Mount MorganArgus 27th july 2016

Volume 11, Issue 14

www.mountmorgan.org.au

July 27th- August 10th 2016

Proudly brought to you by Mount Morgan Promotion & Development Inc. ABN 21 391 526 801

Update on work at the Mount Morgan Mine - pg 4

Local NAIDOC celebrations - pg 6

Looking back at Red Hill schooling - pg 15

Heavy rain brings good news for Mount Morgan Overflow view from the back of the dam wall after the heavy deluge last week.

See page 3 for details.

Experience historic Mount Morgan with

Take a fascinating journey in time!

Venture the historic township and heritage Gold Mine.

The famous Open Cut Pit and Big Stack

Tours daily Bookings essential. Ph: 4938 1823 www.tmctours.com.au

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HISTORY & REFLECTIONS

Souvenir Spoons We read so much about the sad, unfavourable and tragic things in our newspapers and on TV but we have been fortunate to hear of a lovely story which we will share with you. A gentleman went into the supermarket to purchase just two articles. When he went to pay for them with his card it was rejected with incorrect code number. He tried a second time with the same result and then realised he had his wife’s card so he asked the checkout lady to hold his articles and he would be back in one moment. He dashed out to the car changed cards and was entering into the supermarket when an unknown lady said” here sir is your parcel.” She said it was her kindness act for the day. The gent was overwhelmed, and thanked her sincerely. It’s so refreshing to read good news for a change and hear of caring people and their deeds. A lovely change from the horror stories of drugs, guns etc.

Now for a little nostalgia of yesteryear.

Back in the days when cars had running boards and housewives got on their knees to scrub the floors most householders had a quaint little conveyance called a billy cart. These wonderful little vehicles could be a converted fruit case, a large or small box with two arms from each side and two wheels of various dimensions obtained from many unusual areas.

Generally the cart was pulled by manpower but on a rare occasion a billy goat did the job.

Their uses were many and varied.

Sometimes for the collection of pieces of wood for the wood stoves that were in use in those days, or the collection of groceries from the store. On occasions the gardener sent the lad out to collect manure for his home garden.

At times when children gathered they were often used as racing carts, generally the girls were pulled along by their big brothers with no thought of the peril they were in.

Sometimes the cart was of such poor “manufacture” they could collapse before the race was finished. Yes, Billy carts were fun and today’s shopping trolley bears no relation to the fun that was had from the old home made Billy Cart.

Another item from those good old days was the school slate. Those magic slates in their little wooden frames formed part of the three “R, s “in early learning years. The girls generally had a little tin, perhaps a Pond’s cream or even Dad’s old tobacco tin with a damp cloth inside for cleaning one subject in preparation for the next. The boys, not quite as hygienic used a bit of spit and a wave of the hand.

Perhaps some wonderful compositions just got wiped off in those days of the scratchy squeaky slates. Oh! modern technology of the 21st century has taken the fun out of school.

Phone Gordon Lee today:0418886997 QBSA 735099

By Graeme Meade from Collectables and Memories on East Street Years ago buying decorative spoons used to commemorate a place or event, as souvenirs were very popular. They are small, hard to damage and cheap. They are still around today, but not at every tourist spot you come across unfortunately.

In early times some were made from gold or silver, maybe with gem stones in them. These were handed down from generation to generation.

In WW2 people were travelling by car more and the need for a quick to make souvenir arose. Stamped out with a nice porcelain plate and the town name added, these were the perfect thing to advertise the place. As the years progressed Australian spoon companies closed and they became imported from other countries. The labels became either stamped or made of plastic.

The Mount Morgan spoon is made by a company called Peninsula Plate. This spoon, like most of the spoons made around this time is marked ESPN, which stands for Electroplated Nickel on Silver, which means it is made from Nickel, then plated with silver This spoon is unusually shaped like a sugar spoon. Most of the souvenir spoons were tea spoons. The age of this spoon is unknown but I would guess around the 60’s.

Mount Morgan Dam Overflows

This time a week ago, the water level of Mount Morgan’s Dam was down to 52 per cent and town water restrictions were on the horizon.

Cr Rutherford said in addition to this, a full Dam is also welcome news for the many locals and visitors who make use of the area recreationally.

What a difference a week makes.

That, and four days of heavy downpours!

The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed various stations in the Mount Morgan area received around 110mm in rainfall over the four days to 18 July - more than three times the area’s average monthly rainfall for July (35mm).

The Mount Morgan Dam is now at full capacity, after a deepening surface trough near the Central Coast brought 110 millimetres of rainfall to the area.

Division 5 Councillor, Cherie Rutherford said the rain has been a very welcome reprieve.

“As Mount Morgan’s primary water source, it is wonderful to see the Dam at full capacity once again,” Cr Rutherford said.

“The Dam level was approaching the point where Council was planning community engagement regarding the possible introduction of water restrictions.”

Spokesperson for Fitzroy River Water, Cr Neil Fisher said the local waterway now holds over 2,800 mega litres of water.

“It’s at its full storage level and its scenic best,” Cr Fisher said.

He said that while storage reached overflow earlier in the week, it means no safety concerns downstream.

“The flow over the Dam wall is very low and is certainly nothing to be concerned about in regards to safety and downstream flow,” Cr Fisher said.

Mount Morgan Hot Bread Shop Phone: 4938 1427 Breads, Cakes, Slices, Rolls, Scones, Pastries, Sausage Rolls

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“The condition of the Dam’s wall is also regularly monitored. This is entirely what the Dam is designed to do and it has handled the rain event perfectly.”

Cr Rutherford said that while it’s wonderful to see the Dam at full capacity, Council will continue to investigate options for a more permanent water supply for the community.

More on the rain event: MOUNT MORGAN area: Mount Morgan receieved 10 mm to 9am on the 15th, 40mm to 9am on the 16th, 50 mm to 9am on the 17th and 10 mm to 9am on the 18th.

ROCKHAMPTON area: Rockhampton Aero had two days of significant falls. 84.6 mm to 9am on the 16th, and another 136.8 mm to 9am on the 17th. Rockhampton Aero had a 2-day total of 221.4 mm.

The average monthly rainfall (in July) for this area is 30 mm.

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News on Mount Morgan Mine

Carbine has starting releasing the drilling results from its drilling campaign that finished in May this year. The results are being used primarily to upgrade the confidence in the mineralisation in the various dumps on site.

The drill samples were despatched to Rockhampton for drying prior to being delivered to a gold assaying lab in Townsville for assaying.

Once the results were obtained from Townsville, the detailed modelling of the results is being done by the company in Perth.

The first Mineral Resource upgrade model of the mineralisation was announced by the company on the ASX on 18th July.

The No 2 Mill tailings was the first dump to be completed. The results show that a higher level of confidence was achieved increasing the new Indicated Mineral Resource part for No. 2 Mill by 113%.

The previous Mineral Resource estimation was done by Norton Goldfields in 2008. The No. 2 Mill tailings is now estimated to contain 100,000 ounces of gold, 690,000 tonnes of pyrite, 3,200 tonnes of copper metal and 3,300 kilograms of silver.

Mount Morgan’s total Mineral Resources previously reported in 2009 stands at 8.4 million tonnes at 1.23 grams gold/tonne for 329,000 ounces of gold. This comprises the four tailings dumps that include No. 2 Mill tailings.

The announcement for No. 2 Mill tailings represents the first of four resource updates on the tailings dumps.

Michael Garnham from Aerial Footage lands the drone at Mount Morgan site

Mineral Resource announcements for the remaining three tailings dumps will be reported as results become available. The updated Mineral Resource will be incorporated in the Definitive Feasibility Study due for completion by the end of September.

Progress continues on upgrades to the Water Treatment Plant with Practical Completion for the upgrades expected soon.

The plant is now successfully operating with increased throughput treating contaminated water from the open cut pit. The upgrades have been a joint effort by Carbine and DNRM site personnel with many hours of dedicated work making the changes required to improve water treatment efficiency.

In June the company also engaged the drone company Aerial Footage from Noosa to fly over the site to take some film footage that can be used for showing potential investors what the site looks like.

Plant a tree and get one free* for National Tree Day Join Rockhampton Regional Council to plant a tree and get one free* for National Tree Day on Sunday 31 July 2016.

Division Five Councillor and Parks, Recreation and Sport Committee Chair Cherie Rutherford said she was delighted that Mount Morgan’s Arthur Timms Lookout was part of National Tree Day this year.

“Arthur Timms Lookout is such a lovely area that holds a special place in the community as it was named after one of our own highly-respected residents, former Shire Chairman Arthur Timms,” Cr Rutherford said.

“We’ve had quite a few requests from the local promotion and development group to beautify Mount Morgan’s lookouts, so this is a wonderful opportunity for the community to get involved, be part of National Tree Day and plant some native trees in the area,” Cr Rutherford said.

“I’m encouraging residents to get into the great outdoors and come along for a few hours on Sunday; they’ll be helping the environment and of course can watch their trees grow over the years.

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Sunday 31 July Arthur Timms Lookout Mount Morgan 11am - 1pm Ollie Smith Park Rockhampton 8am - 9.30am Frenchmans Creek Frenchville 11am - 1pm For more information contact Rockhampton Regional Council on 4932 9000 or visit www.rrc.qld.gov.au

Free Community Workshops

“It’s such a community effort, with the added bonus that participants will be able to take home one free plant per household for their own property as well.”

There are limited plants and varieties, so get in early. A sausage sizzle will be provided on the day and parking is available in signed areas.

What: National Tree Day – Plant a tree and get one free per household When: Sunday 31 July 2016 Where: Arthur Timms Lookout, Mount Morgan from 11am – 1pm Other Rockhampton locations include: Ollie Smith Park, Koongal – 8am – 9.30am Frenchmans Creek, Frenchville – 11am – 1pm Please wear appropriate clothing (hat, covered shoes, long sleeved shirt and long pants recommended).

To register, please contact Council on 4932 9000 or 1300 22 55 77 or register at www.treeday.planetark.org.

National Tree Day is Australia’s largest tree planting and nature care event. Each year, more than 350,000 people from across the country attend thousands of sites organised by councils, schools, businesses and communities. For more information go to www. treeday.planetark.org.

Rockhampton Regional Council in partnership with Relationships Australia will host free workshops from August to December to help families help their children to learn, grow and develop to their full potential.

Tuesday 9 August | 10am - 12pm Tuesday 13 September | 10am - 12pm Tuesday 11 October | 10am - 12pm Tuesday 8 November | 10am - 12pm Tuesday 6 December 10am - 12pm @The Green Shed, 36Thompson Avenue Mount Morgan For more information contact 4936 8569 or email CommunityDevelopment@rrc.qld.gov.au

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Cultural Learning at Kindy Care

NAIDOC WEEK NEWS

Recently, Uncle Phillip an Elder from the local Gungululu People came and visited Kindy Care and taught the children about some of the Aboriginal Culture.

Uncle Phillip played the didgeridoo to make different animal noises, showing the children how he moves his lips to make the sound come out of it.

He also used the didgeridoo to say ‘Hello’ and say their names while blowing. Everyone had an opportunity to try blowing, it was quite funny!

We also made music using wooden clapping sticks whilst clapping along.

Uncle Phillip told us a wonderful Dreamtime story about how the rainbow was made, the children played different characters in the story.

The two boys were played by Jayden and Chevy, Cooper was the Grandmother who baked a beautiful birthday cake for the two boys using different coloured flowers, each one representing the colours of what we know as a rainbow.

The flowers were played by Olivia, Abby, Storm and Aiden. Uncle Phillip is coming back another day with his nephew so they can teach us some Aboriginal dances. The children are very excited about that.

All the children really enjoyed Uncle Phillip’s visit. Storm enjoyed the Dreamtime story, Chevy liked the clap sticks, Jarell loved the didgeridoo and thought Uncle Phillip was very clever.

Whilst Grandmother was allowing the cake to cool on the window sill the boys took it and ran down the hill and accidently dropped it and all the colours rolled down the hill into the billabong and sank to the bottom.

The next time it rained the colours came out of the billabong and went up to the sky making a beautiful rainbow in the sky.

Celebrations with the Mount Morgan Hub Saturday dawned bright and sunny, perfect weather for a game of bowls.

The morning was spent organising the evening meal, but come lunchtime a few brave souls ventured to the Welfare Bowls Club.

The air was filled with cheers and friendly jibes, as the players enjoyed the warmth on their backs. We had people from all age groups participating, with the children showing their own style of bowl.

At the end of the day the group decided not to award a winner, it was enough to have the afternoon of fun.

We had a few teams venture out for our trivia night. By the looks on the contestants faces, the comments and low scores, the questions may have been a bit difficult. But, that didn’t stop them from having a go and having fun along the way. Sticking with the NAIDOC theme, each round featured some questions about Australia and Indigenous Australia in particular. Everybody left a little wiser, whether it is the name of the two local look-outs or the national animal of Canada. The overall winners of the night, The Try Hards, took home an individual trophy for their efforts.

Our evening meal was served a little later than planned but it was quite delicious. There was plenty of food to go around and some came back for more. The meat fell off the bone and there was six types of veggies, so it was very filling. Thanks to all our wonderful cooks.

Thanks also goes to the people who created our oven, Uncle Phillip for setting us on the right path, Lou for allowing us the use of her premises, Bidgerdii Community Health Service and Mount Morgan Aboriginal Corporation for donating the food and the Welfare Bowls Club for letting us use their venue.

Mount Morgan Promotion & Development News We’re very pleased to announce that Mount Morgan Promotion and Development Inc have been successful in its application for funding under Volunteer Grants 2015 through the Australian Government’s Department of Social Services.

This funding was made available under the Strengthening Communities Programme which aims to support the efforts of Australia’s volunteers by providing small amounts of money to assist and benefit their work within an organisation.

Railway Museum & Tourist Information Coordinator Rhonda Ramm said, “This funding amount of $5,000 has allowed us to purchase kitchen items, computer equipment and will assist with training for our volunteers.”

Our Tourist Information Centre and Railway Museum has seen a noticable increase in visitors keen to explore what our great town has to offer.

Several have mentioned they were encouraged to visit after seeing the Queensland Weekender episode on television earlier in the year. If you would like to volunteer at the Centre or assist with Argus stories or production please give Rhonda a call on 49 382 312.

At our recently held Annual General Meeting, MMPAD were pleased to welcome our new Treasurer, Audrey Crawford, to the executive. Also elected to the executive were John Steinberger as President, Del Rowley as Secretary and Sarah Dalton, Noelene Mugridge and Melray McNamara as executive members.

MMPAD’s next major event will be the Mount Morgan Wattle Fun Day and Village Markets to be held on Saturday the 3rd September at the Railway Complex. There will be live entertainment from country singer Gemma Kirby throughout the day, market stalls, balloon Crafts, face painting, colouring competitions, amusement rides and activities, food vendors, and wattle day award presentations. There will be a limited number of Acacia podalyriifolia (Mount Morgan Wattle) seedlings to give away courtesy of Murray & Diane Hare.

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It’s Official!

MMSHS Congratulates Mr Rickertt!

Congratulations are in order for Mount Morgan State High School Principal, Mr. Trevor Rickertt. Just prior to the last holidays, Mr. Rickertt was appointed to the permanent position of Principal at Mount Morgan High School.

Mr Rickertt had been in an acting role for the last two years.

Mr Rickertt is married with five children and currently resides in Rockhampton. He originally hails from Clermont where he completed his schooling.

Mr Rickertt has not always been a teacher. When he completed high school, he was offered an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic at the local Holden dealership. Some years later he joined the Goodyear Tyre Service company and after a few years there was promoted and accepted a managerial role within the company, serving in this role for approximately nine years as a manager.

Mr Rickertt then left Goodyear and worked as a sub-contractor for a number of years for a driving school. He enjoyed teaching and interacting with young people until his daughter suggested he become a manual arts teacher.

‘I had a mid-life crisis and enrolled in CQUniversity to become a teacher’, he said.

Mr Rickertt said the thing which most impressed him about the school were the fantastic students. When asked about his plans to improve the learning experiences of the students, he said he plans to introduce a reading program. Mr. Rickertt has three main priorities for the school; reading, student engagement in the classroom and increased school attendance. When Mr. Rickertt first arrived, attendance was only 78%; now it is currently standing at 88%.

‘This is a great improvement and numbers are slowly increasing’, he said.

Another improvement on the agenda will be to change the angle of the football field in order to make it a full-length field.

This involves inserting new goal posts. Finally, Mr Rickertt would like to see an increased involvement of parents in the current Parents and Citizens Association.

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Wattle Fun Day and Village Markets Mount Morgan Railway complex Saturday 3rd of September 2016 Wattle Fun Day and Village Markets.

8:30am - 2pm Live entertainment, Amusement rides, Activities and Demonstrations, Face painting, Market Stalls, Balloon Craft, Fashion Parade,Devonshire Tea, Food Vendors and Special guest, country singer Gemma Kirby.

Phone 49 382 312

Mad Mary’s Nursery Open 7 days a week 9am - 5pm

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13 AUGUST 2016

LUCKY GATE PRIZE LICENSED BAR SIDE SHOW ALLEY HORSE & CATTLE EVENTS POULTRY PAVILLION CRAFT PAVILLION CAGED BIRDS FIREWORKS JOHNSON PARK PETTING ZOO MEMPHIS MOVERS FIRST LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT ROVING PERFORMERS RADICAL REPTILES CQ FUNKY FACES FACE PAINTING AND BALLOON TWISTING BOB PACEY BUSH POETRY PET PARADE JUNIOR MOTOR BIKE TRAILS

Gate Fees

Adults $10 – Pension/Student $7 Family (2 Adults/2 students) $30 Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult All Exhibitors to Pay Admission

Program available at www.mountmorganshow.com.au

For further information contact Heather on 0437503467

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By Trish and Greg Mathers

Birds of Prey seem to fascinate everyone. Their ability to soar magestically, incredible long distance vision, those penetrating eyes, their hunting skills, the huge and somewhat dangerous talons. Indeed how could we not be fascinated by them!

Australia has many birds of prey, including raptors, owls and frogmouths. We have the worlds fastest animal, the peregrine falcon, which has been clocked at speeds of over 300klm per hour in dives (gosh, you would have to be fast to outrun one!). We also have the 4th largest eagle in the world, the wedgie or wedge-tailed eagle to be precise. We also have an interesting kite that uses stone tools to break open birds eggs, and an owl that lives under tussocks of grass!

In this area we have a great variety of birds of prey, many of which seem to go unnoticed most of the time. Close to our house we have a number of white goshawks, which we very rarely see, but when they call we can pick them out quite nearby. We also have a pair of wedgies which we rarely see, but the local birds scream blue murder to let all and sundry know they are on the prowl. In this area we are also lucky to have the Nankeen kestrel also known as the sparrowhawk. It is however a falcon, not a hawk and is relatively small with a wingspan 80cm compaired to the Peregrine falcon and Australian hobby, which is also known as the ‘little falcon’. with wing spans from 90- 95 cms.

There are many other Birds of Prey as well. Some include kites, goshawks, harriers, eagles, osprey, falcons, and a variety of owls including barn owls, grass owls, boobooks (otherwise known as mopokes), masked owls, barking owls, and powerful owls. We also have frogmouths, which are commonly mistaken for owls, but are in fact nightjars. Frogmouths have soft feet and do not have talons.

We are just so blessed to have such a wonderful and diverse variety of wildlife in our area.

We have been able to include small raptors on our permit after an inspection of our facilities by our Head Ranger, who was very impressed. The learning curve is exponential when wildlife caring.

SAINT MARY’S CHURCH Cent Sale Saturday 20th August 2016 2pm LUCKY DOOR - TRADING TABLE GREAT PRIZES AFTERNOON TEA PRIOR TO CENT SALE

By Larry at Fox Video

By FOX Video

We don’t normally do ‘gross’!

For example, I had to turn ‘Bridesmaids’ off as I just couldn’t handle it! It is bad enough when the boys feature in a badtaste movie about nonstop body-fluid jokes.

One such film is ‘The Hangover’ which was released in 2009.

However, for ‘Grimsby’, starring the hilarious Sacha Baron Cohen, we had to make an exception. Yes. It is gross in parts; in fact, there were times when the squirm-factor was so high that we simply had to turn away from the screen. BUT...It is hilarious! We haven’t laughed so loud and so often since the 2013 comedy, ‘Identity Thief’ starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman.

Sacha Baron Cohen, the man behind such films as ‘Borat’, ‘Bruno’ and ‘The Dictator’ has trumped all of his previous characters and films with his best yet; entitled ‘Grimsby’.

Australia’s own Rebel Wilson, who stars alongside Baron Cohen, stated that his character, Nobby, is ‘a sweet but dim-witted English football hooligan’.

‘He has everything a man from the poor fishing town of Grimsby could want including nine children and the most attractive girlfriend in Northern England’, Wilson added.

There’s only one thing missing; his little brother Sebastian, portrayed by Mark Strong, whom Nobby has spent twenty-eight years searching for after they were separated as kids.

Nobby sets off to reunite with Sebastian; unaware that not only is his brother now MI6’s deadliest assassin, but he’s just uncovered plans for an imminent global terrorist attack.Wrongfully accused and on the run, Sebastian realises that if he is going to save the world, he will need the help of its ‘biggest idiot’.

Rated MA15+ for ‘Strong crude sexual humour and nudity’, ‘Grimsby is definitely for the adults but well worth the discomfort. Be warned; people have been hurt from laughing too hard!

This film is graced with marvellous performances by Isla Fisher, Baron Cohen’s real wife, and Oscar winner Penelope Cruz. ‘Grimsby’ is just under 1 ½ hours of boisterous, uneasy, raucous fun.

‘Grimsby’; one secret agent, one complete idiot!

COMMUNITY NEWS

Ready, Set, POKEMON GO!

Let’s Get Gardening

Rockhampton Regional Council’s Parks, Recreation and Sport Committee Chair Councillor Cherie Rutherford said the annual competition always brought out the best in our Region’s gardens.

Pokémon Go has not only captured the attention of millions globally but it has also reinvigorated an interest in walking daily. Research Australia CEO, Nadia Levin, told Gizmodo Australia’s Rae Johnston that Pokémon Go has changed the world of gaming.

“One of the highlights for our gardening enthusiasts each year is entering the Spring Garden Spectacular and bringing their gardens to life with amazing colour and magnificent displays,” Cr Rutherford said.

‘You have an app which is getting gaming out of the living room and into the world…that can only mean immediate health benefits’, Levin said.

‘Pokémon Go is a game which tracks your location through GPS, so you can navigate your way around your local area and catch them all’, he said.

‘I saw the trailer for the game and thought it was cool; I liked the concept’, he added.

Jesse says Pokémon Go has given him more motivation to walk.

‘I walk around 4km to 5km a day because of it…it keeps me active’, he said.

Jesse has found that Pokémon Go differs greatly from the original Pokémon games.

‘It works a little differently to the older Pokémon games as you are motivated to walk around outside.

I play about 3 or 4 hours a day’, he said.

Another positive aspect of Pokémon Go is that it is an effective tool for social interaction.

2016 Garden Comp now open Do you have a green thumb? Are you handy with a shovel and some seedlings? Then plant, nurture and grow your garden now for the 2016 Spring Garden Spectacular!

Pokémon’s resurgence has certainly made headlines around the globe.

People from all walks of life have embraced this phenomenon. It made its way to Australia on 6th July this year; becoming an instant hit.

Mount Morgan locals have joined the craze. Jesse, volunteer at the Mount Morgan Railway Tourist Information Centre, has been playing Pokémon Go since its release in Australia.

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If you’re looking for vegetable seedlings, broms or native plants don’t let the name “Mad Mary’s Nursery” deter you from visiting Mary’s Nursery.

Mary Valler is mad about gardening and plants in general.

When asked what made her settle in Mount Morgan and decide to open a nursery Mary replies, “I’ve always been a country person.

After I moved from Cawarral I worked out West on properties, then as a Carer I would often bring clients for outings to Mount Morgan. “ “I loved the town and when the opportunity came up to live here I jumped at the chance to settle down here.”

Mary said, “Everybody loves gardening as it can be very therapeutic and healing and I’ve tried to create a relaxing atmosphere for customers to peruse the nursery.”

‘It is great to get out and meet new people’, Jesse said.

When asked what her favourite plant was, Mary replied “I love natives because they bring so much joy to the garden and provide refuge and nectar for the birds, not to mention their gorgeous flowers.”

‘Quite a few of my friends also play the game’, he added.

“I’ve been lucky to have the help of Lyn, Barb, John and my son Greg.”

“For the past seven years, we’ve had hundreds of entries from residents, businesses and schools who have poured hours and hours of love and dedication into their gardens to ensure they are worthy and it definitely shows.”

Cr Rutherford said she was looking forward to strong entries again this year across the ten categories.

“We’ll be celebrating all forms of gardens across ten different categories catering from lifestyle gardens and young gardeners to the old favourites such as native and flower gardens,” Cr Rutherford said.

“If you enjoy gardening, then it’s a wonderful opportunity to get outdoors, get active and give the 2016 Spring Garden Spectacular a go - it doesn’t cost anything to enter and you might just take home a prize.”

Nominations are open now and close on Thursday 25 August 2016.

Entries are open to all Rockhampton Regional Council residents.

It’s easy to enter! You can enter online at www.rrc.qld.gov.au or collect a hard copy entry form from Rockhampton Regional Council Customer Service Centres.

For full competition categories and details visit www.rrc.qld.gov.au or contact our Customer Service Centre on 4932 9000.

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14

Rodeo Round Up Mt Morgan Rodeo had a very successful Golf Tournament on Saturday 23rd July. Barbara Gould, President expressed her thanks and appreciation to Mount Morgan Golf Club for their generous support and promised to “do it all again very soon.”

Approximately 50 competitors and spectators came from the local area as well as a group from Yeppoon and included all ages and levels of experience.

Prizes were awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place overall winners, as well as furthest drive and shortest drive.

Upcoming events include manning the kitchen at the Mount Morgan Show on 13th August, a Cent Sale to be held at the Community hall starting at 2pm on 27th August, Motor Extravaganza at the Showground on 24th September and Fun horse day on the 8th October.

The Club’s aim is to raise funds to enable the staging of Mount Morgan Rodeo on the Sunday of the May Weekend each year, and to achieve this outcome, some kind of fund raising event is held each month and sometimes more frequently, “this is a very friendly and active club, and we would welcome anyone who is interested in joining our happy little band” stated Nancy Daniels long time rodeo supporter and club member.

The Annual General Meeting will be held on 21st August at 10am in the kitchen of Mount Morgan Showground, all positions will be vacant and everyone is welcome.

Dee Bowls Challange Fundraiser On Saturday the Golden Nugget Hotel Social Club held a breakup fun day of bowling at the Dee Bowls Club. There were approximately 30 people who attended and all had a great time.

There were a number of prawn raffles and a multi-draw.

Thanks must go to the Leichhardt Hotel, the Golden Nugget Hotel, Rhonda Ramm, Melray McNamara and the Dee Bowls Club for their generous donations. Funds raised on the day will go to Mount Morgan Promotion & Development. Lucky raffle winners on the day were Noelene Mugridge, John Ramm, and John Dans.

The bowls challenge was won by a team from the Nugget comprising of Wayne & Ryan Sigvart and Mark Humphreys.

Runners up were Peter Wilson, Noelene Mugridge and Ray Burgess.

High School Sports 13/7 Last Wednesday our first round of the Rugby League competition took place at Brown Park for our Junior Team against the renowned St Brendan’s College. There was much hype surrounding this game as our boys were very keen to get our season off to the perfect start.

To the coache’s surprise our boys played brilliantly and were up 36 – 0 at half time which enforced the mercy rule to come into effect. This meant that in the second half we had to play less numbers and for every 10 more points scored we had to lose an extra player. When the game had finished the final result was 52- 0 with MMSHS only fielding 9 boys to compensate for the mercy rule. A job well done all round.

20/7 Two games were played yesterday afternoon, one at our home ground of Newman Oval for the Open Team and the other at RSHS fields for the Intermediate team.

Firstly, our Open Team who have had a great preseason this year got off to a perfect start with a scoring opportunity from the kick off. Both teams had big, strong boys and as a result some heavy tackling was involved. But it was our boys who came out on top at half time, up 32 – 0. In the second half the best try of the game came a scrum in our attacking half, where through some quick hands Reece Jones walked over the try line without a single hand being laid on him. It was something out of the NRL. The scored ended up a convincingly 52 – 0. Man of the match goes to Luke Plummer with 4 tries and some great defensive tackles.

Our Intermediate game was quite the contrast.

YSHS are renowned for being a tough and well skilled team and they sure showed this is a hard fought win over our boys 20 – 16. Since both these games were played at the same time but in different locations it meant that our Intermediate team had to rely on some of our stronger year 8’s to step up, and boy did they.

As the game approached half time MMSHS was in the lead, but not by much. The second was quite intense with both teams making blow after blow, but due to some errors and unfortunate calls YSHS were able to capitalise and come out on top. We will learn from this and will become better, fitter, stronger, faster for the next time we take them on. Man of Match was Blayze Chalson with an outstanding effort all round.

LOOKING BACK IN TIME: RED HILL SCHOOLING

15

By Sean Fox Red Hill was one of the first settlements in Mount Morgan, with a close proximity to the Dee River.

The considerable population in the area meant that schooling at Red Hill was in high demand.

The first Red Hill Convent School, which was converted from an old saddler’s shop by The Very Reverend Father Rowan and his parishioners, was opened in 1913.

Two sisters from the Mount Morgan Convent in Gordon Street would travel to the Red Hill Catholic School on a daily basis.

Seventy children were present when the first school bell rang.

Month after month, the number of enrollments increased.

Eventually, the small school building could not cater for its growing numbers and resources became scarce.

Fundraisers were held for a new school building. Fetes and concerts were held in the old building.

In 1918, their prayers were answered when a new schooling building which stood on high blocks and accommodated 250 children, was opened and blessed by the Very Reverend P. Healy.

The Red Hill Convent School closed in 1926 after the cessation of the Mount Morgan Mine.

In 1929, it was transported to Rockhampton where it became St. Joseph’s Park Avenue.

This structure stood for nearly a decade where, today, Mount Morgan local Steven Cooper resides.

Prior to the opening of the first Red Hill Convent, the Red Hill State School had already been established.

It had been opened in January 1900 as a single room structure.

Mr. Daniel Baldwin was the first head teacher and held this role until 30th January 1913.

He had moved from England in order to teach in Australia.

Ironically, there is a Baldwin Street at Red Hill; arguably named after Mr. Baldwin who had been a capable and well-respected educator.

The Red Hill State School faced closure in 1931.

The structure was moved to Rockhampton and today it is one of the Crescent Lagoon State School buildings.

I have personally visited Mount Morgan local residents, Julie Whittaker and her husband Dick, and was shown through their house where the Red Hill State School had once stood.

It was interesting to see the concrete slab that the structure sat on is still there today.

One of the outlying features was a number of concrete paths.

These paths lead from the school down to what was a cement retaining wall.

Lorraine Johnson nee. Jeffries remembers playing on the school grounds which was on two levels.

Lorraine said her father and uncle built their family home which is now the residence of Julie and Dick Whittaker.

16

SAVE THE DATE! July 30: Cent Sale for Cancer. Wowan Multipurpose Centre.Doors open 12pm starts 1pm. $5 admission.

Afternon tea provided.

July 30: Blue Care Trash & Treasure. Gordon Street.

Household goods, clothes and much more.

Aug 4: GMFA Bingo. St.Mary’s Church Hall, Gordon Street. Doors open 6.30pm. Play starts 7.30pm Aug 7: Cent Sale Bouldercombe Recreation Complex.

2pm start. Afternoon Tea. All proceeds to Capricorn Helicopter Rescue.

Aug 11:GMFA Bingo. St. Mary’s Church Hall, Gordon Street. Doors open 9am. Play starts 10am Aug 13: Mount Morgan Show.

Aug 14:Baree School of Arts Dance. Music by Toucan.

1-5pm Lucky Door, Multi Draw.

Aug 18: GMFA Bingo. St. Mary’s Church Hall, Gordon Street. Doors open 6.30pm. Play starts 7.30pm.

Aug 20: Cent Sale, St. Mary’s Anglican Church. 2pm.

Great Prizes. Tea or coffee & biscuits prior.

Aug 20:Car Boot/Markets/Garage Sale Baree School of Arts, 8.00 to 12.00 Aug 21: Mt Morgan Rodeo Assoc Inc Annual General Meeting 10am Mt Morgan Showgrounds Kitchen. All welcome.

Aug 25: GMFA Bingo. St. Mary’s Church Hall.Doors open 9am. Play starts 10am.

Aug 27: Rodeo Association Cent Sale. Community Hall at 2pm.

Sept 1st: GMFA Bingo. St. Mary’s Church Hall, Gordon Street. Doors open 9am. Play stars 10am.

Sept 3: Mount Morgan Wattle Fun Day & Village Markets, Railway Complex. 8:30am - 2pm.

Entertainment, Markets, Sausage Sizzle and much more Sept 10: Blue care Trash & Teasure. Gordon Street.

Household goods, Clothes and much more.

Oct1,2,3: Capricornia Historical Motor Club Inc Rally.

Next Argus: Out Thursday, 10th August. If you have something you’d like included in this issue, please note that all inclusions are required by Friday 5th Aug. Ph: 49382312 Email: mmpad@bigpond.com

CLASSIFIEDS REQUIRE AN ELECTRICIAN?: RJ Electrician Pty Ltd. Licence no. 72288. Phone: 0431 576 101.

MOBILE RWC: Mobile road worthy certificates. Phone Bruce on 044 790 3100.

PAINTER: Semi retired. W. Cruickshank Phone 0488104774 or 0488105257. QBCC No-75608.

HANDYMAN: Small Jobs. Phone Greg. 0400 591504.

GARAGE SALE: Saturday 30th July. 3 Flemington Lane.

Starts at 7am

GARAGE SALE: 6th August. 26 Gordon Street.

Household items from 8.30am-10.30am PLANT SALE: 6th August 28 Gordon Street. From 8.30am - 3.30pm.

HOME FOR RENT:.Quality Apartment Town Centre. Suit mature tenant/s. $180/wk. Phone 0447059469 WORK WANTED: Will try anything. Have White Card. HR Licence, CertIII in Ag. Contact John on 0488794831 Guns & Ammunition: Mount Morgan. Eric J. Stevenson.

Dealer Licence 50001499 - Phone 0417006591 GARAGE SALE:6th & 7th August. 8am-4pm. Lot3 Preston Lane, Mount Morgan. Handwood power tools, power tools, general tools and router tables. NOT BEFORE 8AM. Phone 49381453

COMMUNITY NOTICES Reunion: The CQ Dysart get together is on again and we will be celebrating our 10th year.

We would love to catch up with you all and your families.

WHEN: Sunday, 31st July 2016 WHERE: Bell Park, Hill St, Emu Park TIME: Anytime between 10am and 4pm BYO Food, drinks and a chair.

For your convenience, food can be purchased from local shops nearby. Bring along any memorabilia.

For more information, Phone: Fran: 49340981/ 0438582148 Val: 49394622/ 0409614864 Jean: 49210832/0427050445

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