Regional Extra 170523

If the theme fits…

By SIMONE KERWIN

WHEN Melissa Johns was approached to illustrate her latest book, ‘Harriet’s Hungry Worms’, she immediately recognised that the eco-friendly plot was a perfect fit with her artwork.

The Wangaratta artist, illustrator and avid upcycler uses predominantly recycled materials in her work, so Samantha Smith’s story following the adventures of a young girl’s ravenous compost worms resonated strongly with Melissa’s values.

“As soon as I read what it was about I said, ‘I’m going to do it’,” she said.

It is the third picture book Melissa has illustrated for publisher EK Books, following ‘Tabitha and the Raincloud’ (written by Devon Sillett) in 2020, and ‘Growing Pains’ (written by Alison McLennan) in 2021.

Her illustrations enhance the sustainability message of the story, with the recycled materials chosen to help tell the story blooming from each page.

From Harriet’s bright red woolly hair to the patterned bodies of her 983 compost worms, and even sports results torn from the Wangaratta Chronicle, Melissa has incorporated items her readers could find around the house - a great message to send not just young recyclers, but also budding creatives.

“For this book, I recycled everything - paper, fabric, wool for the hair, tea bags…” Melissa said.

“It was quite involved, particularly working on Harriet’s hair each time, and on the fluffy dog (which features a couple of times).

■ Continued page 6

◆ SUSTAINABILITY MESSAGE: Illustrator Melissa Johns with a copy of the latest book she has illustrated, ‘Harriet’s Hungry Worms’, written by Samantha Smith. PHOTO: Simone Kerwin

VET CORNER

Bye bye bot flies

WAS your horse annoyed by bot flies last summer?

If so, it’s likely bot flies have laid eggs on your horses legs, neck and body.

These small, yellow, rice grain likeeggs are ingested by your horse as they lick their legs to groom.

The eggs turn into larvae in the horse’s mouth and stomach.

These larvae attach to the stomach lining and cause inflammation, ulceration and pain.

This can lead to weight loss, reduced appetite and poor condition.

Now in late autumn, when frost kills the adult bot flies, is the time to drench your horse.

Drenching now will disrupt the bot fly lifecycle.

You must drench with a product that contains abamectin, ivermectin

PET CORNER

WANGARATTA RSPCA has many lovable creatures waiting for the perfect family to take them home.

If you want to add a furry friend to your home, call (03) 5722 2874 or visit the shelter at 1 Connell Street Wangaratta.

Wangaratta RSPCA’s animal adoption source code is BR100934

SUPER MARIO: If you like confidence and companionship then Mario is the cat you’re looking for. He is a love-bug who will always shower you with affection.

Mario does get along with others and would quite like to live with another friendly cat for company. His microchip number is 991001002697847.

with Emily Ross BAgDVM(Honsl), Wangaratta Veterinary Clinic

or moxidectin to kill larvae that have developed from the bot fly eggs your horse has ingested over summer.

Drenching for bot flies coincides with the recommendation to deworm your adult horse once a year in late autumn.

Regular worming of adult horses is no longer recommended.

To slow drench resistance, worming your horse at other times of the year should be governed by faecal egg counts (FEC’s).

Horse with FEC’s over 200 eggs per gram should be dewormed.

To discuss worming or FEC’s please contact your local veterinarian.

Ripping week for fishing

I HAVE had a ripper time fishing in North East Victoria over the past week.

My dad and I fished at Lake Buffalo late last week.

We caught around 70 redfin, give or take a few.

As is often the case, many of the redfin were too small to keep however we did manage to bring home nine or 10 nice size fish up to 35cm long.

Pretty much any lure we used worked, whereas bait didn’t.

Of all the fish we caught, two were caught on live yabbies and one was caught on worms.

The rest were caught on lures.

Lipless crankbaits, soft plastics, blades and hard body divers all worked really well.

We launched about 8.30am and when we returned to the boat ramp mid afternoon there was quite a few heads, gills and guts laying in the water indicating that we were not the only anglers to find success on the day.

If you head up there, make sure you carry plenty of warm clothes because it was bitterly cold.

During the week I went cod fishing from my kayak in the Ovens River where I managed to catch three Murray cod varying in size from 40cm to 55cm.

I caught one cod on a spinnerbait and the other two on a small hard body diving lure.

I fished for close to two hours before I had any kind of action and then caught all three cod in a 45 minute bite window.

The Waranga Basin is fishing exceptionally well for redfin at the moment.

I have had plenty of reports and seen plenty of photos of the redfin being caught up there lately.

On the weekend I was up there with my wife and kids photographing birds and could see a young family catching redfin from the bank not far from us.

This Day in History, 1976

MAY 17, 1976 was the day set down for the commencement of IBM assembly operations in Wangaratta.

The setting up of IBM in Wangaratta was an important step for Wangaratta’s future prosperity.

15 men had been sent overseas to study manufacture and assembly techniques of electric typewriters at an IBM plant in Ontario, Canada, and a temporary assembly line had been established at the Wangaratta Woollen Mills to get production underway.

The first shipment of 200 typewriters left Sydney late in June.

PHOTO: RSPCA.

◆ THE DAILY DOUBLE: I’m not sure if these two Lake Buffalo redfin hit the lure at the same time or if one tried to steel it from the other one after it was hooked.

with Rob Alexander WANGARATTA

Allium Sativa (garlic) - soothe a sore throat

GARLIC is a potent antimicrobial used for thousands of years in many cultures to fight infection.

Garlic can be taken at the first sign of illness or to soothe a sore throat, cough, cold, the flu, or sinus infection.

Try garlic steeped in honey and stirred into a hot cup of tea or eaten by the spoonful.

It really is a delicious and powerful medicine.

These days, its qualities are undisputed.

In fact, thousands of studies have been done on garlic and its primary constituent, allicin, and its effects on the cardiovascular system, infections, the respiratory system, cancer, blood sugar, and more, with amazing results.

It is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cholagogue (stimulates the contraction of the gallbladder), diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, hypolipidemic (lowers lipids), hypotensive (reduces BP), immune stimulant, diaphoretic,

expectorant, and antimicrobial.

And lucky for us, it is really easy to grow.

Simply plant a clove pointy end up, keep weed free and harvest as the top withers and browns.

If you cut up garlic and place it on the bottom of the feet and wear socks at night, your breath in the morning will smell of garlic.

This is a good demonstration that garlic has a systemic effect on the body, reaching into those nooks and

crannies where pathogens might hide like your lungs.

Heat deactivates garlic’s potency, so allowing the clove to sit, crushed on your board for three to five minutes before lightly cooking allows you to get the most benefit from your garlic.

Those with gastrointestinal sensitivities or ulcers may find that garlic aggravates their condition.

Use only culinary amounts if on blood thinners and during pregnancy,

in the postpartum period, and during lactation.

A clove of garlic can be eaten daily for general support or one clove of garlic can be taken three times a day during acute infections or until you reach your tolerance. Always seek trained practitioner support before starting any herbal or nutritional support.

Visit the North East Natural Health Centre website for more garlic recipes.

with Belinda McPherson NORTH

If the theme fits…

■ From page 1

“I probably enjoyed making the worms most, using different fabrics and trying to portray emotions on such a simply-designed face.”

Indeed, the worms look suitably happy eating Mum’s morning muesli (apart from the orange peels), super relaxed after trying Aunt Tilda’s herbal teabags, and quite disgusted after sampling Nanna Trudy’s two-year-old tomato relish.

The worm reading the sports pages dons glasses as it devours footy fixtures and draws, the racing form guide and Jubilee Golf Club resultsthe latter a local link Melissa enjoyed adding as one of the ‘Easter eggs’ she has included in her books; the first two releases featured her dogs, and her nieces’ and nephews’ names.

Producing the illustrations took about six months, in between Melissa’s day job, family life, and

her role with Art Gallery on Ovens.

“I’m really happy with the final product,” she said.

While in the book Harriet’s recycling produces what she hopes will be “the biggest, tastiest veggie patch ever”, Melissa said this was not the result of her own eco-friendly efforts.

“I’m a shocking gardener,” she said.

“We are environmentally-conscious at home, but all my recycling goes towards art.

“But if I did have a garden, I would consider having compost worms like Harriet.

“I think in a broad way, the story is about sustainability, and there are kids out there who will read it and know exactly what’s going on because they have their own worm farms at home.

“So I’m happy it’s a way to teach little kids about the environment, as well as showing them about the importance of taking

FEATURE STORY

on tasks and chores at home.”

‘Harriet’s Hungry Worms’ is Samantha Smith’s first eco-picture book, and draws on her doctoral research exploring young people’s relationships with the environment, and how to encourage positive behaviour change.

She is hoping it will inspire young ‘worm warriors’ to roll up their sleeves and put their food scraps to good use.

Melissa said she was proud of her three picture books, and had worked hard to ensure her illustrations did justice to the authors’ words.

“I do enjoy it, and I’m proud to be part of them,” she said.

‘Harriet’s Hungry Worms’ was released on May 3 in Australia and New Zealand, and on May 9 in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

A local launch for the book will be held at Booktique in Reid Street on Friday, May 19 at 4pm.

* We have a hardcover copy of

‘Harriet’s Hungry Worms’ (EK Books, RRP $24.99) to give away to one lucky reader.

Send your entries to skerwin@

nemedia.com.au, including your name and contact details and telling us why you would like to win the book.

◆ LOCAL CONNECTION: Sports results from the Wangaratta Chronicle feature on one of the pages of Melissa Johns’ new book release, ‘Harriet’s Hungry Worms’.

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Don’t neglect your skin: protect in summer and detect in winter

UNFORTUNATELY, skin cancer is a common type of cancer in Australia, with our country having one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

According to Cancer Council Australia, around two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70, and more than 2000 people die from the disease each year.

There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma.

BCC and SCC are the most common types, and while they are generally less dangerous than melanoma, they can still cause significant health problems if left untreated.

Melanoma is less common than BCC and SCC, but it is much more dangerous and can be deadly if not detected and treated early.

One of the most effective ways to prevent and detect skin cancer is through regular skin checks.

It is recommended that adults should have their skin checked

by a doctor, skin clinic doctor or dermatologist at least once a year, and more frequently if they have a higher risk of developing skin cancer.

Risk factors for skin cancer include a history of sun exposure, a family history of skin cancer, fair skin, and a history of using tanning beds.

During a skin check, a doctor or dermatologist will examine your skin for any suspicious moles, freckles, or other lesions that could be a sign of skin cancer.

If they find something that looks suspicious, they may take a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

Early detection is key when it comes to treating skin cancer, as it increases the chances of successful treatment and reduces the risk of the cancer spreading.

Treatment for skin cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy, depending on the type and stage of the cancer.

Skin cancer is a serious health concern in Australia, and getting regular skin checks is an important

part of preventing and detecting the disease.

If you are at risk of developing skin cancer, it is important to take steps to protect your skin from sun damage, such as wearing protective clothing, using sunscreen, and avoiding tanning beds.

And if you notice any changes in your skin, such as a new mole or a change in an existing mole, be sure to see a doctor, skin clinic doctor or dermatologist right away.

◆ CHECK NOW: If you notice any changes in your skin, such as a new mole or a change in an existing mole, see a skin clinic doctor right away. Dr Dipankar Chakraborty at the Aurora Skin Cancer Centre is among the doctors serving the Wangaratta community.

with Teresa McMahon PRACTICE MANAGER AND PHARMACIST, SOUTH WANGARATTA MEDICAL CENTRE