Australian success in Scotland

Our Gisborne club contributed to the cost of our member Erhan Cinar taking part in the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championship in June at Islay, Scotland.

Well done, Australia: bronze team medal to Australian Men, Individual bronze medal to Erhan Cinar. The Jill Mandeno Trophy (to the highest-placed ladies’ team) to Australian Ladies, as well as gold Individual Ladies medal and a silver Individual Ladies medal.

Aussie Angler Fly Fishing sponsored “A night with Dobbo” at Gisborne with Rick Dobson spending the evening answering our questions in extensive detail.

He covered fly fishing equipment improvements with technical advances providing opportunities to buy better rods for less. He detailed methods and formulas for matching rods, lines, leaders and reels to achieve better casts. He provided tips such as: after the line gets wet and starts to stick to the rod (surface tension), a simple fix is to wrap a length of thin monofilament line closely around and along the rod. The fly line will no longer stick.

Mike Van de Graaf tutored our July fly tying group in tying the simple yet very effective Perdigon Fly. This fly originated in Spain as a Spanish nymph pattern used in competition in their local streams to catch their careful trout. The name is Spanish for shot (pellet). Mike showed us how to combine a tungsten bead on a hook with various coloured ties and a resin finish to tempt a wily trout.

If you would like to know more about the Calder Fly Fishing Association, please visit www.calderflyfishing. com.au.

Louis Bokor

Gisborne Foodbank is here to help

A recent article in The Guardian spoke about how the rising cost of living has meant that many more people are using local foodbanks to keep their heads above water. These are ordinary people, mostly in paid work, who are overwhelmed by the rising cost of food and household items, many of them finding that, after paying their rent or mortgage, utilities and other essential expenses, they do not have enough money left over to enable them to eat. Many others are finding that they can only afford the most basic of food items, with fresh fruit, vegetables and meat just too expensive for their limited budgets.

There is absolutely no shame in asking for help. That is what the Foodbank is here for: to assist people who are struggling to put food on the table, for as long as it takes for them to get back on their feet. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can help.

The Gisborne Foodbank is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 3pm. Please contact us on mobile 0492 850 520, email info@gisbornefoodbank.org.au, or drop in on Wednesday or Friday.

Julie Ireland

Rotary youth exchange student arrives

The Rotary Club of Gisborne warmly welcomed our first exchange student since COVID. Ronja Ollig from Germany arrived on Tuesday 11 July and was greeted at the airport by several members of the club and her host family.

Ronja will be hosted by Gisborne Rotary for the first six months and Woodend Club for the next six months. She will attend Braemar College while here and is also looking forward to many amazing experiences while with us in the Macedon Ranges.