The Woady Herald is to Cease Production

It is with sad regret that we announce that this edition of ‘the ‘Woady Yaloak Herald ’‘will be our second last edition. Our final edition will be a final goodbye with a special 150th year edition for Winter 2023.

Due to the massive increase in publishing costs since COVID-19, the continual dwindling of local business and advertisers and the absence of volunteers wanting to take on sourcing articles and the compiling of the Herald we have been forced to take make this decision. There is also the looming difficulty in the cost and sourcing paper due to the enforced closure of our paper mills in Australia.

The manager has been compiling and editing the paper voluntarily in her own time since 2009, and the time it takes can no longer be maintained or expected. And importantly the Centre can no longer cover the costs of providing the paper freely due to the ever escalating costs of printing and the availability of copy paper now it is not being manufactured in Australia. The Centre did not want to introduce charges for the paper either. So we deeply regret having to take this step, but lack of time and economic circumstances deem it necessary. We will miss the paper also as it provides us insights and connects us to our local community and beyond. We will continue to post information via email and on-line, and hopefully will be able to continue to publish our term course guides, in-house so we will be able to print issues as needed.

We are really going to miss our interaction through the Woady Yalloak Herald after all of these years.

Healthy Eating At Work

Home Style Take Away Meals For Work

Our small team at Haddon Community Learning Centre have been busy trialling healthy take away recipes that keep well for a few days and can be taken to work or for you to have a healthy snack on your return from work.

The Centre have used the expertise and overseeing of a qualified Naturopath who studied nutrition as part of her accreditation. The recipes trialled have been well received at the several free taster pop up tasting sessions organised and interest has been gained.

Already thirty-five people partook of the tastings and many have enrolled in the free instructional classes that have been organised to follow.

Our instructional classes have begun but you are not too late to book into the May classes to be held on May 17th and 24th. You need to live and work in the Golden Plains Shire and are of working age. The classes are free but please note that not all allergies can be catered for at each session. The recipes will however inspire participants to adapt them and use them weekly as takeaways or regular meals and accommodate their dietary requirements.

The project to have healthy takeaways for workers emerged from a need to improve health, cut down on lunch costs and support the inspiration to live a healthier life. We are grateful for the Golden Plains Shire ‘Community Strengthening Grants Program’ for their support enabling Haddon CLC to present this program.

Please ensure you speak with Cath at Haddon CLC to secure your spot. Call the Centre on 5342 7050.

Northern Community Centre, Haddon is Turning Twenty Years Old in April!

It doesn’t seem possible, but on the 29th of April this year, the ‘Northern Community Centre’ in Haddon and resident partner ‘Haddon Community Learning Centre’ (HCLC) has been open for 20 years this April.

Previously, to this, HCLC, was under the name ‘Haddon Community House’ and had been operating out of a very small weatherboard house at ‘Remembrance Park,’ but it was bursting at the seams at the time. A community ‘drive’ began to secure larger premises, so that HCLC child care operations could be sustained and even expanded. The concept had been in development since 1997, and with the help of funding from Federal, State, local Council and the existing Community House was finally given the go-ahead in 2001.

The formal opening at the end of April 2003, was attended by Parliamentary Members, both Federal and State, (Catherine King and Stewart Mc Arthur) local representative, and acting Mayor at the time, Bill Mc Arthur, Community House Co-Ordinator Sheryl Parnell, other dignitaries as well as many locals. Over 100 people were in attendance. The original intention of the Centre was to have a central location for family services for the rapidly growing Haddon Community, and to have them in a central location in the town, along with the School, Recreation Centre, Kindergarten and CFA. Up until then, there was little or no infrastructure to house these facilities. The original ‘tenants’ included the Golden Plains Shire Community Health Services, Haddon and District Community House and Church of Christ Youth Services. In addition to this, there were provisions for a Maternal Health Care Nurse and a childcare centre.

In moving to the new centre, HCLC had the opportunity, with the larger facilities, to expand their services and range of programs. The central position provided a base for local community groups such as playgroup and occasional childcare.

The new centre also housed meeting rooms, one holding up to 50 and a small meeting room up to 12, the larger of which was attached to a kitchen. It was envisioned that these rooms would be available for the use of any community group that required them, and also for public hire for suitable activities.

There was also a drop-in centre, where locals could relax with a cuppa and find out about the services on offer. A central computer room was also available for teaching purposes and public access. The mobile library bus would also be visiting the building.

The main ‘tenant’ of the building has always been HCLC (now Haddon Community Learning Centre). The original ideals of offering services to the seniors of the region and the youth has not changed, even though the structure of these services may have morphed over the 20 years of its existence.

Occasional childcare is no longer offered, as the childcare space has been taken over by ECKA, at first to house the overflow of 4-year-old kinder, but now it houses the 3-year-old kinder.

Playgroups come and go over the years, presently there is none because of lack of demand for the service.

The maternal nurse was relocated to Smythesdale by the Shire, as have the monthly immunisation services.

Senior Services are still well to the forefront of offerings that includes free help with getting on line, which became very important during lockdowns in previous years. Other classes open to everyone include, art and craft classes, quilting, patchwork and sewing, special interest courses such as mycology and mushroom foraging, gardening workshops, and many others presently and over the years and of course our monthly community luncheons. The Centre also offer help in getting any free Government payments such as previous and the current PSB on offer.

HCLC have several community groups that use the house, such as the ‘Begonia Quilters,’ ‘Haddon Quilters’ and a ‘Ballarat Embroidery group,’ all meeting here regularly. They have also hosted the Ballarat Field Naturalists and other organisations in the past. And the tradition continues to provide and host the annual Anzac morning refreshments after the Service on Anzac Day.

Haddon Church of Christ still has a presence in the building, even though their services are held at the Recreation Centre.

The Centre also now have ‘Ballarat Zion Assembly’ meeting here every Sunday morning. And ‘Camp Australia’ provides before and after school care each week day in the building as well.

HCLC now has a recording studio for community to use. It envisions that being utilised for videos as well as in training.

The Centre tries to cover all aspects of community need, and this is an ever-changing process. Over the years the face of Haddon has changed, and along with it the services that are on offer at the Centre has adapted. Haddon is a much younger community than in the past. A lot of families have two parents working, and that impacts on their ability to engage regularly. HCLC endeavours to be diverse and interesting, so that people feel that it offers them something, of value and it fits within their lifestyle.

HCLC have been publishing a quarterly newsletter called the ‘Woady Yalloak Herald’ that started as a monthly newsletter in 1977. In it include a separate course guide that outlines the courses for the upcoming quarter. The paper likes to include local profiles and interesting and informative articles such as from the CFA, and local happenings, gardening, recipes handy hints, puzzles and include notices and advertisements from local trades and businesses. These are provided free by the Centre and delivered to many locations including Haddon and as far afield as Cape Clear and Delacombe and Lucas. Over the years this has been a very popular and appreciated publication to keep in touch. It also includes our course program guide. It is always wonderful to see such a diverse section of the ‘Haddon’ community as well as those further afield coming through the Centre doors over the years and may it continue for many more to come.

Contrary to some people’s opinion, Anzac Day does not celebrate war. Rather it is a time of reflection and gratitude for the service and sacrifices made by the brave men (and women) who volunteered to give their time, and often their lives, to defend the way of life we continue to enjoy today. As a very young nation, we punched above our weight when it came to our service.

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had only been a nation in it’s own right for 13 years, with a population a little above 3.7million, and our government was eager to establish a reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915, Australian and New Zealand Armed Forces (hence the anachronym ANZAAC) formed part of the expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, in order to open the Dardenelles to the Allied Navy, and to go on and capture Constantinople for the allies, as the Turks were allied to Germany.

They landed at dawn on the 25th of April 1915, and met with unexpected fierce resistance from the Turkish forces, and quickly developed into a stalemate. This lasted for 8 months before they were evacuated. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers had died, which had a profound impact on those back at home. It also earnt them undying respect from the opposing forces, which remains to this day. The Turks have vowed in perpetuity to look after the remains of our brave soldiers. And thus the Anzac legend was born. The first Anzac Day commemorations were held on April 25th ,1916 and were marked all over Australia, a march was held in London and a sports day was held in the Australian Camp in Egypt.

In London more than 2000 of Australian troops marched, and they were dubbed by the English Press as “The Knights of Gallipoli.” Convoys of cars held the Gallipoli wounded and their nurses, and for the remaining years of the war, ‘Anzac Day’ served as a rallying and recruiting campaign.

During the 1920’s, Anzac Day became firmly established as a day of commemoration for the more than 60,000 Australian soldiers who lost their lives in “The Great War”. By the mid 1930’s all the rituals we now associate with the day were firmly entrenched (including the game of ‘Two-Up’). The day has subsequently gone on to commemorate all lives lost on battlefields by the forces of Australia and New Zealand.

We now recognise the day as one of national remembrance and it takes two forms. There are the dawn services for the time of the actual landing, and ones later in the day for servicemen and women to meet, and for all to reflect on the many different meanings of war.

The above information above was obtained from the Australian War Memorial website.

Local Services Times:

Haddon: Memorial Park, Haddon: Service is at 11.00am followed by refreshments provided by and at Haddon Community Learning Centre.

Smythesdale War Memorial: at the time of printing no time was listed on GPS site - expected 10 am followed by morning tea.

Linton: Community Hub: Service 10.30 am

Ballarat Dawn Service: 6.00 am at the Cenotaph, followed by ‘Gunfire Breakfast,’ Midlands Golf Course.

Anzac March: 10.30 am.

Cardigan: 7.00am Fireman’s Memorial Remembrance Drive.

Arch of Victory: 8.00 am.

Sebastopol: March and Service commencing at 8.45am.

Please feel free to join us at the Haddon Community Learning Centre for refreshments after the 11 am service. A gold coin donation would be appreciated to help cover the cost .

The Prince of Wales Masonic Lodge has been part of the Smythesdale Community since 1862 when the Lodge commenced meeting in an upstairs room of the Court House Hotel, 63 Brooke Street, Smythesdale,

The first Master of the Lodge was Wor. Bro. Michael Cashmore who arrived in Melbourne in 1840 and opened the first Haberdashery Store at 1 Elizabeth Street (Cashmore Corner), Melbourne.

The present Lodge building was built by the Members of the Lodge and in 1906 Meetings commenced in the new Building and are still held there today.

The Lodge meets on the 2nd Saturday of the month expect January commencing at 7.30pm and new Members are most welcome.

New Membership enquiries can be made to the Secretary, Phil Perrin on (03) 53422238.

The Building is also available for Hire, enquires regarding availability can be made to the Secretary, Phil Perrin on (03) 53422238.

- Gail Darragh

Autumn is traditional the time for planting bulbs, but this only for the spring flowering ones. These include tulips, daffodils, iris, jonquils, hyacinth (muscari) and crocus. Summer flowering bulbs should be planted out when the ground starts to warm after winter, and the frost risk has passed, approximately September. These include gladioli, lilies and dahlias. Here in Ballarat, we have the choice of leaving bulbs in the ground or lifting them after they have died down. This is because of the cold winters we get, and most bulbs do not need to be cooled before planting. The only exception to this that I would consider is Tulips, as they really need the extra and reliable cold that the fridge offers, thus increasing the floral show and leaving it

If leaving bulbs in the ground, they will naturalise, and should be lifted every few years and divided, helping you to

If planting bulbs for the first time, choose bulbs that are firm to the touch, and heavy for their size. This indicates that they have flowers in them ready to burst forth with the warmer Spring

Bulbs look their best when planted in clusters, and using a plant auger on a power drill makes this job a lot easier. Bulbs can appear in stores and nurseries from March onwards, but this really is way to early to consider planting them. If you are buying this early to guarantee supply, then simply place in a paper bag in the crisper of your fridge till

Bulbs like a free draining soil, as they can rot in their dormant state if they become waterlogged. If your garden has a lot of clay consider raising the soil level to lessen the risk of rot. This can be done with mounds or raised garden beds: your choice. They also like a good amount of organic matter in the soil, so consider adding some compost to the mix. They also like an acidic soil, so avoid adding lime or dolomite. You can also plant in pots, but I would recommend concrete or terra cotta pots. Black plastic can overheat, and the

Planting should take place in an area that receives a fair amount of morning sun, to partial shade. They really don’t require feeding, as they have stored the necessary energy in the bulb, but you can give them a boost when the leaves have formed in the spring, by applying liquid fertiliser, if you wish. Bulbs should be planted at about 2 times their height in depth, with their pointy end facing up. So a large daffodil bulb is about 6 cm in height, and should be planted at a depth of about 12 cm, and then for extra insulation a light application of mulch does not go astray. Do not worry if they are not completely straight, as in the loose soil created when planting, bulbs will straighten on their own. They will then proceed to poke their shoots up in late Winter to early Spring.

After flowering it is important to leave them alone until the leaves have completely died off, as this is how they absorb the energy needed for flowering the following year. If you are one of those people that cannot stand the messy look that this can create, consider planting some annuals amongst them to shield the untidiness until it has passed. Do not cut the spent leaves off. When this is over, you can lift if you wish, and store the bulbs in a cool, dark place, usually in the crisper of the fridge until ready to plant out the following year. They really need to be stored below 20C or you can kill the flower that formed in the bulb while absorbing their own energy back into them. They are the ultimate recyclers!

So go looking for a bare patch in your garden that can be filled with a swathe of daffodils, snowdrops, iris, bluebells or a mix of all the above and more. It is only limited by your vision and imagination. ENJOY!!!

- Gwen Pyke

Handy Hints

 Use a pants coat hanger to hold open a recipe book whilst cooking.

 Use an insulating can cover over your gear stick to keep it cooler on a hot day.

 When travelling, keep a bar of scented soap in with your dirty laundry to keep it smelling fresh

 Use a muffin tin to serve condiments at a barbeque or buffet. It will also help reduce your washing up.

 Paint your keys with different nail polishes to help identify them.

 Use a hanging shoe rack on the back of a door to store cleaning supplies.

 Cut open a toilet roll to place around unfinished rolls of wrapping paper. This will help stop them unravelling.

 If you sleep through your mobile phone alarm, try putting your smart phone in an empty glass. This will amplify the volume.

 Place a large rubber band around an open can of paint, to wipe your brush on. This also manages to keep paint out of the lip as well.

 Put a wooden spoon across a pan of boiling water to stop it boiling over.

 Put a stocking over the end of a vacuum hose to find small items like earrings.

 Add one teaspoon of baking soda to the water when boiling eggs. This will help the shell to come off cleanly.

 To get the built-up residue off a shower head, tie a freezer bag of vinegar around it, and leave overnight. It will clean everything off, with absolutely no work.

 Use a ring pull top to offset your clothes hangers. You will be surprised how much more room you have in your wardrobe.

 Rub a walnut on damaged wooden furniture, to cover up the marks.

 Use toothpaste to clean hazy headlight glass.

 Use a bread tab to hold your spot on any roll of tape.