Kyogle Memorial Institute is the cultural hub of Kyogle community

From despair to unspeakable joy

Title: Long Flight Home

Author: Stephen Nethery Price: $23.99

Publisher: The Seventh Scribe

By Samantha Elley

When Frank Casey, as a young boy, told his father that he wanted to become a priest, he was laughed at and ridiculed.

He hid his humiliation and cast aside any thought of the priesthood a er that.

Instead he found his love for rugby at school and when the war arrived, he enlisted in the RAAF.

He survives a plane crash and a POW camp, to then fall in love with a beautiful woman who he proposes to.

Weeks before the wedding a serious car crash changes Frank’s life outlook and the desire he had as a little boy resurfaces in full force.

Frank’s next decision to become a priest

The latest improvements to the Kyogle Memorial Institute (KMI) have cemented the hall’s standing as the cultural hub of the Kyogle community, Kyogle Mayor Kylie Webster said.

The work completed earlier this month includes new cinemastyle seating in the gallery overlooking the stage, movable stackable chairs for the hall, a mechanical winch system for new lighting bars over the stage and audience; acoustic improvements (centre-fll speaker arrangement; ceiling hung acoustic panels, curtains that hang on the walls); new stage curtains and scrim; and shelving.

Cr Webster said Council had also repaired a large area of the roof, built a new steel support structure over the stage to hold the new curtains and lights, and repaired a section of the gallery which had been damaged by a water leak. This latest project follows previous work to upgrade the Banquet Room and kitchen and create the Roxy Gallery space.

“Council has been progressively upgrading the KMI to ensure this wonderful building is safe, comfortable, and able to meet the needs of the community for years to come,” Cr Webster said.

The recently completed work, part funded by a Federal Government Creative Capital Grant, has received a tick www.coastlinecertification.com.au changes his whole life’s course, surprising those near and dear to him. of approval from the Village Hall Players.

It is not an easy road, however, and the memories of the cruelty of the Nazis, when he was in Buchenwald Concentration Camp, will need to be confronted.

Frank’s way of managing his issues on his own becomes a concern, but through support and his own faith, he comes through his darkest hours with a renewed compassion for those around him who have fallen on hard times.

His laconic and straightforward manner may earn him the ire of the church, but to those who matter, he is the priest with the common touch, dedicating his life to the under-privileged and dispossessed.

You will be inspired by Father Frank Casey.

Steve Nethery is a local author and this is his second novel.

To receive a signed copy of Long Flight Home, order from his website senethery. com or copies can also be purchased from Amazon.

“We are thrilled,” a spokesperson for the theatre group said.

“As well as the bigticket items, there were small thoughtful things like reading lights for the Stage Manager and off-prompt positions.

“Thank you, Kyogle Council, for making our hall so much better for cast, crew and audiences alike.”