Congratulations to last week’s winners

Volunteer of the Month

We have a $100 gift voucher to give away each month from Ashcroft’s Supa IGA and their charity Let’s Make Better.

To enter, simply nominate a person you deem worthy of the award, along with details of their good deed, and they will be in the running to be rewarded with a $100 gift voucher from IGA. Send their contact details to the address below, or email us on reception@oclife.com.au

“subject line - Volunteer of the Month”.

Find Pinny

We have a voucher for Orange Tenpin Bowl valued at $60 to give away each week, so the family can go bowling!

Each week we’ll hide a small version of “Pinny” (pictured) somewhere in OCLife. It could be anywhere. To enter, simply find him, write your name and phone number on the back of an envelope, along with the page number you found him on, and send in...

Looney Lotto

Win a voucher for Co ee and Cake at Coco’s valued at $20, treat yourself or a friend today.

TO WIN: If you have a personal or business phone number with these 4 numbers appearing in any order within it, put in an entry and we’ll draw a winner from among all correct entries each week.

Last weekend, our band, Town Hall Stringband, played a gig at the Railway Hotel in Spring Hill. If you haven’t been there before, I highly recommend a visit! The weather was perfect for an outdoor show in the beer garden. There was a decent amount of people there, enjoying a long lunch in the afternoon sun to the sound of good music. We even managed to get people up for a group dance. As I drove away from our gig, I was thinking about what made the afternoon so special. I think the answer lay in the concept of the “Village Pub”. I have always loved small country pubs. They are meeting places. They are a place where you can always find a listening ear. You can always find someone to talk with. It is a place where friendships blossom. They are the hub of a village. They are family-friendly. They are committed to the people they serve. I remember hearing someone once say that, “when the pub closes, the town dies.” You see this idea played out in the iconic Australian TV show from the 90s, Seachange where, along with the courthouse, the Tropical Star Hotel is the very heartbeat of the town. But where do we find community and belonging when the pub shuts its doors or when the beer runs out? Where can we find it when we feel that no one will listen to us in those moments we long for community? It can be found in another building that is also found in your local village. It’s the other significant building that stands, probably not too far away from the local pub: your local church. But here’s the di erence. Whilst a pub relies on its buildings and patrons to operate and build its community, the local church doesn’t. The local church is not the building, but the people inside it. Your local church may look unimpressive, the music probably isn’t as good as what you’ll find at the pub. But there is something unique, something deeply wonderful about these gatherings and its people. It is because they are made up of something that is beyond themselves. And each person has a story to tell of how, as the famous hymn Amazing Grace says: ‘I once was lost, but now am found, ‘twas blind but now I see.’ And the local church is for anyone. Anyone is welcome, anyone can come, anyone can experience this community. This is something that I have found with my local church, Orange Presbyterian Church. It is a place where you will be welcomed anytime. There will be people who will genuinely listen to you and care for you. And the reason? Because of the hope found in the words of that old hymn. Because of Jesus, the one who saves. So, as you visit your local pub, as you enjoy the sense of community that can be found there as people come and enjoy one another’s company and as you listen to good music, maybe you would like to come and see what happens in your local church too. And if you do, you may be surprised at what you find.