ll quickly bring the jelly down to room temperature, and you’ll be able to check whether it’s at the consistency you want. Then turn off the heat.

7. Remove your jars from the hot water and wipe off the threads of the jars. Add a sprig of thyme to each jar and fill with the jelly.

Screw the lids back on, put the jars back into the hot water and boil for 10 minutes.

Words & recipes: Christine Le Fevre

134 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

Need fresh food on a

weekday?

Coffee, breakfast, lunch and catering Open Monday thru Friday 37-39 Bultje Street, Dubbo

P: 6882 6769 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 135

restaurant

IN GOOD HANDS FIRST OF ALL A CONFESSION: my beloved and I have been fans of the Two Doors Restaurant prior to moving to Dubbo and it has remained our favourite restaurant in the town ever since.

The ambience and warmth of the building lends itself to a unique dining experience. If you are in need of a long, relaxing lunch or dinner, casual or intimate you will leave feeling refreshed.

Restaurants are very personal businesses so when we heard that it had changed hands we were a little concerned, however we were both pleased to have our fears allayed. Before we dive into the gastronomic excellence, some history.

Two Doors is the perfect private function location or a one-stop wedding venue, or simply a place to enjoy the atmosphere with friends or colleagues for a coffee or sample one of the many wines, accompanied with an antipasto plate.

The building that houses the restaurant was built by Dubbo’s Dr Walter Hugh Tibbets in 1873. Apart from being the local GP, Dr Tibbets was also the warden at the Holy Trinity Church and assistant to the magistrate and chief clerk at the town’s monthly court settings.

Two Doors is famed for its style of tapas and on the night we dined, there was a healthy crowd being watched over by restaurant manager Dallas Lee. The ambience of Two Doors is warm and friendly and the staff were always keen to ensure we felt welcomed.

While the original home was quite modest, the good doctor was obviously a man of high standards as this is reflected in the quality of materials used in the building’s construction. The foundations are nearly two metres deep and the stone walls a massive 50 centimetres thick.

The lintels over the doors themselves are more than 20cm thick and the whole building has survived Dubbo’s regular floods in excellent condition.

We kicked off with ciabatta bread, which came with three styles of dips to whet our appetite for the main event. First to appear was the chilli lime salted squid, which was beautifully fresh with a well-balanced seasoning. My beloved is a seafood fan so next was the salt and pepper prawns, which came with a tangy salsa that combined well with the spiced prawns.

While numerous renovations have taken place over the intervening 140 years, you can still get a sense of what it would have been like to live in the original house. There are numerous photos of the good doctor and family decorating the walls, which adds enormously to the charm of the place.

Current owners are Mal, Alison and Sam Reaburn and while they are keen to imprint their own ideas on the restaurant they are conscious that they are dealing with a much-loved icon in Dubbo.

Alison has a long and varied business career, ranging from running a hotel to the airport café, and when she heard that the previous owners were keen to sell, she jumped at the chance. Bringing son Mal into the fold, who has worked in Sydney in commercial real estate, and the hotel industry, it enabled them to set a fresh direction for Two Doors. Their new menu was crafted by local chef Daniel Coen and promises more local, seasonal produce.

136 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

I am a confirmed carnivore so insisted on two wholesome meat dishes, the lamb shanks and pork belly. The shank was a delight, the meat beautifully tender on a bed of sweet potato, while the pork was simply amazing. If you like crispy crackling with tender and juicy meat you will love this.

Presented on a bed of beetroot and pear puree this was the dish of the day for me. A word of warning: the serves are generous so take your waiter’s advice on the quantity of food you can comfortably eat!

Two Doors is also known for a well thought-out wine list and while the staff are happy to assist, we are both fans of the Gooree Park Shiraz, which went well with our meal.

It is impressive to witness how Two Doors has retained its charm. Based on our meal, the restaurant is in very capable hands. CWL Words: Duncan Payne Images: Angus Waddell

country cuisine

Spread

the love

SURPRISE YOUR FAMILY and friends this Christmas with a special treat from your kitchen.

Add the aromatic flavour of a tasty chilli relish to savoury crackers and meats. Experience the wonderful taste of citrus zest to complement a sweet finish to the meal by serving this lemon butter in tartlet cases or as a fresh zesty filling in mini pavlovas.

Here are two great recipes that have remained popular through the passage of time.

RUSTIC CHILLI RELISH INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1 teaspoon salt 4 Granny Smith apples 2 medium onions ½ teaspoon minced garlic 3 teaspoons red chilli paste 1½ cups cider vinegar Approximately 1½ cups white sugar

1. Remove apple cores and chop into small pieces (no need to peel).

2. Peel and chop onions same size.

3. Put apples, onion, salt, garlic and chilli into saucepan. Cover with the vinegar and cook until tender.

4. Measure the quantity of the cooked mixture and for each cup of the mixture add ½ cup of sugar.

5. Bring back to the boil and continue until fully cooked.

LEMON BUTTER INGREDIENTS

METHOD

Juice of 3 medium lemons 4 eggs Grated rind of one lemon (take care not to include the bitter white pith) 1½ cups white sugar 125 grams butter (cubed)

1.

Put juice, eggs, rind and sugar in blender and blend for one minute.

2.

Put blended ingredients into a double saucepan.

3.

Add the butter, stirring until it starts to thicken.

4.

Continue stirring until it coats the back of a spoon.

5.

Bottle while warm. Seal when cool.

Recipes: Lorraine Hills

138 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

Arancina Little Orange

Italian Restaurant

The Central West is home to some of the greatest produce in the World ...

Manildra Flower, Cowra lamb and so much more create the perfect location for displaying Italian food.

Italian cuisine revolves around presenting the naked ingredient at its natural best.

Adding to the local produce is our access to fresh seafood and the hand of a master chef.

Open every day Midday to 9pm Bookings are recommended The restaurant welcomes groups Corner Peisley and Summer Streets, Orange NSW (02) 6362 1786

Restaurant now taking bookings for Christmas CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 139

leave it all behind and escape to a place in the country where life is lived at a beautiful pace.

Enjoy cooking classes, indulgent with every 3 SPECIAL OFFERwe night booking pampering, fine are FORoffering CENTRALFEAST WEST Leave it all behind and escape to a place in the country where dining and readers a 50% saving LIFESTYLE READERS life is lived at a beautiful pace. Enjoy cooking classes, indulgent exploring the on a cooking class pampering, fine dining and exploring the magnificent region we for people. magnificent Book2two nights andPlease receive a call to make your love in complete harmony. bottle of premium local wine region we love in andreservation a regional tasting platter complete harmony. with ourredeem compliments. and this offer.

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life is lived at a beautiful pace. Enjoy cooking classes, indulgent www.bishopscourtestate.com.au pampering, fine dining and exploring the magnificent region we love in complete harmony.

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Bishop’s Court Estate 226 Seymour Street Bathurst NSW 2795 Ph: 02 6332 4447

www.bishopscourtestate.com.au

21/03/2013 10:53:33 AM

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 141

SCOTTISH

Highlights

SCOTLAND IS A COLLAGE OF CASTLES, MAJESTIC HIGHLANDS, FASCINATING HISTORY, KILTS, GOLF AND LAKE SERPENTS. WHILE AUSTRALIA SETTLED INTO ITS WINTER FOR 2013 THE UNITED KINGDOM GREETED MY FAMILY WITH THE BIGGEST CORKER OF A HEATWAVE THE UK HAD EXPERIENCED SINCE 2006.

SCOTLAND is a spectacular country with beautiful scenery consisting of rolling hills, clear coastal waters and lush, fertile lands. Driving from Northumberland in England we reached the Scottish border without any warning other than to drop into the spectacular lowlands.

of Scotland. We climbed the 246-step spiral staircase to the viewing gallery inside the monument’s crown and my family just couldn’t help themselves but to bellow “you may take my life but you will never take my freedom”.

Our family’s most treasured experiences of Scotland are of the regions outside of Edinburgh. Our adventures beyond Edinburgh took us to Stirlingshire, the Fife Coast and the Great Glen.

Braveheart behind us, we headed for the Scottish Highlands to embark on our quest to unearth the truth about the Loch Ness monster.

My husband and I are keen golfers and St Andrews, the home of golf, was a priority destination. We spent one outstanding day on the Fife Coast visiting the Royal and Ancient St Andrews and driving the spectacular coast road, taking in the picturesque seaside villages dotted along the North Sea. Golf originated at St Andrews in the early 1400s and the magnificent university town boasts some of the finest links golf courses in the world, including the divine Old Course.

Walking along the hallowed paths adjacent to the first and on to the second in sublime weather conditions made us rue the decision not to take the ballot and have a round ourselves. We walked on the bitumen pathway that dissected the fairways of the first and 18th to almost comical shouts of “fore” as high handicappers sprayed their tee shots among the unofficial gallery.

From St Andrews we headed to the beautiful seaside village of Crail for lunch at The Golf Hotel. The hotel dates back to the 16th century when it was used as an inn for coach drivers.

Stirring images of Braveheart are synonymous with Scotland and to soak up this unique part of Scottish heritage we ventured to Stirlingshire to visit Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland, and most significantly is associated with the legendary William Wallace. Stirling Castle is a great symbol of Scottish independence and a source of national pride.

Not too far away, standing tall and proud outside the city and overlooking the scene of Wallace’s victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, is the awesome Wallace Monument. Being there certainly stirs emotions. Maybe it is because of the movie Braveheart? I prefer to think it is because of the story of William Wallace, patriot, martyr and guardian 142 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

The best place to settle the legend of Loch Ness is the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition, right on the large, deep, freshwater Loch Ness. The exhibition comprises seven themed demonstration rooms where the stories of the evolution of the lochs along the Great Glen are told.

On one hand, the loch’s Jurassic Park reputation, 1000 reliable eye-witnesses and some classic photography lead you to believe the legend absolutely; I was sold.

On the other hand, hoaxes and illusions, Scotland’s journey and the legacy of the ice, life in the abyss and a possible underlying truth, lead you to the scientist’s view.

I would be a complete wowser if I revealed the “truth” so the legend will just have to live on. We have only ever heard travellers speak in glowing terms of the highlands of Scotland and now we know why – the mountains, lochs and babbling brooks are simply breathtaking!

Our travels across Scotland were punctuated with deep indulgences in the food and pub culture. There is a unique atmosphere in the pubs of Scotland. Food and drink are at the very heart of Scottish culture, particularly the world famous haggis, a savoury pudding containing sheep’s heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, encased in the sheep’s stomach. This was at the top of the list for my husband, not the rest of my family!

Scotland is steeped in fabulous, profound history. It leaves an indelible mark inside your heart, which you hope will last forever. The Braveheart CD ensures the memories live on for us – the Uilleann pipes, the drumming and lullaby-like ballads transport you back there very quickly, making you wish you never left. CWL Words & images: Pip Teys

travel

travel

Holiday makers TRAVELMANAGERS AUSTRALIA is an organisation with an edge.

With representatives throughout each state and territory in Australia, TravelManagers provides the undecided or time-poor traveller with a professional, service-based network of personal travel managers (PTMs) with a wealth of experience and knowledge in the industry.

TravelManagers specialises in tailored travel arrangements, customising itineraries to unique requirements and providing a highly personalised experience.

The Central West region’s expert personal travel managers include Robbie Barrett, Maria Miller and Louise Gillogly.

Robbie is Dubbo’s representative and offers 35 years of varied experience within the travel industry.

“I enjoy sharing the knowledge provided by personal experience with others,” Robbie smiled.

“I am able to provide a personalised consulting service, in the home, local coffee shops and also will travel to outlying towns as required. Initial discussions in a personal setting means I am better equipped to suggest ideal travel options,” she added.

Robbie has worked in various positions in the travel sector in Sydney, including as a flight attendant with Ansett, and with a local agency for 11 years in her hometown of Dubbo.

Similar to Robbie, Maria Miller has been working in the travel industry since 1988 and is now a TravelManagers Australia representative for Parkes. She has been named in Top Achievers with Insight Tours and Scenic Tours.

“I have travelled extensively worldwide over the past 25 years, meaning I have the ability to pass on my knowledge of these locations to couples, families and singles,” she said.

Just like Robbie and Maria, Louise Gillogly has a world of experience, namely 20 years’ personal and professional background in the travel industry.

“I have a passion for travel and I truly enjoy working with my clients to create a resonating, trouble-free travel experience,” Louise said.

“I believe in providing excellent customer service and attention to detail.

I will go that extra mile to make your travel dreams reality.”

Since joining TravelManagers in 2010, Louise has coordinated wedding groups to the South Pacific, one of her many domestic and international projects.

“I have had the opportunity of travelling to some amazing destinations, with one of my favourites being Aitutaki in the Cook Islands,” she said.

Maria and Louise work closely together in Parkes, allowing a shared workload and a high level of client support.

Above: Maria Miller, Louise Gillogly and Robbie Barrett.

EXPLORING THE WORLD HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER WITH YOUR PERSONAL TRAVEL MANAGER ROBBIE BARRETT Personal Travel Manager

LOUISE GILLOGLY Personal Travel Manager

MARIA MILLER Personal Travel Manager

Dubbo Area Representative

Parkes Area Representative

Parkes Area Representative

M 0428 748 469

M 0432 183 256

M 0400 194 967

robbieb@travelmanagers.com.au

louiseg@travelmanagers.com.au

mariam@travelmanagers.com.au

PART OF THE HOUSE OF TRAVEL GROUP Licence No: NSW: 2TA5758 VIC: 32695 TAS: TAS158 SA: 198473 WA: 9TA1394 QLD: 3168806 NT: LTA154 ABN: 35 113 085 626 Member: IATA, AFTA

www.travelmanagers.com.au

144 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

As personal travel managers we can arrange to meet you at a time and place that’s convenient to discuss your travel plans. And because TravelManagers has partner agreements with all major international and domestic travel providers we can access very competitive rates for both leisure and business travel. We are passionate about travel and look forward to sharing our knowledge and first-hand experience to ensure your trip is not just a holiday, but a journey of a lifetime.

- Louise, Maria and Robbie, your local Personal Travel Managers

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 145

TOMS WATERHOLE WINES & BALLOON JOY FLIGHTS BOUTIQUE FAMILY OWNED WINERY • Makers of wine to enjoy with food • Ploughman’s lunches, woodfired pizzas, espresso coffee • Open 10am - 4pm daily • Cafe open Sat/Sun 12pm -2.30pm Bookings preferred THE REGION’S MOST EXPERIENCED BALLOON FLIGHT OPERATOR • Early morning, champagne balloon flights • Group discounts and gift certificates available

Graham & Jan Kerr Longs Corner Rd, Canowindra T | 02 6344 1819 E | jan@gjkerr.com.au www.gjkerr.com.au

146 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

High

achiever

JOEL STEWART ALWAYS HAD A BURNING DESIRE TO FLY HELICOPTERS BUT HE HAD TO WALK AWAY FROM A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS TO FINALLY ACHIEVE HIS DREAM.

THE ORIGINAL life plan was to retire from his Sydney plumbing business at age 50 before taking to the skies but there was a slight problem: Joel Stewart couldn't wait that long.

After 16 years he pulled the plug on plumbing and went for his helicopter pilot's licence, an exciting period of his life that took seven months.

“Life is too short and I didn't want to end up old and disillusioned because I was too scared to dream a little bigger,” he said from his modern new hangar, complete with accommodation and training rooms for aspiring pilots.

Joel has flown all over Australia, met some great people and formed some close friendships through his association with helicopters.

“I've enjoyed some unbelievable experiences in all Australian states, from flying tourists around Sydney Harbour and the Twelve Apostles to mining operations in the South Australian desert,” he said.

“I have flown around Cape York and seen Lake Eyre and the Cooper Creek in flood, as well as helping flood relief operations in Bourke.”

Joel began teaching student pilots about four years ago after an in-depth training program to become an instructor.

“In the past I've enjoyed teaching apprentices and thought it would be great to instruct pilots.”

The Central West Helicopter School has operated in Orange for about five years, but with more than 25 years of flying training experience through its parent company.

The school recently moved into its modern facility at Orange airport, which usually houses three to five helicopters. The school covers all aspects of helicopter operations but specialises in pilot training.

148 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

Private licences take about a year and consist of 50 flight hours and one theory exam. Commercial licences take on average 18 months and consist of 105 flight hours and seven theory exams. Both licences have a flight test at the completion of the training and can be completed in the R22, R44 or both.

Joel is proud of his 100 per cent safety record, having conducted thousands of flight hours with nil incidents let alone accidents. If that's not enough incentive to head for the skies, then follow Joel's example and simply follow your heart. CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

UP, UP AND AWAY Our flight was conducted in a Robinson R22 Beta II, a popular machine for flight training and mustering. This chopper comes with a 360 cubic inch horizontally opposed, air-cooled Boxer engine burning 34 litres of Avgas an hour. We flew around 1000 AGL (above ground level), reaching air speeds of about 170kmh.

It wasn't until we took off in space that I felt nervous about my door being removed to aid my photography chances once airborne. Yes the view was great but how strong is this seatbelt if he pulls a few sharp turns!

It didn't take long to realise this wasn't going to happen. Joel knew what I was thinking before I did. He has seen it hundreds of times and each person is different.

The ride was smooth and the view just so unbelievable that I quickly forgot about my lack of a will and focused instead on shooting the country bursting into spring below me!

Joel says it's time for all life adventurers to take to the skies in a helicopter. It is only once you are up there, flying like a bird, that you will understand why this is a bucket-list experience.

From left: The Central West Helicopter school base at Orange airport houses three to five helicopters and boasts modern accommodation for students; a model Robinson R22 Beta II; Joel began teaching pilots around four years ago.

Previous page: An aerial view of Orange taken from the helicopter.

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 149

GONE BUT NOT

FORGOTTEN “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.”

– Director/screenwriter Michael Crichton Who doesn’t love a museum! A time machine of wonders! A place where new ideas can evolve based on that which is long forgotten. I undertake my journey of the Henry Parkes Museum with a very post modernistic view; everything simply evolves and nothing is really new. A pragmatist at heart, it’s not really my intention to sound philosophical. That’s just what a good museum does to me.

First up, I look at a small but detailed section on Henry Parkes. I am instantly alerted to an interesting fact. As if being the Father of Federation wasn’t onerous enough, Henry was also the father to 17 children and married three times! Evidently, he was quite a busy chap!

There are more than 4000 household items in the museum, a huge display of washing machines and a great many clocks all doing what clocks do best – some quite loudly. I am interested to view the many antique dolls on display.

The small German and French dolls are something to behold. Museum president Yvonne Hutton is happy to whisper their value to me. Gasp! Other dolls on show closer resembled those my mother owned as a child. I am not sure that she would be particularly pleased to know that items from her era are now museum pieces.

Moving on and two very familiar faces stare at me from out of a picture frame.

Did you know that Phil and Tommy Emmanuel were Parkes boys? The guitar their mother first taught them to play is by far the prize possession of this display.

Outside the museum are two local village churches, a blacksmith shop, 35 tractors fully restored, other machinery and agricultural equipment, Wongalea schoolhouse, engines and trucks. I really enjoyed the old schoolhouse. It has an interesting tale to tell. It was the schoolhouse used in the movie Sunstruck starring Harry Seccombe.

The old blackboard still displays Seccombe’s etchings and though scrawled some 41 years ago, they look like they were chalked only yesterday.

As I say farewell to these lovely combined museums, something catches my eye.

It’s a kerosene lamp. Flashback! I am four. I am having a sleepover with my adorable grandmother. We snuggle on her velour lounge and together we sing Bull and Bush, the theme song to a television variety show. Suddenly, snap! The lights are gone.

I’m afraid. I take my grandmother’s knobbly hand as she forages through a drawer.

A twisted candle now lit, she guides us to a cupboard near the long abandoned copper. Again she forages but this time she produces a strange bottle with a dial and a pretty blue liquid. Like magic the kerosene lamp lights the room and I settle in bed as she reads to me Dot and the Kangaroo. It’s been 30 years since this happened.

Until now it has remained firmly locked inside my brain.

I highly recommend the Henry Parkes Museum and Antique Machinery Museum.

Settled on a 7.5-acre lot, it is a real credit to its small but highly knowledgeable and dedicated team of volunteers. I leave contented. Who knows what nostalgic memories it may unlock for you.

Monday ~ Friday 7-30am to 5.00pm Saturday 9-00am to 1.00pm

From top L-R: A 1903 Singer sewing machine; 1920s cereal containers; an old dragsaw; Wongalea school; an indigenous burial marker; the museum display is wide and varied; a Kiara German doll from 1896; a Fowler reins drive tractor; a variety of food tins from the early days; the Wongalea school room.

• Excellent Coffee - bills BEANS • Home made meals and sweets • Beautiful giftware & jewellery

8 Templar Street Forbes • 6852 2239 150 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

essential adventures

THE KING’S THINGS

“Just because I managed to do a little something, I don’t want anyone back home to think I got the big head.”

– Elvis Presley School holiday replays of Blue Hawaii, G.I. Blues and Jailhouse Rock piqued my interest as a child. My grandmother played Wooden Heart on her turntable as she danced around doing household chores. Though marred by the audible crackle of the old 33, there was no mistaking, his voice was like silk and I was hooked.

More intriguing than his vocal talents alone, were the stories and legends surrounding the man. Tales of strange sandwich combinations were one thing but when I learnt that Elvis had actually shot his television(s), my mind could never quite conjure such an indulgence.

A large RCA Television stands on display in pristine condition at The King’s Castle exhibition at The Henry Parkes Centre, Parkes. A gift from Elvis Presley’s record company, it once stood in The King’s bedroom at Graceland and was adorned with a large tiger ornament on top. Elvis shot the screen one evening when it dared to broadcast static. Restored

by Elvis’s uncle, this television is just one of the many goods and chattels on display at the museum, all once owned by The King himself.

Staring at gem-adorned white and blue jumpsuits, I can hardly believe that The King actually fitted into such narrow-legged pants. Images of a young, fit Elvis, among others, cover the walls of this museum and serve as a reminder of his many and varied looks and life stages. I particularly enjoyed a large image of Elvis with baby Lisa-Marie.

Other interesting Elvis memorabilia included in this display are: Elvis’s blue swimming trunks worn in the 1960s; his gold throne from Graceland; the two-piece suit worn in That’s The Way It Is, his personal bed from Graceland, the gold and ivory Louis XVI-style telephone from Elvis’s Beverly Hills home, roses from Elvis’s casket preserved in acrylic resin; and his coroner’s report. Among the more peculiar items on display are the drug vials owned by the doctor who delivered Elvis, which are believed to have been used on the occasion.

The collection is the pride of former Wiggle vocalist Greg Page, pictured right (Yellow Wiggle). Having generously loaned it to Parkes, Greg believes that there is no better place for his memorabilia than the Elvis Capital of Australia. It certainly makes a thoroughly entertaining afternoon for an Elvis enthusiast like myself.

Thankfully, The King’s Castle was also able to captivate the imagination and hold the attention of my five-year-old son. Perhaps it is only through providing these experiences to our children that The King will live forever. www.henryparkescentre.com.au/museums/kings-castle

Words: Catherine Player

Meet T-Rex....up close!

Visit Bathurst's greatest treasure, The Australian Fossil & Mineral Collection, home of the Somerville Collection.

Open Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 10am-2pm 224 Howick Street Bathurst NSW 2795 P. 02 6331 5511 F. 02 6331 5986

www.somervillecollection.com.au CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 151

events in the west

SALUTING THE STORYTELLER 150TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION OF BANJO PATERSON, ORANGE February 7 – 17, 2014 It was the man from Ironbark who struck the Sydney town, He wandered over street and park, he wandered up and down.

He loitered here, he loitered there, till he was like to drop, Until at last in sheer despair he sought a barber’s shop.

The Man from Ironbark – Banjo Paterson The sheer mention of Banjo Paterson’s name conjures such strong mental imagery of the most delicious Australian bush characters: The Man from Ironbark; Mulga Bill; The Man from Snowy River; Clancy of the Overflow.

Having penned hundreds of poems and ballads, Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson, is Australia’s most loved poet. But he was so much more than a poet. Banjo was a keen sportsman, a journalist, a lawyer, a horseman, a soldier and the son of a farmer. It was from these experiences that Banjo was able to write with authority on the characters and the hardship of rural life. His stories, often told with humorous undertones, are easily digestible and define and depict the essence of country living at the turn of the last century.

The city of Orange will celebrate the 150th birthday of this great man with a 10-day festival from February 7 to 17, 2014. It is the pride of the district to lay claim to being the birth place of this Australian icon. The festival is not only an opportunity to celebrate Banjo’s story but to educate the people of the Central West about their history in connection to this great man.

Orange Rotary club is organising the event in conjunction with Taste Orange, local councils and community groups. Rotary club president and Banjo enthusiast Len Banks is only too happy to explain the Banjo/Orange connection.

“At the time of Banjo’s impending birth, his parents lived on “Buckinbar” property near Obley, now the town of Yeoval, 80 kilometres north-west of Orange. His mother, Rose Paterson, chose to travel to “Narrambla” Orange where her Aunt, Rose Templar, was living. Banjo’s birth certificate clearly states that he was born at “Narrambla” Orange. Banjo was baptised at the Holy Trinity Church, Orange, and his baptismal certificate is on display in the church,” Len said.

“Narrambla was a large property originally granted to Simeon Lord in exchange for land he owned in the CBD of Sydney around Martin Place. At the time of Banjo’s birth, there would have been several houses on the property, just which one Banjo was born in remains a mystery. One house remains on the property, a small four-room cottage built around 1850 (pictured) that would have been there at the time of Banjo’s birth. The Rotary Club of Orange has salvaged it and is restoring it, to be officially opened at its new location in the Botanic Gardens precinct, still within the boundaries of the original Narrambla during the Festival.”

The Orange region is most famously known for its culinary delights and fine wines, but until now proper attention has not been given to what is fast becoming its greatest pride. Orange’s rich and diverse history can be represented and celebrated through the acknowledgement of the town’s greatest son, Banjo Paterson, and the Narrambla property itself. Themes surrounding the development of Orange at the turn of the century, including gold mining, agricultural enterprises, early industrial development (flour mill), trading and local government are all depicted in the characters of Banjo’s writing.

The festival is a community celebration. A family fun day, poetry competitions and other Banjo-related events are hoped to heighten people’s understanding of the district’s connection with Banjo Paterson. www.tasteorange.com.au/slowsummer.htm Words: Catherine Player

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COWRA MEANS BUSINESS THE KING’S REACH THE NSW TRAINLINK PARKES ELVIS FESTIVAL January 8 – 12, 2014

INAUGURAL CHRISTMAS NIGHT MARKET December 13, 2014

There will be a whole lotta leg shaking and hip swivelling at the 22nd NSW TrainLink Parkes Elvis Festival.

And kissing will be rampant at the event that annually attracts more than 15,000 visitors, as everyone embraces this year’s theme: Kissing Cousins.

Festivities begin on Wednesday, January 8, at the Gracelands Gates near the Bushman’s Dam with the unveiling of an honouree for the Memorial Wall. This year’s festival will honour Ian “Molly” Meldrum’s contribution to the music industry. Special VIP Guest throughout the 2014 festival in Cynthia Pepper, who played opposite Elvis Presley in the 1964 movie Kissing Cousins. She will open the festival and act on Molly’s behalf at the wall ceremony.

The Parkes Leagues Club will be reminiscent of the Las Vegas Hilton when the festival’s main artist, seasoned Elvis impersonator Mark Andrew, takes to the stage.

Other events during the festival include: Miss Priscilla competition; renewal of wedding vows, the massive Saturday North Parkes Mines street parade; Sunday gospel services; and a constant array of activities and performances in the park to entertain young and old all weekend. All park performances are free, including Friday and Saturday evening concerts.

Buskers will abound as will accommodation options, from motels, caravan parks, camping areas and homestays to campsites at Parkes Showground.

The Elvis Festival is a must for Elvis enthusiasts, music lovers, families and people who simply like to have a good time.

“It’s very family friendly and the town is centralised so you don’t have to walk miles and miles,” festival president Kim Ross said. “The crowds are big but not all in one area. You can walk around freely and everyone just loves being here.

“It’s friendly, it’s homely, and it’s not outrageously expensive. Most importantly, it’s the only place a full-grown man can put on a jumpsuit and be adored and hugged by everyone!”

It’s pretty serious business when a town shuts down a whole block surrounding the main street for a party but that is exactly what Cowra Tourism has managed to do, and what a party it promises to be.

“The appearance of the round bearded man in a red suit will enhance a wonderful initiative, which will cater for all ages, all interests and showcases our town wonderfully,” Cowra Mayor Bill West said.

The idea came about as part of an initiative to encourage people to “shop locally” this Christmas. With an ever-increasing trend in online Christmas shopping, that’s just the kind of boost a country town needs.

Businesses within a 100-mile radius are welcome to come along and set up a stall for the evening. Great prizes are also up for grabs each time a purchase is made locally in the lead-up to the event, with the winner of the Millionaire’s Giveaway drawn on the night.

A Christmas window decorating competition will set the festive mood and bring business rivalry to the forefront. Local business owners will turn their hand to creating festive facades in an attempt to be crowned the 2013 Cowra’s People’s Choice Christmas Window Decorating Champion. Pride and prizes are on the line and locals are encouraged to cast their vote. The winner will be announced at the night market.

“We’re really keen to do something to support our local retailers and try to boost sales right before Christmas,” Cowra Tourism event manager Annabel Gay said. “Online shopping is a tough competitor so we encourage everyone in Cowra to shop locally this Christmas and source their gifts from Cowra retailers wherever possible.

“Cowra is such a beautiful place this time of year and there’s so much on offer within the town and region. The market will give people an opportunity to take a break and recognise this. They can come along, celebrate the end of another year, do their Christmas shopping and be involved with something really positive for our town. A festive event such as this is a great way to strengthen Cowra’s community spirit.”

www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au

www.cowratourism.com.au

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 153

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events in the west

HORSE PLAY

IF YOU HAVE EVER WANTED TO WATCH A LIVE POLO MATCH MERE METRES FROM THE ACTION THEN YOU NEED LOOK NO FURTHER THAN OUR VERY OWN CENTRAL WEST, WITH TICKETS TO THE INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED MILLAMOLONG POLO CLUB’S 2014 JOHN DAVIS VOLVO POLO CARNIVAL NOW ON SALE. The John Davis Volvo Polo Carnival is the perfect blend of a quintessentially social and fun-filled weekend Australian country escape with world-class high goal polo at its best. Set down for March 15 and 16, 2014, the weekend of fast-paced polo, fantastic food and wine the Central West is well-known for, and gorgeous Millamolong hospitality mixes some of the best polo in Australia with a serious dose of glamour and fun.

The Millamolong Polo Club, near Mandurama, was established in 1997 and today the club proudly hosts many national and international teams, with the annual polo carnival attracting bigger and bigger followings.

by the ponies’ hooves, a vintage car rally, the infamous horse versus car race (by the way, the horse and the Volvo are one-all), Varsity bicycle polo, fabulous food and wine from the region, and live music until late.

Sunday is a family fun day and for those polo aficionados who wish to see the finals.

Hundreds of kids over the past three years have enjoyed the lolly drop, pony rides, face painting, bouncing castle and painting.

And if you just want to set up a picnic rug near the sidelines, watch the polo and soak up the action then entry is simply a small donation at the gate.

Each year a percentage of gate and ticket proceeds and 100 per cent of raffle ticket sales goes to the Millamolong Charity Fund, which supports local and international charitable and community causes. To date, more than $200,000 has been raised by the Millamolong Charity Fund. Charities that have benefitted include Riding for the Disabled, Care Australia and the Starlight Foundation.

At Millamolong you can always expect fabulous tucker and plenty of it, whether it is from wellknown local foodie Edwena Mitchell at the Trough and Fodder Club House Cafe, or lunch by renowned chef Shaun Arantz from hatted Orange restaurant Racine in the VIP area, plus the best regional wines and beer. Purchase from the bar on the day or order great value food and drink hampers online.

Fast-paced polo is played throughout both days, with heart-pumping action across the weekend.

Both days provide a unique insight into the game of polo.

There are many reasons the John Davis Volvo Polo Carnival is not to be missed, breath-taking horsemanship and the famous Millamolong Polo Club hospitality aside. Do get in early and book tickets to secure your spot.

Saturday is all about glamour in the VIPS (Very Important Pony Shed, pictured below), corporate sofas and rent-a-tents, with bubbles flowing, pretty frocks and smart suits on show, fast horses, handsome polo players, the longstanding tradition of stomping the divots made

Ticket and hamper sales, more detailed information on the rules of polo and historic Millamolong and detailed directions to the grounds can be found at www.millamolong.com.au.

Millamolong Polo Club is hosting its annual John Davis Volvo High Goal Polo event on March 15 and 16, 2014.

An event not to be missed, make sure you book your tickets early at www.millamolong.com.au or call (02) 6361 4461 to guarantee your pitch-side position.

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Upcoming events MOUNT PANORAMA COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE 1 December Pit Garages Mount Panorama Bathurst Regional Council (02) 6333 6236 jenna.campbell@bathurst.nsw.gov.au bathurstregion.com.au SUNNY CORNER SUNDAY 1 December Various locations in Bathurst, Greg Hyde (02) 6359 5270 MILLTHORPE MARKETS 1 December (proceeds to Millthorpe Public School) 8.30am-4pm Redmond Oval, Millthorpe info@millthorpe.com www.millthorpevillage.com.au JAZZ @ THE ROYAL, THE CENTRAL WEST QUARTET 1 December 2pm to 5pm Royal Hotel, Summer Street, Orange Ray 0428 529 032 www.facebook.com/orangejazzclub ORANGE BOTANIC GARDENS GUIDED BIRD WALK 1 December Orange Botanic Gardens, Hill Street 8.30am Friends of OBG, Maureen (02) 6362 3706 SCULPTURES IN SPRING & ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS 1 - 21 December 10am to 4pm Jayes Gallery, Molong (02) 6366 9093 www.jayesgallery.blogspot.com.au PARKES CHRISTMAS STREET PARADE CARNIVAL 5 December Clarinda Street and Cooke Park Peter Magill (02) 6862 2593 OATLEY WINES MUDGEE CUP 6 December Mudgee Racecourse Amanda Lyon, Robert Oatley Wines (02) 6372 2208 www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au BURNBRAE BLACK TIE BBQ 7 December Burnbrae Wines ,548 Hill End Road, Mudgee Tony Bryant (02) 6373 3504 www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au ORANGE COIN & STAMP CLUB FAIR 7 December 9am-4pm Cultural Centre, Sale Street (near Woolworths) Howard (02) 6362 2368

CANOWINDRA MOORBEL HALL MARKETS 7 December Auxiliary Street, Canowindra Warwick (02) 63442025 GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES commencing Sunday, 8 December Silver Screen Movie Odeon5 Cinema William Street, Orange (02) 6362 0510 www.odeon5.com.au

COWRA FARMERS MARKET 21 December /18 January /15 February 8am-noon, Cowra Showground Pavilion, Grenfell Road (02) 6342 9225

WENTWORTH GOLF CLUB JUNIOR OPEN GOLF CLASSIC 8 December Wentworth Golf Club, Ploughmans Lane, Orange (02) 6361 4505

CAROLS IN THE BEAUTIFUL WELLINGTON CATHEDRAL CAVE 22 December Wellington Caves (02) 6845 1853 or (02) 6845 1797

GOOLOOGONG MARKETS 8 December/12 January/9 February 9am-2pm Gooloogong Log Cabin Hall Wendy Vickers 0448 441 748

CITY OF ORANGE BRASS BAND RECITAL 22 December 1pm Cook Park George Godkin 0408 618 957 Bob Petrie (02) 6362 7516

COWRA CHRISTMAS NIGHT MARKET 13 December 5pm-9pm Kendal Street, Cowra Cowra Tourism (02) 6342 4333 events@cowratourism.com.au

BOXING DAY RACES 26 December Wellington Racecourse (02) 6845 2611

ORANGE REGION FARMERS MARKET 14 December 8.30am to 12.30pm North-Court, cnr March and Peisley streets (showground if wet) Cath 0425 259 350 www.orangefarmersmarket.org.au

MACQUARIE PICNIC RACES 28 December Trangie Racecourse Lucy Watson 0428 337 752 macquariepicnics@yahoo.com.au www.facebook.com/macquariepicnicraces

ORANGE SOCIETY OF MODEL ENGINEERS 14 December (miniature train rides for kids and adults) 1pm-5pm at Matthews Park, Moulder Street, Orange (covered shoes required for rides) Greg Bird (02) 6362 9634 COUNTRY ACT SKI RACING ROUND 3 14-15 December Wyangala Waters State Park Casey 0429 110 072 WELLINGTON CAROLS IN THE PARK 15 December Sunken Gardens, Cameron Place, Wellington Bring a rug (02) 6846 7466 DUBBO CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT 15 December 7pm Victoria Park No.1 (02) 6882 3437 BATHURST CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT 15 December Machattie Park, Keppel Street, Bathurst (02) 6331 6622 CAROLS AT JENOLAN CAVES 14 December Jenolan Caves, 1300 763 311 jenolancaves.org.au TOSCA-PUCCINI, NEW YORK METROPOLITAN OPERA 15 December Odeon 5 Cinemas, William Street, Orange (02) 6362 0213 www.odeon5.com.au A TRADITIONAL NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 17 December Miss Traill’s House & Garden, 321 Russell Street, Bathurst Alison Arnison (02) 6331 0993 or 0438 766 948

156 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

BRIC-A-BRAC MARKET AND CAR BOOT SALE 21 December /18 January /15 February Cowra Showground, Grenfell Road Denis Quinn 0427 400 568 cowracollectors@yahoo.com.au.

GULGONG FOLK FESTIVAL 28- 30 December Gulgong, various venues.

Richard Lawson rich@figtreewordsandmusic.com www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au COWRA RAILWAY STATION OPEN 29 December/27 January/24 February 9am-3pm Cowra Railway Station, Lynch Street (02) 6342 3117 NYE AT PARKLANDS RESORT MUDGEE December 31 Parklands Resort, Cassillis Road, Mudgee Leianne Murphy (02) 6372 4500 www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS 31 December Wellington Soldiers Memorial Club (02) 6845 2877 PARTY IN THE PARK 31 December Victoria Park, Howich Street, Bathurst Bathurst Regional Council (02) 6333 6236 www.bathurstregion.com.au

BLAND SHIRE AUSTRALIA DAY BREAKFAST 26 January Ambassador’s address and NSW Local Citizen of the Year awards at McCann Park, West Wyalong, 7am-9am SWIMMING, SOUTH WESTERN ZONE QUALIFIYING MEET 26 January Holland Park Pool, West Wyalong, from 10am

42ND ANNUAL PETER MILLING YEARLING THOROUGHBRED SALE 9 February Dubbo Showground THINLINE DRESSAGE WITH ALTITUDE 13-16 February Bradgate Park Indoor Arena, Malabar Road, Orange www.centralwestdg.equestrian.org.au

KANDOS STREET MACHINE AND HOT ROD SHOW 26-27 January Simpkins Park Sport Complex, Ilford Road, Kandos Debbie (02) 6379 4066 PARKES ELVIS FESTIVAL 8-12 January Various locations, Parkes Kim Ross 0419 166 146 www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au

ORANGE REGION FARMERS MARKET 11 January 8.30am-12.30pm. North-Court, cnr March and Peisley streets (showground if wet) Cath 0425 259 350 www.orangefarmersmarket.org.au FALSTAFF-VERDI, NEW YORK METROPOLITAN OPERA 19 January Odeon 5 Cinemas, William Street, Orange (02) 6362 0213 www.odeon5.com.au MERCEDES BENZ DUNTRYLEAGUE CLASSIC 19-21 January Duntryleague Golf Club, Woodward Street, Orange (02) 6362 3466

BATHURST SWAP MEET 2 February Michael Hope 0408 415 525 COWRA GREAT ESCAPE MUSIC FESTIVAL 6-9 February Cowra Civic Centre, Darling Street and Cowra Services Club Stephen Cheney 0417 420 858 or 0428 627 495 www.stephenrcheney.com.au SLOW SUMMER NIGHT MARKETS 7 February Robertson Park, Lords Place, Orange Taste Orange (02) 6360 1990 PEACE TRAIN – THE CAT STEVENS STORY 7 February Dubbo Regional Theatre www.drtcc.com.au/WhatsOn.html LIQUI-MOLY BATHURST 12 HOUR 7-9 February Yeehah Events (07) 3315 2499 www.bathurst12hour.com.au SLOW SUMMER 2014 CELEBRATING BANJO PATERSON’S 150TH BIRTHDAY 7-17 February Various locations in Orange Taste Orange, (02) 6360 1990 www.tasteorange.com.au GNOO BLAS CLASSIC CAR SHOW 8 February Sir Jack Brabham Park, Orange Denis Gregory 0417 445 426

PARKES AUSTRALIA DAY CELEBRATIONS 26 January Cooke Park, Parks Council (02) 6862 6000 WELLINGTON AUSTRALIA DAY 26 January Cameron Park Wellington, awards and breakfast PARKES AUSTRALIA DAY HARNESS MEETING 26 January Parkes Showground Stacey Dowton 0403 403 148 NEILA FARM COOKING CLASS 26 January and 23 February 11am-3pm Neila Farm, Cowra (02) 6341 2188 eat@neila.com.au

TUNNEL OF LOWE 8 February Lowe Wines, Tinja Lane, Mudgee David Lowe (02) 6372 0800 www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au ORANGE REGION FARMERS MARKET 8 February 8.30am-12.30pm North-Court, cnr March and Peisley streets (showground if wet) Cath 0425 259 350 www.orangefarmersmarket.org.au RED HOT SUMMER TOUR, OUTDOOR CONCERT 8 February Parklands Resort & Conference Centre, Mudgee Leianne Murphy (02) 6372 4500 www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au CITY OF ORANGE BRASS BAND RECITAL 9 February 1pm Cook Park George Godkin 0408 618 957 Bob Petrie (02) 6362 7516

GULGONG SHOW 14 – 15 February Gulgong Showground Kate Dollison (02) 6374 2689 www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au EGLINTON COUNTRY FAIR 22 February Emma 0409 288 554 COLOUR CITY RUNNING FESTIVAL 22 and 23 February Bloomfield Oval/ Gosling Creek, Forest Road (proceeds to Cerebral Palsy Alliance) Half Marathon, 10km, 5km Registrations: www.orangecolourcityrunningfestival.com.au RYLSTONE-KANDOS SHOW 22-23 February Rylstone Showground Caroline Cannon (02) 6379 1250 www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au COUNTRY ACT SKI RACING ROUND 4 22-23 February 8am to 6pm, Wyangala Waters State Park Casey 0429 110 072 SOFALA & DISTRICT AGRICULTURE & HORTICULTURE SHOW 23 February Sofala Show Society (02) 6337 7188 WEST WYALONG RUGBY LEAGUE KNOCKOUT 28 February Ron Crowe Oval, West Wyalong MUDGEE SHOW 28 February-2 March Mudgee Showground Dean Rheinburger 0428 734 258 www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au

Do you have an event that you would like included in our magazine? Email your details to catherine@centralwestmagazine.com.au.

Compiled by Catherine Player. All events are subject to change and we recommend contacting the organisers to confirm details.

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 157

Capturing timeless moments Specialising in Maternity and Newborn Photography Also offering family session, Weddings and Elegant Boudoir images West Wyalong and surroundings | Ph 0428 723 364 lesamphotography@hotmail.com

158 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

events in the west

Sweden

IN THE WEST

FAR FROM THE Mallee bushman’s cry of “coo-ee”, the sounds of Swedish greeting “valkommen” rang out through the West Wyalong township from October 18 to 20 in celebration of its annual “in the west” festival. Over three fun-filled days the township adopted a Swedish flavour with blue and yellow adorning people, floats and many buildings.

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An eager crowd filled McCann Park for the official opening of Sweden in the West by H.E. Sven Olof Petersson (Ambassador of Sweden to Australia). Guest speaker Dr Karl Kruszelnicki kept all amused with his witty analogies, while garden guru Fiona Ogilvie kept diners engaged with highlights from her own Swedish travel experiences.

Platters of traditional Swedish fare presented by fur-clad Viking men adorned a traditional Swedish smorgasbord. The sounds of the century-old Mighty Verbeek Concert Street Organ lingered beyond the marquee, as the antics of host Greta Garbo (Suzie Newman) entertained guests inside. The night concluded with the much-anticipated “Aurora Borealis in the West” laser light show, a definite crowd pleaser.

West Wyalong’s meandering Main Street was once depicted by artist Russell Drysdale as a desolate place of melancholy. The Saturday float parade proved that West Wyalong is anything but that! The sound of an ominous Viking drum propelled the parade down the winding main street, transformed into a Swedish landscape of Viking helmets and Viking ships, sailing upon a sea of all things Swedish. Dr Who and enemy Daleks patrolled walkways with excited children lining every kerb.

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The Wobel Science Competition and the Svensk Art Exhibition showcased some amazing home-grown talent. All visitors were awe struck by the level and quality of entrants, from Ralph Tikerpae’s Viking steel ship sculptures to Wobel Prize Winner Nicholas Morreau’s research on polio.

As the morning smoke haze lifted to unveil a beautiful midday blue, the Rose Garden and Lions Park Markets overflowed with stalls and people keen to peruse the local produce. The Sustainability Expo’s highlights were guest speakers Professor Graham Webb and wife Giovanna Webb (Australian Rural Woman of the Year 2013-14) who both spoke with great passion about the innovative sustainability methods employed on their Northern Territory crocodile farm.

The Bland Shire Children’s Expo proved ever popular.

Amusement rides, jumping castle, interactive science shows and live demonstrations from Crocodile Encounters allowed parents a much-needed reprieve, and time to catch up with friends and visitors to the town. One returning couple from last year’s Paris in the West said the decision to return was an easy one. “Everyone was so friendly to us both, from business owners to the average man on the street. We met a lot a great people and had a great time!”

It was time to frock up once more on the Saturday night for the Sydney tribute band Abbalanche. Swedish-inspired costumes and Abba era clothing were essential components for a night of competitions, give-aways and ridiculous fun!

West Wyalong is a proud and hospitable town extending a warm country welcome to all visitors. Experience it for yourself next October, when Events West Wyalong hosts a fun-fuelled weekend of Mexico in The West. Fiesta! Fiesta! www.eventsww.com Words: Dayna Tierney Images: Lesa Matthews

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1. The winner of Sweden in the West 2013 Float Parade, Barrick-Cowal’s Viking ship. 2. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki (middle) with honorary guests Prof.

Graham Webb and Giovanna Webb at the Gala Smorgasbord Dinner. 3. Elli McDonnell as a butterfly for the day. 4. Waiting for the parade to begin. 5. Therese MacFarlane and Barbara McGrath (centre - left to right) join forces with the girls from Abbalanche. 6. Will Davies and Billy Matthews enjoyed their ride. 7. Canberra couple Jasmin Pearson and Murray Nichol.

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country show

Show for

Scone Grammar students enjoy the ride.

all ages

THE 2013 Merriwa Springtime Show has been described as one of the best ever thanks to enormous support from the local community.

“We run a full three-day show, which is a fantastic achievement for a town with a population of under 1000,” explained show president Rob Tindall, who has spent a lifetime preparing and showing cattle at shows and cattle sales throughout the eastern seaboard.

Champion Ram for 2014.

The show enjoyed the traditional exhibits like stud cattle, prime sheep and horses along with the pavilions and sideshow alley.

There were many extra features this year including Big Dog, a magician, dog high jumps and yard dog trials, campdraft, ute muster, bull ride and quad draft, ensuring there was something for people of all ages.

Established in 1908, the Merriwa Show reflects a proud agricultural history and diverse rural community. The locals are right behind the event, adding strength to the sections Rob and his hard-working committee are able to run.

These include the Ladies Auxiliary, who put on a fabulous display of cooking and art, plus the Young Farmer Competition and Merriwa’s Got Talent (based on the TV show).

Hannah Kelly riding Red Lord.

The poultry section was fired up again after 33 years by Year 12 students Tyler Austin, Reece Hancock and Will Taylor, while the new School Challenge was the brainchild of Maria Cameron, a hard-working member of the show and community.

“We have an amazing group of people who work behind the scenes and do all the jobs most people shy away from. These are our unsung heroes,” Rob said.

The Merriwa Show has a three-year term for presidents, a great concept that helps inject new life into the annual event. About eight past presidents are still actively involved in various sections, providing a wealth of knowledge.

“Our show is youth driven, as evidenced by the new sections,” Rob said.

“Often you get the thrill of kids coming up to you in the street and saying ‘Mr Tindall, I’m putting a painting [or something else] in the show for the first time’. Just to see the excitement on their face illustrates that our show still means something to all ages.”

r Alex Tickle.

Well-known horseman Ken Brown, Bunnan, with CWL publishe

The El Jay Freestyle Entertainment Show was this year’s headline act. The fearless motorcycle and bike riders amazed the crowd with their spectacular moves and gravity-defying action, all choreographed to upbeat soundtracks.

After three years competing on the European and world championship motorcycle and bike circuit, brothers Eljay and Morgan Driessens were glad to be performing back in Australia.

Rob Tindall was justifiably proud of the efforts of his committee and looks forward to an even bigger event in 2014. > Above: Corey McKay of Wallabadah with horse Ho of Lenore Park Clydesdales.

Words: Shot by Jake Images: Candice O’Neill

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Ben Little-Hales of Merriwa with his Ford Falcon XR6 in the ute show.

Ben’s ute has previously been runner-up Grand Champion at the Muswellbrook Ute Show.

The ladies of the Merriwa CWA. These ladies served food for the three days of the show, made hundreds of teas and coffees, used 45 loaves of bread to make sandwiches, and sold home made slices, scones, jam and cream to satisfy the heartiest of appetites.

Interbreed champion bull, Junction Garner, shown by Nigel Wieke, Select Fitting, Delungra and owned by JW and SE Rodd, Junction Limousi Tamworth. Nigel is pictured with judges Greg and Leonie Ball, ns, and associate judge Bede McAlpine.

Champion Fleece for 2014 was won

by Kemp Pastoral of Merriwa.

nculi A magnificent display of ranu grown by Judith Bettington.

Pip Bishop,“Millera” Bunnan, and Anne Kraeff

t, “Springfield” Merriwa.

Show president Rob Tindall.

Anastasia Martin, Merriwa, riding The Echo Pippa in a working class.

ing the wool exhibits.

Bob Miles and Anne McMullin of Scone admir

Matt Porter of Merriwa and his dog Joe successfully defend their small dog high jump championship.

Bruce and Eileen Clarke, Dungog, watch their daughter Jessica compete in the showjumping events.

The champion pen of three (commercial cattle) was owned by Greg Watson, “Your Farms” Muswellbrook. He is pictured with the judge Dennis Strachan, NSW Livestock Manager, Woolworths, show president Rob Tindall and feedlotter Steven Gill, Alexander Downs.

rt Henry Killen of Merriwa with judge Robe ery Constable, Roberts Meats, in the butch petition. challenge, part of the Young Farmers Com Emma Blenheim, Singleton, with champion unregistered mare Blenheim Mandy.

Michelle Doherty, Wallabadah with Homeward Park Mallaig.

Saddle acrylic on canvas by Sarah Bishop in the traditional painting section.

Interbreed champion female, CB Gypsy Pearl, owned by Nigel Casey Wieck, CB Charolais, Delungra. Judges Greg and Leonie and Ball, Jenny Quera, Coolah Central, Elizabeth Haghy, Merriwa Central, Casey Wieck and associate judge Bede McAlpine.

country show

Totally

devoted

IT WAS FITTING that Les Bailey opened the 2013 Merriwa Springtime Show, considering his grandfather, Frank Bailey, was the show's first president in 1908.

Les, a sprightly 84-year-old former drover, is a deserving Life Member who has been coming to the show since the age of three.

"The show came to a standstill during the war and recommenced in 1947," he said. "I've only ever missed one show and that was when my daughter got married.”

Les was born in Merriwa but during the war moved to Maitland for seven years before returning in 1950.

"Opening the show was a great honour and pat on the back,” he said. “It was a big moment, that's for sure. I was on the committee in 1950 and would have laughed in anyone's face if they said I'd be opening the show 63 years later."

Les still lives on the old family property, "Marjoyan", named after his mother and three sisters. He has witnessed many changes to the show over the past 80 years and admits the annual event is not what it used to be.

"These days the show is very different,” he said. “We have better technology now but in the early days it was mostly produce, like crops, before we started exhibiting stud stock and things.

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"I've been here most of my life and I can tell you Merriwa is a very honest town. In the old days the shop owners would leave groceries outside their shop for the cockies to collect and nothing ever went missing. You wouldn't do it today but this town has been very good to me."

Over many generations Les has made some great friends in the district.

Unfortunately there's not many old mates left but Les still enjoys life. He likes a beer at the end of the day and occasionally hops back into the saddle for a nostalgic ride about the farm.

Les’s wife died in 1992 and he has been living by himself ever since. He enjoys visits from his two daughters. They know their father is a local treasure who would be among only a handful in the land who have supported their local show for so many generations. CWL

events in the west

CWL Launch

Cowra

The final Central West Lifestyle magazine launch at The Mill, Cowra, was stylish and memorable. Local advertisers, community representatives and CWL team members enjoyed the fine hospitality provided by The Mill and revelled in the historic surrounds of this stunning old building.

Unfortunately, Cowra Mayor Councillor Bill West was unable to attend, but was ably represented by Councillor Judy Smith and her husband, Sandy Morrison. Forbes Council was represented by General Manager Brian Steffen and his wife Leona.

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Jake Lindsay and Angus Waddell were able to capture some great photographs during the evening. This function provided the perfect opportunity to again showcase the winter and spring editions of CWL and develop meaningful relationships with our valued advertisers and supporters.

1. Belinda Spry, Linda Rees, Esme’s Coffee Shop, Jackie Yeo, Finn’s Store, Leona and Brian Steffen, Forbes Council General Manager. 2. CWL writer Anna Tickle and James Russ. 3. Joel and Jodie Stewart, Central West Helicopter School. 4. CWL fashion stylist Michelle Kent, Sarah Waddell, Sandy and Cassie Scammell. 5. Publisher Alex Tickle with daughter CWL art director Kate Boshammer. 6. Belinda Virgo, Cowra Tourism, and Helen Tickle with locals Anne Bowen, Sandy Morrison and Judi Smith. 7. CWL editor Elizabeth Tickle and photographer Angus Waddell.

8. Local interior designer Kim Lowe and Craig Peters. 9. Canowindra ladies Jackie Yeo and Michele Porter. 10. Alex and Elizabeth Tickle with chief writer and photographer Jake Lindsay.

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events in the west

Show time

Forbes

They turned out in droves to see the wide variety of attractions at this year’s Forbes Show. The bull ride on the Friday night proved incredibly popular with the huge crowd. New competitions included a ute show and a smartphone photography section.

Pleasingly, beef cattle entries were up in number, the horse section was well represented and competition was exciting in the “Ben Hall Shears”.

The show-jumping competition was fierce, making great entertainment for the spectators in the grandstand.

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The pavilion displays of artworks from the local schools were impressive and particularly colourful, while the competitive produce, arts, craft and cooking were of a high standard. While the wide range of rides in sideshow alley proved popular with the kids, there was more than one grown-up to be found having fun as well.

A friendly atmosphere and great weather ensured a successful show.

Words: Lucy Pearce Images: Mark Cambourn 1. Shirley Sim, of Cavallo Nero Friesians, having a discussion with her stallion Orlando Maurits.

2. Forbes Showgirl 2013 Annabelle Green with 2012 winner Sarah Sweeney. 3. Matthew and Isabel Pearce, of Forbes, enjoying an ice-cream at the show. 4. Debbie, Michael and Nicky Buttriss, of Forbes, enjoying the tractor display.

5. Fairy Moonshimmer and Fairy Gossamer from Fairydust Facepainting, Bathurst, had a busy time at the show. 6. Kim Rath and her champion Part Welsh pony had a successful day.

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FORBES FORBES See andDo Do See and

Food Food

Forbes offers a great rangeofofattractions attractionsso so you you Forbes offers youyou a great range domuch as much as little youlike: like: can can do as or or as little as asyou

Forbes selection of local dining Forbesfeatures featuresa agreat great selection of local dining options. meal at aatcozy cafécafé or or options.Enjoy Enjoya arelaxed relaxed meal a cozy restaurant, fare andand a yarn withwith a a restaurant,enjoy enjoyhearty hearty fare a yarn friendly thethe town’s pubs, pickpick up up friendlylocal localatatone oneofof town’s pubs, a take away and picnic in your own tranquil spot.

• McFeeters Motor Museum,located located1km 1kmsouth south of of • McFeeters Motor Museum, Forbes Newell Highway,offering offeringaavast vast Forbes off off thethe Newell Highway, collection of meticulously restored motor cars, collection of meticulously restored motor cars, plus a gift shop, cellar door and café. plus a gift shop, cellar door and café.

• Explore and discover Lake Forbes offering 4.8km

• Explore and discover Forbes offering of walking and cycleLake tracks, abundant bird 4.8km life, of walking and cycle tracks, bird life, shaded picnic areas, BBQabundant facilities, playgrounds shaded picnic areas, BBQ facilities, playgrounds and toilets. and toilets.

• For quality art and craft visit the Forbes • For Handicraft quality art Centre and craft Forbes andvisit Art the Gallery in Lachlan Street and the Forbes Railway Arts in andLachlan Visitor Handicraft Centre and Art Gallery Information CentreRailway Arts and Visitor Street and the Forbes in Union Street.

Information Centre in Union Street.

Shop

Shop

Forbes has gained a reputation as a boutique shopping capital and with a distinctive range of Forbes has gained a reputation as a boutique quality locally owned stores it is easy to see why. Be shopping capital and with a distinctive range of tempted by a unique mix of locally owned boutiques quality owned stores it is easystore to see why. Beand pluslocally familiar brands, department shopping tempted a unique mixInofForbes locallyoften owned all thebymajor services. ourboutiques customers plusare familiar brands, department store shopping and our friends or they are friends of friends.

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are our friends or they are friends of friends. You’ll notice the Forbes difference!

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a take away and picnic in your own tranquil spot.

Stay Stay

Forbes offers country hospitality and a great Forbesofoffers hospitality and a of great range places country to stay. Enjoy the comfort up range ofmotel placesrooms to stay. the comfort of up to 4 star or Enjoy self-contained cabins, to 4 star motel rooms or self-contained cabins, be a special guest at a B&B or relax with a beer at a special B&B orparks relaxoffer withgreat a beer at abelocal pub. Aguest rangeatofa holiday amenities for ARVs and of there is a rest areaoffer for safe a local pub. range holiday parks great R&R while touring amenities for RVsthe andregion. there is a rest area for safe

R&R while touring the region.

Pick up your FREE Visitor Guide at the Pick up yourForbes FREEVisitor Visitor Information Guide at theCentre Forbestoday.

Visitor

Information Forbes Visitor Centre today.

Information Centre Forbes Station, Visitor Union Street Railway Information Centre Phone: 6850 2300 02 6852 4155 Railway Station, Union Street www.forbes.nsw.gov.au Phone: 02 6850 2300 www.forbes.nsw.gov.au

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events section in the name west

Calcutta

for a Cure

Mudgee

This year’s Calcutta for a Cure event held in Mudgee for the fourth year struck brilliant weather. The fund-raising dinner dance was held on the Saturday evening prior to the Black Nugget Cup race meeting on Sunday. The gala dinner took on The Great Gatsby theme and the room at the racecourse looked stunning with guests donning feathers, furs and pearls for the occasion.

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Gail O’Brien, wife of the late Chris O’Brien, was guest speaker and told the gathering how passionate he had been about Australia having an integrated cancer facility and how this facility, which opened in November, would benefit patients and research.

The family fund-raiser began four years ago when Peter and Sue Seccombe wanted to give back to the medical profession that had helped them over the past 25 years. So with the help of their daughters Vic, Jen and Kim a small event was held at the Blue Wren restaurant in 2010.

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Initially, cancer research was to be the charity focus, but upon hearing of the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse at RPA they decided this was where they wanted to focus the majority of their fund-raising efforts.

The event raised $35,000, helped greatly by the contribution of Peabody Energy, which contributed $10,000. The Mudgee community and friends have now raised $115,000 over the past four years for the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse at RPA.

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Words: Sue Seccombe Images: Amber Hooper 1. Hetti Ashton and Lucy Haege, Sydney. 2. Gina and Jamie Fitzgerald, Mudgee. 3. Ian and Margie Livingstone-Blevins, Mudgee. 4. Louise Miller and Fiona Harrison, Sydney, with Jen Richardson, Narromine. 5. Sue Seccombe, Wendy Galloway, Jane Scott and Cherie Edwards, who did the decorations for the evening. 6. Maddy Richardson and Asha de Meyrick, Sydney. 7. MC Hugh Bateman and wife Catherine, Mudgee.

8. Sandi Gericke, Germany and Toby Richardson, Sydney.

9. Teya Shannon, Hanna Gell, Sarah Killen and Giana Shannon, Merriwa. 10. Gerry and Marilyn Rowe, Mudgee.

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CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 165

events in the west

Wagga

Ag Races

Racegoers came from far and wide to join the festivities of the 26th Annual Wagga Ag Race Meeting on September 21, which is one of the biggest events on the social calendar of the Wagga Agricultural College and the second biggest race day for the Murrumbidgee Turf Club.

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1. The competition was strong in the Fashions on the Field.

2. Fashions on the Field committee members Lexi Cesnik and Madisan Hodgson with coordinator Emily Madge.

3. Bonnie Skinner was awarded Best Dressed Lady.

4. Best Dressed Couple went to Jaimi Elsie and Albert Gorman.

5. Elise Kelly took out the Best Millinery award.

6. Ben Signor won Best Dressed Gentleman.

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The crowd of 3750 flocked from as far as Sydney, Melbourne and Armidale to socialise under the spring sun and to support a good cause.

The day is the annual charity event in honour of Peter Worsley, an Ag College Old Boy. Peter was tragically injured in a rugby accident in 1987, which left him a quadriplegic. Each year funds raised from auctions and the race day go towards buying new equipment for Peter to aid him in getting around his property and enjoying the outdoors.

There was tough competition in the Fashions on the Field event. With four categories and more than $1500 in prizes on offer, there were long lines of entrants waiting at the foot of the stage to enjoy their moment of runway glory. With more than 45 women entering Best Dressed Lady alone, the Fashions on the Field committee are already pitching ideas for next year to further enhance the competition.

Central West Lifestyle magazine was proud to support this important cause through sponsoring the 2013 event.

Words: Emily Madge Images: Angus Platt

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Coonamble

Gold Cup

Despite the heat, high winds and dust the large crowd of race goers remained in high spirits and declared this year’s Gold Cup meeting at Coonamble a huge success.

Wellington trainer Garry McCarney could not wipe the smile off his face when Fox Solid, the horse he trains for a large syndicate of family and friends, won the feature race, the $40,000 Carco Coonamble Gold Cup. The recently crowned Miss Comby Shinaid Beazley once again was in the winner’s circle, taking out the best dressed young lady title with fellow Coonamble local Neil Kennedy named best dressed gent. Angie Pennell from Tamworth was presented with the sash for best dressed lady, while Peter and Helen Gray from Coonamble took home the prizes for best dressed couple. The best dressed young race goers titles also went to Coonamble locals Marnie Ryan and Josh Kenny.

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Words & images: www.racingphotography.com.au and Alex Tickle 1. Racegoers await the start of the 2013 Carco Coonamble Gold Cup. 2. Fashions on the Field judge Danny Keady, “Caloola Park” Coonamble, Best Dressed Young Lady, Shinaid Beazley, Coonamble, Best Dressed Lady, Angie Pennell, Tamworth, Best Dressed Gent, Neil Kennedy, “Yuma”, Coonamble, judges Lynne Waterford, “Grandoon Park” Come By Chance and Amy Simpson, Melbourne. 3. Belinda Macalpine and Robert Ryan, Coonamble.

4. Rheanna Nalder with Jarryd Rae, “Wairoa” Coonamble. 5. Mick Leonard and John Lundholm, Coonamble. 6. Phil and Annie Haling, “Wilga” Gulargambone. 7. The Keady family from Coonamble sponsored the feature sprint race at the annual Gold Cup meeting. Back row: Ben Markey, “Bowra”, Flick and Danny Keady “Caloola Park”, committee member, John Brien, trainer of the winner Gold Clooney, Mark Jones, Dubbo, Louise and Kevin Keady, “Geanmoney”. Front row: Cameron and Helen Markey with Harvey and Liam Keady. 8. Katie Sullivan and Anna Kaineder, Coonamble. 9. Rod and Jan White, “Eurie Eurie” Walgett. 10. Donna Evans, Shinaid Beazley, Stella Cleary and Kim Beazley, Coonamble. 11. Fashions on the Field entrant Tiarni Burtenshaw, Coonamble.

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Handmade headpieces for Race Days Weddings Other Special Occasions Orders can be taken, contact Julie: 0405 241 633 | Orange, NSW createdbyjules@hotmail.com.au 10

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Julie Herbert - Millinery

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Hooper – Flynn Brendon Flynn and Lara Hooper were united at the beautiful St Mary’s Catholic Church, Mudgee, on Sunday, October 6.

CENTRAL WEST

Weddings

A canapé-style reception was held at Sajo’s, Mudgee, featuring magnificent vases of flowers, professionally written chalkboards

by Ashdown and Bee and a stunning cake by Hello Naomi, with an intricate lace pattern from the bride’s dress piped onto it.

The night closed with a bang as everybody continued on to Brendon and Lara’s property till late, making for a very special evening.

With cocktails, sliders, a dance floor and bonfire the two were able to share their piece of paradise with 100 guests under the stars.

Lara had been extremely busy with her catering business, Mudgee Made, so planned the immaculate wedding in around eight weeks. She made a trip to Sydney on the week of the special day to select buckets of seasonal white and pink ranunculi and bundles of white freesias as homage to her lovely grandmother, who died only a few weeks before the wedding.

Lara’s good friend and business partner, Tanya, organised a champagne breakfast for the morning of the wedding, allowing the bride, her sisters and her closest friends to prepare hair, make-up and nails, and to sit around together for a little chit-chatter.

The bride wore a stunning Karen Willis Holmes dress as she was walked down the aisle by her father and two sons Cody, 4, and Eddie, 3.

Brendon and Lara enjoyed a honeymoon in a cabin on the Cudgegong River just 15 minutes away from their home. No mobile reception or television made for some quality time together as a family, fishing, swimming in the river, exploring and relaxing.

Words: Anna Tickle Images: Amber Hooper

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weddings

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A FAMILY AFFAIR WHITNEYS JEWELLERS of Dubbo was established by Herb Whitney in 1919.

Herb’s great granddaughter Gina Brown (pictured) is proud to be the current owner and carries on the family legacy of providing quality goods and services to the region.

The business stocks a stunning array of fine gold and silver jewellery and is renowned for exquisite handcrafted engagement rings that are designed and manufactured onsite.

Whitneys understands that precious jewellery has enduring, personal value.

Choosing a trusted jeweller with more than 30 years’ experience provides the assurance you need for such a special investment.

They pride themselves on using only quality materials, including conflict-free certified diamonds, a colour spectrum of precious and semi precious gemstones, platinum, white, yellow and rose gold metals.

The comprehensive range of quality giftware at Whitneys is in keeping with a long heritage of sourcing and retaining quality brands such as Royal Selangor, Bohemia and Waterford Crystal, Citizen and Adina watches and clocks and Devino pearls.

Whitneys is proud to stock one of the hottest brands of personalised jewellery, Uberkate.

Gina and the team also offer many complimentary, additional services and superior after-sales care and guarantees to their customers.

General services include gift-wrapping, insurance appraisals, same-day ring resizing, cleaning and more.

You can find Whitneys Jewellers on Facebook, Twitter and Pintrest as well as online at www.whitneysjewellers.com.au, where you can join their VIP mailing list to keep you up to date on the beautiful range of jewellery available in store.

Words: Anna Tickle

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Manufacturing Excellence

weddings

Jones – Storrier Rick Storrier and Jenny Jones enjoyed a glorious wedding held on “Riverview Farm”, the property owned by Rick and his family just outside of Hillston, on September 14.

The ceremony took place at “Cassidy’s Waterhole” and the reception was held at the Riverview Homestead.

Jenny was accompanied by bridesmaids Amy Azzopardi, Milly Cheah, Sarah Whitworth, Sarah Goodyear and Kristy Jones, while Rick had groomsmen Jono Drady, Mick Storrier, Paul Cleton, Chris Lyne and Sean Mullan, not to mention the 145 guests.

The cake was made by the groom’s sister, Anne Stoll, while the flowergirl dresses were made by the groom’s mother, Carole.

Jenny’s wedding bouquet consisted of freesias, blushing brides and a single magnolia flower, creating a burst of stunning colour.

Rick and Jenny’s vows were self-written: a creative and personal spin on a special moment.

For the first dance, the bridal party partnered their own husbands and wives.

The couple have made their home at Riverview Farm after spending five weeks camping in the Kimberley region.

L-R: Amy Azzopardi, Milly Cheah, Sarah Whitworth, Sarah Goodyear, Kristy Jones, Jenny & Rick Storrier, Jono Drady, Mick Storrier, Paul Cleton, Chris Lyne, Sean Mullan.

Mark Quade Photography

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 171

weddings

Davis – Wright On August 10 before a small gathering of friends and family, Christina Davis and Trent Wright vowed to remain each other’s best friend for life.

The promise was an easy one to make. The happy couple had been firm friends for many years prior to their romance.

Orange’s historic Duntryleague homestead and its surrounds provided the perfect setting for the couple to affirm their future hopes and dreams. Christina wore a classic white dress while Trent wore a grandpa-style shirt and embossed vest.

Making the day even more special, Sally Wright, Trent’s mother and local florist, crafted the bouquets and centrepieces.

The mixture of white lilies and chrome roses was eye catching and timeless in its class.

Christina and Trent spent a week in Rainbow Beach before returning home to build their future in Orange.

Miarnabella Photography

L-R: Toni Ryan, Christina Wright, Jade Wright and Monica Sutherland.

F loral

HIGH GROUND

VANESSA PRINGLE is the founder of a stunning Floral Designs business on Keppel Street, Bathurst.

Vanessa works on up to 180 weddings a year, as well as creating arrangements to acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries, sympathy, new arrivals, corporate events and more.

“Vanessa Pringle Floral Designs offers same-day delivery for flower orders, and a myriad of suggestions and ideas on our website, which allows you to choose the perfect arrangement,” said Vanessa, who was trained in Sydney and moved back to the Central West in 2005 to be closer to family.

“There is something special about the people in regional towns, who ask your name before they ask what you do for a profession,” she smiled.

Vanessa Pringle Floral Designs arranges masterpieces for weddings in Bathurst and throughout Orange, Blayney and Milthorpe, with vineyard events being a highlight. Ready-made bouquets are available in store for your convenience, as well as a variety of gifts for that special occasion.

On weekdays and Saturday mornings, Vanessa and the team are available for your consultation as you peruse the exquisite interior of the shop.

Image: Clare Lewis 172 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

weddings

Markwick – Ryan Wayne Ryan wed Brittany Markwick at the Parklands Resort, Mudgee, surrounded by beautiful gardens and 85 friends and family on Saturday, October 5.

Bridesmaids Elissa Chapman, Ashlee Hill and Akeisha Hanlon held bouquets of white lilies as they stood alongside groomsmen Chris Farmer, Brendon Fush and Rhys Browning.

A string quartet added some more magic to the ceremony before the newlyweds, bridal party and guests continued on to the reception in the resort’s Windamere function room.

Brittany wore a golden ivory Maggie Sottero dress with utter style, featuring a sweetheart neckline.

The two celebrated their union in Bali for a relaxing six nights following the wedding. Wayne and Brittany have recently built a new home for themselves in Bathurst.

Mark Quade Photography

L-R: Brendon Fush, Elissa Chapman, Rhys Browning, Ashlee Hill, Chris Farmer, Akeisha Hanlon with Brittany and Wayne Markwick.

CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013 173

weddings

Blackman – Chircop Mark Chircop and Keely Blackman were married in the stunning country surrounds of Narromine on October 5.

The ceremony took place at the magnificent Iris Farm owned by Mel and Vas Roberts. Keely and Mark were accompanied by their two children Tilly and Vincent, along with nephew and niece Max and Alice, and 100 other family and friends.

The bride was escorted in style, in a 1959 Ford Customline Star Model. The groom arrived in his 1974 XB Falcon coupe, which was his first real car, and the car he dreamt of having at his wedding.

Each married the love of their life after seven wonderful years as a couple.

The bride modelled her dress on that of her grandmother and wore the same crystal necklace her grandmother wore more than 50 years ago.

Keely’s sister and cousin joined forces to create the cake, and her mother and aunt made the vintagestyle decorations for the reception.

Penny Davis for Pink Bug Photography and Cinema

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HENDERSONS MENSWEAR Dubbo, 68821764

ANGULLONG WINES Panuara, 6366 4300 www.angullong.com.au ANGUS WADDELL PHOTOGRAPHY Young, 0427 428 454 www.waddell.com.au ANNIES OLD FASHIONED ICE CREAM PARLOUR Bathurst, 6331 8088 ANTHOLOGIE GROUP Eugowra, 6859 2919 www.anthologiegroup.com ARANCINA RESTAURANT Orange, 0457 588 034 ARCADE IMPRESSIONS Orange, 6362 6436 www.facebook.com/ArcadeImpressions AUSTRALIAN FOSSIL AND MINERAL MUSEUM Bathurst, 6331 5511 www.somervillecollection.com.au BARCOOS BARN FARMSTAY Bathurst, 6337 2383 www.barcoosbarn.com.au BAREFOOT WHOLEFOODS Orange, 6363 1144 www.cphealth.com.au BATHURST HERITAGE MOTOR INN Bathurst, 6334 3433 www.heritagemotorinn.com.au BATHURST REAL ESTATE Bathurst, 6331 5555 www.bathurstrealestate.com.au BATHURST REGIONAL COUNCIL Bathurst, 6332 1444 www.visitbathurst.com.au BERT WRIGLEY IRRIGATION Dubbo, 6884 4611 www.sprinklersystemshop.com.au BETTA FRAME AND TRUSS Dubbo, 6881 8544 www.dubborooftrusses.websyte.com.au BISHOP’S COURT ESTATE Bathurst, 6332 4447 www.bishopscourtestate.com.au BISSY'S CAFE Orange, 6369 0666 www.bissyscafe.com.au BLAIR ATHOL Bathurst, 6331 2851 BRIDGE VIEW INN APARTMENT Rylstone, 6379 0909 BV FARM FRESH Collie, 68479168 www.bvfarmfresh.com.au BYRNE CLOTHING Parkes, 6862 1408 www.byrneclothing.com.au CABOODLE OF ORANGE Orange, 6362 6310 www.caboodleoforange.com.au CACTUS CAFE AND GALLERY Wellington, 68454647 www.facebook.com/cactuscafeandgallery CALIBRATE DESIGN SPACE Dubbo, 0428 610 208 www.calibratedesignspace.com

COWRA TOURISM CORP Cowra, 6342 4333 www.cowratourism.com.au COW AND CALF HOTEL Wellington, 68452710 www.cowandcalf.com.au DANGAR FALLS LODGE Dorrigo, 6657 2131 www.dorrigo.com/ accommodation-directory DARCY’S OLD WARES Lucknow, 6365 5126 www.darcysoldwares.com.au DELI LAMA Canowindra, 6344 1006 DESIGNER DÉCOR AND GIFTS Dubbo, 02 6884 7392 DE BEAUREPAIRE WINES Rylstone, 0429 787 705 www.debeaurepaire.com DUBBO CITY WELDING Dubbo, 6882 6327 www.dubbocitywelding.com DUBBO HOME & GIFTS Dubbo, 6884 6952 DUBBO MOWERS & CHAINSAWS Dubbo, 6882 3122 DUBBO PRINTING WORKS Dubbo, 6882 1233 www.printingworks.com DUNDULLIMAL HOMESTEAD Dubbo, 6884 9984 www.nationaltrust.org.au/nsw/ dundullimal-homestead EAGLE BOYS Dubbo, 6882 8999 www.eagleboys.com.au EASY LIVING FOOTWEAR Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange, 6332 3822 www.elfshoes.com.au ECOSYSTEM ARCHITECTURE Sydney, 8226 8549 www.ecosystemarchitecture.com.au ESME'S COFFEE SHOP Forbes, 6852 2239 EVERVIEW LUXURY RETREAT Canowindra, 6344 3116 www.everview.com.au EWE TWO ON DANDALOO Trangie, 6888 8268 www.ewetwo.com.au FINNS STORE Canowindra, 6344 1638 FORBES SHIRE COUNCIL Forbes, 6850 2318 www.forbes.nsw.gov.au FORGANDENNY B&B Mudgee, 6372 2437 www.forgandenny.com.au FRANK DEMARCO BUILDING Dubbo, 6884 1948 FROCKWORK ORANGE Orange, 6360 0706 www.frockworkorange.com FUZE HAIR Dubbo, 6882 0942 www.fuzehair.com.au

ORANGE CITY COUNCIL Orange, 6393 8250 www.orange.nsw.gov.au

HAY'S GIFT AND GARDENWARE Parkes, 6862 4002

ADORS PARTY HIRE Dubbo, 6882 9333 www.adors.com.au

ALL SAINTS’ COLLEGE Bathurst, 6331 3911 www.saints.nsw.edu.au

NOLA DEBNEY CELEBRANT Orange, 0412 907 002 www.noladebneymarriagecelebrant. com.au

HIGHLAND HERITAGE ESTATE Orange, 6362 7381 www.highlandheritageestate.com.au HILLSIDE ORCHARD Orange, 6365 2247 www.visitorange.com.au/accom_result1/ hillside-orchard

PLC ARMIDALE Armidale, 6770 1700 www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au PRESSED TIN PANELS Bathurst, 6332 1738 www.pressedtinpanels.com

THE LIONS PRIDE Dubbo, 6884 3333 www.thelionspride.com.au THE LOLLIPOP SHOP Rylstone, 6379 1655 THE PLAGUE AND I Canowindra, 6344 2736 THE SCOTS SCHOOL Bathurst, 6333 4702 www.scots.edu.au THE SKIN CORRECTIVE CENTRE Dubbo, 6885 6349 www.theskincorrectivecentre.com.au THE WHITE PLACE Orange, 6363 1160 www.thewhiteplace.com.au THE WOODSHED GALLERY Warren, 6889 7929 www.woodshedgallery.com.au TJ'S CATERING Dubbo, 6885 3831 www.tjscatering.com.au TOMS WATERHOLE WINE Canowindra, 6344 1819 www.gjkerr.com.au TOYOTA CENTRAL WEST GROUP Dubbo, 6882 1511 www.toyota.com.au

INSPIRATIONS PAINT Dubbo, 6882 7333 www.inspirations.com

PUT THE KETTLE ON Wellington, 0428 451 815 www.putthekettleon.com.au

JACK DUGGANS IRISH PUB Bathurst, 6331 2712 www.jackduggans.com.au

RACINE RESTAURANT Orange, 6365 3275 www.racinerestaurant.com.au

JOHN DAVIS MOTORS Orange, 6362 0966 www.johndavismotors.com.au

RAILWAY HOTEL Kandos, 6379 6888 www.railwayhotelkandos.com

JULIE HERBERT MILLINERY Orange, 0405 241 633 www.facebook.com/JulieHerbertMillinery

RAINE & HORNE DUBBO Dubbo, 0410 615 505 www.raineandhorne.com.au/dubbo

KIM LOWE INTERIORS Canowindra, 0417 392 239 www.kimloweinteriors.com.au

RANELAGH GUESTHOUSE Dubbo, 0408 636 111 www.ranelaghbandb.com.au

TWO DOORS CAFÉ RESTAURANT Dubbo, 6885 2333 www.twodoors.com.au

KIMBELLS CAFÉ Wellington, 6845 2075

RAW CANVAS ART SUPPLIES Orange, 6361 4311 www.orange-nsw.com/RawCanvas.html

VANESSA PRINGLE FLORAL DESIGNS Bathurst, 6331 1030 www.vanessapringlefloraldesigns.com.au

RELISH CAFÉ Dubbo, 6882 6769

W. LARCOMBE AND SON Dubbo, 6882 3199 www.wlarcombeandson.com.au

KINGS ANTIQUES AT CRAGO MILL Bathurst, 0417 785 495 www.kingsantiques.com.au KINROSS WOLAROI SCHOOL Orange, 6392 0300 www.kws.nsw.edu.au KITCH & SONS HARDWARE Wellington, 6845 2255 KITCHEN AND RENOVATIONS CONCEPTS Dubbo, 6884 1292 www.kitchen-concepts.com.au LAKEVIEW LUXURY CABINS Orange, 6365 3378 www.lakeviewcabins.com.au LESA MATTHEWS PHOTOGRAPHY West Wyalong, 0428 723 364 https://www.facebook.com/pages/LesaMatthews-Photography/171798542874179 LION OF WATERLOO TAVERN Wellington, 6845 3636 LITTLE FISH GALLERY Dubbo, 6884 8707 www.littlefishgallery.com.au LUCKNOW SKIN SHOP Lucknow, 6365 5330 www.lucknowskinshop.com.au MARALLY CRAFT Orange, 6362 3860 www.marallycraft.com.au

RELISH HOME AND LIVING Cowra, 6341 4185 ROBERT HANDSAKER MOTORS Narromine, 6889 1011 www.roberthandsaker.com.au ROSIE’S HONEY MUSTARD Warren, 6824 2055 www.rosies.net.au

TULLYMORE HOUSE Wellington, 02 6845 1876

WELLINGTON PATCHWORK & CRAFT Wellington, 6845 1271 wellingtonpatchworkandcraft. allthingsquilting.com.au WELLINGTON TOURISM Wellington, 1800 621 614 www.visitwellington.com.au

RYLSTONE OLIVE PRESS Rylstone, 6379 1485 www.rylstoneolivepress.com.au

WEST END MOTOR LODGE Orange, 6362 5755 www.mbwestorangemotors.com.au

SAFFI Canowindra, 6344 2888

WEST ORANGE MOTORS Orange, 6361 1000 www.mbwestorangemotors.com.au

SAYWELL ASSOC P/L Rozelle, 63738124 SIGNVISION Dubbo, 6884 2520 www.signvisiondubbo.com.au

WESTERN PLAINS WINDOWS & GLASS PTY LTD Dubbo, 6884 8818 www.glassservicesdubbo.websyte.com.au

SO STELLA Orange, 0409 466 223 www.sostella.com.au

WHITNEYS JEWELLERS Dubbo, 6882 4620 www.whitneysjewellers.com.au

SOLDIERS MOTEL Mudgee, 6372 4399 www.soldiersmotel.com.au

WILD OATS CAFÉ & PAVILION Mudgee, 0428 417 364

MCNAUGHT GROUP PAINTING Dubbo, 6885 4744 www.mcnaughtgroup.com.au

STUBBERFIELD TOYOTA Wellington, 6845 2522 www.ronstubberfieldtoyota.com.au

MIDNIGHT DOWNS Narromine, 68894427

TEN DOLLAR TOWN MOTEL & PHOEBE’S LICENSED RESTAURANT Gulgong, 6374 1204 www.tendollartownmotel.com.au

MUDGEE BREWING COMPANY Mudgee, 6372 6726 www.mudgeebrewing.com.au

TRIM HAIR STUDIO Wellington, 6845 3913

WENONA SCHOOL North Sydney, 9955 3000 www.wenona.nsw.edu.au

MATERIAL WORLD Dubbo, 6882 6965

MUDGEE ANTIQUES Mudgee, 0407 432 194

TRELAWNEY FARM Mudgee, 0414 797 873 www.trelawneyfarm.com

RYLSTONE AG SUPPLIES Rylstone, 6379 1406

SPRING CREEK B&B Gulgong, 0408 119 231 www.springcreekcottage.com

MORRISON PODIATRY Dubbo, 6885 4266 www.morrisonpodiatry.com.au

TRAVELMANAGERS Dubbo and Parkes, 0428 748 469 www.travelmanagers.com.au

THE COMPLETE GARDEN Orange, 6362 6519 www.thecompletegarden.com.au THE HUB Bathurst, 6332 1565

WINDOWRIE WINES Canowindra, 6344 3598 www.windowrie.com.au WORD OF MOUTH WINES Orange, 6365 3509 www.wordofmouthwines.com.au WORKWEAR FOR WOMEN Dubbo, 68847778 www.facebook.com/WorkwearForWomen WORLDLY TREASURES Orange, 0401 977 886 www.worldlytreasures.com.au YOUNG EYES Young, 6382 4000 www.youngeyes.com.au YOUNG WORKWEAR Young, 6382 2289

The Last Laugh A ROYAL TRIBUTE

IN THIS JOB you get to see some great old iconic buildings scattered throughout the Central West that have withstood the test of time.

One of my favourites is the former Royal Hotel in Bathurst, one of the oldest dwellings in the country and now home to Elie’s Cafe.

Widely known for its great coffee and characters, Elie’s Cafe is one of the longest running cafes in town and boasts one of the few sidewalk seating areas.

You normally hear the infectious laugh of owner Elie Issa (pictured) before you actually reach his famous William Street eatery.

The well-known local personality has been running the popular cafe for more than 10 years, with his well-heeled patrons famous for spilling out onto the main street for a spot of sun and people watching.

The hotel was established in the 1840s not long after Bathurst, Australia’s oldest inland city, was first settled.

Over the years Dame Nellie Melba, Sir Henry Parkes and various governors have all made the Royal Apartments upstairs their country home while exploring the delights of the surrounding district.

The other part of this story is the old photo of the Royal Hotel taken nearly 100 years ago and passed on to me by local history buff Tony Mader.

Story has it that hundreds of old glass plates were discovered at the local tip about 20 years ago and handed to Tony for a delicate salvage job.

After scanning and a little help from Photoshop, the priceless images have been faithfully restored and returned to the Bathurst Historical Society.

From the outside, the hotel seems to have changed little in appearance, apart from the loss of the old chimney stacks.

The inside is a totally different story, just like the buildings on either side of the old pub, long since demolished in the name of progress.

This is what history is all about. Elie loves running his business here and the locals are delighted that an important part of Bathurst’s rich history is still here for all to enjoy. CWL Words & images: Shot by Jake

176 CW LIFESTYLE SUMMER 2013

TOYOTA ACCESS A SMARTER WAY TO BUY