Tamar Valley News December 2022

New Executive Committee Announced for the Tamar Valley Business Association

Crime Stoppers puts the brakes on bike theft

With a bicycle stolen every day on average in Tasmania, Crime Stoppers Tasmania is bringing Bikelinc to the State - an online community tool that connects owners to their bikes.

said Mr Higgins.

The President of the Tamar Valley Business Association, Carl Cooper, has announced waiving fees for the 20222023 financial year and is asking businesses in the Tamar Valley to consider coming on board to reinvig orate the Association.

The Association’s main aim is to promote business, fos ter cooperation and create opportunities for network ing between businesses in the Tamar Valley Over the past couple of years, we have not been able to come together as much. Still, we have welcomed new mem bers and are continuously seeking new members to help us grow the Associa tion and assist the business

community in the Tamar Valley.

Carl stated, ‘The last few years have been particularly challenging for business across the Tamar Valley. We want the Association to provide an opportunity for like-minded business people in Tamar Valley to come together and promote and advocate for the area. We have some of Tasmania’s most committed, resilient and innovative business es, delivering exceptional services and experiences. Still, by working together, I believe we can achieve much more for the Tamar Valley.’

The coming 12 months

presents the opportunity to reconnect Businesses in our region to their customers and manage, improve and develop all businesses. With the challenges anticipat ed in the coming year all businesses will be looking for guidance, advocacy and connection to negotiate the coming 12 months and the Tamar Valley Business Group is open for business.

To get in touch with the Association, please contact Carl Cooper on 0428 250 920 and email any Members enquiries to tamarvalley businessassociation@gmail. com.

Crime Stoppers Tasmania Chair David Daniels OAM said the program, developed by Crime Stoppers Western Australia, is a great com munity initiative. “Bikelinc now has over 45,000 bikes securely listed and linked to their owners,” said Mr Daniels.

Crime Stoppers Tasmania CEO David Higgins said introducing Bikelinc to Tasmania supports the growing number of people who enjoy bike riding and have financially invested in their bicycles. “A 2021 na tional cycling survey shows the number of Tasmanians riding at least once in the past year has increased by 27%, compared to the pre vious survey in 2019. With Christmas approaching, and new bikes on many shop ping lists, now is a good time to introduce Bikelinc,”

“All bikes can be a target to thieves, whether they are the more expensive moun tain bikes, road bikes and e-bikes, to the basic recre ational bikes on the market. Bikelinc connects you, your bike, Tasmania Police and the cycling community. Bike owners and retailers create a free profile of their bike on Bikelinc, using a serial number to link it to them as the rightful owner,” Mr Higgins said.

The Tasmanian Association of Police and Community Youth Clubs (TAPCYC) CEO Scott Wade said Bike linc protects bike owners from theft and increases the likelihood of having bikes returned.

“Bikelinc is for anyone who enjoys bike riding as a form of commuting, recreation or sport and doesn’t want bike thieves disrupting their cycling lifestyle,” he said.

“PCYC represents and supports many vulnerable people in our community

who rely on bikes for trans port and recreation. These people can’t afford to lose their bike,” said Mr Wade.

Tasmania Police is very successful in recovering and retrieving bikes but have difficulty in returning them to their owners. Bikelinc allows police to securely check Bikelinc to confirm the ownership of bikes that come into their possession, or to check the legitimacy of people claiming to own bikes.

Senior Sergeant Mathew Adams from Tasmania Police said that Tasmania Police was committed to preventing and investigat ing crime. “However, there are ways that members of the community can help to prevent their property from being targeted by thieves and Bikelinc is an excellent opportunity for bike owners to take steps to help protect their property.” Senior Ser geant Adams said.

Christmas in the Valley

By Phillip Ragan

In what promises to be one of the best Christmas Carol events the region has seen in years, this year’s annual event, hosted at Exeter showgrounds on 11th December, sees a larger emphasis on celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

‘It has been a combined ef fort from a variety of differ ent community groups’ said Andrew Goelst organising committee Co-Chair from Tamar Valley Christian Church, ‘a common good of groups working together to hopefully create a memora ble family focussed event.’

That collaboration has seen

the Exeter Show Society, Legana Christian Church, Tamar Valley Christian Church, the West Tamar Council and Exeter Lions Club work together.

For the first time in 3 years the event is COVID free, though patrons are encour aged to employ common sense if they are unwell and COVID safety elements have been factored into the planning.

‘We hope to see around 3000 people at the event,’ said Andrew, who added, ‘we are grateful to the West Tamar Council and in particular Mayor Christina Holmdahl who has been a tremendous supporter.’

There is a wealth of talent booked in to perform, the ever-popular Jo Palmer will MC, with music performed by The Ferguson Brothers, Matthew and Michelle Gar wood, The Hawkins Family, Steve Fitzallen and Royce Allwood from Door of Hope Church in Launceston and the impeccable West Tamar Municipal band.

The choir this year is pro vided by Legana Christian Church while choir songs will be performed by both Exeter Primary School and Launceston Christian school.

An honorary mention must also go to the talent ed Thomas Ferguson who

will be this year’s Musical Director.

It promises to be a memo rable evening, with at least half a dozen food vans booked in for all your hot and cold food, coffee, drinks and lolly requirements!

And with mask mandates long abolished, singing is most certainly welcome!

The event begins at 5pm and runs until 8pm, that date again is Sunday 11th December.

More information can be found at www.west tamarcommunitycarols. org.au

Tamar Valley Business Association Logo (PHOTO: Facebook)

Places of the Tamar

A Day at Greens Beach

By Phillip Ragan

It was a beautiful, wind swept afternoon as I pulled into Greens Beach to write this story recently.

The Greens Beach general store, busy as always on a Thursday in late Spring, has been a fixture in the town, serving freshly cooked food, coffee, and a large variety of other shopping require ments.

Owners Neville and Sharon who have owned and managed the business since February 2005 were quick to put on the record that though the business is on the market to the right buyer with the right vision, they are not going anywhere

anytime soon, (contrary to some rumours doing the rounds up this way!) and plan to stay in Greens Beach even after the business is sold.

The township is thriving at the moment, even an informal chat with Neville seemed a challenge with customers consistently rolling in. ‘The tourists are coming back big time,’ said Neville, who advised me to go up to Ocean View Drive to get the best views of the beach.

‘The town is busy almost all year round these days and is not as seasonal as it used to be’, explained Neville who described Greens Beach as ‘the Jewel in the Crown’ of

COMINGSOON

the Tamar Valley area!

This Christmas season is expected to be busier than ever with new Caravan Park manager, Dean a social me dia expert, reaching more and more potential tourists through a busy marketing campaign.

The third major business in town is the popular Greens Beach Golf Course, which as Neville explains, is open to the general public all year round and the club is great for a meal or drink or to watch some live sport on the big screen even to those not interested in golf.

Famous for its beautiful beach, views to Low Head and rugged coastline,

Greens Beach has an excel lent coastal walking track, a major access point to Narawntapu National Park with an easy walk to the West Head lookout making for spectacular clifftop views westwards.

Tennis, fishing, boating and swimming are some of the activities on offer here or just relax, slow down enjoy an ice-cream, read a book or take a walk along the shore line. Greens Beach remains a place to escape the daily grind!

Greens Beach drew statewide attention thanks to Hobart based artist David Keeling, who won two Glov er Awards for his Coastal Track paintings; 45 minute

walk-Narawntapu in 2006 and Lowtide, Soft Breeze in 2016. The celebrated, landscape artist has strong ties to the area, with his wife’s family home in nearby Kelso.

For this writer who grew up never too far from a beach in Western Australia, Greens Beach brings back memories of unspoiled beaches, country and coastal life in Southwest W.A. before a once in a hundred-year mining boom meant many of those seaside towns were fur ther ‘developed’ and lost much of their outstanding charm. Greens Beach is no such place, still somewhere special where you can slow down and appreciate great

natural beauty. It no doubt has some growth ahead, but for the time being at least, Greens Beach remains a throwback to life by the sea in regional Australia.

Greens Beach shop owner Neville Stewart (PHOTO: Phillip Ragan)

Charities combine to donate $8,000 worth of school supplies to West Tamar schools

achieve their aspirations.

Research has shown that family income impacts on children’s lives and develop ment in a variety of ways. Living on a low-income increases parents’ stress levels, in turn affecting relationships and family dy namics. Increases in family income can boost children’s educational achievements, and emotional and physical wellbeing.

Parents worry about the impact poverty has on their children, particularly that they may be bullied. Children living in poverty frequently report feeling excluded and embarrassed, citing it as a key source of unhappiness, and worry about their parents in turn.

The St Vincent de Paul Society – via a grant from, Presbyterian Care – West Tamar Lions, and West Tamar Rotary Club have combined forces to make a real difference to children in need along the West Tamar.

By combining three small donations into one sizeable offering of close to $8,000 the three charities were able

to purchase a number of items for students at Exeter High School, Exeter Prima ry School, and Beaconsfield Primary School.

The donations covered the costs of sun hats so students could socialise and have fun with their friends outside. Sunhats are important to protect students from the sun on a hot day. Many

schools do not allow chil dren to play outside without a sunhat, which can affect a child’s social development and sense of belonging.

The donation also covered the purchase of mouthguards so children from families that could not afford mouth-guards could participate in healthy sporting activities – often

representing their schools – which build confidence, self-esteem, friendships, and cooperative skills; while breaking down social barriers.

Finally, the donation helped pay for school clothing that is donated to disadvantaged families on a needs basis.

Poverty in childhood is

damaging to children, to their life chances, and to communities.

All areas of a child’s life are adversely affected by pov erty: home, school, friend ships and more. The most visible aspect is that they do not have what their friends have. Child poverty impacts on children’s ability to enjoy their childhoods and

By making this $8,000 do nation of clothing, sun hats, and mouth-guards – as well as demonstrating that the community does care about children – the charities hope to improve the lives of those they seek to help and to level the academic, social, and sporting playing fields for students in Exeter and Beaconsfield.

Local film lovers celebrate contemporary cinema

There are many fantas tic cultural events in The Tamar Valley including music, festivals, arts groups, activities and food and wine to name a few, one other to add to that list is The Tamar Valley Film society.

Meeting on the second Friday of each month at the recently renovated Exeter Hub on Murray Street, the Tamar Valley Film Society strives to screen a variety of films from a range of genres.

Independent films, so often

ignored by mainstream media, and in particular, Australian independent films, are sure to be given a fair amount of coverage with members suggestions always welcomed.

New members are always welcome to join, with a relatively small member ship fee paid yearly. The society runs 12 screenings a year, with a member’s bar, a pre-film raffle with choco late and wine prizes and an opportunity to enjoy drinks during the screening.

The bar opens at 6:30pm with the film starting at 7:30pm, that’s at Exeter Hub, Murray Street on the second Friday of each month. First visit is free for those who would like to come along and experience a night of cinema and friendship.

The Tamar Valley film society is supported by West Tamar Council. For more information about screenings please visit www. tamarvalleyfilmsociety. com.

St Vincent de Paul Society volunteer and project coordinator, Eric Welsh and Exeter High School principal Benjamin Frerk, with other charity representatives. (PHOTO: Supplied)

People of the Tamar Chelsea

Wing

By Phillip Ragan

One piece of advice this writer was given in his younger years that he wasn’t necessarily always good at putting into practise was ‘don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today’.

It’s a well-known quote that some might take as mean ing, achieve as much as you can while you are young and hopefully have the time, energy and vitality to work hard and make things happen, potentially making things easier for yourself later in life by working hard today.

One local young person who seemingly needs no such motivational quotes is Legana local and Riverside Olympic Football Club

women’s captain Chelsea Wing.

Chelsea, who is 19, was recently appointed as Tech nical Director of coaching at Riverside Olympic, meaning she will work closely with recently appointed Portu guese NPL coach Helder Dos Santos Silva, to hope fully achieve great outcomes for local soccer.

Riverside Olympic is one of the pioneers of women’s soccer in Northern Tasma nia, with their recently im plemented female academy providing girls an oppor tunity to play soccer all the way from juniors to senior women’s level, the club is hoping that Football Fed eration Tasmania will grant Riverside a WSL licence for season 2024 which is the

highest level of woman’s football in Tasmania.

‘That would be a dream of mine, to represent Riverside Olympic at State League level.’ Said Chelsea.

Chelsea made her debut at senior woman’s level at just 15 in a year that saw the club bring home the North ern Championship title. Her passion for the game, com bined with fantastic vision, skill and work ethic, have seen her promoted to cap tain of the senior women’s team, represent and score for Tasmania’s u19 women’s team against one of Victo ria’s premier female soccer clubs at UTAS Stadium and move into coaching. In her maiden season as a coach in her own right, Chelsea coached Riverside’s under

17 girls team to runners up in the league and winners of the prestigious McDonalds Cup, all while coaching Northern Tasmania’s u12 girls rep team and assistant coaching Tasmania’s u14 girls state team!

It was this success alongside Chelsea’s obvious passion for the game and leadership skills that has seen the club further invest in her with promotion to the Technical Director’s position. Chelsea is currently studying for her FFA ‘B’ licence which requires about 100 hours of study and several trips to Hobart.

Chelsea is a local girl through and through! At tending both Riverside Pri mary and High School and growing up in Legana, she

is extremely family minded. Daughter of proud parents Rob and Jo and the middle of 3 girls, sisters Georgia and Amelia both having played, and in Amelia’s case continue to play for, River side Olympic.

Chelsea’s hard-working demeanour has carried over into the workplace, where now into her third year working at Woolworths Legana, Chelsea has recently been promoted to an Assis tant Managers position.

Enrolled to study Bachelor of Design online at Univer sity of Sunshine Coast next year, Chelsea is a young person who is dynamic, humble, hardworking and positive.

She genuinely loves soccer

and Riverside Olympic Football Club and wants to help other girls on their soccer journey. With the Women’s World Cup com ing to Australia in 2023, Chelsea is hopeful that Launceston gets a training base for a country, further raising the profile of the women’s game here. ‘I’d love it if we got to host Sweden!’ added Chelsea.

Like many young people, Chelsea’s life and plans were certainly impacted by COVID, but rather than feel sorry for herself she has embraced the challenge and one way, or another seems destined to be a leader in sport, the workplace and society.

Chelsea Wing mid-kick at the Riverside Olympic Soccer Club (PHOTO: Floyd Jones)

More than a Bakery Featured Article

By Phillip Ragan

There are many businesses that personify community spirit, a kind of meeting place where people of all backgrounds and creeds can go to feel welcomed and appreciated, a place built on great service and trust with a proven product to match, one such place is Jubilee Bakery in Beaconsfield.

Now under new manage ment, after the previous owners, the Hillier Family, made the difficult decision to sell up after running it successfully over many decades, the bakery contin ues to provide locals and visitors alike with warm hospitality and great service, providing delicious, very reasonably priced food and coffee to the community.

Established in 1887, the Jubilee is one of the oldest

operating businesses in Tas mania, and a Bakery of only a handful left in this great State, that uses an old wood fired, heritage listed oven.

Jubilee Bakery is an im portant part of Beaconsfield history, and new Owner, Dwayne Hinds is not exact ly new himself in the sense that he was baking there for more than 20 years before purchasing the business!

Dwayne, one of the friendli est and most positive people you are likely to meet, is qualified as both a chef and baker and will be continu ing to work hard, going the extra mile to produce quali ty food 6 days a week.

Dwayne, who starts his days during the small hours of the night and has a European style siesta late morning before returning to work in the afternoon, is in many ways a picture of

that hard-working, blue-col lar attitude that makes a country town tick. Dwayne typically works a 12–14hour day, but he has zero complaints. Working his way up through the ranks and putting in the hard yards to eventually reach a position to acquire the business he loves. Dwayne’s story proves that hard work and loyalty pays off. His passion for the business and work ethic has no doubt flowed through to the rest of the team at Jubilee Bakery.

“We are super lucky to work here,” said Dwayne and “super lucky to have such incredible, caring staff.”

“Newly appointed ‘coffee queen’, Charlotte makes the meanest coffee in the region!” Complimenting the already established crew of Grant, Robin, Sarah and Ange. Add to that, Dwayne’s

partner and ‘General McIv er’ Karin, a Swiss National with a strong passion for her adopted home here in Northern Tasmania, there is little wonder that a visit to the Jubilee Bakery makes for a memorable meal and experience.

Jubilee Bakery is famous for its award-winning pies and sausage rolls, but also all other products, like a vari ety of bread and all sorts of cakes are baked daily fresh, straight out of the wood fired brick oven.

In his typical humble manner, Dwayne was quick to give credit to a few other well-known local people, “landlord Kerry Lux has been absolutely brilliant” said Dwayne, “next year there will be a further investment to improve the driveways.” Master bakers Jeffrey and Shane Garwood,

who Dwayne served his ear lier years under. “Jeffrey was hard but very fair.” Dwayne added affectionately.

“The Hillier family, in particular Michelle and Troy who we worked for to build this business up and of course our wonderful customers, who have made us who we are today.” It is a well-known fact among locals that the Bakery has won a number of state-wide awards.

As time slipped away from us, I asked Dwayne is there anything else he would like us to add “We couldn’t be any more local,” was his re sponse, “we live in the town, love the town and are living the dream, and my daughter Chelsea is supporting us with her skills as a book keeper/relief shop girl, what more could one ask for, as to work with family.”

Jubilee Bakery is more than just a business, it has been a workplace for many people, a community hub, a piece of Beaconsfield and Tasmanian history, an icon, a treasure, and a place that has rode the storms and hard times and yet remains as strong as ever. Here’s to Dwayne and Karin and the team at Jubi lee Bakery as they continue to demonstrate that where there is a great love and pas sion for something, success inevitably flows.

Female T20 Boom competition now in full swing!

By Phillip Ragan

There was a fantastic atmosphere on hand at Beaconsfield Cricket Club recently for the clubs opening home fixture vs Trevallyn Gold in the summers hottest local sporting event…

The Female T20 Boom competition!

Started in 2015-16, the league continues to grow in popularity, with 2 Divisions now running, Division 1 consisting of Western Tiers, Trevallyn Blue, Hadspen, ACL, Long ford and Evandale and perhaps of more inter est to readers of this newspaper, Division 2 consisting of local teams Trevallyn Gold, Beauty Point, George

Town, Legana and Beaconsfield. (Exeter unfortunately having to withdraw just prior to the season)

Matches are played across late spring, summer, and early Autumn from 5:30 on a Wednesday evening, a great way to break up the busy work week, maybe pack a picnic and a rug, and catch

some great local wom en’s cricket. The competition rules are structured to give all players a chance with the bat, with forced retirements to players after they have made 25 runs or faced 25 balls (whichever comes first).

Retired players can of course return in the event that the side is

bowled out and um pires are given a lot of latitude when it comes to LBW decisions with a first warning encour aged before a player is adjudged leg before wicket! Likewise, no fewer than 8 of the 11 players on the field must bowl at least one over, again a rule de signed to encourage as much participation as possible.

A competitive but fun environment really is the name of the game here!

The season concludes in March with a final series, so if you are free on a Wednesday evening, why not head down to one of the lo cal clubs in the region and enjoy some great local woman’s cricket.

New fire danger ratings help people prepare for bushfire

A new and nationally consistent fire danger rating system was launched across Australia on 1 September 2022. It has been imple mented in Tasmania by the Tasmania Fire Service. The system provides clearer and more accurate information to people at risk of bushfire.

The new Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) brings togeth er the latest science and knowledge of fire behaviour.

Supported by extensive

community research, AF DRS is the most significant change to the fire danger ratings system in more than 50 years.

Under the previous system, fire danger ratings were based largely on forest and grass fire models. The new system uses eight different types of vegetation, which have been mapped across Australia. Based on fuel types, a further 22 sub-cat egories support the sys tem, meaning we can look

forward to more accurate predictions.

What you’ll need to know:

The new Australian Fire Danger Rating System forecasts the potential level of risk - before a bushfire starts.

Ratings are calculated using weather forecast and vegeta tion information.

The display of daily ratings has been simplified. Four levels of fire danger rating

will be used, with clear actions for people to take at each level.

• Moderate (Green) – Plan and prepare

• High (Yellow) – Be ready to act

• Extreme (Orange) – Take action now to protect life and property

• Catastrophic (Red) – For your survival, leave bush fire risk areas

No rating (White section under Moderate) - means

The new Fire Dang er Ratings are:

if a fire does start, it is not likely to threaten the safety of the community.

You will find daily fire dan ger ratings on both the Tas mania Fire Service (www. fire.tas.gov.au) and Bureau of Meteorology (www.bom. gov.au) websites. As in the past, the daily fire danger rating tables will show forecast fire danger based on fire weather areas. The maps provided by the TFS will show a finer scale and so give more local detail.

Fire Permits and Total Fire Ban declarations will be made by the Tasmania Fire Service in the usual way.

What to do

Know the changes, they could save your life. Make sure your fire safety plans are up to date. Go to: www. fire.tas.gov.au

It is never too early to begin preparations to protect your property, and most impor tantly, the lives of those you love.

Fires can be unexpected - be prepared this fire season. (PHOTOS: Red Hot Tips Program) Go to fire.tas.gov.au to complete your 5 minute Bushfire Plan Online.

New Indian restaurant rocks Riverside Featured Article

By Phillip Ragan

Riverside’s brand-new Indi an restaurant, the delight fully named Jungles and Caves is making waves with its unique blend of spices setting them apart from other Indian restaurants in the region.

Owner Jatinder Singh, or Goldy as he is happy to be called, has certainly done the hard yards to get himself into a position to own and operate a restaurant, he is a fascinating character with a fascinating story. Born in busy Punjab in Northern India, Jatinder’s love of food and hospitality has taken him to Singapore where he earned a Diploma in Hospi tality and worked in various busy restaurants, move to the Gold Coast where he completed a master’s degree in international tourism and hotel management at South ern Cross University, before moving south of the border to NSW where he managed a busy restaurant for about 2 years.

In 2018 Jatinder and wife Rajni (or Rose if you prefer) made the move to Tasma nia, initially spending time in Hobart before realising that the North is a far better option!

He quickly found work in his adopted home at Laun ceston favourite, Sweetbrew Café before becoming a co-owner of popular Indian restaurant, Bajra, out in

Longford.

When an opportunity presented itself to open a restaurant in Riverside, Jatinder embraced the op portunity and opened Jun gle and Caves Fusion Indian Restaurant Cafe on the West Tamar Hwy, Riverside.

‘We strive to put a big emphasis on healthy food,’ said Jatinder, ‘the thing with each Indian restaurant is that each is unique in its own right. There is a nar rative behind each one and a reason they are different. Our major emphasis is on recipes! We blend our own spices, and every sauce has a unique taste, our curries are not so sweet because we use less sugar for example, our dishes use less oil, and we use locally sourced meats and ingredients with the spices imported directly from India. Our focus is on creating clean, tidy food and healthy eating for our customers,’ who he says, ‘are very decent people and have a great knowledge of Indian food, and a great love of Indian restaurants.’

It seems that in order to run a successful Indian restaurant one has to be a perfectionist, what we diners may take for granted would likely have taken years of training and study to perfect.

Jatinder was quick to say that he is very grateful for all the local support and

feels that the community has ‘embraced’ his restau rant. Like any new business he is still ‘auditioning’ trading hours and has made the call recently, not to trade for lunch times but rather focus all his energy on the busy evening trading period between 5pm and 9pm. ‘We are open 7 days a week, 5-9pm and a little later on Friday and Saturday evenings too.’

This decision not to trade afternoons has freed Jatinder and his staff up to focus on the busy catering industry during the day. ‘We are already serving our great friends at Lega na Cricket Club’ with our delivery/catering service and we would like to use this opportunity to present to any other businesses and sporting clubs etc that we are able to accommodate all your catering requirements whether it be for a corporate or sporting event. We can cater for you whatever the event,’ he said.

‘We are on Uber Eats, Menulog and are serving a lot of the suburbs close to our restaurant but we can also deliver from Launceston to Exeter and beyond, please just call us to enquire.’

Jungles and Caves has a fully stocked bar offering a large selection of locally made wines.

There is a great story behind the name Jungles and Caves

which customers can ask Jatinder about themselves! But the story here is of a friendly and passionate individual from India, who along with his wife, now proudly calls Northern Tasmania home and has put it all on the line as it were to replace a previously unused building with a thriving Indian restaurant and cater ing business focussing on

healthy, fresh and delicious Indian food. Locals will not be disappointed with the prices which are extremely reasonable for such out standing food options.

Jungle and Caves Fusion Indian Restaurant Café is situated at 401 West Tamar Hwy, Riverside 7250

Please visit www.

jungleandcaves. com for full menu Telephone: 03 6327 1968 After hours: 0452 570 11 4

Email for catering enquiries: jungleandcaves@gmail. com

A brief look at Christmas traditions and history

Christmas is a time for fam ily, friends, and loved ones. It’s a time to be merry, and a time for traditions. Some people may think that all Christmas traditions are the same, but that’s not the case. Each family has their own unique way of celebrating the holiday season.

Some families travel across the globe, while others prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle of busy ports and instead enjoy the pictur esque views from their camp chair.

Some popular Christmas Traditions that come to mind include decorating your house and outdoor area with Christmas deco rations, carolling, hosting Christmas parties and shar ing gifts with your loved

ones. Another favourite tradition for many might be sitting down with the family playing board games or watching a movie with your family on Christmas eve, or maybe you do this for the whole month of December?

Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, here are 5 interesting facts about Christmas that you may not know.

1. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome in 336 A.D. But the holiday wasn’t actually celebrated on December 25th until the year 354.

2. Christmas wasn’t always a happy holiday, but rather a sombre holiday. It wasn’t until the 19th centu

ry that Christmas became the happy, family-oriented holiday we know today.

3. Across the globe, the white-bearded man goes by a few different names including Santa Claus/ Father Christmas (English), Kris-Kringle (American English), and in France, he’s called Père Noël (Father Christmas / Daddy Christmas)

4. Christmas Hills, in the state’s North-West is believed to have been discovered by Europeans on Christmas day.

5. New Zealand is the first country in the world to see the sun on Christmas Day.

Answers

(Turn

Across

Short prayer (7) 1

Bounded (7) 5

Underlying structure (6) 9

Football's "Captain Blood" of yesteryear (4,4) 10

Sole wetland in Central West Queensland (4,4) 11

Tallied (6) 12

Keynote (1,5) 13

Rhett's belle (8) 16 Software (8) 18

Last movement (6) 19

Designer McCartney (6) 20 Group of spectators (8) 22

Olive-green, black and white avian with a distinctive call (8) 25

Chamber music instruments (6) 26 Preparing for publication (7) 27 3-D artworks (7) 28

My friend thinks he is smart. He told me an onion is the only food that makes you cry, so I threw a coconut at his face.

A teacher asked her students to use the word “beans” in a sentence. “My father grows beans,” said one girl. “My mother cooks beans,” said a boy. A third student spoke up, “We are all human beans.”

It turns out a major new study recently found that humans eat more bananas than monkeys. It’s true. I can’t remember the last time I ate a monkey.

Patient: “Where exactly are you taking me, doctor?”

Doctor: “To the morgue.”

Patient: “What? But I’m not dead yet!”

Doctor: “And we’re not there yet.”

I want to die peacefully in my sleep, just like my grandfather, Not screaming like the passengers in his car.

Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drink ing battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one – and let the other one off.

My therapist says I have a preoccupation with vengeance. We’ll see about that.

Down

Japanese port city (5) 2

Substantial (5) 3

Red-flowered leafless shrub (6,3) 4

Obtained on Route 66? (5) 6

Small brush wallaby (9) 7

Primitive (9) 8

Baird Bay, SA, pelican breeding site (5,6) 10

Out of the race (9) 14

Sydney electronic music band (9) 15

Sworn statement (9) 17

One of 4.5 billion or so (5) 21

Small German WW2 marine raider (1-4) 23

Pursue (5) 24

Extending the role of pharmacists to ease pressure on healthcare providers

In an effort to relieve pres sure on the state’s hospitals, the Tasmanian Government are exploring options that could allow pharmacists to prescribe or dispense certain medications.

“We are undertaking a Pharmacy Scope of Practice Review to consider what other services and supports this highly skilled group of professionals may be able

to safely provide to Tasma nians,” said Premier and Minister for Health, Jeremy Rockliff.

The Department of Health have been tasked to look at ways the role of a pharma cist can be extended.

This includes expanding the list of medications that are already subject to contin ued dispensing provisions,

such as medications used to treat high blood pressure and high cholesterol, to include a broader group of medicines like oral contra ceptives, medications for the treatment of migraine, ecze ma, asthma and emphyse ma, as well as patients who are stabilised on anti-de pressant medications.

This would mean that phar macists could dispense or

supply typically a month of medication after a patient’s prescription runs out and the patient had been unable to access a GP.

“It does not mean pharma cists can initiate or prescribe these medications.”

“I have also asked the Department to investigate enabling pharmacists to administer a broader range

of vaccines, including vac cines for the prevention of shingles, and travel vaccines already prescribed by a GP.” This would typically result in a reduction in the num ber of GP visits required for each vaccine.

“This initiative comple ments our innovative GP solutions package, including our Single Employer Model for rural generalists, our GP

after hours support grants, Community Rapid Re sponse Service, new Rural Medical Workforce Centre, Community Paramedics and mental health hospital in the home service.”

“Stakeholders will be imme diately engaged in discus sions on the medications and vaccines to be included in this interim extension of the scope of pharmacy.”

Tales of the Tamar

The Origins of the Tamar Valley

By Peter Cox

The Tamar Valley is the product of 200 million years of geological evolution. The story begins with the splitting up of the old su per-continent of Gondwa naland, which began about 200 million years ago.

About 145 million years ago, at the beginning of the Jurassic period, lava began to intrude into the earth’s crust and spread out below what is now the central, eastern and southern areas of Tasmania. It cooled slowly below the surface to form dolerite, a very hard rock. Over the next 80 to 90 million years the rocks above the dolerite were gradually worn away until the dolerite was left as a hard erosion-resistant cap, which tops many of Tasma nia’s mountains.

At the beginning of the Tertiary Period, some 65 million years ago, earth quakes began to split up this dolerite capped plateau. The faulting created a trough from central Bass Strait

through northern Tasmania into today’s Midlands. The eastern edge was the East ern Tiers of Ben Lomond, Mt Barrow and Mt Arthur. The Western Tiers formed the western edge.

The central trough was split into two main valleys, separated by a central horst, or upland ridge. The rivers draining the mountains flowed into the central val ley, creating two huge lakes, known by geologists as Lake Tamar and Lake Cressy. They stretched out into the Bass Basin.

Over the next 30 million years rivers eroding the highland areas flowed into these lakes and deposited their sediments, filling the two lakes with clay, sands, gravel and boulders to a depth of up to 800 metres. Eventually these lakes were breached and drained, to create the Midland Plain in the east and the Norfolk Plains in the west. Through these plains flowed today’s South Esk and Lake Rivers. The Tamar Valley itself was a continuation of the Mid

land Plain, and it was at the same height.

The faulting created a con tinuous high ridge along the western edge of the valley. To the east the ridges rose in a series of steps towards Mt. Arthur and Mt. Barrow. Over millions of years the river has succeed ed in eroding away the lake sediments, down to the level of the river today. These sediments were carried out into the Bass Basin and deposited there.

The original course of the South Esk ran to the east of present-day Evandale. It flowed through the valley now drained by Rose’s Rivulet and joined the North Esk River at Corra Linn before flowing through the Bass Basin. The Lake River flowed north, joining the Meander River to flow through the Bass Basin be tween present day Devon port and Port Sorell.

Periodically between 40 and 20 million years ago volcanic eruptions created lava flows in many parts

of the valley. They cooled to form basalt rock. These flows also occurred over much of Northern Tas mania. One flow, some 50 metres thick, originated from Cocked Hat Hill, near present day Breadalbane. It blocked the channel of the South Esk River near Evandale and diverted it to the west to flow into the Macquarie/Lake River near Longford. They then joined the Meander River, which had been diverted eastwards by further lava flows. The combined waters of these rivers overflowed the doler ite barrier, and they carved out the Cataract Gorge, forcing their way into the Tamar Valley at present day Launceston.

Further lava flows covered the lake sediments at Wind ermere and East Arm, pre venting their further ero sion. They formed the hilly areas in the middle valley –Gaunt’s Hill, Murphy’s Hill and Brady’s Lookout. Basalt flows also blocked the river, creating a series of lakes and diverting the course of the river. This happened at

Whirlpool Reach, between George Town and Clarence point, and possibly between Legana and Dilston. The river cut its way through the blockages, but the lakes remained.

Stretched and thinned by the geological movements and filled by sediments brought down by the rivers, the crust in the Bass Basin sagged, and later was encroached by the sea. As a result of this sagging, the lake sediments are at a lower level downstream from Whirlpool Reach. The dolerite hills each side of the valley were also lowered, disappearing beneath the sediments as they approach today’s coastline. The river flows between sedimentary plains at Rowella, Bell Bay and Beauty Point, plains, which are also protected from erosion by small areas of basalt beneath the surface.

About 3 million years ago the sea invaded the Tamar Valley for the first time, filling up the old lake basins and forming the estuary we

know today. Over the last 2 million years there have been dramatic changes of sea level, caused by a series of ice ages. During times of low sea level, the river has continued to erode the floor of the valley. This has creat ed a narrow channel, up to 50 metres deep that forms today’s shipping channel and makes the Tamar nav igable for small ships as far inland as Rosevears.

[This article was written for the Society’s newsletter following Peter’s presentation in Nov 2020. During the week prior to his sudden passing in early October, Peter was researching further into the topic in preparation for a presentation to Tamar Valley U3A the next week. You can also watch Peter explanation among the videos produced for the TEER (Tamar Estuary & Esk Rivers) Program in 2021-22. https://www.teer. org.au/videos/coordinatedmanagement ]

GEORGE TOWN & DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC.

Meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of the month, starting at 7.30 pm with most meetings held at The Grove in Elizabeth St. There is no meeting in December.

The next meeting will be held on MONDAY, 16th JANUARY.

Des Wootton will speak about the Brig Henry, which operated between VDL and the mainland 1836 – 1848.

FOR UPDATES SEE: George Town & District Historical Society Facebook Page. www.facebook.com/George-Town-and-District-Historical-Society-1375090549395357/

Email info@gtdhs.com or Phone 6382 4412.

GEORGE TOWN & DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC.

LEFT: Ships can still enter at low tide due to the depth of the channel. RIGHT: View of the upper estuary around Tamar Island. (PHOTOS: Peter Cox)