Issue #371 – Wednesday, 15 March, 2017
Albury Wodonga’s largest circulating newspaper
Adventure outing pops up for success Albury-Wodonga Pop Up Outdoor Adventure Expo at Wodonga Racecourse attracted a large crowd at the weekend, despite the fact that the original expo was supposed to be held at Henty.
SEE MORE, PAGE 2
Fired up to help By Monique Kuzeff It’s been a while since Wodonga West CFA brigade last had a junior brigade on board but since late January a new junior team has come out of the woodworks. Recently the team of 12 (full-capacity) competed in the CFA District 24 Rural Championships in Barunduda after weeks of training and learning the basic firefighting skills. In coming weeks the junior team, which is made up of children between the ages of 11 and 16, will be learning the appropriate skills to compete in the annual Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (Junior) Championships, to be held in Wodonga on 2 April. This will include the low down pump and ladder, wet host and ladder, tanker priming, pumping and ladder, hydrant and tanker, and tanker drawing water events. Wodonga West CFA junior brigade leader Elissa Rossiter said over the past month the kids have “really enjoyed” learning some of the basic skills around safely and effectively extinguishing fires through the delivery of water. “They’ve been learning how to get hoses off trucks, turning pumps on, putting different types of branches on and rolling the hoses,” Ms Rossiter said. “We are concentrating on running teams at the moment and it’s been quite active so normally we will set up outside and we’ve got targets and they’re running around and playing with the hoses and shooting water. “They really get in to it and we hear them cheering each other on and chanting. “So we’ve been learning all those necessary skills in the past few weeks in the lead up to the state championships in early April.” But learning how to fight fires isn’t the only benefit for the new junior
West Wodonga CFA junior brigade leaders Jan Coyle and Elissa Rossiter with five junior brigade members. 165936 Picture: MONIQUE KUZEFF brigade. Wodonga West CFA junior brigade leader Jan Coyle said that it encouraged life skills in the kids. “It’s great if they want to head down the path of a CFA volunteer or a career firefighter but this junior brigade also encourages social interaction, fitness and discipline and they learn leadership and teamwork skills,” Ms Coyle said. “It really isn’t just about firefighting, we are going to have social activities and other non-firefighting activities as well as part of the classes.“ Having officially opened up late last year, the new CFA facility on Moorefield Park Drive, West Wodonga, provides an invigorating space for the junior brigade to learn the basics of firefighting, Ms Rossiter said. “In the cooler months we will try to focus on the theory and on the small tools and this building is perfect to hold those types of classes.” Throughout the year the junior brigade will also participate in community service events including the Good Friday Appeal to raise money for the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Hands go out across the water Border nurse Trish Ryan has helped Nepalese children like Bibesh and Malina Rae, rise above poverty through her Meg’s Children Trust. The trust will hold a gala fund-raiser at the Albury Club on 31 March. For the full story, see page 5. Picture: DAVID TAYLOR
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