REG’S BENCH A child asked his father, "How were people born?" So his father said, "Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on." The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, "We were monkeys then we evolved to become like we are now." The child ran back to his father and said, "You lied to me!" His father replied, "No, your mom was talking about her side of the family." **** I never wanted to believe that my Dad was stealing from his job as a road worker. But when I got home, all the signs were there. **** If the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then lefties are the only ones in their right mind.
**** An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again." The gentleman replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!" **** If you think your microwave and your TV spying on you is bad… Your vacuum cleaner has been gathering dirt on you for years...
International Women's Day 2023
Lifetime of service for Molong's Mary BY JENNY WATTS
When Molong local Mary Mulhall was nominated for 2022 Central West Mums Angel of the Year, it was yet another acknowledgement of her life and service to family, community and sport. Working hard as a volunteer, everything she involved herself in benefitted Molong and its community. Her involvements grew with the years, starting with voluntary work with her church. As a founding member of the Molong Playgroup and district Pre-School, her interests moved to the health and welfare of young children as her own children moved though school and into more adult interests. Mary and her husband Mick ran the Molong Pool for many seasons, Mary manning the kiosk, while Mick patrolled the perimeter. There was rarely an incident – (reflecting the patrons’ respect for the couple) and swimmers behaved accordingly. Molong kids also benefitted from Mary’s interests and work with Molong Swimming Club, Molong Hockey Club, and later Molong Magpies Rugby Club. Community work continued as Mary moved through the ranks to active presidency of both St Vincent de Paul and the Molong RSL.
It was from these positions that she took on the Australian Treasury, leading an assault on the Commonwealth Bank of Australia when it closed the Molong branch. She was feted by Molong’s community in 2015 when it awarded her with the Molong Citizen of the Year, and by the wider central west community in 2022 with Central West Mums’ Angel of the Year, winning a tough competition against a number of young women with impressive credentials in their fields. Her most impressive humanitarian rescue in 2022 involved wrangling government agencies, red tape Australian and foreign governments, grant submissions, directing operations and volunteers. The first objective, now successfully completed, was to
Remarkable Annie drives home country life
BY Helen Haynes Anne Marie Ingham was a remarkable woman and we especially remembered her for the creation of the Molong and District Servicemen and Servicewomen's Portrait Gallery at the Molong RSL Club. She decided to paint 60 portraits as her way of thanking all those who served Australia in wartime. Several of her paintings, also
at the Club, commemorate men and women in the Navy, Army and Air Force and the Women's Land Army. Anne Marie cared for her family, loved cooking and gardening, and then found time to tell stories, publishing three books set in Northern Australia. She loved life and who but Annie,would have used her vehicle to advertise her book, The Boss Drover and his Mates?
Ada Clark with son, Hector, and daughter-in-law, Gina, at her 2022 Retrospective. renovate the abandoned convent at St Lawrence O’Toole Catholic Church in Molong. The second was to install a number of Ukrainian refugee families, airlifted from the war zone. Success, and Mary’s vision was complete. When, in November 2022, catastrophic floods hit much of Molong, Mary leapt into action, spearheading the humanitarian, in opening the RSL for evacuees, providing accommodation, hot meals and necessary items from the Vinnie’s shop. She took on the role of spokesperson in the media, calmly presenting the community’s response to the catastrophe.
Annie Ingham created the portrait gallery at the Molong RSL Club.
Young heart, bright spark
By Marg Carroll OAM In honour of International Women’s Day on 8 March, I want to tell you about a wonderful local inspiration. Ada Clark, 92 years young, is a painter and also a jewelry maker, creator of bright bags and hats, and good cook. She still opens her house to visitors one day a week and sells her colourful landscapes, cards, place mats and jewelry. Last year she held a Retrospective exhibition at Orange Regional Gallery and ran out of paintings! Dressed in a trademark embroidered cap, flowing patterned dress and her own chunky amber jewelry, she almost outshone her colourful paintings adorning the walls. Ada was born in New Zealand to a farming family and became a ‘trader’ at an early age, making rag dolls and selling them through the local toy shop. She trained at the Central School of Art, London, married a fellow New Zealander, Cliff Abbot who was an accomplished composer, and has one son Hector. She is truly international as she travels the world armed with painting bag, setting up on a Portuguese hillside, an Uzbek market, in the wilds of Botswana or best of all in the streets of Greece. She then exhibits and sells the paintings. She says her favourite Australian palette is Mt Canoblas with its graceful gums, medley of greens and splendid vistas. If a little white car shoots past you one day as you cruise up the mountain, that’s Ada heading for a favourite spot. Never too old!
MOLONG EXPRESS, Thursday 9 March 2023
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