Issue 12 - June 2012

Edition 12 -June

Open Letter to Hay

Local Talent on International Stage

Faces of Anzac Day

Pride & Joy

CA4SE Training

Photographic Competition

MYO Pouf

My Mother is a lovely lady that deserves more and she may not be the

best Mum but would do anything to help anyone Matthew Smith, Son of Maryanne Smith

Runners UpRunners UpRunners UpRunners Up Our Mum Tanya Foggo is the worlds best Mum. She looks after us when we are sick and helps us get better quickly. She also helps us to learn new things every day Luke & Meagan Foggo, Children of Tanya Foggo My Mum is the best Mum in the whole wide world because she gives me lots of hugs and kisses. She is always there for me and buys me special gifts. My Mum may be short but thy say all good things come in small packages. If I am sad my mum will always sit down and talk to me. I always say to her you are the best Mum in the world. I love my Mum to the moon and back and she loves me to the stars and back Reagan Duggan, daughter of Tara Dixon Devoted, selfless, always available, good for a laugh or an hour long phone natter - each day I think I’m turning a little more into her but I am old enough now to know that this is not such a bad thing. Sharni Montgomery, daughter of Pat Montgomery My Mother; someone to look up to, puts everyone before herself, has given us the best of everything with little help from others. Our world! Becky Lund, daughter of Rhonda O’Neill

Dear Hay, This open letter is aimed at every resident, past and present, of Hay, and is the culmination of my rambling thoughts and discussions with family and friends. I hope no one feels I have ‘stolen’ their ideas but lets get enthusiastic about our own future! If I stimulate some debate, and maybe a little action, I’ll be happy . I am more than aware that a lot of these suggestions fall into the Councils area of responsibility, and while I’m not interested in ‘Council bashing’ our community needs to be led by a proactive and enthusiastic Council, and perhaps it is just that more community input is needed to offer up some new ideas. That being said, here are mine. Lachlan Street Shop Owners - Fill your empty shops! I understand that times are tough and trade may be slow, but your expenses will not increase if you take action to fill your shops. You could offer them for a token rent, to someone considering starting up a retail outlet; surely a small amount of rent is preferable to none at all! Or get all warm and fuzzy and offer to a local non-profit organisation, like the Show Committee or Can Assist, to give them a meeting place and headquarters. Offer them to schools during Education Week, or at least fill them with some sort of display. The rent you are ‘donating’ is probably even tax deductable if you look into it. Cottage Industry Entrepreneurs - Have a crack! Get onto one of those main street landlords and offer to keep the place neat and tidy, in return for a lower rent. If you are met with some agreement, have a go… Use the internet, sell your stuff locally and across the globe, but have a go. Offer those services up, and lets get our main street full. I’m not suggesting you invest a million dollars or take out a second mortgage; simply take the businesses you are operating from home, and make them legit. Shopper Dollar Scheme - This suggestions came from the two7eleven Facebook forum, courtesy of Tiem Wilson. She suggests a local shopping loyalty scheme, where customers earn “Hay Dollars” for every purchase made locally, which they can use as currency locally. I think it’s an awesome idea. Empty Farmhouse $1 Rental Scheme - This idea has taken off in many small towns. Unused homes, usually farm cottages, are rented for $1 per week, to tenants who must apply to be part of the scheme. The cheap rent is offered in return for maintenance and care of the homes, and applicants are chosen based on what they have to offer the town. Again, another great idea, which makes use of

deteriorating assets. Friends of Hay Park - Involve the Mens Shed, interested gardeners and the schools to create a “Friends of Hay Park” volunteer group. The scheme works in larger gardens and parks, where financial support if sought from the “Friends” but in our case, we could arrange regular working bees. Retired people are a wealth of knowledge and experience, and should be encouraged to stay involved in the community. Working alongside school kids would benefit both age groups, and why stop there; what a great way for non violent offenders to work their community hours. Speaking of parks…. Why not remove the fence around the park in South Hay, and make it a bit more attractive to those entering town. The park could blend more into the river bend which is adjacent to Lang street, if sections of the fence were removed. South Hay residents could even have their own “Friends of the Park” group - nothing like a bit of competition to get the blood pumping! Central Signage for Major Events - Have you noticed that there is no major, centrally placed billboard, to tell visitors what is on? Peak tourist periods like Easter, June Long Weekend and school holidays there are events happening around town, but the information is not collated anywhere. Install one, large, interactive sign near the Council office, which is constantly updated. Visitors and local alike can see at a glance what is on, and where. Hay Gaol - No one works harder than the volunteers at the Gaol, but lets be honest; the centre needs a facelift. If a working bee was called, I’m certain many would help give the museum a spring clean. Some excess items could be auctioned off, and the funds returned to the committee to pay for upgrades. The cottages could be utilised as holiday accommodation, (or offered to ‘artists in residence’ which become another tourist attraction), and the courtyard hired out for community and private functions. The Levee - Agree in its existence or not, the Levee around town has now become a great walking track around the town. Pedestrians are kept out of the way of vehicles, and they wind through some of the prettiest areas, so why not market them? The recent flood events have resulted in a motza of flood photographs, which would make for great viewing along the track. Interpretative panels showing that particular spot during the ‘56, ‘74 and ‘12 floods would be interesting, and not difficult or expensive to install. Maybe a sponsor for each sign could be sought. Bring Back the Customer Service Awards - This seemed a great concept, so why did it disappear? Return the Christmas Bonanza to the Main Street - I’m sure to be shot down, and I do think the ‘Party in the Park’ is a great idea, but there is little benefit for the commercial sector of Hay. When the Bonanza Night was held in Lachlan Street there was an opportunity to do some late night shopping,

enjoy a meal and a beer with friends (‘cos everyone was out, just in case their name came out of the barrel!), and the shop owners benefited. In my opinion Bonanza Night belongs in Lachlan Street, and the Party in the Park relegated to another date, such as Australia Day, Easter or the June Long Weekend. (A day spent at the pool, followed by dinner and a ‘County Fair’ atmosphere in the evening on Australia Day sounds like a great way to spend our National day!) Get Some Youth or All Age Events Happening - The options for teenagers in Hay at the moment are 1. School Events, which don’t take into account school leavers; 2. Sporting Events; 3. Semi regular movies at the Services Club; 4. Private parties; or 5. Sneaking into the pubs... Not much of a choice really. Again, if we are serious, as a community, in ensuring our future as a town, we need to look to the generation which will follow us, and if we lose them to towns which do offer ‘something’ to dooo’ (*insert whiney, teenage voice here*), we have no future at all. I have, along with some other parents, submitted some ideas to Council for consideration, so I will keep you informed of the outcome. Some suggestions included open air movie nights, discos, boot camps and music festivals, and there have already been offers of music equipment and bands Decide What it is we are ‘The Home Of”, and Promote it - Run a competition, ask around, make a decision and run with it! The options are endless; signage, sculpture, stickers, branding, and could really cement our identity, both locally and regionally (My vote is “Hay - Home of the Reverse Park”) While discussing promotion…… Why aren’t we using our River More? (Or should that be ‘Why are we not using it at all’?) - When it comes to under utilised assets, or position on the Murrumbidgee River is the perfect example. I’m sure there are issues regarding development in close proximity to waterways, but where are our water view restaurants? Where is the kiosk at Sandy Point? Where are the raised boardwalks linking the riverbends to the main street footpaths? Where is the evidence of someone doing something? I am aware that we lost most of our build heritage, unlike places such as Echuca, and I know everything costs money, but are we trying to attract investors? Are we making it as easy as possible for them? Are we even offering ourselves up? As I see it, from my own investigations regarding building development in Hay, there are major hurdles to attracting new people to town. There are plenty of homes for sale at the moment, but are they being marketed collectively? If so, why not? The Council has a great website so why not extend it to include homes and businesses for sale. The cost of living here compared to major metro areas is dramatically lower, and we need to get that message out. As far a building a new home, there are limited areas where this can occur, and this needs to be addressed. Are residents aware that no new customers can be added onto the town raw water system? There is a Hay Shire imposed moratorium on new customers on the system, because our existing infrastructure is unable to handle any more customers. I have been told that there are no plans for any upgrades; I welcome input from the Council if my information is incorrect. If this is the case, how the hell do we expect someone to move here and start up a new business or industry, if we cannot even provide running water! Once again, I am not interested in pointing fingers or blaming

Council for all our woes; What I am interested in is getting a bomb under all our bums and getting some enthusiasm around the place again. I want to see all of us at least fired up about something. We won’t all agree, but lets get some thing moving again! It is as if the drought has collectively robbed us of our community spirit, and all that is left is apathy and indifference. This attitude can only cause long term harm. Time to step up, Hay!

Krista

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked The students again if the jar was full.. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The stu-dents responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’ The professor then produced Two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents Into the jar, effectively filling the Empty space between the sand. The students laughed. ‘Now,’ said the professor, As the laughter subsided, ’I want you to recognize that This jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – fam-ily, children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff. ‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. So… Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happi-ness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. ‘Take care of the golf balls first – The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’ One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. ’I'm glad you asked’. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,

When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,

Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

We recently called for pictures of our readers with famous faces, and have

received some great photos. Opposite Page clockwise from top Dot Lauer with NRL legend Laurie Daley; Linda Wright with QLD State of Origin Stars Cam Smith & Johnathon Thurston;

Trent Garner and Mark Payne rub shoulders with Nathan Hindmarsh and

Jarrod Hayne; St Mary's League Tag Team of Grace Weymouth, Hannah Stweart, Tully

Byrnes, Isabella Tumolero, Savannah Pryor, Reagan Duggan, Isabel Huggins and Alyah Gargaro meet another NRL

legend Trent Barratt.

This page clockwise from top; Parra Montgomery and swimming

champion Dawn Fraser, Ian & Rene Woods with Actor Luke Carroll; Nadine and Todd Gee-Harris, Harley Hey and Sechia Darlow meet entertainment icons The Wiggles

(Yes - 20 years ago their tours included the humble Hay War Memorial Hall!)

Annual

two7eleven

magazine

Subscription

Now Available

Just $25 per year Details

[email protected]

We, The newly formed group CA4SE (Communi

ty Action for Suicide Elimination)







invite you to participate in a ONE DAY Suicide I

ntervention Course in Hay on either







19th or 21st June, starting at 8.30am, in the func

tion room of Hay Services Club.







This course is to be condu

cted by CORES (Community Response to Elimin

ating

This course is to be conducted by CORES (Commu

nity Response to Eliminating





Suicide) a community based group from Tasman

ia. Their award winning suicide







intervention program is currently run in 22 com

munities across Australia.







Their aim is as ours, to b

e proTheir aim is as ours, to b

e proTheir aim is as ours, to b

e proTheir aim is as ours, to be pro----active and reach peo

ple at risk before they get to crisis point

active and reach people at risk before they get to c

risis point active and reach people a

t risk before they get to crisis point

active and reach people at risk before they get to c

risis point

and this course is to provide information on how t

o identify the basic early warning







signs of someone who may be at risk of suicide, a

nd the steps that can be taken once this







is identified.is identified.is identified.is identified.

The more skilled people in

our community means less chance of someone a

t risk not

The more skilled people in our community means

less chance of someone at risk not





receiving the appropriate help they need.

receiving the appropriate help they need.

receiving the appropriate help they need.receiving the appropriate help they need.

The course is user friend

ly and no special skills are required to complete t

he course. You

The course is user friendly and no special skills

are required to complete the course. You





will not be trained as a will not be trained as a will not be trained as a will not be trained as a CounsellorCounsellorCounsellorCounsellor, but you will

learn how to connect to someone at risk

, but you will learn how to connect to someone at

risk , but you will learn how

to connect to someone at risk

, but you will learn how to connect to someone at

risk

to the professional help available.

to the professional help available.

to the professional help available.to the professional help available.

The cost is $40 per perso

n, (normally $80) which includes a 50% subsidy

by CA4SE,

The cost is $40 per person, (normally $80) which

includes a 50% subsidy by CA4SE,





who are using locally raised funds to offset the c

ost of the course to local people.







Further information is available from Peter Dwye

r on Further information is a

vailable from Peter Dwyer on

Further information is available from Peter Dwye

r on Further information is a

vailable from Peter Dwyer on

0417 272 684 or email [email protected]

0417 272 684 or email [email protected]

0417 272 684 or email [email protected] 272 684 or email [email protected]

1948

Ford

Prefect

Ute

Before coming to live in Hay with Tom & Di Smith, this 1948 Ford Prefect Ute

was owned and restored by Toms uncle, Jack Smith, in Forbes. It is believed to have been found in

Forbes, in a sad state of disrepair. Jack Smith drove the ute from

Forbes to Hay - it took two days (He stopped in Hillston). At this time Jack has the back of

the Prefect all set up so he could camp in it. Tom Smith acquired the ute in April 1992 as his Uncle was moving to Maryborough in Victoria and no longer had any need for it. At this time, the Prefect had 73,350 original miles on the speedo Tom opted to transfer the ute to Hay on a trailer, making for a much faster tip than the 35 miles per hour travelling speed of the Prefect. It originally had a small 8 horsepower engine in it, but Tom located a 10 horsepower donk for in in Hay, which has run in it ever since.

Photographs courtesy Di Smith

Top left to right; Michael, Jack and Tom Smith with the Prefect in Hay in 1992

Right: Karen Smith in the

Ute 1992

Sam Barnes at the National Development Camp held at the National Clay Target

grounds in Wagga Just 12 Junior shooters from across Australia were chosen to attend - Pic Mandy Barnes

International Nurses Day is held worldwide around Florence Nightingales birthday and was enjoyed locally (and loudly!) by nurses (back row - left to right) Tracey Jubb, Jan Laurence, Kerry Manfield, Diana Belle Yee, Jackie Sherr Catalaos, Julie Smith, Ellie Hall, Ancy Varghese, plus in the front row Nancy Curtis, Jenny Bedbrook & Jo Schade. Absent from the photo (but not the

festivities) Jeff Newman and Debbie Howard Pic - Chris Schade

St Mary’s School recently held a very successful art

exhibition “Stories, Masterpieces, Stones” Local artists donated

decorated “Story Boxes” to be auctioned and members of the public were also invited to

decorate their own ‘Story Stone’ Pictured below is my humble offering, alongside the beautiful piece by Zoe Watson

Malcolm Graham, enjoying a good read :)

Hay Public School League Team recently successfully contested the Mortimer Shield, moving into the Semi-Final

round, alongside the girls Leaguetag team. Pic - Mandy Barnes

The family and friends of Roy & Beryl Kennedy gathered to celebrate the couples 80th Birthdays with a great night at South Hay Hotel recently.

Roy & Beryl are pictured at left with their children,

grandchildren & great grand-kids

Got a family gathering coming up? New babies? Birthdays? Weddings?

Send us your celebration photos!

[email protected]

Mays photographic topic was WATER, and we received photos, which can all be viewed on Facebook. The two photos selected are from Sal Hurle & Anna Lauer. Sals pictures were taken during the recent floods on the Ivanhoe side of the Balranald-Ivanhoe road. Annas photo is from a family trip to Merimbula, while Julie Darlow captured the gums in the weir pool. Brenda Johnsons photo show a single perfect raindrop. The photo featured on the front cover is a contribution by Mark Cooper, of Hay Weir, and all

Julie Darlow

Brenda Johnson

Raemie & Brad Hodge announce the arrival of Braxton Stephen HodgeBraxton Stephen HodgeBraxton Stephen HodgeBraxton Stephen Hodge

Born May 17th at 2.30pm weighing 7 lb 10 oz

Braxton is a baby brother for Trevor-John & Jack-Ryan. Proud grandparents are Debbie Grey, David Wilson, Mark Oriel, Karen Garner, Lillian Bennett and Mark Hodge. Marie & Phil Grey are pleased great-grandparents. Raemie, Brad and their boys now live in Griffith

Next Months Topic: LOOKING UP

Peter “Parra” Montgomery’s story continues - Photographs from Parras private collection

Chapter 6 THAT’S LIFE

'Never try to teach a pig to sing. It is a waste of time, and it annoys

the pig.' I mentioned about my visits to Harold Park Greyhounds before I transferred to Hay with the then Chief Stipe Jim Carr, and his son Jim who was a footballing mate, and other mates. One night the trip home from the dogs really put the wind up me and alerted me to the seedy side of dog racing. Mr Carr had given a lady friend a ride home along with us three boys. He took her to her home in Randwick, and she invited us in for a drink. In the house after about ten minutes, the lady, who was a little tipsy, started crying. "They ambushed him and shot him down on the front steps" she wailed. She was the widow of Harold Park Bookmaker Charles Bourke who had been executed in what had been described as a ‘gang land slaying’ a couple of months before. It made me nervous, and I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I was glad when we left the house and arrived back in good old Granville. I think it was my last trip to the dish lickers before moving to Hay. Playing with the Hay Magpies in the late sixties and early seventies was a terrific experience. The Club had so much tradition and so many characters involved at the time, it was really a learning curve for a shy City boy. We had an afternoon pig hunting on Woolamie at Maude, the property owned by Vince Schiller. There was about twenty players and officials in the ‘expedition’, which was led around the paddock by a jeep, towing a trailer full of players. Ray Carver was driving the Jeep, and I recall the late Nuggett Schiller cracking an Emu Egg on Ray’s head and emptying it like he was pouring into a frying pan. To say Ray wasn’t too pleased would be an understatement. He was fuming, but everyone else was having a good belly laugh and Porky soon got to see the joke. I’ll tell you

To get to Sergeant, Laurie had to get over several obstacles and tragedies that bobbed up in his life. Everyone who knows him are proud of what he has achieved. There are too many better blokes to have worn the Magpie colours. Laurie has since retired from the Police, and with brother George, have a few Water Trucks up in the New England part of the State. Laurie and George are enjoying life to the fullest. I caught up with both of them at the Magpies 1967 premiership team re-union in Canberra and they are both very fit and happy with a great outlook on life. George couldn’t stop laughing, as he related some of the good times of the sixties era. The front row combination of Nugget Schiller, Mick Rutledge, Wally McGufficke and Gary Marriage caused Magpie coach Geoff Snowdon many anxious moments during his coaching time. They travelled together to away matches and enjoyed stopping along the way to quench their thirst. If the team was playing at Barellan, they stop would be at the Yenda Diggers Club, for a shout of middies, and a few bob in the pokies. I recall one match at Barellan; it was about ten minutes to kick off before the quartet arrived. "Sorry Geoff", was the cry, "We had a flat tyre on the way and had to change it". Geoff was no mug, he knew exactly what was going on – and he also knew that the four players were key men who would not consider ‘ not putting in’ irrespective of their, shall we say, PCA. After the match, a slight accident in the dressing sheds revealed all. Nugget, when putting on his trousers, spilt about ten - fifteen bucks worth of twenty-cent pieces out onto the dressing room floor from his pocket – and the game was up. The boys then revealed they had enjoyed a great run on the pokies, winning $80 and couldn’t leave. We never guessed either, the smell of beer on their breath wasn’t a give away. Those blokes were terrific to play with. Nugget had the ability to bust a tackle with his upper body strength, and he had plenty of pace in his thin legs. Wally McGufficke would put his head

though; the egg must have been rotten, as it sure did stink. We had a barbecue back at Toogimbie Station, with the traditional keg, and I can remember the details vividly. I can remember the late Adrian Pascoe, sleeping on top of bags of wheat in the big Toogimbie shed, and Nugget putting grains of wheat on his stomach, and later in the night watching a mouse nibbling on the wheat. It was my first bonding session with the boys. Club President J V ‘Johnno’ Johnson, who was the supremo of the Magpies, introduced me all around and added the comment "We’ll have to get this City kid to talk". They came to regret that statement; they haven’t been able to shut me up since. It was a good time for me. I remember going back into Hay in Fred Hobbs' little green Mini Minor, along with Nugget, Gary Marriage and Ken Causon who weren’t actually small blokes. Luckily I was at the time. I weighed in at about 12 and a half stone. The Carver boys, Phillip and Ray and Dad Jack were great for the Magpies. Not only were the boys good players, but Jack in his Mercedes Benz was a great supporter who used his car to transport players to the game. Phil often borrowed his Dad’s Merc and he knew only two speeds. Fast and Stop. I’ll tell you, we had a few hairy trips in the Mercedes, but we were young, a like the kids of today, felt we were bullet proof. But, when I think back now I often break out in a cold sweat. Toogimbie employed the Andrews brothers, George and Laurie, as station hands. They were Victorians, but adapted to Rugby League like ducks to water. Not only were they tough and un-comprising players, they were also good blokes. Both George and Laurie have remained firm friends with all their team mates since the sixties – and enjoy nothing better than catching up at reunions Laurie also made a name for himself in the Sport of Tent Pegging, and he is one of the top competitors in Australia. Laurie joined the NSW Police Force as a member of the Mounted Police, and worked his way up the ranks, achieving the status of Licencing Sergeant for the Tamworth Region.

where you wouldn’t fire a bullet and played well above his weight. Rut was a fantastic hooker. A real tiger around the paddock and he would give the side plenty of possession in an era when scrums were still a contest. Gary Marriage - well he was one of those blokes you preferred to play with than against – a really tough player. I remember going to Hillston for a game, and getting a lift with Rut. He pulled into the "Duke" at Booligal to see Enid Loveridge and son Greg. Surprise, surprise, there waiting for us were Nugget and Gary Marriage already sipping on a cold middy. The boys asked me did I want a Beer – "No bloody way", I replied so they got me a Coke. I must have been naïve in those days, because I had about half a dozen. When we arrived at Hillston (Showground) and got changed into our gear, I went through my normal ritual of being physically ill before the workout. Nerves got to me, and although I was fine once I was on the field, the excitement invariably caused me to be ill. Team Manager John Biggs, asked "Who’s been drinking Rum?" I had been nobbled, but let me tell you this, I had a blinder, picked up the Club’s Player of the Match and Top Votes in the 2 QN Player of the Year award, as the Magpies smashed Hillston 41-0. The trips away of the football team in the early eighties were fantastic memories. Everyone got along like a house on fire, and with about thirty blokes – most bushies who had never been past Griffith – the sight of the City was an excuse for them to let their hair down. We made a couple of rules – NO mucking up on the bus, and NO mucking up at the accommodation and those rules were strictly enforced – and the players complied. Some spent Saturday at the races, some went to the Rugby League semi finals, and some spent the day in the pub. The Friday arrival was the day that we all spent together. We all had dinner together The group certainly livened up the lunch time crowd at Centrepoint Tavern, which is right in the heart of the Sydney CBD Most of the blokes had been drinking on the bus on the way down from Hay, and it didn’t take much to top them up. The lunchtime crowd in the Tavern was ‘entertained’ by the cries of "Who’s that man with the Big Red Nose’ and the response by the 30 odd tourists. We were acting like Yobbo's caring only for ourselves. But we had a good laugh. The management didn’t go too crook as the ‘bushies’ were spending a quid. The head of security at Centrepoint Tavern was Geoff Tunks, father of former League international Peter Tunks, who we later had as a Special Guest with Darren McCarthy at a Presentation Night. We got to know Geoff very well, and he was tolerant of the boys from Hay

to the Riverina Hotel to say g’day to Brian, and about 4.30, go across to the Bank to pick up the change, before heading off down Lachlan Street towards Booligal. Before he crossed the railway line and onto the Booligal Road, he would drop into the Bowlo and place an order for "Take Away Chinese". Then come over to the Highway Inn to have a couple with either Goldy or I, depending on who was working . Back to the Bowlo to pick up the tucker and the 6 o’clock draw, and catch up with his great mate Dick Miller. This was a regular Friday happening. I remember one Christmas Eve, Greg came into the Highway on his way home early – around lunch time. He had come into town to pick up Christmas Food items like Hams, Turkeys and a couple of drums of Ice Cream which had been dropped off at the Pub by the Peters Man. The items were in the Cool Room at the Pub. Before he took off for home Kevin and I had a Christmas shout with Greg and put a few bob in the Pokies. We were well in front and time slipped away. Soon it was 2 o’clock. The Pub phone rang and it was Greg’s wife, Bernadette, looking for him. "Is Greg there Parra,?" she asked me. When Greg knew who was on the phone, he took off out off out of the pub. I truthfully answered, "No Bernie, he isn’t", to which Bernadette replied - "I don’t care, Parra, if he is or isn’t, just tell him he is in deep shit". I don’t think it was the first time Greg had been in deep shit. It was only the depth that varied. We had some great times together. He was one of the most popular blokes to have graced our district and his ‘send off’ was one of the biggest seen in Hay during my time. I still miss him.

Continued next month

Those trips away were great. We made sure we always caught up with Philip Carver in Sydney, not only because he was a good mate, but his knowledge of the City and his sense of fun was certainly one of the highlights. Phil kept us - and the bar staff entertained - with his stories about the exploits of "Buffalo Phil" and his helicopter pilot from Darwin. Mick (Boxhead) Ireson was a terror on those trips. On one occasion, he asked me to show him my train ticket. I handed it to him and he said "Make sure you don't let it get screwed up like this (promptly screwing it up) as you need to have it straight when you put it in the turnstiles at our destination" before handing the ticket back to me. I can still hear Box, Bert Mathews and Greg Selby giggling their heads off. No doubt about it, Boxhead is from Booligal. Another good and loyal mate. Booligal Publican Greg Loveridge was a dead set legend. A great mate and a much loved figure throughout the district. He loved Footy, Racing, Cards, Cricket and people. He loved getting into shouts with all of his customers, and he carried on the family tradition of running a good pub – the historical Duke of Edinburgh. An easy place to get to – a bloody hard place to get away from. His hospitality was legendary His accidental deaths affected me badly. Greg was a great mate and I just loved the bloke. I cried for a long time when I heard he had been killed coming home from a Kilfera Field Day. Blokes like Greg, who live on the edge, are accidents waiting to happen, and unfortunately fate doesn’t discriminate. The good guys and the bad usually end up the same ‘Pubby’ was one of those characters who crammed a whole lot of time into his short life. He had a tradition on Fridays of coming into town to get change for the weekend for the bar. Before dropping into the Bank, Greg would visit the TAB and place money into his phone account in readiness for his Saturday punting. He would drop into the New Crown for a counter lunch and a beer and yak with Don and Margot, then over to the Newsagents to pick up his papers, have a lottery ticket and an Instant Scratchie. From memory, I think he shared in a major lottery prize – but the number he purchased over the years, I doubt that he finished in front. From the Newsagents he would slip next door

Using a chunky wool and large needles, knit a rectangle in garter stich, that is twice as long as it is wide. Join the two shortest ends to form a loop. Using a darning needle, pass wool though every second stitch of one of the longest side and pull tight to gather. Tie off securely. Fill with pillow

stuffing and gather other side to enclose pouf. More experienced knitters can experiment with contrasting colours or add stitch patterns. Less

expensive acrylic wools are ideal for this project, as they are long lasting

Talented local musician Peter “Nuffy’ Carter has been invited to enter an online, world-wide

talent competition.

ArtistProList features instrumental and voice talent, and is currently conducting a quest to find international talent to be used in their future advertisements. The current finalists round Ends Saturday, May 26, 2012and once a week a finalist is selected to appear in the competition Top Ten. The winner will be selected from the Top Ten and will be Announced by June 17th, 2012. The competition is judged on vocal or musical performance, and while covers are acceptable, original music, such as Nuffy’s “Cool Jam” are encouraged. Pete’s entry can be viewed at ArtistListPro.com, searching for ‘Nuffy” or by viewing the current competition entries. Pete is well known in the local and regional entertainment circuit as the lead guitarist for the now defunct band “NuffSaid” Pictured at right is Pete on stage with NuffSaid - Photo by Tammy Bruce

This months recipes are from my own family favourites, and I am on the lookout for many more! Send in your go-to meal; that much-loved recipe that you return to as a family favourite. Don’t forget to add a photo!

Chicken Cooked in Coke With thanks to the Flying Doctors Cookbook 1kg chicken (fillets, pieces or drumsticks - They all work) 1 packet French onion soup 1 chopped onion 1 cup coke (or pepsi, homebrand cola or diet varieties - the brand choice does not effect the taste) Options: sliced mushrooms, peas, carrot, zucchini or capsicum

Brown the chicken and onion in a little oil. Drain excess oil from the pan when done, and pour coke over chook. Sprinkle in soup mix and stir gently to combine. Add your choice of veggies and simmer until chicken is cooked through. It may sound like a weird mix of ingredients, but the cola and soup mix combine to create a delicious gravy. We always serve with mashed potato and crusty herb or garlic bread, but it is also delicious with pasta or steamed veggies

“My daughter and I had just finished a salad at (American department store) Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus Cookie". It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe and the waitress said with a small frown "I'm afraid not." Well" I said, "would you let me buy the recipe?" With a cute smile, she said “YES". I asked how much and she responded, "Only two fifty, it's a great deal!" I said with approval, "just add it to my tab" Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe - $250.00". That's outrageous!!! I called Neiman's Accounting Dept. and told them that the waitress said it was "two-fifty," which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty dollars" by any POSSIBLE interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge.. They would not refund my money, because according to them, "What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe - we absolutely will not refund your money at this point." I explained to her the criminal statutes which govern fraud in Texas. I threatened to refer them to the Better Business Bureau and the State's Attorney General for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want, we dont give a damn, and we're not refunding your money." I waited a moment, thinking of how I could get even, or even try to get any of my money back. I just said, "Okay, you folks got my $250.00, and now I'm going to have $250.00 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250.00 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus... for free..She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this" I said, "Well you should have thought of that before you ripped me off", and slammed down the phone on her.. So, here it is!!! Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250.00 dollars for this... I don't want Neiman-Marcus to ever get another penny off of this recipe…”

Neiman Marcus Cookies (recipe quantity can be halved)

With thanks to the angry Mum from the US

See the Urban Legend for explanation 2 cups butter or margarine

4 cups of flour 2 tsp baking powder

2tsp bicarb soda 2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar 5 cups blended oats (add oats to blender and

process to a fine powder) 600g choc chips (milk or white chocolate)

1tsp salt 200g grated chocolate (milk, dark or white)

2 tsp vanilla 3 cups chopped nuts of your choice (optional)

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix

together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, grated chocolate and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes at 190 degrees.

Alix McFarland sent us these great action shots of Hay Cutters, Ed McFarland, Hugh Burnham and Andrew Boal in their recent games against Wagga City and

Waratahs

We also captured some Lions Netball action in their home games against Wandella

All monthly photographs can be found on the

two7eleven Facebook page

Chapter 7 The sky began to grow dark, for the clouds in the sky foretold rain. Izumi watched the trees bending in the wind, as if bowing to a Great Master. A shudder went through her body. The peacefulness of the journey was suddenly shattered by a bright bolt of lightning spreading it's thin fingers across the night sky. Five seconds later, it was followed by a crash of thunder. Normally, Izumi loved the rain, but this was not a gentle Japanese shower, like the ones she was used to. Izumi looked at her mother's face. She was oblivious to the sounds of nature, even though they were becoming more vociferous with each passing minute. She noticed that the closer they came to their destination, the more agitated her mother grew. At Chaumont , the bus stopped, and the few people that had remained, got off, except the young man. Izumi was glad, that when the doors opened, he did not leave with the others. That meant he was on his way to Three Mile Bay, also. The bus driver looked at the three people remaining on the bus. He could tell they were tired. "Only three more miles to go, folks," he said, returning to his place at the wheel. Upon hearing the word "folks", the young man turned around to see who he was referring to, for he thought everyone had gotten off at the last stop. A flash of lightening lit the entire bus as he turned, clearly outlining the faces of Izumi and Anna. As Izumi saw him recognize her with a look of surprise, a loud boom of thunder rattled the window panes of the bus. Izumi's eyes quickly traveled from him, to the storm outside. Another flash of lightning lit Izumi's face, revealing how frightened she was. Upon seeing this, the young man got up from his seat and walked over to the opposite end of the bus, where Izumi and her mother sat.

He sat down in the seat in front of them, and turned around to face Anna. "Hello, my name is John Johannes. It looks as if we have the same destination," he said, gesturing to road in front of them. "It looks that way," she replied flatly, eyeing him suspiciously. Not to be discouraged, he continued, "I was born in Three Mile Bay, and this is certainly the worst storm I have seen in these parts for several years. When you see lightning like this, it certainly reminds you of God's power, doesn't it?" Anna remained silent. "Yes, it certainly does," he said, answering his own question. "When you remember that God is controlling the events of our lives, not to mention that beautiful thunder, it should help us to trust in His Providence, and not be afraid."

John spoke directly to Anna, and acted as if he had not even noticed the girl sitting beside her. At his constant mention of God, she became restless, and pretended not to hear what he was saying, hoping he would go away. He seemed not to care weather she listened or not, for he continued to speak as if Anna was attentive to every word he said. "It always comforts me to remember what the shepherd, David, said about fear. 'What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.'" The bus began to slow down. As it came to a stop, John got up. "Since Three Mile Bay is such a small town, I'll be sure to see you again." He turned his back, and without saying goodbye, gathered his luggage, and disappeared into the black night.

"Good riddance," said Anna, showing her disgust. His small speech had had the opposite effect on her daughter, however. Even though she was surrounded by the darkness of a strange country, to her amazement, Izumi noticed that she was no longer afraid. "He must have spoken magic words," she thought. Soon, they too, left the sanctuary of the familiar bus, and walked off into the blustery night.

Legal Disclaimer: The characters and events depicted in these love stories are fictitious, and should not to be interpreted as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely

coincidental.

Copyright: These original love stories are copyright © 1998-2011 by Sarah L. Fall (a.k.a. Judith Bronte). All rights reserved.

Reproduced with permission

A novel by

Judith Bronte

Another flash of lightning lit Izumi's face, revealing how frightened she was.

Tell it Like it is! This is a real funeral announcement from the Illawarra Mercury! Thanks Parra

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Issue 12 - June 2012