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Spencers hit right notes

By KAREN FORMAN

FOR 40 years, Leslie and Allan Spencer have been imparting their musical talents and passion onto eager locals. The Spencers are highly regarded for their teaching skills and community first approach.

Allan’s dad once told him that the only musician making money from music was ‘the bloke at the railway station – and you can see because there are coins in his guitar case’.

A banker, he wasn’t all that keen on his son pursuing a career in music, but 50 or so years on, it would be fair to say that Allan’s career choice has worked out pretty well.

After years teaching music, playing in ensembles with equally music-addicted ‘best friend and wife’ Leslie, and opening a music school and store in Cooma, Allan has gone full circle – right back to that busking idea of his dad’s.

■ Read more on page 6

Family speak of ‘grief’, ‘anger’: White’s sentencing hearing

By NATHAN THOMPSON

FAMILY members of Clare Nowland have spoken of her love for others, sense of adventure and quick-wit, during the sentencing hearing for NSW senior constable Kristian White.

Eleven family members of Mrs Nowland had victim impact statements read out in the NSW Supreme Court

on Friday, telling the court of their ‘anger’ and ‘grief’ following the death of the 95-year-old great-grandmother.

White was convicted of Mrs Nowland’s manslaughter by a jury in November 2024. His trial lasted eight days in the NSW Supreme Court where he maintained a not-guilty plea to the manslaughter of Mrs Nowland, who he tasered in her Yallambee Lodge residence

on May 17, 2023.

“Mum was an incredible person and a wonderful mother,” daughter, Lesley Lloyd, told the court.

Mrs Nowland’s family said the incident has changed their lives. With White present in the court, they spoke of the difficulty of seeing the now sacked police officer around Cooma.

“It makes me angry that I

Clare’s love for family, community remembered

see Kristian White around town (Cooma),” Mrs Nowland’s grand-daughter, Clare Aitchison, said.

“Since the morning (Mrs Nowland was tasered) my life has changed.

“We were robbed of being able to say a proper goodbye.”

White has been on bail since he tasered Mrs Nowland.

When listening to submissions from the Crown

and the defence, Judge Ian Harrison remarked the situation could have been different had someone offered Mrs Nowland a ‘cup of tea and a bun’.

White’s sentencing hearing will continue at a later date with Judge Harrison indicating his decision would take much consideration.

White remains on bail.

■ Read more on page 4

Lounges

PASSION: Leslie and Allan Spencer recently celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary. The music loving couple is highly regarded in the Snowy Monaro community.

PHOTO: Karen Forman

Firefighters reach 20 years of fundraising for NSW kids with burns

Beat the burn is back in Jindabyne celebrating milestone year

BACK IN 2006, four passionate firefighters from FRNSW wanted to combine their interests in cycling with their passion of supporting their young heroes doing it tough in the burns unit.

The first ride included seven firefighters who rode their bikes from Sydney to Wagga Wagga over four days and raised $7,000 for FRNSW 002 Station the burns unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Fast forward 20 years and these same firefighters have raised more than $1,400,000 for the burns unit that services the entire state of NSW and its regional step down clinics.

More than 1,000 NSW kids a year will receive a burn requiring medical treatment, over 200 of these kids will receive a burn so severe that they will require a long-term stay at the the burns unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

These important funds have been utilised to purchase equipment

such as lasers to immediately assess the depth and severity of burns, fit out a new operating theatre, and support allied health positions such as social workers and physiotherapists.

The funds will also support the kids and their families, support research projects to improve practice and most recently, implement a training program to ensure regional nursing staff have access to the latest methods of caring for a burns patient.

Treatment of burn injuries has come a long way in the last 20 years.

The funds raised by this group of passionate firefighters have been able to assist the incredible staff in the burns unit to enhance the functional and cosmetic outcomes of thousands of NSW Kids.

From February 17 to 21, more than 60 FRNSW Firefighters will be laying down their hoses and descending on Jindabyne for a week, dedicated to helping

young burns survivors.

Over the week, the team will be cycling more than 400km, hitting the trails on their mountain bikes, running and hiking more than 100kms in the beautiful Kosciuszko National Park and taking on the cold waters of the lake for a swim and paddle.

The firefighters will set up base camp at the NRMA Jindabyne Holiday Park for the week.

They will be putting themselves outside their comfort zones knowing that the pain they were going through is nothing compared to the lifetime of pain that these little warriors endure.

The event culminates on Thursday with the ‘King of The Mountain’ (KOM) race.

Elite ultra marathon runner and FRNSW station officer, Rob Mason, will lead a group of runners on the 42km race from Jindabyne to Charlotte Pass.

Just two hours later FRNSW’s best cyclists will be released as they

attempt to catch the group of runners to find out who will be the 2025 KOM.

On the Thursday night, the Beat The Burn team will hold a burns unit fundraiser night at Lake Jindabyne Hotel.

Join the firefighters for a night of fun including the FRNSW Brass Band playing all the hits, door and raffle prizes and fire safety tips. Be there from 5pm to help celebrate another successful fundraising campaign.

Currently, more than $160,000 has been raised for the kid’s in the burns unit this financial year.

These funds have been raised by firefighters competing in the City2Surf, shaking the bucket at Sydney train stations and attending Australian Turf Club events at Rosehill and Randwick.

Fundraising will continue until hand over of a cheque to the burns unit in July.

If you would like to donate straight to the burns unit head to beattheburn.org/donate

Casual speeding is the biggest cause of trauma on NSW roads

The 2024 Beat the Burn crew gathered at Lake Jindabyne Hotel to raise money for the burns unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

PHOTO: Trista Heath

King of The Mountain 2023 winners for the Beat the Burn annual fundraising event.

FUNDRAISER: Last year, firefighters and their families travelled to Jindabyne to climb Mt Kosciuszko and fundraise for Beat the Burn.

PHOTOS: Supplied

Council proposes to replace landfill with Jindabyne Resource Recovery Centre

By TRISTA HEATH

SNOWY Monaro

Regional Council is proposing to develop the Jindabyne Resource Recovery Centre (RRC), replacing the current Jindabyne Landfill facilities.

Jindabyne RRC will consist of a community recycling centre, resource recovery area, transfer station, site office and education centre, buyback shop and supporting infrastructure.

The new Jindabyne RRC would receive up to 40,000 tonnes of waste per year comprising of up to 10,000 tonnes per year of mixed municipal waste, mixed commercial waste or other waste containing food.

Also, up to 30,000 tonnes of household bulky waste and recyclables, household hazardous waste, building and demolition waste and other commercial dry waste and recyclables.

A Council spokesperson said any waste disposed of at the current site goes into the landfill, this is an expensive way to deal with waste and carries significant long-term environmental impacts.

“The future Resource

Recovery Centre (RRC) will process incoming waste to separate recyclable, reusable, or re-sellable items – keeping them from going into landfill,” the spokesperson said.

“Limiting the amount of waste sent to landfill extends the lifespan of these sites and reduces our region’s methane emissions.

“Diverted material will also generate additional revenue for Council through the recycling of valuable raw materials and the re-sale of recovered consumer goods at our ScrapMart tip shops.

“The new facility will also create more permanent jobs across the region, helping our community directly and boosting the local economy.”

As Council transitions to the RRC model over the coming years, Cooma landfill will become the region’s sole landfill site.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) sets a lifespan for every landfill in NSW and when this is reached, the operator must stop accepting new waste disposals and begin work to remediate the site.

Jindabyne landfill will

reach the end of its EPAdefined lifespan in the coming years and will eventually be required to close.

Councils spokesperson said nothing is changing at Jindabyne landfill right now, or in the immediate future.

“Council has submitted a development application for a planned future Resource Recovery Centre ahead of the EPAmandated closure of the landfill, as grant funding opportunities for waste facilities require any

project seeking funding to be shovel-ready,” the spokesperson said.

“This means we need approved plans that are ready for work to start as soon as funding can be secured before we can apply for these grants.

“As part of Council’s future planning for our region’s resource and waste services, feasibility assessments for the Jindabyne site showed the Resource Recovery Model to be the most cost-effective option for Council and our ratepayers.

“The reduced construction and operating costs, coupled with the creation of more jobs and new revenue streams for Council make the choice clear.”

Decomposing landfill waste releases methane into the atmosphere, precise metrics vary, however compared to the more widely known carbon dioxide, methane is anywhere from 33 to 80 times more effective at trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

With methane from landfill accounting for an estimated 40 to 50 percent of the average regional council’s greenhouse gas emissions, Council said the RRC model will significantly improve the impact of Council’s waste operations on both the climate and environment.

“There will be no interruption to the community’s ability to dispose of their waste and recycling, there will be no change to bin collections either,” the spokesperson said.

“All large-scale public infrastructure is expensive to build, and this is especially true for waste and recycling facilities.

“Council’s recent development application is the first step we need to take to secure grant funding for this project, ahead of Jindabyne Landfill reaching the end of its EPA-mandated lifespan.

“The Jindabyne RRC project, along with creating new jobs and more revenue, will enable Council to increase its contribution to the local circular economy.”

The spokesperson said that a development application is being processed by the relevant state authorities for a new FOGO processing facility in Cooma also, that would allow Council to expand green bin collections to all households with kerbside bin collections through the region.

“Expanding the region’s green bin service – what authorities call FOGO (food organics and garden organics) – requires a larger dedicated facility than the small composting site Council currently operates at Cooma Landfill,” the spokesperson said.

Once the plans are approved, Council can seek grant funding for the new facility.

WASTE: Snowy Monaro Regional Council propose replacing Jindabyne landfill with a Resource Recovery Centre.

PHOTO: Trista Heath

Clare remembered for community service Council on notice: OLG

SNOWY Monaro Regional Council has been issued a Performance Improvement Order (PIO) from the Minister for Local Government, Ron Hoenig.

Minister Hoenig stated this step has been taken to establish clear expectations around councillor and Council performance over the next 12 months.

This order requires Council as an organisation, and councillors as individuals, to take action to address three areas of concern: councillor conduct in the chamber, in correspondence, and on social media; council’s progress in implementing planned financial and organisational reforms; and addressing work health and safety risks affecting Council staff.

The required improvements to Council’s finances are in-line with the organisation’s current long term financial plan. Required improvements to the organisation overall are in-line with Council’s organisational reform program that started in 2023.

Council will table the order at its February meeting in Cooma, scheduled for 1pm Thursday February 20. This meeting is open to the public and will be live-streamed.

When the Minister is satisfied that Council has addressed the concerns detailed in the PIO, notice will be provided in writing that no further action is anticipated.

If Council or councillors do not comply with the PIO, the Minister may order further intervention measures.

Family speak of ‘anger’, ‘grief’ during sentencing

By NATHAN THOMPSON

FAMILY members of Clare Nowland have spoken of her love for others, sense of adventure and quickwit, during the sentencing hearing for NSW senior constable Kristian White, who was found guilty in November of the 95-yearold’s manslaughter.

Eleven family members of Mrs Nowland had victim impact statements read out in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, telling the court of their ‘anger’ and ‘grief’ following the death of the great-grandmother.

White was convicted of Mrs Nowland’s manslaughter by a jury. His trial lasted eight days in the NSW Supreme Court where he maintained a not-guilty plea to the manslaughter of Mrs Nowland, who he tasered in her Yallambee Lodge residence on May 17, 2023.

Mrs Nowland’s children, grand-children, son-in-law and sister told the Supreme Court their family matriarch was a ‘wonderful person’ with a passion for her community.

“Mum was an incredible person and a wonderful

commitment to the St Vincent de Paul Society and role in many Cooma committees.

“Mum was a well-respected leader in her community,” Mr

Mrs Nowland’s family said the incident has changed their lives. With White present in the court, they spoke of the difficulty of seeing the now sacked police officer around Cooma.

White has been on bail since he tasered Mrs Nowland.

“It makes me angry

hearing

that I see Kristian White around town (Cooma),” Mrs Nowland’s grand-daughter, Clare Aitchison, said.

“Since the morning (Mrs Nowland was tasered) my life has changed.

“We were robbed of being able to say a proper goodbye.”

Crown Prosecutor, Brett Hatfield SC, submitted to Judge Ian Harrison that a custodial sentence must be imposed on White due to the serious nature of his crime.

Mr Hatfield disputed the defence’s claim White is remorseful for the manslaughter of Mrs Nowland, citing White’s appeal to the Industrial Relations Commission over his dismissal from the NSW Police Force.

When listening to submissions from the Crown and the defence, Judge Harrison remarked the situation could have been different had someone offered Mrs Nowland a ‘cup of tea and a bun’.

White’s sentencing hearing will continue at a later date with Judge Harrison indicating his decision would take much consideration.

White remains on bail.

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COURT: The family of Clare Nowland spoke of their sadness and anger following her death. Mrs Nowland died when she was tasered by NSW Police o icer, Kristian White. White was found guilty of Mrs Nowland’s manslaughter. His sentencing hearing began on Friday.

Jindabyne public education campus delivered and open

By TRISTA HEATH

JINDABYNE students are beginning the 2025 school year in some of the best, educational facilities in NSW, as the Minns Labor Government delivers the $160 million state-of-the-art Jindabyne Education Campus, which includes the new Jindabyne Public School and Jindabyne High School.

The new campus has been delivered by the Minns Labor Government after the Liberals and Nationals failed to deliver this crucial project - despite promising the community six years ago that the campus would open by Term 1, 2023.

The new Jindabyne Public School has capacity for more than 400 students and features 20 new classrooms, two support classrooms, expanded outdoor play space, a multi-purpose hall with multimedia facilities, an outdoor basketball court and sports field, a purpose-built playground, functional garden spaces and a new library.

“The exceptional facilities and opportunities available at the campus will prepare students for an exciting future, whether they are pursuing further education or a skills pathway into a career,” Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education and Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, said.

“The principals and teachers at the Jindabyne Education Campus are so dedicated to their work and I am thrilled they have these new facilities available for this new school year.”

Jindabyne Public School captains, Matilda Forsdyke, and Hugo Bateman, addressed the ceremony saying they are so excited and proud to be a part of the first leadership to a brand new school.

“What an amazing school this is, I think we can all agree that we had outgrown our old school, taking turns to enter the playground and gym spaces just wasn’t working anymore, it was time for a change,” Hugo said.

“Now we have this amazing opportunity to make our new

Students celebrate state-of-the-art facilities as Term 1 begins

school the best it can be, with a positive attitude and working together, we can help shape it for future students.

“Jindabyne school and our town have always been great at adapting to change and this is another big step forward, how lucky are we to be able to come to school every day in brand new classes with state-of-the-art facilities.

“We will always have great memories of our old school but now it is time to create new ones, lets make this an exciting new chapter together.”

At Jindabyne High School, students will be taught in 26 new classrooms, dedicated support learning classrooms and amenities, a commercial kitchen designed for VET hospitality programs, workshops for metalwork, woodwork and construction, a modern, fully-equipped school gym with a full-size basketball court, outdoor spaces and sports areas with an amphitheatre, a grassed play space, multipurpose sports courts, a football field, and a library.

“Education is the key to opportunity in life and we are committed to partnering with our community to create

a school where all students are challenged to excel in a nurturing and inclusive environment,” Jindabyne High School principal, Kelly Henretty, said.

The high school, which has capacity for 500 students, also features specialised agricultural facilities including an agriculture plot, sheds , machinery, and infrastructure to support students studying agricultural subjects including the VET-based subject of Primary Industries. The new high school has capacity for more than 500 students.

The campus also includes a new Connected Learning Centre (CLC) being delivered by TAFE NSW and specialist Vocational Education Training (VET) facilities for high school hospitality, construction, entertainment and primary industry courses.

“It is fantastic to see the Jindabyne Education Campus opening today for students on Day 1, Term 1 of 2025,” Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car, said.

“Time and time again, the former Liberal National Government promised the Jindabyne community this

critical facility would be built but failed to deliver.

“The Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, has been a fierce advocate for the Jindabyne community and has worked tirelessly to ensure this critical project was delivered.

“I am proud to be part of the Minns Labor Government which is providing brand new schools for the children and families of this area.

“Delivering brand new, high quality public schools for regional communities makes all the difference for country kids – ensuring they can learn to their full potential, and their futures are bright.”

As part of the Minns Labor Government’s record $769 million commitment to deliver 100 new public preschools, Jindabyne Public School will also receive a new public preschool, set to be delivered by 2027.

“Our state-of-the-art school is designed with each child’s success in mind and we are excited by the opportunities that lie ahead,” Jindabyne

Mr Whan visited the new high school with principal Henretty and the new public school with principal McAlister on the day of the ceremony to mark the beginning of Term 1.

The Minns Labor Government has invested $1.4 billion to continue its plan to upgrade and build new schools in regional NSW.

The continued commitment to regional communities means every child across NSW will have access to world-class

Hunter Clark, Poppy Golby, Ryan Anderson and Hugh Cooper.

surrounds the local region, the ceremony began with a Welcome to Country and a smoking ceremony led by Uncle BJ Cruse.

Jindabyne Public School principal, Steve J McAlister, with school captains, Hugo Bateman, Matilda Forsdyke, and vice captains, Makenna Phillips, and Samuel Preston.

CELEBRATE: Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, joined Jindabyne Public School principal, Steve J McAlister, and High School principal, Kelly Henretty, and students for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

PHOTOS: Trista Heath

Hugo Bateman, Samuel Preston, Makenna Phillips and Matilda Forsdyke.

High school vice captains, Poppy Golby, Hugh Cooper and school captains, Ryan Anderson, Hunter Clark with high school principal, Kelly Henretty.

Spencers celebrate 49 musical years

By KAREN FORMAN

ALLAN Spencer’s dad once told him that the only musician making money from music was “the bloke at the railway station – and you can see because there are coins in his guitar case”.

A banker, he wasn’t all that keen on his son pursuing a career in music, but 50 or so years on, it would be fair to say that Allan’s career choice has worked out pretty well.

The interesting thing is, after years teaching music in schools and privately, playing in ensembles and with equally music addicted “best friend and wife” Leslie, opening a music school and store in Cooma, Allan has gone full circle – right back to that busking idea of his dad’s.

The irony is, that the busking Allan is involved in isn’t a profit making exercise.

and taught music for the Country Area Program for

They also welcomed their first child, Leon, in 1986, within six months of the move, so bought a house and settled down.

Hence when Mr Calvo wanted to move away from the business, Leslie and Allan built a studio in their garage for their students and decided to open a music store with more offerings.

Second child, Hannah, was born in 1989 and both inherited their parents’ musical genes.

They then started Monaro Books and Music on Vale St with Ian and Fran Robertson before going out alone and opening Cooma School of Music with Allan taking students in the shop and Leslie at home.

The well-known Cooma School of Music proprietor is the founder and president of the fast growing Australian National Busking Championships (ANBC) network. He is so passionate about it that after celebrating both 40 years of teaching music with Leslie in Cooma and their 49th wedding anniversary, he is thinking of selling his

beloved store, so he has more time to realise his dream to develop Cooma into “the busking capital of Austalia”.

“I would only sell it to the right person, though,” he confided.

“We definitely need more time to work on the busking, which I am really passionate about because of the way it gives young musicians the chance to

play in public, older musicians a stage, launches careers and brings people to this beautiful town,” he said.

“We are so grateful for what Cooma has given us and what a privilege it has been to work with so many people of all ages over the years.

“It feels good to be able to give something back by running the busking competitions here and showcase what an amazing town Cooma is with lots of local talent.”

a big part of playing classical guitar.

Classical guitarists use their right-hand fingers while acoustic players usually use picks and play both melody and bass at the same time.

When they met, Allan was playing guitar and singing in bands and at folk clubs, while Leslie had had a year at art college. Her mother was a piano teacher and all her family played musical instruments.

“It was a full range music shop and over the years we have added teachers of other instruments to help us provide lessons,” Allan said.

“Currently we have Judith Marriott on piano and woodwinds, George Zhao piano and accordian, Richard Charkley on contemporary guitar, Simon Grace guitar, Steve Jackson vocals and Julia Hornemann will be starting with us on strings, piano and vocals.”

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Much of that local talent has come through the expert tuition of Allan and Leslie and their team of music teachers.

And many local and visiting performers have gone on to great things after starting out at Australian National Busking Championships heats in Cooma and further afield and the national grand final which is always held in Cooma.

Looking back over the past 40 years, the couple, who thrive on living and working and sharing music together, say they never really planned any of it.

“It just evolved,” Leslie said.

“We started out just wanting to see where music could take us and here we are. Always learning.”

Allan’s dad relented on his desire to follow a musical career when he chose a tertiary qualification and was no doubt pleased when both his son and daughter-in-law went on to teach music in various schools including Brisbane Grammar and Marist Brothers.

After a few years, they headed to Sydney to study with renowned classical teacher Peter Calvo.

“We wanted to learn from the source. We had been to Spain and seen how the guitar was played and we fell madly in love with it,” Leslie said.

They both got jobs in Sydney schools, with Allan working for the University of Sydney, University of NSW, Kings, St Pius and Pymble Primary and Leslie at The Kings School and St Pius.

Homelife for the Spencers looks like playing a lot of music together – Allan says “every night”.

They started Cooma Guitar Ensemble over a decade ago and meet on Friday nights to play and rehearse for performances like the upcoming Monaro Arts Council Heartstrings on February 16.

Leslie conducted the Cooma Harmony Choir for 25 years and is now on the Cooma Cantabile Chamber Choir.

Music has been and continues to be their life and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We are very grateful,” Leslie said.

Allan, meanwhile is keen to expand the ANBC and wants to devote more time to it.

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They met at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in South Brisbane and were married when Leslie was 20 and Allan 21.

Both guitarists, Leslie had also played piano, but their shared interest lay in classical guitar (as opposed to acoustic guitar, which is a different style of playing).

While acoustic guitar players lead toward playing chords, or Tabs with some finger picking of individual strings, reading music notation is

Then came an interesting offer – to open a classical musical school for Peter Calvo in a place called Cooma.

“We had never been there but it felt exciting so we went for it,” Leslie said.

Selling classical guitars and strings seemed fairly niche for a small town, but the couple had a few students as well.

They played concerts for the Monaro Arts Council, Leslie conducted the Canberra Classical Guitar Ensemble for 10 years and the Sing 2001 Choir for Cooma Monaro region

“I see the ANBC as a society, where we bring people together and form a community,” he said.

“As well, it helps country towns offer a cultural experience that is free for people. In Spain we saw people busking on the streets and thought, wouldn’t it be great to have that in Australia.”

They also believe music can be played by anyone of any age, as long as they are willing to practice.

“Music needs to be part of your day, that important thing that you do, not the thing that is at the end of everything else,” Leslie said.

Allan and Leslie Spencer in their music store in 2025. PHOTO: Karen Forman

MUSIC FOR LIFE: Allan and Leslie Spencer are celebrating 40 years of teaching music together in Cooma. PHOTO: Contributed

Busking festival to break new ground

By KAREN FORMAN

THE AUSTRALIAN National Busking Championships (ANBC) has announced a first of its kind with the Cooma regional heat and national grand final to be held over the same weekend in Cooma.

While the ANBC committee usually hosts the Cooma regional heat early in the year and the national grand final on the final Saturday of November, a gathering of winners from six other regional heats held in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, in November, this year is shaping up to be something very different.

“We have decided to combine the two events together into one huge weekend in what will be a first for the ANBC since we started out 14 years ago,” ANBC president, Allan Spencer said.

“All of the other regional heats, including hopefully our newest one at Bombala, will proceed as usual. It will just be the two Cooma events that are held together and we are really excited about all the benefits it will have both for the buskers but for Cooma as well.”

The Cooma heat will be held on Saturday November 15 and the grand final on Sunday November 16 .

“We will also have our traditional welcome party on Friday evening of the 14th,” Mr Spencer said.

“We’ve decided that it’s a good idea to coordinate with Rotary Sunday markets as well as their

CRAB festival on the Sunday.

“Planning for one weekend should cut down on the amount of work for us and bring people to Cooma to stay the whole weekend.

“Winning buskers will gain a berth in the national grand final the following day; there will be two days of buskers busking in Cooma’s CBD to draw crowds and plenty of fringe entertainment on the Centennial Park stage and the hotel as well.

“Rotary is very positive about this plan, it should make the Sunday a very busy and interesting day for Cooma.”

So far, ANBC regional heats will be held at Stanthorpe Queensland March 1 and Braddon ACT March 31, with more dates to be announced.

Mr Spencer said the ANBC had been the starting point for many champions.

“Felicity Kircher (ANBC Noosa) won the Toyota Starmaker Award in Tamworth in January and ANBC national champion 2024 and The Voice star Arthur Hull is off to play at the Edinburgh Festival this year.

“We are so very proud of them,” he said.

BUSKING BONANZA: Australian National Busking Championships president, Allan Spencer, has announced a “double whammy” for 2025 with the Cooma regional heat and Cooma national grand final to be combined into one huge weekend.

PHOTO: Karen Forman

Snowy Monaro businesses to trim costs with free waste assessments

THE Canberra Region Joint Organisation (CRJO) is offering free waste assessments in the Snowy Monaro, through a Bin Trim Networks Program grant from the NSW Environment Protection Authority.

Bin trims aim to help businesses reduce waste, save money and support the environment by making qualified assessors available to visit participating businesses to review their waste and recycling practices.

Inspections are available

for the 2024/25 financial year, and there has been significant interest over the last several months from businesses across the wider Canberra region.

More than 100 businesses in the Canberra region have already taken advantage of this opportunity, including local hospitals, getting expert advice to help them avoid, reuse, reduce, and recover the amount of waste they send to landfill.

While the focus of the program has been on businesses dealing regularly

with food, organics, plastic, and textile waste, any business is welcome to reach out if they are interested in seeing how they can reduce the amount of waste they generate.

Snowy Monaro Regional Council is encouraging all interested local businesses to enquire about booking their free bin trim assessment.

Following a visit from a specialist bin trim assessor, participating businesses receive a tailored action plan with practical steps to avoid, reduce and recycle

waste. Eligible businesses may also qualify for rebates of up to $50,000 for the purchase of equipment that helps them to reduce or recycle their waste.

“Council is excited to support this fantastic opportunity for our local business community to access free expert advice on reducing waste, helping businesses across the Snowy Monaro save money while also benefiting our local environment and waste management services,” a Council spokesperson said.

Severe storm damages

SATURDAY’S severe storm resulted in a busy night for Cooma State Emergency Services (SES). Heavy rain and hail hit Cooma on Saturday afternoon with many residents taking to social media to show yards, driveways and even garages inundated with water.

Unit Commander, Amy Steiger, said members attended five call-outs.

“We had four leaking roofs due to build up of hail in gutters including the Hudson House aged care,” she said.

“There was also one hail-damaged roof.

“There was just so much hail. The storm came through at 2pm and we were out at 8pm and there were still drifts of hail in gutters and on the ground in places.”

Neither Snowy River or Bombala units received any calls for assistance.

State-of-the-art education facility impresses community

By TRISTA HEATH

ON WEDNESDAY February 5, the Snowy Monaro community had the opportunity to tour the new Jindabyne Public School and High School facility before term 1 commenced.

The Monaro Media Group attended the tour alongside parents, students and interested community members with high school tour guides, and this year’s vice captains, Hugh Cooper and Poppy Golby.

Far exceeding expectations, the new multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility had the tour group in awe and left excitement in the students as they had a sneak preview of what their new learning spaces look like.

Hugh and Poppy guided the group through the Jindabyne High School relaying facts, answering questions and giving the group time to explore the new facility.

Parent, Victoria Murton, attended the tours and said the new site is fantastic and her children are excited to start at the new school.

“The new facility is amazing and has lots of space for all the students,” Ms Murton said.

“The equipment they have in the classes, especially the woodwork and industrial kitchen space is absolutely incredible.

“Walking into that kitchen space felt like we were on set at Master Chef, it was that impressive.”

Jindabyne High School 2025 captains, Hunter Clark and Ryan Anderson, said they are excited to be leading the school through this great change.

“We can’t wait to see all the new opportunities that come from this new facility,” Hunter and Ryan said.

“Moving on from Jindabyne Central School, we reflect on all the memories we made and the community we had.

“The community has seen the growth our school has had over the years, we are now one of the largest central schools in the state, and it was time for an upgrade.

“We are excited to see where these new opportunities offered at this amazing facility will take us and can’t wait to utilise the new spaces and classes on offer.”

The only worry for some students during the tour was a fear of getting lost, which was resolved with students being assured that teachers will help them find their way.

The new facility has received a great response from the community with hundreds taking the opportunity to tour the new site praising the hard work undertaken to get the students through its doors for term 1 of 2025.

Jindabyne High School agriculture facilities.

Outside recess area for Jindabyne Public School students.

One of the brand new Jindabyne Public School classrooms.

Jindabyne Public School hall.

Jindabyne High School woodworking classroom.

Jindabyne High School industrial kitchen.

Jindabyne High School and Public School shared yarning circle space.

The new Jindabyne High School entry point for students.

WELCOME: Jindabyne High School tour guides, and this year’s vice captains, Poppy Golby and Hugh Cooper. PHOTOS: Trista Heath

Jindabyne Public School entry point.

Why regional votes will count this election year

LIZ RITCHIE CEO, Regional Australia Institute (RAI)

THE dawn of a New Year brings with it a sense of hope and optimism and moves us one step closer to our collective vision of ‘rebalancing the nation’ensuring appropriate services and opportunities for all Australians no matter where they reside.

This is particularly front of mind in North Queensland, where incredible scenes of devastation are unfolding a er days of unrelenting rain. The people of this region are no strangers to a ‘big wet’ – but it is clear this ongoing natural disaster will leave a lasting impact and a ect the wider nation at large.

It is why, as we take this vision into 2025, we embrace the upcoming federal election as an opportunity to debate the issues that will shape this vision’s success or failure, ensuring the regions are a part of important national discussions.

Engaging with all leaders, both future and current, on regional Australia’s role within the national agenda is a critical priority. It is a chance for all sides of politics to listen to regional voters and to ensure that the promises they take to the next election, aligns with the current needs of regional Australia and contributes to the future prosperity of all Australians.

Key to prioritising regional Australia in the national debate is broad and deep acceptance of the role regional Australia is set to play in our nation’s future.

We currently feed the nation, power the nation and drive the top 10 exports. We represent 37% of the population, and for the rst time in seven decades, we welcome more city dwellers moving to regions each year, than the opposite direction. Record jobs, a lower cost of living, great communities and wide-open green spaces are some of the key reasons two-in- ve city dwellers (a stark 40%) are considering a move to the regions. So, what are the settings we require to enable this prosperity?

To achieve our vision of rebalancing the nation, we need to ask all our political leaders, current, future and aspiring the question – how well do you know regional Australia?

And this goes beyond our current political and governance environment, because every single ministerial department makes decisions that impact regional, rural and remote Australians. And it is every parliamentarian, Labor, Liberal, National, Green or Independent that has a say in policy making and the passing of legislation.

Are leaders who come from our cities aware of the very di erent challenges in regional Australia, so they can make decisions that propel regional Australia forward?

Are current and future members of our metropolitan seats aware that job vacancies in the regions have grown three times faster than in their own backyard?

Do they know that while cutting migrant numbers can relieve pressure in Melbourne and Sydney, they are already declining in regions

desperate for more skilled labour?

Are current and future members of metropolitan seats aware that while childcare is an issue in cities, the situation is dire in regional areas, which is creating a hand brake on social and economic opportunities for families and communities?

Does every urban politician appreciate what it means for regional Australia to be hosting 90% of Australia’s renewable energy projects – leading the energy transition and facing one of the biggest transformations in a generation?

Do they understand the liveability and service challenges this is placing on our regional communities, who were already hampered from multigenerational under-investment?

Housing, health, education and workforce training. Can you even imagine for a moment what it feels like to be told the local GP’s books are closed due to demand with no emergency facility within 300km?

Parties and politicians who

Urban and regional communities have di erent needs, they vote di erently and despite the smaller regional population, their vote can shi the balance of power.

focus on city-centric, one size ts all policy agendas, ignoring the challenges of regional Australia, will ultimately risk votes.

Anyone who still believes there ‘aren’t enough votes’ to matter in the regions, haven’t yet looked under the hood of recent elections.

At the 2022 federal election Labor clinched power by swinging metropolitan seats. However, of the 18.5% of seats that swung towards the Liberal and National parties on two-party preferred preferences, 61% were in regional and rural areas. In the last Queensland election, the swing

right was modest in the cities but deemed huge in the regions.

In the United States, the surge in rural Republican votes was reported as ‘backlash’ to unpopular Democratic agriculture policy not focused on the needs of rural communities, and credited as one of the big contributors to a Trump win.

Urban and regional communities have di erent needs, they vote di erently and despite the smaller regional population, their vote can shi the balance of power.

Regional Australian communities want to hear how

policy, both present and future, will impact them and the speci c challenges they face. While issues like cost of living, housing and jobs are shared with metropolitan areas, the impact of relevant policies is o en very di erent.

If Australia wants to fast track to a more productive and prosperous nation, we need to shi our gaze to regional Australia.

As Australia’s only think tank focused on regional Australia, we continue to share the data and evidence that showcases the very real renaissance that is happening before our eyes – yet our capital cities or swinging seats continue to take centre stage.

Let’s not repeat history, let’s ensure that a vision for our nation has a vision for our regions at its centre. Over the coming months we’ll be sharing our plan for the future that propels our Regionalisation Ambition.

We’d love to hear your ideas for the future as well – collective action is the only action worthy of pursuing.

THE Postman posed the question last week, when does shortly become not so short and becomes lengthy? Perhaps in the case of work resuming on Snowy 2.0 shortly becomes lengthy.

On January 29, Snowy Hydro issued a statement saying work on Snowy 2.0 is expected to resume ‘shortly’ following concerns over the underground refuge chambers.

In another setback for Snowy 2.0, a fortnight ago, tunnel boring machines (TBM) Florence and Kirsten had stopped work, as had drill and blast activities in the power tunnel caverns and waterway tunnels.

At the time this masthead went to print, Snowy Hydro or its principal contractor, Future Generation Joint Venture hadn’t issued an update indicating work had resumed.

Council’s performance improvement order has been issued by the Minister for Local Government. The order focusses on councillor behaviour and the organisation’s financial performance.

The minister states in his order he requires all councillors to sign the order and comply with its recommendations.

Council is due to meet next week, Thursday February 20, for what is sure to be another interesting meeting.

We have certainly had a wild ride with the weather over the last fortnight. Heavy rain, hail and strong winds hit over the weekend.

Our Cooma-Monaro SES crew was kept busy. A good time to thank those in orange and all our emergency service personnel for their hard work and commitment.

Time differences can be tricky to work out, but make sure you know the difference between here and Vancouver. The Invictus Games are being held in Canada where Cooma’s Cindy Chawner is competing.

Cindy is taking part in the following adaptive sports: skeleton, wheelchair basketball, snowboarding, swimming and rowing. We wish Cindy all the best.

Delivering a safer Brown Mountain

AS A major highway linking the Coast with Canberra, we all know how vital Brown Mountain is for our community.

I drive up and down Brown Mountain several times a week and, like you, know how frustrating the continual landslips, rockfalls and delays are.

These issues aren’t new –we’ve been tackling closures for decades.

The highway is state government-owned, and the Federal Government has been partnering with the Minns Government to repair the damaged road.

Two landslip sites were recently completed, with almost 150 soil nails installed – each up to 11 metres long –into the damaged slope and under the road, and more than 700 metres squared of mesh and sprayed concrete to secure the area and prevent further erosion. Work is planned on a further two landslip sites, which are due to be completed by the end of this year.

Dollars talk when it comes to road repairs – more than $7.09 million has been spent in disaster recovery funding for Brown Mountain repairs by the Labor NSW state and

Labor federal governments since we came to government.

This is significantly more than the $4.06 million spent by the Liberal NSW state and Liberal federal governments between 2015 and 2022.

The fact is, we’re getting on with delivering these important upgrades, not just whinging about it.

Improving road safety is a priority of the Albanese Government – we have doubled Roads to Recovery funding, which has seen local governments in Eden-Monaro receive a funding boost of more than $26.3 million. This takes the program’s funding to more than $63 million over the next five years for our region.

We’ve increased the Road Black Spot Program, rising from $110 million to $150 million, meaning more money for improving some of the most dangerous sections of our roads.

The new Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program has $200 million available per year, $50 million more than was available for the two programs it replaced.

We have also committed to improving data collection, providing $21.2 million to the National Road Safety Data Hub, and providing

$10.8 million for a National Road Safety and awareness campaign.

There is no doubt that we need a long-term solution for the Snowy Mountains Highway, which is something I have been advocating for in my time as Mayor of the Bega Valley and as the Member for Eden-Monaro.

But your voice is important too. The Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan (SRITP) for South East and Tablelands is currently seeking community feedback.

The plan will provide a 20-year vision of the key

transport priorities for our region. You can have your say at https://www. haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/sritp/ south-east-and-tablelands I will continue to work with the community to deliver the services and infrastructure our community needs –including a safe Brown Mountain.

It’s critical for our safety, economy and way of life that the road is made more reliable and I’m getting on with the job of delivering it.

Kristy McBain Member for Eden-Monaro

Church service times across the Snowy Monaro region

Cooma Baptist Church: 10am Sunday

St Patrick’s Catholic Parish: 10am Sunday, Weekday mass 10am Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays

St Paul’s Anglican Parish of Cooma: 9.30am Sunday

St Andrew’s Cooma Uniting Church: 9.30am Sunday

Lifegate Christian Church Cooma: 9:55am second and fourth Sunday each month, 4pm first and third Sunday each month

Cooma Presbyterian Church: 9am Sunday

St John’s Anglican Church Adaminaby: 3pm first and third Sunday each month

St Peter’s Anglican Church Nimmitabel: 11.30am third Sunday each month

St Andrew’s Catholic Church Nimmitabel: Saturday vigil mass 5pm on the weekend of the third Sunday, Liturgy with Holy Communion other Saturdays 5pm

Alpine Uniting Church Jindabyne: 9.30am Sunday

Columbkille Catholic Church, Jindabyne: Mass 5pm Saturdays

Village Church Jindabyne: 5pm Sunday

All Saints Anglican Church Berridale: 9.30am Sunday

All Saints Numeralla: second Sunday of the month liturgy 5pm, Fourth Sunday of month 5pm mass

If your church would like to be added to this list, please contact us editor@monaropost.com.au

...SO I STRONGLY ADVISE YOU NOT TO STRAY INTO THE GRAIN PADDOCKS, AS YOU MIGHT END UP GETTING SHAWN INTO A FINE POWDER. HA HA HA.

OK, PAY ATTENTION YOU LOT! FARMER STAN HAS STARTED HARVESTING HIS CROPS AGAIN... OH, I’M SORRY, YES IT’S PROBABLY TOO SOON TO JOKE ABOUT IT AFTER WHAT HAPPENED LAST HARVEST SEASON.

REPAIR: Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain. PHOTO: Supplied

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Australia Day breakfast supports local services

THE Monaro Family Support Service is thrilled to announce the funds raised from the Australia Day breakfast, hosted by the Cooma Lions and Cooma Car Club, will be used to enhance our community programs and services.

These funds will support our early childhood groups, well-being programs, individual support services and specialised therapies. By investing donated funds in these areas, we aim to strengthen the well-being and resilience of individuals, children, young people and families in the Snowy Monaro region.

We are grateful for the community’s generosity and look forward to continuing our mission of fostering positive growth and change across the Monaro.

MFSS thank the Lions Club, Car Club and Richard Mack for their support and the generous donation from the proceeds of the Australia Day breakfast.

Thank you to all the volunteers that supported this event.

Monaro Family Support Service

By LISA ASHURST

Life on the funny farm

By Paul Dorin

GROUP EDITOR

Nathan Thompson (02) 6452 0312 editor@monaropost.com.au

JOURNALISTS

Independent newspapers serving the Snowy Monaro Region. Subscribe to our Digital Edition at www.monaropost.com.au

Trista Heath (Jindabyne) 0491 214 722 trista@monaropost.com.au

Karen Forman 0425 675 555 kforman@monaropost.com.au

Melinda Cairns Hack (Cooma) (02) 6452 0312 mcairnshack@monaropost.com.au

APPARENTLY guys’ undies, boxer shorts to be more precise, are currently a fashion item for girls. So what? I hear you say. Like, you’ve been wearing your partner’s (clean) boxers around the house for ages, but I’m not talking about around the house.

They are now being deemed as suitable outerwear; as in for outside the house.

Now before you run out and purchase a new pair for every day of the week, consider this.

Do you really want to to wear them out on the street? And to be honest, where would you wear them? To work? No, I don’t think so. The gym? Okay, you might get away with that. Would you do a trip to the supermarket in them?

Whaaaat? You would? Okay. Well, to each their own I suppose. But it would almost be like going out in your pyjamas.

Okay fine, so you’ve done that too, I don’t have to know.

But personally, I can’t really think of a less flattering item for outerwear. I mean, they are underwear when it’s all said and done, and while they might come in a vast array of colours and designs now, they are still undies that look like undies no matter what kind of fashion statement they’re moonlighting as, and that’s that.

Undies.

And what kind of shoes would you wear with them anyway?

I have no idea where this one came from but I’m guessing it’s one of those more bizarre flash-in-the-pan fashion moments that will have its fifteen minutes, grab a few fashion tragics, and then fall off the radar.

Hopefully forever. I’m glad my daughter has grown beyond the age of having to have the latest clothing trends (or her life would be over) because guys’ boxers for outerwear is a trend she would have had to have done without, demise or no.

In my defence though, I coped admirably with her black nail polish and black lipstick, and with my sons wearing their pants precariously low on their hips, exposing their undies to the world. I know, right? But it still would have been a big fat no to daughter heading out the door in guys’ boxer shorts.

Okay, so maybe I’m being a little unfair and those opting to wear them as outerwear will really rock them, but try as I might, I’m just not seeing it.

And I really have been trying. When I first heard about this one, I sat back and tried to visualise girls trotting around doing their daily things in a pair of men’s boxer shorts and looking good, but the vision was just too wobbly.

I couldn’t get past the ‘undies’ thing. It was bit like when it was some kind of fashion trend to wear clothing that flashed plenty of bra. Remember that one? Dresses and tops with a neckline so low that most of your bra became part of the look. Admittedly, it was supposed to be a nice lacy bra but still, it was a bra.

And now it’s all about guys’ undies.

Look, I doubt it’s going to go mainstream. I have yet to see any parading down the main street or sashaying around the supermarket, and I won’t comment if I do. But still… Undies.

Elle Thompson (02) 6452 0312 elle@monaropost.com.au

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CLASSIFIEDS (02) 6452 0318 classifieds@monaropost.com.au

Published by Hartley Higgins for Monaro Media Group Pty Ltd (ABN 121 288 060), 59 Vale Street, Cooma NSW 2630. Responsibility for election comment is accepted by Group Editor Nathan Thompson. Copyright: All advertising and editorial content of this issue is copyright of Monaro Media Group Pty Ltd and cannot be used without the company’s permission. The Monaro Post is bound by the Standards of Practice of the Australian Press Council. If you believe the standards may have been breached, you may approach the Monaro Post itself or contact the council by email at info@presscouncil.org.au or by phone on (02) 9261 1930.

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Aasta Arctander aasta@monaropost.com.au

FEATURES WRITER

Lisa Ashurst

Member

SUPPORT: Members of the Cooma Car Club and Cooma Lions Club present a cheque to the Monaro Family Support Service to help the organisation continue its important work in the region. Funds raised from the Lions and Car Club Australia Day breakfast were donated to the MFSS.

PHOTO: Mandy Reeks

Crackenback Farm and Guesthouse earns special achievement for business award

CRACKENBACK Farm on the Alpine Way is a true jewel of the Snowy Mountains. The original property dates back to the 1880s as a sheep farm. In the 1980s, the building was remodelled by architect Glenn Murcott into the guesthouse and restaurant it is today. Set on 80 acres, the beautiful property is home to kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, deer, emus and most importantly, the Australia Day special achievement business award winner for Jindabyne presented to owner, Jodie Evans.

Jodie is regarded as a businesswoman, great cook and chef, event manager, generous neighbour and community minded citizen.

Crackenback Farm is top of the restaurant list for many tourists who visit the Snowy Mountains. If you haven’t visited Jodie at her restaurant, you are missing out on amazing food served in authentic Australian High Country themed style. The desserts are spectacular. It is worth a visit just to get the sweet greeting from Chilli the resident blue cattle dog.

Jodie is a lifer in the hospitality industry having taken inspiration from her famous wine industry father, the great Len Evans. Before making Crackenback her home in 2013, Jodie trained as a chef and worked in Sydney, Adelaide, Hunter Valley, London, the French Alps and Thredbo.

Jodie is famed for her

use of seasonal products to produce unique and French farmhouse styled cuisine and offers a splendid range of fine wine to accompany any meal.

Jodie helps look after the community by catering for all occasions including funerals and sick neighbours. Her home food catering has appeared at high profile events including the Jindabyne Snow Ball.

Originality, seasonal quality ingredients and attention to detail are the hall marks of Jodie’s cooking which has kept locals and visitors returning to her restaurant.

Jodie has always maintained a strong contribution to the community and tourism industry.

Melissa honoured for local education efforts

MELISSA Phillips is one of those people who doesn’t seem to be satisfied with just achieving in one field.

Melissa is a senior psychologist of education for the Snowy Monaro team covering schools from Jindabyne to Queanbeyan.

This in itself is a very challenging role when considering the recent trials like bushfires and COVID-19 experienced.

For the past 18 years, Melissa has been the psychologist for the Thredbo Volunteer Ski Patrol providing support to patrollers and providing training in key aspects wellbeing, mental health and resilience.

The Rural Fire Service (RFS) is another passion for Melissa who serves as the deputy captain of the Wollondibby Brigade – this is a 24 hour on call commitment to assist with fires, motor vehicle accidents and ambulance calls.

As well as holding a Certificate 4-Medic which

allows Melissa to assist victims before the ambulance arrives. Melissa is a volunteer critical incident support service/peer support worker with the RFS. This means she can provide support following significant incidents and help to RFS personnel impacted by their role as volunteers.

Melissa is also involved with the Girls on Fire program.

This program involves schools and emergency services in regional

towns, introducing young people to disaster management skills.

Melissa believes in lifelong learning and continually working to improve her knowledge and skills to provide the best support for her students, RFS and ski patrol compatriots and members of the public she is called on to help.

In her free time, Melissa is also a marriage celebrant, delivering specialise relaxed and modern weddings.

Lighting up Jindabyne through arts passion

WE have all heard of and love the Lake Light Sculpture event and are so happy to hear it will be returning to the Jindabyne Lake foreshore this year, it has been sorely missed. This event was first staged in the early 2000s and one of the original leaders of this committee and driving forces over the years to make it such a success was Todd Costa. Todd has been there from the start on the volunteer committee even serving as president and artistic director giving scope for him to demonstrate his qualities of leadership, creativity and his passion for fostering a thriving arts environment.

In the early years, Todd also served as site director working tirelessly behind the scenes including the installation of the new power supply, and planning thoughtful landscaping so the sculptures could be displayed to their potential in a safe and visually appealing environment.

Todd is an artist in his

own right. His medium is wood, and copper and he produces wonderful sculptures. He is a craftsman with natural talent and passion for his work and has created major pieces that are installed for public viewing throughout Jindabyne.

Over the years, Todd has mentored a number of upcoming artists within the region and is always on hand to assist newcomers on navigating various hurdles in the industry. Todds

achievements as a leader, community advocate and artist has had a profound and lasting impact on the local art scene.

“His dedication to the Lake Light Sculpture in particular and his unwavering support of other artists is a testament to his passion, vision and love for the arts and for his community,” Todd’s award citation said.

“His effort for many years made Jindabyne a destination for the Easter period.”

Terry’s commitment to community celebrated

TERRY Chalk like so many of those in our area is a ski man. This love began in 1964 and has continued with Terry being part of the Perisher Volunteer Ski Patrol for more than 50 years. He was also chairman of a ski club and a local business owner.

In his earlier years, Terry was CEO of several large organisations but after retiring from that life some 25 years ago Terry has devoted his

time to ski patrolling and his other passion, art.

The Jindabyne Lions Easter Art Show and Sale has been delivering new and unique local Artist works to the community for around 30 years.

Terry has been a member of the Jindabyne Lions Club for 20 years and has, during that time, been an integral part of this annual event. He has tried to run away a few times, but his love of art and community draws him back.

Terry only took up art after his retirement.

Initially he took lessons from local art legends Sandy Muston and Alan Grosvenor.

“The community is grateful to Terry, not just for his hands on participation and knowledge of art that makes him so important to this wonderful community event but also his organisational skills and passion for the medium,” his award

citation said.

“He and the Easter Art Show Committee devote countless hours each year to bring together all the aspects needed to make the art show and sale a success.

The event now attracts hundreds of new artwork entries each year and gives local artists the opportunity to display their talents and to sell their creations.

The event is a welcomed addition to the Easter offerings in Jindabyne.

RECOGNITION: Snowy Monaro Regional Council mayor, Chris Hanna, special achievement for business award recipient, Jodie Evans, and Australia Day ambassador Ethan Butson.

PHOTOS: Trista Heath

ACHIEVEMENT: Snowy Monaro Regional Council mayor, Chris Hanna, special achievement for education and community award recipient, Melissa Phillips, and the Australia Day ambassador Ethan Butson.

special achievement for arts and culture award recipient, Todd Costa, and the Australia Day ambassador Ethan Butson.

Currawarna to celebrate its first year milestone School zones extended

By KAREN FORMAN

BOMBALA’S

Currawarna

Assisted Living hostel is set to mark its first year of operation with a celebration where plans for the next 12 months will be announced.

The event will be held at the facility on Thursday February 20 from 6pm and Chair Dr Keith Campbell has extended an invitation to everyone to attend.

“We have a lot to celebrate from our first year of operation,” he said.

“We now have 19 residents and 10 beds left and we are very keen to show Currawarna to members of the public, especially anyone who might be looking for a place to live which provides beautiful facilities and amazing staff, at very affordable rates, right here in Bombala.”

Currawarna Assisted Living Ltd (CALL) is a supported housing facility that was developed with the help of the wider Bombala community after the building’s use as an aged care facilty came to an end a few years ago.

It is a registered charity and was granted Deductible Gift Recipient status as a Public Benefit Institution effective August 25 2022.

It is expected that Currawarna will soon purchase a vehicle to operate a community transport

service for its residents and other members of the community, using funds donated from the Bombala heat of the Australian National Busking Championships late last year and other donations which have come in since.

“Currawarna is a much-loved

part of our community fabric, with many locals having experienced the care of a family member in Currawarna at some point in time,” Dr Campbell said.

“I strongly encourage anyone from the community to come along to our celebration and

have a look at Currawarna and hear about our plans for the next 12 months.”

Dr Campbell said he was pleased with the facility’s achievements in its first year and was keen to receive ideas and feedback from people as it planned for the future.

“It is a community facility and has proven to be one of the most cost effective aged care providers certainly in the Snowy Monaro.

“We welcome anyone from the region or even outside the area to have a look at Currawarna.”

Dr Campbell said the first year had gone according to plan, but he was committed to ensuring the longevity of the facility well into the future.

“It has to be sustainable for the next 30 or so years,” he said.

Currawarna offers affordable, supported housing to people to transition from independent at home living.

It provides assisted living facilities to clients who for medical needs require accommodation away from home or to aid in the delivery of NDIS packages, facilitates the redistribution of housing stocks within the greater Bombala region, provides care at home services and has established a clear training and career pathway, to develop a locally grown, aged care workforce.

Council updates

Council receives Performance Improvement Order

Council was last week issued a Performance Improvement Order (PIO) from the Honourable Ron Hoenig MP, Minister for Local Government, under Section 438a of the Local Government Act 1993

In issuing today’s order, Minister Hoenig stated that this step has been taken to establish clear expectations around councillor and Council performance over the next 12 months.

The PIO is available on Council’s website. This order requires Council as an organisation, and councillors as individuals, to take action to address three areas of concern: Councillor conduct in the chamber, in correspondence, and on social media Council’s progress in implementing planned financial and organisational reforms

Addressing work health and safety risks affecting Council staff

Visit https://qrco.de/SMRC-PIO to learn more.

THERE will be changed traffic conditions on Kosciuszko Road and Barry Way, Jindabyne, due to the extension of the current school zone for Snowy Mountains Grammar School and increasing the permanent speed zone on Kosciuszko Road.

Re-location of existing signs, flashing lights and removal and installation of pavement markings will be carried out this week between 7pm and 5am.

Single lane closures, a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h, and stop/slow traffic control will be in place for the safety of workers and road users.

Residents within the work area will have access to their properties at all times under the guidance of traffic controllers.

Electronic signs will be in place on Kosciuszko Road and Barry Way one week before and one week after the speed zone changes are installed to notify the community of the changed traffic conditions.

Motorists should allow up to five minutes additional travel time, drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic control while the work is being carried out.

Nimmitabel conserve water notice

Residents and businesses in the Nimmitabel area are advised that a conserve water notice is in effect.

Council is asking everyone in the area to limit their water usage as much as possible to conserve the bore water currently being used to supply the town, following the detection of blue-green algae in Lake Wallace Dam and the MacLaughlin River on Monday 13 January 2025.

The conserve water notice will remain in place until it’s safe to resume sourcing water from Lake Wallace Dam.

Council’s water and wastewater team is monitoring local water quality, working closely with Water NSW, NSW Health, and the Environment Protection Authority to ensure this situation is resolved safely.

Town water in Nimmitabel remains safe to drink and use.

Please visit https://qrco.de/NimCSN to see the conservation measures now in place for all properties connected to town water.

Employment opportunities

If you’re looking for a career with purpose, consider joining the team here at Council.

Closing Friday 14 February 2025

•Plant Operator Maintenance

Full-time – Berridale

Closing Wednesday 19 February 2025

• Assistant Operator Combination Truck

Full-time – Jindabyne

Closing Friday 21 February 2025

•Technician Wastewater

Full-time – Jindabyne

•Operator Water & Wastewater

Civil Maintenance

Full-time – Cooma

Visit our website to learn more about working with us, helpful tips for your application, or to see more of our current job opportunities.

Head to https://qrco.de/SMRCjobs today to take the first step in an exciting new career, and help us build a better Snowy Monaro.

We’re here to help. Contact our friendly customer service team today. Email: council@smrc.nsw.gov.au

CELEBRATE: Currawarna Assisted Living hostel celebrates its first year of operation as sta , residents and members of the community receive an invitation to help recognise this milestone for Bombala.

PHOTO: Supplied

Bombala Presbyterian Mission set for busy Easter and year of Valentines concert

By KAREN FORMAN

STRINGS will be the focus of a Valentine’s Day weekend concert to be hosted by Snowy Monaro Arts Council in Cooma on February 16.

The concert will be the organisation’s first for 2025 and will get underway at 2pm at the Cooma Anglican Church hall.

The event name, HeartStrings, recognises Valentine’s Day on February 14 and the focus on strings.

Arts council president, Caroline Fox, said the program would include a performance by Cooma Guitar Ensemble which had been in existence for 40 years.

“Members change each year as new people join and others might move on, such as to leave to go to uni. Currently there are six members,” she said.

Young Sydney-based musicians, sister and brother, Isobel and William Caffyn, will perform on violin and cello, respectively.

They will be joined by local pianists, Juanita Boslo, Hannah Hill, Tash Lucas, Alice Luton, Charlotte Morley, Angus Strudwick-Wood, and Audrey Willet, will perform piano pieces.

The program will include Vivaldi, SaintSaens, Chopin, Debussy, jazz and popular music, and more. As always, the Snowy Monaro Arts Council will proudly serve a luscious afternoon tea spread and provide a chance for audience members to meet with performers.

“This is included in the ticket price, and primary and secondary students can attend the concert free,” Mrs Fox said.

By KAREN FORMAN

BOMBALA based Presbyterian Inland Mission (PIM) Snowy Mountains Patrol is set for another big year of ministering to and encouraging local residents.

The patrol, comprising Noah Vasiliades and wife Nerroli, is planning a big Easter celebration in what will be its third Easter in Bombala.

“This will be for us an opportunity to spend time remembering and celebrating the death and resurrections of Jesus Christ with the locals here in Bombala,”

Mr Vasiliades said.

“We would love people to join us for some additional teaching sessions that will answer the question, how does God relate to people?”

Noah Vasiliades also said

“there will be free camping at the church property, family activities, opportunities to build friendships and to encourage others, as well as an open invitation to the town to join in an Easter Sunday service and barbecue.”

For more information, contact Mr Vasiliades on 0492 960 223.

been taking news about Jesus throughout Australia since its foundation in 1912, by the Rev John Flynn. It operates via a network of ministry teams, and from PIM’s new long-term home in Ardlethan NSW called New Dunesk.

Mr and Mrs Vasiliades have been working hard to engage in connecting and supporting people throughout the Gippsland area of Victoria as well as in Bombala where they are based.

the year very thankful for what God has been doing.”

Noah and Nerroli both come from Christian families in Victoria. Before starting with PIM, both worked jobs within their local community and were active in their home church congregations.

Mr Vasiliades said 2024 had been an encouraging year.

of encouragement and celebration of Christmas with brothers and sisters from Orange and Canberra coming down to help support our little team of locals.

“They did a truly wonderful job of playing the carols for us, to the glory of God. The weather was beautiful, so we were able to set up outside and enjoy an open-air evening, singing of Jesus birth and engaging in conversation over good food afterwards.

“From all accounts everyone who came really enjoyed the event and we were able to get around and chat to everyone.”

The team also ran a gingerbread house making morning and led a carols service in Delegate.

“With the year over, as we look forward to 2025, we have been praying for wisdom in decisions. More than ever, we are aware of needs and opportunities in and round the Snowy Mountains, and East Gippsland area.

Tickets are available at The Fabric Salon and available at the door before the concert begins.

The couple began its work on the Snowy Mountains Patrol in January 2023. PIM is a ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and has

“Looking back on the past year there is great encouragement to see God’s faithfulness,” Mr Vasiliades said.

“The last few months of 2024 with the market, the carols and all the other events around Christmas we finished

“The market was a great opportunity to catch up with people and continue to address our need for a solid foundation on which to build our lives, our families, our towns and our country,” he said.

“It was an opportunity to invite more people to our other Christmas events and activities as well as the weekly Sunday Bible study.

“The carols was a great time

“I was reminded this week, you cannot do everything, so make what you can do count. God works through our weakness and limitations, showing his power though us in our dependence on him,” Mr Vasiliades said.

“We look forward with eager anticipation to what God has in store for this year ahead.”

HeartStrings

Snowy Monaro Arts Councils Inc. presents Sunday 16 February 2025 2:00pm At the Anglican Parish Hall 138 Commissioner St, Cooma Featuring the Cooma Guitar Ensemble plus talented students from Cooma and beyond playing Violin, Cello and Piano Afternoon Tea Included

Noah Vasiliades (right) heads up Presbyterian Inland Mission’s Bombala patrol.

ASSISTANCE: PIM Bombala patrol’s Noah Vasiliades (right) helps set up for the Christmas carols concert. PHOTO: Contributed.

ACROSS

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD

1 Shakespeare’s Macbeth was known as the thane of ... (6)

8 What is a liquid preparation of the colour and consistency of milk (8)

9 Name the second-largest country in the world (6)

10 Decimal currency commenced on the 14th of which month in 1966 (8)

11 Name the capital of the Republic of the Philippines (6)

13 What are reconditioned worn motor-vehicle tyres (8)

16 Which language is spoken in Beijing (8)

19 Name the capital of the Campania region of Italy (6)

22 What is a flight of steps (8)

24 To be stately, majestic or grand, is to be what (6)

25 Who, colloquially, keeps watch during a two-up game (8)

26 To tidy up, is to do what (6)

DOWN

2 Name the sacred city of Tibetan Buddhism (5)

3 Name a popular winter beach resort in Florida (5)

4 What is an alternative term for a sailor (8)

5 What is an electric light globe known as (4)

6 To be sagacious, is to be what (6)

7 Which zone lies between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn (6)

12 Name a part of speech (4)

14 Which English poet voiced the moral concerns of the Victorian age (8)

15 Who was slain by his brother, Cain (4)

17 Which person writes novels, poems, essays, etc (6)

E-QUATIONS

18 When one imbibes, one does what (6)

Letters

E-QUATIONS

Letters A to Z have a number value. Some are shown in the right-hand cells. Create remaining values using clues in centre

20 Name a former Australian territory in south-eastern New Guinea (5)

21 What is the nest of an eagle or a hawk (5)

23 Which unit of power is defined as one joule per second (4)

Find the following words in the grid. They may be read in any direction, even diagonally. Some letters are used more than once.

Solve the crossword. Each answer has four letters.

(a) In the psalms, a Hebrew word meaning pause (b) Personal identity (c) Feudal lordship

2 UNCIAL (a) Of one mind (b) Offensively suave and smug (c) Pertaining to an inch

Build it yourself using the clues and each of the twenty-four letters once only to form ten words: five across and five down. A key word (bold clue) builds on the letter set in the grid.

CLUES:

Artful craft (7)

Community Liaison Service (3) Cultivated soil (5) Defeats (5) In good health (3) Of sound (5) Pit in macula (5) Short novel (7) Tree (3) Weep (3)

6.00 Morning Programs. 8.00 Million Dollar Minute. 9.00 Surf Patrol. 9.30 NBC Today. 12.00 Better Homes. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 South Aussie With Cosi. 2.30 Auction Squad. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Surf Patrol. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 Escape To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Father Brown. 8.30 Murdoch Mysteries. 11.30 Late Programs.

6.00 Morning Programs. 2.05 ER. 2.50 Doctor Who. 3.40 QI. 4.10 MythBusters. 5.00 Love Your Garden. 5.50 George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. 6.40 My Family. 7.30 QI. 8.00 Would I Lie To You? 8.30 Hard Quiz. 9.05 Gruen. 9.40 Shaun Micallef’s MAD AS HELL. 10.10 Planet America. 10.45 ER. 11.30 Late Programs.

6.00

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. 12.00 Seven’s National News At Noon. 1.00 MOVIE: Be My Valentine. (2013) 3.00 The Chase. 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia. 6.00 7News Local. 6.30 7News @ 6:30. 7.00 Home And Away. 8.30 MOVIE: Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason. (2004) Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant. 10.45 To Be Advised. 12.15 Damnation. 1.15 Travel Oz. 2.00 Late Programs.

6.00 Morning Programs. 11.00 American Pickers. 12.00 Pawn Stars. 1.00 Highway Patrol. 2.00 The Force: BTL. 3.00 Billy The Exterminator. 3.30 Counting Cars. 4.30 Storage Wars. 5.00 American Resto. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Pawn Stars Do America. 8.30 MOVIE: Bad Boys. (1995) 11.00 MOVIE: Hancock. (2008) 1.00 Late Programs.

6.00 Morning Programs. 12.00 News. 1.00 The Newsreader. 2.00 Parliament. 3.00 Nigella Bites. 3.25 Grand Designs. 4.15 Long Lost Family. 5.00 A Bite To Eat With Alice. 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. 6.25 Hard Quiz. 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. 8.00 Back Roads. 8.30 Sue Perkins’ Big Adventure: Paris To Istanbul. New. 9.20 Grand Designs. 10.10 Dr Karl’s How Things Work. Final. 10.35 ABC Late News. 10.50 The Business. 11.10 Late Programs. 6.00 Kids’ Programs. 3.50 Andy’s Safari Adventures. 4.25 Nella The Princess Knight. 5.20 Kangaroo Beach. 6.05 Kiya And The Kimoja Heroes. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.00 The Deep. 7.35 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. 7.50 The Inbestigators. 8.05 Operation Ouch! 8.40 Secrets Of The Zoo. 9.25 Chopped Jnr. 10.15 Merlin. 11.00 Late Programs.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra. 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 Married At First Sight. 1.30 Mr Mayor. 2.00 Pointless. 3.00 Tipping Point. 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. 5.30 WIN News. 6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 RBT. 8.30 Emergency. 9.30 A+E After Dark. 10.30 9News Late. 11.00 Resident Alien. 11.50 Tipping Point. 12.40 Pointless. 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. 2.00 Late Programs.

6.00 Morning Programs. 12.00 Farm To Fork. 12.30 Family Feud. 1.00 10 News First: Lunchtime. 2.00 Wheel Of Fortune. 2.30 Lingo. 3.30 10 News First: Afternoon. 4.00 Neighbours. 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. 5.00 10 News First. 6.00 Deal Or No Deal. 6.30 The Project. 7.30 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 9.00

6.00 Morning Programs. 12.55 The Young And The Restless. 2.00 Invictus Games. 2025 Vancouver Whistler. Day 3. Highlights. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: We Joined The Navy. (1962) 5.30 Our Yorkshire Farm. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Keeping Up Appearances. 8.40 Poirot. 10.40 Dalgliesh. 11.40 Late Programs. 6.00 Flushed. 7.00 It’s Academic. 8.30 Get Arty. 9.00 Shopping. 10.30 House Rules: High Stakes. 12.00 Buffy. 3.00 Mesmerised. 3.30 The Goldbergs. 4.00 Glee. 5.00 Bondi Vet. 7.00 Judge Judy. 7.30 Kitchen Nightmares. 8.30 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA. 9.30 Ramsay’s 24 Hours To Hell And Back. 10.30 First Dates UK. 12.40 Kitchen Nightmares. 1.40 Late Programs.

Second Innings. 11.00 MOVIE: True Lies. (1994) 2.00 Late Programs. 6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra. 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 MOVIE: Love At First Like. (2023) 2.00 Pointless. 3.00 Tipping Point. 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. 5.30 WIN News. 6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 David Attenborough’s Mammals. New. 8.40 MOVIE: Valentine’s Day. (2010) Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway. 11.10 MOVIE: The Sun Is Also A Star. (2019) 1.00 Late Programs.

6.00 Morning Programs. 2.05 History Of Britain. Final. 3.00 Railway Journeys UK.

6.00 Morning Programs. 2.15 ER. 3.00 Doctor Who. 4.00 Would I Lie To You? 4.30 MythBusters. 5.20 Love Your Garden. 6.10 Amazing Spaces. 7.00 My Family. 7.30 QI. 8.00 Would I Lie To You?

5.00 A Bite To Eat With Alice. 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. 6.30 Hard Quiz. 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 Monty Don’s Spanish Gardens. 8.30 Silent Witness. 10.15 Optics. 10.45 Hard Quiz. 11.15 ABC Late News. 11.30 Late Programs. 6.00 Kids’ Programs. 4.25 Nella The Princess Knight. 5.20 Kangaroo Beach. 6.05 Kiya And The Kimoja Heroes. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 7.35 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. 8.00 Scooby-Doo And Guess Who? 8.30 Mythbusters “There’s Your Problem!”. 8.55 Robot Wars. 9.55 Merlin. 10.40 Late Programs.

6.00 Morning Programs. 2.00 Invictus Games. 2025 Vancouver Whistler. H’lights. 3.00 MOVIE: Up The Chastity Belt. (1971) 5.00 Our Yorkshire Farm. 6.00 Antiques Roadshow. 7.00 Rugby Union. Super Rugby Pacific. NSW Waratahs v Highlanders. 9.30 Super Rugby Pacific Post-Match. 9.45 MOVIE: Man On A Ledge. (2012) 11.45 Late Programs. 6.00 Flushed. 7.00 It’s Academic. 8.30 Get Arty. 9.00 Shopping. 10.30 House Rules: High Stakes. 12.00 Buffy. 3.00 Ed And Karen’s Recipes For Success. 4.00 Bondi Vet. 5.00 Britain’s Got Talent. 7.00 MOVIE: Hotel Transylvania. (2012) 8.55 MOVIE: Signs. (2002) 11.15 MOVIE: The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society. (2018) 1.40 Late Programs. 6.00 Morning Programs. 12.00 Farm To Fork. 12.30 Family Feud. 1.00 10 News First: Lunchtime. 2.00 Wheel Of Fortune. 2.30 Lingo. 3.30 10 News First: Afternoon. 4.00 Family Feud. 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. 5.00 10 News First. 6.00 Deal Or No Deal. 6.30 The Project. 7.30 Wheel Of Fortune UK. New.

Betta is best for kitchens page 18

Your garlic growing guide page 20

Show time for gardeners page 21

Herb tips, tricks page 24

Betta is best for new kitchens

SPONSORED CONTENT

SEARCHING for a new kitchen in the Snowy Monaro has never been easier following Cooma Betta Home Living’s exciting upgrades to its kitchen showroom.

The store’s entire showroom has expanded from 900 square metres to 3000 square metres, and now offers plenty of space and new stock to inspect and demo.

The helpful and knowledgeable team at Cooma Betta Home Living is ready to help you find your next kitchen or match you with new appliances.

The kitchen showcase boasts hundreds of elegant and functional styles, across stoves, ovens and fridges. The showroom is the region’s largest kitchen showroom.

“At Betta’s Cooma store, the expert staff are always ready to assist you with selecting your next white goods or home appliance purchase,” Cooma Betta Home Living owner, George Anthony, said.

“Our Cooma store has a wide selection of products from all the leading brands for you to choose from.

“We have fridges and freezers, kitchen and cooking appliances as well as washers and dryers – we have it all.”

Cooma Betta Home Living is open seven days each week for the convenience of customers. Located on Cooma’s main street, Sharp Street, the store is easy to find.

Head in-store to discover how amazing your dream cooking space can be, in our new Kitchen Showcase. With hundreds of elegant & functional styles in stoves, fridges, ovens and everything you need, in the regions biggest and best display. Talk to our expert team to help design your perfect cooking experience.

SHOWROOM: Cooma Betta Home Living has opened its impressive kitchen showroom, now 3000 square metres in size. PHOTOS: Supplied

Impact of nationwide housing shortfalls Rushing changes a risk: LGNSW

By MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA

DESPITE a small uptick in building approvals over the month of December, Australia fell short by 68,606 homes of its annual 240,000 housing target in 2024.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there was a very slight increase (+0.7 percent) in the volume of new home building approvals during December 2024.

This was the result of a 6.0 percent increase in higher density dwelling approvals during the month. However, detached house building approvals dropped by 2.8 percent during December.

When looking at the yearly performance, 171,394 new homes received approval during 2024 overall, a modest gain (3.9 percent) on the year before. This was driven by a 7.0 percent gain in detached house approvals during 2024.

Currently, all states and territories have fallen short of their Housing Accord target if building continues at this pace.

“In 2024, higher density approvals dropped back by 1.3 percent, meaning 2024 was the worst year for higher density approvals since 2011,” chief economist Master Builders Australia, Shane Garrent said.

“The insufficient flow of new home building on the higher density side of the market is one of the main sources of rental price inflation.

“Latest data indicate that rents rose by 6.2 percent over the year to

December 2024 – one of the biggest sources of inflationary pressure.”

Chief executive officer Master Builders Australia, Denita Wawn, said Australia desperately needs to boost its housing supply.

“This will only be achieved when the cost of new home building starts to moderate, and project costs stack up,” Ms Wawn said.

“It’s more than just a number –the lack of housing supply is leading to rising rents, homelessness, and

higher mortgages, which impacts the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.

“This federal election, all parties must be clear on how they will help build more homes for Aussies.

“Over the coming weeks, Master Builders will be releasing its election platform and pre-budget submission with what policy areas require further investment or action to facilitate more investment in home building,”

THE peak body representing local government across the state has acknowledged the NSW Premier and opposition leader’s efforts for a bi-partisan approach to planning reforms, but warned against further rushed changes that could exacerbate the state’s housing supply crisis.

Local Government NSW (LGNSW) president, mayor Phyllis Miller OAM, said a recent stakeholder meeting was a step in the right direction, with councils keen for it to generate positive change in the

“While collaboration between all levels of government is crucial in addressing the housing crisis, reviewing the planning system now is poor timing. It will serve to create further uncertainty for all stakeholders and would most likely stall housing construction further, as developers may consider delaying projects in anticipation of potentially more favourable outcomes under a future framework,” Mayor Miller said.

Mayor Miller also cautioned against any moves that would seek to scrap or defer the essential

infrastructure contributions that provide the infrastructure, green space, pools and community facilities that make our communities liveable.

“We hear the concerns of the private development sector, and both sides of politics need to think seriously about ways to put real dollars into infrastructure and building construction. Communities need housing and amenity to be delivered, but must not be made to subsidise the profit of developers,” she said.

Mayor Miller also highlighted the obvious need to include the voice of local government in any discussion about reforms.

“We know councils approve about 97 percent of all DAs and local councils know their communities best – we know the challenges, the pressures but also the opportunities. We are at the forefront of local planning and are best placed to provide feedback on where improvements can be made.”

Mayor Miller said she had written to the NSW Government and opposition and continued to seek collaborative engagement on this important issue.

ANNUAL FIRE SALE!

FEBRUARY ONLY

HOUSING CRISIS: Less new homes across the country has been one of main causes behind rental price increases . PHOTO: Supplied

Home-growers’ guide to garlic

By LISA ASHURST

AS THE summer season begins winding down towards autumn, it is the best time to begin planning and prepping for next season’s garlic crop.

Dedicated garlic farmer, Vele Civijovski of Garlic Kingdom, has some helpful tips for home gardeners who would like to grow their own crops of this wonderfully tasty and versatile herb.

Vele has been developing a range of educational and training programs, which compliment his gardening workshops, and which are designed to assist home growers in sampling and choosing which varieties of garlic they would like to grow at home, as well as which cultivars would be best suited to their region.

But a change of season also offers a good opportunity to ask yourself some questions, according to Vele, to be better prepared before planting begins.

• How much are you planning to plant?

• Do you have sufficient space, or are more beds required?

• What needs to be done to ensure beds are ready in time for planting?

• Which types of garlic would grow best in your climate?

• Where can you source them locally to ensure successful growth?

• What will it cost for seeds and materials?

Vele uses raised Hugelkultur garden beds to grow his garlic. Unconventional, but very successful and the easiest method for backyard growers.

Done correctly, these beds will provide better moisture and nutrient retention as well as excellent weed suppression.

It’s all about providing the best start to get the best results.

“But gardening is not just for farmers and adults,” Vele said.

“Beginning the learning process at the grassroots level, as well as starting out on a smaller scale, will lead to far better success for home gardeners starting their own food garden journey.

“Gardening is a wonderful way

to enjoy the health benefits of being out amongst the greenery, in the sunshine and fresh air.”

Vele has held several successful gardening workshops at the Cooma Community Garden. A popular stall-holder at various markets around the region, he is always happy to share his extensive knowledge with anyone who is keen to know more about growing, storing and enjoying using their garlic in their daily culinary preparations. Most of the garlic types can handle, and generally prefer, cooler climes, and Vele suggests growers take some advantage of this via natural selection, to expand their growing efforts

into mid and late season types and then see and taste the difference, as these types provide sharper and spicier flavours, and display a higher resistance to disease.

Vele is working hard to build on the foundations he has established over the last couple of years.

He is looking forward to holding more workshops and providing further training packages throughout 2025. Vele is keen to become more involved with further educational institutions within the Snowy Monaro region.

Vele has seed stock available yearly, generally from January onwards and releases new stock

items regularly as the garlic types complete their curing.

Once cured, Vele begins the hands-on analysis of each bulb, where they are graded for size and quality.

Grading seed stock is an arduous process, being done manually, but it ensures Vele’s customers receive only the best stock for seed.

But the shelves at Garlic Kingdom are filled with crates and trays with their unique identifiers; seed for sale, seed for planting, and culinary stock.

The number of items in the ‘garlic library’ is continuing to grow and Garlic Kingdom now grows and manages 50 different garlic varieties.

Vele working hard on his garlic crop at his Countegany property.

LEARNING: Vele Civijovski of Garlic Kingdom runs a popular garlic planting education program. PHOTOS: Garlic Kingdom

Show time in the Snowy Monaro

THE first of the region’s agricultural shows, Nimmitabel, welcomed an excellent array of pavilion entries.

Despite the dry conditions, there was a strong display of flowers, fruit and vegetables.

Nimmitabel led the way on February 4, with Delegate, Dalgety, Cooma and Bombala to follow.

So now is the time to inspect the individual shows’ schedule and determine what classes you might be able to enter.

Apart from the horse events and livestock classes, each show has plenty of opportunity for home cooks, gardeners, handy-men, knitters, sewers and photographers, to contest.

Even those who like to make their own home brew can compete at the local shows.

While gardeners need to contend with the vagaries of Monaro weather, there is usually a fair chance they can produce vegetables such as beans, peas, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, squash, cabbage, zucchini, leeks, pumpkins, etc.

This season has been difficult with cool nights and mild days, but some local gardeners have been able to fill their yards with a variety of flowers which, hopefully, will still be in fine form for the shows.

Flower sections also included junior classes which often produce imaginative entries of carved or assembled vegetables as well as different types of blooms.

Floral arrangements are also a popular feature of the shows and there is substantial prizemoney on offer.

There aren’t many gardens on the Monaro which don’t feature roses and these beautiful flowers brighten up the pavilions of all the local shows.

For keen cooks, there are many classes including condiments and cakes.

The Agricultural Societies Council of NSW conducts its annual rich fruitcake competition, which uses a set recipe advertised in the show schedules.

This is judged at the Cooma Show and the group final winner is then required to make another cake for the final judging at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

For those handy with a needle, the shows have several classes to enter.

The Delegate Show is on Saturday March 1, Dalgety Show Sunday March 2, Cooma Show on Saturday March 8 and Bombala Show Saturday March 15.

Take a tour of these magnificent local gardens

TWO of the region’s most iconic gardens and homesteads are Hazeldean and Shirley. These two beautiful properties can be viewed as part of the Private Gardens of the Monaro tour.

The tour offers self-drive trips exclusive to a maximum of only 30 people, including morning and afternoon tea, as well as tailor made garden tours. The tour is open for group bookings by appointment.

Hazeldean

Hazeldean was settled by the Litchfield Family in 1865 - home to six generations of Litchfields, and to one of the largest and most progressive Merino and Angus studs in Australia.

The present homestead was built in 1907 and had a major renovation in the 1930s by Professor Leslie Wilkinson, the first Dean of Architecture at Sydney University.

Most recently, Wilkinson’s 1964 plans for a top storey have been realised more than 50 years on.

The house is surrounded by a forest of 100-year-old English Elms, extending out to an English-like 10 acres of parkland.

The five-acre garden has recently been renovated by Jim and Libby Litchfield, establishing new stone walls and expansive lawn terraces.

There are several courtyard gardens, a cross axis pear allee, extensive plantings of peonies, a wild garden of spring flowering bulbs, a fruit tree orchard and fabulous vistas of the spectacular un-spoilt Monaro plains, as well as historic stone stables built from basalt quarried from the property.

Shirley Shirley is a fourth generation sheep grazing property owned by the Cottle family.

The homestead was designed by Henry Budden and built in 1908. The garden was laid out by Claude Crowe in the late 1930s.

In 2006, John and Sally-Ann Cottle embarked on a renovation of the garden and commissioned landscape designer Paul Bangay to help them. Bangay’s design has seamlessly brought together the work of three generations of their family.

Shirley is truly an oasis in the vast Monaro plains with seven acres

Bendigo 3+2

Portsea hanging egg chair

Bordeaux Bella 7

ahlias will be feature of this year s ooma Show ower section.

ER: The Bombala Show was home to a terrific pavilion display at last year s show, and this year promises to be ust as good.

The region s shows are a great place to display your owers.

STUNNING: Shirley is one of two Monaro properties featured in the rivate ardens of the onaro tour. Shirley and Hazeldean o ering beautiful gardens and settings. PHOTO: Supplied

Freeing your inner artist with colour

By LISA ASHURST

MANY homes have one of those areas which is calling out for a lift, but a plant or a mirror, while generally great fixeruppers, may not necessarily be the answer.

It could be a section of wall that ‘needs something’, a cupboard door at the end of a hallway, or perhaps it is a room that could just do with a point of visual interest to lift it out of the doldrums.

One option would be to paint in a specific colour to create a feature wall or turn the wall into a photo gallery.

You could break up the blandness with a grouping of artworks. A decorative wall hanging maybe?

Or you could release your inner artist and opt for something completely outside the square, like a mural.

This would work on that bland door at the end of the hallway too. All you need are sample pots of the colours you plan to use, a selection of brushes, and a rough sketch of what you would like to put there.

Sample pots are a great way to get your colours together for a wall art or door art project, as they are inexpensive and will usually contain sufficient paint to do the job.

Murals have been popular since ancient times for brightening up a room and they are unique because there are no

TRANSFORM: A tired looking wall or door is the perfect place to let your artistic talents ow. This beautiful artwork has given a plain door a new and refreshed look. PHOTOS: Lisa Ashurst

limits to what can be painted onto a wall or door.

Broad stripes of colour, organic curves, geometric shapes, or something inspired by the local landscape, fauna or flora.

You don’t need to strive for realism unless you really want to, and this is what makes splashing your walls and doors with your own creative expression such an enjoyable

project. And it will be uniquely yours.

If you are feeling confident, you could sketch it in lightly with a pencil (the paint will cover the lines when you start

COOMA FURNISHING CO

putting your colours on) or a pale-coloured chalk, which is easier to wipe off if you want to change some aspect of your design.

But don’t be daunted. Make your art as large as you want, so long as it balances with the space, and then go for it.

For those who believe they do not have an artistic bone in their body but would still like to have something boldly original on that wall or door, the options are to either entice an arty friend to pop in and do a transformation (they would probably jump at the opportunity) or stick with something less challenging that you can manage yourself.

You can use broad simple lines of your favourite colour, descending in a gradient from tint to shade.

This can look very effective and will take that plain wall or door from bland to grand.

Colourful boho designs have been making a big comeback too, with their quirky florals reminiscent of a time of youthful freedom and non-conformist artistic expression.

But there are no constraints really for a wall or door mural, because the design is your own, which means you can go as far as you want with it.

Take the position and balance of your design into consideration so that it sits right, but after that? Pick up your brushes and allow your creativity to flow.

The pleasure will be all yours.

Murals are a great way of brightening up a wall and creating a feature point in a room.

Create a growing interest with herb spirals

By LISA ASHURST

IF YOU are looking for an alternative to growing your herbs in a clutter of pots, have you looked into the benefits of creating a herb spiral?

As a space-saving energy efficient option, they offer a great solution and as an eye-catching addition to your outdoor space, they are hard to beat.

So what is a herb spiral?

They are based on a permaculture design, and as the name suggests, are a spiralling vertical garden that is practical, attractive and ideal for smaller spaces, but will add character and interest to any garden space.

Built correctly, a herb spiral will operate as an agricultural system that works in sync with nature, rather than against it, and enables a wide variety of plants with differing requirements to grow happily together in the one small space, yet it will satisfy the needs of plants that require differing climate zones.

Herb spirals are also highly attractive to bees and butterflies, create natural micro-climates and will provide a safe haven for garden friendly insects, frogs and lizards, which all help to keep plant pests down.

options. Your style of garden would be a good guide though.

Herb spirals can be constructed from a wide variety of materials, with the most popular being stone, logs, or bricks.

As long as the material can create a gradually-rising spiralling wall, and will support the soil, then feel free to explore the

An informal cottage garden would be ideal for a log or stonewalled spiral, while a more formal garden would suggest a more structured building material. Choose a full sun (or part shade in very hot climates) location, mark out a circle of around 1.5 to

2 metres in diameter and then draw in your spiral. Place some cardboard on the ground before you begin, to suppress any weeds that may still be present in the ground after clearing.

Begin building the spiral in an anticlockwise direction, starting at ground level on the south side and then spiralling upward and

inward as you go, to a height of around one metre. Fill in with a good quality loamy soil as you progress.

As the garden becomes more established, water the spiral from the top and the water will flow naturally in an anticlockwise direction through the soil as it moves down through the levels.

Traditionally, herb spirals begin with a small pond at ground level on the southern side, which will reduces evaporation, maximises moisture, and creates a welcome micro-climate. It will also reflect light and heat against the north wall to the roots of heat-loving herbs and this will create the humid zone. You can grow some edible plants like watercress or water mint in the pond if you wish.

The middle part of your spiral is known as the normal zone, and while still a humid zone, it’s more permeable.

It will also have some areas that are in partial shade due to the plantings above, in the centre, which is the highest level.

That central part is the upper part and is known as the dry zone, and here the soil is permeable and lean and ideal for herbs which are deep-rooted, like rosemary, and which require less water, plus they will provide shade for lower plantings.

The internal structure of the herb spiral ensures good drainage, which provides ideal conditions for a number of culinary herbs, especially those native to regions of the Mediterranean, and the transition between the zones is fluent, which allows for a wider range of growing conditions to support a greater variety of herbs. Use the zone conditions as a guide when choosing what to plant where, thus providing the best conditions for your herbs to thrive.

GARDEN: A popular trend among green thumbs is to create a herb spiral. An ornate feature to your garden, it will also serve as a wonderful addition of avour to meals created in the kitchen. PHOTO: Supplied

Know your herbs, what works best on Monaro

By LISA ASHURST

HERBS have a long history. In ancient times they were not only valued for their fragrance and food-enhancing flavours, but also for their health and medicinal properties, so it’s no wonder herb gardens are just as popular today as they were centuries ago.

As flavourings in our favourite dishes, herbs are a must. They enhance the natural flavours of meats, fish, soups, sauces and vegetables, can lift a salad from the ordinary to the extraordinary, and edible oils can be taken to a whole new level via an infusion of complimentary herbs.

Culinary basics to consider when setting up a herb garden are chives (both the onion and garlic varieties), basil, rosemary, thyme, sorrel, mint and sage. And don’t forget garlic, which is not only prized for its wonderful flavour and versatility, but also for its well-documented medicinal qualities.

But all herbs are rich in medicinal and health-supporting elements to varying degrees, which is another good reason to establish a thriving herb garden for home use.

Herbs with edible flowers include bergamot, marigold, nasturtium, rose and violets, all of which make a colourful and tasty addition to salads, and if looking for choices for dried arrangements, some of the most popular are sweet bay, cornflowers, any of the lavenders, marjoram, thyme and yarrow.

One popular dual-purpose use of herbs is to plant them between paving stones, use them as path borders and/or grown in clumps around garden statuary and seating.

They are fragrant, attractive and close enough at hand to

harvest for use in the kitchen.

Herbs like lavender, rosemary and sweet bay are also popular choices for creating very attractive borders and hedges.

If space is an issue, herbs will grow happily in pots, which makes them a great choice for

small courtyards and balconies, hanging baskets, or even containers placed down a set of steps, and they are ideal for window sills and window boxes.

Just ensure the pot or container is going to meet the needs of the plant. It should be large

enough to suit the size of the plant, which will allow for good air and water circulation and in hotter areas, opt for non-porous containers like ceramic or plastic, as these will be very helpful in preventing the plants from drying out too quickly.

Herbal lawns are another interesting option, but are most successful when done on a smaller scale, like in a small courtyard or an area of the yard that could do with a visual lift.

Herbal lawns can safely be mown and walked on, and will release their lovely fragrance as you go.

Herbs that produce small flowers are popular for herbal lawn areas, as they provide colour, interest, and look so attractive. Herbs can also be added to existing lawns, and are especially useful as an alternative solution where areas of existing lawn are looking a bit patchy.

The choice is fairly open, but those most recommended include chamomile, a creeping thyme, pennyroyal and common yarrow. Thyme and chamomile are both flowering herbs, and if it’s not mown, yarrow will produce flowers too.

Want to know more? There are many excellent publications extolling the virtue of herbs and the local nursery, community garden and online sites are also good sources of information.

But whether grown for their looks, their fragrance or the cooking pot, a herb garden is an excellent addition in any setting.

HERBS: Adding herbs to the garden comes with so many benefits. They add attractive greenery to any sized space, and they can also be used in the kitchen or for medicinal purposes. PHOTO: Supplied

Balgownie Farm

Agent: Elders Real Estate Cooma

Contact: Tim Schofield 0428 526 733

eldersrealestate.com.au

FARM’ Delegate, NSW | 166 HA / 410 AC

•3 bedroom brick veneer homestead with wrap around verandas.

•Extensive views of the beautifully established gardens.

•Around 4km frontage to the Delegate River

‘Balgownie Farm’ is the perfect place to live the dream lifestyle in the country Auction Friday 7th March, 11am Venue Delegate Country Club Tim Scho eld 0428 526 733 tim.scho eld@elders.com.au

•Various garage and workshop spaces

•Shearing shed plus sheep and cattle yards

•Improved pastures with fertilizer history

•Excellent fencing subdivided into 15 paddocks

•Large hay and machinery shed

•Numerous dams and troughs

•Carrying capacity estimated at 1,000 DSE

•9km from Delegate and 21km to Bombala

• Separate camping hut on the banks of the Delegate River boasting Trout and Platypus.

Sam Green 0428 973 520 sam.green@elders.com.au Elders Cooma eldersrealestate.com.au/300P175230

*Approx.

Monaro

Masterclass in modern architecture

by its meticulous design and high-end finishes that resonate luxury and functionality.

bedrooms, two with walk-in robes, cater to the needs of a growing family.

$1,100,000

NESTLED in the picturesque township of Cooma, 14 Alkoomi Place offers a serene family retreat, freshly completed in 2023 with striking views that span across the charming local skyline.

This contemporary four-bedroom, three-bathroom abode stretches across a generous 661 square metre parcel, promising a luxurious lifestyle amid the rolling landscapes of NSW.

A masterclass in modern architecture, the property is characterised

The lower-level features polished concrete floors, giving way to an expansive, open-plan living and dining area, anchored by a sleek kitchen equipped with top-tier appliances and a butler’s pantry.

The dedicated home office study presents a versatile space ideal for remote work or academic pursuits.

The allure of this home extends upstairs, where the master bedroom serves as a sumptuous sanctuary, complete with a spacious walk-in robe and an elegant ensuite.

A further lounge area provides an intimate space for relaxation, while the additional three large

Beyond the aesthetic appeal, the house boasts practical in-slab hydronic heating, ducted heating, and an internal access double garage, ensuring comfort through out the seasons.

The private yard invites outdoor leisure and relaxation, while the contemporary designed bathrooms strike the perfect balance between style and comfort.

This is a rare opportunity to secure a turnkey property designed for family living in a thriving commu nity. 14 Alkoomi Place is not just a home; it’s a statement of refined elegance and convenience.

Nothing idle about ‘Glenidle’

Address: 309 Bucky Springs Road, Bombala

Asking: $875,000

Agent: Nutrien Harcourts Bombala

LOOKING for a lifestyle opportunity with little to do? Glenidle inspections will not disappoint.

The property is located five minutes from Bombala along the sealed Bucky Springs Road and

features a lovely renovated fourbedroom, two-bathroom homestead set amongst 23.07ha/57.006ac.

The homestead is located along a gravel driveway (with gate and cattle grid at the driveway entrance) and has a secure fenced yard and established low maintenance gardens. A light filled lounge that flows through to the open kitchen and dining, all living areas have verandah access and lovely rural view. All bedrooms contain built in

wardrobes, both bathrooms have been updated recently in stylish neutral tones. The home features LPG gas cooking, reverse cycle air conditioning and pellet heater, and solar system on the roof that feeds back to the grid.

Water is secure with good rainwater storage to the homestead captured by the house and the shearing shed, three spring fed dams and bore that feeds external taps for the gardens etc.

Additional improvements include double garage with electric roller doors and PA door access to the house verandah, netted raised vegetable garden, three-bay machinery shed, meat safe/cool room, one-stand shearing shed with holding pens, cattle yards with crush and loading ramp.

Don’t delay, grab this wonderful lifestyle opportunity while you can.

• 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, open dining and lounge, galley style kitchen

• Covered patio at rear suitable for outdoor entertaining, front veranda with views over the Bombala Railway precinct

Granny flat features:

• 1 spacious bedroom with WIR, open living/kitchen, ensuite bathroom

• Reverse cycle air conditioning

Good sized fenced yard for both to use, established gardens and lawns, 2 water tanks. Both the house and the flat are currently tenanted making this a solid investment.

•

•

•

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Snowy Monaro

Modern living in private location

Address: ‘Kalimna’ 1809 Dry Plains Road, Wambrook NSW 2630

LOCATED just a short distance from Cooma along Dry Plains Road in the heart of the Snowy Mountains. Set on approximately 53.81 hectares or 132.97 acres, ‘Kalimna’ offers modern day living in a rural setting. The land is bound to the west by Pat Ann Creek, providing a secure source of pristine water. The property’s location offers outstanding views to the east and north as far as the eye can see. The vegetation is predominantly

native, including scattered stands of Eucalypts offering a paradise for wildlife and birdlife, and enough space to run a few horses or other stock.

A modern home built only four years ago, comprising of three bedrooms, including a generous master suite with walk in wardrobe and ensuite bathroom, study, open plan kitchen, dining and living space, second or guest bathroom, internal laundry and mudroom. Ensuring comfort throughout the winter months the house boasts double glazed windows and doors,

• Locatedalongthewesternapproachtotown,ever soslightlyelevated on758.79m2beautifully landscapedgrounds.

• Wellmaintainedthreebedroombrickandtilehome.

• Northerlyfacingbalcony.

• Entryvestibuleandhallwaysettingthetone for theformalentrance.

• Galleystylekitchenwithbreakfastbar,formaldining,familyorlivingroom,sunroomorsleepout, internallaundry,bathroom,separate WC.

• Single car underbuildinggarage,workshopandstorage.

• Carport at rearofhousewithdirectaccess to ElizabethStreet.

• Beautifullydesignedandcared for gardens.

• Levelrearbackyardwithplentyofroom for thekids to play.

AGENTS COMMENTS: Thispropertyisextremelywelllookedafter andlowmaintenanceandcouldperhapsmaketheperfectfirst homeorinvestmentproperty. Definitelyworthalook–betterbequick! Contactoursalesteamnow!

Contact: Aaron Mackay P: 0264567232 W: kirshnermackay.com.au

Online Auction: Tuesday18thMarch2025 Commencing6:30pm Venue: Online&InRoom

Inspect: By Appointmentwith Exclusive Agent Only.

heated floors in the bathrooms, plus three sources of heating including a combustion wood fireplace, gas fireplace and electric heating.

The house water supply is all rainwater harvested from both house as well as shed with a storage capability of more than 70,000L in six tanks. The landscaped, well maintained and low maintenance grounds complete the perfect package and to top all this, the property also has a two bay workshop with a skillion roof on either side.

‘Kalimna’ presents the perfect

lifestyle property where all the hard work has been done, with all the necessary infrastructure in place, ready for you to just walk on in.

Don’t miss your chance and come see for yourself. Contact the KMPL sales team on 02 6456 7232 to book your private inspection today.

‘Kalimna’ goes to auction on Tuesday March 11, 2025, at 6:30pm online and in room.

In room auction venue: 1 Park Street, Berridale NSW 2628

Online Auction Website: Realtair - www.buy.realtair.com/ properties/155484

• Locatedlessthan25minutesdrivenorth,northwestofCoomaalongDry lainsRoad.

• Thelandbound to the west by at AnnCreek,asecuresourceofpristine water, o eringoutstanding viewstotheeastandnorthasfarastheeye cansee. redominantlynative vegetationincluding scatteredstandsofEucalypts.

• Modernhomebuilt4yearsago.The oorplancomprisingof3bedrooms,includingagenerous mastersuitewithwalkinrobeandensuitebathroom,study,openplankitchen,diningandliving space,secondorguestbathroom,internallaundryandmudroom.

• To ensurecomfortduringallseasons,windows anddoorsaredoubleglazed,bathroom oorsare heatedplustherearethreesourcesofheatingincludingacombustionwoodfireplace,gasfireplace, aswellaselectricheating.

• Thehousewater supplyisallrainwaterharvestedfrombothhouseaswellasshedwithastorage capabilityofmorethan70,000Lin6tanks.

• Atwobayworkshopwithaskillionroofoneitherside,landscapedwellmaintainedlowmaintenance groundscompletetheperfectpicture.

AGENTS COMMENTS: alimna istheideallifestylepropertyintheheartoftheSnowy Mountains,allthehardworkisdonewith allthenecessaryinfrastructureinplace.Aparadiseforalllocalwildandbirdlife. lentyofspacetoruna few horses,sheeporotherstock.

Snowy Monaro

Promising judges developing skills at Nimmity Show

Group 6 Young Judging results

By NATHAN THOMPSON

THE district’s most promising judges took part in the Elders Insurance zone finals of the Group 6 Young Judging competition at the Nimmitabel Show on February 1.

The overall winner of the Young Judging Competition was Miranda McGufficke winning the Emily Alcock Memorial Trophy and the South East Rural Supplies prize.

Merino sheep judging competition

Winner - Ben Alcock (Elders Insurance Trophy, Westpac prize and sash)

Second place - Tom Alcock (Elders Insurance Trophy, Bush Basics and Mainstreet prizes and sash)

Third place - Miranda McGufficke (Elders Insurance Trophy, Hooks Pharmacy prize and sash)

Fourth place - Grace Manns (Office Play prize and sash.)

Meat sheep judging competition

Winner - Miranda McGufficke (Elders Insurance Trophy, Westpac prize and sash)

Second place - Paige Maher (Elders Insurance Trophy, Bush Basics and Mainstreet prize and sash)

Third place - Maisey Maher (Elders Insurance Trophy, South East Tile prize and sash)

Fourth place - Makhenzie Mathie (Haylock Partners prize and sash.)

Beef cattle judging competition

Winner - Makhenzie Mathie (Elders Insurance Trophy, Hooks Pharmacy prize and sash)

Second place - Paige Maher (Elders Insurance Trophy, Mainstreet and Bush Basics prize and sash)

Third place - Maisey Maher (Elders Insurance Trophy, Howard Charles prize and sash)

Fourth place - Grace Manns (Office Play prize and sash.)

Merino fleece judging competition

Winner - Charlotte Pateman

(Elders Insurance Trophy, Hooks Pharmacy prize and sash)

Second place - Miranda McGufficke (Elders Insurance Trophy, Mainstreet and Bush Basics prize and sash)

Third place - Ben Alcock (Elders Insurance Trophy, South East Tile prize and sash)

Fourth place - Grace Manns (Office Play prize and sash)

The winners and second place receivers in the cattle, Merino fleece and meat sheep sections and the winner of the Merino sheep section are now invited to participate in the state finals of the Young Judging competitions at the Sydney Royal Show in April.

Young judging steward, Jenny Alcock, thanked the following sponsors of the section: Elders Insurance, Mainstreet, Bush Basics, Office Play, Kenmir Accounting, Howard Charles OAM, Haylock Partners, South East Tile and Bathroom, Inspirations Paint, Cooma Tyrepower, Cooma Furnishings, RAS and South East Rural Supplies.

Mrs Alcock thanked over-judges: Keith McGrath, Tige Ford, Brett Povey and Gary Evans. She also thanked local entrants and those from Narooma.

The Cattle Paraders’ competition was held at Nimmitabel Show but is not included in the Group 6 finals.

Winner - Paige Maher, Elders Insurance Trophy, Howard Charles OAM prize and sash

Second place - Grace Manns, Elders Insurance Trophy, Bush Basics and Mainstreet prizes, and sash

Third place - Makhenzie Mathie, Elders Insurance Trophy, Howard Charles OAM prize and sash

Fourth place - Maisey Maher, Tyrepower prize and sash.

“All the Young Judging competitions need to be held at every show to encourage young people from 15 to 25 to practise their judging skills to become more confident when they go to state finals in Sydney,” Mrs Alcock said.

Nimmitabel Show a triumph for the region, once again

| Wednesday 19th March 2025

| Wednesday 16th April 2025

Entries are now being taken for these two feature sales.

Nutrien

HONOUR: Well-known grazier and past president of the Nimmitabel Show Society, John Alcock, of Greenland Merino Stud is proud of his Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) medallion.

PHOTOS: Melinda Cairns Hack

The district’s top cattle on display at the 2025 Nimmitabel Show.

 Nathan Boate and his dog Lucy competing in the yard dog trials at the Nimmitabel Show.

Country music star, Amber Lawrence, enjoys her time on stage at the show. Lawrence delivered a fun children’s show before singing many of her hits at second performance later in the evening.

Nimmitabel Show Society president, Ben Litchfield, stands for the national anthem as the show’s young woman, Charlotte Pateman, and rural achiever, Taya Evans, raise the Australian flag.

Quality offering in heavy lambs, grain-fed popular

Wagga Wagga sale yards 55,000 sheep, lambs

By MEAT AND LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA (MLA)

LAMB numbers remained similar to previous week, and the quality of the trade, particularly in the heavy lamb classes, was excellent.

All major exporters attended the sale and were actively operating; however, key domestic processors, while present, did not make any purchases.

Overall, the market was mostly unchanged, although a significant price spread was observed for lambs weighing under 18kg, with a noticeable tail at the lighter end.

Competition in the trade market was strongest for shorn lambs that were grain-fed.

In contrast, lambs presenting with longer skins struggled to attract all

buyers. The trade lamb prices remained stable and even saw increases of up to $5/head. Specifically, trade lambs weighing between 20-24kg fetched prices ranging from $145 to $194, averaging 737c/kg cwt. Meanwhile, Merino lamb rates were erratic with prices improving by $8 to $10/head. Merino lambs in the 18-24kg range sold for between $150 and $190/ head.

Additionally, lambs intended for feeding sold at prices between $147 and $181, while store lambs in plainer condition ranged from $50 to $156 per head.

On the export side, the quality of lambs was outstanding, with a considerable weight offered in the yarding, all of which were grain-fed. Lambs weighing 26-30kg commanded

prices from $194 to $258/ head. Big heavy lambs exceeding 30kg cwt gained $11, with prices ranging from $240 to $311/head.

This strong performance highlighted buyers were chasing the heaviest of lambs weighing from 35kg to 40kg.

It was another mixed quality yarding of mutton with all weights and grades represented. It was a bigger field of buyer than last week and all keen to make purchases. Mutton under 24kg lost some momentum which was quality related.

Prices ranged from $50 to $115 with the better types averaging 368c/kg cwt. Heavier mutton sold $10 to $22/ head dearer. Heavy ewes made from $108 to average $178 averaging 398c to 449c/kg cwt.

Heavy cows reach 298c/kg

Wagga Wagga cattle sale yards 6,025

By MLA

AT the sale following the Australia Day weekend, numbers were moderately lower. The quality of the stock has slipped due to the hot and dry conditions.

Last week, the overall weight in the yarding was noticeably lower, with stock displaying plenty of frame.

However, the market experienced a notable downturn across most categories with feeder prices coming off the boil 20c to 30c/kg.

There were pockets of strength across heavy bullocks classes with the younger types attracting buyers.

In the trade sale, steers and heifers weighing between 400-500kg were scarce, with the majority selling between 290-330c/ kg. A handful of vealers managed to fetch higher prices, selling from 290-368c/kg.

Light-weight steers 200 to 280kg returning to the paddock sold within the range of 250-368c/kg, while the heifer portion trended lower, selling at 220-294c/kg.

Medium-weight feeder steers showed more variability, selling between 270-360c/kg, with prices fluctuating based on breed.

In contrast, lighterweight feeder steers

struggled to attract buyers, trading between 270-358c/kg. Feeder heifers were sold to a smaller pool of buyers, with medium weights achieving prices of 260-328c/kg.

On the export front, prices for bullocks firmed as the market progressed, to show a significant price spread from 305c to 384c/kg. Heavy steers directed to processors sold between 311-332c/kg.

Additionally, heavy cows saw prices strengthening midway through the sale, selling at 260c298c/kg, while leaner types were priced lower, ranging from 225-276c/ kg.

Cooma Show celebrating milestone year

COOMA Show will celebrate its 150th anniversary in March with plenty of fun and a bit of pageantry.

The big news for the show’s celebration is the attendance of GovernorGeneral, Ms Sam Mostyn AC, to open the show on Saturday March 8.

This is a great honour for the show and very fitting considering the show’s long history.

The fun will start on Friday night with a kids event to start proceedings from about 5.30pm.

The fun will include hobby horse races, bicycle races, egg and spoon and other novelty events. Keep an eye out for the Cooma Scouts and their dunking stool, too.

Kids of all ages are welcome to this free evening of entertainment.

Also happening on Friday night will be a special cameo appearance of a mystery guest who will make

some interesting awards.

The pavilion will be open from 6pm.

There will also be street food, a barbecue, bar and, from 8.00pm a deckchair cinema will be in action from the grandstand, with a travelling cinema bringing “Babe” to the

outdoor screen. Families are welcome to bring a picnic rug or chairs to settle down for a great Australian movie. The action continues on Saturday, with the full range of show classes and competitions and a day of entertainment to delight all comers.

Two long term Cooma Show volunteers, Gordon Weston and Reg Bowden. Gordon served as president on a number of occasions, while Reg was secretary for many years.

Unfortunately both these Life Members have now passed away.

HONOUR: The Cooma Pastoral and Agricultural Association is excited to have Governor-General, Ms Sam Mostyn AC, opening the 150th show on Saturday March 8.

PHOTO: Governor-General of Australia

AND SERVICES

59 Vale Street, Cooma (02) 6452 0318

Classifieds IN PERSON

PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION AT HILL TOP INCLUDING 5G

Optus plans to upgrade the telecommunications facilities at the below mentioned address with the addition of new 5G equipment: 417 Eucumbene Road, Hill Top NSW 2628 (1/-/DP818209) (RFNSA 2627001)

The proposed 5G upgrade will consists of:

•Replacement of five (5) existing panel antennas with three (3) new panel antennas (each not more than 2.8m in length);

•Replacement of existing nine (9) Remote Radio Units (RRUs) with five (5) new RRUs;

•Installation, relocation and removal of ancillary equipment, including a GPS antenna, mounts, feeders, cabling, combiners, and other associated equipment; and

•Internal works within existing equipment shelter.

Optus regards the proposed installation as a Low-impact Facility under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 (“The Determination”), the based on the description above. The proposed infrastructure will comply with ACMA EME regulatory arrangements.

In accordance with Section 7 of C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code 2020, we invite you to provide feedback about the proposal. Further information and/or comments should be directed to: Vanessa Wan at Service Stream Limited, 0447 240 015, Optus.Submissions@servicestream.com.au or Zenith Tower B, Level 3, 821 Pacific Hwy, Chatswood NSW 2067 by 5pm, Thursday 27 February 2025.

If you would like to know more about the site, further information can be obtained from www.rfnsa.com.au/2627001

Expressions of Interest

The National Parks and Wildlife Service are seeking expressions of interest from Monero/Ngarigo community members to join the Southern Snowy Mountains Aboriginal Community Advisory Committee to provide advice on the management of the southern part of Kosciuszko National Park and nearby conservation reserves. Expressions of interest close 16 March 2025 For an EOI information package please email: npws.southernrangesbranch@ environment.nsw.gov.au

Place your classified Booking by email classifieds@monaropost.com.au or phone 02 6452 0318 by 10am Mondays

Place your classified booking by email classifieds@monaropost.com.au or phone 02 6452 0318 by 10am Mondays

Local trainers produce winners

THE past few weekends have seen some good racing with local trainers getting amongst the prize-money.

The Tumbarumba Cup was on February 1 and was won by the Andrew Dale, Wangaratta, trained Mojo Music ridden by Canberra jockey Billy Owen.

On the same card, Jindabyne trainer Kevin Byrne won a Benchmark 50 Hcp over 1200 metres with Rager ridden by Jessica Brooks.

Rager is raced by Kevin and

Becky Byrne won a BM50 Hcp with Dream Inherit at Tumut last weekend. Dream Inherit is raced by Kevin and Fay, Performance Thoroughbreds and R Illitch and was ridden by Glenn Cahill.

On the same program,

Canberra trainer Rob Potter won the Tumut Cup with Almost Persuaded ridden by Jack Martin.

The Braidwood Cup meeting was held last Saturday with a large crowd in attendance. A

less than hardy racegoers, but the racing carried on after some delay.

For the second year in a row, Off Shaw (NZ), trained in Canberra by John Rolfe, took out the Braidwood Cup when ridden by Sinead Peebles. Walk Up Start, ridden by Richard Bensley and trained by David Kelley at Cooma, came from the tail of the field to finish second, with all horses and riders returning to scale very wet and mud covered. Kelley

in the day for a close up third placing.

The star of the day at Braidwood was Goulburn-based jockey Richard Bensley. From five rides, he rode four winners and a second placing.

The Bega Cup carnival was held over the weekend of February 1 and 2. On the first day, the Joseph and Jones Racing team (JJR) took out two races with Zouwase, ridden by Patrick Scorse, and Sturn Words ridden by Clare Ramsbotham.

On day two, they had two second place-getters with

Monaro barrel racing bonanza

Graceful Ellen and Surf and Sand, the latter being raced by owners including Mike Walcott and ‘Boco Bill’ Garnock.

The Showcase Sprint over 1200 metres on the Sunday was won by the Scott Collings trained Ticklebelly whilst the Bega Cheese Bega Cup was won by Direct Fire ridden by Amy McLucas and trained at Kembla Grange by Teresa Bateup. JJR’s consistent Louie’s Legacy was second.

Racing is at Bega tomorrow, Thursday, with locally trained horses engaged.

Podium perfection for Australian aerial skiers

By OLYMPIC WINTER INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN aerial skiers have swept the first four places at the iconic World Cup event in Deer Valley, USA, the first time Australia has filled the podium in any winter sport.

Leading the way was two-time World Champion Laua Peel who claimed her third straight victory and 12th win of her impressive career, ahead of defending World Cup champion Danielle Scott in second, Abbey Willcox was third and Airleigh Frigo fourth.

Competing on the historic 2002 Olympic Course, athletes encountered challenging weather throughout the week. Warm conditions led to the cancellation of two training days, and heavy snowfall on the event day forced the qualification round to be rescheduled to the night final session. In difficult conditions, Peel reduced her degree of difficulty to double somersaults, scoring 87.88 points for her full-full double twisting double somersault jump and advancing to the top-six super final in

first place. Willcox, Scott, and Frigo also performed the same full-full jump, securing second, third, and fourth places with scores of 82.53, 79.38, and 78.12, respectively. In the super-final, athletes were able to perform the same jump from the qualification round. All Australian athletes chose to compete with the fullfull jump. Peel secured the win with a score of 87.57, followed closely by Scott, in silver with 86.31. Willcox earned the bronze medal on 81.58, and Frigo was fourth place on 69.30.

“Every World Cup podium I have had has been in Deer Valley, so it’s cool to continue that streak, and to share it with two other Aussies and make history with a clean sweep,” Willcox, said.

Scott said it was a special feeling to share podium with her fellow Australian athletes.

“It’s incredible, I am so happy, Deer Valley really is a special place for me, it’s my second home, and to take out the sweep with Laura an Abbey and Airleigh in fourth, we are making history, it’s really cool for Australia,” Scott said.

Missing out on finals were rookie Flying Kangaroos Sidney Stephens in 14th place, Elise Coleiro 15th, and Reilly Flanagan 24th.

After four events, Peel has extended her position at the top of the World Cup standings with an impressive 310 points. Scott has moved into second place with 224 points, while Willcox and Frigo are in eighth and ninth places with 138 and 133 points, respectively.

The next World Cup aerial skiing event is in China on February 23 and 24 at Beidahu ski resort.

competition on Saturday.

action in the Snowy Monaro region.

Record numbers for Cooma Swim Club

THE Cooma Swimming Club started the return of its season with a training session on Sunday February 2 for club swimmers eight years and older.

The event was sponsored by Snowy Hydro with Snowy Hydro manager for social impact and engagement, Sarah Norris, on hand to present a cheque to the club.

The training run by swim coaches, Michelle and Lorraine, entailed lap swimming, starts, turns, finishes, diving and stroke correction.

This helped prepare swimmers for their school carnivals which are now under way.

The first club meet back after the training showed the benefit of the session with improvement across the board. The swim club thanked Snowy Hydro for their sponsorship and thanked Michelle and Lorraine for conducting the session.

The club season began in mid October. Having lost a number of senior swimmers, numbers were expected to be down for the season but instead the club has now passed its highest number of swimmers for a good number of years.

There has been an influx of youngsters from five to nine years-of-age. The way they have performed and their eagerness to try every stroke makes all look good for the future.

“Seeing three heats of butterfly and breaststroke line-up with little people first asking how do you do them before diving in and having ago, and backing up each week to try those strokes has been a highlight of the season,” Cooma Swim Club committee member, Betty Longhurst, said.

The B Grade members have all stepped up, putting in strong swims each week as they strive to reach the next level.

The A graders have been setting a good example to the younger swimmers with close battles across the swims. Time trials will continue until mid March with club age

Snowy Hydro sponsorship supports training event

championships then being held on Tuesday February 18 and Tuesday February 25.

“The club has been fortunate in gaining support from within the community with sponsorships to help cover the cost of hiring the pool each Tuesday for two hours,” Betty said.

“This support ensures that clubs like ours can continue to operate each year and we are very grateful for this support.

“Once again our faithful barbecue cooks Henry and Carol have been in attendance feeding the swimmers at the end of the night and donating the money back to the club.”

Time trial results - February 4

Freestyle C grade

Fastest: girl, Zarlia Shaw; boy, George Morley

Most improved: girl, Zarlia Shaw (nine seconds); boy, Jack Brigden (13s)

Improved: George Morley, Indie Hartas, Isla Probert, and Inara Freeman

B grade

Fastest: girl, Charlotte Morley; boy, Charlie Redden

Most improved: girl, Chelsea Lloyd (eight); boy, Jack Payne (six secs)

Improved: Charlie Redden, Jarrah Riley, Koen Tenkate, Ella Probert, Anna Payne, Maddison Hopkins, Bella Rose and Brigden

A grade

Fastest: girl, Gabby Lloyd; boy, Mitchell Adams.

Most improved: girl, Gabby Lloyd (six secs); boy, Mitchell Adams (four secs)

Improved: Kirra Tenkate

Backstroke C grade

Fastest: girl, Maddison Hopkins; boy, Patrick Barrett

Most improved: girl, Inara Freeman (23s); boy, Patrick Barrett (four secs)

Improved: Maddison Hopkins, Anna Payne, Ava Bilish, Kalarni Tenkate, Isla Probert and Layla Irvine

B grade

Fastest: girl, Charlotte Morley; boy, Cooper Shaw

Most improved: girl, Grace Brigden (seven secs); boy, Jack Payne (1.5s)

Improved: Cooper Shaw, Charlotte Morley and Charlie Redden

A grade

Fastest: girl, Gabby Lloyd; boy, Michell Adams

Most improved: Gabby Lloyd (one sec); boy, Mitchell Adams (.5s)

Improved: Kirra Tenkate

Breaststroke

C grade

Fastest: girl, Ava Belish; boy, Finn Dietrich

Most improved: girl, Inara Freeman (19s); boy, George Morley (six secs)

Improved: Finn Dietrich, Ava Belish, Zarlia Shaw, Chelsea Lloyd, Georgia Redden, Kalarni Tenkate, Indie Hartas, Jack Brigden, Olive Neilson and Layla Irvine

B grade

Fastest: girl, Ella Probert; boy, Jarrah Riley

Most improved: girl, Ella Probert (seven secs); boy, Koen Tenkate (eight secs)

Improved: Jarrah Riley, Jack Payne, Bella Rose, Brigden and Anna Payne

A grade

Fastest: girl, Gabby Lloyd; boy, Mitchell Adams

Most improved: girl, Emily Payne (one sec); boy, Mitchell Adams (six secs)

Improved Gabby Lloyd.

Dalgety produces its best win of season to date

By RUSS HAYLOCK

THE Alpine Hotel

Monaro one-day cricket competition ladder is as tight as it has been in recent memory, with only four points separating second-placed Jindabyne from sixth-placed Bombala.

With five rounds remaining and only four spots in the finals, each match becomes crucial for the seven teams vying for the Devereux Shield this summer.

Two matches were completed in round seven with Coffey’s clash with Jindabyne washed out after 15 overs of play.

Dalgety put in their best performance of the competition to date, firstly with the ball where they restricted Rhythm to 159 all out.

Aaron Fenton, Simon Freebody and Cody Holland all picked up two wickets, while Kel Macnab top-scored with a counterattacking 38 for Rhythm.

Ned Williams was a key inclusion at the top of the order for Dalgety, and his innings became the bedrock for Dalgety’s chase. He offered chances early but Rhythm was unable to take them, allowing Williams and John Stanford to put on 80 for the second wicket.

Stanford was dismissed for 45 but Williams pressed on to finish 71 not out and guide his team to a full points victory.

Bombala and Berridale took on one another for the second week in a row, with Bombala winning the toss and electing to bat.

Jack Dunn produced a lovely outswinger to nick off opener Hugh Kater early on, and would have had the dangerous Jason Cikos in the same over but the chance was spilled. Cikos and Mick Sullivan had both blasted Berridale around the week before, and were together at the crease once again. Berridale’s bowlers would

prevail however, firstly Alex Thomson (1-8) to dismiss Sullivan, and then Zac McKenzie (3-10) to wear down Cikos.

Ollie Chapman walked out at 3-46 with plenty of heavy lifting to do, and in a patient innings he did just that. He finished 50 not out and combined well with each of his partners to get Bombala to a respectable score of 153 all out.

With the firepower in Berridale’s batting line-up this score seemed under par, but once again Brent Lucas struck in the first over to dismiss Tom King.

Damien McCarey and McKenzie got the innings

up and running and the score to 63 in quick time, bringing about a change in the bowling attack. Chapman came on with immediate success to knock over McCarey, with McKenzie falling at the other end to the bowling of Sullivan. With the sky darkening Russ Haylock and Steve Dunn needed only to consolidate as Berridale was well ahead of the asking rate, but needed to keep wickets in hand. Dunn fell to another terrific return catch from Chapman, and when Billy Small came and went Berridale had suddenly fallen into a hole at 5-77.

The writing was well and truly on the wall when young gun Lakyn Tonks held a crucial catch off Sullivan (3-10) to send Haylock back to the sheds. When the rain came Berridale was 8-86 and left to lament an impatient effort with the bat, with Bombala’s fielding and bowling deserving full compliments, leading them to a 49-run win on Duckworth Lewis.

This Saturday, Berridale will take on Coffey’s, Bombala will play the Titans and Jindabyne will take on Dalgety. Rhythm has the bye.

SPLASH: The Cooma Swim Club has enjoyed a busy start to 2025 with a popular training session sponsored by Snowy Hydro. PHOTO: Snowy Hydro

Short-course event produces top golf

By COOMA GOLF CLUB

COOMA golfers put their drivers away over the weekend with the Snowy Mountains Short-Course Championships taking place.

On Saturday, 61 golfers took to the course in the Cooma Betta Home Living T-Partner and Beko ShortCourse Championship.

The overall scratch winner was Tom Stewart, taking home top spot after a playoff with Col Langdon. Robert Thompson was the nett winner.

Helen Crawford claimed first place in the ladies’ scratch while Claire Caldwell won the ladies’ nett.

On Sunday, the Short-Course Ambrose Championships were held. Mark and Jenny Rainsford emerged victors with 47.75 nett, ahead of Mitch Hynes and Ryan Morgan with 49 nett.

A Scratch lost to a strong Yass team in Belconnen, 6-0.

Nearest the pins went to: hole one, Trent Holland; fourth, Laurence Cowie; seventh, Soren Stoettrup; hole 12, Lochlann Colin; hole 13, Harry Mould; and hole 18, Lochlann Colin.

The second round of men’s pennants saw the A Scratch and B Handicap teams in action.

Thomas Stewart lost one up, Mark Burke lost six and five, Hunter Caldwell lost one up, Ben Langdon lost four and three, Phil Ingram lost four and three and David Stewart lost five and four.

The B Handicap team lost their match against Fairbairn at Gold Greek

Golf Club with a result 4-0.

Stephen Young lost four and three, Sean Smith lost two and one, Tim Young lost two and one, Steve Wheatley won five and four, Shannon Fergusson won five and four and Nathan Docker won three and two. In the midweek stroke competition on Wednesday February 5, Craig Schofield was the overall winner with 67 nett.

The A grade winner was Mark Rainsford with 72 nett on a countback, the B grade winner was Jason Brazulaitis with 68 nett and Garry Cornish won C grade with 71 nett. Place getters on the day were Brian Johnson, Neil Mackenzie, Mark Kenmir, Mitch Hynes, David Robinson and Tim Bedingfield.

Nearest to the pin on

nine was Simon Allen and 17 was David Robinson.

The mid-week competition is a stableford competition.

This weekend is the Cooma Ladies Open - one of the biggest events on the calendar.

Saturday February 15 is a Canadian foursome and Sunday February 16 is the open. The Alpine Ford

Mustang Classic is also coming up on Saturday March 1. Tickets are available now to play in this fantastic event - every golfer has a chance to win a Ford Mustang GT valued at $85,000 if they are lucky enough to record a hole-in-one on 17. Book your ticket online.

Fine round from Dorward delivers stableford win

By COOLAMATONG GOLF CLUB

BRUCE Dorward produced a fine round on Sunday at the Coolamatong Golf Club to win the stableford competition.

Dorward finished with 41 points, denying Norm Archibald and Jye Kearney who shot 40 points.

Dorward had a very consistent day with 22 points on the first nine, including four three pointers. He had 19 points on the back nine.

Sunday’s golf was a great occasion for Norm Archibald who shot his age of 87, a fine achievement.

Shooting 46 strokes on the front nine, Archibald rallied on the back nine with 41 strokes, including a nice birdie two on the par three hole 15.

In A grade, Chris Bevan won with 40 points. Terry

Stevenson claimed B grade on 29 points and Dorward took out C grade with his 41 points.

The ball competition ran down to 36 points including Stephen Jermyn 38, Andrew Haigh 37, Steve Dunn 37, Mick Bottom 37, Carl Fenton 37, Ken Kable 37, Jan O’Halloran 38, Jason Christie 36, Jack Stacey 36 and Roy Gabriele 36 points.

The four-ball-best-ball aggregate was won by Jermyn and Stevenson with 77. Gabriele and Archibald finished runners-up on 76.

The men’s nearest the pins were won by Gabriele on three, Christie on eight, Roger White on 15 and Alan Parsons on 17.

The ladies’ nearest the pins were claimed by Jan O’Halloran on three and Janece Peters on 17.

TERRIFIC: Norm Archibald shoots his age, 87, in a fine performance at the Coolamatong Golf Club over the weekend.

PHOTO:

Bombala golfers honour their mate Tony Brady

By BOMBALA GOLF CLUB

ON SATURDAY, the Bombala Golf Club hosted the Tony Brady Memorial Day for the Wibbly Wobbly Cup. There was a good roll-up starting the day with a bacon and egg roll while teams were organised for the four man ambrose.

There were a number of challenges on the course making for a fun day. Tony was looking down on us with the last group just finishing when the storm hit.

After all players were in they enjoyed a barbecue. The winners were Nat Jennings, Korie Elton, Matt Green and Liam Beazley 53 3/8. Runners-up were Clay

Stewart, Andrew Anderson and Glen Bedingfield 56 1/8.

It was a a great day as golfers remembered their mate, Tony.

Sunday was the club’s opening day. A reasonable field considering the number of players the previous day. Again golfers were lucky with just a couple of showers that didn’t last too long.

The event was a chapmans for C Stewart and D Douch trophies. The winning pair had an eagle on the fourth. The victors were Joel Cherry and Nick Ryan 68 ¾ nett. Runners-up were Lakyn Tonks and Daniel Douch 72 ¾ nett. Nearest the pin on the fifth was won by Wayne Elton. They didn’t win the Golden

Shot after a bad putt. Golden shot went to Lakyn Tonks.

Program for the week

Wednesday February 12 - Ladies, stableford, club trophy

Members Saturday February 15 - Par, M.Ingram trophy Sunday February 16Stroke, monthly medal.

Helen Crawford wins the ladies scratch event on Saturday, the first day of the Snowy Mountains Short-Course Championships.

Tom McInstosh (far le ) finishes nearest the pin on hole 15, while Ryan Morgan (centre) and Mitch Hynes celebrate their second place finish in the ambrose event.

WINNERS: Mark and Jenny Rainsford take out first spot in the ambrose event of the Snowy Mountains Short-Course Championships.

PHOTOS: Cooma Golf Club

Coolamatong Golf Club

JJ Connors Oval to light up in March

By TRISTA HEATH

JINDABYNE sporting clubs are set to benefit from new lights at JJ Connors Oval when they light up the town’s only sports precinct in March.

Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain, partnered with the Jindabyne Bushpigs and Snowy Monaro Regional Council to deliver this project, which supported the installation of new lighting infrastructure at the oval, making the ground safer and more accessible.

The installation of new lighting infrastructure has been long campaigned for by the Jindabyne community and will enable greater use of the busy oval – extending its hours of use into the evening.

The project has been funded under the Australian Government’s Investing in our Communities Program funding $90,000 – with additional support from Snowy Monaro Regional Council funding a substantial amount of the $200,000 project.

Jindabyne Bushpigs memberships officer and fundraising manager, Damen Purcell, said the club desperately needed the oval to receive new lights to help with training and allowing greater use of the fields. After speaking with Ms McBain’s office and obtaining financial support through a grant, it was time to start looking at lights and contractor options.

“We originally had looked into replacing the existing lights with new lights; however, the existing poles were the problem as they were at least 20 years old. They weren’t rated sufficiently,” Purcell said.

“We then began the search for new LED lights and had contractors come and take a look at the job.”

The Jindabyne Bushpigs helped fund the project, contributing $30,000 of their own money. The club had the support from the Jindabyne Tigers Cricket Club, lobbying Council for the remaining funds needed to complete the job.

Jindabyne’s only sports field receives needed upgrade

ILLUMINATE: JJ

“The new light installation includes four brand new poles with five LED lights attached per pole, that is 20 lights in total all attached to a timer for easy turn on and shut off,” Purcell said.

“Jindabyne has more than 4,800 residents, and around 34 percent are aged between 10 and 29, we have a lot of young people living in our town who utilise the oval a lot, it is the only oval the town has.

“It is used by a number of sporting clubs including the Jindabyne Bushpigs Rugby Union Club, Snowy River Bears Rugby League, Tigers Cricket Club, soccer clubs, the Man from Snowy River Rodeo, the annual Australia Day ceremony, and is the helicopter landing pad for emergencies, the oval is a focal point of our community.

“Having such a large

population in those younger age groups it is really important that we get these lights up to standard, it is also a safety issue.

“Having an oval that can be used at night, seven days a week, is crucial because we can’t run as many sports as we need to without having adequate lighting.”

While the warmer months don’t pose too much of a hassle for lighting, the sun sets a lot earlier during the autumn and winter months meaning many clubs set earlier training sessions and events such as gala days.

Purcell said now with adequate lighting on the oval, training sessions and game days can last longer and start later to allow for people finishing work to have enough time to make it to the oval to enjoy their sports.

“It has been a great outcome

for the community, everyone who uses the oval will get some value out of the new lights and allows us to do things like holding sporting events later in the day,” Purcell said.

“Everyone involved in making this project happen, we appreciate the support and are grateful for the funding.

“For us at the Bushpigs, this project has recognised the fact that there are sports teams in the

town that are also about community, not necessarily just all about the sport.

for the community, everyone town that are also about com-

“You don’t have to be interested in the particular sport to be involved in the club, if you are interested in benefiting this community then helping out in these types of situations goes beyond just the people who play, if you are looking to be involved in the community then local sport is a great way to get involved.”

Records, personal bests achieved for athletes

THERE was a strong turnout at the Cooma Athletics Club as the second half of the season gets into full swing.

A full range of events were on offer across all age groups. Despite the warm conditions, there were no complaints about the heat from the enthusiastic athletes.

A number of personal best efforts were recorded and a new record set.

In the under six girls’ 300 metre race, Lily Fitzgerald set a new club record with an impressive time of 1.14.51.

Bonnie Dietrich secured a new best in the under-six girls’ shot put with 2.66m effort. Elijah Martin finished the 60m hurdles in 13.01 seconds for his best in the undersevens boys’ event.

In the under-sevens boys’ long jump, Emil de Quadros finished with a new best of 2.09m. Anna Payne ran a quick 70m in the

under nine girls, registering 13.53s.

In the under-nine girls’ discus, Georgia Redden threw 8.29m. William Lynch in the under-nine boys’ 800m race, recorded a time of 3.11.92.

Harvey Lloyd threw the vortex 15.80m in the under-nine boys, a new benchmark for the young athlete. Rachael Davis completed her 70m race in the under 10 girls’ event in a speedy 13.64 seconds.

Olive Docker in the under 10 girls’ high jump registered 1.10m.

Thalia Xenochristou has a new best in discus, finishing with a throw of 11.67m.

In the under 11 boys’ shot put, Kayden Nelson recorded a throw of 4.62m. Mitchell Adams has a new shot put best. Mitchell threw 8.80m in the under 13 boys.

In the under 14 boys’ triple jump, Blake Davis has a new best of 7.54m.

Cooma Athletics Club participants try their best during a race at Snowy Oval.

COMMITMENT: Cooper Shaw shows plenty of form in triple jump during Saturday’s round of the Cooma Athletics Club season.

Connors Oval light installation is well underway and expected to be complete by March. PHOTOS: Trista Heath

Concrete has been poured and needs 28 days of curing before poles can be installed.

Finals time

By BOMBALA BOWLS

THE Bombala Bowling Club pairs championships for 2025 is down to the pointy end, with three rounds of knockout competition played and the final match looming.

Club spokesperson, Karen Brownlie, said the date of the final would depend on one of the player’s recovery from injury.

With the pairs event nearing completion, attention now turns to the club’s next carnival which will be held in May, with about 17 teams already registered and just 26 spots available.

“Names should be given as soon as possible to the president Scott Brotherton 0432207388 to avoid disappointment,” Brownlie said.

Meanwhile, social bowls continues on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with names in by 12.15pm and roll-up at 12.30pm.

The calibre of local bowlers was evident in the first round of the pairs event held on January 19, when five teams competed, with one bye.

Scott Brotherton and Art France were not in contest being beaten 25-7 by Barry Crouch and Neil Brotherton. Noel Batey and Robert Joseph showed their talent for the game, defeating Cary Elton and Brad Tonks 25-15.

Karen Brownlie and Warrick Ingram were outclassed by Peter and Bailey Jones, defeated 45-5. Tony Shaw and Tony Tattersall had a close contest against Aurora Reed and Matt Cootes but came out the victors 21-15.

Another close game was had between Ray Fermer and Chris Ingram who defeated Joyce Cotterill and Doreen Dent 25-20.

Athol Dent and Herbie Elliott had a bye. Round two was held on

January 26, with three games played.

Ray Fermer and Chris Ingram had a very close contest against Athol Dent and Herbie Elliott but held on to the lead in the final end, winning 18-17.

Another close game was recorded between Noel Batey and Robert Joseph and Peter and Bailey Jones, with the Jones duo taking out the game 21-18.

Tony Shaw and Tony Tattersall took an easy win from Barry Crouch and Neil Brotherton 24-15.

Round three was held on February 1 between Peter and Bailey Jones and Don Tattersall and Tony Shaw.

It was a closely fought contest until disaster struck on the 15th end with a missed drive by the Jones team, leaving them a deficit of eight shots to their oppositions.

Despite digging deep in the final six ends, they were defeated 26-18.

Winter Games countdown on

By THE AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

THE Snowy Monaro is set to be well represented at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games with competition just one year away.

The milestone comes amidst a flurry of competition in world-class qualifying events, as Australian Team hopefuls strive to secure their opportunity to represent the country on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

An expected Australian team of around 50 athletes will face off with 2900 athletes from more than 90 nations during February 2026, with the Games hosting 116 medal events across 16 sports.

Milano Cortina 2026 is the first time two cities have officially hosted an

Olympics and marks the third time Italy has hosted a Winter Olympics – 20 years on from Torino 2006 and 70 years after Cortina hosted for the first time in 1956.

From the opening ceremony in Milan’s famed San Siro stadium to alpine events in the Dolomite mountains and freestyle skiing and snowboarding in Livigno, athletes will compete across eight separate competition hubs in the most geographically spread Winter Games ever.

Beijing gold medallist, Jakara Anthony, and 2022 Olympian, Valentino Guseli, joined Chef de Mission, Alisa Camplin, at an event last week in Melbourne to mark 365 days until the opening ceremony.

The Australian Team

is expected to compete across 12 of the 16 sports, with Australian athletes spending most of this year training and competing around the world to earn ranking points vital to qualifying for the Games.

The Australian Olympic Team in Beijing 2022 Winter Games secured our greatest medal haul with four medals – one gold, two silver and bronze and the signs for Milano-Cortina are positive.

Already this season Australians have earned podium finishes at major world-class events, including aerial skiers Laura Peel, Danielle Scott and Airleigh Frigo, mogul skiers Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham, and snowboarders Scotty James, Jindabyne product, Josie Baff, and Cam Bolton.

Record breaking efforts

CROSS-COUNTRY STARS

FLY FLAG ABROAD

SNOWY Mountains based cross-country skiers have been in fine form across the Northern Hemisphere winter with some of the nation’s best results recorded.

Rosie Fordham, well-known to the Perisher Cross Country setup, delivered Australia’s best finish in an international cross country skiing event.

Fordham has written herself into Australian snowsports folklore with a second place finish at the U23 World Championships, taking the silver medal in the 10km Interval Start Free at Schilpario, Italy.

Starting 20th out of 74 athletes, Fordham was not one of the 15 seeded athletes but it was clear early on that something special was in the air.

As she passed the first interval at 3.33km, Fordham took a 23 second lead over USA’s Kendall Kramer, however as the seeded athletes continued to take their timechecks, the Australian remained on top.

It was not until Germany’s Helen Hoffman - who started 12.5 minutes after Fordhampassed the first interval that Fordham was pushed into second place, just four seconds adrift.

Less than a minute after Hoffman took the provisional lead, Fordham passed the 6.67km checkpoint and was again in front, this time holding a 37 second advantage over Kramer.

Once again, higher-ranked athletes continued to pass the

LARGEST RANGE IN THE REGION

checkpoint but no one could surpass Fordham except for Hoffman who extended her advantage to 14 seconds.

Buoyed by support around the course and knowing she was having a career-best day, Fordham maintained the push

through to the finish, stopping the clock at 33:02.1, 35 seconds clear at the front of the field.

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe that just happened,” Fordham said post-race.

“I was hoping for a top 10 on a good day and I was hearing the

splits and I was like ‘no way!’ I can’t believe it.”

Cooma’s, Bentley WalkerBroose, has been delivering strong results in his Northern Hemisphere campaign, impressing recently at the World Uni Games.

Walker-Broose, who had the honour of carrying the Australian flag at the opening ceremony, was part of a relay team which finished eighth. The relay team beat nations ranked much higher than Australia.

HIRE:

PROUD: Praise has come from across the Snowy Mountains for the hard work and e ort of the Australian cross-country ski team. Cooma’s Bentley WalkerBroose is pictured competing in the recent World Uni Games.

PHOTO: Supplied

Jindabyne celebrates new school site

Resource Recovery Centre plans revealed

By TRISTA HEATH

SNOWY Monaro Regional Council is proposing to develop the Jindabyne Resource Recovery Centre (RRC), replacing the current Jindabyne Landfill facilities.

Jindabyne RRC will consist of a community recycling centre, resource recovery area, transfer station, site office and education centre, buyback shop and supporting infrastructure.

Council’s spokesperson said any waste disposed of at the current site goes into the landfill, this is an expensive way to deal with waste and carries significant long-term environmental impacts.

“The future Resource Recovery Centre will process incoming waste to separate recyclable, re-usable, or re-sellable items – keeping them from going into landfill,” the spokesperson said.

By TRISTA HEATH

JINDABYNE students are beginning the 2025 school year in some of the best educational facilities in NSW, as the NSW Government delivers the $160 million state-of-the-art Jindabyne Education Campus, which includes the new Jindabyne Public School and Jindabyne High School.

Joining the schools students

and staff on Thursday February 6, the Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, Snowy Monaro Regional mayor, Chris Hanna, and NSW Government representatives celebrated the official school opening with a Welcome to Country and a smoking ceremony led by Uncle BJ Cruse.

The new Jindabyne Public School has capacity for more than 400 students and features

20 new classrooms, two support classrooms, expanded outdoor play space, a multi-purpose hall with multimedia facilities, an outdoor basketball court and sports field, a purpose-built playground, functional garden spaces and a new library.

At Jindabyne High School, students will be taught in 26 new classrooms, dedicated support learning classrooms and amenities, a commercial

kitchen designed for VET hospitality programs, workshops for metalwork, woodwork and construction, a modern, fully-equipped school gym with a full-size basketball court, outdoor spaces and sports areas with an amphitheatre, a grassed play space, multi-purpose sports courts, a football field, and a library.

■ Read more on pages 5 and 8

“Limiting the amount of waste sent to landfill extends the lifespan of these sites and reduces our region’s methane emissions.

“Diverted material will also generate additional revenue for Council through the recycling of valuable raw materials and the re-sale of recovered consumer goods at our ScrapMart tip shops.

“The new facility will also create more permanent jobs across the region, helping our community directly and boosting the local economy.”

As Council transitions to the RRC model over the coming years, Cooma Landfill will become the region’s sole landfill site.

■ Read more on page 3

Lounges

OFFICIAL OPENING: Member for Monaro, Steve Whan (middle), joins Jindabyne Public School principal, Steve J McAlister (far left), Jindabyne High School principal, Kelly Henretty (far right), and students to open the new school.

PHOTO: Trista Heath

Record breaking efforts

CROSS-COUNTRY STARS

FLY FLAG ABROAD

SNOWY Mountains based cross-country skiers have been in fine form across the Northern Hemisphere winter with some of the nation’s best results recorded.

Rosie Fordham, well-known to the Perisher Cross Country setup, delivered Australia’s best finish in an international cross country skiing event.

Fordham has written herself into Australian snowsports folklore with a second place finish at the U23 World Championships, taking the silver medal in the 10km Interval Start Free at Schilpario, Italy.

Starting 20th out of 74 athletes, Fordham was not one of the 15 seeded athletes but it was clear early on that something special was in the air.

As she passed the first interval at 3.33km, Fordham took a 23 second lead over USA’s Kendall Kramer, however as the seeded athletes continued to take their timechecks, the Australian remained on top.

It was not until Germany’s Helen Hoffman - who started 12.5 minutes after Fordhampassed the first interval that Fordham was pushed into second place, just four seconds adrift.

Less than a minute after Hoffman took the provisional lead, Fordham passed the 6.67km checkpoint and was again in front, this time holding a 37 second advantage over Kramer.

Once again, higher-ranked athletes continued to pass the

LARGEST RANGE IN THE REGION

checkpoint but no one could surpass Fordham except for Hoffman who extended her advantage to 14 seconds.

Buoyed by support around the course and knowing she was having a career-best day, Fordham maintained the push

through to the finish, stopping the clock at 33:02.1, 35 seconds clear at the front of the field.

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe that just happened,” Fordham said post-race.

“I was hoping for a top 10 on a good day and I was hearing the

splits and I was like ‘no way!’ I can’t believe it.”

Cooma’s, Bentley WalkerBroose, has been delivering strong results in his Northern Hemisphere campaign, impressing recently at the World Uni Games.

Walker-Broose, who had the honour of carrying the Australian flag at the opening ceremony, was part of a relay team which finished eighth. The relay team beat nations ranked much higher than Australia.

HIRE:

PROUD: Praise has come from across the Snowy Mountains for the hard work and e ort of the Australian cross-country ski team. Cooma’s Bentley Walker-Broose is pictured competing in the recent World Uni Games. PHOTO: Supplied