Lifestyle1 issue 961

Throughout the year all the funds raised through the collection and recycling of the centre’s cans and bottles are donated the Appeal with the help of a small team of volunteers. Limestone Coast Employers we need you!! $$$ FOR ELIGIBLE EMPLOYERS!! Millicent man - good customer service skills - manual labour work School leaver - looking for retail work in Mt Gambier Man physically fit/presents well for retail work in Mt Gambier.

AXIS have people ready, willing & able to do these roles: Please contact the friendly AXIS team on 8723 1615

The Mount Gambier community is set to make a splash at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre at a much anticipated preview weekend, beginning on December 16.

City of Mount Gambier CEO Sarah Philpott said that the community can book a free swimming session and a tour of the state-of-the-art Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre on the preview weekend, December 16-18.

Bookings for the preview weekend are available online: Wulanda Preview - Come and Join Us - Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre at wulanda. com.au

“Given the level of community interest and excitement about Wulanda, we expect some

sessions to book out quickly, so don’t wait to book your spot,” Ms Philpott said.“Sport and recreation are crucial for the health and wellbeing of our community, and Wulanda is certain to be an extremely popular and rewarding place to connect with friends and family, be active and enjoy the extensive community facilities it provides.”

Wulanda operating partner Belgravia Leisure has put together an exciting preview weekend, with free two-hour pool sessions showcasing the revamped outdoor 50m pool and new indoor 25m pool, splash pad, program pool, and learn to swim pool. At the same time, the community can look at the eastern bank of timber courts, function and community rooms, and the health centre and

grab a coffee in the café.

Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre manager Jason Taylor said that Belgravia was committed to supporting the local economy.

“This means hiring local staff, engaging local suppliers, and keeping our region healthy through investing in resources from the area,” Mr Taylor said.

The community are invited to book a one-hour tour of Wulanda, which will provide an in depth showcase of what Wulanda offers to the community regarding community spaces, conventions, entertainment, sports, swimming, and leisure.

City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin OAM said the community had eagerly awaited Wulanda’s completion, and

the preview weekend was an incredible opportunity to see the facility up close.

“Wulanda responds to the community’s desire for quality aquatics and flexible sporting and event spaces,” Mayor Martin said. “It will stand the test of time in reinforcing the City of Mount Gambier and this region as a unique and preferred destination to enjoy for the future,” Mayor Martin said.

The Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre project is made possible with the support of the Federal Government Regional Growth Fund and the State Government Regional Growth Fund. City of Mount Gambier received funding partner support of $350,000 from the District Council of Grant.

Providing children’s soundtrack

The children and educators of Gladys Smith Early Learning Centre recently celebrated a special milestone with longtime friend of the Centre, Joycelin Walker. Mrs Walker has been sharing her love of music and movement with the Gladys Smith children for 4 years. Centre director Clara Walker expressesdher gratitude for generous support and dedication of this talented volunteer. “Mr Walker or MR Walker as the children call her, has a great sense of humour and has a genuine passion for children. She was a teacher who worked at both of Millicent’s kindergartens in the 70s. She comes to visit us once a week for an hour, playing the piano for the 3 to 5 year old children, with other age groups joining in at times too. She introduces new songs, as well as all-time favourites, bringing with her props for the children to dress in or hold while they join in and sing-along.”

Through music and dance children develop self-awareness, body concepts and spatial awareness along with confidence building, courage and risk taking in trying new things and having a go. The children also learn how to follow instructions, learn new mathematical concepts and extend their vocabulary and understanding of language all while having fun.

“Having real life music with a pianist makes us feel so fortunate and we are very lucky to call Mrs Walker our music teacher here at Gladys Smith Early Learning Centre,” Clara said.

Familiar face returns

Former tourism boss to head up vignerons association

The Coonawarra Vignerons Association (CVA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Hugh Koch as its new executive officer. Hugh will continue the outstanding work that Ockert le Roux has undertaken with the CVA.

Mr Koch was previously employed as Manager of Economic Development and Tourism, a senior executive officer with the Southern Grampians Shire Council, a position he has held since January 2010.

He will assume the new role by late January next year and will bring with him a broad range of skills and leadership experiences developed across various sectors, including Local and State Government, Tourism, Events, Hospitality, Marketing and Community Development.

“With a career in government and small business, I have the executive experience and ability to take on the Executive Officer’s role that would lead the CGWI through their next chapter,” Mr Koch said.

The incoming executive officer is no stranger to Coonawarra, or the Limestone Coast having previously established his very own restaurants in Robe and Penola. “I have

previously promoted Coonawarra as part of my role as Regional Marketing Manager - Limestone Coast; established and owned a restaurant in Penola where I lived with my partner Sophie, a winemaker with Katnook and Treasury Wine Estates at the time.

“Having been raised on a farming property at Nareen, in Western Victoria, practicing in small business and two tiers of government and an extensive community background has provided me with an extensive local knowledge of the broader region and the ability to empathise with people from all walks of life.

“This experience has given me a strong understanding of the community, the importance and processes of the wine industry in Coonawarra and excellent local knowledge of the people and attributes of the region.”

Over the years Mr Koch has undertaken extensive research to understand the complex nature of strategic economic and regional development, which he believes has enabled him to effectively develop, implement and monitor strategies that

contribute to the development of sustainable economic activity, executing strategic marketing and promotional campaigns for the Southern Grampians Shire.

“This experience will allow me an opportunity to deliver strategies and projects that will strengthen the Coonawarra brand and uplift its identity,” Mr Koch said.

“In addition, my previous work in developing strategies to support, maintain and grow businesses across the Southern Grampians Shire has allowed me to be in a unique position to assist in building the resilience at every level of a Coonawarra Vignerons members’ business.”

Arts funding for Riddoch Arts & Cultural Centre

expected to attract visitors from South Australia and interstate.

A focus on spreading kindness this festive season

This year, United Way Glenelg wants to help the community spread kindness and appreciation, shifting the focus from chocolates and gifts.

The Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar hopes to inspire the community to carry out one act of kindness every day for 25 days, simple gestures that bring about optimism and unity.

United Way Glenelg executive officer Nicole Carr said an act of kindness can take many forms.

“It might be as easy as saying hello to someone on the street, helping out a neighbour, or learning about a social issue to gain a new perspective,” Ms carr said. b “Last year we introduced the initiative to see many residents engage and demonstrate extraordinary acts of kindness, with some determined to carry out acts of kindness for the entire calendar year.

“When we see acts of kindness it warms the heart. Perhaps the most perfect part of true philanthropy is giving and not expecting anything in return.”

Ms Carr said that research, sure to gladden the heart of anyone who’s ever wondered whether their tiny acts of kindness have

larger consequences, has shown that generosity is contagious.

“For every person that takes action to make their community better, there is a domino effect. One person’s generosity spreads to three people, and then to ninemore after that. With just one act of local love, 12 people can be inspired and engaged to pay it forward. There’s no end to the ripple effects that follow!.”

Ms Carr said many people have been the recipient of a free coffee or opened the front door to find a meal on their doorstep.

“Often kindness comes at a time

when it is needed the most.”

The Advent Calender has been developed to keep acts free or low cost, making it inclusive for everyone to join in.

“Do it on your own, share the acts with a friend, or grab some mates and challenge one another,” Ms Carr said. “It’s easy and easy to do and will make you feel good too.”

United Way Glenelg is asking the community to photograph their act of kindness and upload them onto their socials using a special hashtag #glenelgactsofkindness

“We’d love to see what you are up to, and how this fun challenge is making an impact on you and the community in some small way.,” Ms carr said. “This will give us some great inspiration to share and to help others.”

The advent calendar can be downloaded from United Way Glenelg’s website https://www. unitedwayglenelg.com.au/getinvolved/glenelg-acts-of-localkindness.

ACTS OF KINDNESS: United Way Glenelg Board member Kara King is opening the door with a smile, demonstrating how easy an act of kindness can be!

The Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund provided $153,241 in support of six arts projects across regional South Australia in the August 2022 Project Grants round and Mount Gambier’s Riddoch Arts & Cultural Centre has secured a slice of that funding pie for an exhibition coming to the centre next year.. Riddoch Arts & Cultural Centre – MOUNT GAMBIER $26,915

Margaret Worth: Looking Out The Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre will host a retrospective exhibition that explores the breadth of practice by Victor Harbor-based artist Margaret Worth in August and September 2023. During her long career, Worth lived, studied and worked in New York among the most dynamic artists of the time, taught at several art schools and became a mother. Later in her career, Worth moved into public sculpture, harnessing the energies of wind and sound to create contemplative objects. The exhibition will be marketed nationally and is

MUSICAL MILESTONE: Valued centre volunteer Joycelin Walker celebrates 40 years of music with the children of the Gladys Smith Early Learning Centre.

Free pantry program continues to expand

More new pantries set to open in the community

Karreeta Peenyeet MaraPortland Child and Family Complex has just installed a Little FREE Pantry to support their community by giving access to not only food but infant supplies such as baby formula.

Located at the integrated facility, the pantry will be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and will be managed under the stewardship of the staff, children, and their families.

Pantry staples, pet food and hygiene items will be available at different times, but items cannot always be guaranteed.

The pantries are topped up by United Way Glenelg, each week, through a partnership with Warrnambool and District Food Share but most items will come as donations from the community.

United Way Glenelg executive officer Nicole Carr said the partnership with Warrnambool and District Foodshare means pantry staples such as baked beans, spaghetti, soup, and muesli bars are available at most times.

“Support from local businesses such as Harbour Lights Snack Bar who have forwarded donations made by their customers has given a greater variety in pantry options,” Ms Carr said.

Several other pantries are earmarked for installation in the Glenelg Shire community, one at Heywood & District Secondary College and another at Dartmoor Primary School. Once installed this will bring the total number of pantries to 10.

“As the cost of living rises and the holiday season approaches, many people are worried about how they will be able to afford to buy food and make nutritious meals,” Ms carr said.

“Food insecurity often happens when a household needs to spend more than 25 per cent of its disposable income

on food. Some residents are managing by reducing their meal sizes, while others are going whole days without food,”

Little FREE Pantry locations;

• Bundarra Primary School – Edgar Street Portland

• Casterton Primary SchoolMcPherson Street Casterton

• Elsa MacLeod Kindergarten –Henty Street Portland

• Heywood Consolidated Primary School – Kentbruck Road Heywood

• Kalbarri Kindergarten - Mitchell Crescent Portland

• Portland Primary School – Palmer Street Portland

• Portland South Primary School –Moorhouse Street Portland

• Portland Child & Family Complex - Julia Street Portland

If you wish to donate, simply purchase one of the following items [making sure all items are non-perishable, unopened & within best-before/use-by-date] and place it in the pantry.

• Long-life milk & fruit-juice (200mL & 1L)

• Rice, pasta, pasta sauce

• Non-perishable meat (Eg Jerky, Tinned Chicken/ Tuna/ Sardines/ Spam/ Ham)

• Tinned Fruit and Vegetables

• Breakfast items (Eg Instant Oats Sachets, Kellog’s variety packs, breakfast biscuits etc)

• Peanut butter and vegemite (small plastic jars preferred)

• Sachets of Sugar, Tea & Coffee

• Snacks (Eg non-perishable dip

Township planning

Have your say on Grant District Council plans

The District Council of Grant invites the community to provide their input towards the preparation of a Master Plan and Urban Design Framework to guide future development of private land and public spaces within its inner townships and communities.

Council is encouraging residents living and working in the following townships to attend the upcoming workshops: • Allendale East • Caveton / Wye • Compton • Glenburnie • Kongorong • Mil-Lel • Moorak • Mount Schank • OB Flat • Suttontown • Tarpeena • Worrolong • Yahl

WORKSHOPS:

• Tarpeena Football Club –Monday, December 5 – 7pm to 9pm

• Casadio Park – Tuesday, December 6 – 7pm to 9pm

• Allendale East Public Hall –Wednesday, December 7 – 7pm to 9pm

The three workshops aim to provide residents with the opportunity to share what they value, and key issues that impact them and their communities.

A consultant team has been appointed by council from MasterPlan and Outerspace Landscape Architects to prepare the Inner Townships Master Plan and Urban Design Framework. The project follows the success of the Urban Design Framework

and Master Plan for both Port MacDonnell, and the river and coastal communities.

District Council of Grant chief executive officer Darryl Whicker said council was excited to see this significant project commence and was looking forward to seeing it progressing over the coming months.

The consultant team will be working in the District Council of Grant area this week. In addition to engaging with the community, the team will be working closely with council staff in undertaking a detailed on-ground analysis of all townships and settlements.

A community drop-in session will also be held on Thursday, December 8, at the District Council of Grant Council Office from 1.30–3.30pm.

District Council of Grant Mayor, Kylie Boston, said it was intended that this project would create a shared vision for the future of these townships and communities. “This is a great opportunity to have your say about your community and its future direction,” Mayor Boston said. “This information will help guide council’s planning and budget allocation process.”

Following the sessions, the consultant team will work with District Council of Grant staff to collate all feedback received and create a draft Master Plan. This draft Master Plan will then be

presented for feedback at a series of community design workshops to be held early in 2023.

Concurrently with the Inner Townships projectc Council has also engaged MasterPlan to undertake a Strategic Land Use Priorities review.

This project is focussed on reviewing the supply and demand of land to accommodate future growth in the council area, including land for residential, rural living, commercial and industrial uses.

This project has reviewed previous work undertaken by council and will involve stakeholder and community engagement early next year.

and biscuits, salsa, muesli bars, multi-packs of chips/savoury biscuits, )

• Biscuits (Eg Salada’s, Vita Weet, breakfast biscuits)

• Feminine hygiene products

• Toiletries (Eg toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, sunscreen, combs, soap, cotton buds, body wipes, 2-in-1 shampoo/ conditioner)

• First Aid supplies (eg travel first-aid kits, band-aids, insect repellant,

sanitiser)

• Baby supplies (eg formula, nappies, wipes)

People requiring food, crisis & supported accommodation can visit Salvation Army, 33 Henty Street Portland or call 5521 8134 and St Vincent de Paul’s, 32 McPherson St Casterton Wed - Fri 10am - 4pm Sat 10am - 12noon or telephone (03)5581 2161.

Developing PRIMA ballerinas

undisputed dancing queen. Her own dancing career was outstanding and she has been passing on her knowledge to subsequent generations of dancers ever since. Maxine Lockwood has done it all and seen it all. From Mount Gambier to London and back again it was as a two and a half year old in 1962 that Maxine’s dance education began, working with Zelda Parker, and it has consumed her life from that point on.

Maxine was also a trailblazer. While it is reasonably common for parents to ferry their talented kids, whether it be for sport of performing arts, to major metropolitan centres for extra trainings and more elite opportunities, it was anything but in the 1960s and 70s. Maxine and her parents broke that mould, though, with the promising young dancer heading to Adelaide for dance lessons, before moving to the South Australian capital city permanently after two years of high school, to study ballet full time.

And it was a bold move that paid dividends with Maxine, as a 16 year old, accepted into the Royal Ballet School in London.

It saw the Mount Gambier born ballerina head to the UK on her own to take up such a prestigious and rare opportunity for an Australian dancer.

It set up a 12 months she will never forget as she rubbed shoulders with the best rising talent in the world and learned from some of dancing’s most revered teachers.

Not to say it wasn’t also a challenging 12 months for a teenager on her own on the opposite side of the world to everyone and everything she knew. Even in 2022, it would be a rare adventure for a teenager to undertake – most regionally based talents move within the borders of Australia and are usually well and truly finished school before any overseas opportunities are explored.

“I was very homesick in London,” Maxine said. “But it was a great experience. I started in the middle of the school year which made things difficult as well but I really did love it.”

Maxine’s time at the Royal Ballet School was a five day a week commitment, with her days staring at 8.30am. There were ballet classes, pointe work, pas de deux classes and a raft of other skill development to fill each day.

“It was different every day,” Maxine said.

And she was clearly good enough to be there, gaining the highest mark for her solo at the end of year assessments, performing as the Black Queen in Checkmate. In the end, Maxine’s greatest enemy was her height- she was 5”2 and 5”4 was considered the ideal height. For Maxine, ballet literally became a game of inches.

And as enriching as the London experience was, from a financial point of view, as well, it was only ever a short term opportunity and Maxine returned to Australia.

She investigated other dancing opportunities, including cruise ships, but felt contemporary wasn’t where her skill or passion lay, but having grown up with a mother training her to be a ballerina and a

strong.

“One of the top teachers in Adelaide suggested I try getting into teaching and as soon as I started doing that, I knew this was what I wanted to do,” Maxine said, completing two years of study to gain her teaching qualifications.

She spent a year in Millicent taking over that dance school before setting up her own school –Maryke Dance Academy.

That was 37 years ago and she had 32 students in those early days when her studio was in the former Arthur’s Studio, an iconic local photography business.

After two years she moved to the Commonwealth Bank building and then to her current home on Pine Hall Avenue at Suttontown.

In a twist of fate, Maryke Dance Academy hit its peak enrolments at the beginning of 2020 and then COVID hit and dance school were one of those had hit areas along with gyms and hospitality that were shutdown longer and with more intense restrictions that so many other industries.

That was also the year Maxine was set to celebrate her 35th

hold.

Ballet, jazz and tap are the main genres on offer and just as Maxine has seen her passion for tap exceed all other dancing options, so, too, it has become the most popular of the classes at her respected dance academy.

Ballet will always be a mainstay though – it such a critical foundation for any dancer, whether they want to perform Swan Lake or the latest hip hop number.

“Once you’ve done ballet, the footwork, the legs and other techniques flow into jazz,” Maxine said. “The arm lines in ballet also complement tap and jazz. You can tell if a dancer hasn’t done ballet. It also develops a dancer’s overall strength.”

Despite the fact ballet consumed Maxine’s formative years, she understands the discipline of ballet can be challenging for young dancers.

“There is so much to remember and so many exercises to master,” she said.

But just as she had the will and passion to perfect those ballet

“...it was a great experience. I started in the middle of the school year which made things difficult as well but I really did love it...” Maxine Lockwood

fundamentals and see how far she could take her dancing, so, too, she has had exceptionally talented students that she has been able to develop and nurture and go on to significant careers.

Rachel Walsh ended up at the Queensland ballet and is still involved in the Sunshine State, while Lisa Robinson ended up in Toronto, while Luke Ingham was initially part of the Australian Ballet and has also danced in the United States.

“I have also had a few other dancers move to Queensland and New South Wales and start their own schools,” Maxine said.

HOLLY ALLISON

Holly Allison is one of the shining lights at Maryke Dance Academy and her past 18 months has proved she is a star on the rise.

Her recent topping of the State in her ballet exams further proof of her talent in a 12 month period where she won the Sir Robert Helpmann Memorial Perpetual Trophy solo scholarship at the Mount Gambier Dance Eisteddfod for the second successive year (pictured right).

“My main highlight this year was winning the Sir Robert Helpmann Classical Championship for the second year in a row and winning the CSTD State Classical Award,” Holly said

She has also been part of the Australian Ballet School’s interstate training program and has been since she was eight and continues to make her mark at every competition on the regional, State and national stage.

And she has another potential star under her tutelage with Holly Allison making her mark on the national stage (see breakout box for Holly’s story).

Holly was one of three Maryke Dance Academy students to recently excel in their Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dance exams.

“They were major exams – they were the difference between being at primary school to high school,” Maxine said. “The girls were with me three or four times a week working towards their exams and I was ecstatic with the results.”

commended; Bessie Leake secured honours plus, which means she scored in the 95-100 bracket and Holly topped the State, accepting her award while dancing at a showcase in Adelaide.

Maryke Dance Academy is ser to showcase its latest crop of talented dancers at its annual concert at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre – the 36th time Mount Gambier’s premier theatre space has hosted the showcase – Friday, December 16 at 7pm and Saturday, December 17 at 2pm. Tickets are on sale now for the two concerts

“She’s so dedicated,” teacher Maxine Lockwood said. “I love teaching her – she takes everything on board and is always doing her best to correct things.”

According to her Miss Lockwood, the value of the Australian Ballet School program has really shone through for her star student.

“At the beginning it was slow going,” Mrs Lockwood said. “They strip it right back to basics and really build technique but in the past year you can see things starting to click.”

And Holly has loved her time at the Melbourne based school as she looks to continue to develop her dancing.

“I really enjoyed her time at the Australian Ballet School this year, especially the intensive week in April where I spent the week at the school,” Holly said.

The Maryke Dance Academy director said you can spot the talented and driven dancers early on.

“You can tell if they’re just here for enjoyment and you can tell if they are here for that and more – Holly is one of those,” Mrs Lockwood said. “She wants to go further, she loves a challenge, she is just someone who wants to do well.”

Her focus of recent weeks is preparing for the end of year concerts on December 16 and 17 and she has already mapped out her 2023 goals.

“I am working towards sitting my intermediate exam in 2023 as well as working towards eisteddfods,” Holly said. “I am also looking at auditioning for another production if timing suits as well as continuing my training with Miss Lockwood and working towards studying ballet full time in the future. I would love to do ballet full time, to get into a company and maybe even one day the Royal Ballet.

Barry Maney Group receives Rotary honour

The Barry Maney Group has been recognised by the Rotary Club of Mount Gambier Lakes with a certificate of appreciation, acknowledging the key role the Mount Gambier business has played in the club’s Headlight Check Program, which is held annually.

An initiative that started in 2002 in the Woolworths carpark on a Sunday afternoon, is now a well-patronised Thursday night at the Barry Maney Group premises with assistance from Maney staff, usually around 10 personnel, working alongside the Rotary members.

Millicent, Naracoorte, Bordertown and Casterton have also joined the program in recent years.

Barry Maney Group representative Shannon Wilson (left) was on hand at this month’s Rotary meeting to receive the honour from member Darren Archibald (right).

Community groups benefit from Blue Lake Fun Run

The true Christmas message

A

carols

Throughout the evening the church children re-enacted the story of the birth of Jesus.

Father Neil Fernando (pictured) was delighted with such a good attendance and said the purpose of the service was to get the message out that the Christmas season was not about Santa Claus and presents but had a deeper meaning - the birth of Jesus.

In thanking the participants

Church Warden Sandy Coulson CSM said that Mount Gambier had become home for people seeking a safe haven from war and persecution since the 1840s.

A collection was taken during the service with $500 being presented to Mayor Martin for the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal and $500 to the local branch of the Red Cross to help Australians affected by the current floods.

Strong push for local cancer treatment centre

The former Federal Coalition

Radiation

in 2019

announced,

Australia

investing in additional health infrastructure. In August 2020, public and private service providers were invited to apply for the $45.5 million grant program to develop regional radiation treatment centres for local cancer patients in nominated regions including in the Limestone Coast. In response to this invitation, a grant application for a treatment centre at Mount Gambier was received by the Federal Government but Mr Pasin said this application did not proceed because the Marshall South Australian Government did not commit to supporting a service in Mount Gambier. “It’s incredibly disappointing that our State Government didn’t see merit in establishing local cancer treatment services in the Limestone Coast,” Mr Pasin said.

Mr Pasin said he had written to the State and Federal Minister’s encouraging both levels of Government to commit to delivering a Cancer Treatment Centre, utilising the Federal Government funding that remained available from the 2019 Coalition Government budget.

“Multiple studies have shown that cancer survival rates are lower in regional areas and that distance from, and utilisation of radiation therapy is a significant factor in these statistics,” Mr Pasin said. “The former Coalition Government recognised that cancer patients in rural and regional areas experience difficulties in accessing treatment close to home, and that the need to travel long distances comes with additional stresses at a time patients least need it.”

Patients in the Limestone Coast are currently expected to travel up to four hours a day to receive treatment in Warrnambool or Adelaide, often for treatment as short as 15 minutes.

“There are huge benefits to bringing cancer treatment closer to home for the health and wellbeing of our community,” Mr Pasin said. “I want to ensure the community is informed on the issue and that State and Federal Government Minister’s deliver what was promised. It’s all part of my work to make the Limestone Coast an even better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Those that attend will hear from representatives of Icon Group who manage more than 30 cancer treatment centres across Australia including in Adelaide and Warrnambool.

The community forum will be held at the City Hall Dress Circle at the Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre (Main Corner). Registrations open at 4.45pm for a 5pm start, this Thursday.

The Blue Lake Fun Run is not just a community event that promotes health and wellbeing, it is also a communtiy fundraiser with six local groups benefitting from the return of the event at the end of last month.

1. Mount Gambier Parkrun; 2. Mount Gambier Breast Cancer Awareness Group; Limestone Coast Domestic Violence Service; 4. Mount Gambier Mayor’s Community Christmas Appeal; 5. Limestone Coast Prostate Cancer Support Group; 6. Lifeboat SE

A carols and culture evening was held at Christ Church Mount Gambier at the end of last month.

More than 270 people sat in the church itself or the adjacent hall to listen to readings about the birth of Jesus, read by religious leaders and representatives of the different ethnic communities who call Mount Gambier home. City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin OAM gave one of the readings.

variety of

and Christmas songs were also sung and performers came from local schools Tenison Woods College and St Martins Lutheran College, local groups such as Phoenix, singers of German heritage, from Sri Lanka and a variety of African

countries including Nigeria and South Africa. Traditional carols were also sung by the entire congregation.

Member for Barker Tony Pasin is holding a community forum this Thursday to discuss the need for a Cancer Treatment Centre in the Limestone Coast.

Government

Fighting Cancer – Regional Cancer Treatment Centres for

Therapy program

to expand cancer treatment capacity throughout regional

by

Taking on an iconic business

Young

couple brings their

vision for the future to new challenge

Sometimes in life the planets align and for Kane de Wit and Amy Boyd (pictured right) that’s exactly what happened. As they were looking for a new challenge and a business opportunity Arena Sports Store came on the market as long time owner of the 54 year old business, Michael Pitt, looked to start a new chapter in his life. “It really did just come up at the right time for us,” Kane said. Taking on the Commercial Street East business has been a balancing act for the couple – Kane being a key cog in the Pioneers Men’s program and Amy being a school teacher –but they have loved this new era in their lives.

“We have rebranded the store as Arena Surf & Sports and we are looking to really expand the surf side of the business,” Kane said. The redesigned logo and new look colour scheme is just the beginning

of the transformation but Kane and Amy realise for a business to last more than 50 years, so much of what it was doing must be right.

“We are so lucky we have been able to keep Marianne (Walters) and Kellie (Elshaug) who have been at Arena for so long and know what customers want and what works and what doesn’t,” Kane said. “It has definitely made it easier for us to come in and learn from them.”

The new branding has brought a new look to Arena Surf & Sports but also looked to tell the story of the past and present as well with the business establishment date included, along with the representation of key Mount Gambier landmark, Centenary Tower.

Rip Curl will continue to be Arena’s flagship brand, but the duo is working hard on expanding the surf stock in store, from clothing to boards, from wetsuits to accessories and it is all housed in its own dedicated space at the rear of the store.

Kane brings a level of experience to his new role as

business owner, having managed a fitness equipment business during his time in Adelaide and sees running his own business as a way of staying involved in his hometown community. And Arena Surf & Sports has already given

back to the community, donating shoes to Uniting Communities Pride in Your Stride homelessness campaign earlier this year and also support a numb er of the region’s sporting clubs.

This month’s rebranding has

been just the first step in what is a clear vision for the new Arena owners as they look to build on Michael Pitt’s success while creating their own future and ensuring the business not just survives but thrives.

Supporting the community

Mount Gambier Central proud to be promoting the Mount Gambier Mayor’s Community Christmas Appeal & Santa photos are now on offer

Each year, the Mount Gambier Community Mayor’s Christmas Appeal (launch pictured above right) plays a critical role in ensuring that vulnerable and isolated people in our city experience the joy of Christmas.

Just $50 can help one local family, with demand expected to be higher than ever due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

All donations to the appeal are distributed through the Christmas Cheer Program delivered by the following agencies:

• Uniting Care

• ac.care

• Lifeline SE

• St Vincent De Paul

• The Salvation Army

Why support the Mount Gambier Community Mayor’s Christmas Appeal:

o The appeal relies solely on the support of local donors – the service is additional to the role played by local agencies and is

not possible without contributions from local individuals, families, groups and businesses.

o Demand for support is increasing and the service is becoming stretched - while contributions from the local community have been reasonably consistent, the demand for support at Christmas has increased by almost 20% over the past five years.

o The appeal is a unique local initiative - 100% of the funds are sourced and distributed locally.

The City of Mount Gambier supports the Mount Gambier Community Mayor’s Christmas Appeal by acting as a collection point for the agencies.

Outside any fees charged by the financial institutions, one hundred per cent of your donation is distributed to the participating agencies.

Donations can be made through the following channels:

1. Call Council on (08) 8721 2555

with your credit card details on hand.

2. In person at the City of Mount Gambier customer service counter - Civic Centre, 10 Watson Terrace.

3. Send a cheque made out to ‘City of Mount Gambier’ PO Box 56 Mount Gambier SA 5290 with advice that the cheque is a donation to the Mayor’s Community Christmas Appeal.

For further details or any questions regarding the appeal, contact City of Mount Gambier on (08)8721 2555 or email city@mountgambier.sa.gov.au

Mount Gambier Central are proud to continue to play a significant role in supporting the fundraising for the Mount Gambier Community Mayor’s Christmas Appeal and helping raise awareness of the appeal over the past 11 years.

Throughout the year all the funds raised through the collection and recycling of the centre’s

cans and bottles are donated the Appeal with the help of a small team of volunteers.

Mount Gambier Central are again this year donating $1 from each Santa photo sitting to the Appeal.

Santa photos are only $6 for a 6x4 photo and photo mount and a free gift for every child.

Santa will arrive at Mount Gambier Central on Saturday, December 10 at 10am and will be at the centre daily between 10am and 2pm until Christmas Eve and 4pm to 7pm on Thursday December 15 & 22.

To visit Santa, you will need to pre-book online at www. mountgambiercentral.com.au

For Santa photo packages and more information on Mount Gambier Central’s Santa Photos visit: www.mountgambiercentral. com.au

SOUTH EAST COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION CHRISTMAS SHOW MOUNT GAMBIER RSL & DISTICT BOWSL CLUB • MOUNT GAMBIER December

MILLICENT

Riddoch exhibition opening

Total devotion to saving local wildlife

Robe wellbeing festival hands over donations to two local animal rescue projects

Health Harmony and Happiness Inc. has recently made a donation to Jodie Hutchins, from Born Free Native Wildlife Care, in Millicent. This will assist in covering some of the many costs Jodie has such as fencing, food and veterinary bills. Jodie is on call 24/7 and has been looking after wildlife for 20 years.

When she lived in the eastern states, Jodie was a member of WIRES, which organised courses for animal carers. Those courses were renewed every three years. South Australia does not have a system like this and other differences between the states is that in South Australia she is unable to release the animals for which she cares. At present she has no space for more kangaroos. Other creatures she cares for include ring-tailed possums, which have been attacked by cats and need speedy veterinary care to save them. Jodie also has galahs, which have been hit by cars.

Narelle Marshall’s Duck-A-Roo Animal Rescue also received a donation to assist with ongoing costs. Narelle gratefully received her donation that is supported each festival by an artwork donation from Neil Welsh from Robe Icecream Shop. The next festival will be held on January 13 & 14.

artist Kate Rohde with Gina Raisin & Bianca Richardson

Riddoch Atrs & Cultural Centre manager Diana Warnes & exhibiting artist Kate Rohde

Dancing is in their DNA

MJ Dance duo headed to Sydney dance school

Espoir Alpha and Anton Gabutina are fast approaching the end of a pivotal chapter in their lives. They have an end of year concert and a trip to Queensland to compete at National Showcase and then their time at Mount Gambier’s MJ Dance Studio will be over.

Their lives started thousands of kilometres apart but when they both ended up living in Mount Gambier and attending school at Mount Gambier High School a friendship grew and it wasn’t long before they both realised dancing, which is clearly in their cultural DNA, was a shared passion.

For Espoir, Anton was the one who made him feel welcome at Mount Gambier High School, when he felt isolated and for Anton, Espoir started out as a potential rival and became a creative collaborator and the duo’s next chapter sees them following a parallel path – together.

Both were inspired by their family heritage, both coming from homes where dancing was front and centre as part of celebrations, and both found American dance movies in the style of Step It Up equally inspiring.

Hip hop is their first and current love but they have both enjoyed expanding their repertoire, taking ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and acro classes along the way.

Initially Hype Dance was their home but they both decided to head to MJ Dance to expand their dance education. That dance education is set to be further expanded as both head to Sydney having won a place in the prestigious Brent Street performing arts program, following in the footsteps of many MJ alumni. Having got through the audition process and secured a coveted position in the acclaimed program, their biggest challenge now is finding somewhere to live.

For Espoir, who migrated to Australia six years ago from the Congo, dancing has been an influential part of his life since he was a child. “I started dancing when I was five years old. When you go outside, there are people dancing (in the street). You get into little groups and just start dancing,” he said. Over the years, Espoir’s dancing evolved into a mixture of culturally-infused hip-hop.

Anton relocated to Australia in 2011 as an 11 year old boy from the Philippines, and has vivid memories of dancing with his brother and cousins in the living room of his Quezon City home. “All my cousins and relatives are into the arts - they sing and dance, so I was brought up in a dance culture,” Anton said. “When you look out onto the streets, you always see kids dancing, and I always thought it was a normal thing, until I came here (to Mount Gambier).”

Of course, for the duo, dancing is still normal and they spend almost every waking moment at the MJ Dance studios. Although since finishing school they have found time for jobs, Anton at Zambrero Mount Gambier and Espoir at a mill. “We are both just trying to earn as much money as we can before we move to Sydney,” Anton said Both are looking forward to the next chapter of their dance journey and how time at Brent Street will open up new opportunities going forward.

“I am looking forward to expanding my skill set and seeing where I can take it,” Anton said.

“I would like to earn a place in a dance company, teach full time or work on a cruise ship.”

Espoir has similar hopes for his big move to Sydney. “I am looking forward to meeting new people, learn more techniques and dancing styles and hopefully end up with a job on a cruise ship or something like that,” he said.

Given Espoir and Anton both had such strong dance heritage in their families, it was not only natural that they would pursue a dance career but that even before they have stepped into the professional sphere, they have put together their own dance production, telling that very personal story.

It was back in May that the production, Dancing with Lolo and Pap hit the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre stage – a production more than 12 months in the making as they worked side by side with professional choreographer Anya McKee developing a

contemporary dance referencing Anton’s lolo (grandfather) and Espoir’s papa (father). The production included snippets of family interviews and a short film exploring the relationship between a father and daughter through a dancing lens.

It was in 2020 the duo started working with Anya, a member of Sydney-based company Dance Makers Collective, to perform in the production Dancing with Dads.

After COVID thwarted the show at the Helpmann, the pair continued their mentorship with Anya to produce the off-shoot production Dancing with Lolo and Papa. “Anya is very intricate with her movements. It definitely made me learn that the littlest things can be very big,” Anton said. “She really opened my eyes to the whole contemporary world.”

Embodying the essence of their paternal figures, Dancing with Lolo and Papa was an intimate portrayal of two men they admire deeply. “Growing up, (my grandfather) was my idol, and now

it’s kind of cool that through my passion in dance… the person I look up to, I get to project him on stage,” Anton said.

For several months, Espoir and Anton studiously observed the mannerisms, quirks and characteristics of their muses. “It’s emotional how you have to act like your dad and reflect him… everything he does, you have to act it out,” Espoir said. “I never looked at how my dad walked or talked, but then I started to investigate how he moved and spoke and acted, so it would come in my mind when I was on stage.”

Interlaced throughout the dance were audio snippets of lolo and papa from interviews conducted by Espoir and Anton. Both view dancing as an expressive language intrinsic to their lives. “I

dance because it’s in my body, it’s in my blood,” Espoir said. “I feel it – I like to dance when I’m happy, sad, anytime.”

For Anton, dancing is an emotional release. “If you’re dancing; not to impress, but just from what you feel, they can see inside your soul how you’re feeling. It’s the rawest way to see someone’s emotions,” Anton said.

“If you have no one to talk to, you can talk to yourself through dance.”

The Dancing with Lolo and Papa was part of the Local and Live program that saw the young dancers receive access to the Helpmann stage and technical expertise. The Country Arts SA program supports local artists with professional opportunities, resources and a platform to showcase their talents.

Helpmann

Frank Morello said supporting a production that meant so much to the dancers was deeply rewarding.

“Coming from a migrant background, the dance certainly struck a chord with me,” Mr Morello said. “It’s great to see two young artists working hard and committing time and energy to further their passions and careers.”

And they are now set to take a significant step in that career.

You can see Anton and Espoir in action at this weekend’s annual MJ Dance Studio concerts at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre with performances this Saturday at 2pm and 7pm.

Both boys are looking forward to their farewell local performance alongside their fellow MJ dancers.

“MJ is like family to me,” Espoir said. “I am excited about this weekend’s concerts but it is also sad that it is the last time we will perform with MJ.”

Both Anton and Espoir have not just been star students at MJ but also have taken on teaching roles.

Theatre manager

“...I am excited about this weekend’s concerts but it is also sad that it is the last time we will perform with MJ..” Espoir Alpha

BrainTeaser

1. Where was the 1st Test between Australia and the West Indies was played at which Australian cricket ground?

2. Melbourne Storm star Cameron Munster and former AFL star turned media personality Dale Thomas both did what in the past couple of weeks?

3. What is the capital of Switzerland?

4. Which Australian city would you be visiting if you were at Federation Square?

5. Adele is currently performing a Las Vegas residency at which hotel and casino?

6. The international headquarters of the Red Cross are in which European city?

7. Who was the number one pick at the 2022 AFL Draft?

8. Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is the captain of which country’s FIFA World Cup team?

9. Which country singer is best known for his runaway 1991 hit Achy Breaky Heart?

10. Which fellow Australian paid $150,000 for a signed Hugh Jackman hat?

11. What colour is the star on the Moroccan national flag?

12. No Second Prize was the debut single of which Australian rocker, who also made his name as the front man of a much loved band?

13. What was the name of Raj Koothrappali’s dog in the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory?

14. Abyssinian and Russian Blue are breeds of which domestic animal?

15. The Latin phrase ‘Cogito, ergo sum’ translates to what saying?

16. Which team won the AFLW grand final held this month?

17. English actor Emma Corrin played which role in the fourth season of the Netflix series The Crown?

18. For which two clubs did Brownlow Medallist turned media

personality Gerard Healy play?

19. The late, great David Hookes represented which State in the Sheffield Shield?

20. Multi-award winning artist Billie Eilish won an Oscar for the theme song of which movie? 21. How many metres in a kilometre?

22. Which two runners took out the 2022 Blue Lake Fun Run inaugural half marathon (male & female categories)?

23. Vidal Sassoon was best known for his work in which area of the beauty industry?

24. Volupte & alibi are fragrances from which high end fashion house?

25. Tim Cook is the CEO of which major tech giant? 26. The late Alex Trebek was the long standing host of which long running quiz show? 27. Aaron Falk is the chief protagonist of which Australian author’s debut novel? 28. Emerald City is a satirical play by which prolific and award winning Australian playwright? 29. Who is the captain of the Socceroos? 30. Patricia Hobart is a central character in which film franchise? 31. Don Giovanni and The Magic Flite are operas by which composer? 32. In honour of which star player is the Melbourne Vixens club best & fairest medal? 33. Which three countries did the Socceroos play in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup? 34. K is the chemical symbol for which element? 35. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger founded which social media platform? 36. In which Australian State would you be visiting if you were in Jamestown? 37. Which author created the character Tom Sawyer? 38. How many players make up a cricket team? 39. Anfield is the home ground of which EPL giant? 40. What is the capital of Costa Rica?

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21- April 20)

Lucky Colour: White

Lucky Day: Friday

Racing Numbers: 2-3-6-9

Lotto Numbers: 2-13-15-26-39-34

A good idea would be to listen to someone older and wiser you can never have too much help. Surprising period in which many of your wishes could come true suddenly.

TAURUS (April 21- May 20)

Lucky Colour: Peach

Lucky Day: Monday

Racing Numbers: 4-6-5-8

Lotto Numbers: 4-12-26-29-8-33

If you can keep your thoughts to yourself you should be managing well with irritable people. No good getting too excited about family matters they will work themselves out very soon.

GEMINI (May 21- June 21)

Lucky Colour: Yellow

Lucky Day: Tuesday

Racing Numbers: 4-6-8-5

Lotto Numbers: 4-6-5-2-19-36

Best would be to keep away from people that annoy you and just enjoy the company of friends. Pushing your own ideas might not work well during this period, wait till later on.

CANCER

(June 22- July 22)

Lucky Colour: Green Lucky Day: Thursday

Racing Numbers: 1-3-9-5 Lotto Numbers: 1-15-26-45-42-24

Love life should be blooming and many will find the one and only. Do not let yourself slip into working matters some people could be watching your performance.

LEO (July 23- August 22)

Lucky Colour: Blue Lucky Day: Friday

Racing Numbers: 1-3-5-9

Lotto Numbers: 1-15-26-36-38-40

Might be a difficult period to stay away from family problems try not to let yourself get too excited about them though. Financial matters could get out of hand if you are not careful.

VIRGO (August 23- September 23)

Lucky Colour: Green Lucky Day: Sunday

Racing Numbers: 6-5-2-3 Lotto Numbers: 6-12-25-40-32-33

Very busy social period and your love interests should deepen. There could be a problem with someone who insists on something that you do not agree with, try to keep calm about it.

LIBRA (September 24- October 23)

Lucky Colour: Red Lucky Day: Wednesday

Racing Numbers: 4-6-2-3 Lotto Numbers: 4-12-26-36-35-2

You should be benefiting from something you have worked so hard towards for the last year or so. Someone you have not seen for a long time could return into your life again.

SCORPIO (October 24- November 22)

Lucky Colour: Grey

Lucky Day: Wednesday

Racing Numbers: 4-6-2-5 Lotto Numbers: 2-13-26-25-45-40

You might be slightly disappointed about your travel plans but it will turn out to be the best in the long run. Try not to be too stubborn about your own ideas they will be noted soon enough.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23- December 20)

Lucky Colour: Green Lucky Day: Monday

Racing Numbers: 4-3-2-5 Lotto Numbers: 4-12-23-36-35-8

Someone could be quite upset about your involvements more than you expected to happen. Tact and charm will help you a lot during this period and money matters seem to improve suddenly.

CAPRICORN (December 21- January 19)

Lucky Colour: Yellow

Lucky Day: Sunday

Racing Numbers: 1-3-5-2 Lotto Numbers: 1-12-15-26-36-39

Very romantic period with a new love interest and happy moments for many. You seem to be doing everything right at the moment so do not let opportunities slip through your fingers.

AQUARIUS (January 20- February 19)

Lucky Colour: Cream

Lucky Day: Saturday

Racing Numbers: 9-6-3-2 Lotto Numbers: 9-6-3-32-20-12

News from faraway could change your plans a lot in the future. Any business deal started during this period have a good chance to succeed also your luck is good in real estate or property matters.

PISCES (February 20- March 20)

Lucky Colour: Blue

Lucky Day: Friday

Racing Numbers: 4-9-8-7

Lotto Numbers: 7-5-12-26-36-39

Very happy and energetic period in which you could meet people who are in a position to help you in your efforts. Travel will be successful and some of it very pleasant also.

with Sarah Kulkens

Reels Film Society in focus

Seventy-six members of Reels Film Society enjoyed their November movie night at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre in Mount Gambier and gave the movie Frantz, a drama, romance movie from France and Germany movie their highest star rating for the year. Reels is well on the road to recovery after enduring the years of COVID restrictions. A new committee is in place, membership is rebuilding and the 2023 programme of limited release and art house movies has been scheduled fornext year. Theatregoers at the last movie, after enjoying their complimentary drink from the society’s Charlie Miller bar, received a mini presentation of the coming attractions for 2023, a blend of genres and award winning international successes. Viewers will be in for a delightful sensory treat with the mouth watering historical comedy Delicious that will draw their successful 2022 season to a close on December 22. A sumptuous tale set against the back drop of pre revolutionary France, Delicious is a film about the opening of the first restaurant leading to a revolution in haute cuisine. Memberships are now available for 2023 with membership rates for full members, concession card holders and a three month ticket with fees ranging from $30 to $75. There is also a ‘come and try’ option and full details are available on the website http:// reelsatwehl-filmsociety.blogspot.com/

Tourism operator keen to reinvigorate visitor economy

A Limestone Coast business will hit the world stage next year in a bid to drive international visitors to this region.

Penola-based bespoke luxury touring and concierge service ‘Coonawarra Experiences’ will join key South Australian tourism operators on International Roadshows to North America, UK and Europe next year, in a first for a Limestone Coast tour operator.

An initiative of the South Australian Tourism Commission, the roadshows support tourism operators to build relationships with key international travel partners, updating them on tourism products and experiences for their clients, and involves a rigorous selection process.

Lemon garlic salmon

2 lemons

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 (about 600g) skinless salmon fillets

80g butter, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp chopped fresh continental parsley leaves, plus extra leaves, to serve

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

Method

Juice 1 lemon . Cut the remaining lemon into thick slices. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook lemon slices for 2 minutes each side or until caramelised. Transfer to a plate. Add the salmon , top-side down, to pan and cook for 2 minutes or until golden. Turn over salmon and move to 1 side of pan. Add the butter , garlic and parsley to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add lemon juice, lemon slices and asparagus . Bring to boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with a fork in the thickest part. Spoon the butter mixture over the fish. Top with extra parsley to serve.

According to Coonawarra Experiences director Simon Meares the roadshow was an exciting opportunity to showcase the Limestone Coast and its assets in the face of fierce competition for the international visitor dollar in a post-covid environment.

“Just over five years ago we were new to the region and started our business – now we’re taking our product to the international market,” Simon said.

“Through collaboration there’s so much potential for regional tourism operators and we’re excited to fly the flag for this incredible region.”

Mr Meares is calling on Limestone Coast and Western Victoria tourism operators including accommodation and experience providers to contact them with

tourism products that are either internationally ready, or with ideas that could be developed into offerings for late 2023, early 2024.

“We’re keen to hear from operators with their big ideas and unique experiences that are not available at a ticket window, designed with the international visitor in mind – and are more than happy to assist with developing them if they are at the concept stage,” he said.

“Coonawarra is an important conduit between Melbourne and Adelaide, linking many regional, well known tourism destinations including the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians right through

to McLaren Vale and Kangaroo Island.

“It’s vital we draw on both our proximity to Victoria, and the selfdrive market to attract visitors to our region,”.

Tourism operators can contact Simon Meares on info@ coonawarraexperiences.com.au or 0404 092 611.

ENJOYING MOVIE NIGHT: 1. Cathy Hughes, Dale Price and Catherine Allen; 2. Lilija Quill, Mary Walsh & Denise Byrne 3. Robin & Caroline Weston; 4. Marie Valenzuela with Bernie & Dick Passauer.

CLEANING TIPS

Spray the cloth, not the surface, so you don’t have to spend time wiping off any excess and so you don’t miss anything, work the room. Start at the door and move clockwise around the room, cleaning everything on and against the wall, then clean furniture in the middle of the room. And while you ahve it out vacuum everything – the inside of the fridge, the oven, the toaster and the cutlery drawer.

Pet Care

TDC are excited to offer 20194 Riddoch

Highway Mt Gambier, this 131-acre property is only 5 mins North from the city limits and overlooks the Mt Gambier Airport. A productive allotment with over 100 acres of the parcel able to be irrigated with either the 50-acre pivot or the use of a travelling irrigator. A large machinery shed with concrete floor with attached lunchroom adorns the top of the first rise while down in the flat is a hay shed next to an impressive set of cattle yards. The property

is well fenced into 7 paddocks and is watered via 2 windmills. The pivot has a great stand of lucerne over half with an annual with remnant stands being present, the other paddocks are all improved pastures of clover and ryegrass. This property would make an ideal addition to anyones holding or a perfect place to build your dream home (STCC). Contact Mark De Garis 0428 372 124, Darren Maney 0428 849 101 or Tom Pearce 0427 642 138 today to arrange your inspection.

Mice are highly sociable animals, so you should keep at least two of them together. Also make sure you give your mice plenty of enjoyable human interaction! To enjoy human handling, mice need to become accustomed to it from a young age, through gentle and frequent handling. Make sure you support their entire body when you handle them (don’t pick them up by the tail!); and closely supervise children around mice.

12 Wilson Street, Mount Gambier

NEW > BE PREPARED TO BE WOWED!

Extensively renovated & oozing charm & beauty, this gorgeous home is set to impress! Situated in a fantastic central location & only a short stroll away from the CBD. Freshly painted both inside & out, you are immediately drawn to the modern exterior colour pallet, gorgeous front verandah & low maintenance front yard. Huge kitchen offers plenty of storage cupboards, dishwasher, large oven & gas cooktop, breakfast bar & WI pantry. As you step down into the newly extended area, the living & dining are combined whilst a door separates the living from the master bedroom with ensuite, BIR’s, s/s air conditione & study. Internal access from the garage is via the dining area while sliding doors also lead out to the undercover alfresco ar overlooking the large backyard with Colorbond garden shed.

NEW > DREAMING OF A HOUSE WITH 2.5 ACRES EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST CLOSING THURSDAY 22ND DECEMBER AT 12PM (if not sold prior)

Beautifully presented 4 bedroom family sized home, situated on large 2.5 acre allotment, in popular country township. The home offers a generous bedroom with WIR & ensuite, centrally located kitchen with electric cooking, large pantry & dishwasher. Delightful open plan living space offers slow combustion wood fire to keep the home cosy duri the winter months plus r/c s/s air conditioner for summer comfort. Outside features include large new semi-enclosed pergola, 9m x 8.4m Colorbond shed with 2.5m high openings, huge 13.9m X 5.9m carp with 3.7 height clearance plus wood shed, large dog yard, chook pen, 2 paddocks, veggie patch, fruit orchard, bore, large amount of rain water plumbed to the home & solar power.

E.O.I Contact Al Lamond 0418 849 266

Plus available from:

Allendale General Store

Beachport Newsagency

Carpenter Rocks General Store

Casterton Foodwork

Coleraine IGA

Coonawarra General Store

Dartmoor General Store

Donovans

Glencoe General Store

Hamilton Coles

Hamilton Safeway

Heywood IGA

Kalangadoo General Store

Kingston IGA Supermarket

Lucindale General Store

Millicent Foodland

Millicent IGA

Millicent Newsagency

Millicent Woolworths

Mt Gambier Aust. Post Central

Mt Gambier Australia Post East

Mt Gambier Australia Post West

Mt Gambier Badenochs

Mt Gambier Bay Blue Cafe

Mt Gambier BP - O’Leary Rd

Mt Gambier BP One Stop

Mt Gambier BP Throughway

Mt Gambier BP West

Mt Gambier Bryant Bakery

Mt Gambier Chapmans News

Mt Gambier Coles Express

Mt Gambier Conroe

Mt Gambier Endeavour

Mt Gambier Eureka Retirement

Mt Gambier Fosters Newsagency

Mt Gambier Foxys Deli

Mt Gambier Gambier West Deli

Mt Gambier Hallmont Estate

Mt Gambier Hospital Kiosk

Mt Gambier Jubilee Service

Mt Gambier KD’s Deli

Mt Gambier Lennons

Mt Gambier Montebello IGA

Mt Gambier Perry’s Mobil

Mt Gambier Pick Ave Deli

Mt Gambier Rosaville Deli

Mt Gambier Swallow Drive

Mt Gambier The Roadhouse

Mt Gambier Woolworths

Nangwarry BP

Nangwarry General Store

Naracoorte Ampol

Naracoorte Foodland

Naracoorte Newsagency

Naracoorte Plaza Kiosk

Naracoorte Woolworths

Nelson Roadhouse

Penola Australia Post

Penola IGA

Penola Shell

Port MacDonnell General Store

Portland IGA

Portland Woolworths

Robe BJ’s Newsagency

Robe Foodland

South End General Store

Tantanoola Road House

Tarpeena Australia Post

As well as real estate agents and local businesses!

RURAL RUNDOWN

Hamilton Market Report SHEEP & LAMBS

WEDNESDAY

Agents yarded 35,065 new seasons lambs at Hamilton last Wednesday with the overall quality far better than previous offerings. A higher percentage of the lambs were displaying freshness with additional weight, however, once away from the lead runs, lambs again lacked freshness and displayed dryness being weather effected.

A larger field of buyers were present being very selective and not all processers operated fully. There was a stronger interest in store lambs depending on type.

The market was softer for most weights being $15 to $20 softer in places in comparison to last Wednesdays market, the exception being lambs back to the paddock which remained firm to slightly dearer. Top suckers sold to $250/head.

New season light lambs 12 to 16kg sold from $56 to $103/head. Light trade lambs 18 to 22kg made from $96 to $155/head to average between 640c and 720c/kg cwt.

Medium trade weight lambs 22 to 26 kg made from $136 to $203/head to average between 680c to 740c/kg cwt. Heavy lambs over 26kg were making between 720c to 780c/kg cwt being quality driven. Hoggets sold to a top of $136/head.

Mount Gambier Market Report CATTLE

Numbers eased a little at Mount Gambier as agents yarded 778 head of liveweight and open auction cattle. These sold to the usual field of trade and processor buyers along with feeder and restocker interest. Quality was good however pricing took another hit in another cheaper market.

Vealer steers to the trade made from 448c to 510c with similar heifers making from 400c to 470c/kg. Feeders sought steers from 444c to 498c and heifers from 446c to 472c with some restocker support from 464c to 525c/kg over both sexes. Yearling steers to trade buyers reached 460c as similar heifers returned from 400c to 450c/kg. Feeders operated from 405c to 452c on steers and from 424c to 440c on the heifers with some restocker activity to 474c/kg over both sexes.

Grown steers and bullocks made from 380c to 434c to the trade with feeder support from 412c to 432c/kg. Grown heifers to the trade made from 345c to 420c as manufacturing steers returned from 310c to 330c/ kg. Heavy cows lost 10c as they ranged from 308c to 350c with lighter lots also to the trade making from 255c to 306c/kg. There was some restocker activity to 398c and feeders operated from 285c to 328c/kg. Heavy bulls ranged from 322c to 380c/kg.

Feral rabbit program on horizon

The Limestone Coast Landscape Board will be releasing biological controls to help reduce rabbit numbers in isolated pockets across the region and support rabbit control efforts of landholders. The release of the rabbit biocontrol is a timely reminder for landholders to start planning summer rabbit control programs as biological control needs to be complemented with other methods to restrict rapid recovery of rabbit populations. Maintaining pressure on rabbit populations each year improves agricultural productivity, reduces food resources for foxes and feral cats and helps to protect remnant native vegetation and wildlife habitat. Although summer is usually the ideal time to start a control program, rabbits can breed year-round in the lower Limestone Coast region due to readily available food sources.

“The best approach is a coordinated rabbit control program with neighbours firstly spotlighting to find problem areas then applying targeted poison baiting and follow up warren destruction. Reliance on biological controls alone will not bring populations down to long term sustainable levels, but will support landholder efforts to remove feral rabbit populations on their property,” said Limestone Coast Landscape Board Acting Team Leader of Northern Operations, Josh Rosser. “A variety of rabbit control methods are available for landholders. Our Landscape Officers are located across the Limestone Coast and support landholders with advice on animal control, fox and rabbit bait and biocontrol supply, equipment hire along with support to organise a cooperative neighbourhood pest control program.” Rabbit biological control programs have existed in Australia since the early 1950’s with the release of the Myxoma virus. This latest variant is considered to have greater benefits for cool-wet regions like the Limestone Coast and, is safe for people, wildlife, livestock and pets (except domestic rabbits). Under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019, feral rabbits are declared for control and it is the responsibility of landholders to control rabbit populations on their land. To be put in touch with your local Landscape Officer call the nearest Limestone Coast Landscape Board office on (08)8429 7550.

Naracoorte Market Report CATTLE

Numbers fell away as agents yarded 681 head of liveweight and open auction cattle. These sold to the usual field of trade and processor buyers along with feeder and restocker interest. Quality was mostly good in a mixed market for price.

Vealer steers to the trade made from 453c to 506c to ease 15c to 20c with similar heifers making from 460c to 511c/kg. Feeders and restocker orders operated from 450c to 516c/kg over both sexes. Yearling steers to the trade sold to 423c as similar heifers lifted by 10c to 15c to sell from 410c to 464c/kg. Feeders sought steers from 423c to 460c and heifers from 385c to 453c/kg.

Grown steers and bullocks made from 395c to 428c to the trade with feeder support from 430c to 456c/kg. Grown heifers to trade buyers made from 340c to 465c with feeder activity from 340c to 460c as manufacturing steers ranged from 310c to 336c/kg.

Heavy cows eased by 5c to 10c as they sold from 315c to 370c with lighter lots making from 290c to 320c as restockers and feeders operated from 316c to 370c/kg. Heavy bulls ranged from mostly 344c to 377c with lightweights to feed on reaching 414c/kg.

Hamilton Market Report SHEEP & LAMBS

MONDAY

Agents yarded 8900 new season lambs at Hamilton for the first of the Monday standalone markets. The quality did not measure up to previous offerings with less weight and freshness. More lambs displayed dryness due to the recent wet weather conditions. Most of the regular buyers were present however did not show any great urgency in bidding. The market was softer for lambs up to 26 kg being $20/head cheaper in places. Heavier lambs lost $10/head with the top suckers making to $228/head.

New season light lambs 12 to 16 kg sold from $25 to $86/head. Light trade lambs 18 to 22kg made from $108 to $148/head to average between 620cand 740c/kg. Medium trade lambs 22 to 26 kgs made from $132 to $196/head to average between 620to 760c/kg cwt. Heavy lambs over 26 kgs realised between 740 to 800c/kg cwt the top end being quality driven. Hoggets sold to a top of $100/head.

EMPLOYMENT

RECEPTIONIST

& STOCK CONTROL

/ REGISTRATION CLERK

OGR Automotive Group Mount Gambier is a well-established, multi-award winning and multi-franchise new vehicle dealership in the Limestone Coast’s Lower South East region of South Australia. We are a 3rd generation familyowned company, and have been operating locally for over 65-years.

OGR prides itself on the service we provide to our customers - not just leading up to the sale, but also well after the delivery has been made… On Going Relations!

OGR are seeking a Receptionist and Stock Controller who will also be the Registration Delegate to join our dynamic Administration team!

This role is ideally suited to a professional, enthusiastic, highly motivated, results-orientated, team-member with a passion for driving success.

This role is crucial to ensuring the smooth running of the dealership, therefore it suits someone who performs efficiently under pressure and thrives on being organised.

Job Responsibilities:

• Registering vehicles

• Keeping inventory records, accurate stock lists and sales reports

• Sourcing of stock to satisfy customer needs, arranging logistics accordingly

• Ability to work autonomously, as well as within the team

• Liaising with managers and salespeople

• Ensure efficient transfer of vehicles into stock for prompt delivery to customers

• Administration duties, including (but not limited to) answering phones, customer service, organising filing systems, assisting sales staff with deal paperwork.

A current and valid Australian driver’s licence is essential. Previous experience in the motor industry (in particular stock control) is a great advantage, but not necessary. Extensive on-the-job training and support will be provided.

The successful candidate will be required to obtain a Police clearance for Registering Motor Vehicles.

This position demands a high level of attention to detail with an outstanding work ethic, competency with IT systems and professional literacy skills, time management skills, exceptional phone manner and email etiquette / communication with strong interpersonal skills.

This is a full-time position, 8:30am-5:00pm Monday to Friday, with Saturday morning’s as overtime on a monthly roster rotation.

If you believe you possess the skills required and have a passion to join our driven team, please email your confidential Resume and Cover Letter to: The Dealer Principal, Bryce Roberts - crm@ogr.com.au

Applications close: Wednesday 15th December 2022 at 5pm.

LOOKING FOR EMPLOYEES?

Chilli con carne nachos

1 avocado, peeled, stoned, mashed

2 tbsp sour cream

2 tsp chilli sauce

Sliced jalapeño chilli, Sliced birdseye chilli Corn or tortilla chips

Chilli con carne

1 tbsp olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 green capsicum, seeded, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 long red chilli, seeded, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

500g Beef Mince

1/2 cup (100g) dried black beans

2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato paste

Method

To make the chilli con carne, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, capsicum, carrot, celery, garlic and chilli. Cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until onion softens. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika and oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 min or until aromatic. Add the mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 mins or until the mince changes colour. Stir in the beans, diced tomato and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours or until the sauce thickens and the beans are tender. Spoon the chilli con carne into a large serving dish. Top with the avocado and sour cream and drizzle with chilli sauce. Sprinkle with combined chilli. Serve with the corn or tortilla chips.

215g (1 cup) caster sugar

1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind

1 egg, lightly whisked

125ml (1 ⁄2 cup) milk

50g butter, melted, cooled slightly

Pure icing sugar, to dust Double cream, to serve

Dehydrated lemon slices, to decorate

Limoncello sauce

185ml (3⁄4 cup) boiling water

185ml (3⁄4 cup) limoncello, plus extra, to serve (optional)

70g (1 ⁄3 cup) caster sugar

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan forced. Grease a 1.5L (6 cup) baking dish with butter . Spoon the curd into prepared dish. Spread evenly to cover base. Combine flour , caster sugar and rind in a large bowl. Add egg , milk and butter. Stir until well combined. Spoon into dish and spread evenly to cover curd. To make sauce, combine sauce ingredients in a heatproof jug. Gradually pour over back of a large metal spoon onto pudding mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the pudding is firm when lightly touched. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Dust with icing sugar . Top with cream , lemon slices and extra limoncello , if using.

Both ladder leaders show no mercy

Tigers get the job done over South & Central dominate again

Friday night baseball saw South take on arch rival Tigers in what many thought believed to be the match of the round.

With South coming of a heavy defeat they were after some much needed points to keep in touch for a possible second place ladder position.

Tigers were slightly undermanned with coach Karl Ransom, brother Garth and Ben Marcus all unavailable due to work commitments, this meant the responsibility was handed to Alex Reppin to shoulder the work load on the mound for Tigers.

A fast start was needed for the side that was going to take the points and that’s exactly what Tigers did, bringing three runs across the plate in the first innings. South were short lived in the first part, with Alex Reppin feeling the groove and retiring the first batters off the game with out trouble.

Bruce Morale returned to the big league for the night, whilst starting on the interchange it was clear his intentions were to ruffle the feathers of the Tigers players and get under their skin as best, he could, and this is exactly what he did.

Tempers started to rise and the game went up notch or two with Tigers making a couple of errors and really falling off the task at hand.

A second hit for the night to Garrett Ha followed by a second hit to Jesse Foster settled Tigers back to the task at hand and another three runs made then game a seven run lead to Tigers and South were now desperate for some bat on ball.

Ryan Placucci tried hard again on the mound for South and Ben Nash was vocal in getting his side up and about but it was too little too late and the Tigers were able to pick up another win and all but cement their position in a home final at the halfway point of the season giving themselves a four game lead and a large difference in defensive runs advantage for second spot.

Jesse Foster and Ha both had a great night with the bat picking up three safe hits, while Matt Thompson again showed why he is one of the inform players n the league with his all-round strong game.

Central took on Federals in a warm Saturday afternoon game in front of a large crowd.

Federals were always going to have their backs against the wall taking on the powerhouse ladder leaders, but baseball is funny game and strange things can happen.

Federals saw the return of a couple club champions to help with Shane Howard and Clay Carpenter returning to the top grade.

Federlas were without top grade talent which didn’t help as Alex Pearson and Matt Nicholls were both unavailable whilst Central rested a few big guns themsleves with coach Dylan Gull, Nathan Meinck and Koby Chant all on the sidelines.

Centrals picked up 15 hits for the game to Federals just five so it was always going to be a challenge.

Mitchell Cutting and Alex Ridding shared the role on the mound for Central with Cutting also hitting a home run and making a claim that he could be a dark horse for the league best player to this point in time.

Federals players battled hard and in the sixth inning scored a couple of reward for effort runs to keep the smiles on the face.

Seejuut Esufali took the role on the mound for and certainly held his own with errors the main issue for the young Federals side.

In the end a mercy rule was called for the game with the score being 18 to three and another Central win which shapes up next week as a real belter on foreign land against Tigers in Naracoorte.

Mitchell Cutting with two hits, including that home run, and Colby Muller were the better players for Central.

season Cats denied again

SANFL pushes any change to 2024 football

SANFL has denied a second request from Casterton Sandford Football & Netball Club to join the Mid South Eastern Football League and will now move forward with establishing a working group to implement a change of structure for football in the South East beyond season 2023.

The decision, endorsed last weekby the South Australian Football Commission, was again based on recommendations provided by an independent Investigation Committee which reviewed the second application from the club to transfer from Western Border Football League to the MSEFL.

Work on the formation of new competition structures in the region will commence immediately with

the SANFL calling for nominations for the Working Group.

SANFL executive general manager football Matt Duldig said SANFL’s decision to not approve a second application from Casterton-Sandford to join the MSEFL took into consideration the wide-ranging impact of football across the entire South East region.

“The ramifications of such a move had not changed since the original application from Casterton Sandford was received and would trigger an immediate change to competition structures in the region,” Mr Duldig said.

“Therefore, the transfer application could again not be considered in isolation, but as a bigger picture for the future of football in the South East.”

Mr Duldig said the commission again acknowledged that change was needed in the region and that any application for transfer under similar conditions submitted in 2023 would be accepted.

He said at this stage, a revised 15-team competition was the preferred model for implementation in 2024 and this would be the focus for the Working Group once established.

‘We know many clubs are struggling and need assistance with junior and teenage player numbers, attracting and retaining volunteers as well as umpire retention,” he said.

“Significant change for the region is coming, which is why a target for the 2024 season is more achievable.”

Take two for racing

Borderline Speedway looks to open season this weekend after cancellation of official opening round

It is a case of take two for the Borderline Speedway season opener after their originally scheduled November 26 season opener was abandoned early in the preceding week due to the heavy rain, ensuring the track was not going to be race ready, regardless of Saturday’s weather

report.

But in good news for sprintcar fans, the South Australian Sprintcar Championship, which was to be the premier event on the opening night, has been rescheduled for this weekend, joining the original December 10 program.

Steve Lines, Scott Enderl and

Glen Sutherland will fly the flag for local fans, with former Australian champion David Murcott now a starter with the change of date.

“It is going to be a really good field and we just have our fingers crossed the weather behaves,” Borderline president Cary Jennings said.

And this Saturday’s program will be jam packed with action with the TI Bills Wingless Sprint series come to town for round two.

“It is a series run at all the South Australian tracks and for round two here at the Borderline we will have over 50 cars competing,” Jennings (pictured) said. “The racing will be fierce – we know that.”

Borderline Speedway fans have even more to look forward to just a fortnight later when Speedweek comes to the Glenburnie track as part of the four leg SA-Victoria series that will also race at Avalon, Warrnambool and Murray Bridge, with drivers chasing a prize pool of $150,000 over the four nights.

“We are definitely looking forward to that as well and hope the crowds come lout an support this weekend and then the Speedweek event,” Jennings said.

Cancellations have already wreaked havoc with speedway programs throughout South Australia and Victoria with 10 meetings cancelled since th beginning of last month.

“People are calling around to try and find somewhere to race those events but it is tough to find a spot,” Jennings said. “We haven’t been able to help out at this stage but we will see what comes up later – if we can help we will.”

Softball results

Demons v Concordes White

Concordes white continued they winning form with another solid performance. The first innings saw a line drive to Dana Jones and her quick thinking put Em Hart out at first. A welcome return for Rachel Bagshaw saw her hit a double to left field to score the only run in the bottom of the first. Demons had two safe hits in the second to Brydie Pluckett and Codie Manning before Dana Jones ended the innings with a K2. Codie Jackway led off with a safe hit which was followed by a double to Chloe O’Connor and a single to Kate Altschwager to score 4 for the innings. A reflex catch to Sarah Nieuwenhuizen at third ended the innings for concordes. Demons came back in the third innings scoring two runs, but the damage had been done with concordes scoring a further three runs in the last to run out winners 8-2.

Demons v Warriors

After a loss by the Demons Friday night, the girls were determined to come away with a win for their second game of the weekend. This didn’t transfer to the field with Warriors starting the game strong with 8 runs home in the first innings. The second innings saw Warriors Arabelle Searle flogging a ball out to centre landing her a two bagger. Claire Chaplin hit a lovely fly ball to left field but was caught out by Demons Kezia Feast. Demons Sarah N managing a strike out on her pitching debut for this season and Demons field tightened with only 1 Warriors run being made home in the second. With a score of 9-5 in the second, Demons Billie Jones managed to keep the score tight with her consistent and powerful pitching. Demons final bat saw the girls display some of their better batting and base running for the weekend with Demons Billie Jones safe at home after a trap run between third and home, with a fall in between in the third innings. Demons final bat left the score at 9-10, scoring Demons their first win for the weekend.

Concordes White v Wanderers

Wanderers played Concordes White in the second game of the day and walked away winners 9 to 7. In a game where both teams were a little sloppy in the field, it came down to which team were able to handle the pressure best. Concordes hit two triples early whilst the Wanderers collected 7 safe hits of their own allowing both teams to put on 9 runs collectively in the first inning alone. The game turned in to a tight tussle throughout the second and third innings with each teams pitchers in Rej Smith and Karly Pearson throwing well with both possessing an impressive strike to ball ratio. Both teams improved defensively in the field throughout this period allowing the pitchers to keep the pressure on each teams hitters and keeping it scoreless through the middle innings. Concordes were able to score 3 in the last to tie the game and put themselves in a position to try and salvage a point but it wasn’t to enough with the Wanderers able to absorb the pressure and score 2 more of their own and take the win.

Pennant bowls results

Anderson wins on countback

58/8 d Millicent Blue 55/0; Penola Blue Blue 44/6 d Port MacDonnell 41/2 Division Two Beachport 41/8 d Naracoorte 36/0; Naracoorte RSRL 57/8 d Beachport Blue 23/0; Lucindale 65/6 d Port MacDonnell 35/2; Robe 56/8 d Mount Gambier 43/0 Division Three

Naracoorte 53/6 d Mount Gambier RSL 40/3; Millicent 59/8 d Robe 31/0

Saturday Open Pennant

Division One Robe 82/10 d Port MacDonnell 71/2; Mount Gambier Red 81/12 d Mount Gambier RSL Blue 60/0; Mount Gambier RSL Red 103/12 d Mount Gambier Blue 60/0; Millicent 96/12 d Penola 56/0; Naracoorte 68/10 d Kingston 61/2 Division Two Robe 69/12 d Naracoorte 60/0; Mount Gambier 83/11 d Mount Gambier RSL 51/1; Naracoorte RSL 68/10 d Lucindale 65/2; Kalangadoo 84/12 d Millicent

In cool overcast conditions the Millicent Golf Club had 19 ladies play a stableford round.

WINNERS

A Grade: Heather Anderson 36pts (countback)

Runner Up: Virginia DeDonatis 36pts

B Grade: Karen Lock 41pts

Runner Up : Lois Tilley 35pts

Ball winners: Val Williams 35pts, Helen Chilton 33pts (countback), Robyn Walters 33pts (countback)

9 hole comp: Karen Lock 22 pts

NTP 2nd shot 12th : Helen Chilton

NTP 2nd shot 17th : Debbie Tincknell

NTP 2nd shot 5th: Pam Packer

MILLICENT STABLEFORD: Lock.

Cricket results

Barber Shield

Penola 186 (J. Mullan 69; M. Smith 49; E. Marks 4/79; A. Hentschke 2/40; M. Roberts 2/16 ) d East Gambier 139 (D. Stratford 68; L. Jones 5/31; J. Mullan 3/20; M. Waters 2/37) & 2/73(D. Stratford 36no.; J. Sullivan 25)

South Gambier 156 (J. Opie 26; A. Kuhl, S. Easterbrook 24; S. Willis 3/29; B. Stephenson 2/30; N. Gunawardana 2/20) & 6/85 (E. Geary 31no.; C. Jorgenson 19no.; S. Willis 2/7; d West Gambier 92 (N. Easterbrook 26; J. Opie 4/28; R. Drenthen 3/31; C. Jorgenson 2/5; N. Gunawardana 2/9)

North Sportsmans 9/305 (N. McInerney 105; M. Robinson 51; T. Madigan 27; E. Fisher 26; W. Rowland 3/45; J. Sanders 2/42; T. Dinnison 2/19) d Mil Lel 158 (J. Miller 42; W. Rowland 41; M. Robinson 3/9; E. Fisher 2/30)

Crouch Shield Kongorong 270 (J. Wright 134; K. Vanderhorst 37; B. Barker 6/75) & 3/145 (T. Bellinger 73no.) d Gambier Centrals 260 (I. Czaban 49; K. Risely 45; J. Thompson 42; A. Harding 5/93). No other finalised results available.

Cox Bros Shield Mil Lel 7/246 (B. Lawson 107no.; T. Virtanen 42; W. Lawson 36no.; A. Kelly 2/12; J. Ross 2/52) & 1/15 d Gambier Centrals 109 (L. Rainey 30; O. McCracken 3/4; C/ Hicks 2/16). No other finalised results available.

THE JUNIOR GRADES ARE IN WEEK ONE OF TWO DAY FIXTURES.

Stars of the future get a taste of racing

Little Athletics participants take centre stage at Mount Gambier Gift Carnival

Local Little Athletics participants from across the Limestone Coast and South West Victoria were front and centre across the Mount Gambier Gift Program on November 26 as the young runners got a taste of professional competition. Key2Sale sponsored the range of Little Athletics events. 1. Reece Bartlett winning heat one of the Little Athletics 120m Gift

Jack McGill winning heat two of the Little Athletics 120m Gift

Kyla Gordon winning heat three of the Little Athletics 120m Gift

Heat four of the Little Athletics 120m Gift

120 metre Little Athletics Community Race

Kyla Gordon - Mount Gambier

Reece Barrett - Mount Gambier

Isla Stuckey - Mount Gambier Presented by Natasha Little (far lift), Event Manager Mount Gambier Gift & pictured with all the competing athletes.

800 Metre Little Athletics Community Race

Finn McEachern - Mount Gambier

Alejandro Jagger - Mount Gambier

Kobi Campbell - Portland Presented by Olympian Issy BattDoyle 7. Former Keith athlete Isabel Ross in action during her successful day, winning the Under 18 Girls Gift; making the 120m Women’s Gift final & finishing third in the 70m Women’s Gift. 8. Former Mount Gambier athlete Leila Croker in action. Leila finished second in the 120m Women’s Gift & second in the Under18 Girls Gift.

State record holder Riley Cocks & Olympian Issy Batt-Doyle added some extra star power to the 2022

Championship & competitions crown winners Seaside bowls action

before the Christmas rush.

Robbie started well, winning the first three ends, then Valma gradually pulled back to get in front. Then the lead changed regularly until leading 19-18 Valma let Robbie get a 3 to win 21-19. In the final Robbie had a comfortable win over Tracey 25-12 although the score didn’t reflect the quality of the game.

Robe Community Bank Corporate Bowls wound up Wednesda as well and the club would like to thank the bank for their sponsorship which has been ongoing for many years.

Manager Tracey Bainger thanked the club for running an enjoyable event for businesses to have a bit of fun and relaxation

Touches for the night were won by Antony, Allan, Jim, Kane, Darren, Rene and Trent. After his heroics last week Sam Huebner came down to earth and had to buy his teammates a chocolate for trailing thjack to the opposition and Matt received a chocolate for losing his card and money.

The winners for Week 4 were Holy Guacamole from the Union Cafe and runner up were The Pharmers from Robe Pharmacy.

The winners for the four weeks were Mat’s Plumbing 55pts, second Robe Primary School 53 pts and third The Pharmers 51 pts.

Such a competition cannot be run without a lot of work from volunteers, so thank you to Jan and ladies in the kitchen, the bbq cooks, Dean and the bar staff, Pam, Robbie and Carolyn for doing the cards and ladder each week, the greenskeeper for setting up the greens. Thanks Nesla and Valma for organising the event.

Social bowls on Thursday saw 22 players play two games of two four two.

Runner up on 50+8 were Errol Jennings and Jim Gray and winners on 50+9 were Deane Nankivell and Paul Truelove.

The mixed pairs championships are on Wednesday, December 14, so find a partner and put your team in before December 8.

SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP: (Above left) Runner up Tracey Gray & champion Robbie Dahler

CORPORATE BOWLS WEEK FOUR WINNERS: (Above centre) Jack Edwards, Rene Clark, Taylor Edwards & Mahalia BathurstWarren

CORPORATE BOWLS COMPETITION WINNERS: (Above right)Darren Cook, Mat Austin & Joel Bryant. Absent: Simon Ferguson

Last week saw a very small field of 20 players take part in the 2-4-2 game at the Millicent Bowls Club even though the weather was almost perfect for lawn bowls.

The winning team this week with a score of 33+18 was Garth Baker and Andre Reinders, taking home $20.00 each, in second place with a score of 32+6 was President Peter Hyland and Neil Whelan receiving the $5.00 bar voucher.

Other winning teams were, Malcolm Wright, Rod Gibbs 31+9. John Drew, David Reichelt 31+2 and a triple of Terry Barnes, Ian Ross and David Crase with a score of 29+4.

2-4-2 WINNERS: (Above top) Garth Baker & Andre Reinders

2-4-2 RUNNERS UP: (Above bottom) Neil Whelan & Peter Hyland

Millicent Bowls Club Mixed pairs Championship decided after COVID delay Gibbs pair get the job done

The final of the Millicent Bowl’s Club Mixed Pairs was played on Thursday, December 1. This competition began back in September but due to COVID the grand final finally was played between Rod and Carol Gibbs and Joy Warren and Aaron Emonson, with the final being played over 15 ends. By the eighth end Carol and Rod, were well in front with the score 18 to 5 and by the 14th end the Gibbs combination was 23 shots to 9, with the 15th end not being played thus giving Rod and Carol the title of Mixed Pairs Champions for 2022-23 Season.

MIXED PAIRS CHAMPIONS: (Left)Carol & Rod Gibbs MIXED PAIRS RUNNERS UP: (Right)Joy Warren & Aaron Emonson

Mount Gambier ladies take on ambrose event

McIntyre, Chapman & Parsons combine for victory

Blue Lake stableford results

Thirty-six

Celebrations galore at Millicent Night Owls

The stableford competition for the women at the Blue Lake Golf Club was well attended, with 22 playing 18 holes and five playing nine holes.

A well presented course saw some very good scores recorded with some having to face the handicapper before their next outing.

A four-way countback was required between Cherryl Hill, Lee-Anne Medhurst, Annette Ford and Geraldine Scott all signing for 36 points. Hill off a 24 handicap and splits of 17/19 took first prize having a better back nine score. Her card included pars on the 5th, 12th and 14th and no wipes. Second, Medhurst off 25 had splits of 18/18, pars on the 2nd, 5th and 15th and one wipe. Third, Ford off 24 also had splits of 18/18, pars on the 4th and 14th with no wipes. Scott off 24 had splits of 19/17.

Score of the day came from Division Two’s Lucy Richards with 39 points. Off a 37 handicap Richards had three four-pointers and five three-pointers included in splits of 21/18 and with three wipes, this was exceptional. 2nd was Lee Anderson who has been working her way to breaking her handicap of 45 had another good day scoring 37 points from splits of 19/18 that included two four-pointers with pars on the 5th and 16th and three three-pointers and one wipe. Rose Case followed up with 3rd placing scoring 33 points off a 40 handicap and included one four-pointer and six three-pointers and three wipes.

Nearest to the pin 2nd shot winners on the 14th were Annette Ford (Div 1) and Lesley McPherson (Div 2). Pro-shot winner was Lee-Anne Medhurst. Ferrett prize winners were Anderson 5th, Sue Agars 7th, Hill 12th, McPherson 18th.

This week is a fun filled xmas 9-hole game followed by a festive lunch at Belgiornos Tapis Bar.

NOVEMBER 26 RESULTS

Touches: Jayden Williams (fill in tonight) Gizzies Crew 4, Craig Todd (The Pups) 3, Luke Ferguson (The Pups) 3, Paul Bosco (Try Hards) 3, Rex Clark (Lions) 3.

Winners:

RED DIVISION: Sparkies (John Madden, Pat Muhovics, Terry Lonergan, Bob Reilly) defeated Grand Hotel 19+16, other winners were Jack Attack 18+8, Awesoe Foursome 17+1, Max’s Four won on a forfeit 16+0, Rovers 15+1.

BLUE DIVISION : Lion Rams (Paul Joiner, Quentin Pietsch, Richard North, Henny Gysbers) defeated Bits & pieces 18+6, other winners were Rotary 16+9, Try Hards 16+7, with Lions and Somery Seniors having a draw 11 each, as well as Acky’s Owls and Maccas also having a draw on 11 each.

WHITE DIVISION: Here 4 Beer (Graham Reilly, Kath Reilly, David Taylor, Bradyn Reilly) defeated X Factor

19+15, others winners were Boomers 17+7, Black Beetles 17+4, Lion Cubs 17+2.

RED DIVISION WINNERS: (Above top left) Terry Lonergan, Bob Reilly & John Madden. Absent: Pat Muhovics

BLUE DIVISION WINNERS: (Above top right) Richard North, Paul Joiner, Henny Gysbers & Quentin Peach

WHITE DIVISION WINNERS: (Above bottom right) David Taylor, Bradyn Reilly & Graham Reilly. Absent: Kath Reilly

Fifteen women played in the stroke competition in a final burst of spring conditions finally making a welcome return. Seven scoring equal or better to their handicap with a three-way count-back needed to decide the winner and that honor went to Jorja Morale. Her score of 95/25/69 included pars on the 1st, 9th, 11th, 14th and 15th holes. A few double bogeys unfortunately marred a better score, but it was enough to take victory from Geraldine Scott who also signed for nett 69 (94/25).

It was a mixed round for Scott having pars on the 2nd, 14th and 15th holes but a little too much red ink was on her card. Dianne Perryman would be happy with her 88/19/69 having 43 gross on the front and 45 on the back. Perryman had four pars as well as a birdie on the par four 1st. The pro-shot was won by Karen Panagopoulos.

STABLEFORD WINNERS:

players took to the field last Wednesday for a 3 person Ambrose competition. Pleasant playing conditions for the day helped with some good scores coming in on the day. The course was in great condition and winners were Helen McIntyre, Heather Chapman and Jess Parsons (pictured above) with a score of 62.33. In second place was Jan Shanahan, Julie Hanel and Vicki Clark close behind with 63.33. Nearest the pin on the 8th hole was won by Di O’Donnell with a great shot with the team completing the hole with a birdie. This week will be the annual Xmas party for the ladies. It will be a 9 hole fun Ambrose with novelty prizes on the day followed by a fashion parade, lunch and entertainment.

(Above top) Division 1 third placegetter Annette Ford, runner up Lee-Anne Medhurst & winner Cherryl Hill and Division 2 winner Lucy Richards, third placed Rose Case 3rd & runner up Lee Anderson

NINE HOLE STABELFORD WINNERS: (Above bottom) Helen Bissett & Carlene Laslett

A celebration with a diference at last week’s Millicent Bowls Club Night owls competition with the birth of daughter Rosie Anne to young bowlers Hamish and his wife Claudia Reilly. There was also a rare eight achieved by the Rovers team.

RSL mixed triples title goes to Heins’ team

Championship decided on shots countback

Warren wins handicap singles

On Monday , November 28, the Millicent Bowls Club held their Annual Handicap Singles, starting at 8.30am in very windy cold conditions with all games being played over 21 ends.

The players making it to the semi final stage were Adriana Ross and Lyn Scudds, with Lyn having to give Adriana a four shot start, while the other semi final saw Joy Warren playing Heather Carthew with Heather having to give Joy a six shot start.

In the Ross/Scudds game, at the seventh end scores were tied at eight shots each, with Lyn pegging back Adriana’s four shot handicap. By the 17th end the scores were still tied at 17 shots each but by the 21st and final end Lyn was able to gain a three shot lead to take her into the grand final.

In the other semi final, Heather Carthew had to give Joy Warren a six shot start and by the 11th end there was only a one shot difference in the score, with Heather sitting on 18 shots to Joy’s 19 shots but by the 21st end Joy was able to take out the game by five shots, 29 to 24, putting Joy into

the grand final.

That match was also played over 21 ends, with Lyn having to give Joy a 10 shot start. By the 12th end Lyn had reduced the handicap by two shots with the score sitting at Joy 18 to Lyn 10 shots, by the 17th there was only a three shot difference with Joy sitting at 19 to Lyn 16. With only one end to play Joy had a four shot lead and on the 21st end, with only one bowl to play, Lyn was holding four shots but Joy, with her last bowl, came down with a little weight on picked up the jack and ended the game with four shots. The final score was Joy 23 to Lyn 17, making Joy Warren the Ladies Singles Handicap Champion for 2022/23 Season.

Port MacDonnell bowlers compete for men’s & ladies triples championship

Port MacDonnell held its Mens and Ladies Triples in windy conditions late last month.

The ladies had four teams take part in a 15 end knock out sponsored by Dollar Curtains/Elaine & Graham Hutchesson

Heather Richards team defeated Marilyn Sutton to reach the final and the Elaine Pruis team defeated Roma Henderson to take te other grand final place.

Richards team of Jan Dowdell and Suzanne Connell got off to early lead and after 10 ends lead 14-3 and finally won 20-9 against Elaine Pruis, Lyn Vanderey and Sharon Perryman.

The men’s championship had seven teams participate and sponsored by All Digital Hearing/ Grantville Butchers

The Adam Wilson team of Chris Richards and John Broadbent defeated the Eddy Smith team and then defeated the Keith Dowdell team to reach the final.

The Keith Dowdell team defeated Kel Butler’s team then lost to Adam Wilson .

The Terry Seiler team of Des Horrigan and Chris Negline having a bye in the first round then

defeated Kevin Normans team to advance to the final against the Wilson team,

In a game of two halves the Seiler team got off to a good start and after eight ends led 11-1 then game turned around and after 17 ends it was Wilson by two then came down to the last end and with Seiler holding game with three shots then with Wilson last bowl got a lucky rub and move the jack back to his own bowl to take the tile 17-13.

The Mount Gambier RSL & District Bowls Club Championship Mixed Triples were played on Sunday, November 27. Sixteen teams contested three games over the day. In an exciting finish, not only had three teams won all their games, the winners and runners up both finished on the same number of points. It then took shots up to separate them. The winners (pictured above left) and this year’s champions were Rex Heins (skipper), Beryl Messenger (second) and Brenton Wittwer (lead). The runners up (pictured above right) were Chris Waugh (skipper), Jennifer Bowering (second) and Gary Bowering (lead).

LADIES TRIPLES WINNERS: (Top left) Heather Richards, Jan Dowdell & Suzanne Connell

MEN’S TRIPLES WINNERS: (Top right) Adam Wilson, Chris Richards & John Broadbent

LADIES TRIPLES RUNNERS UP: (Bottom left) Elaine Pruis, Lyn Vanderley & Sharon Perryman

MEN’S TRIPLES RUNNERS UP: (Bottom right) Terry Seiler,Des Horrigan & Chris Negline

HANDICAP SINGLES: Runner Up Lyn Scudds with winner Joy Warren

SEAC season wraps up with tight results

Family rivalry marks the final autocross for the season

A day/night Autocross, held at SEAC Park late last month was the final round of the McPherson Mechanical J-Tech 2022 Autocross Series.

Dusty and firm, the track showed promise for a quick lap right from the start and after the compulsory ‘Recce’ look around, Kevin Raedel drew the number one for first car on track and put the Falcon rally car through the track layout with all the flair that he could muster, showing all watching that the track was quite slippery.

Nicholas Cagney put his Toyota 86 around the course for a fast 1:46.12 seconds to be the quickest car on this round. Closely followed by the old fella, Geoff Wilson, cranking out a good lap of 1:48.56 seconds for second spot, from a hard charging Jayden Edwards at 1:48.93 seconds in third.

Damien Wilson found good pace to be next home with a tidy 1:49.00 seconds, closely followed by Damien Brand’s CanAm stopping the clock at 1:50.44 seconds and fifth spot.

John Whitehead’s Phoenix Buggy came in next with a 1:51.00, with Dion Becker in his Falcon doing well for a 1:51.72 and 7th spot.

Always one to watch, Gary Brown had the Falcon sideways everywhere and a 1:52.43 second lap is quite quick considering the extra distance he must cover with the very flamboyant driving style that he is known for.

Another with plenty of sideways action, Barry Edwards pushed his Commodore as hard as conditions would allow, getting home with a time of 1:52.62 seconds for his effort.

Junior Brand, Corey has been learning how to drive a car quickly from his Dad, Trent and Uncle Damien, and is showing some excellent car control and is getting faster each outing. His time of 1:53.07 seconds got him home in 10th spot in the tidy Subaru Impreza.

Round 2 and a track showing some black spots, indicating plenty of grip, Dale Cagney let loose in the Evo8, trying to make up for a poor first run after popping a tyre, set the place alight with a very tidy and extremely quick lap time of 1:42.96 seconds to be a time that no-one could get near to.

Trying his best, Nicholas Cagney put in a similar time to his first run, with a 1:46.53 the best he could do and enough to hold out Damien Wilson at 1:47.53 in third, Dion Becker 4th with a 1:48.38 seconds an improvement of three seconds

on his first run.

Matt Kirby also improved on his sighter lap by 5 seconds with a his lap of 1:49.72 seconds for 5th spot, holding out Barry Edwards at 1:49.91 seconds in 6th, Damien Brand 7th with a 1:50.03 and Max Gartner, having his first outing in a CanAm buggy, getting in with a good run of 1:50.07 seconds for 8th spot.

Jayden Edwards could not match his opening lap, settling for ninth spot with his 1:51.54 seconds and Gary Brown rounding out the top 10 with his scenic tour of 1:52.13 seconds.

Third lap, in the day light and Dale Cagney almost matched his previous quick lap, stopping the clock at 1:43.85 seconds to hold out son Nicholas, 1:45.47 seconds from Damien Wilson’s 1:47.38 seconds in third spot.

Dion Becker, having an absolute blast, repeated his previous lap with a marginal improvement, to stop the clock at 1:48.03 seconds for another fourth spot closely followed by Matt Kirby’s Laser, 1:48.69 seconds, Jayden Edwards finding a better line than the last run, 1:49.28 seconds, Damien Brand next with 1:49.71 seconds, Barry Edwards right behind with a 1:50.12 seconds lap and eighth.

Mark Jennings managed a good lap after a couple of ordinary laps

and scored the ninth points with a 1:50.15 effort in the Falcon and Max Gartner rounding out the 10 with a 1:50.21 seconds lap.

After a break for tea and to allow the darkness to occur, a well lit Evo8 again set the pace, matching his earlier lap with a well driven 1:43.47 seconds lap, closely followed by Nicholas doing his best to catch dad, stopping the clock at 1:46.81 seconds for second, with Damien Wilson nipping at his heels with a well driven 1:47.75 seconds.

Improving on the previous outing, Jayden Edwards put a good lap together for a 1:47.37 second run and fourth spot, followed by Dion Becker’s 1:50.34 seconds (5th) Damien Brand’s 1:50.81 seconds (6th) Barry Edwards 1:50.84 seconds (7th) Max Gartner 1:50.93 seconds (8th) Bailey Perryman, pushing the Hyundai as hard as it would go, 1:51.41 seconds (9th) and Gary Brown at 1:52.69 (10th).

Last run for the evening, no more sprinkles of rain and Dale Cagney finished off the day with a 1:43.81 second lap to hold out a big effort from Damien Brand at 1:44.63 for second points, Nicholas Cagney’s 1:45.22 his best run for the day 3rd, Damien Wilson 4th with his Disco lights run, 1:46.09 seconds, Dion Becker fifth with his fairly consistent day of 1:48.41 seconds, Jayden

Edwards next at 1:49.53 seconds (6th) showing his consistent style of driving.

Barry Edwards also settled into a pattern, this one at 1:50.29 seconds and seventh home, closely followed by the hard charging Gary Brown’s Falcon, 1:50.34 (8th), Matt Kirby’s Laser, 1:50.44 (9th) and Geoff Wilson, nursing a “wounded” Peugeot all day scored 10th points with a 1:51.47 second effort.

With scores yet to be checked, Dale Cagney recovered well from his flat tyre first round to hold on to the first place points with a total of 8:49.59 seconds from Nicholas Cagney with his consistent day at 8:50.15 for second spot points.

Damien Wilson enjoyed his birthday outing, getting home with a well driven total of 8:57.75 seconds and third points.

Damien Brand pinched the points for fourth outright, by his very quick last run giving him enough to hold out Dion Becker in fifth spot, with times of 9:05.62 and 9:06.88 for the pair.

Jayden Edwards’ total of 9:07.65 seconds good enough for the points at 6th, holding out dad Barry’s 9:13.78 seconds in seventh.

Matt Kirby had a mixed day at the wheel and drove the Laser well enough for eighth spot with his total of 9:18.35 seconds.

Gary Brown drove way more

distance than most of the others and totalled a very respectable time of 9:19.59 seconds and ninth points.

Always at maximum effort, Bailey Perryman put in some good laps and made it to tenth outright in the Hyundai, with his total of 9:20.32 seconds.

CLASS POINTS:

Dale Cagney Class W

Nicholas CagneyClass D

Dion Becker Class E

Gary Brown Class B Bailey Perryman Class A Max Gartner Class J Teresa Lipscombe Class L

The season activities have now been completed and all the club members can be proud of the many events that the club have successfully run through a difficult year.

Presentation dinner is yet to be finalised, but should be about the end of January, just before the first event for the 2023 year, the Twin Peaks Hill Climb, in early February.

AUTOCROSS ACTION: (Above top row from left) Dion Becker & Nicholas Cagney and (above bottom row from left) Teresa Lipscombe & Dale Cagney

MT GAMBIER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DARREN ARCHIBALD (TURN8 PHOTOGRAPHY)

Carlin & Gazzard