EchucaMoama Spring/Summer 2014

echucamoama SPRING/SUMMER 2014

Cathy’s

STORY A descent into hell...and back

Women who pump iron WAY DOWN SOUTH IN THE ICE & SNOW

An Antarctic Adventure

Echuca-Moama’s premier entertainment venue.

Open and see why.

6 Shaw Street, Moama

Award winning design, architecture and hospitality in Echuca-Moama’s premier entertainment venue, the perfect place to meet friends. As good outdoors as it is indoors.

Open from 10am daily. Cafe, Bistro, 3 bars, Piano Lounge, Bistro and Bistro Terrace, Players Terrace, full TAB, Sports Lounge, Kids Kave and much more.

a NSW 2731. Free shuttle service. Call Customer Service. FreeCall 1800 806 777 www.moamabowlingclub.com.au ABN 58001046939

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Every Garden Starts as a Blank Canvas...

. . The only Limit is your imagination Kennaugh’s Garden Centre can make your dream garden a reality.

5480 6111 16 Cornelia Creek Rd, Echuca www.kennaughsgardencentre.com.au

11 EchucaMoama

WORDS Andrew Mole, Editor editor@riverineherald.com.au Geordie Cowan Sarah Crossman Rhiannon Horrell Trent Horneman

Rebecca Kerr Luke McMannus Chloe Pickard Chris Rodda

Contributors: Brodie Norris Phone: 0438 200 386 brodie@brodienorris.com brodienorris.com

DESIGN Emma Chandler, Creative Director emma.chandler@riverineherald.com.au Christine Browne Cecilia Farley Paige Jones

Tahlia Maughan Tanya Pymer Julie Whitehead

PHOTOGRAPHY Laura Buckley Holly Curtis

Geordie Cowan Jayme Lowndes

Cover image: Makeup - Sarah North, Sublime Model - Kasey McCann Photography - Tamara Cadd Contributors: Tamara Cadd Photography Phone 0448 745 824 tamcadd@yahoo.com tamaracaddphotography.com

ADVERTISING Haydn O’Neale, General Manager haydn.oneale@riverineherald.com.au Stuart Addicott Emma Mortimer

Jodie Spence Kerry Vevers

PUBLISHER Riverine Herald 270 Hare St, Echuca Phone: 5482 1111 www.riverineherald.com.au facebook.com/EchucaMoamaMagazine

Welcome to EM. EVERYONE AT THE RIVERINE HERALD IS PROUD TO INTRODUCE WHAT WE BELIEVE WILL BECOME THE BENCHMARK PUBLICATION IN REGIONAL VICTORIA. And this will be the first of many to come.

It showcases Echuca-Moama, the marvellous region in which we live and the diverse characters and enterprises which are the fabric of our community.

EM has been months in the making and we are already hard at work on the next issue.

So what we would really like is any feedback you might have on Number 1 as well as any ideas you think might make good features in the next issue.

This is all about you, the readers, so we want to produce something you want to read.

Congratulations must also go to the writers and designers who have created something the local market has never seen.

Finally we would also like to give a big thanks to all the local companies who were prepared to support a new product sight unseen – without them none of this would be possible and we encourage you to shop local and support them.

Happy reading.

Andrew Mole Editor

t ea k n i dr l y a p the american way

within the american hotel, the oldest hotel in echuca you will find a space where everyone can gather, young and old, morning, noon or night, for a drink, a snack, a coffee, a meal or an event

i l b a t es

the age good food guide 2015 “eat drink play”. that’s the neon motto at this handsome boozer, born 1865, reborn 2013. a hip reno’ has delivered a rolicking roof bar and barbecue and schmick indoor-outdoor dining. it runs from breakfast to party: and is also the temporary home of oscar w’s.”

eat deli, made fresh for you breakfast from 8am lunches oscar w’s dining room american hotel favourites private dining and event spaces

drink rooftop bar deck bar upstairs lounge bar courtyard beer garden 20 tap beers, ciders, wines pitchers/moonshine jars

play live entertainment meat raffles cocktail hours friday night happy hour spit roasts bingo night stars & stripes members’ draws event spaces

what they say 2013 AHA state awards for excellence winner - best redeveloped hotel

5 6 8 1 d e h is

2013 Australia’s wine list of the year 2013 - one goblet 2013 Powercor Australia Campaspe Murray Business Awards for excellence. best new business

established 1865

open 7 days 8am to late 239-249 hare street echuca vic. 3564 03.54800969 www.americanhotelechuca.com.au now available download american hotel app.

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contents ON THE COVER 22

42

Cathy’s story Meet the remarkable Cathy Mackenzie and read about her journey out of the darkness

Way down south in the ice & 14 snow Journalist Geordie Cowan travels to Antarctica – the hard way – for a once in a lifetime experience in Earth’s last great wilderness.

omen who pump iron 136 WMeet some serious gym junkies building some serious muscles.

Married to the job 8 - Tamara Cadd Tamara Cadd has made a business out of wedding photography – with a difference.

What’s On Echuca-Moama 34 If it’s happening anywhere around Rich River you will find the details here.

ifting the curtain on L Riverboats Music Festival It’s one of the hottest tickets in town and we take a look at who’s who for 2015.

Pinocchio nose a good show 49 when he’s in it The next big show to hit the stage in town is set to be a big hit.

56 66

Big ideas about small space Out of ideas, and money, for the house of your dreams. What about living in containers?

Sydney Harbour on the Murray.

The best of both worlds Living along the banks of the Murray takes on a whole new look if you are in Wharparilla Drive.

Yin & Yang - love in the garden 74 a life shared Meet a couple with a real life balance – she dreams and he digs.

Unleashing the ‘X factor’ 80 (In Texan) Tyler takes on the music world – from Echuca-Moama.

Daddyhood - the king of cool & 86 his gang Get the lowdown on some of EchucaMoama’s coolest dads

he confession of my obsession 100 TCollectors or kooks? These people love their compulsions.

list 108 YWeourgivereading our take on books you need to read.

for your ears 110 Music We have listened on your behalf and give our verdict.

Life’s a three-ring circus 112 If you think your home is like a circus, try living with this family.

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lip flop...I was takin’ a walk...

120 FOnly on the Murray would a tree

158 The Mazda 3 Neo the most complete 196 All aboard at Perricoota Station small sedan money can buy

stump covered in thongs attract national attention.

122 Just like Romeo & Juliet

Few things are as nostalgic as horse hooves clip clopping down the local streets.

132 Minor, major. The important thing is it works

The next major step forward in Echuca’s high-quality facilities for the disabled.

148 You are what you eat – and what you excercise

We get fresh with some of the fundamentals to wellbeing.

154 Mighty Mac makes his mark on Relay For Life

Mac Sandercock has become a pinup boy for the fight against cancer.

We get behind the wheel of one of the Mazda success stories.

a real kick out of life 164 GIt etting was a team performance when the One and All all-star sides pulled on their boots.

fashion in the op shop 166 FYes,inding you can look posh without spending too much cash.

pring has sprung!

170 SGetting a feel for local fashion.

181

Girls’ day out Danielle & Bonnie If it’s been one of those days, here’s the perfect solution.

188 Fair dinkum Echuca Moama fare

Making the connection between local produce and fine dining.

An overhaul at a signature address is ready to throw open its doors – and menus.

secret recipes- Taste 202 Gbutranny’s never tell!

A sneak peek at those special treats handed down through the generations.

210 A hundred years of home

When you don’t own the house, it owns you.

216 What’s behind the red door?

Echuca-Moama has its historic residences but there is plenty of cutting edge design as well.

220 Kids in the kitchen

Forget the reality rubbish on TV, these kids are the real deal.

sleepdoctor sleepdoctor making bedrooms better

making bedrooms better

adjustable beds

The best medicare is a good night sleep

The best medicare is a good night sleep

212 Darling Street, Echuca (opposite Coles Supermarket)

the best medicine is a good night’s sleep Mattresses • Bedroom furniture • Manchester

sleepdoctor sleepdoctor making bedrooms better

making bedrooms better

Phone 5482 4550

www.sleepdoctorechuca.com.au

18 EchucaMoama

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Way down south IN THE ICE & SNOW

The scenery is raw, the wildlife curious, the silence absolute. And it is a remarkable world of its own – perhaps the only great attraction on Earth not flooded with tourists.

Less than 40,000 battled the South Atlantic to get there in 2013-14 and more than 25 per cent of those did not go on shore.

And for that I am thankful.

Because nothing can prepare you for the first time you board the zodiac, travel 500m to shore and follow in David Attenborough’s well-documented footsteps on the last great frontier on the planet.

As you step ashore the locals, on this day king penguins, shuffle aside to give you some space for your next footstep.

For me this was a journey which began in Ushuaia, at the foot of Argentina and the southern-most city in the world.

This trip is the stuff of legend. The destination is just part of the experience.

A focus of our trip was on explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his astonishing exploits, particularly his failed expedition to cross the Antarctic via the South

Pole and which enshrined his place in what was known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration when Roald Amundsen become the first man to reach the South Pole and Robert Scott and his small team perished in the attempt.

Today, God bless it, technology has taken the place of a sextant and raw courage and tooling around the world’s driest and coldest continent is as much like a walk in the park as life at the very limits of survival can be.

Our ‘expedition’ was led by an amazingly accomplished team of 11 experts – from local bird and sea life to the history of the frozen continent.

Laurie Dexter, who lived with the Arctic-based Inuits for many years, was a member of the first group to ski from Russia to Canada via the geographic North Pole, spending 13 weeks in the effort and as a runner has been known to cover more than 200km in 24 hours. And to kill some spare time once completed 10 marathons in 10 days. >>

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>> Who said there were no more crazy characters in this part of the world?

The Sea Adventurer, a retired Russian-built scientific vessel which would carry us across some of the world’s most dangerous and unforgiving seas, was sort of a 50/50 gamble.

At just 100m (and and about 15m wide) it was small enough to allow us to approach land, barely big enough to give some protection from the open sea and nowhere big enough to save me from what I feared may have been terminal seasickness.

Thanks to a fuel shortage in Ushuaia we took a detour to the Falkland Islands, which allowed me to restock on seasick tablets at Port Stanley, once caught in its own crisis at the height of the Falkland Islands ‘war’ between Great Britain and Argentina.

A colourful place in every sense, its residents are proudly British and passionate about not being governed by Argentina.

We then made our way to South Georgia and after a further two full days of up and down on the open sea anchored in Fortuna Bay. It was described as a moment of ‘sensory overload’ as we came face to face, and ear to ear, with thousands of king penguins in a rookery, hundreds of fur seal pups frolicking on the foreshore and a couple of large elephant seals.

We were told not to go within 5m of the wildlife, but no-one seemed to have mentioned to the wildlife not to come within 5m of us.

Sitting on the stony shore enthralled by the living documentary unfolding before us, we sat in rapt silence as penguins wandered up to check out the newcomers before, curiosity satisfied, they would continue in their almost comical gait, tipping from side to side, down the shore.

Looking at the hulking relics of whaling stations at Stromness and Grytviken the day finished with a toast to Shackleton and Frank Wild at their graves.

And that was just the overture as the next day saw us on the edge of a seething mass of 300,000 – or more, I am not sure who was doing the counting – king penguins.

By the time we reached Gold Harbour I had overcome my seasickness as well as my desire to turn and bolt in the face of charging pup fur seals (which are bigger in person than on the small screen), while overhead screaming southern giant petrels patrolled the sky. >>

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>> 22 EchucaMoama

At Cooper Bay we met the colourful yellow macaroni and grey gentoo penguins before heading back to sea for three days (ignore earlier reference to no seasickness) sailing via Elephant Island to Half Moon Island, the refuge of more than 3000 chinstrap penguins.

The next morning we woke to a snow-covered Sea Adventurer, which invited a snowball fight amongst the ship’s company, before skirting around jawdropped icebergs, the silent navy of this frozen world – from massive battleships giving just a hint to their true bulk and in a palette of whites and blues to smaller ones which had calved from glaciers or begun to melt.

penguin to practice its attacks from beneath.

Next stop was Paradise Bay, the only time we set foot on the Antarctic mainland.

To cap the day off, we went to our furthest point south in the Lemaire Channel at just past 65 degrees south.

We were lucky enough to time it for a beautiful sunset, also spotting the last of the region’s whales before they set north to their warmer breeding grounds.

Unfortunately the bad weather we had been dodging for days finally caught up with us and only managed one landing at Mikkelsen Harbour.

Where our zodiac driver Jim Zakreski, also our whale expert, demonstrated he was multi-skilled by spotting a leopard seal.

Although there was enough time for our ship of fools to complete the polar plunge – it is exactly what it says – and in a near catatonic state I somehow managed to make the plunge twice (but without any need for seasick pills).

This efficient predator suffers incurable curiosity and this one could not get enough of us, circling our little boarding vessel and treating us to dives and cheeky close-ups as he checked us out.

The return voyage involved two days across Drake’s Passage, the roughest sea in the world where old hands in the crew assured us the swells up to 8m and gusts of 60 knots were their idea of plain sailing.

Around the next bend was a second leopard seal with a fresh catch who was using the battered but not dead

Fortunately I was seriously self-medicated by then. ■

- Geordie Cowan

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Thinking about the future?

Here at Alison Kable Financial Services we help local families every year, and we understand the important issues you’ll need to address when looking into Aged Care.

Alison Kable Financial Services can assist you with individual advice on: • Your financial options with Aged Care.

• Retirement planning and Centrelink issues.

• Asset preservation and estate planning.

Call us on 5482 2239 or at 254 Anstruther St, Echuca if you would like to make an appointment.

254 Anstruther Street, Echuca Phone: 5482 2239 Alison Kable is a Certified Financial Planner and Authorised Representative of AMP Financial Planning Pty Ltd, AFS Licence no. 232706. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Please consider the appropriateness of the information in light of your personal circumstances.

Life is Good

at Allen Court Retirement Village Moama’s ‘hidden secret’ offers residents the independence of owning their own home, while having the freedom to enjoy their retirement.

Travel or take up a new hobby or simply take advantage of what Allen Court has to offer.

As well as a very active social club, Allen Court has an indoor and outdoor bowling green, hydrotherapy pool and spa, table tennis, billiards and entertainment area with barbecue, set in beautifully landscaped gardens.

Allen Court is a 64–strata title village catering to over 55’s.

The self-care units have a new, personal 24-hour emergency call system and provide independence and privacy with the knowledge of feeling safe and secure in a controlled neighbourhood, supported by an on-site manager.

Become a part of a caring, supportive and stress-free community, while enjoying the peace and tranquility and the freedom retirement offers.

Become a part of a caring, supportive and stress-free community, while enjoying the peace and tranquility and the freedom retirement offers.

A member of the Menarock Aged Care Services Group

61 Regent Street, Moama, NSW 2731 Phone: (03) 5480 9147 or (03) 5482 1311 Mobile: 0428 008 192 Email: allencourt@bigpond.com www.allencourt.com.au

Locals taking care of locals Murrayvale Aged Care is a modern, purpose-built aged care facility.

We have 50 bedrooms, divided into 16 single and 17 double rooms. Each bedroom has a fully appointed ensuite, built in robes, ducted heating, evaporative cooling, telephone and television outlets and emergency call system. All bedrooms are serviced daily with linen provided.

Our home is fully secured for our residents’ safety while still enabling access to our private courtyard gardens, meeting areas and a secured dementia walk garden with bus stop and water fountain. Residents are encouraged as far as possible to maintain their independence, social and personal interests. Choice of medical practitioner or specialist is encouraged. Medication, nutrition, dietary and personal care needs are carefully supervised. Murrayvale Aged Care welcomes input from each resident, as it is their home.

Additional features • Division 1 Registered Nurse 24 hours • Medication supervision • Comfortable lounge room area • Dedicated secure dementia wing

Our long term staff are dedicated professionals who are fully qualified to meet the residents’ personal and clinical care needs, many of whom have been there since the facility opened in 1982.

They are trained to deliver the best service with qualified Personal Carers and a Registered Nurse, 24 hours a day, every day, with a special understanding of the needs of the aged. An integral part of our care is to develop individual care plans which provide a holistic team approach. The care plans are regularly reviewed to meet the needs of each resident assisting in the care of the resident’s mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing, giving our carers a sense of achievement and satisfaction.

• Secure dementia walk

Our trained Chefs provide delicious varied menus with fresh selections each day. A qualified Dietitian also ensures that the specific nutritional needs of our residents are met, including religious and cultural requirements.

• Barbeque garden area

Activities, recreation and therapeutic programs including exercises, crafts, movies, readings, special events and outings are catered to the residents’ personal interests.

Murrayvale Aged Care offers visiting Hairdresser, Podiatrist, Physiotherapist, Pharmacist and arrangements for newspaper deliveries upon request.

Menarock Aged Care Services

• Sitting room with open fireplace • Ceiling fans • Large activity rooms • Two separate garden courtyards • Hairdressing salon • Dedicated facility bus.

Australian owned and operated.

63 Regent Street, Moama t. 03 5482 1311 f. 03 5480 9336 e. don.murrayvale@menarock.com.au manager.murrayvale@menarock.com.au

26 EchucaMoama

Cathy’s

STORY

27 EchucaMoama

“I AM STILL HERE. I MIGHT ONLY TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME BUT IT IS MY TIME.”

28 EchucaMoama

Cathy Mackenzie can laugh.

around herself, almost holding her together.

Sort of.

Yet despite her determination to be upbeat it is also this bull of a man who does as much of the talking and whose eyes rarely leave his wife.

But it is brittle; you can sense the dark clouds of pain just beneath the surface.

Her haunted eyes are constantly moving, as if every sight is something precious, to be acknowledged, filed and stored.

And only seem to soften and rest, fleetingly, when she glances at her husband Scott.

Who is beside her now as he has been for every step of this woman’s descent into hell and the long journey back.

They are a delightful mismatch; he is a big, burly bloke while Cathy, a svelte 50kg, seems almost lost in his shadow, hands fluttering in her lap or arms wrapped

Cathy Mackenzie is a cancer survivor.

A woman damned by genetic destiny to almost reach the point of surrender as she dealt with massive surgery, ongoing chemotherapy and the emotional anguish of surrendering almost everything so there would be a tomorrow.

Scott, she says, is with her for this interview because he has better recall of the past 12 months while she is plagued with memory loss, what she calls her “chemo brain�.

Like many who have gone before, her body is still racked with joint pain, she suffers constant heat flashes and

29 EchucaMoama

And about to plumb physical and emotional reserves she never knew existed.

“It was like a whirlwind,” she says.

“Although tests showed I did not have the BRCA genes (which dramatically heighten a woman’s risk of breast cancer) the specialists told us they believe they are just two of maybe five genes that do the damage.

“Genes they are still trying to track down but which can be inherited as well.”

As bad as her news is Cathy now faces explaining it all to her three sisters and mother.

Especially to her identical twin Jo who, remarkably, had married Scott’s cousin so both girls still share the same surname.

March 15, 2013 Cathy has a lumpectomy which confirms the diagnosis.

She has a grade three tumour, so small (1.5cm) the doctors are surprised she actually found it.

The only good news is it has been contained and the prognosis for removing all the dangerous cells is good.

But nothing can prepare anyone for what is about to come.

Told her chemotherapy would make all her hair fall out, even her eyebrows and possibly her eyelashes, Cathy took control. there are days, many days, when getting out of bed is as good as it gets.

Ask most people what they were doing a week ago, a month ago, and answers will be suitably vague. Was it a Tuesday, a Wednesday?

“We staged a shave party, we had a heap of friends and family around and I had it all cut off.

“The strangest thing though, once it starts, it does not affect the hair on your arms. I never did understand that.”

The chemo was brutal on this lightly built woman.

Cathy and Scott have a new series of anniversaries which Scott says they would drive to Melbourne, have the will now be more important than any other. And never treatment and drive home the next day. Then it would forgotten. hit her. In the next four months she had four treatments February 15, 2013. and they both agree she would not have been able to go back for a fifth.

Cathy finds a lump in her breast.

She is just 39 years old, well short of the recommended mammogram screening age.

“The third round knocked her the most,” Scott recalls.

She was flattened, almost beaten.

“But she was so determined to see it through that she just kept going. I tried to talk her into taking a good rest, An enthusiastic netballer, keen walker, working two jobs. to take more time, but nothing could stop her. She just Immortal. wanted it over with,” he says. >> In her own mind in the peak of condition.

30 EchucaMoama >> With the chemotherapy done it was back to the specialists where she was given the odds.

If she did nothing more there was an 87 per cent chance her cancer would return.

A double mastectomy would reduce that to 1 per cent.

identical twin aren’t. Not that you can see. Cathy is born with only one kidney and a blood condition which causes an extraordinary clotting risk. She has already suffered two pulmxonary embolisms but brushed them both off and got on with her life.

Now it will put her at risk again.

“We were told there was no right or wrong answer, it was The preferred post surgical cancer drug is Tamoxifen but our decision,” Cathy says. her permanent need for blood thinners rules that out.

“But with no further intervention it could be next year, While Cathy and her specialists, at various times she five years, 10 years, but it would be there,” she says. is consulting with as many as five of them, plan her August 6, 2013 long-term care and her three-monthly checks, her twin Cathy enters St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Melbourne and sisters Rosa and Nicolina are now having their own checkups, every six months. and in nine hours of surgery has both breasts removed, expanders for future reconstructive plastic surgery inserted and her ovaries taken out. She makes the decision to sacrifice her ovaries because of the hormonal influence on her condition.

A traumatic surrender for any woman, for Cathy this is a final emotional nail in her heart and her dreams. Before the cancer she and Scott have endured 15 unsuccessful rounds of IVF in an attempt to have a child. That fading hope has been simply swept aside under the surgeon’s knife.

Cathy’s outlook belies her medical history. She and her

While Cathy was having her life and her body torn apart, Scott was there as she was put under anaesthetic and there when she woke up.

He was at every chemo session, awake at every groan of joint pain, to help cool the flashes and ice her aching body.

He became, as Cathy says with a grin, “a bloody good nurse”.

But he also learnt a lot.

Most importantly, he says, “is you realise life is short”.

“I thought I was going to lose her.

“I don’t think initially I had any idea other than it scared a rare moment lowers her guard and admits to those closest to her: “I feel like I’m f******g 80”. the shit out of me.

“Anyone can say what they like, when you are the ones hearing the word cancer you think it is the end of the world. It is only as you go along and better understand what is happening that you really start to get your head around it.

“And now, the things I have seen her go through, there’s nothing of her, I am sure it was just her will that has got her there. She had a plan, she wanted everything to be done as fast as possible and there was no talking her out of it.

“There have been doctors, counsellors, friends, family but it was her, all her.”

February 10, 2014 Cathy turns 40. At her party she makes a speech and in

Telling it again makes her laugh, but the night before has been another bad one, with joint pain. When her best friends are ice packs and the loyalty, perseverance and tender love of the big man sitting next to her.

“It can go on for days at a time; you are all over the place.

“But I think one of the worst moments for me was during the chemotherapy,” Cathy says.

“I always wore a beanie but this day I was lying in bed without it and dad walked in. He had never seen me without it once the treatment started,” she says.

“He just stood there and I saw his heart break.

“But I am still here. I might only take it one day at a time but it is my time.”■

BreastScreen Australia’s target age range has been extended five years, from women 50 to 69 years of age to women 50 to 74 years of age.

BreastScreen Victoria chief executive officer Vicki Pridmore said the age increase would see an additional 12,500 women screened in 2014-15. ‘‘Locally in Echuca, the clinic aims to screen 192 women aged 70 to 74 in 2014-15. Nationally, this initiative will mean more than 220,000 additional screening services can be delivered throughout BreastScreen Australia over the next four years. From 2016-17, an estimated additional 600 breast cancers may be detected each year,’’ she said.

She said regular breast screens are the best way to find

breast cancer early, before any symptoms are noticed and when treatment is likely to be most successful.

Women 75 years of age and over are still eligible for free screening mammograms, however they will not receive an invitation to attend. ‘‘It’s critical that all women, no matter their age, look after their breast health. ’’ said Ms Pridmore.

She said women diagnosed with breast cancer are surviving significantly longer, with the five-year survival rate at 89 per cent, which she said can be attributed to breast screening and improved treatment options. ■

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“ANYONE CAN SAY WHAT THEY LIKE, WHEN YOU ARE THE ONES HEARING THE WORD CANCER YOU THINK IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD. IT IS ONLY AS YOU GO ALONG AND BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING THAT YOU REALLY START TO GET YOUR HEAD AROUND IT.’

32 EchucaMoama

Tamara and Greg with their children Georgia and Toby. Image

by Cindy Power Photography

33 EchucaMoama

Married to the job TAMARA CADD

Photographer Tamara Cadd shot the cover of the inaugural edition of EchucaMoama and as striking as it is it barely scratches the service of this incredibly passionate artist who told EM editor Andrew Mole of the wild ride that is her day-to-day life.

If you have ever felt as though you have just been through the wringer trust me, you haven’t.

Not when you listen to the dramas your average wedding photographer faces on an almost weekly basis during the ‘season’.

But none of them take the cake, as it were, when compared with Tamara Cadd.

She doesn’t like to talk about it.

She still shakes when she thinks about it, and had to have her arm twisted to even confess that yes, just once, and only once, something had gone catastrophically wrong.

Almost.

Because on the brink of an irretrievable disaster she was saved.

By rice.

No, not rice scooped up at the wedding the day before.

This pristine rice had been rushed from the packet to

a bowl to rescue the camera card which was merrily spinning its way through a full wash cycle in Tamara’s laundry.

The card with all the pictures from the previous day’s wedding.

In the front-loading washing machine which could not be opened once it was running.

In front of which our shattered shutterbug sat crying as she watched first the wash, then the rinse and finally the spin dry.

After which out popped that pesky little card, as wet as the front of Tamara’s top where all those tears had fallen.

From whence it was whisked off to the rice bowl.

Where, miracle of miracles, the rice sucked the little bugger dry and every image was retrieved, loaded into the computer, backed up, then stored on a separate disc, and loaded onto another hard drive just in case. >>

Make Up by Samantha Morgan from Willow Tree Beauty Lounge

34 EchucaMoama >> The unwitting couple have never been told just how close their wedding came to being nothing more than a memory.

And EM magazine swore blind to Tamara we would not reveal them, nor the disaster itself, so this tale is for yours eyes only. Not a word to anyone.

But in truth it would be a harsh way to judge Tamara, who has become the wonder woman of the wedding set both sides of the river.

She has only been in the business fulltime for about five years and is already closing in on her 200th wedding.

only going to be there for a very short time,” Tamara says.

“So everyone has to move fast and I have to chivvy them along or the opportunity is lost,” she says.

Her insistence on perfection might make the happy couple even more happy when they get their album – or CD as it is in the cyber age – but Tamara pays the price.

Such as being stuck in mud on the banks of the Murray photographing the happy couple sailing by on their paddle steamers.

Such is her reputation (remember, not a word about the you know what?) she draws couples from all over the state who want their special day captured against the backdrop of the Murray, or to make the most of the country ambience in and around the region.

“I could barely move, the river had gone down but the bank was a bog,” she recalls with a laugh.

Perricoota Station is a favourite in the repertoire but this Cohuna high school teacher turned digital magician runs a very flexible shoot.

“But disasters aside, weddings for me are such special events. They are a joy to work because it is such a big day and everyone is so happy.

Which has seen her stop the wedding cars in the middle of a dusty road in the middle of nowhere and started screaming at everyone to get out, and get out fast.

“In fact by the end of the day I think I have spent more time with the couple than anyone else – and that’s quite a privilege.”

“You suddenly see this marvellous light just embracing a setting and you know it is too good to miss – and is

“By the time I managed to pull one foot out of the mud that’s exactly what I got – the shoe was nowhere to be seen.

People also need to be aware Tamara doesn’t just cry in front of washing machines.

She cries at weddings.

35 EchucaMoama

Every wedding.

Whether she is in front of the camera or behind it.

She cries when she photographs friends, she cries when she photographs people who were her students, she cries when they are people she has never met.

But make no mistake, Tamara is no cry baby. The tears never flow when she is working, but in the church many of the shots are locked in, giving her time to co-shed a few with any other softies in attendance.

And obviously there is something endearing about all these tears because even Tamara is amazed at just how many of her clients have become her friends over the years.

However, there is a secret side to Tamara, a closet in which she has been loitering since she took her first photographs at the tender age of 11 and which was inflamed during her university years formally studying the subject.

Make up by Sarah North from Sublime Mobile Hair and Make up.

Hair by Mint Condition for Hair body and brides.

She is something of a fantasist.

Weddings she loves, and they help keep the wolf from the door, but you only have to click onto tamaracaddphotography.com.au to discover the surreal side of this woman who was once in charge with the education of our children.

Fantastic faces explode from the screen; bizarre interpretations of the ordinary create a kaleidoscopic confection of ideas which almost certainly never crossed your mind or mine.

Yet somehow she seems to have pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat because the finished product is mesmerizing.

For a girl ruled by light there are some arrestingly dark corners of her mind which find full flight behind her camera and in her coven of equally enthusiastic makeup artists and hairdressers around town who share her hidden passions.

But if you are one of Echuca-Moama’s many brides to be, and you have signed Tamara for your big day, there is no need to panic.

You are about to share an artistic journey with someone who is doing more than a job, for Tamara lives the moment, is never fully satisfied and is forever in search of that perfect result.

And like all artists is driven to conquer the unattainable, which is what makes these remarkably gifted people so damn good – because good is never good enough. ■

Flowers by Wallingford Flowers Make Up by Wild for Beauty

Tamara Cadd www.tamaracaddphotography.com Wedding packages online, photographic art for sale online and at Love from Marley.

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38 EchucaMoama

ECHUCA MOAMA SEPTEMBER

October 5

Rochester Town Market First Birthday Celebrate Rochester Town Market’s first birthday with good food, fresh produce, craft, candles and classic cars. The day will run from 9am-1pm Saturday at the Shire Hall and Skate Park, Rochester.

Phone 03 5484 3600

Echuca Historical Society Museum Seniors Day It’s Seniors Day at the Echuca Historical Society Museum and Archive.

Admission will be discounted to $3 and includes morning tea. The day will begin at 11am at the museum and finish up at 2:30pm, for more information call the museum on 03 5480 1325.

September 28 to October 4

October 7

September 27

Billabong Ranch School Holiday camp Billabong Ranch will be hosting a week-long horse riding camp open to both beginners and the slightly more experienced. Phone Billabong Ranch on 03 5483 5122

OCTOBER October 1 Echuca Historical Society Museum Kid’s Fun Day

The Echuca Historical Society Museum will hold a kids’ fun day where children can enjoy a sausage sizzle, old-fashioned games and story time. It will kick off at the museum on the corner of Warren & Dickson Streets from 11.30am to 2.30pm. Phone 03 5480 1325

October 4, 5

The Deniliquin Ute Muster The Deniliquin Ute Muster Play on the Plains Festival is back again with two days of fine machinery, heavy competition and big acts like Jimmy Barnes, Sheppard, Spiderbait and more.

Camping is welcome at the festival grounds on Conargo Rd, Deniliquin.

For more information phone 03 5881 3388

October 4, 18

Echuca Farmers Market Echuca Farmers Market offers fresh fruit, vegetables and produce on selected Saturdays from 8.00am to 1pm at Alton Reserve, Hare Street, Echuca.

Phone: 0437 746 459

Anti-scam and online safety information session The Loddon Mallee Region of Consumers Affairs Victoria will be presenting anti-scam, safe online shopping and consume rights information sessions at the Campaspe Regional Library in Echuca from 11:30am. To book call 03 5482 1997 or visit www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/library

October 7

Echuca Racing Club day Enjoy the excitement of live thoroughbred racing at the Echuca Racing Club. Gates open at 11:30am Food, beverage and TAB service available as well as a playground for the children. Phone 03 5482 2487

October 7-9

Elmore Field Days The 51st annual Elmore Field days will offer a comprehensive display of over 600 sites showcasing the latest in farming technology, and equipment while focussing this year on the amazing food and wine produced in the region. Phone Frank Harney 03 5432 6176

October 11

Caldwell Celtic Night Don your best tartan for a rollicking evening at the Caldwell Celtic Night with The Whiskey Gypsies and Tartan Craic performing. Tickets are $25 with festivities kicking off at 7:30pm, Caldwell Hall. Phone 03 5881 7436

October 12

Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market runs 8:30am-12pm, Sunday at Station St, Girgarre and offers a variety of fresh produce and quirky crafts.

Phone 03 5857 2270

October 12, 26

Echuca-Moama Market The Echuca-Moama Market is held on selected Sundays throughout the year at Moama’s Sound Shell Gardens, there is a range of fresh produce, bric-a brac, arts and craft. Phone Max Brown on 0408 766 828

October 16

Wendy Matthews Country singer Wendy Matthews will be performing live at the Rich River Golf Club from 8:30pm. Bookings are essential, phone 03 5481 3333.

October 18-19

YMCA Echuca Mini WHAT: The YMCA Echuca Mini is two days of paddling 50km of the Massive Murray Paddle from Barmah to Echuca and an 8km fun race against Echuca Paddle steamers as art of the Sweat vs Steam festival. Contact Massive Murray Paddle HQ on 03 9403 5000

October 19

Echuca YMCA Sweat Vs Steam Race the world’s oldest wooden hulled paddle steamer 5km or 12.5 km along the Murray River through the Port of Echuca at this year’s Sweat vs Steam.

The race will begin at 8am at Hopwood gardens, for more information phone 03 5482 2517.

October 25

Native Flower Showcase The Echuca-Moama Australian Plant Society group will hold a native flower showcase at the Uniting Church Hall from 9am – 4pm. There will be stalls and nurseries selling plants and offering advice on effective plant growing.

Email apsechuca@gmail.com for more information. >>

39 EchucaMoama

What’s On

40 EchucaMoama >> October 19

Author Maggie Counihan appearance Author Maggie Counihan will speak at the Campaspe Regional Library, Echuca from 2:30pm regaling tales of her life and adventures since reaching 60. To book phone 03 5482 1997 or visit www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/library

October 20

Morning Melodies What better way to celebrate your Monday than at the Rich River Golf Club Resort’s Morning Melodies.

The Hoffmans will provide hours of entertainment between 10am-12pm playing all you favourite covers from the 50’s through to the 90’s. Tickets are $4 and include a raffle ticket.

Phone: 03 5481 3333.

October 25

Billabong Ranch Winery Ride Saddle up and travel through stunning bushland as you ride to the Cape Horn Vineyard. Here you will enjoy a wood fired pizza lunch and wine before riding back to the ranch. The ride departs at 10am and cost $185pp including horse riding and instruction. Bookings essential, phone 03 5483 5122.

October 25

Rochester Town Market Rochester Town Market offers fresh produce, arts, craft and great food. Head down to the Shire Hall and Skate Park between 9am – 1pm to check it out.

Phone 03 5484 3600

October 25 – October 26

Echuca-Moama Relay for Life Echuca-Moama Relay for Life will take place from 4pm Saturday to 10am Sunday at the Moama Recreation Reserve. Register or join a team to begin fundraising or volunteer your services on the night. Phone Jamie-Lea Jones, 1300 65 65 85

October 26

Billabong Ranch Saddle Club Saddle Club is a great way to introduce your child to horse riding. There will be ribbons to be won from barrel racing and mounted games. The day will take place at Billabong Ranch from 10am – 1pm at $55pp or 10am to 3.00pm at $75pp including lunch. Phone 03 5483 5122.

October 26

Author Keri Arthur appearance Urban fantasy and paranormal romance writer Keri Arthur will visit the Campaspe Regional Library, Echuca to speak about her work from 2:30pm3:30pm. Phone 03 5482 1997 or visit www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/library

NOVEMBER November 1, 15, 29

Echuca Farmers Market Echuca Farmers Market offers fresh fruit, vegetables and produce on selected Saturdays from 8.00am to 1pm at Alton Reserve, Hare Street, Echuca.

Phone: 0437 746 459

November 1, 15, 29

Echuca-Moama Market The Echuca-Moama Market is held on selected Sundays throughout the year at Moama’s Sound Shell Gardens, there is a range of fresh produce, bric-a brac, arts and craft. Phone Max Brown on 0408 766 828

November 3

Turkish Bazaar Hare St Trader’s Turkish Bazaar will offer family fun as you stroll through in search of street stall bargains. Hare St will be closed to traffic between Packenham and Anstruther St. Phone Andrew, 03 5482 3433

November 7

Melbourne Cup Day racing Echuca Racing Club will host the

Moama Bowling Melbourne Cup Day Race Meeting. Enjoy fashions on the field and the big race on the big screen. Gates open at 11:30am; general admission is $25 with Marquee and Reserve tickets available. There will also be a shuttle bus circuit available from Border Inn Hotel, Caltex Roadhouse, American Hotel, Coles Echuca and Echuca Aquatic Centre.

Phone: 03 5482 2487

November 7 – 9

Kyabram Country Music Festival Kyabram Country Music Festival displays talented Aussie country musicians such as Tim Farren, Sandra Humphries and Country Horizon.

Phone 03 5853 2933 or email ky47347@bigpond.net.au

November 7 -9

The Echuca Moama Show The Echuca Moama Show is on again displaying the regions agricultural best as well as great entertainment, food and rides.

Phone Kirsty on 0438 710 649

November 7-9

State Clay Shooting Titles The Victorian State Clay Target Titles shooting event will take place Friday through Sunday at the Echuca Clay Target Club. Phone Peter Sing on 03 5481 2211

November 9

Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market runs 8:30am-12pm, Sunday at Station St, Girgarre and offers a variety of fresh produce and quirky crafts.

Phone 03 5857 2270

November 15

Museum Accessibility Weekend From 11am-3pm the Echuca Historical Society Museum will have an Accessibility Weekend, giving those with wheelchairs and their carer’s free

41 EchucaMoama

admission. Phone 03 5480 1325

November 16

Rochester Kidzcapers Rochester Kidzcapers will be offering fun and entertainment with a huge range of activities for all ages from 10am at the Rochester Primary School. Phone 03 5484 2204

November 17

Morning Melodies What better way to celebrate your Monday than at the Rich River Golf Club Resort’s Morning Melodies.

The Hoffmans will provide hours of entertainment between 10am-12pm playing all you favourite covers from the 50’s through to the 90’s. Tickets are $4 and include a raffle ticket.

Phone: 03 5481 3333.

November 20

Author John Howell appearance Author John Howell will visit Campaspe Regional Library, Echuca at 10am o talk about his book ‘The Only Woman at Gallipoli’. Phone 03 5482 1997 or visit www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/library

November 22

Billabong Ranch Winery Ride Saddle up and travel through stunning bushland as you ride to the Cape Horn Vineyard. Here you will enjoy a wood fired pizza lunch and wine before riding back to the ranch. The ride departs at 10am and cost $185pp including horse riding and instruction. Bookings essential, phone 03 5483 5122.

November 22

Rochester Town Market Rochester Town Market offers fresh produce, arts, craft and great food. Head down to the Shire Hall and Skate Park between 9am – 1pm to check it out.

Phone 03 5484 3600

November 22

Barry Beehag Ski Classic The ninth annual Barry Beehag Ski

Classic will take place with a return trip from Deep Creek Marina to Torrumbarry. Phone Moama Water Sports Club, 03 5480 6754

November 23

Billabong Ranch Saddle Club Saddle Club is a great way to introduce your child to horse riding. There will be ribbons to be won from barrel racing and mounted games. The day will take place at Billabong Ranch from 10am – 1pm at $55pp or 10am to 3.00pm at $75pp including lunch. Phone 03 5483 5122.

November 24 – November 28

Echuca YMCA Massive Murray Paddle The YMCA Massive Murray Paddle is the southern hemisphere’s largest paddling event and covers 404km Yarrawonga to Swan Hill in five days.

Phone YMCA, 03 9403 5000

November 30

Author Damien Finlayson appearance Author Damien Finlayson will speak about his book based on WWI ‘Crumps & Camouflets’ from 2.30pm at the Campaspe Regional Library, Echuca.

Phone 03 5482 1997 or visit www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/library

November 30

One and All Community Day The 2014 One and All Community Day celebrates our community in its entirety. Over 4500 people attended last year’s event at the Echuca Harness Racing Club, and this year is set to grow.

For more information, Jacqui@oneandallproject.org.au

DECEMBER December 7, 21

Echuca-Moama Market The Echuca-Moama Market is held on selected Sundays throughout the year at Moama’s Sound Shell Gardens, there is a range of fresh produce, bric-a brac,

arts and craft. Phone Max Brown on 0408 766 828

December 6, 20

Echuca Farmers Market Echuca Farmers Market offers fresh fruit, vegetables and produce on selected Saturdays from 8.00am to 1pm at Alton Reserve, Hare Street, Echuca.

Phone: 0437 746 459

December 12

Morning Melodies What better way to celebrate your Monday than at the Rich River Golf Club Resort’s Morning Melodies.

The Hoffmans will provide hours of entertainment between 10am-12pm playing all you favourite covers from the 50’s through to the 90’s. Tickets are $4 and include a raffle ticket.

Phone: 03 5481 3333.

December 14

Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market runs 8:30am-12pm, Sunday at Station St, Girgarre and offers a variety of fresh produce and quirky crafts.

Phone 03 5857 2270

December 27

Rochester Town Market Rochester Town Market offers fresh produce, arts, craft and great food. Head down to the Shire Hall and Skate Park between 9am – 1pm to check it out.

Phone 03 5484 3600

December 31

NYE Family Race Day Echuca Racing Club will host the NYE Family racing day. Enjoy family entertainment from 11am. There will also be a shuttle bus circuit available from Border Inn Hotel, Caltex Roadhouse, American Hotel, Coles Echuca and Echuca Aquatic Centre.

Phone: 03 5482 2487 >>

42 EchucaMoama >>

JANUARY January 3 –February 22

The Great Australian Inland Cruise The Great Australian Inland Cruise is an epic 1,700km small craft trip from Echuca to the Murray River mouth.

Phone Garry, 03 9583 2638, 0418 996 856

January 3, 17, 31

Echuca Farmers Market Echuca Farmers Market offers fresh fruit, vegetables and produce on selected Saturdays from 8.00am to 1pm at Alton Reserve, Hare Street, Echuca.

Phone: 0437 746 459

January 10

Echuca Racing Club day Enjoy the excitement of live thoroughbred racing at the Echuca Racing Club. Gates open at 12pm Food, beverage and TAB service available as well as a playground for the children.

Phone 03 5482 2487

January 4, 11, 25

Echuca-Moama Market The Echuca-Moama Market is held on selected Sundays throughout the year at Moama’s Sound Shell Gardens, there is a range of fresh produce, bric-a brac, arts and craft. Phone Max Brown on 0408 766 828

January 9-11

The Girgarre Moosic Muster The Girgarre Moosic Muster is a family friendly music festival based on a combination of bluegrass, Irish, gospel, country and folk music Held this year at the Girgarre Town Hall and Park.

Phone Jan Smith, 03 5854 6283 or 0458 546 283

January 11

Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market runs 8:30am-12pm, Sunday at

Station St, Girgarre and offers a variety of fresh produce and quirky crafts.

Phone 03 5857 2270

January 24

Rochester Town Market Rochester Town Market offers fresh produce, arts, craft and great food. Head down to the Shire Hall and Skate Park between 9am – 1pm to check it out.

Phone 03 5484 3600

January 18

Morley Ford Auto Echuca-Moama Triathlon The Echuca Moama Triathlon Club is offering athletes and spectators alike a unique experience with this year’s twilight event, the Morley Ford Auto Echuca-Moama Triathlon. Phone Bill Cathcart, 03 5481 2244

FEBRUARY February 7, 21

Echuca Farmers Market Echuca Farmers Market offers fresh fruit, vegetables and produce on selected Saturdays from 8.00am to 1pm at Alton Reserve, Hare Street, Echuca.

Phone: 0437 746 459

February 8

Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market runs 8:30am-12pm, Sunday at Station St, Girgarre and offers a variety of fresh produce and quirky crafts.

Phone 03 5857 2270

February 8, 15

Echuca-Moama Market The Echuca-Moama Market is held on selected Sundays throughout the year at Moama’s Sound Shell Gardens, there is a range of fresh produce, bric-a brac, arts and craft. Phone Max Brown on 0408 766 828

February 6, 7 and 8

Southern 80 Ski Race The Club Marine Southern 80 Ski Race is the biggest ski race in the world taking place on the Murray River over three days and multiple locations.

For more information visit www. southern80.com.au

February 13-15

Riverboats Music Festival The Riverboats Music Festival will feature live bands on the banks of the Murray River. With artists like Dan Sultan, Sarah Blasko and Tex Perkins crowds are sure to have a fun filled weekend at the Echuca Aquatic reserve.

Phone 03 5480 7555 or www. riverboatsmusic.com.au

February 20 – 28

The Murray Meander The Murray Charity Meander event consists of a fleet of tinny’s traveling the length of the Murray in three one week stages over three years. This year participants will travel between Bringenbrong Bridge and Echuca.

Phone 04 5880 2211

February 27- March 1

The Mathoura Fishing Classic The Mathoura Fishing Classic aims to raise funds to restock the rivers with native fish while providing entrants with the chance to experience a great family day out at Tarragon Lodge, Picnic Point. Phone Lori, 04 3264 4154

February 28

Rochester Town Market Rochester Town Market offers fresh produce, arts, craft and great food. Head down to the Shire Hall and Skate Park between 9am – 1pm to check it out.

Phone 03 5484 3600 ■

CAMPASPE REGIONAL LIBRARY BOOKS / DVD’S / MAGAZINES

Come and enjoy a coffee, read the paper or flick through a magazine, while taking in the magnificent view.

A wonderful community meeting place, something for everyone!

Campaspe Regional Library 310 Hare St, Echuca VIC 3564. Phone 1300 666 535 Website: www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/library

Chauffeur Driven Service

Sit back, relax, while we chauffeur you to your destination Hire your own Chauffeur driven car available 7 days a week service!

• Door to door personal transport • Melbourne Airport / City Transfers • Tours, Special and Social events • Race meetings • Birthday celebrations • Business meetings • RRHC will travel to any destination • Over twelve years professional transport experience

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Phone TIM or JO - 0499 019 615, www.richriverhirecars.com.au

43 EchucaMoama

• Extensive range of books, DVDs, audio books, magazines, newspapers and online resources • Free internet access including Wi-Fi hotspot • A wide variety of activities and programs; see website for details • Comfortable seating and numerous study areas • Clean and accessible amenities including parent’s room • Free Car Parking • Temporary membership available

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79-85 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca Phone 5480 7912

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46 EchucaMoama

47 EchucaMoama

Lifting the curtain

ON THE RIVERBOATS MUSIC FESTIVAL The Rich River is about to crank up the volume as the fourth annual Riverboats Music Festival returns to the banks of the Murray at Echuca-Moama from February 13 – 15. And spectators will have plenty of time to catch it all. Because no-one will have to crawl out of bed at the crack of dawn, with acts not hitting the stage until midday and then playing well into the summer night.

Australian music superstars will be playing alongside the future of the industry, turning on a mix of everything from rock and roll to alt-country blues and soul - and everything in between.

Now the Murray River’s premiere contemporary music festival, Riverboats’ captivating location lends a leisurely, laid-back vibe to the weekend’s festivities.

Whether relaxing on picnic rugs or dancing to the music under the dappled light cast by the region’s towering river red gums, the festival’s diverse crowd runs from urban road-trippers to country families and discerning musos.

Set up again within the superb natural amphitheatre of Echuca’s Aquatic Reserve, Riverboats is the natural home for festival fans looking for an inexpensive and intimate experience brimming with great music and a handpicked selection of regional food and wine.

Dan Sultan This much-loved, award-winning Melbourne artist has delivered smouldering live performances to rapt audiences throughout the country, both in support of Bruce Springsteen and on his own Blackbird headline tours. Sultan’s latest album is the culmination of many months of writing and recording, and sees powerhouse riffs met by crackling gospel interludes, old-school rock and roll jams, pure country tones, bare and aching ballads, harmonies, horns, banjos – even an Arabic scale or two. >>

48 EchucaMoama >>

Sarah Blasko Sarah Blasko - consummate artist and performer, with an unfaltering creative vision and an eye for detail.

Having completed her latest European tour, Sarah followed up with a tour of churches and cathedrals across Australia which left audiences both entranced and lost for words. Sarah undertook the producer role for the first time on her recent ARIAnominated album I Awake, performing songs from the album with symphony orchestras to sold-out audiences across Australia.

Tex Perkins & The Dark Horses Tex Perkins has shown us many faces over his musical journey. Front-man for the evocative soundscapes of The Cruel Sea and the hard edged pub

rock of The Beasts of Bourbon, Tex is now back once again to the mysterious moody groove of The Dark Horses.

Beginning life as primarily Perko’s backing band, The Dark Horses have developed a sound and style distinctly their own.

The Whitlams One of Australia’s favourite bands, The Whitlams appeal to audiences of all ages and tastes, with generations of fans across the country flocking to see their shows. Winners of the award for Best Group at the 1998 ARIAs, their poignant melodies have won them critical and mass acclaim. With a total of three ARIAs, Eternal Nightcap was recently voted No. 17 in Triple J’s “Hottest Australian Albums of All Time”.

The Bamboos Nine-piece Melbourne outfit The Bamboos have come a long way since forming in 2001. Initially inspired by the instrumental raw funk of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, they made waves internationally and were quickly labelled as one of the greatest funk and soul bands of our time. Over five acclaimed albums, their evolution in sound and style has consistently exceeded expectations, pulling the rug from under the feet of those who like to pigeonhole.

Adalita Well known as the front woman for iconic Australian rock band, Magic Dirt, who for nearly two decades have been one of Australia’s most respected and influential bands, Adalita is initiating new and old fans with her moving and stark solo shows. >>

49 EchucaMoama

50 EchucaMoama

>> The release of Adalita’s eponymous

Diesel

debut album in 2011 marked the

Nick Cave, with whom he formed

One of our most gifted natural musicians, Diesel’s talent marked him as special from the moment he first played on a stage and, twentyeight years on, it continues to thrill and amaze audiences as much as ever before. With over 35 singles, 13 albums, 6 ARIA awards (including three for Best Male Artist), and record sales edging 1 million, Diesel is a journeyman of music.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Harvey

Fraser A. Gorman

advent of a remarkable new phase in an already illustrious career.

Mick Harvey Mick is a rock musician, singersongwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multiinstrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with

is equally known for his soundtrack work (Chopper, Australian Rules) and his production work (Rowland S Howard and most recently PJ Harvey’s Mercury Prize winning album, Let England Shake).

Fraser A. Gorman embraces an oldworld style of story-telling, drawing inspiration from early dustbowl singers like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan as well as modern songsmiths such as Justin Townes Earle. Gorman

has achieved a great deal in the past 12 months, firmly establishing himself as one of the country’s most promising rising talents. His captivating songwriter abilities and charismatic live performances have secured his place on some of the country’s most loved festival bills.

Stella Angelico Born to a magician father and cult cabaret performer mother, Stella Angelico has music and performance coursing through her veins. A singersongwriter, Angelico released her first self titled EP and single, Mister, in 2012. From cheeky, irreverent chanteuse to broken-hearted balladeer, Stella Angelico’s soul-poprock will move you. With a voice that

51 EchucaMoama

is both bold and vulnerable, Angelico will undoubtedly make you smile, before reminding you that love is sometimes just a punch in the guts.

Raised By Eagles A debut LP nominated for Best Country Album at The Age Music Victoria Awards, consistently raw and captivating performances and a unique brand of country-grit, pop and rock has cemented Raised By Eagles’ reputation as one of Melbourne’s most sought after acts. Recently selected to appear alongside international luminaries including Justin Townes Earle and Lindi Ortega for the inaugural ‘Out On The Weekend’ Festival, this is an Australian band

undoubtedly on the rise.

Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel Originally hailing from the mountain valleys of rural Victoria, Sal Kimber is one of Australia’s most exciting young singer-songwriters. Having grown up in a musical family, Sal discovered her passion for songwriting at an early age. Now based in inner Melbourne, Kimber has been quietly stealing hearts in the depth of Australia’s live music scene for the past eight years.

Matt Walker & The Lost Ragas This Melbourne band’s earliest shows were tentative, gentle affairs, but over

time the line-up injected new songs and developed their country-blues sound, at once familiar and utterly singular. Featuring Matt Walker on guitars, vocals and harmonica, their live shows are delicate yet powerful, laid back and intense, with moments quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and powerful enough to drive a nail into the ground. ■ Riverboats Music Festival Bookings & Further Information: www.riverboatsmusic.com.au or call the Echuca-Moama Visitor Information Centre on 1800 804 446.

W

ORKERS

Where everyone's treated like a local...

Echuca Workers and Services Club would like to invite you to our friendly facilities in the heart of Echuca.

There’s a reason we have been a great destination for locals and visitors to meet and have a good time for over 100 years.

Serving the community

Sunday Night Carvery

We have been looking after Echuca-Moama for over 100 years, support the club that supports the community.

Choice of two roast meats, roast potatoes, vegetables, bread roll and condiments PLUS warm dessert. Only $13.50. * Not available public holidays & weekends .

Monday lunch & dinner specials $11 Bovine & Beverage – T-Bone steak cooked just how you like it with the choice of sauce, chips, vegetables or salad & a drink.

Free courtesy bus

* Not available public holidays.

Leave the car at home and get the free courtesy bus to pick you up and drop you off. (Within a 10 km radius).

Functions are catered for

Whether it’s lunch or dinner we have got meals for each member of the family. Kids and Seniors too! Bistro open 12 - 2pm & 6 - 8.30pm.

Two full sized pool tables With TAB facilities, Sky Channel & FOX Sports all on the big screen, you’ll never miss a moment of the action.

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Echuca Workers & Services Club reserves the right to change any promotions at any time without notice.

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165-173 Annesley St, Echuca. Open hours: Monday to Saturday - From 9am 5482 3140 Sunday - From 10am www.echucaworkers.com.au

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Meals for everyone

With our highly experienced staff we can cater for small gatherings up to a full wedding party and everything in between.

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Kids of all ages are catered for with our kids’ menu and outdoor kids’ playground.

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The kids are covered

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Pinocchio

NOSE A GOOD SHOW WHEN HE’S IN IT

54 EchucaMoama

Without a word of a lie Echuca-Moama Theatre Company’s latest production cannot be missed.

When the curtain rises for opening night at the end of October the men behind My Son Pinocchio Jr will be as happy as good old Geppetto when their woodenheaded star totters across the stage.

year, following its production of Li’l Abner.

For EMTC president John Wright and executive committee member Matt McLindon the production marks their first time as co-directors.

Mrs Williams said along with the familiar songs and amazing sets there would be surprises for the audience as the story was slightly different.

But this first collaboration held no fears for these veterans of the stage.

“This story is looking at it from Geppetto’s point of view,’’ she said.

Mr Wright has worked with the theatre as an actor, backstage manager and production manager since his first performance in 2009 as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast.

While the company’s adult members are hard at work they know it’s not just them putting together the show, with the young cast aged from eight to 18 and their parents pitching in to help create costumes and sets.

“So I thought it’s time to have a go at learning to direct,’’ he said.

“We’ve got some brilliant older high school students doing the choreography and they’re just amazing,’’ Mrs Williams added.

Mr McLindon revealed what he liked about codirecting: “I’m enjoying the creative side of it, where you get input into how characters develop and sets are staged,’’ he said.

“I’m very excited to see the finished product on stage after all the behind-the-scene meetings. Seeing that come to fruition’s going to be great,’’ he said.

My Son Pinocchio Jr is the company’s second show this

For that show the apprentice co-directors assisted company veteran Heidi Williams, who has directed 23 of its productions.

As well as the cast’s help, Mr Wright said the support from the Echuca-Moama community had been wonderful.

“It’s become more and more costly to use public facilities and theatres. You’ve really got to work hard at making enough money to be able to put the shows on,’’ he said. >>

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>> “We’re pretty determined people and we’ve got fabulous audiences and great people in our region and patrons who support us.

“With that backing we can put on two shows a year and we’re going to continue to do that as long as those patrons come along and support us and show us they enjoy it.

“And as long as we also see these young people coming through and having a fantastic time.

“We’ve got some brilliant young kids in the show and they’re the future, so we’ve got to develop that and nurture it.’’ ■ My Son Pinocchio Jr opens on Friday October 31 with tickets on sale at the Paramount Theatre.

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We’ve enhanced our barista training, so you only get the best We’ve evolved our coffee, so you enjoy a richer taste We’ve ensured our equipment produces consistent coffee every time We’ve done all this so you can have an even better quality coffee

Available at McCafé Echuca

Enhance the Style in your home with DCB Echuca and save energy and money Curtains

Pelmets

By choosing drapes you can preserve up to 20% (30% with block out fabric) of the heating and cooling in your home. By creating trapped air between the fabric and the window an insulating effect occurs. The pleats and folds also prevent heat transfer through convection.

Our boxed pelmets form a barrier to prevent the heated air escaping into your home over the curtain and in winter the warm air inside escaping out through the window.

DĂŠcor

Choosing your home dĂŠcor makes the place you live in the place you call home. Custom made pieces can reflect your personal style.

From stylish artwork to large lamps, the smallest of items can tell a story about your home.

Homewares

Coordinate your fabrics, colours and trims through your rooms and match them back to your window coverings to create a complete home interior look.

See the Echuca Dollar Curtains and Blinds expert team for home styling ideas and tips.

Phone 5482 4163

286 Hare Street, Echuca

We partner with Australians just like you, to assist with:

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On average our clients are clearing private debt in eight years, saving $339,360 in future mortgage payments.

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On average our clients spent $6,486 on their holidays last year.

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Call me to arrange your complimentary financial health check to find out how we can help you take greater control of your life and achieve your goals the easy way.

Having Money Victoria Pty Ltd | ABN 77 177 167 075 Corporate Authorised Representative of Henderson Matusch Pty Ltd ABN 32 107 343 091 | AFSL & Australian Credit Licence No 274484 No part of this flyer is to be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any financial product/s and recipients should not rely upon the contents of this flyer but should make their own assessment and evaluation, undertake investigation and enquire and seek appropriate advice to enable them to make any decision concerning their own interests.

Maintaining your current lifestyle Figures based on actual client data to 31 December 2013.

Renovating or building your dream home?

Call the team at Betta Home Living to complete your brand new kitchen.

101 Hare Street, Echuca 5482 4511 www.betta.com.au

big ideas

ABOUT SMALL SPACE

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63 EchucaMoama

Who hasn’t sat at the train crossing. Stuck there counting the shipping containers as they are slowly dragged past, seemingly kilometres long and in no rush to go anywhere.

Get caught often enough and you get to recognise all the brands on their sides.

And wonder what on earth demands so much space and such frequency.

Go to Melbourne or Sydney and you can see them in their countless thousands, filling hectares of wasteland alongside port facilities, stacked like industrial age Lego.

But now they’re being dragged off the trains, and out of the storage facilities and are popping up in backyards and on rural properties all over the country.

Not as storage, either.

Shipping containers are being increasingly used as small, low budget, high-quality homes.

Sure, they’re small, but shipping container homes have huge potential – especially in the Echuca/Moama district.

Whether you’re building a holiday cabin, granny flat or teen retreat – or even a man cave – a shipping container could be an easy, affordable answer to your plans.

These tiny, corrugated homes are all the rage at the moment, and with good reason.

Done well, a shipping container can easily be transformed into a modern, affordable and sustainable home.

Designing and building a shipping container house is also an affordable alternative to the rising costs of traditional building methods.

It’s an instant base with which to start – after all you get a strong steel structure, so you can save a lot of time and money on preliminary works and framing.

Our region’s reputation as a ‘tree change’ location goes hand in hand with a desire to scale back hectic lives and concentrate on the important things – family, friends and fun.

You can do that in a downsized, cost-effective shipping container home. Other benefits for the area include their transportability, ease of construction and suitability for holiday homes or guest accommodation.

Companies such as Maersk, “K” Line and Evergreen (you will recognise those names from your time at the boom gates) build containers and lease them so people can transport cheap trinkets and other important goods all over the globe.

It’s a rough and tumble world on the high seas, so the company owning the container constantly assesses whether it would be more cost-effective to continue maintaining and reusing or to sell it off for the best price.

Which is where you come in – picking up a cheap secondhand container at the end of its nautical lifecycle. >>

64 EchucaMoama >> Price depends on condition – the older it is and the more it’s been knocked around in transit, the cheaper it will be.

You’re only limited by your imagination, your budget and your engineer’s spirit of adventure.

The tradeoff here is cheaper containers will take a lot of extra preliminary work to achieve a ‘true’ structure for construction.

The shipping containers themselves are easily transportable. If you keep this in mind, you can design it so there’s the option to simply pick up your home and move it anywhere you like. That’s a great idea for EchucaMoama’s flood and bushfire-prone areas. In some cases, transportability can be a major requirement for gaining building approval.

Depending on the condition of the container, you can pick one up for a few thousand dollars. Just make sure you inspect the container in person (and perhaps accompanied by a builder) before buying to ensure you’re getting good value for money

Here are some shipping container basics: · Also known as Intermodal Containers or ISO Containers. · Two commonly used lengths are 6m and 12m.

· Two standard heights are 2.6m and 2.9m. · Width is 2.4m wide. · Modular design creates a lot of configuration options. · Constructed entirely from hard-wearing, corrosion resistant corten steel. · Designed to be watertight, transportable and durable.

The dimensions of the container can be restrictive as they’re much narrower than your average room. On the other hand, they’re modular.

So with the right design, or by joining two or more containers together, you can create a very livable space.

The container’s modular design is one of the draws of this building technique. They can be stacked, overhung and grouped in a variety of arrangements.

Unless you like the idea of sweating through summer and shivering through winter, you’ll have to modify the container to ensure it’s livable in Echuca-Moama’s variable climate. The key here is sun shading and insulation.

A large overhanging roof is a good solution to keep the sun out in summer. Alternatively, shades and/or screens over windows will help you keep your cool. And if you’re interested in something a little unusual, green roofs make a great ‘lid’ for container homes, helping to cool the house in summer and insulate it during winter.

As for staying warm in winter – insulate, insulate, insulate.

It’s best to build out the internal walls of the container to create space for insulation. In theory you can use any insulation you like but spray-on is most commonly (and easily applied) to shipping container homes.

One issue a lot of people run into with shipping container houses is difficulty gaining approvals and permits.

Shipping container homes are still an experimental building technique so council and building inspectors

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may be reluctant or uneasy approving their construction.

That said, there are numerous (and increasing) examples of shipping container homes around the world.

With the help of an architect, engineer and some research, you should have no problems calming down the local council.

With a clever design, a shipping container house can look and feel just like a regular house. With the correct preparations, any material you would see in normal houses can be used in a shipping container house. Think large, full-height windows, floating timber floors, plasterboard or plywood walls, stunning kitchens with stone bench tops, and spacious tiled bathrooms.

Really, whatever your tastes and budget allow you can achieve with a shipping container home.

So embrace the shipping container’s huge potential for housing. Consider it as an option to increase space in your existing home – a detached rumpus room, bedroom or selfcontained granny flat perhaps, as a fun and affordable holiday home, or even as a sustainable, off-grid micro home. ■

Brodie Norris is the author of Build Your Own Shipping Container Home - The Ultimate Guide.

You can learn more about shipping container homes and purchase the guide at the special Echuca Moama Magazine price here: lunchboxarchitect.com/em

PAUL GRAY CUSTOM DESIGN OR GLENVILL DESIGN

AVAILABLE NOW! HOUSE & LAND PACKAGES IN ECHUCA-MOAMA

Paul Gray Builders

Phone: (03) 5444 5054 Fax: (03) 5442 6650 PAUL GRAY: 0419 585 995 DAVE HALL: 0407 611 327

BUILDERS

CAN YOU PICTURE YOURSELF IN A PAUL GRAY HOME? Visit our Website paulgraybuilders.com.au to register for our exciting new House & Land Packages and receive the Glenvill Product Range booklet to start realising your dream today! Or call our Bendigo Office on 5444 5054 to discuss your very own individual design.

Visit our display homes at Autumn Close, Viewpoint Estate, Huntly.

Saturday & Sunday 1pm–5pm SOON TO OPEN LATE 2014 13 Swanson Boulevard, Strathfieldsaye.

Web: paulgraybuilders.com.au Email: info@paulgraybuilders.com.au Head Office: 109 High Street, Bendigo VIC 3550 Office Hours: Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm

Want to be swimming in your pool this summer?

Remember those 40°C days in February last year….here’s why you need to take action early to ensure you don’t miss out on another summer of swimming:

1. The closer we get to summer, the busier pool builders become As we get close to summer, more people start thinking about getting swimming pools. It doesn’t take long before our construction teams are fully booked with pool installations. If you want to be swimming before Christmas, it’s a good idea to plan and order your new pool around mid- year – that way you can be guaranteed that you will get all of summer to use your new pool.

2. Don’t get caught up in red tape Every new pool build requires permission from your local council and this can take some time. Most council offices require detailed drawings and descriptions of the work to be undertaken on site.

A fast consent for most towns takes about four weeks to be approved. If your site is more difficult, it could take longer.

3. Give yourself plenty of time to plan

Once you have made a choice on which pool to install in your backyard, you want to have plenty of time to consider the landscaping options to complement your pool. The more time you have to organise your project the better.

4. Have a completion date in mind

Once a completion date is decided, the pool builder is then able to work backward and set realistic goals and plans to ensure your expectations are met. There are certain processes in the pool building process that shouldn’t be compromised. Depending on the scope of the job, the pool building process can take as little as 2-3 days but the project time frame is heavily dependent on external requirements such as landscaping, concreting, paving and fencing which can often take months. When summer comes around we want your pool area to be ready to enjoy rather than ready to work in.

THE NAUGHTONS POOL’s STORY This year Naughtons celebrates the milestone of 21 years in business.

outstanding quality of work performed by the Naughtons team.

Since our beginnings in 1993, we have grown into a well-established and reputable local business in the Echuca Moama area, delivering quality pool and spa products and workmanship.

We have now built more than 1000 swimming pools, spreading across northern Victoria and southern New South Wales and we continue to grow each year.

Our hardworking team is second to none and prides itself on professionalism and dependability.

In 2010, Naughtons expanded into a retail space in Shepparton, opening an award winning retail and sales centre with display pools and in 2013 we acquired a Compass Pools dealership servicing the Wangaratta and King Valley regions.

Locally owned by Justin Hatfield, Damian Oliver and Matt Martin for the past seven years, we are proud of a business which has grown from a small spa rental establishment to a fully fledged award-winning industry leader.

We are a proud member of the SPASA group collecting many accolades over the years, including 10 SPASA industry awards in the past four years.

Naughtons has been named Best Pool Shop in Victoria, Best Concrete Pool by a Country Member, Best Residential Fibreglass Pool under $40,000 and Best Residential Fibreglass Pool between $40,000 and $60,000, to name a few.

These awards are a direct reflection of the hard work, dedication and

We have a young and successful team, with long-standing loyal employees who share our passion for the business which is evident in the work that we do and is testament to our ongoing success.

The entire Naughtons team would like to thank the Echuca Moama community for our ongoing support over the past 21 years and all our loyal customers. Our business could not have continued to grow and succeed without this support.

We are proud to be a part of a strong and vibrant community where we support many local sporting teams, schools and organisations.

Revitalize your backyard info@naughtons.com.au Echuca 1 Murray Valley Hwy Phone: (03) 5482 5186

www.naughtons.com.au Shepparton 8020 Goulburn Valley Hwy Phone: (03) 5823 1170

“WE WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR CLIENTS TO CREATE INSPIRING HOMES” Realm Building Design works hard to turn your dreams and aspirations into reality.

We are experts in Building Design and maintain a fully flexible approach with our clients, offering an individual and personalised service from initial concept design right through to Project Management.

Your home should be a reflection of who you are – it should be functional, beautiful, harmonious and innovative and most importantly, it should be the way you want it.

We have a reputation for excellence and quality. Our clients use our service in the knowledge that we put their interests first. Our designs can be dynamic and contemporary in style or more traditional. They are individually customised to you.

Our goal is to not only achieve cost effective solutions, but to create beautiful homes that you will absolutely love to live in.

We have extensive experience across Victoria and southern New South Wales. To find out more on how Realm’s tailored options can help you realise your own ultimate dream home contact us today for an appointment.

531 High Street, Echuca | 03 5482 2001 181 Cressy Street, Deniliquin | 03 5881 4001 www.realmbuildingdesign.com

REALM B U I L D I N G

D E S I G N

CREATING INSPIRING SPACES

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71 EchucaMoama

Sydney Harbour on the Murray THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS The only thing missing at 90 Wharparilla Drive is the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Otherwise you have got the lot.

Million-dollar water views of Australia’s legendary Murray, a driveway right to your private mooring, spectacular grounds, surrounded by prestigious properties and weather Sydney can only dream of.

All within minutes of the heart of Echuca-Moama.

And if you think the setting is something else, then make sure someone is holding you up when you open the front door.

Because both architect and interior designer have really let loose.

The open plan living/dining area with its massive windows provides a seamless transition between manicured grounds and gloss magazine interior.

At this house water is the theme, from the river to the pool, which has been sunk into the gardens and is complemented with its own ensuite facilities and storage space and is part of an alfresco setting which includes a barbecue area.

No matter the temperature outside, the fingertip climate control inside ensures year-round comfort with reverse cycle heating and cooling throughout and a lounge where ambience demands the gas log fire as you watch those last tendrils of evening fog melt into the night.

The adjoining kitchen could easily be the next set of Masterchef with its array of integrated Miele

appliances, stone benchtops and a walk-in butler’s pantry.

For those lazy, hazy days of summer when everyone is outdoors the kitchen provides the option of direct service through a servery window to an outdoor kitchen and the pool area. >>

72 EchucaMoama >> This home has three bedrooms, each with its own ensuite, as well as a study into which those unexpected extra visitors could be smoothly ensconced.

The master bedroom is a part of the house into which you could disappear for days at a time.

Its sliding glass doors open onto the swimming pool; frame those calming yet striking Murray River views and flood the area with beautiful natural light.

The ensuite has resort written all over it and someone in the house (at fear of stereotyping this person shall remain unidentified) is going to have to put in some serious shopping to be the mistress, whoops, or master, of this walk-in wardrobe.

One of the other bedrooms also has its own private courtyard and there is nothing like a leisurely awakening and then drifting out to the table there to share a cup of coffee with the morning sun.

Quality fittings are de rigueur, right down to the ducted vacuum system and polished timber floors.

The home’s separate theatre room is a dramatic focus with its surround sound and is ideal for watching the latest movie streamed in from cyberspace – or just pump up the music while giving those lungs a run for their money on the treadmill. >>

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ARCTIC REFRIGERATION & AIR CONdITIONING Sales, Installations & Repairs >> This is a versatile extra living space and could just as easily convert to a rumpus room, more guest accommodation or somewhere to get away from it all with a good book.

The triple garage with its remote control doors offers plenty of storage room and parking for two large vehicles – and the boat.

The grounds are far from small, but far from difficult to manage with their automated sprinkling system.

A paved path cuts through them leading from house to river bank where another alfresco delight is tucked away with a paved barbecue area, power and lighting.

A feature staircase leads down to the river to your waiting boat – speed, fishing or house. ■ At the time of printing 90 Wharparilla Drive was for sale at $1.8 million through Charles L King & Co First National.

Contact Rowena Ash on 0414 472 962 or Travis Hore on 0408 171 141.

• cool Rooms and Freezers • Supermarkets/Hotel/clubs • Milk Vats • Air-conditioning & Heating • All commercial Refrigeration Repairs • Qualified Tradesmen with over 30 years experience • 4 Service Vehicles travelling in all areas

REFRIGERATION SPECIALISTS Ph 0409

531 172

Web: www.arcticrefrigeration.com.au Email: sales@arcticrefrigeration.com.au ABN 52 060 497 716 AU 12328 Pic Lic No 48037

75 EchucaMoama

Free design service Our professional design and sales staff are here to help you accomplish your desired style with ease and comfort. I personally feel the interior designer is offering more than just a tile concept service.

Other free services • Sample tile service • Delivery to site • Measure and quote

Products available Floor & Wall Tiles • Ceramic • Porcelain • Glass • Mosaic • Marble • Decorative Outdoor Tiles • Crazy pave • Pool paving • Stockstone • Concrete pave • Wall cladding • Slate

Layby available

26-28 McMILLAN ROAD, ECHUCA. Phone: 5482 4524 cdtiles@echuca.net.au www.cdtilesechuca.com.au

If you can imagine living with something all your life - it is sustainable design

Award Winning Designers

258 Pakenham Street, Echuca.

Phone 5480 7797

Offering you the latest in Glass & Aluminium • Shower Screens • Security Doors • Glass Splashbacks

• Wardrobe Doors • Mirrors • Windows and Doors

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“We are not happy until you are” Call the team today to start your next project Echuca Glass & Aluminium P: 5480 6694 A: 18 McKenzie Rd, Echuca www.echucaglassandaluminium.com.au

Echuca Glass Fencing Specialist in...

• Glass pool fencing • Glass balustrades & balconies

Echuca Glass Fencing P: 5480 3994 A: 18 McKenzie Road, Echuca www.echucaglassfencing.com.au

Formerly known as Daylie Shower Screens & Security Doors

78 EchucaMoama

Yin & Yang LOVE IN THE GARDEN A LIFE SHARED

Lyn and Nick Dorogoj’s garden has been a labour of love for the past 38 years.

Much of Nick’s labour and a lot of Lyn’s love.

And you mustn’t get confused by this dynamic duo – they are not revolutionaries, with berets and barricades.

No, the Dorogojs are evolutionaries. Or at least, as Lyn explains it, their gardens are.

But despite 38 years to evolve from a garden gone

79 EchucaMoama

native to the complex horticultural haven it is today, the husband-and-wife team still agree about one thing.

had to be replaced.

It has a long way to go. Which in itself presents them with a serious new challenge.

‘‘My great loves at the moment are magnolias, camellias, hellebores, irises … so we’ve added lots of things just to fill in the spots.

‘‘You start off with putting something in and then adding a bit more, but I’ve nearly run out of space,” Lyn conceded.

Since building their Moama house in 1976, the Dorogojs started with a predominantly native garden but a lot of the original plants ‘‘went woody’’ and have

‘‘Then we’ve added lots of things that we like,’’ Lyn said.

‘‘The backbone is still probably a bit native and then we have a lot of things growing around it.’’

The pair work well together, with the garden the beneficiary. >>

80 EchucaMoama >> ‘‘I have the great love and Nick is the great worker, so we’re not a bad combination,’’ Lyn said.

Lyn said it was not a planned garden, which was a hindrance at times because they had to hand water the different areas.

‘‘We consider we’ve got 15 to 20 years to live, so by the time we get to the end of our lives our fruit trees will be good.’’

Much travelled, Lyn has often used her overseas voyages as further inspiration for their garden.

‘‘If you started afresh, you’d plan your garden so you’d have your dry things together but we weren’t smart enough for that,’’ she said. ‘‘We didn’t know a lot when we started.’’

‘‘People laugh at me because I’ve got a bit of everything in my garden,’’ she said.

Drought has also played havoc with the garden.

‘‘I also got a bit inspired by Italy and France — they were my most recent inspiration — I was overawed by their gardens, so beautiful.’’

‘‘It’s changed a lot. We lost a lot of trees,’’ Lyn said. ‘‘For a year we weren’t allowed to water in Moama. ‘‘I had hedging all around the garden and most of that died, so we had to pull it all out. ‘‘Our fruit trees suffered and they were getting old, so we’ve replaced a lot of them too.

‘‘I love Vietnam. So I bought a pagoda and put it in the garden.

So her very secular spectacular continues to grow and Lyn is always on the lookout for another few spare centimetres in which to begin her next inspiration. ■

81 EchucaMoama

Hartley Building Co. ...

Why choose Hartley Building Co.?

Hartley Building Co. is one of Northern Victoria and Southern Riverina’s most well known and trusted builders.

Designer Homes…Commercial Construction…Architectural Development…

With over 40 years experience in the construction industry, we build quality homes and commercial developments delivering affordable, functional and standout designs.

Our buildings are unique, just like you. We will design and build your home or commercial workspace specifically to your requirement and to your budget. We are renowned for our ability to provide a distinctive design and building excellence.

We are delighted

for you to be part of the building process. Encouraging you to be involved in each step along

the way ensures that together we will design and build your project that suits your needs.

• We will meet with you at your convenience.

• We will prepare the plans.

• We will build to your requirements and to your budget.

• We can renovate or extend your existing home.

• We are a strong, committed company offering personalised service to our clients. Personal contact is maintained throughout the entire building process.

committed to delivering an energy efficient and sustainable building, using quality raw materials and designing your project to complement the environment.

Our greatest pleasure is to complete your new home or commercial investment to exceed your expectations.

We utilise local tradespeople and source quality materials from local suppliers, so you can be assured of reliability all the way.

At Hartley Building Co. we are

Call today for a FREE, no obligation, designer building quote for your next new home or project.

P. 0418 321 693 (Mark) P. 0409 771 010 (Sam) E. admin@hartleybuildingco.com.au W. hartleybuildingco.com.au

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85 EchucaMoama

Unleashing the ‘X factor’ (IN TEXAN)

He’s Texan born. And as the internet and social media have made the world a global village his music today has fans from Bamawm to Brazil. But Tyler Hudson still calls Echuca-Moama home.

From where he has turned to cyberspace to help drive his latest EP straight into the iTunes singer/songwriter charts.

Helped in no small measure, he agrees, by valuable national exposure as an X Factor contestant and wasted no time putting together a strong of original songs and launching his EP. “X Factor was huge for me in the sense that it can put numbers behind your profile,” Mr Hudson said.

The EP was recorded with another X Factor contestant, Daniel Kelart – but he’s not the only friend Mr Hudson made on the show.

“Staying in touch with those artists such as Dami Im, the X Factor winner, I created a Facebook event to pre-order my release and she was the first to RSVP and the first person to buy my album.

“Having that connection is great.’’

He makes no bones about the value of social media as a medium instead of the traditional contract with the big labels.

“Because there’s actually not a lot of money in music, record companies don’t sign artists who aren’t going to make a huge, huge, huge splash – and make it fast,” he said.

“The people on the charts these days are singing other people’s songs, which is fine. >>

86 EchucaMoama

‘BECAUSE THERE’S ACTUALLY NOT A LOT OF MONEY IN MUSIC, RECORD COMPANIES DON’T SIGN ARTISTS WHO AREN’T GOING TO MAKE A HUGE, HUGE, HUGE SPLASH – AND MAKE IT FAST.’

>> “People don’t really get signed to record labels any more unless they (the labels) are going to say: ‘You are now a robot and we are going to give you our songs to sing in our way’.’’

Fiercely loyal to his own music, Mr Hudson is putting in the overtime to become a musical success – on top of helping run a family.

With three young children at home, the relentless touring demanded of artists is not really an option for the Hudsons.

So his approach is more strategic.

“I did buy the van with hopes of travelling more this year,’’ he said. “I’ll be booked for a private function in Canberra, or Mudgee, or down south somewhere and I’ll ring a few pubs and racecourses and stuff around the area and try to make a mini-tour out of my private function.

“The private gig pays for the travel and the other gigs are there to help spread awareness of my music.

“My fan base is very much regional people. It’s a lot harder to crack into city scenes. I’ll play regional places and it seems to go really well.

“The openness of country people is an opportunity to network and gain access to festival crowds.

“It’s all about who you know.

“It’s about just getting into one festival then that says ‘He’s played this festival. Well, he can come and play these festivals too’.

Tyler Hudson takes us through his debut EP, track by track.

I Love Us The first track, the single that I’m releasing, is called I Love Us. It basically shows the difference between my wife and me and how it’s amazing that ‘us’ works.

It shouldn’t, on paper, but it does and I love that.

The chorus says ‘All the messes that we make/I wouldn’t change anything/I love us’.

Beautiful Life

“My goal is to move from being a music service provider to more of the artist side of things where people are actually coming to listen to me sing my songs rather than being gathered around food and drink at the pub for four hours and listening to me in the background singing everybody else’s songs.

The title track is Beautiful Life which highlights having our third baby, which was unplanned.

“It’s what pays for the house we’re sitting in now. I’m not jaded at the fact that’s what I have to do now but I don’t want to be doing that in 10 years time.

The next track is Behind Those Eyes which I wrote for Lyric, my autistic son.

“I want to be playing my stuff.’’

Life’s a bit chaotic but it’s those unplanned moments that make this life beautiful.

Behind Those Eyes

That’s the tough one. That’s the tear jerker.

It was written out of a desire to express that there’s so

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much going on in his world, but it’s trapped behind his eyes.

We don’t have a window into his world other than his eyes, because he doesn’t speak.

It’s about the journey of him growing but him being allowed to take his time and develop at his own pace ‘cause I just want to be/with the boy that lives/behind those eyes’.

No Sweeter Love No Sweeter Love is the next track.

That’s about how I met my wife Libby and ended up staying in Australia instead of heading back to the States.

What Your Eyes Are Saying What Your Eyes Are Saying is the fifth track on there and it is more of a fun playful song.

It’s probably a bit more obscure. The rest of my songs spell out my wife, my children, my life.

This song is me trying to broaden my horizons and not write about such specific things, but more general moments that everyone can relate to and that’s about falling in love in this one instance.

The World is Waiting The final track is The World is Waiting and it’s the first song I wrote after my X Factor experience, realising that I’ve been given an opportunity but this life is what I make it. No-ones’s going to do the work for me.

The song says ‘Can’t let this moment pass me by/right now it’s do or die/the world is waiting’. Seize the moment. ■

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THE KING OF COOL & HIS GANG

Dads. Those rock solid kind of guys who get a sort-ofconsolation Father’s Day as a thank you. Yet they are the go-to guys whenever any heavy lifting is required or those other things which might involve tools, brawn and, of course, brains. So Echuca-Moama spoke to a few dads about what the job really means to them – and then got a second opinion.

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Daddyhood

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SIMON MADDOX What does fatherhood mean to you?

It’s everything that you do for your kids and your family. Your life then changes because they come first, they come before work, they come before sport.

What’s your favourite thing to do with your children?

Heaps of things, but the most simple of things, just like going to the football ground and kicking a ball or going to the river. Anything like that is important, you spend time together, at the end of it they’re tuckered out but they have a smile on their face all day.

What’s one thing you would like your children to know about you?

That you always put them first, before anything.

Your own sacrifices you make to ensure they will get the best education or that they have every opportunity in life.

TAJ MADDOX ,2.

What’s your favourite thing to do with your dad?

Going to the football and riding my bike at the park

What’s one thing you wish he would do more often?

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KARL STENNING What does fatherhood mean to you?

It means friendship, it means being a role model, it means developing young people into their own adult life and it probably means almost everything to me and my wife. We’re very, very strongly family-oriented and even when the family has gone we still tend to spend a lot of time together – and now we have grandchildren so it’s all starting over again.

What’s your favourite thing to do with your children?

Really just to sit down and chat. Especially because our two boys do live overseas so we don’t really have the contact with them as much as we used to

so just to sit down and talk, sit down and have a quiet beer together. It used to be go for a run I’m a mad fitness freak. These two have lost that a little bit, though I’m sure it will come back to them. But just spending valuable time together when the kids grow up and go, it’s even a little bit harder now because they live so far away.

What’s one thing you’d like your children to know about you?

That I’m a caring person. And that I hope my values have gone across to them and that I love them dearly and we hope that we have given them the skills and so forth to cope with the world. I suppose that’s happened to a certain extent now that they’ve gone off to different parts of the world.

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MATT STENNING, 24 What’s your favourite thing about your father?

I suppose it is his caringness, that no matter what I’ve done or any choices I’ve made he’s stood by me even when other people may have not have agreed with what I was doing. I left school young and he was one of the only people supporting me, with mum, when the rest were around. It’s just him always being there no matter what I’m doing, believing that I’m making the right decision for me and just constantly being there for me.

What’s your favourite thing to do with your father?

It used to be exercising. When I did live in Australia we played a lot of sport together, cricket and football and

he was always there, so that was probably the thing but now as he said it’s just actually getting time to spend with him face to face when he comes to Thailand. Just any time at the moment because we live far away is the best thing to do.

What’s one thing you wish he’d do more often?

See each other. I wish he came to Thailand more because we have a lot of fun when he’s over because we (he and his wife) get to show him our way of life. I think I’d wish we’d play cricket again. That for me when we used to do that a few years ago was always a good fun time. We used to have a lot of fun on the field and stuff.

In one sense playing cricket I wish that was something we did again. >>

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DAMIAN WARREN What does fatherhood mean to you?

I would say joy. Probably one of the proudest moments of my life was becoming a father. I would say it means example. Obviously raising children is a pretty selfless task and there’s a lot of sacrifice involved, but the blessing of watching your children grow up and experience life with them is such a significant thing.

What’s your favourite thing to do with your children?

Enjoy our holiday times together where they’re just really full-focus times. When I take holidays it’s generally to spend time with my kids. We’ve had lots of different family

holidays over the years filled with lots of memorable moments and probably just even the simple little things like family traditions you create. Our kids have been very fortunate to experience what we call a birthday week. Because of my work I’m often away or busy when the kids’ birthdays are on and so we actually have a birthday week and that way we get to spend some time with them and surprise them with gifts. So just family traditions are really important.

What is one thing you’d like your children to know about you?

Probably that I have sold my life out to serve others and if they can take some of that experience and

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some of that knowledge and some of that foundational base into their lives I believe they will become responsible citizens and learn the joys of blessing other people.

ELIJAH, 16, ISAAC, 14, & EBONY, 11.

What’s your favourite thing about your dad?

Ebony: He’s very serious about sport. Isaac: I can trust him with basically everything that I tell him.

Elijah: He’s supportive of my football.

What’s one thing you wish your dad would do more often?

What’s your favourite thing to do with your dad?

Isaac: Dad would take us on holidays more often so we can spend more time with him.

Elijah: Kick the footy. Isaac: Spending time with him, as much time as possible with him.

Elijah: Take more time off.

Ebony: Mine’s when we all sit down on the couch and somebody lets something rip.

Ebony: Let us have more days off school. >>

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FLIP EVANS What does fatherhood mean to you?

Fatherhood to me is a huge honour, a huge role, a lot of fun and a pretty big experience.

What’s your favourite thing to do with your children?

Being active with them, giving them the opportunity to be a part of a lot of things and seeing things how they are.

What’s one thing you would like your children to know about you?

How much I love them. when things get tough, you’ll always be able to count on your dad and your family to help you through.

TOM, 8, JAYDE, 10, & JACK, 12 What’s your favourite thing to do with your dad?

Tom: Play sport.

Jayde: Play a game with dad, like soccer or footie or a boardgame.

Jack: Going to the footy with him.

What’s your favourite thing about your dad?

Tom: He’s active and he likes to play games.

Jayde: How much he loves the family and cares about them.

Jack:How much he cares for me.

What’s one thing you wish he would do more often?

Tom: More holidays.

Jayde: Take us to sport more often.

Jack: Rest. ■

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The confession of my obsession Collectors. You might laugh at them but if you stop and think, for just a minute, it is an obsession most of us have in one form or another. Such a CDs, DVDs, books, a particular brand of china, they are all collections. It’s just that some of us go a little out there in the subjects we choose and the enthusiasm with which we pursue them.

‘ THESE PIECES ARE SO RARE AND WE’RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR NEW PIECES. I’VE NEVER SOLD ANYTHING,” Graham Griffiths

Graham Griffiths likes a challenge.

As a pottery collector the market is vast and endless.

So he has specialised.

And is only interested in the work from Bendigo Pottery – work which stretches back to his 1880’s water filter.

Today his collection is so significant it is also a challenge when it comes to insurance.

Because at one stage he was charging people to come and view his obsession, with the proceeds going to charity.

But as always, the insurance premiums proved so overwhelming it was cheaper to do nothing, even though that meant closing the charity side of his work.

However, given a private viewing EM saw two rare vine

leaf pattern sets and a veritable army of vases marching along his shelves, along with cake racks, soap dishes, jugs and tobacco boxes.

So much of Graham’s Echuca home is filled with Bendigo Pottery he might soon qualify for a Bendigo postcode.

In this labour of love each piece has been painstakingly labelled and categorised. ‘‘My wife and I started collecting in 1970,” the retired dairy farmer says. “Then we started going silly over (pottery)’’. ‘‘These pieces are so rare and we’re constantly looking for new pieces. I’ve never sold anything,” he said.

But he’s still collecting. >>

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“THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT LOOK, AND THE RIGHT LOOK IS THE POINTY EARS AND THE BIG WIDE EYES,’

Tracey Randell.

For the past 20 years life’s been a hoot for Tracey Randell.

After an unexpected after-dark assignation at her home in Melbourne, Tracey says she was hooked.

Now an Echuca local, she never bothers giving people a street number if they want to find her. She simply tells them to look out for the owls.

She doesn’t have just a parliament of these fabled birds of wisdom; she has a veritable United Nations with more than 200 pieces (from as far afield as Vanuatu) in her ever-growing collection.

Her house is adorned with owl wall hangings and lamp holders while inside the variety covers everything from the barn owl to the boobook.

Ms Randell’s friends and family have all been recruited as apprentice owl spotters, and clearly understand they are on the lookout for a specific type of owl.

“They have to have the right look, and the right look is the pointy ears and the big wide eyes,’’ she said.

Despite the range of her collection, Ms Randell has only once had a double up in items.

Although her efforts to balance her passion with her worsening condition of psoriatic arthritis, her field troops still shower her with owl goodies on her birthdays and at Christmas.

“They bring me joy,’’ she said. >>

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That’s from conventional ornaments standing on any flat surface available to candles, owlshaped picture frames and even a night light.

And in case she is ever away from home and missing her beloved collection of owls she always carries one with her – as a tattoo.

Ms Randell said she first became interested in owls while living in Mt Evelyn in Melbourne.

“I was sitting in my lounge room and an owl came to my window, so I went outside and it just sat there, staring at me and that was it,’’ she said.

“They just got me hooked.’’

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around the world) her daughter Alison flew in the owl from Vanuatu.

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Bianca Stapleton & Steve Boltz

Wonder what the most important room is for Bianca Stapleton and Steve Boltz?

Hint. They own 3000 DVDs (give or take a blue ray here or there) and counting.

Guess. The theatre room is where it all happens for this Echuca couple.

Correct. And it’s not just movies. The cinematic devotees have documentaries, TV shows, musicals, it doesn’t matter. If it can be shown on their big screen they want it.

Mr Boltz said the big screen has been part of his life.

“I’ve been into movies forever – I’ve worked on movies in the US, and I’ve worked at movie theatres there too,” he said.

1960s if the name doesn’t ring a bell).

For Mr Boltz the all-time favourite is Night of the Creeps, “a homage to cheesy sci-fi movies from the 1950s. The characters are all named after horror movie directors”.

The couple also run regular movie nights for the local aficionados and, except for repeat performances by demand, have not had to double up on a movie. >>

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Movies he has worked on include Girl Interrupted and Lucky Numbers, first as a production assistant and later as an apprentice editor.

And one of his big attractions is obscure titles, and it’s not hard to find them, with the 3000-plus existing library in alphabetical order and/or genre.

However, Ms Stapleton admitted there are some movies in their collection that they don’t particularly like.

She said their collection is as much an archive as it is a reflection of their individual passions.

“We have things that have an impact on popular culture, or film culture. There’s silent films, romcoms, horror – and then sub genres of those.’’

The pair said they have become a ‘dial-a-friend’ service from people who have movie-related crossword clues, or from parents of children who may be studying a film for school.

As far as splashing out the cash for the classics, their biggest investment to date has been $500 for a boxed set of Dark Shadows (a TV show from the

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“I’VE BEEN INTO MOVIES FOREVER – I’VE WORKED ON MOVIES IN THE US, AND I’VE WORKED AT MOVIE THEATRES THERE TOO,”

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‘ I DON’T KNOW WHY I COLLECT THEM. IF I SEE THEM I BUY THEM – IT’S A COMPULSION,’ Cheryl Russell In Cheryl Russell’s world nothing is black and white.

shakes herself.

Except perhaps her obsession with salt and pepper shakers.

She just has to have that next set of little china, plastic, ceramic, wood, oh, crikey, next she will be hunting sub categories. ■

‘‘I don’t know why I collect them. If I see them I buy them – it’s a compulsion,’’ she confesses.

She knows where her condiment compulsion started, but she has no idea where or when it will end. ‘‘There were three older ones that were mum’s, and it just went on from there,” she says.

Her shelves of shakers include a dog with his leg cocked, a letterbox, fridge and stove. Or you can choose from penguins, dolphins and tulips.

Of course all this makes gift giving in the Russell house a snap come birthdays, Mother’s Day and Christmas.

But none of that largesse can keep Cheryl out of local op shops, weekend markets and anywhere else where someone’s rubbish has become her treasure.

If her habit is not constantly fed she even gets the

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Your READING LIST

ECHUCA: A HISTORY

COLOURS OF GOLD

Author: Susan Priestly Publisher: Australian Scholary Publishing

Author: Kaye Dobbie Publisher: Harlequin Books Publication Date: 2014

Publication Date: 1965, republished in 2009 Echuca: A History delves into the Twin Cities of Echuca and Moama from their foundation up to the 1990s.

A little girl named Alice is put in a barrel and set adrift on the Murray River. When rescued her mind is a blank – she can’t even recall her name.

This is not light reading, and requires the reader to have a goodly understanding of the area beforehand, but for those who do, here be a treasure trove of knowledge.

And as she tries to find a place to fit into a world with no past she struggles with reality in the present as she is also being constantly pursued by a whitefaced man dressed in black.

One which paints unbiased portraits of significant figures such as Henry Hopwood and covers all aspects of town life – from rampant pigs terrorising the locals to problems procuring flour, sugar, tea and tobacco.

It’s especially interesting to read about the construction of buildings which still stand proud in Echuca, such as the water tower.

Rather than mash all topics into a literary puree, Priestly offers chapters with a specific focus, from farming to tourism and, of course, the bridge.

And while this provides proper scope to see how a local industry was developed, and has evolved, it can become somewhat challenging.

Drawn into her nightmare is art restorer Annie Reuben, who has become fascinated with an abandoned painting she has been tasked to conserve.

She’s eager to begin work, but powerful forces are threatening to keep her from ever completing the task.

As she researches the people in the painting, the mystery man begins to haunt her life as well.

Colours of Gold defies easy categorisation, working well as a romance, thriller and fantasy novel all at once.

The past feels realistic and while it’s not gratuitous the book doesn’t shy away from the harsh lives of settlers.

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WATERLOO Author: Bernard Cornwell Publisher: Harper Collins Publication Date: September 1, 2014 There is only one thing wrong with Bernard Cornwell.

He doesn’t produce enough books.

Weekly would be much better than annually.

But Waterloo, his latest tome, is a masterpiece which has earned him some breathing space.

He revisits the small valley in which one of history’s most pivotal battles was fought.

First time around Cornwell fought Waterloo with his historical superstar Richard Sharpe.

Now he has taken a serious rather than accommodating approach to the three battles, three armies and four days that still resonate through history.

Cornwell has retained his engaging style in this, his first non-fiction work, and also reminds us of Quatre Bras and Ligny, the two battles which are seldom remembered but which helped define the slaughter that was to come.

With June next year the 200th anniversary of what Wellington called a close run thing, few books will better prepare you, inform you and entertain you.

THE JOURNEY OF THE TREE

FINNY

Author & illustrator: Kesenya Moore Publication Year: 2014 Publisher: Balboa Press

Year Published: 2014

The Journey of the Tree begins with an apple tree growing in a pleasant orchard – until a farmer uproots her and takes her to his farm.

While the tree is happy at first, the farmer begins to neglect her.

The tree sickens and becomes weak, and the farmer verbally abuses her for it. Driven to the brink, the tree once again uproots and walks back to her old orchard.

The Journey of the Tree is a fable about courage and breaking out of dead-end situations.The plot is similar to Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, although the ending is less bittersweet. Its subject matter of dsyfunctional relationships and recovery make it an unconventional picture book and one suited for an older audience which can fully understand the book’s empowering message.

The artwork is beautiful, with the gorgeous mixed-media collage illustrations giving the pages a textured feel.

Author & illustrator: Aedan Lias Publisher: ARTsmiles Finny is the first picture book by former Echuca resident Aedan Lias, who has since written other books including Lost Lloyd and What Makes You Happy?

The story is simple and engaging, describing his sister’s best friend’s baby and how Aedan and friends play with him.

This is a charming book, and Aedan already has a turn for funny lines such as ‘Finny stays and looks after the mums’.

His cartoon-esque illustrations are also appealing and filled with personality.

Aedan has spoken out about not letting his dyslexia control what he does, saying: “I want to prove you can overcome any difficulty by working out ways to deal with it.’’

While the book never mentions dyslexia, other children will be able to take inspiration from Aedan’s determination in telling his story. ■

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Music

TIME WELL WASTED Strathmore

FOR YOUR EARS

If there can be such a thing as an unpretentious punk rock album, Strathmore’s debut Time Well Wasted is it.

Sounding more like a raucous weekend out with mates, its features former Echuca local Gareth Leach on the drums and former Moama man Hayden Butcher on bass.

Time Well Wasted takes a frank look at giddy heights and painful pitfalls of the music business and the relationships which form around it.

The track Set It Off is a call to seize your dreams before it’s too late while Culture Comfort almost veers into metal with its raging against disconnection and disintegrating friendships and Joey From Bateman might cause fist pumping with its defiance against conformity.

As the album reaches the last track Seaweed, the listener can believe that they’re not giving up any time soon.

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BEAUTIFUL LIFE Tyler Hudson Tyler Hudson has produced six highly-personal songs for his first EP. Musically it’s a mix of country and pop which calls to mind artists such as Keith Urban – but the subject matter is clearly all Tyler’s.

While the music is light-hearted and easy, there’s genuine emotion in the lyrics with Behind Those Eyes, written about Tyler’s son Lyric, standing out as a real tearjerker.

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I Love Us, What Your Eyes Are Saying and No Sweeter Love are sweet love songs and he sings about the responsibility of parenthood in Beautiful Life.

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The final track is The World Is Waiting, a hushed, melodic song about where choices will take us and which path to pick. ■

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Life’s a

THREE-RING CIR CUS The circus is a curio, the last great nomadic lifestyle in the western world.

And continually under siege as the digital entertainment world continues to expand exponentially.

But there are few children who can still resist a trip to the big top.

The special effects might not be as gripping as a 3D movie screen, the volume is nowhere near the decibel range, but the magic lives on and the crowds keep coming, like moths drawn to the bright lights of this remarkable travelling show.

Anton and Anna Gasser have been running Silvers Circus for almost 40 years and the seventh generation of this proudly traditional circus family continues to crisscross Australia in a fleet of trucks and caravans.

Which descended on Moama in mid-June.

Swiss-born Anton is a fifth-generation circus artist – and in 1976 he and Anna launched Silvers Circus in Australia.

Today their three children – Tony, Rosita and Dominik – who grew up on the road and under the canvas have joined the family business.

Rosita and Dominik, along with their parents, still perform and direct Silvers Circus while Tony and his wife Debbie run events production company Unique Attractions.

Mr Gasser said while the circus looks exciting on show night, travelling from town to town, setting up, catering, putting on matinees and evening shows,

packing up and moving on is an incredible, and demanding, performance in itself.

“It is unbelievable work and a big responsibility, but at the end of the day when you see happy people and happy kids, that makes it all worth it,” Mr Gasser (senior) said.

He agreed circus has a long history but in the hi-tech said circus has always had ups and downs.

“It really started when the cinema came out, then colour TV, then video – but now I reckon our biggest enemy is the phone and the computer.

“But the circus always survived. I’m fifth generation circus and my dad always said it’s not just us feeling the ups and downs, but as long as there are kids in the world there will be circus.”

Being part of a circus is almost a year-round commitment. Mr Gasser said the family might get two weeks off before Christmas but it’s almost impossible to take a month because everyone in the team still has to be paid.

He said there is also the cost of bringing in overseas performers to add some extra zing to the shows each year.

“You’ve got about 700 seats at $20-$30 a ticket. It might sound a lot but you also have a lot of people, vehicles and fuel bills,” he added.

“You’re lucky if you make $10,000 to $12,000 (a show) and it has to be full to do that. >>

118 EchucaMoama >> “That money is then used to maintain as many as 40 people. It is still a big family affair and I’m very lucky my kids and grandkids and my cousin’s kids love the circus.”

While Mr Gasser acknowledges there are a number of high-profile circus schools well established now he also said the students “don’t learn in the school what the circus is”.

He said most of those are aiming at going overseas to the big shows.

“A lot of them study for something to do and study another profession at the same time,” he said.

“There’s only a very small percentage who will ever work in the circus. When they find out how hard it is and it’s not all fun all the time, they don’t want to do it.”

While not all consuming, Mr Gasser did say at times the circus team worked up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week.

Not all the time, he said, but it happens.

“You have to love that lifestyle. There’s a lot of infrastructure to cart around. We have, I think, six semis and, I think, 15 trucks.

“I don’t count them because I’m frightened when the registration comes in. There are also 15 caravans.”

The second family business, Unique Attraction, has capitalised on generations of knowledge and experience in big event productions.

Today Mr Gasser said it was responsible for shows such as John Farnham and Jimmy Barnes – and the Wiggles.

“We have tents and all that. It’s all about the tents. They are all handmade in Italy and there’s not much change out of a million dollars.

“There are machines to help but it’s still a lot of hard work and when we reach the next destination on a tour we have to get it all up in a day,” he said.

“Then the rigging and the lights and all the other parts of the show are finished the next day. Say one-and-ahalf days to get it up and five hours to get it down.”

Like all business the circus is also about innovation.

You have to have something new every year.

For Silvers the most recent has been the Wheel of Steel, which hangs beneath the big top.

“My son Dominik designed that one. You have to go with the times,” Mr Gasser said. >>

119 EchucaMoama

120 EchucaMoama

>> “People come and say ‘It’s just another circus’ but the next day they say ‘that was great’.”

As a market leader, Silvers doesn’t exactly face industrial circus espionage but Mr Gasser said a lot of others tended to copy what his circus does.

“When we first put the stage in 25 years ago Ross Givington did the magic. It was half magic and half circus. The magic covered the changes between acts. I hate slack periods,” he said.

“I love a two hour movie but the longer ones - three or four hours – I don’t want to sit that long. You have to keep things moving.

“I even used to be a drummer in between acts, back when they used to have orchestras in the circus. They still have live music in Europe. Here it is hard because the union makes it too hard for the musicians to travel.”

But travel is clearly not the issue for the Silvers travelling show and eventually it will be on the road back to Echuca-Moama. ■

121 EchucaMoama

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124 EchucaMoama

I WAS TAKIN’ A WALK...

Apart from the Black Stump there aren’t too many other icons when it comes to trees which have fallen, or been cut down.

But Echuca’s thong tree, which quickly grew to become thong trees, is giving the Black Stump, present location unknown, a fair dinkum run for its money.

Already a national celebrity, featured in major metropolitan newspapers, tourist magazines and national TV, not too many people know how the thong tree actually got its start.

Although it is obvious even to Blind Freddie how it got its name.

But Murray River Houseboats co-owner Julie Montgomery knows the real story.

And was more than happy to point EchucaMoama in the right direction.

Thongs, she said, are not unlike socks. People only ever seem to lose one of them, making the bereft partner redundant.

“An employee of ours picked up a thong, thinking someone might come back for it, and nailed it to the tree so they might see it,’’ Ms Montgomery said.

The quick thinker with a concern for the lonely thong was Echuca sign writer Danny Simpson, who worked with Murray River Houseboats for approximately nine years.

He said while working around the wharf, he was amazed how many people he watched backing into tree stumps and damaging their cars.

“A pizza van smashed his back window, there was glass everywhere,’’ he said.

Suddenly he had a rubberised epiphany.

He had already collected a swag of similar destitute thongs as he walked the banks of the Murray and then it hit him.

“I could kill two birds with one stone – help clean up the river and make the stumps a bit more noticeable at the same time,’’ he said.

The idea quickly caught on, with the first stump now

covered and thongs overspilling onto a second and third tree.

Thongs have been left by internationals (although American women seem totally confused by the concept) and locals alike – such as Fede from Argentina and Australians Ken and Fay Klenke from Wagga Wagga.

Even the Campaspe Shire Council embraced the landmark project, rescuing thongs from the bottom half of the trees before they could be swept away by the waters of the 2011 floods.

And the thongs just keep on coming.

Mr Simpson said people are determined to make their mark on the tree, going out of their way to make sure their thongs go on.

“I’ve seen people go and buy a hammer and nail and come back.”

Unfortunately the littering problem that started the tree has outstripped demand.

“You still don’t have to walk very far along this river to find thongs,’’ he lamented. ■

125 EchucaMoama

Flip flop...

126 EchucaMoama

JUST LIKE

Romeo & Juliet A pair of proud heavy horse standing 16 hands and leaning into their harnesses as they drag their load through city streets might be enough to stop traffic in most places. Except Echuca.

127 EchucaMoama

Where the Percherons Romeo and Juliet, with their beautifully feathered feet, are a familiar sight to locals on a weekend as they pull their Cobb and Co wagon through the streets.

For the city’s favourite Capulets and Montagues as weekend working day starts at 7.30 am when they’re taken from their field on the Billabong Ranch and floated to a shed in town.

Driver Rocky Acquisto, who has driven the horses since

they arrived on the ranch, said the pair have a morning routine when they are working – starting with a wash.

“Those two are the grubbiest pair because they are white,’’ he said.

“While they’re eating their breakfast in there we wash them and brush them.

“Obviously we don’t get too much water on them in winter...but in summer they love a nice wash and a scrub. >>

128 EchucaMoama

‘ROMEO AND JULIET ARE ALWAYS TOGETHER, THEY EVEN HAVE THEIR OWN PADDOCK.’’ >> “We shampoo and condition their manes and tails, harness them up and polish all their gear before getting them down to the port area ready for rides.’’

bond had been created between the horses so they

From 10 am until 4.30 pm the horses pull their replica Cobb and Co coach on a 1km round trip through some of Echuca’s oldest streets.

even have their own paddock.’’

Mr Acquisto said they have an easy work day.

“Half the day they’re standing around getting fed and brushed and patted,’’ he said.

could work together.

“Romeo and Juliet are always together,” she said. “They And while they might spend most of their lives together, the pair have distinct personalities, with Juliet the more dominant.

She will lead while Romeo is happy to follow.

Romeo and Juliet were trained for 12 months in different situations and desensitised to strange noises before they started driving the cart.

Mr Acquisto feels the horses are special to his family

Billabong Ranch owner Kerry Acquisto said a strong

friends,’’ he said. “They’re very reliable.’’ ■

and the ranch as well as to the city.

“They’re more than just a pair of horses. They’re your

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129 EchucaMoama

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FAVOURITE CUISINE Vietnamese TOP 5 COUNTRIES VISITED Russia, Egypt, Spain, Switzerland, Vietnam BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE TO DATE Standing in the middle of Red Square in Russia DREAM HOLIDAY Spend 3 months travelling South America including Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil & finishing off with an all inclusive resort in Mexico IF I HAD ONE SUPER POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE Teleportation

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FAVOURITE CUISINE Thai Food TOP 5 COUNTRIES VISITED Scotland, Egypt, Ireland, Poland,Thailand BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE TO DATE Going to Tutankhamun’s Tomb in the Valley of the Kings and seeing his Mummy DREAM HOLIDAY Doing a Safari through Africa IF I HAD ONE SUPER POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE Go Go gadgets limbs like Inspector Gadget

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FAVOURITE CUISINE Thai TOP 5 COUNTRIES VISITED Vietnam, Hong Kong, Ireland, Germany, Australia BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE TO DATE Drinking beer at Oktoberfest in Germany DREAM HOLIDAY Back packing through Asia IF I HAD ONE SUPER POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE Able to read people minds

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FAVOURITE CUISINE Love trying new food from wherever I’m travelling TOP 5 COUNTRIES VISITED Cook Islands, Indonesia (Sumatra), Tahiti, USA, Middle East (Qatar, Balrain, United Arab Emirates) BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE TO DATE Visiting the orangutans in Sumatra DREAM HOLIDAY Doing a trek in Africa seeing the gorillas IF I HAD ONE SUPER POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE Time travel

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FAVOURITE CUISINE Chinese TOP 5 COUNTRIES VISITED Turkey, Maurtius, East Coast USA, France, Australia BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE TO DATE A month in USA travelling west to east. Highlight was helicopter ride over Niagara Falls DREAM HOLIDAY Driving through Europe in the summer time and being able to stop and start when we want and finish it off at a beach destination IF I HAD ONE SUPER POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE Being able to talk to animals

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RED LABEL HOLIDAYS Do you want a FREE massage every day? How about a FREE bucket of beers waiting for you every day by the pool? Do you like FREE WiFi? Would FREE cocktails at the swim up bar make you happy?

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BUPA ECHUCA

A PLACE TO CALL HOME At Bupa Echuca, we’re dedicated to creating an environment that is welcoming and homely.

That’s why we’re committed to helping you personalise your room with your favourite belongings to help create a place where you can feel relaxed, familiar and at home.

Our friendly and professional team are ready to provide you with flexible and individualised care in the way you want. Helping to give you and your family peace of mind.

If you’re looking for a place to call home, please contact us for more information or to arrange a tour of Bupa Echuca at 7 Fehring Lane.

03 5480 5300 bupa.com.au/aged-care echuca@bupacare.com.au

Echuca BreastScreen has moved The clinic is still within Echuca Radiology at Echuca Regional Health but the entrance is now directly off Service Street.

If you’re 50 to 74 book your breast screen today

Visit breastscreen.org.au Or call 13 20 50

For quality training and accredited qualifications Training & Courses available Hospitality (Commercial Cookery) Community Services Youth Work Early Childhood Education & Care Aged Care, HACC & Disability Finance, Accounting & Bookkeeping

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136 EchucaMoama

Minor, major.

THE IMPORTANT THING IS IT WORKS Yes, alright, it’s a little bit corny – but it’s still so true. A little house at 5 Minor Street is about to have a major impact in the future of Echuca’s disabled.

After years of planning the Community Living and Respite Services Inc house in Minor Street is finished and already has five residents.

support professionals and myself are enjoying the beautiful new environment and are so appreciative of the community fundraising effort that has made this happen.’’

And Echuca’s Community Living and Respite Services Inc says they are just the first of many to come.

Kim Boland, one of the home’s first residents, said she was excited to be moving in.

CLRS has been driving this project since 2010 to both empower people with a disability by helping them establish independence and also creating a safe place for them to live.

“It’s similar to Mitchell St (another home run by CLRS) and I’m just glad I’m going to shift into this house,’’ she said.

The home has three bedrooms, a staff bedroom and office and two independent living units at the back.

Her mother, Corinne Baldock, had nothing but praise for CLRS and the Echuca community.

House manager Andrea Johnston said the residents have been busy adding their personal touches to their new home.

“Since we’ve moved up to Echuca (from Melbourne), the services for people with a disability are just fantastic,’’ she said.

“Minor Street is a lovely, welcoming environment for families and friends to visit,’’ she said. “The residents, direct

“It’s given her so much independence.’’ ■

137 EchucaMoama

WHEN WILL YOUR BALLS DROP?

PAUL WELLER MP MEMBER FOR RODNEY

There is much to celebrate about Echuca Moama.

Our rich pioneering history can be seen in our magnificent wharf and fleet of carefully restored paddlesteamers, or experienced through state of the art technology at the new discovery centre.

Our towns give our children the best possible start…our schools provide excellent learning environments and are staffed by highly motivated and dedicated teachers. There are opportunities for children to participate in sports, theatre, dance…… and to thrive.

Our new hospital features the best in medical facilities and compassionate and highly trained medical staff…. and as a community, we are fortunate to be under the care of a band of incredibly passionate and dedicated GPs and paramedics.

The towns boast thriving industry, enthusiastic volunteer community groups, a fantastic variety of retailers and a superb range of restaurants, clubs and cafes.

We host a variety of events including the Southern 80 ski race, Barrie Beehag Memorial, Winter Blues Festival, Riverboats Music Festival, the Steam Rally, Weddings Expo and many sporting tournaments.

We offer accommodation choices for any budget and.. for the most part.. fantastic weather.

We are a tourist destination like no other.

We are also a generous and kind-hearted community, hosting and supporting an incredible line-up of successful fundraising events which benefit a huge variety of worthy causes.

This little patch of earth we call home really does have it all.

Let’s celebrate it.

Cheers,

Echuca Lucky Lotto More than a Tatts shop...

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Echuca/Moama

Paul Weller MLA Member for Rodney 496 High Street, Echuca 3564 P: 5482 2039 F: 5482 3507 E: paul.weller@parliament.vic.gov.au

www.paulweller.com.au

Power your lifestyle with solar & save on the costs of running your home…

Switching to solar power can offset 30%-100% of your home’s daytime electricity. So if you’re looking to reduce your energy costs and carbon footprint, we can help you find the perfect system and then install it for you. been established for over 30 years. Only well known, Norlec Contracting & Solar is a division of Norlec high quality brands are used. You get the peace of Contracting, a family owned and run business mind that the products we use are well known from servicing Northern Victoria, in all electrical and solar well established companies. It’s an investment in needs. With over 25 years’ experience in the field, Jeremy and his team provide the future and you will have industry leading warranties on your products. high quality services and pride themselves on prompt service, competitive prices, high quality Why install solar?

Did you know? products and second-to-none Solar electricity is a great way to reduce Trina Solar & Suntech workmanship. our rising electricity prices. By installing are 2 of the top solar panels on your home, usually Having installed a large number situated on the roof top, it captures 3 panel manufactures of systems of varying sizes over sunlight and converts it into electricity, in the world. the years in schools, council which is fed into the electrical grid. It works facilities, businesses and homes in to replace or supplement electricity generated the area, Norlec Contracting & Solar by the grid. offer outstanding value, local knowledge, - Reduce, or eliminate your electricity bills by after sales support and maintenance. generating your own power.

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Dependent on the size of solar system you install, many systems pay for themselves in around 5 years with the savings on your electricity costs. The return on investment could be as high as 20% per annum, a better return than savings in a bank!

Solar systems increase the value of homes. Buyers are attracted to decreased energy costs and they hedge or eliminate electricity price increases. Solar systems can pay for themselves within 5 years.

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A word from our clients “Norlec Electrical installed a 100K/w system for Foodmach in September 2013.

This has resulted in significant energy savings & cost savings for Foodmach.

We found Norlec Electrical most professional in their service provided.” – Ian Whiting – Finance Manager, Foodmach

footprint in the world. Times have changed, with ordinary people much more interested in solar power to reduce operating costs of their homes.

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“As a firm we are very mindful of our overhead costs together with the environmental impact in operating our offices – especially with regard to energy consumption.

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Dawes & Vary Lawyers were wrapt with the service and professionalism provided by Jeremy and his team at Norlec Contracting & Solar. The consultation, quoting and installation processes were quick and unobtrusive and Norlec took great care in enabling us to continue on with our business without any significant disruption.

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140 EchucaMoama

Women who pump

IRON

141 EchucaMoama

EM editor Andrew Mole lifts the curtain on two local women who are more than making their mark in Echuca-Moama gyms. One does it because she is addicted to feeling good and the other is making an amazing comeback to competition

ADRIENNE TIBBALLS Next Level Fitness Echuca, 8/55 McMillan Street Crohn’s disease is an incredibly debilitating condition – and once diagnosed there is no cure.

Instead its victims lurch through a life of remission and relapse.

Some minor, some crippling.

Diagnosis four years ago was enough to more than knock the stuffing out of Adrienne Tibballs.

Like most others with the disease she fought to find a balance between recovery and management – and a life.

Unlike most others, Adrienne was already a rising star in the fitness industry and world of body building, as a trainer, competitor and gym owner.

Between 2008 and 2010 she took a first and second in her class in the Victorian championships and came fifth in the worlds in Germany as a junior.

Then sank without a trace as she came to grips with Crohn’s and its impact on a discipline which demands radical diet swings between training and competition.

In the next few weeks Adrienne will be back.

Bigger and better.

Bigger because despite the setbacks of her medical condition she has slapped more than 8kg of pure muscle onto her petite 160cm frame to weigh in at around 55kg.

Better because she is stepping up to open class and taking on all comers.

In the build up to competition Adrienne was training seven days a week, pushing at least 2500 calories a day into her delicate intestinal system.

And dead lifting as much as 130kg at a go – somewhere between twice and three times her own bodyweight.

Or squatting 100kg – again her own body weight and then some. >>

142 EchucaMoama >> A punishing ritual for a perfectly healthy person.

Possibly a serious gamble for Adrienne.

But she insists she is using her recovery and return to pumping iron as a way to manage her Crohn’s, and so far it is working.

“Because I have been sick I have had to juggle my life in a whole new way,” Adrienne says.

“In February last year my partner Luke Diss and I purchased Next Level gym here in Echuca-Moama and that has been a real challenge getting on top of that,” she says.

“But it is going really well for us now and we have been

able to really lift memberships.

“Still managing my Crohn’s has to be my number one priority and with the business next competing for me has become number three.

“However, working in a gym means you have easy access to training so I am going really well right now.

Either way when Adrienne gets the false tan and the oil on, has her hair, lips and nails done and slips into her bikini she really packs a visual punch.

In case you did not realise, as a body builder tapers towards competition the calorie intake falls away dramatically, with dehydration at the end to give that

‘cut’ look which makes muscles and shape really stand out.

Adrienne thinks her competition strength is proportion and symmetry rather than relying on the wow factor of one set of muscles.

She will need all that.

Because she is taking on the lot in her comeback, with a gruelling schedule starting with the Victorian championships in Darebin on October 5, the nationals in Hobart on October 12 and the World Championships on the Gold Coast on November 2.

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“I would not have done the worlds if they had not been in Australia but it is too good a chance to miss,” she says.

“It’s not a lot of time in between to rest and get your metabolism back in order after tapering off your diet but I am confident it will be OK.” Adrienne went from high school straight into the fitness industry, with a Cert IV and it has all come together with the Next Level gym in McMillan Road in downtown Echuca.

And when the Worlds are over returning home in good shape, without any sign of a Crohn’s relapse, will be as big a success as any trophy she might win. >>

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“IT’S NOT A LOT OF TIME IN BETWEEN TO REST AND GET YOUR METABOLISM BACK IN ORDER AFTER TAPERING OFF YOUR DIET BUT I AM CONFIDENT IT WILL BE OK.”

144 EchucaMoama

Snap Fitness Echuca, 111/113 Annesley Street

Mental note to self. When Kim Telford is training don’t get between her and the next set of weights.

casting around for lower impact options she quickly dismissed aerobics.

She is wired for sound, with the ubiquitous cords trailing from her ears.

“Not coordinated,” she confesses. “I just could not keep in step with the instructor, or anyone else in the class for that matter.”

But she also is wired.

Her focus is so intense standing next to her to get her attention is a waste of time.

And tapping her on the shoulder is your call.

So if you do be prepared to duck, just in case.

This 40-something has been dedicated, no, devoted, to some pretty serious work in the gym for the past decade.

Ten years of hard yakka she does not mind admitting started as much as mental therapy as it did a desire to rebuild her body with a mass of muscle and a very good resting pulse rate.

“I dropped a couple of dress sizes, which was another bonus,” Kim says.

“As much as I developed muscle instead of fat, my weight hardly changed,” she says.

“Too many people are fixated by scales; but scales are not the solution. It’s bringing down clothes sizes, which means you are in better shape, and how you feel.”

Kim alleges she only does three or four hourly workouts each week, but at Snap Fitness in Annesley Street regular members reckon they see more of her.

Not just because she works at Snap, but because she works out there. A lot.

“I don’t, you know,” Kim protests.

“The gym is an addiction I enjoy, it is as much a part of my life as getting out of bed every morning, but I really don’t do much more than four sessions a week.”

She does her own programs, and does them for club members but doesn’t follow anyone else’s programs. She always makes her own, and has a focus on her back and legs, although slaps her thighs and suggests that part of the workout is not exactly working out at this stage.

A former netballer and basketballer, when she started

“Then I discovered boxing workouts in a gym and really took to that. I was newly divorced also and it helped my head – and getting rid of a bit of aggression.

“From there I added a boxing circuit and soon found I was starting to build some real definition and that’s when I started to take on weights.” >>

145 EchucaMoama

KIM TELFORD

146 EchucaMoama >> Kim plays down her progress but she can do chest presses with 22.5kg dumbbells. And step that up to 25kg if she has someone spotting her.

Kim is also cautious of over-training, which she says can quickly undo the work you have done but complements her diet and training with supplements as a foundation for building a stronger body.

Try picking up one of those and see how you go. Then She also says many women shy away from weights lie flat on a weight bench, hold them just above your chest and see how many times you can heave those little afraid they will become over-muscled. suckers up and down.

“But it doesn’t happen that way with women, not without an incredible amount of work and maybe a Without blowing some sort of essential artery. little bit of chemical help.

“I loved it when I got serious with weights and “But it does tone you, is a fantastic stress reliever and programs. I loved what it did to my body and now I makes you feel good, really good.” would never stop,” Kim adds.

“I am not interested in competition, or even getting to that level. I only compete with myself,” she says.

“Apart from helping me get my head together this is really good for you, and you are never too old to start.

“At Snap we have guys in their 70s and women not far off that who are regulars.

“For a woman it has so many upsides and no negatives I can think of. It will protect you against arthritis, osteoporosis, prolong your ability to have a full range of movement and keep your heart and lungs in good shape.

“You can’t beat that.”

So good Kim drops a hint, if any readers are interested, that 10 years down the track she feels better, looks better, functions better – and is still looking for love.

Which is why this super fit can-do gal nearly had a heart attack when phoned about the interview.

Horrified the photos would be done on the same day.

“I’ve just had a massage, my hair is all oily, I’m only in an old tracksuit” blah, blah.

The photos were done the next day.

No-one was game to pick a fight with her about doing them on the spot. ■

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Want he Secret o More Energy, etter Sleep & Imp Want the tSecret to MoretEnergy, Better Sleep &BImproved Moods?

Suzy McCleary DOCTOR OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE B AppSc (Human Biology / Chinese Medicine) B Nursing Post Graduate in Advanced Clinical Nursing Chinese Medicine Internship – Nanjing China

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stress reduction treatment

Creating Wellness for a Happier, Healthier You: One Needle at a Time – (03) 5480 2095

All-Natural GoodbyeYtoou: One Needle at a Time – (03 Creating W ellness First for Aid a HTips appier, Say Healthier It can happen to anyone. One minute you’re outside Sleepless Nights enjoying the summer sunshine, the next, ouch! A sprain or strain, insect bite, sunburn, or other minor injury can put you on the sidelines if you don’t know how to handle them. Follow these tips to care for common summer ailments naturally. Remember, if TRADITIONAL your symptoms areCHINESE severe or don’t respond to selfcare, contact me, acupuncture may be able to help.

y McCleary

TOR OF ICINE

pSc (Human Biology / Chinese Medicine) Remember R.I.C.E. for the first 24 – 48 hrs sing Rest: Stay off the injured limb.

Graduate in Advanced Clinical Nursing Ice: May apply an ice pack, 20 minutes at a time if it se Medicine Internship – Nanjing China Sprains or Strains:

makes it feel better. (0nly first 6 -8 hours).

Compression: Wrap area with a bandage to reduce swelling.

Elevation: Rest the injured ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist on a pillow above the level of the heart. Use arnica cream to reduce bruising and pain.

Take your vitamins: Vitamins C, E, and zinc help to reduce inflammation.

Consider acupuncture: If you have ongoing pain from a muscle injury or trauma, consider acupuncture treatment to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and speed healing.

Insect bites & other itchy skin problems: Mosquito and wasp bites: Run water over the affected area. Apply apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or witch hazel to the area. For the next few days, try applying lavender or cinnamon oil to the bite.

Bee stings: Pulling the stinger straight out will release more venom. Instead, scrape the stinger out with your fingernail, the edge of a credit card, or other straight edged object.

Sunburn: Apply a towel soaked in cool water to the affected area for 20 minutes as soon as you notice the burn. Spread aloe vera gel, preferably fresh from the plant, directly on the burned area to relieve pain, speed healing, and prevent scarring. Try a baking soda paste or plain yoghurt compress to soothe the skin.

You settle into a warm, comfortable bed, close your eyes and nothing happens, you just can’t fall asleep. upstilltoyou’re ourawake. The next day you HoursSign go by and feelwebsite tired, grouchy, are the unable to focus. Does this forandall sound latest familiar? news & Sleepless research. nights happen to almost everyone at some time, but ongoing insomnia can indicate a deeper issue and could lead to further health concerns. Unfortunately, a common approach to treating insomnia includes prescription sleeping medications, which can cause side effects or even dependence. That’s one of the many reasons to consider an all-natural approach to treating your sleep problems. Acupuncture can be a very effective way to improve your sleep quality without wwside effects.

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stress reduction In several Australian surveys, around one third of people treatment reported having at least one insomnia symptom (such as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep or feeling the quality of sleep was inadequate) each month.

About 5 per cent of adults report chronic problems with insomnia and those with depression or ongoing anxiety issues are the highest risk group.

Women report symptoms of insomnia nearly twice as often as men and almost 50 per cent of adults over 65 describe some symptoms at least a couple of nights per week. Older women in particular seem prone to more prolonged insomnia.

Young to middle-aged adults are more likely to develop insomnia after major life events, such as separation, divorce or death of a spouse or partner.

Symptoms Include: • Difficulty falling asleep • Waking up during the night • Waking up too early • Daytime fatigue and irritability • Frustration and moodiness According to the theories of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), insomnia can stem from a number of causes such as stress, anxiety, medications, depression, and chronic pain. To determine the underlying causes of your insomnia, I would take into account many factors, including your lifestyle and emotional and mental well-being.

With this ancient form of healthcare, you can treat your symptoms, improve your overall health and well-being,and start looking forward to a great night’s sleep, every night.

Tips for Healthy Sleep 1. Stick to a regular schedule.

2. Plan to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

3. Stay active. Exercise regularly, but not within a few hours of bedtime.

4. Don’t eat large meals before bed.

5. Try not to nap. If you really need to nap, try to keep it short, less than 45 minutes.

6. Limit caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. All of these can add to sleep problems.

7. Relax. Try taking a warm bath, meditating, or reading to wind down before going to sleep.

For an appointment with one of our qualified Chinese Medicine Doctors, Suzy McCleary, Yoo Sun Hwang or Chloe Stubberfield please call our office on 03 5480 2095 or book online at www.enhancedhealth.com.au

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Whether you need stationery for around the home, a new computer, office furniture, scanners, printers or computer accessories, we have everything you need.

A business takes so much to function effectively and successfully.

From pens and writing pads, to laptops and printers, we have all your student needs covered.

We can help you get your home office set up to run effectively.

We also offer you the advantage of having our staff available to help you with any technical issues you may have and offering a wide range of service and support.

Let us take the stress away from your office space…We can assist you with all of your stationery, office furniture, scanners, printers, phone systems, photocopiers, computers, servers, cash registers, wide format printing and more.

We can also provide your business with our efficient back up service and support team.

We service within a 100km radius, so call us today and get your business running at its full potential.

With our full range of stationery, laptops, desktops, printers, computer accessories and software, we can have any student, from prep through to university, achieving their full potential with our quality student supplies and technical support.

Call us today and let us take the hard work out of setting your student up for their exciting school or university experience.

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Call in and speak with our team today, they can help you make the right choices for your home office or business requirements.

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152 EchucaMoama

You are what you eat – AND WHAT YOU EXERCISE

The maths behind getting healthy is pretty straight-forward according to health business owner Khaysan Kimberlin. ‘‘Watch what you put in your mouth. Exercise more than you eat.’’

Khaysan has a number of tips to get people started on their exercise and wellbeing journey. ‘‘Generally people aren’t very motivated to exercise so make sure you get help from friends or tap into support groups,’’ she says. ‘‘The key to massive change with your health is changing small habits every day.’’

She said plenty of people will diet for a week and make big changes to their routine – but it doesn’t last. ‘‘A big change is not sustainable. Just change little habits every day until they become natural.’’

This could be as easy as having a piece of fruit for breakfast each day or going for a short walk.

Eating fresh produce is also key Khaysan says. ‘‘If it’s come from a can or packet think about the

In addition, she sings the praises of coconut oil and its super food properties. ‘‘It’s the only oil that doesn’t change properties when you eat it.’’

Khaysan runs a number of free health and wellbeing classes every week at shop 2, 5 Echuca St, Moama (Moama Osteopath Building). Personal development classes are on Mondays from 7pm, a healthy and active lifestyle open house runs on Wednesdays from 6.30pm, a mums and bubs class runs on Friday mornings from 10am and an exercise class runs on Sundays from 10.30am.

TIPS TO WORK TOWARDS BETTER HEALTH - Eat vegetables to help you feel full.

- Drink plenty of water.

- Get tempting foods out of your home.

- Stay busy – don’t eat because you're bored.

- Don’t skip meals.

- Eat only from a plate, while seated at a table.

No grazing in front of the fridge.

- Keeping a food journal -- writing down everything you eat -- can also help you stay on track.

Search for the ‘‘‘Healthy Active Lifestyle’’ GO TO page!’ on Facebook to find out more, or ring Khaysan on 0418 177 690. ■

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Contact Southern Cross Care Moama for a tour of the facility and find out what we can offer to make your life easier.

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153 EchucaMoama

process it has gone through. Also remember don’t cook veggies too long, eat lean meats which are great and watch your processed carbs like white rice and pasta.’’

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The concept of Cellular Nutrition is simple. Feed your body the 114 nutrients required daily that are found in our core products and your cells will recognise this and will move your body to a greater level of wellness. Herbalife Cellular Nutrition provides the elements the body needs daily to maintain good health from vitamins, antioxidants and minerals, as part of a healthy whole food eating regime. Our products are personalized to your own individual lifestyle, providing nutritional solutions appropriate for your stage of life.

Herbalife products are not comparable to any other product on the market, due to a unique concept that is patented to Herbalife International, Cellular Nutrition.

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Personal Development - 7pm Mondays Jim Rohn says - “To have more than you’ve got, become more than you are. Unless you change how you are, you’ll always have what you’ve got”. A large part of living a ‘Healthy Active Lifestyle’ starts with what you feed your mind; ‘I’ve got this, health!’ understand the transition of a healthy mind and body at any level isn’t always an easy one. The sessions are put together to help you expand your mind, set goals and be a constant positive support system to simply change any aspect of your life if that’s what you are desiring.

Wednesday - 6.30pm for 7.00pm start ‘Healthy Active Lifestyle’ Open House is a session we hold to communicate our message to a group rather than one on one.

Friday - 10.00am Mums and Bubs Fitclub - This is about building a community of mums with children of any age that want to get active and out of the house but are yet to take that step back into fully fledged fitness. (Still able to do both, there’s a lot of chit chatting at this session).

Sunday - 10.30am Fitclub - Get up, get dressed and get active. Exercise for all age groups and levels.

Khaysan 0418 177 690

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156 EchucaMoama

Unwind and Relax

Corporate Events and Functions

Mini Yoga Retreats

Relax and regenerate in the serenity of the lake side park lands or in the Deluxe Spa and Lakeside Apartments. Our

Perricoota Vines has earned its reputation as Echuca/ Moama’s finest 4.5 star luxury accommodation and conference resort. Catering for up to 120 people, the Vines Lakehouse can be configured to suit any arrangement, from corporate training events, weddings, celebrations of life etc. Call to see how our unique venue can best cater for your next function.

Find inner health and balance with one of our professionally instructed Yoga Retreats. By yourself or as a group experience the benefits and relaxation of being at one with your mind and body through this professionally run Yoga Retreat.

tailored Health Retreats will be the escape you need from the busy rigors of daily life. With full body massages, pamper packages and pure relaxation.

So call the friendly team at Perricoota Vines Retreat and discuss your relaxation destination.

400 Perricoota Road, Moama P. (03) 5482 6655 E. enquiries@perricootavines.com W. www.perricootavines.com

Eliminate your pain, restore your mobility & regain your quality of life!

Moama Podiatry offers • Diabetes footcare and assessment • General podiatry • Foot & ankle sports injury • Video treadmill analysis • Children • Dry needling

Conveniently located under one roof, Echuca Moama Physiotherapy and Moama Podiatry can assist you when it comes to getting your body back on track.

Clinical Pilates is also available Clinical Pilates has been developed by physiotherapists as a form of exercise that teaches the body’s muscles, especially the spinal muscles, to work more effectively. We offer personalised sessions to work at your own pace with a trained Clinical Pilates Instructor.

72 Meninya St, Moama P. 5480 3419 (Moama Podiatry) P. 5480 0860 (Echuca Moama Physiotherapy)

Echuca Moama Physiotherapy offer • Hands on Treatment • Back Pain • Neck Pain • Sporting Injuries • Headaches & Sciatica • Exercise & Rehab • Dry needling • Clinical Pilates

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158 EchucaMoama

Mighty Mac MAKES HIS MARK ON RELAY FOR LIFE Suzanne Sandercock isn’t worried about facing 18 hours without sleep.

She knows it is nothing, not even a drop in the bucket, compared to the struggle her four-year-old son Mac has already endured in his battle with an ependymoma tumour – or brain cancer – which was diagnosed on February 8 last year.

It will be a date seared into her mind forever.

So she and her little hero will be at the forefront when Echuca-Moama’s Relay For Life sets off at 4pm on October 25-26.

And while the little guy might need some nap time Suzanne will still be going when the walk finishes at 10am the next day.

Walking the survivors and carers lap might not seem much but for this family it is a celebration of a young man’s future.

Mrs Sanderock has set her funding goal at $2000 and thinks raising awareness towards brain cancer and childhood cancer is as important as the money she makes.

“Childhood cancer is one of the biggest reasons for the awareness I want to bring to the Relay For Life,” Suzanne says.

159 EchucaMoama

“September is childhood cancer awareness month and it amazes me still how little is known by the wider world about kids and cancer,” she says.

“I think people just don’t want to realise that kids do get cancer.”

Suzanne got into Relay For Life a little late but she immediately found eight friends and family to take the walk with her – some of whom she only met this year through Mac’s kindergarten.

“It’s really good people have that support, not just for Mac but for other people as well,” she says.

Relay For Life involves one person from a team of 10-15 walking a lap of the track carrying the team’s baton, the others stand by for their turn.

She is looking forward to spending time with friends and family she hasn’t spent much time with recently through the night of the relay.

‘‘I suppose we’ll find out how our friendships go after all that time with no sleep,” she laughs.

Nearly 12 months after undergoing two operations and post-operative treatment Mac now has to have an MRI every three months to monitor his brain as well as speech and physical therapy to help overcome the effects of invasive surgery.

“We just live three months at a time,” Suzanne admits.

Since his major treatment finished Mac has completed major mini-person and medical milestones such as going to kindergarten and eating without a nutritional tube. ■ To support Mac, and the thousands like him, go to: www.relayforlife.org.au/ and search for Team Mac.

A LOCALLY OWNED FAMILY BUSINESS

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Sportswear • Menswear • Workwear / Corporatewear • Ladieswear • Lingerie • Manchester 160 EchucaMoama

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SKIN SOLUTIONS AS INDIVIDUAL AS YOU ARE

NOW OPEN ELLA BACHÉ ECHUCA Neroli Seboa has been a beauty therapist for over 20 years and her award winning Ella Baché Salon in Bendigo has a very loyal client base. Neroli and her team are very passionate about their work and believe that beautiful skin comes from an extensive knowledge and understanding of the skin. The salon offers a range of superior Ella Baché facial and body treatments as well as relaxing massages, tinting, tanning and waxing.

The recently opened salon in Echuca follows the same devotion for exceptional service and treatments.

FOR SKIN SOLUTIONS AS INDIVIDUAL AS YOU ARE, PLEASE CONTACT NEROLI AND HER TEAM AT ELLA BACHÉ ECHUCA. ELLA BACHÉ ECHUCA T: 5480 7608 144 Hare Street, Echuca Vic 3451 E: ellabacheechuca@bigpond.com echuca.ellabache.com.au

. . . n w o r u Make yo

Pop Up Card: Requirements:

• 2 sheets contrasting patterned paper for box flaps • Patterned paper with shapes to cut out for decorations • Cardstock

Instructions: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

• • • • •

Glue stick Paper trimmer Scoring tool scissors Embellishments Ribbon

Cut cardstock to 8.5” x 12”. From this cut a 2” x 12” strip and set aside.

Score on the long side at 2.75”, 5.5”, 8.25” and 11”.

Turn card a quarter turn and score the 6.5” short side at 2.75”.

Cut to the 2.75” mark along the first set of score lines. At the 11” score line cut in at a slight angle from the edge of the cardstock to remove the excess above the score line and create a tab. Fold up and adhere tab to the inside of box.

Cut the 2” x 12” strip into two to measure 1” x 4.75” and score 1” in from each end. Fold both tabs to the back.

Evenly space and adhere these to the inside of the box level to the top edge of folded flaps, this is what your embellishments are glued to.

Cut patterned paper for flaps 2.5” x 2.5” and box bottom 3.5” x 2.5”. Centre each piece and adhere. Cut 2 pieces for inside rear and back of box 6.25” x 2.5” and adhere.

Fussy cut shapes from patterned paper or use other embellishments to decorate. Adhere to the strips on the inside of the box. Finish with a small bow on the front flap.

Favourite Memories Layout: Requirements:

• Co-ordinating scrapbook papers • Stickers • Embellishments • Adhesive tape

Instructions:

• Foam tape • Paper trimmer • Photo: 15cm x 10cm Landscape (Photo courtesy

by Brooke McInnes Photography)

1.

Trim brown paper to measure 23cm wide x 19cm high.

Adhere to background.

2.

To create the four flag strips cut three different coloured papers to measure: 18cm x 4.5cm, 15.5cm x 4cm and 14cm x 3cm. Layer up flags and adhere across the brown piece aligning closer to the left side and even with the top edge.

3.

Trim photo to measure 14cm x 9cm and adhere to a 15cm x 10cm mat. Position and adhere this across the flags.

4.

Create a small embellishment cluster to the right of the photo using stickers, cut out shapes and other matching items. To add dimension, foam tape a title or journal block to finish.

TIP: Remember to add a date somewhere on your layout.

Projects designed and created by Karen McInnes.

ALL SUPPLIES CAN BE PURCHASED AT HOBBYSEW ECHUCA. CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE IDEAS. 98 Annesley St, Echuca (03) 5482 6276 www.hobbysewechuca.com.au karen@hobbysewechuca.com.au

Store Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Saturday 9am-1pm

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Fuel consumption: 5.7L/100km CO2 rating: 136g/km Dimensions: L/W/H/WB 4580/1795/1455/2700mm Weight: 1301kg Suspension: MacPherson struts/ multi-link rear Steering: Electric rack-and-pinion Price: From $22,490

www.Goautomedia.com.au

Here it is, the new Mazda3 in base Neo guise from $20,490 plus on-road costs, before adding the $2000 extra for the automatic.

That’s exactly the same money required for the hatch – even though the sedan scores 100 litres of extra cargo capacity with the seats in place.

Our test car included no-cost metallic paint as well as a $1500 Safety Pack that ushers in a Blind-Spot monitor, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Smart City Brake Support autonomous braking technology and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

That’s on top of a fairly par-for-the-course kit listing that includes six airbags, air-conditioning, remote central locking with keyless push-button start, power mirrors and windows, cruise control, Bluetooth phone and audio, USB/Aux connections, 60:40 split-fold rear seats and rake/reach steering adjustment and 16-inch steel wheels.

The latter is in lieu of the alloys on the previous runout Neo. For that you need another $2000 to move into the Maxx, which also scores a reverse camera, leather trimmings (but still cloth seats), paddle shifters, satellite navigation, and improved audio with internet radio access and phone-text messages readout.

Interior Nothing’s carried over from before – but has Mazda forgotten a thing or two?

Larger, longer and wider as well as lighter than its BL

predecessor, the BM-series four-door body is almost as big as a Mazda6’s of a decade ago.

Consequently, getting in and out is easy, though the sloping rear roofline again fouls entry for taller folk – just like in the old model.

Once inside, the sense of space is immediately obvious for occupants up front, with wide (if flat after a long stint) seats, plenty of width and sufficient room for taller legs and heads.

Simplicity is the name of the game for this generation, with the imposingly fussy dash of the previous car replaced by a lower cowl reminiscent of the original BK. It’s a welcome change, for forward vision is improved and everything is clearly marked and easy to reach.

The overall look is sporty and very ‘now’; the design is similar to those found in the latest Mercedes A-Class, Audi A3 and Volvo V40 thanks to a tablet-like device that straddles the area just above the air vents.

Other pluses include an excellent driving position, attractive little steering wheel with thoughtful spoke-mounted controls, a prominent and very well placed (and colourful) speedo flanked by a handy trip computer, superb ventilation and a plethora of storage options.

There was no problem pairing the improved and integrated Bluetooth telephone and audio streaming system, and its quality of service matched the high standard set by the rest of the cabin.

Being a Neo, the lack of brightwork means there’s an

unremitting greyness to the presentation and trim, but there is nothing wrong with the way the dash looks and feels, particularly at this price point.

However, it appears Mazda has prioritised style over substance in a couple of key areas.

Firstly, rear vision is terrible due to the upsweep rear window line. Not so bad in models with a camera or sensors as standard, in the Neo reversing is tougher.

Secondly, compared to the previous Mazda3, the glovebox and centre console seem smaller and the door pockets are too small.

Last, but not least, what has happened to the tachometer?

With each successive model change the 3’s overall instrumentation cluster has devolved, from the early attractive three-barrel analogue arrangement to a tiny digitised rev arc that appears to be an afterthought. It’s too twee for this class of car.

Rear-seat accommodation is fine in that there’s ample room, but the shallow windows and dearth of contrasting trim exacerbate the overriding greyness.

And there is no escaping road noise that still permeates the interior. We’re sick of pointing this out in Mazdas.

Thankfully the vast boot fares better, with the sedan’s (at 408L) being nearly 25 per cent more voluminous than the hatch’s cargo area.

Note that a pair of very old-fashioned rear-seat backrest releases feature. They look just like the pair found in the first Mazda 626 from 1979.

Engine & Transmission Here’s where the Mazda3 has really moved on from its predecessor.

Weighing about 70kg less, and with class-leading aerodynamics, the sedan has all the ingredients to really sock it to the competition.

After a surprisingly noisy – almost diesel-like – startup (via a push button), the engine settles into a sporty idle.

Now, the 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre is more of a revver than a slogger, so be prepared to flex that right foot.

But make no mistake: with an exceptionally slick and responsive torque-converter six-speed automatic by your side, acceleration is smooth, swift and strong. >>

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THE MAZDA3 NEO SEDAN AUTOMATIC IS JUST ABOUT THE MOST COMPLETE AND ENJOYABLE SMALL-CAR PACKAGE AVAILABLE AT ITS PRICE POINT CAPABLE OF RUNNING ON REGULAR 91 RON UNLEADED FUEL; THE MAZDA3’S EFFICIENCY IS SIMPLY FANTASTIC.

166 EchucaMoama >> Goaded on by a snarly exhaust tune, there’s a joy to be had exploring the SkyActiv-G’s upper-rev ranges, especially how effortlessly each of the speedo’s rising increments are dispatched. The Neo is an impressively rapid car.

Better still, fuel consumption is just outstanding – we averaged an indicated 7.2 litres per 100km – with what might just be the best idle-stop system we’ve encountered at this price level.

Capable of running on regular 91 RON unleaded fuel; the Mazda3’s efficiency is simply fantastic.

Ride & Handling Though both the hatch and sedan are 70kg lighter than their predecessors, the latter enjoys a slight front to rear weight balance edge – 60:40 versus 61:39.

It doesn’t matter either way, for the Neo is an enjoyable and involving handler.

While a bit more steering feel would be appreciated, the helm remains a well-weighted and responsive affair, offering crisp turn-in capabilities and a very neutral balance at the speeds the sedan is likely to be operated within.

Yet even when tootling about town, the driver is rewarded with a tight turning circle and a supple ride quality – the upshot of the 16-inch tall-walled tyres fitted to the Neo. Clearly Mazda has worked hard to make the 3’s all-new SkyActiv chassis as integrated, controllable and agile as possible, backed up by secure and solid braking performance.

On the flipside, the lack of grip from the standard low-resistance economy tyres can be an issue on wet or slippery surfaces, since their harder compounds do not have the road-holding levels as softer rubber.

Maybe that’s also why so much road noise is transmitted inside?

Safety & Servicing Like all Mazdas, the latest 3 scores a five-star ANCAP crash-test rating.

Our car was fitted with the optional driver-assist technology package of blind-spot/land-departure warning and low-speed crash-mitigation braking, which provided handy visual and audio alerts on the open road.

Meanwhile fixed scheduled maintenance service pricing for the life of the Mazda3 is listed on the website, offering variable intervals according to how the car is used.

Outlined in 10,000km increments, the official base cost varies between $290 and $316 right up to the 16th/160,000km level.

The warranty period is for three years/unlimited kilometres.

Verdict The Mazda3 Neo sedan automatic is just about the most complete and enjoyable small-car package available at its price point, winning us over with its combination of dynamic excellence, efficient and stirring performance, handsome styling and spacious packaging.

But we’d demand the thickest sound-deadening carpeting from the accessories department because there is still too much road noise intrusion – a typical Mazda bugbear.

And if you can find another $2000 then step up to the Maxx sedan because its standard reverse camera, larger central screen (with sat-nav included) and better wheel and tyre package are worth the small price and ride quality penalty.

However, even if you cannot, rest assured this is the most complete small car sedan money can buy on the market today – as well as one of the aesthetically more pleasing to boot! ■

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OUT OF LIFE

There was no stopping the One and All Campaspe Inclusion Project this year as it mastered each challenge.

Echuca-Moama was painted orange on May 9 for One and All Day – which raised money for the project and awareness about the importance of inclusion.

In July and August, community leaders joined Rockets footballers and Rockettes netballers for the One and All Inclusion Project All Star games.

It worked with schools and local sporting groups to break down barriers which limit the inclusion of people with a disability in every day community life.

Member for Rodney Paul Weller pulled on the boots along with with former champion Echuca footballer Brendan Hogan and Riverine Herald general manager Haydn O’Neale.

Project co-ordinator Jacqui Davies said a large number of district schools and businesses participated, holding everything from communal lunches to buddy programs and activities.

“In a way, it’s an indirect cry for community and financial support to a project that makes such a difference in places like Echuca-Moama,” she said.

“It has a big impact on schools, clubs, businesses, the entire community.”

There was plenty of netball action, including an all-abilities clinic for young netballers and a match between the Rockettes and local ‘ex-superstars’.

“Everyone pulled their weight – they knew their roles and they got in and got it done,” Jacqui said.

“Everyone mingled beautifully, having a laugh and being part of something really special.” ■

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Getting a real kick

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· Leopard heels - $5.50 · Tri-coloured bag - $3.50

· Black midi skirt - $4 · Leopard bustier - $4 · Belt - $1 · Stone necklace - $5.50

· Satin jacket - $7 Total price: $30.50

Finding fashion IN THE OP SHOP

When it comes to digging a dazzling outfit out of the local op shop former Bamawm local and Shepparton News fashionista Rhiannon Gavalakis is the go-to girl.

Challenged to clad herself from top to toe – and for less than $30 – she managed to pull a seven-piece stunner together at Echuca’s Epicentre Op Shop.

Although she had to admit a small failure when the day was done – she came in 50c over budget.

But despite the financial setback, Gavalakis looked a million bucks in her pulled together ensemble.

“It’s a collection I could just as easily mix and match but the jacket is something else, and could easily be used as an evening piece,” she said.

But for Gavalakis the bargain of the day was her $4 black midi-skirt.

“I’ve been looking for a skirt like this for a while – it’s ontrend. It only cost me $4.’’

Clearly she would have paid a lot more.

The 24-year-old is a former fashion design student, took part in the L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival last year and was front and centre for the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival this year.

Are you a fan of op shopping?

Yes, I love that you never know what you will find in a secondhand store. The downside of that is of course you may have to shop around a bit and search through the racks to find something you like, but that’s part of the fun. >>

172 EchucaMoama >> I enjoy the hunt and I have found some amazing items throughout the years (including a Chanel bag and a Gucci watch).

How often do you shop for bargains in op-shops?

To be honest I don’t really plan trips to op-shops, it is more of a spontaneous thing. If I happen to be walking past a store and something in the window catches my eye then I’ll go in.

I have a friend who always looks immaculate and buys half of her wardrobe from op-shops, which has inspired me to look around and be more open-minded about where I shop.

What would you expect your op-shop outfit could be worth from a normal retailer?

I’d say $190. The bustier is probably worth $20, the heels $50, the skirt $40, the necklace $10, the jacket $40 and the bag $30.

What is one of the best bargains you’ve ever found in an op-shop?

I have a red Alex Perry dress I found in a secondhand store in Shepparton. It was brand new, with the tags still attached and retailed at $900. I paid a fraction of that price.

It isn’t just the fact it is a designer item that makes it a great find though, it truly is a beautiful dress and people always comment on it.

Do you have any op-shopping tips?

I always try and remember it is only a bargain if you are going to wear it. This applies to shopping in secondhand stores, or the sales rack at your favourite store.

Look for colours and textures that will work back with clothes you already have in your wardrobe so you know you will get wear out of what you are buying.

Try not to get overwhelmed by the fact things are cheap or on-sale, because if it ends up at the back of your wardrobe – you aren’t saving money. ■

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Spring

HAS SPRUNG! Venue - Perricoota Station Photographer - Tamara Cadd Stylist - Kate McDonald, Style is Eternal Makeup - Blaire Maree freelance makeup artist Hair - Lindy Lawton Models –Mel Sands, Sunday Sands, Hugh McDonald

Mel wears: dress by Sass & Bide ‘Vivid Emotion’.

Stockist: Paperartzi Boutique.

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Mel wears: Dress by Lounge ‘Lorne’ Stockist: Prato.

176 EchucaMoama Mel wears: Dress by Morrison “Atlantic”.

Necklace by Elk Accessories Stockist: Prato

Mel wears: Sheer tee, classic pant and necklace by Elk Accessories.

Stockist: Prato.

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178 EchucaMoama Mel wears: Sass & Bide ‘The New Clam’ pants Sass & Bide ‘The Welcoming’ tee Sass & Bide ‘Salute The Day’ knit Nest of Pambula ‘Peacock pendant’ Stockist: Paperartzi Boutique

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Mel wears: Sass & Bide ‘Guest Editor’ pants First Base ‘Dropped Armhole’ tank Necklace ‘Elk’ Stockist: Paperartzi Boutique

180 EchucaMoama Mel wears: Dress by Natasha Ghan Stockist: Prato

Mel wears: Hudson ‘Nico’ denim Rails ‘Maddison star’ shirt Status Anxiety ‘the lair’ leather bag Stockist: Paperartzi Boutique

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Hugh and Sunday wear: Oishi-m apparel & Walnut Melbourne shoes.

Stockist: Paperartzi Boutique

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When you walk into our store, you will not only receive the friendly customer service that our staff are renowned for, you will also take comfort in the fact that you can choose from the largest selection of quality jewellery in Australia with new stock arriving regularly.

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DANIELLE & BONNIE

Mother-of-five Danielle Bradley and mother-of-three Bonnie Papworth share a special bond that is more akin to sisterhood than friendship.

When Danielle’s 17 year-old son Mark died recently, Bonnie was there. When Bonnie was a single mum and in need of support, Danielle was there. And despite contending with respective issues including health concerns, running a home business and raising energetic children, the pair have always made time for one another.

Danielle and Bonnie each thought the other more deserving of our special Echuca-Moama Magazine makeover – so we selected them both. They spent a day out and about in Echuca, being pampered. The close friends have swapped jeans and t-shirts for a fresh and inspiring new look.

BONNIE PAPWORTH For once in her life, Bonnie Papworth has put herself first.

“The most attention I usually get is, “Mum, can you wipe my nose?”

The 27 year-old Echuca mum operates an embroidery toy design business from home.

“I saw the things that could be made and turned it into a self-suffienct home business,” she says.

Bonnie’s husband is a beekeeper, supplying honey to Beechworth Honey and Capilano.

Despite moving around a lot as a youngster, Echuca and Rochester has always been home for Bonnie.

And if you spend enough time with her, you’ll get a glimpse of the cheeky friendship she shares with Danielle.

The pair met online in 2005 – and have never looked back.

“I was a single mum at the time. We became online friends and chatted on MSN randomly,” Bonnie says. “(Danielle) has been through so much and she’s so strong. I’ve never seen anyone go through that and stay strong. Her kids are lucky to have her. She’s got to be the strongest woman I know.”

“There’s no effort. We can always pick up where we left off. It’s almost like she’s my sister not my friend.”

“I thought she was cheeky for nominating me (for the makeover).”

DANIELLE BRADLEY “We were almost homeless this year and with my son getting sick and his passing, Bonnie has been a huge help,” Danielle says.

“She’s got her own health issues to contend with and her own business. She has a beautiful personality.”

Danielle, 36, said nothing is off limits in their friendship.

“We talk about anything. There’s no shame. We can not talk for years and then talk again and nothing has changed.”

“She was my support through this year.”

Danielle is also involved in toy design – making them by hand.

The Tongala mum described it as a “real shock” to be made over and to spend some time looking after herself.

“We had no idea it was going to be this comprehensive.

I’m blown away.”

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Girls’ day out

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Bonnie

Clothing thanks to Guys and Girls, Echuca.

Bonnie is wearing a Lorissa dakota dress with an Avocado wrap.

Hair and make-up thanks to Mor-Snips Hair and Beauty. Bonnie’s colour is red candy foils with a coffee/chocolate brown base and a concave cut.

Triumph bra provided by Lily and Pearl Lingerie.

Jewellery thanks to Prouds Jewellers, Echuca.

Bonnie wears a 9 carat yellow gold twist bracelet.

Danielle

Clothing thanks to Guys and Girls, Echuca.

Danielle wears Lorissa top and Sportswave black capris.

Hair thanks to Mor-Snips Hair and Beauty, Echuca. Danielle’s colour is hazelnut brown with caramel highlights. Her fringe was straightened and she wears natural curls.

Make-up thanks to Willow Tree Beauty Lounge, Echuca.

Triumph bra provided by Lily and Pearl Lingerie.

Jewellery thanks to Prouds Jewellers, Echuca.

Danielle wears a sterling silver bracelet with blue topaz and sterling silver drop courtz earrings.

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DANIELLE’S MAKE-UP IS THANKS TO MAKE-UP ARTIST ALICIA PEARCE AT WILLOW TREE BEAUTY LOUNGE USING THE YOUNGBLOOD RANGE.

TIP – In summer, you can go up a shade with foundation as most people are getting more sunlight.

To get Danielle’s look, moisturiser was applied and then primer. An eye cream was patted on, followed by a natural moisture-tint and sunkissed foundation. Powder in the honey shade was then applied, with a bronzer and a blusher in blossom. Dark eyebrow powder was applied, followed by shanghai nights eyeshadow. A black eyeliner pencil was used on the lash line and a highlighter pencil was used on the inner corners of the eyes.

Black mascara was added, with lip liner in the colour pout and lipstick in cedar.

TIP – For an impressive eye look, apply the lighter eyeshadow colours to the inside of the eye with the darker colours on the outside. This creates the illusion of bigger eyes.

TIP- To get a better result, work the powder into the brush by twisting it.

Apply in small circular motions and buff into skin.

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BEAUTY PRODUCT BREAKDOWN WITH MOR-SNIPS MAKE-UP ARTIST PAM MORLEY

EYES

FACE Demalogica Primer with sun protection. This provides a good base for foundation and it helps the skin feel soft. It’s got a slight tint in it. It’s a base and more of a skincare product than a make-up.

Use Italia powder eyeshadow to

Italia concealer to smooth out skin tone. You can use it all over – to conceal freckles, bumps or discolouration.

can be applied to the lid with a

Italia foundation. Use a brush or sponge and blend it down into the neck and hairline. This means you won’t get a line of foundation along your jaw.

lash line.

Italia cream blusher. Italia powder blusher in rose. Apply in a circular motion and swipe upwards.

provide a light base colour first. It can be applied over the whole lid and brow area.

Italia eyeshadow in a medium shade darker contour on the outer corner of the eye.

Black eyeliner, applied along the Eyelash curler. Ensure you get the whole length of eyelashes in for the right effect.

Finish the eyes with Italia black mascara.

LIPS & FINISHING TOUCHES Use Italia rose pink lip liner.

Add colour with Italia passion lipstick. Use a brush to give better definition.

Add Italia loose powder to the skin, applying a top layer for transparency.

TIP – You can use lipliner over the whole lip area to make the colour last longer.

TIP – If you’re heading out for dinner and you want your lip colour to last, lick the side of the glass first and then lipstick won’t stick to it as you drink.

PAM’S MAKE-UP TIPS

 By sweeping the eyeshadow out past the end of the eye, it creates the effect of opening the eyes up.  You can apply a small amount of eyeshadow under the eye for colour and definition if you don’t want to use eyeliner on your lower lash line, as it’s sometimes too heavy.

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 When applying eyeshadow, a good set of brushes can do wonders.

Ensure you have a brush for applying and a brush for blending.

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ECHUCA MOAMA FARE

Not everything in the paddock makes it to the plate.

But those things which do are often to die for they taste so good and so damn fresh. Which is why we took time out to make the connection for you and give you a taste of the end result.

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THE FARMER’S VIEW After leaving a dairy farm Glennis Haw started growing figs on her Echuca property mostly to stave off the finality of retirement. ‘‘When we retired from the farm we didn’t want to just play bowls or golf,’’ she said.

Today Mrs Haw and her husband Ian have 600 fig trees in their orchard and recently that has seen their business IG’s Figs expand its range to include a variety of fig produce, chilli and quince products.

She said their business, along with a variety of others like it, were able to sell direct to the customer through the farmers’ market network. ‘‘We have loaded up vans full of produce and taken them to markets in Melbourne and sold out early in the day,’’ she said.

However, getting her produce onto restaurant plates remains a challenge. ‘‘We are farmers, we are not marketers,’’ she said. ‘‘We are too busy growing and making our product to be focused on selling it.’’

She said her figs only ended up on a dinner plate at Morrisons through a chance meeting.

‘‘My daughter works at a reception desk and she was talking with the head chef of Morrisons and just mentioned that we grew figs and it went from there,’’ Mrs Haw said. ‘‘Because figs are a fragile fruit, they really cannot be transported long distances but we would love to have more chefs using our fresh figs when they are in season.’’ >>

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THE RETAILER’S VIEW Echuca Farmhouse Cheese has grown from a high-quality boutique producer to a virtual marketing hub for the local food production industry.

And it’s a story which increasingly begins on the tables at restaurants throughout the Echuca-Moama region.

The business started with its own line of cheeses but its success made it increasingly appealing to other local cottage marketing operations.

Manager Kylie Haley said the impact of local food served up on restaurant plates was evident. ‘‘We will quite often have people wander into our store looking for something they have had on a plate,’’ she said.

But that was just the start. She added many of those people were not only looking to buy the food they had tasted in restaurants, they also wanted to know where it had come from and how it had been grown.

Among items sold at their High St store are locallygrown olives, oil and juice, cured meats, honey, cheese and wine. ‘‘We are noticing annual holidaymakers are coming back to our store each year to buy food they have tried and liked,’’ she said. ‘‘Each Christmas there is a growing number of children receiving cheese wheels for Christmas. There is a generation of foodie kids who are more adventurous with their taste.’’

Working with both farmers and chefs, Ms Haley said it was time for the region to take a more co-ordinated approach to marketing and using local produce. ‘‘It is hard for farmers to have the correct labels on their food products, as well as sell them,’’ she said. ‘‘There is a need to work together to market this region as a food destination.’’

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THE CHEF’S VIEW Winery chef Simone Smith believes having quality fresh produce at your fingertips is a successful recipe for appeasing an increasingly demanding and educated customer base.

She said her kitchen was passionate about making its menu a reflection of the region rather than a supermarket.

our front-of-house staff are always being asked a lot of questions,’’ she said.

That way she says her menu is constantly evolving to reflect the season.

‘‘Take a steak for example, people want to know where it was grown, and was it grain or grass fed. They are taking a lot more interest in food.’’ ■

Ms Smith said the provenance of local growers also played a key part of the dining experience at the restaurant, giving customers an even greater understanding of the story of the food on the plates in front of them. ‘‘Having access to good quality food, grown locally, means we can build a rapport with growers so they know what we want and we can ensure quality and consistency,’’ she said. ‘‘We try to have as many local suppliers listed on our menu as possible. ‘‘If a customer enjoys what they are eating then it hopefully will encourage them to go and find the business to buy their product. So growers are making money selling to our restaurant and then could get another sale as a result.’’

Ms Smith said the rising popularity of cooking reality shows also meant more customers were questioning the food they ate. ‘‘We don’t hear a lot of it out the back in the kitchen, but

PERRICOOTA STATION

RRICOOTA STATION

PERRICOOTA STATION

A: Perricoota State Forest Rd, Moama P: Restaurant (03) 5483 6221 Functions/Accommodations: 0418 253 764

THE PACKING SHED The Packing Shed Restaurant

PERRICOOT STATION

Explore the culinary delights produced by our professional team led meticulously

by Chef Rion Belmont-Wickliffe. Utilizing the freshest local and imported ingredients, our dishes are created with exquisite presentation and polished flavours to impress the most sophisticated and discerning palates.

New Spring Summer menu encapsulates the flavour of old home cooked culinary delights with the newest techniques to present the seasons flavours.

Pontoon Dining Experience the newest dining venue along the Murray River. Nestled in amongst the flowing Willow trees, this majestic private pontoon can be the ideal serene dining venue for 2 or 20 people. The floating sensation combined with the sound of the majestic Murray River meandering beneath you creates a romantic ambience. Available Friday lunch and Dinner only, booking essential

Weddings and Functions At Perricoota Station you can choose from 3 magical locations for your Wedding Ceremony • Garden setting under the Palms • Banks of the River with Homestead as the backdrop • Riverside next to The Packing Shed Choose from private functions within the Homestead to a larger group function in the gardens or The Packing Shed restaurant with catering for up to 500 guests. Boasting 20 metres of open frontage from the restaurant to the Pontoon decking.

Southern 80 8th Feb 2015 Take in the action and adrenaline of the greatest race on the Murray from the tranquil surrounds of Perricoota Station. Enjoy the family friendly day with gourmet BBQ, entertainment for the kids. Dangle your toes in the river off the pontoon or paddle out on the sand bar as the competition heats up on the water.

New Year’s Eve Perricoota Station style Ring in the New Year with elegance and style. Feasting on a 3 course al a carte meal in The Packing Shed as the sun sets on 2014. Then party into the night with Live Music, dancing and a complimentary glass of champagne and celebrate the fresh start to 2015.

2015 Perricoota Festival Saturday March 7th

Happy New Year 2015

The2015 Perricoota Festival is a music and entertainment event set to excite all of the senses with live bands throughout the day and evening. Children’s attractions, demonstrations and stalls. This is a full catered event with a variety of food to tickle your fancy.

Courtesy Bus available.

The Packing Shed open Friday- Sunday for lunch and Dinner (Sunday lunch only) Bookings essential.

E: bookings@perricootastation.com.au W: www.perricootastation.com.au

PERRICOOTA STATION

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All aboard AT PERRICOOTA STATION

Perricoota Station’s ongoing reincarnation is taking a significant step this tourist season with the launch of new menus and features for its historic Packing Shed restaurant and pontoon dining on the Murray.

While it might sound like a natural progression for any restaurant head chef Rion Belmont-Wickliffe said there had been an incredible amount of work behind the scenes planning the new menus and then matching them with local suppliers.

“Throughout the season we will be using as much fresh seasonal vegetables and local produce as we possibly can,” he said.

“The station is a showcase venue for the region and we want to use the menus in every which way we can to bring out the most in those local flavours and really put out there what we have in our region, because there is some absolutely fabulous produce here,” he said.

Getting that right was also as much an economical as epicurean decision which meant a lot of research to establish what was affordable and feasible – at the same time.

The other trick was to have guarantees the local suppliers could keep up with the demand.

Mr Belmont said he developed a range of options which then had to pass muster with management before they could be locked into the menus. >>

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>> But he said he felt such a natural fit with the business because he shared the same vision as owners Mark and Emma Evans in how the food could define the venue.

And says he is confident the new menu will deliver all that – and more.

The pontoon jutting into the Murray is the key change to the station’s dining experience this season and it caters for 16 guests.

Mark Evans said it will feature its own set three- or five-course menus which have been designed to give diners a “tasting adventure”.

The pontoon option will only be available for Friday lunch and dinner.

“Were offering a more specific menu that’s going to be making a culinary statement of what Perricoota Station is all about,” Mr Evans said.

“The fine dining on the pontoon will be a much more elaborate affair where we will be presenting our finer dishes,” he said.

He said while they will still retain the Perricoota Station style, they were all looking forward to introducing high-quality local fare such as aged beef, yabbies and fish.

All of which he said would make the visit to the station, from start to finish, an opportunity to immerse themselves in the best the region has to offer. ■

The Packing Shed is open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday and lunch on Sunday – phone 03 5483 6221 for bookings.

Enjoy the Roma experience…

LEFT HAND PAGE With our delicious dine in menu STARTERS

Roma Dips Platter for 2 or 4 Roma House made Garlic Bread Bruschetta

$8 $6 $7

$11

Garlic & Cheese Calamari Salad

$8 $8

$11 $15

STARTERS PASTA S: $9.00

ALL $16

L: $11.00

Garlic Pizza Mediterranean Penne Fresh Garlic, olive oil & topped with mozzarella

Fettuccini Carbonara Spaghetti

Pesto Chicken Penne Fettuccini Alla Panna

the gourmet range.)

Did Someone Say Duck? Peking duck, cheese, fresh chilli, hoisin sauce & fresh cucumber

Kalamata Pizza Spaghetti Bolognaise King Prawn Fresh Garlic, olive oil, kalamata olives, parmesan cheese & mozzarella Margarita Pizza Napoli, mozzarella, oregano & garlic

GOURMET PIZZAS

Kiwi Bread Garlic Bread filled with ham & cheeseAvailable $6.50 (No Half/half Option in Garlic Bread (serves two) $4.00

Small $16 Large $22

Vegetarian Delight Napoli sauce, roasted pumpkin, spinach, roasted capsicum, Kalamata olives, bocconcini TRADITIONAL PIZZAS & mozzarella S: $12.50

L: $16.80

F: $22.00

Super Seafood King Aussie Napoli Sauce, mozzarella, ham & egg

Prawns, scallops, salmon, shallots on a Napoli base with a sweet chilli sauce & mozzarella

Hawaiian Napoli Sauce, ham, pineapple & mozzarella Chook Chook Napoli

base, chunky chicken breast pieces Capricosa mixed pine nuts, marinated red capsicum, Kalamata Napoli Sauce, with ham, olives, mushrooms & mozzarella Americana olives, bocconcini & mozzarella Napoli Sauce, pepperoni & mozzarella

Mayfair Napoli base, Mayfair sliced ham Vegetarian Napoli Sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, onion, olives, pineapple & capsicum

off the bone, roasted red capsicum, mushrooms, onion, homemade tomato Sicily relish, & mozzarella Napoli Sauce, bocconcini hot salami, chilli, capsicum & mozzarella

What our customers say: “I love how you make my little mob feel like they are the most important people in the world - love the Lachy Special and the Marli Special tonight. An amazing gift you have.” - Suzy

FULLY LICENSED. DELIVERY, TAKEAWAY OR DINE IN See www.romapizza.com.au for delivery/takeaway menus.

Lamb Tzatziki Succulent lamb, caramelized onions, mozzarella, fetta, Kalamata olives topped with tzatziki & a lemon slice Deluxe Meatlovers Mayfair sliced ham off the bone, hot salami, pepperoni, bacon, chicken, mozzarella on the base & topped with a BBQ sauce (no cheese on top) The Greek Next Door Napoli Base, Mayfair Ham off the Bone, mozzarella, fresh tomato, garlic oil, mushrooms, fetta & basil on top (no cheese on top)

OUR SPECIALTIES GOURMET PIZZAS S: $15

Lasagne

Small $13 Large $18

L: $21

Jason Special Napoli, mozzarella, hot salami, Vegetarian Delight Napoli Base, roasted pumpkin, spinach, roasted capsicum, kalamatawith olives, bacon bocconcini & mozzarella mushrooms, onion, capsicum & topped

Margarita Pizza Aussie Super Seafood Special BBQ sauce, ham, hota garlic salami, capsicum, Hawaiian KingJan Prawns, scallops, salmon, shallots on a Napoli base with aioli sauce and mozzarella Chook Chook mushrooms, pineapple & topped with mozzarella Capricosa Chunky chicken breast pieces mixed with pine nuts, marinated red capsicum, kalamata olives, bocconcini & mozzarella Mayfair Roma Special Napoli, mozzarella, anchovies, capsicum, Americana Napoli Base, mayfair sliced ham off the bone, roasted red capsicum, mushrooms, onion, homemade tomato relish, bocconcini mushrooms, hot salami, onion & olives & mozzarella Vegetarian

Meatlovers Super Supreme (the lot) Sicily BBQ Chicken Mexicana

Lamb Tzatziki Succulent lamb, caramelized onions, fetta, kalamata olives topped with tzatziki and a lemon slice

SOMETHING OTHER THAN PIZZA

Thai Chicken Chunky chicken breast pieces, red onion, marinated red capsicum, topped with crispy noodles and a honey mustard sauce

ALL $16

Deluxe Meatlovers Parmigiana Chicken Barramundi Mafair sliced ham off the bone, lamb, pepperoni, bacon, chicken, mozzarella on the base and topped with a bbq sauce, no cheese on top

SALADS

CHICKEN PIZZAS

ALL $16

Chicken & Mango Salad Oven roasted chicken L: $18.50 F: $23.50 served with fresh mango sauce, rocket, cherry tomatoes,

S: $13.50

Satay Chicken Satay Sauce, mozzarella, chicken, onion & pineapple red onion & fetta cheese BBQ Chicken BBQ Sauce, chicken & mozzarella

ROMA TINY TOTS Chicken Nuggets & Fries Mini Dim Sims & Fries

Lamb Salad Oven roasted lamb, served with rocket, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomato & tzatziki sauce

ALL TOTS MEALS ARE $10 (include a small Gelato) Mini Ham & Pineapple Pizza Spaghetti Bolognaise We have now made it easier

ASK ABOUT OUR GLUTEN FREE BASES AVAILABLE IN LARGE). for (ONLY you to order pizza ORDER ONLINE NOW at

191 Hare Street, Echuca 03 5482 1546 7 days – 5pm til late

www.romapizza.com.au 191 Hare Street, Echuca Vic 3564

(t) 03 5482 1546 Home Delivery $4 Mobile Eftpos

Open seven days per week at 5pm. www.romapizza.com.au www.facebook.com/romapizzaechuca www.twitter.com/romapizzaechuca www.instragram trip advisor

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- TASTE BUT NEVER TELL!

More often than not it’s a female thing. Recipes. You loved it when grandma made those special things for you, now mum has just about got it right, and one day the secret ingredients will be entrusted to you for your children and grandchildren. Few things span the generations more effectively than family favourites and here are a few queens of the kitchen prepared to share just one of theirs.

MARY MARWOOD Christmas Pudding Cooking is a tradition handed from one generation to another in Mary Marwood’s family.

Place the pudding mix in cloth and then tie securely with string.

During the depression years and World War II her mother Daisy Sutton made the Christmas pudding she makes today.

Then place the pudding in a saucepan of boiling water and boil for two hours.

But without the tiny china doll and threepences and sixpences Mary’s mother would put in the mix.

And the baton has already been passed with Mary teaching the recipe to her granddaughters.

Ingredients 1 ½ cups of currants 1 ½ cups of sultanas 1 cup raisins ¾ cup of peel 1½ cups of sugar 1½ cups of plain flour 1 large cup of milk 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in milk

1 teaspoon all spice, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon 1½ cups of breadcrumbs 1½ cups of grated suet 1 pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg

Method Rub suet and sugar together then add breadcrumbs.

Slowly add beaten egg and milk, fruit and flour alternately.

Pour boiling water over a cloth, then place in colander.

Sprinkle well with plain flour, making sure it goes up the sides of the cloth.

When cooked, hang until cold and dry, then place in refrigerator until needed.

On Christmas Day place the pudding in a saucepan of boiling water and boil for at least an hour.

Estimated time to make: 3½ hours.

Serving You can serve with cream, custard, ice cream and/or brandy sauce.

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Granny’s secret recipes

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BETTY CURTIS Shortbread Biscuits Betty Curtis has been cooking since she was 13 and is known far and wide as something of a sweets specialist.

In the 59 years she has lived in Echuca Betty has entered the Echuca Show with sponges, cakes and slices and collected a swag of ribbons and rosettes.

But she has a soft spot for her shortbread biscuits, because they’re both simple to make and delightful to eat.

Ingredients 1 cup plain flour ½ cup custard powder

½ cup icing sugar 1 cup butter

Method Mix all ingredients together by hand or mixer.

Push the mix through a biscuit forcer for the shape seen in the picture, or roll into small balls and press with a fork for the indented shape.

Grease a baking tray with spray.

Cook biscuits for 20 minutes at 180C in the oven.

Ice the biscuits together.

Serving This is a matter of taste and the number of biscuits from the mix is determined by the size you choose.

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Jenny Curtis’s powder puffs have always been in hot demand and now her secret is out – they are actually simple to make.

She says anyone who can make a sponge they can make these.

Jenny thinks part of the reason everyone wants her to bring them to occasions such as garden club meetings and church function catering is that they’re unusual. ‘‘Not many people make them, they usually make an ordinary sponge,’’ she said.

They even freeze well.

Ingredients 4 (700g) eggs

¾ cup castor sugar ½ cup custard powder ½ cup cornflour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method Preheat oven to 160C (fan-forced).

Grease recess tins with cooking spray.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then gradually beat in castor sugar. Add egg yolks and beat.

Sift the dry ingredients three times and fold into egg mixture.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of mixture into recess tins. This recipe makes 36.

Bake for 6½ minutes.

Sandwich the powder puffs together with strawberry jam, and whipped cream. Just before serving dust with icing sugar.

Serving Put on plate and stand well back as they fly off the plate!

Tips and Tricks According to Jenny, it’s all about getting the temperature of the oven and the cooking time right. Too long in the oven and the sponge goes rock hard.

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JENNY CURTIS Powder Puffs

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SUE KENNAUGH Choc Malt Slice Sue Kennaugh has shared her trick to successful baking. ‘‘The thing that makes people think you’re an okay cook is they only see your successes, not your failures,” Sue says.

Her choc malt slice has been a family favourite for 30 years and has stood the test of time because not a lot can go wrong.

‘‘It’s a good recipe – it always works out. It cuts well too.

People always like it,” she says.

As for tips for further success – she said you must always use a food processor and she prefers recipes that double well. ‘‘Both my grandmothers always cooked, and my aunties and mother. They seemed to make a meal out of nothing, on a limited budget.

“My daughter and nieces cook too.’’

Ingredients 2 packets crushed malt biscuits 4oz butter (110g) 2 tablespoons Golden Syrup

1 can condensed milk 1 block milk chocolate An extra tablespoon of butter

Break up the chocolate and place in a microwave-proof bowl with extra butter.

Melt on a low setting, stirring once or twice.

Be careful not to overheat.

Pour over slice and spread evenly.

Method

Tap tray on bench to get a smooth finish.

Grease a slice tray.

Line the base with baking paper, overlapping two ends.

Place the crushed biscuits in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl gently melt butter and mix with Golden Syrup.

Add condensed milk and melted butter mixture to biscuit crumbs.

Combine well and then put into the tray.

Press down firmly and smooth the top.

Set in fridge.

Serving Try not to open near hungry children.

Tips and tricks Before cutting the slice, bring to room temperature. This should stop the chocolate from cracking. To mix it up, try replacing milk choc with hazelnut chocolate. This slice freezes well. ■

BAMBOO THAI RESTAURANT OPEN 11AM – LATE WED-SUN

SUNDAY LUNCH - ALL YOU CAN EAT $18 P/P Anstruther Street, Echuca (Oz Maze) P. 5480 2220

Authentic Thai cuisine prepared and presented by Hawhna Chef: Juntima

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‘ BOTH MY GRANDMOTHERS ALWAYS COOKED, AND MY AUNTIES AND MOTHER. THEY SEEMED TO MAKE A MEAL OUT OF NOTHING, ON A LIMITED BUDGET.’

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A hundred years of

HOME

When your home is a century-old classic you never really own it – you are merely its custodian, making sure it passes successfully to the next generation.

For the past 20 years Jan and Barry Donchi have been lucky enough to call the Edwardian-style residence, in Echuca’s Francis Street, home.

timber left, right and centre and inside and out, all the time trying to find replacements which would enhance the home’s original glory.

And in 1997 they set about making their mark on this local landmark, commanding attention with its beautiful facade and striking street presence.

He turned to the world of recycled timber, most of which came through his own business Nullarbor Sustainable Timber.

They had a spectacular canvas with which to begin work and Jan Donchi says the appeal for her husband was overwhelming.

From front door to back Mr Donchi lovingly supervised every detail, down to the handcrafted woodwork and decorative finishes to touches as obscure as light switch boards.

“Barry has always wanted a challenge, to do that something a bit different and he always had his eye out for something like this, so when it came up he was very keen,’’ she said.

Today with three children and seven grandchildren, Mrs Donchi said the house is always busy and each space has been individually created to accommodate everybody’s needs and interests.

“Every room is very well used, it’s not just a house it’s a home and it’s very much a family home,’’ she said.

The Donchis had a huge job, even bigger than they initially realised, ahead of them as Barry set about pulling out

Every little piece finally came together to beautifully complement his vision and the house’s original beauty.

Mrs Donchi said the house originally had three oddshaped bedrooms with fireplaces and not much natural light. Cramping compounded by other small, rigidly separated rooms to allow for Edwardian formality.

Circa 2014 the home now has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a children’s entertainment room, formal dining and lounge rooms, family living space, modern kitchen, laundry and a cellar.

While the original rooms and passages were designed for

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a household run by servants it was something Mrs Donchi said simply wasn’t functional for the modern family.

It even retained those original servant quarters, just off the kitchen. And like the servants, this area did not survive progress although their memory lingers through the original numbered servant bells retained high on the kitchen wall.

A passage was opened to extend the formal living space and wall after wall fell to the builder’s sledgehammer as smaller rooms were opened to create the open kitchen and living areas.

During the renovations Mrs Donchi said the house frequently looked like a ‘bombshell went off’ but that it was good to work with a shell and decide on a floor plan which best suited their needs.

“It was quite interesting working out where we were going to put things because we had an open shell,” she said.

Left with a gutted home the Donchis then set about turning their own floor plan from a dream to reality.

“As best as we could we kept it in the mould of the original home – but with modern day facilities,’’ she said.

A former lounge now serves as the master bedroom, with an original veranda surrendering to a large en-suite. >>

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>> The veranda had been previously closed in and continued to where the children’s room is now located.

They also made the most of the home’s soaring ceilings with an upstairs guest bedroom (complete with another en-suite) and a beautiful staircase; crafted by their son Brendan, descending into the foyer. Removing a fireplace in the formal living brought natural light flooding through the original stained glass windows.

Outside the beautiful grounds have also been pressed into family service for functions from pool parties and birthdays to weddings.

Every part of this grand old address has become an integral part of the Donchi family story and remains a focus for multi-generational gatherings.

It has been a remarkable journey, from ageing local icon to stunning family home but there can be no doubt the family which laid the foundation stones in Francis Street would be more than content with its current incarnation. ■

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Keep the cool air in this summer!

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Find the floor you’ve been searching for Choices Flooring Echuca has been servicing the Echuca area and surrounding suburbs since 2001. They have the latest ideas in carpets, timber, bamboo, laminate, luxury vinyl, tiles and rugs.

There’s a flooring choice to suit every home and every budget.

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RED DOOR?

Anita and Neville Speight have just finished building their dream home. With no halls, no handles and – most remarkably – no slamming toilet lids.

The house located on Merool Road is not hard to spot with its fire-engine red front doors and striking geometric facade.

for a very slick, tidy finish.

A foyer with built-in bookcase waits beyond those doors before flowing into an area so open plan you can see through to the far end of the home and beyond to the outdoor entertainment area.

The environment has also been incorporated into the design, with the slanted roof shape allowing for higher, northern-facing windows, which capture the natural light and help warm the house during winter.

The bathrooms all feature fantastic glasswork and toilets where the lids close themselves.

Living areas, the kitchen, billiard room and the outdoor Mrs Speight also said its positioning on the block meant area which blends seamlessly with the floor plan help they could enjoy the winter sun while deflecting the make this a seriously individual home. hotter rays of the Australian summer.

A floor plan which was the Speights’ own design, its “We love the use of natural light. In winter, within mission to make each room accessible from the next, minutes of the sun coming up it increases room eliminating the traditional hall style, or corridor, plan. temperature by five degrees,” she said.

Walking across the slab heated, timber-look tiles you can access the bathroom to the right which leads on to a bedroom which opens into another bedroom before opening into the foyer.

To the right of the foyer is a media room, to the left an office.

And the ‘rooms’ keep coming, master bedroom, ensuite, walk-in robe, laundry, kitchen and back into the open living space.

A singularly remarkable trip in a singularly remarkable home.

“My husband and I designed it together with our builder, we came up with the plan and he tweaked a few bits and pieces, and we went from there,’’ Mrs Speight said.

“You get to our age and you start to work out what works and where you want things to be and it was just a matter of juggling lots of pieces of paper around and, well, working out what was going to work,” she said.

None of the home’s cupboards or drawers have handles, the simply respond to a gentle push, which also allows

“It’s just amazing to see how warm it gets in here without generating any heat ourselves,” she said.

The Speights have built before but said they had gone down the traditional path on that occasion and this time were determined to really express themselves. >>

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What’s behind the

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>> Mrs Speight also praised the work of Paul Clack, their partner in design and builder, who they say “went above and beyond” to ensure they got what they wanted out of the build.

“Your private builder just does so much more through the whole process, and they’re there for you the whole time,’’ she added.

Mrs Speight said it was important the work and most of the materials were sourced from local trades and businesses and said everybody “did a fantastic job”.

The planning process took about six months, the build another six and while they did end up going over budget Mrs Speight said “under $500,000 is a modest figure for a dream home”.

Now the building is out of the way and spring is here the Speights can already be found on their next project – the garden. ■

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Kids

IN THE KITCHEN My Kitchen Rules. Not here. In Echuca-Moama it’s the kids who rule the kitchen.

After almost 10 years of the Murray River Cooking Challenge the kids from the river to Rochester are still cooking up a storm.

In this year’s regional finals the top two year 10 and 11 students from five schools — Echuca College, St Joseph’s College, Rochester Secondary College, Kyabram P-12 College and Rushworth P-12 College — descended on Bendigo TAFE’s Echuca campus.

Where they were judged on a number of categories from food and personal safety (including ducking pans flung about by frustrated Jamie Oliver wannabes) to presentation and, of course, taste.

The talented tyros were also assessed on their style behind the stove and kitchen techniques.

Rochester Secondary College duo Ellie Nalder and Angelica Dipasupil took home the regional title and were finetuning their secret recipes for the state grand finale in Wangaratta on September 15.

The competition should probably be renamed Rochester

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Rules as the school took out the state title in 2013.

This was Ellie and Angelica’s first year of taking part and they dazzled the judges with their combination of quiche and salad and pork medallions - with their chocolate fondue the cream on the cake.

Moama Bowling Club’s George Santos and LG’s Lynden Goulding were the judges and both said they enjoyed the experience. ‘‘Once the food is on the plate, the major thing is how it looks and how it tastes,’’ George said. ‘‘And having so many new faces coming through was great. ‘‘There is a dire shortage of chefs and cooks right now and this is one of the few ways we can actually grow our own and we need that very much. ‘‘From the club’s perspective this is also great because we employ many chefs and they are always hard to get, so we are trying to do as much as we can training our own and bringing them through the ranks.’’ >>

226 EchucaMoama >> Lynden, who has 24 years experience in the industry, said it was ‘‘just great’’ to see the junior talent on show - and what they produced. ‘‘You can’t be too critical of them because they’re not professionals,’’ he said. ‘‘They’re not even apprentice chefs or anything like that, there’s stuff that they do you have to be a bit lenient on. ‘‘But I just love seeing the kids and what they can do and produce because it just means there’s a wealth of talent that’s going to come through the industry one day if they choose to go down that path.’’

Fresh Real Sustainable Echuca Farmers’ Market

Lynden thought this sort of event was something that more industries should support, ‘‘just to see the pool of talent that’s coming through’’. ■

Fresh Farm Produce 8am-1pm 1st, 3rd & 5th Saturdays of each month.

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ACCREDITED Alton Reserve, Hare Street, Echuca Contact: 0437 746 459

The Morrisons Experience...

Nestled amongst bushland, on a beautiful vineyard alongside the Murray River, is our newly renovated, award winning restaurant.

Take a short drive from Echuca, or a serene trip aboard one of Echuca’s paddlesteamers, relax, unwind and enjoy the afternoon!

• Award Winning Food and Wine • Beautifully Renovated Restaurant • Stunning Views • Open 7 Days a Week for Lunch • Free Wine Tasting Daily Southern NSW Restaurant of the Year!

2 Merool Lane, Moama. Phone 03 5480 0126

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rney with Edge All students are supported into work placement by our dedicated placement team.

We offer state-wide support and training.

>> Upcoming courses in these towns Echuca

Swan Hill

Traralgon

Warrnambool

Cohuna

Bacchus Marsh

Yarrawonga

Ararat

Hamilton

Shepparton

Kyneton

Bairnsdale

Rochester

Bendigo

Wangaratta

Port Fairy

Kerang

Wodonga

Benalla

Colac

Horsham

Cobram

Daylesford

Kyabram

Castlemaine

Maffra

Contact our account managers to arrange an appointment: Sheree Sullivan 0427 605 652 Will Henderson 0408 434 452 sheree@edgeworkforce.com.au will@edgeworkforce.com.au

Mark Jones 0488 152 248 mark@edgeworkforce.com.au

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NEW BEGINNINGS with Edge Workforce

At Edge Workforce we are local learning and development specialists and we partner with individuals and organisations to achieve exceptional learning and employment outcomes in regional areas.

We work in partnership with Registered Training Organisations to establish and deliver employment focused training programs which result in our learners achieving nationally recognised qualifications from Certificate I to Diploma level. Our programs include Traineeships, Pre-employment Programs and Short Courses and are all tailored to individual needs and feature high quality, interactive and enjoyable training delivery.

OUR AIM

Our aim at Edge Workforce is to make training and development accessible to regional based learners, both geographically and financially. We take pride in working closely with employers, employees, jobseekers and referring agencies to achieve exceptional results Our two biggest areas of growth are Community services Programs and Futures Programs.

Edge Workforce enables and empowers students to deliver a high standard of care using best practice in Aged Care, Home and Community Care and the Community Services Industry. The basis of our success is our intensive interactive tutorials and workshops facilitated by experienced Trainers passionate about the industry.

OUR STUDENTS Students receive a wide range of practical skills and knowledge and are assisted to secure practical placements and are fully supported throughout their learning journey by the Edge Workforce team.

It is with great pride that we can say over 90% of students that complete their course are now employed in their chosen division of community services, enabling them to become ambassadors of change using a person centred approach to the exceptional care they provide.

With our Futures programs, Edge Workforce partners with DES providers, Community and Social Support organisations to work with vulnerable people and people with disabilities and barriers to employment to become work-ready by building skills for life and employment.

This partnership would not have been possible without the support of Garet and the team at Echuca Mazda and Mitsubishi.

Lisa Spiteri, Industry Placement Coordinator for Edge Workforce proudly reflects on one of her success stories with a local student – Kiera.

“When I first met Kiera she was lacking in confidence and unsure of herself but she had a goal to be a motor mechanic and she was incredibly determined to achieve this. We worked closely with Keira throughout the Building Brighter Futures Program and helped her to obtain a work experience placement in the industry, however things did not work out and Kiera’s confidence was shaken and her goal faded.

We continued to work together with Keira and secured an interview for her with Echuca Mazda.

Despite Keira’s nerves at interview, the Mazda team made her feel comfortable, could see her drive and passion and offered her a Work Experience Placement.

Keira impressed throughout her placement and was offered a position as an apprentice mechanic. She has since obtained her licence, purchased a car, has been allocated her own toolkit and is living her dream!

Outcomes such as this inspire the Edge Workforce team to continue to grow and to provide exceptional learning and development opportunities throughout our regional areas.

Our training is delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and disabilities to apply. Qualifications or Statements of Attainment are issued by our RTO partners including BAWM Pty Ltd, TOID 21357 or Aspin Pty Ltd 21756

NEW OFFICE:

Suite 3 486 High St, Echuca. Phone 5482 5885

We won’t rest, until you are fast asleep in your perfect bed.

Echuca

Echuca 290 Hare St Ph: 5482 4522

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