TAKING A DIP BILL Quinn had one of the coolest duties on Australia Day taking his turn to be dunked at celebrations in Pyramid Hill as temperatures rose well into the 30s. Donning patriotic attire, Bill was a popular target with youngsters having their aim well honed for multiple dunks. Bill later raised the Australian flag during the formal ceremony, one of many held in Loddon communities last Thursday. STORIES, PICTURES - PAGES 12 & 13

CLEARING

SALE

686 International tractor (not going), 2003 Case 2388 exclusive Axial Flow Header with Case 1042 36’ front, 2009 Goldacres Prairie 4500 Ltr Tritech Boom Spray (100 ft) with controller, Ellsworth 12 Wheel V Rake, Goldacres 2000 Ltr 42 ft Boom Spray Shearer 5-160 scari bar (72 tyne), Connor Shea + 8 33 tyne Scarifier with roller Harrows, Simplicity 4500 Ltr Bin/ Howard Bagshaw 31ft seeder bar (41 tyne), New Holland 1431 mower conditioner 13ft, Shearer 33’ Springtyne Fieldspan Cultivator bar, Horwood Bagshaw 42’ Harrows, Leith hydraulic 30’ Pea Plucker, Melway 15’ stubble mulcher, John Berends 6’PTO Slasher, 4 wheel fowler trailer, 28 plate offset disc. Hurschfeld Drain Former, 3PL post hole digger, Hardi 30’ Boom Spray, Roller Bar Hay Rake, Bates portable 800 Ltr fuel tank, 2 X o’head fuel tanks Swingsaw BSA motor, Peerless Air Compressor, 5HP B-S reduction motor.

GRAIN HANDLING & EQUIPMENT: Sherwell 42 ft PTO Auger 9.5”, GBH Grouper 14 ft, 10 ton, with roll over tarp & 6HP motor, 3 X Sherwell 28 ton Field Bins with Augers, Ackland 28 ton Field Bin with Auger, Sherwell 240 bag Field Bin, 20’ 4” Pencil Auger with electric motor, Jachmann portable grain cleaner with 5HP Mitsubishi motor, 1973 2050A Acco Tray Truck with 18’ tipper (Hoist- Not going) & 120 bag bulk bin. 1964 Bedford (44,000 Miles) with 14’ tray (telescopic hoist), silo sprayer, QTY crop lifters. QTY lentil lifters, Bottom Riddle (Case 2388), Cowra stock feeder, Addlem stock feeder, Peerless 240AMP arc welder.

FULL DETAILS &PHOTOS www.fpnevins.com.au

SEE ADVERTISEMENT PAGE 15

THE things people do for love! Had King Richard on the phone the other day, taking respite from milking cows by scampering away with the Queen Consort and family for a few days at the beach. Here he was in the heat of the day, riding the bike to the butchers to buy some burgers for the barbecue. Not sure what those burgers were going to be washed down with but it’s a sure bet the beverage also started with the letter “B” or was he just B.........

ON THE subject of love, had an email from one of those national media release companies land in the inbox this week. A matchmaking service had some new statistics it wanted to share with newspaper land. According to matchmaker’s research, more than half (55 per cent) of men and women believe the most appropriate age for marriage is between 25 and 29 years old. Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of people think one to four years of dating is appropriate before a couple ties the knot. Nearly half (43 per cent) of singles don’t want to get married, while 28 per cent are unsure. That leaves just 29 per cent of singles keen to tie the knot. For four-fifths (82 per cent) of Australians, honesty is the most important factor in deciding whether a partner is marriage material; only a third (35 per cent) think attractiveness is important. Only one in five (18 per cent) of women say a partner’s income would influence their desire to marry, compared to, perhaps surprisingly, 23 per cent of men, the company said.

WHEN it came to the billylids, 30 per cent would marry a partner who said they didn’t want any, while 27 per cent would not. A further 38 per cent of those surveyed would weigh up the situation before making their decision, while there were even those unsure what they’d do. Not sure where those stats came from, but OTF reckons that’s the view of people in those big cities and a little out of kilter with what happens in country areas.

SPEAKING of country things, must give full marks to the caterers at Boort bowls tournament on Australia Day. Sampled one (okay, two or so) of the home-made kisses - a popular plate on the afternoon tea table. They melted in the mouth. Now talking about love, there’s no doubt that good cakes are a sure-fire way to anyone’s heart.

NOT even such a spread could muffle the chatter during the afternoon tea break. Laurie Maxted had the answer to getting attention when it came time to make the all-important announcements. In his possession was one of the Australian Open “keep quiet” signs. We think Laurie had more success with the silent instruction than when the hand-held signs are flashed around at the tennis.

MAKING the catering plates at multiple spots over recent days has been our iconic lamington. Lamingtons are believed to be named after either Lord Lamington, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, or his wife, Lady Lamington. According to Wikipedia, most sources incline to the former. The earliest known reference to the naming of the lamington, from June 1927, links the cake to Lord Lamington. The identity of the recipe’s inventor has also been debated. Most stories attribute its creation to Lord Lamington’s chef, the French-born Armand Galland, who was called upon at short notice to feed unexpected guests. Using only the limited ingredients available, Galland cut up some left-over French vanilla sponge cake baked the day before, dipped the slices in chocolate and set them in coconut. Impressed by Galland’s creation, Lamington’s guests were said to have later asked for the recipe. It’s been well shared ever since.