OUT & ABOUT
Rotary Club of Samford Valley Guide Dogs QLD - Puppy Play Date Winners! Regular readers will recall that recently we announced the winner of a Samford State School raffle prize, run by the Rotarysponsored EarlyAct Club. This prize formed part of the club’s fundraising event for Guide Dogs Qld (GDQ). The 1st prize was a visit to the GDQ Centre for a “Puppy Play Date”. The Madigan family were thrilled to win this raffle prize and Naomi Madigan (who is a Prep teacher at the school) had this to say: “During the school holidays, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit Guide Dogs Queensland in Bald Hills. We were amazed by the size of the centre and the range of impressive training facilities spread across the grounds. Guide Dogs Queensland plays an incredibly important role in training dogs that empower people to navigate their surroundings, independence in their daily lives and—perhaps most importantly—companionship. At the nursery, we were welcomed by Nakita who introduced us to three adorable puppies: Quinn, Quinton and Questa. Full of energy (and equipped with razor-sharp teeth!), the playful pups had plenty of toys to choose from but seemed to prefer tugging on our clothes and hair instead. We had an absolute ball playing with them, and once their excitement settled, we enjoyed some well-deserved puppy cuddles. Our visit was extra special because it was the puppies’ last day together before they moved on to the next stage of their journey—joining their puppy-raiser families. They’ll spend around a year with their raisers before beginning their intensive guide dog training. It was heartwarming to learn that the pups will have plenty of chances to reunite at the Guide Dog Centre in the future.” Top right: Naomi, her husband Simon and son Harry, enjoying puppy cuddles. Below: Ready for the next step in their training program.
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A CLASSIC DAY AT THE SHOWGROUNDS We’re excited to share some highlights from the Samford Valley Classic Car Show held on 5th October. Over 200 classic cars attended, including trucks, bikes and tractors. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Samford Garage, celebrating its centenary next year, for being a major sponsor. Three outstanding vehicles were awarded Repco gift vouchers, thanks to Ross Pickering and Samford Garage. Congratulations to the winners: Craig English with his 1981 Mazda RX-7, Karen Heffernan with her 1948 TA14 Alvis, and Colin Galley from the Brisbane Motor Museum with his 1979 GTC Reliant Scimitar. We’re also grateful to our local sponsors, including Samford Jewellers, McGrath Real Estate, and FM101.5, as well as the
Enthusiast Motor Insurance Group, who provided coffee on the day. Special thanks to the Men’s Shed, Rotar, and all vendors, as well as the Riley Motor Club of Queensland and our dedicated volunteers. The Samford Rural Fire Brigade received the proceeds from the gate takings, and we were thrilled to present them with a $3,000 cheque. Finally, a big thank you to all the classic vehicle owners for sharing their passion and to The Village Pump for helping us promote the event. The turnout was fantastic, and we’re already planning next year’s show in 2026. Michael Ferguson Below top: Aerial view of the car show. Bottom: Ferg Adrian receiving a $3,000 cheque from Trevor Taylor from The Riley Motor Club of Queensland to assist with the purchase of equipment.