Western News 14 April 2023

Vale Manfred Schaefer

By Lyn Forde

Manfred died in March this year (2023). In the Sydney Morning Herald in 2003, a reporter wrote that after almost three decades Manfred was invited back to help with the draw for the World Cup a most prestigious public appearance a former Socceroo player could make. He dominated the media coverage of the Socceroos’ only World Cup appearance in 1974. In 1973 it was the year that australia would be facing World Cup eliminators, so the australian Soccer federation arranged for the Bulgarian national side to tour for three games as a warm-up for these matches. The Bulgarians were the first European national teams in australia since 1969 and provided the australians with high class opposition from which coach rasic was able to build up his team. The first game was played midweek in Sydney but still drew a large crowd to the Sports Ground. Manfred dominated media attention for australia at the 1974 fIfa World Cup in Germany, not only because he was an excellent defender but because he was competing in the country of his birth. Born in the former east Germany, Manfred became a

resident of australia from the age of 10. The fact that the aussies played both east and West Germany also caught the public’s attention. His homecoming was the main point of focus as the world’s press reported on the Socceroos’ historic campaign. He was asked by the world governing body fIfa, to return to frankfurt as part of a select group of former players who were to assist then President Sepp Blatter with the draw for the qualifying rounds of the 2006 World Cup to be held in Germany. Manfred admitted he was “blown away” as he digested the significance of becoming the first Australian to be invited to take part in the official draw. He said “It’s unbelievable, totally unbelievable and his first reaction was that someone was pulling his leg, his second question was who’s paying? The more he thought about it the more he realised what a big thing it was, and it brought back a lot of memories. He said just to be sitting next to some of those people was a huge honour and it came totally out of the blue.” He was required to be in Germany for a rehearsal for the ceremony that was broadcast around the world. asked if he was going to have to buy a new suit, the assistant coach of Parramatta Power said: “I might wear the club suit and give

them some exposure.” It is the first time the World Cup was hosted by Germany since 1974, when Manfred was a member of the only australian team to reach the finals. Manfred’s German background dominated media coverage of the Socceroos. Two German TV crews travelled to Sydney to produce documentaries in the lead-up to the World Cup, and he had a weekly column in the Hamburg newspaper Bild Zeitung before and during the tournament. He returned to Germany for holidays and said that “every time I go back there is a small story in the local papers, and when people start talking, they usually remember me, but this is something else. after all these years you don’t expect something like this and to me personally, nothing will ever beat playing in the World Cup finals, but this was probably the next best thing.” Manfred’s former Socceroo roommate Johnny Warren said “it was a fantastic honour and they absolutely loved Manfred at the time, especially the bit about him being a milkman by night and a footballer during the day, so obviously he hadn’t been forgotten and I always remember one of the headlines in the German papers that was a huge compliment about how they would have swapped him for

Hans-Jorg Schwarzenbeck. Manfred played all three games for australia and Gerd Muller was one of the few players he marked who got a goal against him”. Manfred retired from playing after helping St George win the NSW grand final a few months after returning home from the World Cup. In 1974 he became a coach in the australian national League managing over 300 matches between 1977 and 1999 and in 2003 he was assistant coach at Parramatta Power. Love goes out to Hanna, Kim and Peter. rest in Peace Manfred you will never be forgotten.

From Lyn Forde a Family Friend

Humans of the Hospital: Lesley Jack

LesLey is a Clinical Nurse Consultant, stomal Therapy/Wound Care at Blacktown Hospital.

“You see people going from crying every time they’d come in for an appointment to travelling the world and getting on with life – I’m still in contact with patients from over 20 years ago.

“I’ve been a stomal therapy nurse since 1990 and I worked as a nurse at Westmead Hospital from 1980 to 2001. now I’m at Blacktown Hospital.

“Stomal therapy nursing is a type of specialist nurse who supports people who’ve had their bowel or bladder removed and have to have a bag. I do a lot of pre-op stuff, postop counselling, and ongoing care.

“This job involves a lot of emotional help as well – getting the patient through the

procedure and then getting their confidence up in managing and living life with such a huge change. Sometimes it can be emergency surgery or sometimes it can be planned, but it can impact people of all ages and for many reasons.

“Some of my clients I’ve known for many, many years. They see me in hospital, and then they have my work phone to contact me, and they can see me as many times as they need as an outpatient. It’s a nice side of nursing because you really get to know the patients.

“My favourite part of the job is that connection and helping people – that’s what you do nursing for.”

‘Humans of the Hospital’ is dedicated to the inspiring humans working at Westmead, Blacktown, Mount druitt, auburn and Cumberland hospitals in western Sydney.

Blacktown City’s Medieval Fayre and Banquet are back!

The hugely-popular Blacktown City Medieval Fayre and Banquet are back in 2023, promising to transport festival-goers back to an age of knights, castles, warriors and jousting.

The Medieval Fayre will return to Nurragingy Reserve, Doonside for the first time in two years over the weekend of 20 and 21 May.

Witness the thrills of live jousting, engage with roving Medieval characters, browse Medieval displays and artisan arts and crafts, watch a blacksmith at work and feast on delicious treats as you soak up Medieval-themed music.

Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale OAM said he was delighted to welcome all lords and ladies back to Blacktown City for the Medieval Fayre.

“The Blacktown City Medieval Fayre is one of the biggest and most highly-anticipated events on our community calendar, attracting visitors from far and wide,” Mayor Bleasdale said.

“The Fayre will offer a unique immersive experience back to Medieval times, with a huge array of shows, demonstrations and activities for everyone to enjoy.

“Competitors will travel from all over Australia to take part in the

breathtaking live jousting competition in our special jousting arena, whilst mighty warriors will fight for glory in authentic hand-to-hand combat displays on the Field of honour.

“There is no doubt, it is going to be a spectacular weekend for all and I encourage you to get your tickets early, as they won’t last long!”

The Market Stage will offer fine music, a medieval marketplace of quality arts and crafts, and tasty food.

FAMILY FUN DAY

Sunday 16 April 2023 9am to 2pm Francis Park, Blacktown Showground Precinct supporting cord blood research

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to our Family Fun Day

Enjoy a Rotary Sausage Sizzle, face painting, balloons, a jumping castle and a bric-a-brac stall

Most importantly, make a $10 donation to our Cord Blood Research Project and walk 2km around THE CAFÉ GREEN

Use QR Code to donate

the rural Fire service will be on display for the children

The Family Fun Day and Walk is organised by the Inner Wheel Club of Blacktown City, on behalf of Inner Wheel District A53

The Common will bring together historical displays, interactive demonstrations and entertainment from groups representing all Medieval periods, including the Viking, Crusader and Byzantine eras.

Meanwhile, the kids can enjoy pony and camel rides, archery games, inflatable castles and craft workshops.

Visitors are encouraged to come dressed in theme for the Best Dressed Competition, with fantastic prizes on offer for winners.

Also returning in 2023 is the muchloved Medieval Banquet on the evening of 20 May, which offers an authentic Medieval dining experience. Guests can dine on Medieval food and drink, whilst being entertained by themed performers and musicians.

Guests are also encouraged to get into the Medieval spirit by dressing up in their best period attire for the banquet.

Event details

Blacktown City Medieval Fayre

Saturday, 20 May and Sunday, 21 May, 10am to 4pm

Nurragingy Reserve, Knox Road, Doonside

Tickets on sale 18 April - $10 per person including booking fee. Children under 3 free. Bookings essential.

Visit blacktown.nsw.gov.au/eventsand-activities/2023-Blacktown-CityMedieval-Fayre for more details

Blacktown City Medieval Banquet

Saturday, 20 May, 6.30pm to 10.30pm

The Colebee, Nurragingy Reserve, Knox Road, Doonside

Tickets on sale 18 April - $65 per person. Ticket price includes meal and drink on arrival. Bookings essential.

Visit blacktown.nsw.gov.au/ Events-and-activities/2023Medieval-Banquet for more details

The Blacktown City Medieval Fayre is back for 2023, with a live jousting competition set to thrill guests.

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By K E RRIE DAVIES

APRIL is one of my favourite months of the year. The heat has started to fade away, but the cold hasn’t quite set in; the beautiful autumn shades of yellows and oranges are abundant; and then there’s the bunch of public holidays that enable us to take the first breather since Christmas.

It’s also a month of giving thanks. Those who are religious will have already spent a fair chunk of this month giving thanks, and many will give thanks to our defence forces past and present on Anzac Day.

I encourage everybody to head to a Dawn Service on Anzac Day to show our diggers how much we appreciate the sacrifices they made for our nation and it’s people.

Let’s pause and reflect on the thousands who never made it back.

Even if it is raining and cold and you’re warm in your bed when the alarm goes off, spare a thought for those who crawled through mud and often went with no sleep at all in order to survive.

And so very many young Australians didn’t survive.

As time rolls on more and more who served our country and gave great sacrifice will leave this earth, and each year there will be less of them standing proudly displaying their well-earned medals. Let’s stand by our veterans and roll up in droves this Anzac Day - and as proud Australians let’s salute them now before it is too late.

It is an early start. You’ll need to be up well before dawn in order to find parking, but it will be a service I guarantee you will be glad you attended. Lest We Forget.

Sport for all abilities at Blacktown Leisure Centre Stanhope

More than 160 students of all abilities had the chance to try out 8 inclusive sports and learn new skills as part of a Disability Sports Australia event, hosted by Blacktown Leisure Centre Stanhope.

Activate Inclusion Day brought together students from schools across Blacktown City to have a go at a range of sports, from wheelchair rugby, to baseball, frame-running, blind and low-vision tennis, AFL, volleyball and soccer.

The one-day program, run in partnership with Sport NSW, Variety

The Children’s Charity and various sporting body partners, aims to introduce young people with disability to accessible sports, with a focus on the importance of staying active.

Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale oAM said Blacktown Leisure Stanhope was proud to host the important initiative.

“These sport days help young people, who might otherwise be overlooked, get involved in sports

that best suit their abilities,” Mayor Bleasdale said.

“There really is a sport out there for everyone, but without exposure, it’s impossible for young people to know what’s available to them.

“Inclusive sport programs such as this bring great value to our community and I thank Sport NSW and all the community and sporting groups who took part.”

The event was supported by volunteers and representatives from each of the sports on show, who

coached the students and led them through activities.

Activate Inclusion Day is aimed at school children between 5 and 18 years of age with learning, intellectual, sensory and physical disabilities.

The days were introduced by Sport NSW in 2016, with the latest event supported by Special olympics NSW/ ACT and Collective Leisure.

Uniting and the NDIS provided a sensory tent that allowed participants to rest and recover in a safe space on the day.

NRL Wheelchair coach explain rules to students with the assistance of sign language interpreter.

Students play modified volleyball, with softer balls and lower nets, under the guidance of Volleyball NSW.

Quality and safety in residential aged care to drastically improve

Western sydney Local Health District (WsLHD) has received a significant grant to support research which aims to improve the quality and safety of residential aged care in Australia.

Professor ramon Z. shaban, Clinical Chair and Director of Communicable Disease Control and Infection Prevention at the Western sydney Local Health District, is the lead investigator and project director of the project which has received a 2022 MrFF (Medical research Future Fund) Clinician researchers – nurse, Midwives and Allied Health grant for $1.4 million.

this project is an innovative nursing assessment framework called HIrAID Aged Care (History, Identify Red flags, Assessment, Interventions, Diagnostics), designed by nurses, for nurses.

ramon said, “the need for highquality aged care services in Australia is becoming increasingly important as the country’s population ages”.

Currently, over 1.3 million people use aged care services in Australia, with approximately 191,000 cared for in residential aged care facilities

(rACFs), of which there are approximately 830 providers and 2,704 facilities across the country.

“As the older population’s health issues and needs are unique in their severity and complexity, it is essential to provide high-quality, safe nursing assessment, management, and care,” ramon said.

registered nurses in Australia’s rACFs require more support and skills to meet the contemporary

complex health and wellbeing needs of residents.

ramon said the HIrAID Aged Care framework is “designed to improve the quality and safety of person-centred aged care within rACFs, improve registered nurse (rn) practice, resident and family satisfaction, and reduce unwarranted hospital burden.

“the study will translate the evidence of a highly successful

emergency nursing assessment framework, HIrAID, to the aged care sector.”

Anchored in a strong foundation of research evidence and expert input, HIrAID improves the clinical outcomes, quality of patient assessment, recognition and response to clinical deterioration, nurses’ communication, decision-making, situational awareness and task management skills, and nurses’ selfefficacy and levels of anxiety.

the life-saving emergency nursing assessment HIrAID framework is already being implemented in 31 emergency departments across new south Wales, Queensland, and Victoria.

this WsLHD research project in the Westmead Health Precinct will co-design and test the new aged care nursing assessment framework, HIrAID Aged Care, to improve the quality and safety of person-centred aged care within rACFs and will provide rns with more support and skills to meet the contemporary complex health and wellbeing needs of residents, ultimately improving the quality of life for older Australians.

Meet Western Sydney Local Health District’s new Board members

Western sydney Local Health District (WsLHD) has welcomed five brandnew members to its already esteemed Board.

the members of the WsLHD Board are appointed by the nsW Minister for Health for a term of up to four years.

WsLHD’s Board Chair, richard Alcock AO, and Ce, Graeme Loy, received the new members at the first board meeting for 2023 at Westmead Hospital.

WsLHD also extended a huge thank you to the two board members whose term has ended: narelle Bell and Debra thoms.

their time on the board was acknowledged and both were thanked for their expertise, guidance and dedication during their tenure and for bringing a wealth of experience and local knowledge to the management of WsLHD health services.

WsLHD new Board members:

Chandrika Subramaniyan

Chandrika subramaniyan is a well-known solicitor who has been focusing on community services for over two decades. she currently chairs sydwest Multicultural services and is a Microsoft certified professional who teaches law, leadership, It, and community management at the tertiary level. she also serves on several Australian and overseas organisations and committees, is a fellow of many reputed institutes, and founded tamil Valarchi Manram which focuses on serving the tamil community with language and culture. Chandrika is

also a speaker with knowledge in religion, philosophy, media, law, and leadership and is a regular speaker for overseas universities and academic institutions. she has written more than 53 books in english and tamil on law, women, media, computers and culture and has received many prestigious awards from India and Australia.

Sue Coleman

sue has lived in western sydney since childhood and holds a Bachelor of social studies (UsYD), Master of Management (Uts) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. sue has extensive senior management, governance and leadership experience gained over thirty years in local government including 12 years as an executive at City of Parramatta and earlier with the not-for-profit sector. She had also held several Board positions in the health, community services, sports and arts sectors and is currently a Director of the Parramatta Leagues Club.

Melissa Monteiro

Melissa Monteiro is CeO of the Community Migrant resource Centre in Parramatta. she has a degree in social Work and over 27 years of

experience in the community sector. she manages a medium-sized notfor-profit organization in Western sydney, with a portfolio that includes child protection, settlement services, women, families, domestic violence, youth, and business services. she focuses on the intersectionality of resettlement stressors by investing in multiple service delivery strategies, ensuring that prevention and early intervention programs are responsive to the unique needs of diverse communities. Melissa is a Pro Bono Australia, IMPACt Australia 21 winner, salvation Army Multicultural Ambassador, executive Board Member on various Local and national Advisory Boards/ Committees, Chair of the settlement Council of Australia and a member of the nsW Police Multicultural Advisory Council and Board Director of the Anti –Discrimination Board nsW.

Karin Lines

Karin has extensive experience working in Local Health Districts in nsW in various roles, including nursing, policy development, service development and planning, academic

teaching, and leadership positions. she held leadership positions such as Director of Mental Health services and executive Director of Forensic Mental Health and Mental Health Branch, nsW Ministry of Health from 2015-2019. During this time, she contributed to national and state mental health committees and has influenced mental health reform in the state and national level. Karin is also on the board of support Act, a charity for musicians and others in the music industry and has assisted in the development of a prevention program and mental health helpline for people in the music industry. In 2018, she was awarded the Public service Medal for outstanding public service to mental health care in nsW.

Stewart Thompson

stewart is a highly experienced Chartered Accountant with over 30 years in the industry. He specialises in providing audit and assurance services for mid-market companies, including private, foreign multinational, ASX-listed, and not-for-profit and public sector organisations. He has a wide range of experience across industries such as transport, logistics, manufacturing, import and distribution, agribusiness, property and the public sector. stewart also has served on many board positions in private, not-for-profit and government entities. He is known for his hands-on approach and ability to understand the big picture from the client’s perspective.

Find out more about each of WsLHD’s Board members here.

TRIBUTE

ANZAC Day: early commemorations

In 1916 the first Anzac Day commemorations were held on 25 April. The day was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services across Australia, a march through London, and a sports day in the Australian camp in Egypt. In London more than 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets; a London newspaper headline dubbed them “the knights of Gallipoli”. Marches were held all over Australia; in the Sydney march convoys of cars carried soldiers wounded on Gallipoli and their nurses. For the remaining years of the war Anzac Day was used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns, and parades of serving members of the AIF were held in most cities.

During the 1920s Anzac Day became established as a national day of commemoration for the more than 60,000 Australians who had died during the war. In 1927, for the first time, every state observed some form of public holiday on Anzac Day. By the mid-1930s all the rituals we now associate with the day – dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, two-up games – were firmly established as part of Anzac Day culture.

Later, Anzac Day also served to commemorate the lives of Australians who died in the Second World War, and in subsequent years the meaning of the day has been further broadened to include those who lost their lives in all the military and peacekeeping operations in which Australia has been involved.

Anzac Day was first commemorated at the

Memorial in 1942. At the time, government orders prohibited large public gatherings in case of a Japanese air attack, so it was a small occasion

with neither a march nor a memorial service. Since then, Anzac Day has been commemorated at the Memorial every year.

The Dawn Service: Lest We Forget

IT is often suggested that the Dawn Service observed on Anzac Day has its origins in a military routine still followed by the Australian Army. The half-light of dawn was one of the times favoured for launching an attack. Soldiers in defensive positions were woken in the dark before dawn, so by the time first light crept across the battlefield they were awake, alert, and manning their weapons; this is still known as the “stand-to”. As dusk is equally favourable for battle, the stand-to was repeated at sunset.

After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they had felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. A dawn vigil became the basis for commemoration in several places after the war. It is difficult to say when the first dawn services were held, as many were instigated by veterans,

clergymen, and civilians from all over the country. A dawn requiem mass was held at Albany as early as 1918, and a wreathlaying and commemoration took place at dawn in Toowoomba the following year. In 1927 a group of returned men returning at dawn from an Anzac Day function held the night before came upon an elderly woman laying flowers at the as yet unfinished Sydney Cenotaph. Joining her in this private remembrance, the men later resolved to institute a dawn service the following year. Some 150 people gathered at the Cenotaph in 1928 for a wreathlaying and two minutes’ silence. This is generally regarded as the beginning of organised dawn services. Over the years the ceremonies have developed into their modern forms and have seen an increased association with the dawn landings of 25 April 1915.

25 April 1916: Australian and New Zealand troops marching down Whitehall London to Westminster Abbey.

39 new nurses offering world-class care to patients at Blacktown Mount Druitt Hospital

Like many before her, Blacktown Hospital emergency Department (eD) Registered Nurse (RN), Rebecca Manning, was in awe of her mother growing up and loved hearing her work stories.

Unsurprisingly, Rebecca’s mother is also an eD RN, which gave her daughter a front-row seat to the fast-paced eD environment throughout her childhood.

“i loved hearing mum’s stories about working in the eD and have always wanted to care for really sick people,” said Rebecca.

Rebecca is one of 39 registered nurses and midwives recently welcomed to Blacktown Mount Druitt Hospital (BMDH).

These new recruits have completed an intense week of orientation, training and clinical skills stations, and will be stationed in various wards

including eD, intensive Care Unit (iCU), High Dependency Unit (HDU), Newborn Care and General Medicine across both hospitals.

After completing her studies at UTS, Rebecca Manning undertook placements across the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), but particularly enjoyed working at Blacktown Hospital.

“i chose to work at Blacktown Hospital because of great camaraderie and staff support, and the diversity of patients,” said Rebecca.

Another new Blacktown Hospital recruit, Registered Midwife Fatemah Shafaq, has always valued the women in her life including her mother and sister, who encouraged her to explore a career in midwifery.

“At the end of school, i wasn’t planning on doing midwifery but once i started studying midwifery, i knew i had made the right decision and had no

CROSS WORD

doubts,” said Fatemah.

“i’ve always wanted to work in a profession that cares for people, and i often tell people that midwifery found me.

“For me, midwifery represents the celebration of women and what they are capable of; so, what’s not to love?”

BMDH Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Marie Baxter, is excited to welcome the new cohort of nurses and midwives who selected Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals as their preferred place of employment.

“The new staff will receive a wealth of hands-on experience and be well supported by our teams,” said Marie.

“I’m confident they will enjoy this incredible experience in their new roles – welcome aboard to all – we’re delighted to have you!”

ACROSS

8. In order that not (4)

9. Operatic solos (5)

10. Not pretty (4)

11. Acid neutralizer (6)

12. Unfriendly (8)

13. Flabbergasting (8)

15. Antenna (6)

17. Stammer (7)

19. School term (7)

22. Merry (6)

24. Someone paid to influence politicians (8)

26. Simple and unpretentious (8)

28. Plunderer (6)

30. Eight in Roman numerals (4)

31. Klutzy (5)

32. Inheritor (4)

dOwn

1. Loyal (4)

2. Not crooked (8)

3. American elk (6)

4. News (7)

5. Suck in (air) (8)

6. A third-year undergraduate (6)

7. Entreaty (4)

14. Exceed (5)

16. Long periods of geologic time (5)

18. Mark of omission (8)

20. A window in a roof (8)

21. Cover (7)

23. European peninsula (6)

25. Harangue (6)

27. Hodgepodge (4)

29. Majestic (4)

Mt Druitt Hospital new nursing graduates with acting deputy director of Nursing Kirsty Wallis

Blacktown Hospital new nursing graduates with BMDH Deputy Director of Nursing Medicine Cheryl Trundinger

“Icy” Anzac

By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc.

Nobody seemed to know much about him except that he was generally considered by all those who knew of him in the squadron to be a “cold-foot” and his nickname was appropriately “Icy”. Not that the others had any particular cause to call him that but whenever “beach bill” came screeching overhead he would involuntarily duck and then smile in that peculiar manner of his as much as to say “I can’t help it!”. beechy wasn’t his worst enemy though, for if there was anything that he dreaded it was those Turkish “75’s” (taken from the French in the Balkan War). It used to make us feel as if we could shake him when we saw how he would double himself up, and yet one never liked to attempt anything of the kind whenever he used that smile, moreover as he was over six feet in height and correspondingly strong and it would not have been polite. His was a baffling smile, recalling the peculiar smile of the “Monna Lisa” (sic) and like it, unfathomable. He was a very quiet kind of chap and when it was his turn to do fatigues he would go and perform whatever was required of him without ever grumbling. His mates used to take a mean advantage of his good nature and would shunt all the work such as sweeping out the “Possie” (latrine) or trenches onto him. At the time of which I am writing we had noticed that Abdul was sapping somewhere down the gully, sometimes we could distinguish dark shapes moving about and no amount of sniping on our part would stop them. They worked only during the night and each morning we found that the pile of new earth down the gully had grown higher. At last, we understood his plan and it come to our turn to make a counter move. one evening I was told off among others to go out and dig a new trench in front of Abdul’s new sap. We had to block him from getting to a certain place on the little ride which hitherto had been in “No-Man’s Land”. I noticed that Icy had also been told off, but he was to be one of the covering party. All that night we worked hard, digging ourselves in and filling sandbags which we threw up in front of us. At first, we were undisturbed but suddenly the bullets began to ping-ping over our heads and we knew that Abdul had tumbled. Still, as he was himself intent on digging he did not come out at us but contented himself by sniping thinking to drive us off in that way. However, it was a bit late in the day for that, and since by the time he found us out we had already several good sandbags filled and these protected us as long as we kept well down. Several of our chaps were winged but as none of the wounds were very serious, we didn’t mind that. When it had struck five in the morning we knocked off and retired to sleep away the day. Half a dozen bomb-throwers who had volunteered for the job then took our places, bringing with them a few bombs, their rifles, ammunition, water bottles and a supply of bully beef and biscuits. There they spent the whole day lying low under cover of the sandbags and Abdul troubled them not!. Next night we went out again to resume work and then it was that certain things happened which made us look upon “Icy” in a different light. We had no sooner started work than rat-a-tat went a machine-gun somewhere out to the left and the bullets came pinging round hot and close winging three and killing two on the first discharge. John Turk had stolen a march on us by placing a machine-gun away out on the extreme flank where he could to a certain extent enfilade us. That sort of thing could not be allowed to last as we had to bury our noses in the ground each time the

confounded gun opened up. our covering party being out ahead of us escaped the hail of bullets better than we did. The place was becoming too hot to stay in so the order came along to retire independently to our trenches until something could be done to stop the machine-gun. When we mustered again in the trenches, we found that one man of the covering party was missing. That man was “Icy”. As we were talking about him, wondering who should go back to look for him there came the noise of a commotion from the direction of the Turkish machinegun. bang, bang went a couple of bombs followed by cries and shouts from Abdul and above it all we were certain we heard fragments of language in the category known as Australian “bullocky”. In our trenches everyone had mechanically sprung to arms and stood there wondering, while for fifteen minutes the Turks fired without ceasing. Gradually the noise subsided, and we noticed that for some reason the machine-gun away on the left was strangely quiet. An hour later we were stealing out again to have another attempt to completing our new trenches when I stumbled over the form of a man lying prone. bending over to see him I found it was “Icy”. His clothes were wet and sticky with blood and half underneath his body there showed the muzzle of a machine-gun. As we lifted him up, we saw that the gun was there complete, tripod and all. We took him into the lines and handed him over to the dressing station and just before we came away, he opened his eyes and told enough for us to realise that “Icy” had sneaked over and stolen that Turkish gun. To this day we don’t quite know how he did it as he never will talk about it but before they took him onto the hospital ship next day with his sixteen bullet wounds and scratches, a crowd went down to see him off, along with me amongst the foremost who apologised to “Icy” very humbly. And do you know, he only smiled back at us in that funny old way of his. E. A. M. W. Australian WW1 War Poster from the internet.

Source: Original Anzac Book published in 1916 all contributions were from the original diggers on the Anzac Peninsular at that time in 1915.

Homeloans are getting more expensive – What can you do to get a better deal?

Alex SoNciNi

The Reserve Bank of Australia paused raising interest rates this month and have also signalled more increases in rates are likely to come, adding to the increasing the cost of living for many homeowners.

The cost of variable mortgages has risen steeply following ten consecutive official cash rate rises since May, and whilst house prices everywhere are experiencing varying results coupled with the impacts of loan serviceability are leaving borrowers with lower buying power.

Given the high home loan interest rates with more rate hikes likely to come, it is sparking a refinancing hunt for more home loan savings as mortgage holders shop around for a better deal.

For these borrowers, failing to shop around for a better deal can add $570 or more each month to a standard $500,000 loan over 30 years and for those borrowers with higher rates than 6.5 percent, refinancing to the lowest priced loan could lead to savings of more than $1,000 a month on a $500,000 loan over 30 years.

Finance researchers have suggested that the rate rises have made life tougher overall for first-home buyers. That’s because lenders considering mortgage applications apply an assessment rate that is higher than the actual home loan rate for repayments, meaning a loan people could afford in May is now unaffordable in the lenders eyes.

Refinancing is expected to sharply increase in the

coming months and will become harder, especially for those who were stretched when they first got a loan when prices were near record highs.

The biggest hit for a large group of homeowners is still to come for the 30-40 per cent of customers who took out a fixed-rate loan in recent years at deeply discounted rates. The fixed rate cliff is predicted to peak in September this year with half of mortgage holders ultra-low rates expiring.

Many fixed rate loans will switch back to variable rates in 2023 and won’t experience the gradual monthly increases the rest of the market has, instead they will be hit by a bus of $600-$1000 increase a month as their loan reverts to variable.

The time to react is now and be proactive to improve your battered borrowing power.

CLEAN UP DEBTS

Try to clear personal loan and credit card debts, including unused credit card limits. The repayments, even though they may be short term, will be debited against income in the bank’s assessment of the loan and will limit the amount that can be borrowed.

CHANGE WORK STATUS

Workplaces have shifted radically in recent years as casual jobs boomed at the expense of permanent roles and long-term contracts.

however, employees have more bargaining power today amid record low unemployment and may be able to switch to a permanent position that banks will look upon more favourably.

Lenders have varying criteria when it comes to contract work, but most in one way or another discount income when it is earned on short or medium-term contracts. Negotiating with your employer to be employed can make a big difference to affordability.

CUT SPENDING

Bad habits picked up during the pandemic, such as ordering mountains of takeaway food, may need to be banished if you want more borrowing power. Lenders can look at all your spending, not just loan repayments.

Borrowers need to prove they can afford repayments, and unnecessary spending works against this.

THINK SMALLER

Sometimes changing economic and market conditions means people’s expectations have to change too.

Borrowers may need to think about buying a smaller home or a property further from the CBD to get a foot in the door. Or consider consolidating multiple debts into one larger, lowinterest loan.

Refinancing or purchasing a property and you could end up with a homeloan which better suits your needs.

To get a better understanding contact Alex Soncini at Wealthwiz for a free home loan review on 0419 600 177 or email at alex.soncini@wealthwiz.com.au.

Rick Johnston moves to new role at Hawkesbury Race Club

By Noel Rowsell

Hawkesbury race Club

r acecourse Manager rick Johnston will transition to a key ‘Venue Caretaker’ role this month, whilst remaining at Hawkesbury race Club.

rick has been at Hawkesbury race Club for the past 20 years, with the last 3 years in the role of racecourse Manager.

“rick has done a wonderful job for the Club over many years,” stated Hawkesbury race Club CeO James Heddo.

“His knowledge of the racecourse, grounds and operations is unparalleled, and it is something we greatly value and don’t want to lose.”

In planning for the future, the Club has been able to secure Johnston in

this new multi-faceted role, where he will be able to share the knowledge he has acquired during his time at Hawkesbury.

“I believe it will be invaluable for a new racecourse Manager at Hawkesbury race Club to have rick’s experience available for assistance as required,” stated Heddo.

“rick is extremely well respected throughout the Industry and we look forward to a continuing association for many years to come.”

“I am thrilled to progress into this new role and focus my attention over the entire venue,” stated Johnston.

“I am looking forward to continuing to be part the great team at Hawkesbury and contributing to the ongoing success of the Club.”

Hawkesbury race Club will now advertise for a new racecourse Manager, to commence after this year’s Hawkesbury Cup raceday.

It Happens takes third place in Women’s Keelboat Series

THe 6-race 2023 sydney

Harbour women’s keelboat series concluded on 26 March, with four of the six races completed and two abandoned.

a total of twelve yachts competed in division 1 and six yachts in division 2, with the locally-owned racing yacht ‘It Happens’ the only Division 1 entrant racing without the benefit of a spinnaker.

“we had a higher handicap than 8 of the

“Our

The full crew list over the 6-race series was bridget Canham (helm), kelly Jeffs, romi Titanti, Charlotte Palmer, Chloe young, David Chesters, Craig young, robert speedy, Char Vella, steve Thompson, brian Flood, Mitchell young.

Rick Johnston

- photo courtesy of Racing NSW

Action from the 2022/23 Sydney Harbour Women’s Keelboat Series. Photos supplied

By Noel Rowsell other Division 1 boats in the last race, due to winning the series the previous year,” partowner David Chesters said.

skipper bridget Canham and the crew (from Penrith / richmond) did a great job to get us on the podium, in third place, at series end.”

International Polo highlight of Easter weekend

By Noel Rowsell

There was a feast of international Polo at Windsor Polo Club on easter Sunday, beginning with a junior game between NSW and South Island NZ, followed by Australia vs england Women, then Australia vs Argentina Men.

The last international Polo event held at Windsor Polo Club was in 2019 and after a series of hard years, organisers described it as an incredible feeling to be able to host this year’s International and for it to be such a wonderful success.

Crowd numbers were anticipated at 1,000 but quickly surpassed that number, as both locals and distant travellers flocked to the picturesque Polo grounds in Windsor.

The 2023 Men’s International was won by Argentina (rauli Laplacette (c), Paco O’Dwyer, Manuel Llorente, Pilu O’Dwyer - reserves Guy Gibrat, Bautista Panelo) 11-5 over Australia (ruki Ballieu (c), Alec White, Dirk Gould, Lachie Gilmore – reserve Jack Archibald).

The 2023 Women’s International was won Australia ( Indi Bennetto (c), Shannon Booth, Ashley Glennie, Phillipa Fitz-henry – reserve Anna Dowling) 9-6 over england ( Sarah Wiseman, emma Sanderson, Lottie Lamacraft, Lucy Bowman – reserve Bryony Taylor).

The 2023 Junior International was won by NSW (Tom Parry-Okeden, Archie Dowling, Cody Grimes (c), Blake Grimes – reserve Toby Dowling) over South Island NZ (Skye Turner, Max Dormer, Tom Turner, ed Davidson – reserve James reid).

The off-field action included a visit from the easter bunny, Fashions on the Field and a well-place golden horse shoe.

Thank you to our sponsors who made this day possible, including the Classic Safari Company and the royal richmond hotel, which are both long time supporters of polo and Windsor Polo Club, and to Bannaby Angus Polo & Vivaldi Flora for their support of the event.

The day would not be complete without thanking the many volunteers who made the international possible, WPC President Julie McIntosh for her tireless dedication to putting it together, and everyone who supported at the ground or watched from home, thanks to Polocamtv - games are

available to re-watch at any time, simply head to polocam to catch up.

The Polo action continues this weekend, with the staging of the royal richmond hotel Gold Cup over 15th16th April. entry for spectators is free. The Morton Cup Finals is also being played at Windsor on 16th April.

Team photos. Supplied by WPC

Action from the Women’s International. Photos by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au)

Action from the Men’s International. Photos by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au)

Huge clash this Sunday – Blacktown City FC Vs Apia Leichhardt

By Bo B Turner

Blacktown city will host apia leichhardt this Sunday, april 16th at landen Stadium in a game that is vital for Blacktown. apia have yet to lose a game this season and sit second on the nPl Men’s ladder with six wins and four draws. Blacktown currently sit in sixth position with Five wins, one draw and Four losses.

last week was Round ten of the 2023 Men’s Premier league season completing one third of the thirty week competition. In that round, Blacktown suffered a 1-0 loss to 5th place Sydney United. apia had a convincing win over last year’s Grand Finalists, Manly United, 3-1. Rockdale llinden have started the 2023 season on fire and currently lead the competition with an eight win and one loss record.

Fresh from their convincing 2-0 win over Sutherland the week before, Blacktown started the game against United full of confidence and determined for an away victory over their arch rivals. they were by far the dominant force in the opening 45’ minutes with their high tempo play but were unable to break the deadlock as both teams headed to the sheds scoreless at the break. the second half was much the same for Blacktown as they kept United Goal keeper, Danijel nizic, extremely busy. nizic, starring in a Man-of the Match performance, stopped a point blank header from city substitute charles Mendy in the 83rd minute for a ‘Save of the Match’ to keep United 58 in the lead.

a slip up by the Blacktown city defense in the 72nd minute gave Sydney United the upper hand and their 1-0 lead.

It was a hard fought and hard won three points in an eagerly contested fixture but left the visitors wondering how they hadn’t managed to get anything from the match. Head coach Mark crittenden commented after the game “I cannot understand how we’ve come away with a loss,” he said. “at the end of the day you have to take your chances and we didn’t take any of the many we created. Our firsthalf was superb but we came in at nil-all leaving us to scratch our heads. I’m not sure what the defence was thinking to allow them to score after a poor decision and positioning but it’s a game we should have won by three or four today,” coach crittenden concluded.

the week following Easter is a mammoth one for Blacktown city. Prior to the clash with second place apia on Sunday, the 16th, Blacktown will travel to Belmore oval for their first round encounter in the 2023 australia cup. First up opponents, Sydney olympic, pose a threat to end Blacktown’s cup before they even get started.

Blacktown city Senior women lost their third game in a row on Easter Sunday going down 5-0 to 5th place nepean. It has been a rough few weeks for Head women’s coach, David ‘Dok’ o’keefe as he works to keep the Blacktown women moving up the ladder in only their second year of competition. Blacktown travel to SD Raiders next Sunday and

return to landen Stadium on Sunday, april 23rd to host South East Phoenix.

Blacktown city Men Vs apia leichhardt this Sunday, april 16th at landen Stadium, 5 Quinn ave, Seven Hills. Under 20’s at 1pm and Senior Men at 3pm. See you there!

Go Blacktown city!

Jack O’Brien & Carlos DeOliveira VS Sutherland. Photos: Not24Get

2022 Matt Lewis medal Winner – Adam Berr Charles Mendy

Western NeWs

Friday, 14 April 2023

Hawkesbury Gold Cup Race Day

General admission tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Hawkesbury Cup race day, scheduled for Saturday 22 april 2023.

In what is shaping as the Club’s biggest Cup Day yet, early shoppers will be able to secure a 20 percent discount on General admission tickets, with prices starting from $20.

racegoers are encouraged to purchase their tickets early to avoid queues on Cup Day.

“This incentive offers an opportunity for patrons

to secure discounted general admission tickets for this great event, without having to worry about lining up on the day,” stated Hawkesbury race Club CeO James Heddo.

“Hawkesbury Cup Day is always a special and memorable event to share with family and friends and we are offering packages to suit every taste and budget.”

The massive 10 race program offers $1.6 million in prizemoney, highlighted by the Group 3 $200,000 richmond Club Hawkesbury Gold Cup over 1600m.

Off the track, we have plenty of musical

entertainment planned for the day, plus Fashions on the Field which will have a change of format to make it easier and less time consuming for patrons who wish to take part.

“We will encourage fashionistas to enter our Fashions on the Field Competition by uploading their photos taken from our “Fashion Chute” area on the day to the Hawkesbury race Club Instagram and Facebook pages,” stated Heddo.

“We will have some great prizes on offer and will provide further details closer to the event.”

For more information or to book hospitality and ticketing visit www.hawkesburyraceclub.com.au

Hawkesbury Cup Day in 2022. File photos by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au)

By Noel Rowsell