Dubbo Weekender 20.12.2014

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Saturday 20.12.2014

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FROM THE EDITOR

CONTENTS Jen FEATURED THIS WEEK

Cowley Why humanity needs a ticket to ride

08 Seven Days 15 Tears and triumphs 18 Sydney’s tragedy

Taking a look back on what made news in 2014

Locals look back on the year that was

“We won’t let it change us”: Why Sydney will rise to the challenge

19 22

Greg Smart

2014’s winners and losers: And the award goes to...

We’ve had you covered

We take a look back at just some of the stories told, issues discussed, people profiled and events covered by the Weekender team

REGULARS 6 Tony Webber 8 Natalie Holmes 10 Sally Bryant 28 James Eddy You’ll also love...

32 Hear See Do Etc. 34 Play: Puzzles & Stars

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CONTACTS & CREDITS | Email feedback@dubboweekender.com.au | Online www.dubboweekender.com.au | www.twitter.com/DubboWeekender | www.facebook.com/WeekenderDubbo Published by Panscott Media Pty Ltd ABN 94 080 152 021 Managing Director Tim Pankhurst Editor Jen Cowley News Editor Natalie Holmes Photography Kaitlyn Rennie, Alexandra Meyer, Steve Cowley Design Sarah Head, Hayley Ferris Reception Leanne Ryan General disclaimer: The publisher accepts no responsibility for letters, notices and other material contributed for publication. The submitter accepts full responsibility for material, warrants that it is accurate, and indemnifies the publisher against any claim or action. All advertisers, including those placing display, classified or advertorial material, warrant that such material is true and accurate and meets all applicable laws and indemnifies the publisher against all liabilities that may arise from the publication of such material. Whilst every care is taken in preparing this publication, we cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The editor, Jen Cowley, accepts responsibility for election comment. Articles contain information of a general nature – readers should always seek professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. Corrections and comments: Panscott Media has a policy of correcting mistakes promptly. If you have a complaint about published material, contact us in writing. If the matter remains unresolved, you may wish to contact the Australian Press Council. © Copyright 2014 Panscott Media Pty Ltd. Copyright in all material – including editorial, photographs and advertising material – is held

by Panscott Media Pty Ltd or its providers and must not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the Publisher.

I

’ve had this week’s editorial– a light, fluffy look back at the year gone, and a warm fuzzy, cheesecoated message of peace and goodwill to all men (and women) – in the bag for weeks.

At least I thought I had. Then Man Haron Monis slithered into the Lindt Café in Martin Place, armed with a shotgun and murderous intent, and blew not only my editorial but two innocent lives, a city’s sense of ease and the comfort of God knows how many people who will suffer as a result of his lunacy, to smithereens.

There is little I can say to add anything meaningful that hasn’t already been said but I can’t bring myself to write of anything else, so deeply has this event moved, touched, angered or bewildered so many of us.

I wouldn’t have thought that, following the extraordinary coverage of Phillip Hughes’ untimely death, mainstream and social media could best their efforts at one-upmanship. But best it they did.

Much of the coverage was commendable; some was downright abhorrent and insensitive (I’m looking at you, Rupert Murdoch) but one simple message eclipsed them all. The quiet act of compassion from a young Sydney woman, who vowed to “ride with” anyone of the Muslim faith who felt threatened in any way from the fall-out from Monis’ actions, became an instant and global sensation.

The #illridewithyou phenomenon, and the motivation behind it, is laudable. The notion of solidarity with a peaceful Islamic community again tainted by the actions of a lone extremist crusader is inspiring.

But in the wake of this week’s upset and anger, we have some greater choices to make.

We can choose to wait in our comfort zones for a distressing incident like this, then cherry-pick the best of humanity it elicits. We can choose to ride the wave of emotion, and join the chorus of hope and charity until something shiny and new again distracts us.

Or we can choose to take this smack to our complacent faces and use it as a constant reminder that compassion and empathy should last longer than even the longest news cycle.

The Muslim community is not alone in being stigmatised by the events of this week. Much has been made of the gunman’s instability but, just as not everyone who follows the Islamic faith should be mentioned in the same breath as this fanatic, neither is everyone who suffers from a mental illness – and that’s one in five of us, by the way – dangerous.

If you’ll ride with someone who feels threatened because of the hijab they wear, would you also ride with the vulnerable odd-ball mumbling to himself on the bus – the one who’s unaware of the people sniggering, or who move, through conditioned but unfounded fear, to the seat furthest away or who, worse still, eye off his tattered wallet, just waiting for the chance?

Would you ride with the woman with the dark, dark skin and hair, her beautiful sari a beacon for those who judge her somehow less worthy for simply being “different”?

Will you step up and ride with the bloke in the wheelchair who’s holding up the queue for the ferry? The old lady, bewildered and frail, who is trying to pay for her groceries with the contents of a sad little purse – busy shoppers huffing in frustra-

tion behind her?

And the children who are quietly denied service at the local shops because they’re Aboriginal? Will you ride with them?

At any time of year, but particularly as Christmas approaches, with its often empty platitudes about goodwill and peace, shouldn’t we also pledge to ride with all those who are fearful or vulnerable or in need?

I’ll go first.

If you’re suffering and debilitated by chronic and serious mental illness; shamed by a disease over which you have no control; pursued by unseen demons and frightened by your isolation – I’ll ride with you.

If you’re marginalised by poverty – social, emotional or economic – I’ll ride with you.

When you are not free to peacefully express your views, your faith, your beliefs, in a country that prides itself on an egalitarian ethos – I’ll ride with you.

When your sexuality, your gender, your disability is used against you or you are denied the things others take for granted simply because of the colour of your skin – be it black, white or otherwise – I’ll ride with you.

If you are sick and old and weak; if you are alone and frightened and desperate; if you are down on your luck and at the end of your rope, and if you need my help to help yourself – I’ll ride with you.

If you’re dying and you’re frightened and your time on earth is nearly done – I’ll ride with you.

If you are Australian, or you want to be, and your heart is true, and your intent is peaceful and you are kind and honest – I’ll ride with you.

And if you’re a white, middle-class, employed, straight, Christian bloke who’s just trying to make his way in an increasingly complex world – well, then I’ll ride with you too.

And thanks, but I won’t need a hashtag.

••• his is our last edition for the year, and I’d like to thank you for sailing with us on the Good Ship Weekender for the past four and a half years. We’ll be back in 2015 – at the end of January – with all the content you’ve come to know, enjoy and trust. But there’ll be more. So much more.

And we’ll be asking for your help to take our next big step and make Weekender even more the region’s most trusted source of commentary, analysis and issue coverage. Just a few pages on, you’ll find some more information about how you can help us to make your Weekender even better, but in the meantime, on behalf of all the crew, I wish you a safe, peaceful and restful Christmas. May you be surrounded by people you love, and who love you back, and may you keep a thought in your head and a place in your heart for those who will be doing it tough, for whatever reason, this festive season.

•••

T

“ We can choose to wait in our comfort zones for a distressing incident like this, then cherry-pick the best of humanity it elicits.

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

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OPINION & ANALYSIS

Tony Webber

>> Tony Webber is a former commercial journalist whose bitterness towards the industry knows no bounds.

Media frenzy around Hughes’ death was just money talking Y

ou’d hate to think that climbing circulation figures kept cricketer Phillip Hughes and his death in the newspapers for so long.

But some of the desperate coverage seems to suggest that editorial decision was influenced by something other than additional information that served the public interest in some way.

Although my research was scant a couple of episodes stand out: firstly the use of Facebook quotes from people who didn’t know him, and secondly a farcical comparison with Lady Di. One Facebook quote was repeated in both print and TV coverage, and opened with the words “I didn’t know Phillip Hughes but...” and went on to express respectful regret and whatever else you would expect someone to say about an unfortunate accident resulting in death.

And that’s my point: the opening sentence should have said it all; she didn’t know him so what was her contribution going to be other than some predictable expression of sorrow, which is all very well and good, but isn’t news.

6

Anyone one can do it: “He/she lived life to the full, they died doing what they loved: a larrikin who is no doubt deeply missed by his/her family and loved ones.”

That’s not news. Using that sort of gush in a supposed newspaper article is merely tissue-box tabloid nonsense masquerading as some sort of “new angle” on the story.

This grasping for fresh angles reached its peak weirdness in a two-page spread in the Sydney Morning Herald of all places, a newspaper that used to be considered the credible press.

There they were; the late Mr Hughes and Lady Di: a deceased sportsman killed after being hit in the neck by a cricket ball and an English aristocrat killed in 1997 in a drink-driving accident, largely because she wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

The introductory blurb accompanying the article even contained the phrase – in reference to Hughes – “man of the people,” presumably in the same way the media beatification of Diana utilised “the people’s princess” in its marketing fable.

I suppose you could not argue

“ All the faux sincerity did not disguise the fact that this was commercial media capitalising on the young fellow’s death for profit.

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

that he was not a “man of the people”, as it is a term that could apply loosely to anyone who doesn’t exist as a hermit.

But it just seemed frightfully silly when applied to a rather young sportsperson, as opposed to someone who gave the people something slightly more substantial than the spectacle of whacking a cricket ball around an oval.

The relentless media coverage was part-justified by descriptions of the shock and “freak” nature of the circumstances that took Hughes’ life.

But surely batsmen wear a helmet for a reason, and that reason is that the game allows a hard projectile to be directed at the head/neck area of an opponent a fairly short distance away, at tremendous velocity.

The head is well covered these days but the neck is completely exposed – how “freakish” is it then that he was hit? Sure, it’s an unlikelihood of sorts but it’s not like the poor bugger was struck by a lightning bolt or taken by wolves.

All the faux sincerity did not disguise the fact that this was

commercial media capitalising on the young fellow’s death for profit.

Do you think his family and friends enjoyed not being able to turn on a TV or walk past a newspaper stand without yet another reminder of their loss?

If you were mourning the sudden death of a loved one would you want the funeral crawling with strangers with cameras and microphones, or politicians like Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten turning up, drawn like moths to the publicity flame?

Finally the Australian Cricket Board won plaudits for showing sympathy, support and flexibility with Hughes’ player peers after his death and funeral.

All that remains is to ban the head-high bouncer just as body contact football codes have progressively eliminated dangerous aspects of their game.

That would be a more fitting tribute than shameless profiteering dressed up as journalism.

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20.12.2014 THE DAY IN HISTORY: In 1917, with the AIF further weakened by the losses of 1917, Prime Minister William Hughes asked Australians for the second time to vote for conscription for overseas service. The proposal was defeated.

In 1946 the first Indochina war began with Vietnamese troops under Ho Chi Minh clashing with the French at Hanoi.

In 1987, a passenger ferry struck by an oil tanker sank in the Philippines and nearly 1600 people died in what was called the century’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.

In 1999, Macau reverted to Chinese rule.

In 2011, the Kepler, NASA’s orbiting space observatory, discovered the first two Earthsize planets outside the solar system but both orbit too close to a sun-like star to have water on the surface.

In 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he opposes the Muslim practice of wearing headscarves, or hijabs, in his country’s schools. “Why should we adopt outside tradition?” he said.

BIRTHDAYS: Those born on this date include statesman Sir Robert Gordon Menzies in 1894; nuclear physicist Robert Van de Graaff in 1901; TV personality Ray Martin in 1944 (age 70); musician Alan Parsons in 1948 (age 66); British rock singer Billy Bragg in 1957 (age 57); Australian cyclist Michael Rogers in 1979 (age 35); and actor Jonah Hill in 1983 (age 31).

21.12.2014 THE DAY IN HISTORY: In 1817, Governor Lachlan Macquarie formally adopted the name “Australia” for this British colony.

In 1937, Walt Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the first full-length animated feature film, opened in Los Angeles.

In 1968, Apollo 8, the first manned voyage to orbit the moon, was launched.

In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded and crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, killing everyone aboard and 11 people on the ground for a total death toll of 270.

In 1998, the shaky coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu collapsed when Israel’s Parliament voted 81-30 to dissolve the government.

NEWS ANALYSIS

Seven Days

BY NATALIE HOLMES Dubbo Weekender News Editor

A winning edge with Christmas on the cards T

he student winners of Dubbo MP Troy Grant’s annual Christmas card competition were announced this week. Grant said it’s never an easy decision, with so many wonderful entries.

“Everyone did an amazing job and I want to thank each every student that took the time to colour in,” he said.

Geurie Public School student Angus Woldhuis won the competition, while Kyah Turnball from Parkes and Fabian Hill from Mudgee placed second and third respectively. Highly commended certificates went to various other entrants.

Highway arrest for wanted man A man wanted by police on aggravated sexual assault offences was arrested after he was spotted by a witness walking along the Mitchell Highway near the Dubbo airport earlier this week.

Rodney Griffiths, 47, was believed to have been sleeping rough near Coolabah, west of Walgett, when police issued a public alert about his whereabouts last weekend.

His arrest came on Tuesday morning following a tip-off from a member of the public. The aggravated sexual offences allegedly committed occurred in the Narromine area.

Exam results released As Wednesday morning dawned in Dubbo, 880 local students joined 76,000 others across the state to receive their Higher School Certificate results. Among the top achievers for 2014 were Courtenay Mace (design and technology), Nikita Jones (entertainment industry), both of St Johns College; and Regan Layton (metal and engineering) from Dubbo School of Distance Education.

A full record of senior secondary results, including Years 10 and 11 also became available to HSC students yesterday.

Success in the HSC is just one way to-

Geurie Public School student Angus Woldhuis won Troy Grant’s annual Christmas card competition. Photo: Supplied

wards a rewarding career.

While many students will receive an ATAR and a university offer, more than 30 per cent of students will use their HSC to go straight into employment, TAFE or an apprenticeship.

Running into trouble with the law A Victorian man has run into the law – quite literally – after crashing his car into a parked police vehicle in Coonabarabran.

The 32-year-old wasn’t injured in the accident, but was arrested by police as a result.

The crash occurred at 6pm last Saturday.

Meanwhile, police have released CCTV footage of a break-in which occurred just before 2am on Monday in a Gilgandra office. The would-be thief left empty-hand-

BIRTHDAYS: Those born on this date include Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket in 1118; American patriot Paul Revere in 1734; British dog breeder John “Jack” Russell in 1795; actor Jane Fonda in 1937 (age 77); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Frank Zappa in 1940 and Carl Wilson (Beach Boys) in 1946; cricketer Doug Walters in 1945 (age 69); actor Samuel L. Jackson in 1948 (age 66); tennis Hall of fame member Chris Evert in 1954 (age 60); comedian Ray Romano in 1957 (age 57); actor Kiefer Sutherland in 1966 (age 48); and golfer Karrie Webb in 1974 (age 40).

JUST A THOUGHT: Benjamin Disraeli defined a bore as a person “who has the power of speech but not the capacity for conversation.”

8

ed. In Mudgee, a 29-year-old Cooks Gap man was charged with 19 firearm, drug and driving offences for threatening a woman with a sawn-off shotgun after forcing her to pull over when she was driving from Goolma to Dubbo. The pair was known to one another.

Council happy to go it alone Dubbo City Council has reaffirmed its position not to support any amalgamations with other councils, following its December ordinary meeting on Monday.

Council will now begin to prepare a submission for the State Government’s Fit for the Future local government reform program with the understanding that the city has the scale and capacity to operate successfully as a stand-alone Council.

Dubbo Mayor Mathew Dickerson said the Council reaffirmed its position that a merger with any Council, including Narromine or Wellington, was not supported.

The next phase is to undertake a selfassessment to determine whether Council Dubbo is indeed Fit for the Future and to make a submission to the Office of Local Government by 30 June 2015.

The submission will need to address criteria such as sustainability, efficiency, effective infrastructure and service management.

Dickerson said Council will need to demonstrate that it can meet all criteria in the future.

Infrastructure grants announced

Dubbo College Senior Campus teacher Dimiti Trudgett was brought to tears by her student Cody Jones’ success in the HSC. They are pictured with Cody’s mum Jennifer Jones and deputy principal Debbie Head. Cody achieved a Band 6 in Community and Family Studies despite having central hypotonia. He hopes to get into social work as a career. Photo: Dubbo Weekender/Natalie Holmes

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

Eleven projects in the local region will receive funding for community infrastructure projects as part of the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership program. Almost 3000 applications were received across NSW. Applicants in the Dubbo Electorate to receive the funding included the Outback

Dragons ($16,957), Eumungerie and District Recreation Association ($45,000), Dundullimal Homestead ($11,000), Dubbo City Council ($20,000) and Dubbo West Preschool ($45,000). Other recipients were Parkes Shire Council ($30,000), Eugowra Community Children’s Centre ($7000), Forbes CWA ($5390), Bedgerebong Showground & Racecourse Public Recreation Ground Committee ($9653), Narromine Community Skills Project ($75,000) and Ballimore and District Progress Association ($35,000).

the $91.3 million bill for the upgrade.

Ban on banners A prominent promotional space in Dubbo has been shut down, following the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s (ARTC) advice that banners and signs were no longer allowed to be suspended from the Macquarie St railway bridge. The advice was given to Dubbo City Council this week, with the ARTC citing risks to persons and property as the reason for the decision.

Lawrence supports rehab facility

Sydney siege hits home Dubbo residents mourned alongside their city counterparts at the senseless deaths of two innocent hostages during a 16-hour siege in the Lindt Café, in Sydney’s Martin Place this week.

While some hostages managed to escape, many others were injured and gunman Man Haron Monis also killed.

Sydney went into lockdown and local residents sat by their televisions horrified by the events. Flowers were placed at the Cyril Flood Rotunda in memory of the victims.

Member for Dubbo and Deputy Premier Troy Grant has set up a condolence book at his Talbragar Street office for those wishing to pay tribute to the victims of this week’s tragic event.

Flowers were placed at the Cyril Flood Rotunda in Dubbo to honour the victims of the Sydney siege. Photo: Dubbo Weekender

Photo: Dubbo Weekender

Elvis interest ramps up Interest in the Parkes Elvis Festival is already ramping up, with music lovers invited to head on down to rock ‘n’ roll with the King in early January. The festival has become a benchmark for other festivals in the region, with Parkes now as synonymous with the late singer as Dubbo is with Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Thousands of impersonators, diehard fans and lovers of the musical genre and era flock to the city each January to pay homage to their hero, whose birthday falls on January 8. This year, entrants are also invited to get creative with other facets of the festival, not just their costume or hairdo. Whether in music or photography, poetry or cake-decorating, there are numerous ways to get involved and show off talent at the 2015 festival which gets under way on January 7.

Registrations are now open for both the annual Poets’ Breakfast and the Elvis Edible Art Competition. Festival organisers have also announced the inaugural photographic exhibition. This year’s event coincides with what would have been Elvis’ 80th birthday.

Rural crime on the rise Police in the New England region are

appealing for information after four head of cattle were stolen from a property in the area.

The owner of the cattle was mustering stock when he noticed the four missing beasts.

New England Rural Crime Investigator, Senior Constable Gavin Berry, said police take rural crime theft very seriously.

“Rural crime costs millions of dollars every year. Theft of livestock, produce and equipment, trespassing and other crimes affect people’s livelihood and well-being.”

There has also been a spate of gun thefts from properties reported in recent months, along with a John Deere tractor stolen from a Trangie property.

Shields questions shielded plans Dubbo Deputy Mayor Ben Shields has questioned the wisdom of the state government in not having the Dubbo Base Hospital renovation plans on public display or readily available to the community. Shields spoke out this week, saying that he didn’t see the sense in having the blueprints secreted away from public view when NSW taxpayers were footing

Country Labor Candidate Stephen Lawrence has pledged his full support towards bringing a dedicated drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility to Dubbo.

“I am very well aware of the fantastic work the Lyndon Community has been doing for many years. I have been personally involved in helping Aboriginal people to access the service. It is so exciting that there are moves to extend their good work to Dubbo.”

Police appeal for crash witnesses Police have appealed for information from the public following a car accident in North Dubbo which involved a silver dual-cab Toyota Landcruiser utility and a motorcycle at the intersection of Bourke and Myall streets. The two motorcycle riders, a man and woman, were taken to hospital with serious injuries while the male driver of the utility wasn’t injured in the crash.

Anyone that witnessed the accident is urged to contact police, in particular, the driver of a van seen in the area at the time.

Fire at Mt Bodangora Firefighters had a blaze at Mt Bodangora north of Wellington under control on Wednesday night after it burned approximately 10 ha of land. The grass fire was attended by members of the Orana Rural Fire Service. Meanwhile, a fire at Piambong in the Mudgee area was also brought under control by the RFS.

NEWS ANALYSIS

Seven Days: 2014 in review It was another year of highs and lows for Dubbo and the region – Weekender takes a look back over 12 months of Seven Days:

:: January :: Power interrupted NSW Fire & Rescue crews were called in to attend a blaze at Essential Energy’s Wheelers Lane sub-station after a power transformer caught alight. The power supply to Wellington was disconnected while the fire was extinguished between noon and 3pm.

Regional West acting commander Gary Barber said the 132kv transformer is one of two that supplies the western region. Fortunately for residents, the second transformer was able to maintain electricity supply to Dubbo and surrounding townships while the irreparable transformer was replaced.

Commander Barber confirmed that the suspected cause of the fire was a possible oil leak.

Two days later, an earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter Scale was recorded near Molong. Seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said the quake had a preliminary depth of 20km but expected it to be more shallow once all data was collected. The Australian Government Geoscience Australia department’s data showed that the event was logged at Young, with residents at Molong

and nearby towns reporting deep rumbling and vibrations. There have apparently been 15 earthquakes in this area in the past 30 years. The most significant in the past century have been in 1961 (magnitude 4) and in 1932 (magnitude 4.5). An earthquake usually needs to be more than 5 on the Richter Scale to cause significant damage. Molong’s experience was one of 10 recorded in Australia in the past week, with two other events in NSW on Saturday, January 25 – at West Wyalong and Doyle’s Creek.

Robber on the loose Two takeaway stores, a service station and a restaurant were all subjected to hold-ups in West Dubbo in January. In one of the incidents, a man allegedly stole cash after threatening the female employee with a knife in a local shopping centre. The man left the scene after the woman handed over the money.

:: February :: Centrelink under siege A 28-year-old man brought proceedings to a halt at

the local Centrelink office in February after allegedly becoming involved in a verbal argument with staff. At approximately 9am, the man entered the government building and allegedly threatened staff, claiming he was armed with a weapon.

Police were called and the building was evacuated.

Following negotiations, the unarmed man was arrested and taken to Dubbo Police Station.

He was charged with a number of offences including threatening harm to a Commonwealth Public Official and destroy/damage property.

:: March :: Gold mine officially opened Six weeks after being fully commissioned, the Tomingley Gold Operation was opened by NSW Resources and Energy minister Anthony Roberts, who was joined by State MP Troy Grant and Federal MP Mark Coulton all wearing matching blue shirts and brown pants for the occasion.

The open cut mine, 50 kilometres southwest of Dubbo, is being operated by Alkane Resources Ltd with

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

9

SEVEN DAYS: 2014 IN REVIEW

a budget of $116m and a lifespan of approximately seven years.

program. He is a former lawyer best known for hosting Channel Seven’s Deal or No Deal.

Man killed on highway

Eisteddfod ended and Relay began

A Qld truck driver was treated for shock after accidentally running over a man lying on the Newell Highway near Dubbo.

Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 2am when the driver called police to report the accident. The 23-year-old man, who sustained multiple injuries and died at the scene, had apparently been lying in the middle of the southbound lane.

The 46-year-old driver was treated at the scene for shock before being taken to Dubbo Base Hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests. Police later identified the deceased as local dad Anthony Baxter.

The section of the highway where the incident occurred does not have street lighting.

The 44th City of Dubbo Eisteddfod came to an end, culminating in the annual grand concert, bringing to an end a month of vocal, instrumental, speech, drama and dance performances. The Orana Relay for Life was also launched, having already raised $5800 of the $100,000 target.

:: April :: USA exchange Visitors from Virginia, USA took in the sights of Dubbo as part of an international Rotary Exchange trip.

The city was the last stop on their whirlwind tour which is a vocational exchange for young professionals looking to expand their knowledge and understanding of the work practices, values and cultures of another country. The team – who work in the areas of law, local government administration, human resources, hospitality, marketing and law enforcement – visited local businesses, organisations and tourist attractions in Dubbo, Wellington, Narromine, Trangie and Warren.

Cabinet inclusion for Grant Following news of Premier Barry O’Farrell’s resignation, Dubbo MP Troy Grant was ushered into the State Cabinet as the new Minister for Hospitality, Gaming and Racing and Minister for the Arts. NSW Premier Mike Baird announced his reshuffle which also included Dominic Perrottet as the Minister for Finance and Services and former Bathurst Mayor Paul Toole as the Minister for Local Government. Later in the year, he would become Leader of the Nationals and thus, Deputy Premier, following the resignation of long-time Nats leader Andrew Stoner.

A very famous Python joined the media circus Taronga Western Plains Zoo became a hive of activity during the launch of its 10 new Zoofari Lodges in April.

Special guest was Taronga Foundation patron and British comedian John Cleese who was joined by Heritage and Environment Minister Robyn Parker along with zoo officials. The launch overlooked the savannah and featured an African theme.

:: May :: Council resumed animal shelter management Dubbo City Council resumed management of the Dubbo City Animal Shelter after a tender process found no interest from organisations willing to accept a contract for the shelter’s management.

The Boothenba Road facility is owned by Council and has been managed by the RSPCA since 2005.

However, the RSPCA advised Council that it would not be seeking to renew the contract to manage the animal shelter as it was not in the best interests of the society.

Mario enjoyed his trip to the bush Bobcat and The Falcon were among the many famous faces at the City versus Country rugby league game played in front of a crowd of 9627 people on a dismal Dubbo day.

While the weather was cold, the game was enough to warm fans from both camps who were treated to an exciting 26-all finish.

Mario Fenech praised the city for rolling out the welcome mat.

“It’s great to be in Dubbo, it’s a wonderful town. And it’s good to see people turn up that love rugby league.

Without the bush, we wouldn’t have the great game that we have. It’s a credit to the bush boys who have to leave home and do it tough, I really admire them.”

Fenech enjoyed the game which was both competitive and a great crowd-pleaser.

:: July :: Playmates petition in parliament The petition to save Playmates Cottage childcare centre was set to be tabled in State Parliament. The petition, containing 10,000 signatures, was in response to the centre’s imminent lease end, with no renewal in sight.

Hospital inspection Health minister Jillian Skinner popped in to town to check on construction work as part of the $91.3 million Dubbo Base Hospital upgrade.

Accompanied by local MP Troy Grant, the pair were impressed by progress, which is moving along at a rapid rate.

RSL highly commended at Chef’s Table Awards Dubbo RSL Memorial Club chefs received a Highly Commended Award at this year’s Chef’s Table event. The proof was in the pudding for the mouth-watering three course meal served up by executive chef Robert Leonard and third year apprentice Scott Gonsalves.

In an industry first, two clubs were highly commended at the gala dinner.

Clubs NSW CEO Anthony Ball said the Dubbo team blew the judges away with their three-course meal which has set a new high for the competition.

Dubbo‘s fine fare included a ratatouille roulade, spatchcock three ways and a chocolate, quince and almond tart.

:: August :: Man injured in rail accident A young man was in hospital after being struck by a train on Saturday morning on the railway line near Aspen Rd. Ironically, the accident, in which the 18-yearold lost part of his leg, occurred just two days before the commencement of Rail Safety Week. Traffic and Highway Patrol officers have been monitoring train lines, rail corridors and level crossings for illegal and dangerous activity during the week in a bid to reduce the number of accidents in these areas.

Each month, the Independent Transport Safety Regulator receives up to 10 reports of near hits from train drivers at level crossings.

Each ‘near miss’ can cause considerable damage to infrastructure as well as disruption to commuters.

Meanwhile, the Boothenba Rd level crossing upgrade on the Newell Highway is progressing well. It is being upgraded in a bid to improve traffic safety in that area.

Cobar mourned loss of Howie the firie The Cobar community was enveloped by smoke and sadness after the loss of one of their own, firefighter Daniel ‘Howie’ Howard, who died in the line of duty while battling a blaze at the New Occidental Hotel just before 8am on Sunday morning. Howard is believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest when a wall of the pub collapsed during the firefighting efforts of him and one of his colleagues.

Howard was an electrical contractor who recently got engaged. He was described as a big-hearted and community-minded fellow by all who knew him.

:: September :: Cowboy showed strength

:: June ::

The Wellington Cowboys played with heavy hearts as one of their own remained in a critical condition in a Sydney Hospital. Chris ‘Thommo’ Thompson was seriously injured in a single vehicle accident near Geurie on the eve of their qualifying final against the Macquarie Raiders. After family rushed to be at Thompson’s bedside, his maroon and white teammates made a valiant effort to overcome the opposition, winning in a heartfelt 32-24 victory. Sadly, the father of three died after more than five weeks in hospital.

Deal star at the zoo

Eureka moment for Eumungerie

Television personality Andrew O’Keefe was a guest of Taronga Western Plains Zoo, staying overnight at the picturesque Zoofari Lodge.

While at the zoo, O’Keefe did a Meerkat Encounter and is also a supporter of the Wild! Rhino conservation

At long last, the village of Eumungerie is set to be connected to Dubbo water supply after being on the drawing board for almost 20 years.

Work began on the scheme to supply potable reticulated water to both Eumungerie and Mogriguy following

10

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

an endorsement by Dubbo City Council’s Works and Services Committee.

The Eumungerie Water Supply Scheme involved the extension of water supply to Brocklehurst north to the outlying villages.

:: October :: Springfest success More than 5000 people found themselves with a spring in their step after attending the third annual Springfest in Wellington this year. Chariot races, tug-owar, a CWA men-only scone bake-off, busking competition, historical re-enactment and a ball all contributed to the day’s success.

“It went very, very well,” Chairman Ian Law told Weekender.

“It exceeded all expectations. It was a real Wellington showcase.”

Four seasons in one day Freak weather lashed the region with rain, hail and even snow in the Central Tablelands. The intense low pressure system caused residents to take cover and pull out their winter woollies for a day or two of chilly conditions.

In Dubbo, the mercury reached just 12.6 degrees on Tuesday, making it the coldest day so far this spring.

At the same time last year, parts of the Central West and Blue Mountains areas were being ravaged by bushfires and Dubbo was hitting temperatures of up to 34 degrees.

:: November :: Man charged with murder Police charged a man with murder after an assault in Dubbo.

Officers from Orana Local Area Command were called to a unit on Macquarie Street, Dubbo, at 11.30pm on Friday, November 7 after reports of an assault.

On arrival, police found a man with injuries to his head.

The 63-year-old was taken to Dubbo Base Hospital and was in a serious condition, however died early on Sunday.

Dye hard fun run A couple of thousand people lined up for the inaugural Dye Hard Fun Run at Ollie Robbins Oval, for the 5km colour course. With 1500 entrants, and plenty of spectators, the day was a rainbow affair for all ages. For every kilometre, entrants were splashed with a different colour.

Then at the end, they gathered in a group to throw a bag of colour each.

One Eye on success A crowd of approximately 200 people braved the end of a scorching hot day to pay homage to local filmmakers at the second annual One Eye Film Festival held on the back lawns of Western Plains Cultural Centre.

Despite temperatures climbing to 40 degrees throughout the day, as the sun set, the crowd settled in for an hour of music by local musicians Billie Palin and Clinton Hoy, before the festival was opened by ABC Open producer, Alison Plasto, who also curated the program this year.

:: December :: More fires for the region Fire still plagued the region, with the blaze at Garlings Rd, Goonoo Forest being kept under control after burning 160 hectares of bush. A fire also burned 40 hectares of land at Curries Rd, 18km west of Dubbo, along with burning off activity on a property on the Warren Rd, Narromine.

Two gongs at the tourism awards Dubbo cleaned up at the NSW Tourism Awards, with not one, but two local bodies receiving awards.

Dubbo City Council was named the winner of the Local Government Award for Tourism at the NSW Tourism Awards ceremony in Sydney. Meanwhile, Taronga Western Plains Zoo picked up yet another gong, after receiving the award for Best Tourist Attraction and Unique Accommodation at the NSW Tourism Awards.

Athletics centre opened with much ado A few weeks after being used for an athletics carnival, the newly-revamped Barden Park Regional Centre of Excellence for Athletics was officially opened amid much fanfare. Featuring a brand new grandstand and a running track of international standard, the complex received plenty of attention from the sporting fraternity and the wider community, along with representation from all three tiers of government.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks Proudly sponsored by Fletcher International Family friendly, glass and alcohol free fireworks display at

9pm on New Year’s Eve at Caltex Park Activities • Carnival amusements • Food vans • Drink stalls • Ice cream • Coffee Gates open at 5pm • Gold coin entry For more details, please contact Peter Judd on 0437 847 263 www.dubbofireworks.com.au • www.facebook.com/DubboFireworks

OPINION & ANALYSIS

Sally Bryant

Weekender regular Sally Bryant was born with her nose in a book and if no book is available, she finds herself reading Cornflakes packets, road signs and instruction manuals for microwaves. All that information has to go somewhere...

In my book... it’s time for a break I

t’s been one of those years and it’s nice to be getting close to the end of it. Not that it’s been a bad year, per se, more that it’s been pretty full-on and I’m looking forward to taking a breath and pausing for a moment.

2014 has been busy. There have been some high points, things to celebrate, but somehow it’s felt as though the year went past on skates and I’m panting along trying to catch up.

Starting a new year is a bit like opening a new notebook. You have all those clean fresh pages you can look forward to filling in with all sorts of exciting information. I look forward to new notebooks; it doesn’t mean I think any the less of the old one, it just means it’s nice to draw a line in the sand and start afresh.

With all sorts of good intentions. Like planning to make sure your writing is legible and not some sort of ridiculous scrawl that is impossible to interpret when you go to read back over your notes.

I’m not a great one for New Year’s resolutions as such, but I do like the con-

cept of approaching a new year with some plans to make the next year even better than the previous one. And, as we all know, a certain amount of what happens to us in our lives is generated by what we put out ourselves, then the chances are our resolution to do things differently (if realised) can have some pretty spectacular results for us individually and as a group.

Naturally I’m not silly enough to share any resolutions in these pages. I may have good intentions but I’m not without discretion and forethought. But I will say I’m intent on being more thankful for the good things I have in my life.

Because it’s at times like this, when as a nation we have had a sharp reminder of how quickly we can be shocked out of our smug and secure knowledge that we live in a lucky country, sheltered from the grimness that hits so many nations on a daily basis? It’s times like this we need to acknowledge why we are “the lucky country”.

In my view there have probably been too many words written, too many words spoken about what happened

in Martin Place this week. The media coverage was overwhelmingly excessive. Without for a moment taking away from the horror or the tragedy of what happened to the hostages in the Lindt Cafe, I think we need to have a red hot look at what the scale of that was and then think about the level of violence that occurs on a daily or weekly basis in other countries. We are very fortunate to be so sheltered from so much of that ugliness.

And, I for one, plan to be more mindful of that next year (well, actually, starting from now, but continuing next year and into the future).

I’m going to be thankful the children I know can go to school without being killed by the Taliban.

I am going to be thankful that the young women I know can go to school without being abducted by Boko Haram, and “given away as brides”.

I am going to be thankful the women I know can go to work and know there will be a toilet at the workplace so they don’t have to go and relieve themselves in the streets or the fields

and run the risk of being sexually assaulted.

I am going to be thankful my family is not at risk of contracting Ebola.

I am going to be thankful I can vote.

That I can choose to worship in whichever religion I choose. That I can dress as I choose. That I have a secure job.

That I can make outspoken comments about political leaders and not end up in a Gulag.

Remarkable, isn’t it, when you start to consider all the reasons we have to be thankful? And that’s even before we get down to the really material things, the things we spend so much of our lives chasing. The shiny toys, the nice clothes, the fashionable shoes.

Don’t get me wrong, there’ll still be room in this for me to have a spray, a bit of a whinge. (Because that’s almost a sport for me).

But underlying all of that will be a great sense of thankfulness, because we are so lucky, so protected in our society.

It really is the season to be jolly thankful.

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DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

BY NATALIE BRAMBLE

OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Watercooler One is not amused The Duchess of Cambridge and hubby Wills have been visiting the US and doing their bit for disadvantaged communities, as they’re wont to do.

Slightly amusing, though, was that we were all treated to the sight of the usually self-possessed Duchess in sarcastic, rolling-eyes form...not quite the Kate we’re used to seeing.

She was helping out with wrapping presents and seems she was SO not impressed to be tapped on the shoulder by a woman and told to keep wrapping – cue the eye roll and raise of the eyebrows; ‘bout time we saw a bit more personality.

Printing food Remember seeing those movies with plot lines “from the future” where they pressed buttons on a microwave to select what they wanted to eat, whereupon the cutting-edge device would then bring forth the real-life manifestation of that menu choice?

Well, get ready for it – that gastronomic space age has arrived, with the introduction of 3D printers capable of actually “printing” food. Some of it looks rather unappealing – little boxes of square brown things – but someone has been able to get the gizmo to print a pizza that doesn’t look too bad.

Regardless, it seems the age of highly

processed, quick meals is here to stay for a while yet, much to the detriment of our health system.

Aussie film the birth of stars Good to see Joel Edgerton (pictured) is carving a name for himself in Hollywood with his appearance at the top of the bill for religious epic Exodus: Gods and Kings.

So popular was this movie, it bumped The Hunger Games from the US box office top spot.

Edger ton’s Holly wood flame isn’t set to die down yet, with many more films on his dance card... and while naysayers might wonder why he had to leave our shores for this kind of success, it’s a case of if you can’t

Management consultant Natalie Bramble is as well known around the traps for her tireless community efforts and business acumen as for her unique and ready laugh. And you’d be surprised what she picks up around the ‘watercooler’ while she’s traversing this wide brown land in the name of work...

beat ‘em join ‘em!

Still, we really need to continue to support our home-grown films – our actors wouldn’t have had these kinds of breaks if our own film industry wasn’t so great.

And speaking of Aussie hunks to take on Hollywood, Chris Hemsworth has been given the title of People Magazine’s sexiest man alive in 2014. I think all that time in the gym prepping for Thor might have helped with that.

Have some decency, Murdoch Media baron Rupert Murdoch has copped a thoroughly deserved bashing on Twitter for his first tweet of the day after the hostage crisis in Sydney’s Martin Place ended, in which he congratulated his stable’s Daily Telegraph

for getting the scoop on this week’s tragedy. Unwarranted, insensitive and distasteful.

Tragedy hits home This week has been a tragic one for Australia and particularly for the people who were involved in the siege at Martin Place’s Lindt café – the hostages, the two innocents who died, and all their families and friends.

It’s a hard thing to accept that there are genuinely terrible people out there in the world who don’t positively contribute to our society when tragic circumstances and terminal diseases take those who do. It’s even harder to accept this when it happens so close to momentous family gatherings like Christmas and birthdays It is clear though, in the wake of this week’s incident, that the bail laws really need to be reviewed. In recent years there has been concern over the leniency provided for in these laws and people being loose on the streets who shouldn’t be there – think of the murder of Jill Meagher in Melbourne and now the two brave souls who lost their lives in Sydney this week: Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.

This Christmas will be a reflective one for many who will hold their loved ones closer and take more time being present and enjoying each others company. May you all have a safe and comforting festive season.

Gina & Staff Wish you a Safe & Merry Christmas

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

13

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FEATURE

Tears and Triumphs: locals look back on the year that was

Michael Brennan – Businessman What do you think was 2014’s most memorable news/current affairs moment? The Malaysian Airline disasters. Being a nervous flyer, the reality of what occurred with MH370 and MH17 makes me sick to the stomach. Those poor, innocent souls did not deserve their fate and my thoughts and prayers go out to their loved ones.

What was your most memorable sports moment of 2014? I’m going to go with the completion of the Barden Park Athletic facility. Having trained on a tartan track in years gone past, this facility is world standard and a huge credit to Dubbo & Athletics. Dubbo will yield stars in the future from this forethought.

Greatest personal achievement in 2014? Unfortunately I lost a dear colleague during the year. Being by his side may not be an achievement but certainly memorable. Rest in peace Greg.

What are you looking forward to in 2015? New beginnings, new challenges, new achievements. My hobby of farming is different every single day, I love being involved in the industry and the characters that come along with it.

What are you hoping for under the tree? A relaxing, enjoyable day with family and friends where the true meaning of Christmas is portrayed, oh and a new tractor (please Santa).

Do you have a New Year’s resolution? Same as last year, the one before that and probably the earlier 40 odd ones...... lose weight, eat healthier and improve my fitness.

Who inspired you in 2014? Clive Palmer! If someone can be that arrogant, overweight, wealthy and self centred, then I’m on the right track... well, without the wealth. Seriously? My father – who shows me to strive to be the best you can.

•••

Andrew McKay – Zoo2Zoo charity ride co-ordinator

Gargi Ganguly – Active community member

News moment: Unfortunately this week’s events in Martin Place affected people all over the world; two innocent people losing their lives in such tragic circumstances. It is so sad that one person’s actions can have such a devastating impact on so many lives.

Sporting moment: In years to come everyone will remember where they were when they heard the news that Phillip Hughes passed away while playing cricket for South Australia against his old State NSW. I heard it on the 3pm radio news and felt as though I had lost a good friend, even though I had never met him.

Greatest personal achievement: The 2014 Zoo2Zoo bike ride was an incredible experience. We were fortunate to have Prime Minister Tony Abbott ride the first 25km with us from Taronga Zoo to Castle Hill. The publicity that was drawn for the Black Dog Institute from his involvement was fantastic.

Looking forward to: Visiting family and friends in the UK in April and riding our bikes from London to Paris. We will have ANZAC Day in Villers-Bretonneux. My Great Uncle Mick fought on the Western Front during WWI. Under the tree: A card from my younger brother and his family who live in the UK saying “We have brought our trip forward a year, see you tomorrow!”

Inspiration: My father, Ritchie, who retired as a dentist in January. I have met so many people who say, “Are you Ritchie McKay’s son? I went to your Dad for 50 years, from when I was five. He is such a gentleman and caring person”. His marriage to Mum, Maureen, in 1961 has seen them have 53 year adventure, and apart from the odd knee and hip, they don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. They love the Dubbo Community and the great people we have living here.

•••

News moment: Like every year, 2014 has been marked by highs and lows. This is world according to Gargi: I have cried at the Ebola virus outbreak and do firmly believe the whole world has not supported the eradication to the scale that we should have; I have been shocked by the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines planes; uplifted by Hong Kong’s umbrella revolution; and inspired (as an Indian migrant) by Narendra Modi’s (the Indian Prime Minister who is the son of a poor tea seller) rise to power.

Sporting moment: I like my soccer, so I thoroughly enjoyed all the world cup matches, including the Germany/ Brazil final! Also love my tennis and enjoyed the Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Personal achievement: When I think about it really seriously, probably my greatest personal achievement was to remain positive despite challenges in my personal and professional life. I have absolutely tried to practice what I preach in terms of accepting that I can only give MY best, and that a positive attitude can only lead to positive ideas, decisions and actions.

Inspiration: I am continually inspired by humanity – too many to mention. The strength, resilience, courage and determination of individuals, families and communities particularly in times of adversity inspires me.

While those that come into public attention absolutely deserve praise and admiration I am humbled by the silent contributors to humanity. I can think of many and I thank them through my silence.

•••

Matt Fuller – Manager, Taronga Western Plains Zoo News moment: The events of the past couple of days

If you’re interested in a media career, keep reading...

Panscott Media, the Dubbo-owned publisher of Dubbo Photo News and Dubbo Weekender, will soon have an opportunity for a Junior Production Assistant. This role will include work in photography, writing and design.

If you have ambition to work in the media, are already a skilled photographer, have great writing skills, believe in the importance of ‘attention to detail’, and want to be a part of the team that puts together Dubbo’s independent local newspapers, apply now.

Previous experience is not essential, but you will need to impress us with samples of your photography and writing work.

In this position you will also gain experience

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This position could suit a school leaver or gap year student.

Send your application, resume and samples of your work to: The Manager Panscott Media 89 Wingewarra St Dubbo NSW 2830 or email jobs@panscott.com.au (please limit the size of jpeg attachments to 2MB per image)

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

15

in Sydney are fresh in everyone’s minds and have shocked and saddened us all. It beggars belief that outstanding people can be taken from this world in such senseless acts of violence.

Prior to that, the MH17 disaster and the events that followed.

Again another tragic event that affected many Australians and was unfortunately complicated and confounded by politics and sadly war.

Sporting moment: An honourable mention to both the Australian cricket team and Sally Pearson for reinforcing the fact that Australians thrive when faced with adversity. However, being an avid NSW Rugby fan who has awaited Super Rugby greatness for so long, I was one of more than 60,000 who lit rip with an elated cheer when the Waratahs clinched the title this year. Made all the sweeter by the fact that the penalty that came in the final seconds of play was by the Kiwi king of penalty evasion himself Richie McCaw. Personal achievement: Being part of a team that has achieved some pretty amazing things, from key conservation program success, to one Australian and two NSW Tourism awards.

Under the tree: I like surprises... Maybe a bunch of Rhino Poachers tied up under the tree that we could put to work doing all the ‘good jobs’ we have in the zoo...

New Year’s resolution: In light of recent events, definitely making the most of every single opportunity and spending as much time as possible with my beautiful wife and daughter.

Inspiration: My wife Bridgett... and I am not exploiting this as an opportunity for Husband of the Year...

Anyone who can juggle work, three heavy university subjects, and run a household that includes me deserves considerable admiration! Impressive.

•••

Les Lambert – Narromine councillor and Orana Arts chairman News moment: The tragedy in Martin place this week but throughout the year we’ve seen a number of natural disasters that have happened overseas – for instance mudslides while we are in a drought – and the suicide bombers that keep killing their own people.

Sporting moment: South Sydney Rabbitoh’s premiership win.

Personal achievement: I did a bucket list trip to Europe for six weeks – Ireland, London, Paris, Rome, Athens, the Greek islands, Dubai and Hong Kong. And now I’m thinking, wow, when do I go again?

Looking forward to: Next year will be a ME year – it’s about time to look after number one for a change and learn to say no.

Under the tree: A nice bottle of Scotch to celebrate with family Resolution: To be healthier and fitter lose the belly Inspiration: This is a hard one because my mother has always been my inspiration and even though she has been gone for eight years she still inspires me. In the past year my “old girls” – my clients – who crochet and knit items that are used to raise money for charity are a constant inspiration.

•••

John Walkom – Chairman, Regional Development Australia (Orana) and Chair of Dubbo’s DREAM Festival News moment: The one that has impacted and is by far the most memorable will be the hostage siege in Martin Place this week.

As it was with 9/11’s impact in America, this is the day we as Australians lost our innocence.

It was an invasion of our most basic right to freedom in our great country. We must not tolerate this type of thing at all in Australia. May the two hostages whose lives were lost be remembered forever.

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Sporting moment: South Sydney winning the NRL Grand Final, after 47 years without a trophy in the cupboard, it was a fitting tribute to coach McGuire and the players’ commitment to each other and their supporters.

Personal achievement: Completing the renovations on our new family home in and the success of the 2014 DREAM Festival – having worked closely with the festival committee to deliver a signature event to the entire community. The amount of volunteer hours, the community support and the commitment of the executives and their sub committees is so inspiring – it’s what really drives the heart of a community.

Looking forward to: The year as a whole, there is so much happening with family that excites me, birthdays, engagements, weddings which will give quality time.

New Year’s resolution: Stay off the cigs and lose a few kilos. I’m one of those guys that would love to sit back and have a smoke over a cold beer or a whiskey and chat with friends. I love my food, I actually love to cook and that is dangerous – your never really see a skinny cook they say.

Inspiration: My entire family is my driving force, especially my wife and children and our business and the challenges it provides. Also, while I’m not an avid reader, I came across The Lost Boys of ANZAC by Peter Stanley early this year – what a great read. To see how 101 of our young men went on what they thought was an adventure, to a place we now know as Gallipoli, and never came home. The individual stories of mateship and camaraderie are certainly inspiring, as so many of these stories are. But this one just had a simple message – none of these men were famous; just good Australians answering the call of a nation and empire, but who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

•••

Mike Sutherland – General Manager NSW, Alkane Resources News moment: Two spring to mind – losing a state Premier over a lapse of memory and a bottle of wine; and seeing Malala Yousafzai awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 for her human rights work for education and women in Pakistan.

Sporting moment: Adam Scott’s win in the US Masters Golf Tournament. The first Aussie to win that event which I thinked help to the number one ranking in world golf.

Personal achievement: Seeing the Tomingley Gold Project pour its first gold – an Alkane Resources’ project built on time and on budget...13 years in the making.

Looking forward to: Project approval, financing and commencement of construction of the $1B Dubbo Zirconia Project Under the tree: Golf Lessons with Craig Meares at Dubbo Golf Club!

Inspiration: Our two boys (James and Duncan) who graduated from university after six and five years of study respectively and both have found graduate employment.

•••

Dugald Saunders – Mornings presenter, ABC Western Plains News moment: The recent siege at a Martin Place cafe has overtaken all other big news stories of the year, basically because it hit so close to home for us. The reaction via all sorts of media, including social media, has been extraordinary and quite varied.

Discussions around bail conditions and radical members of our society will continue into 2015.

Sporting Moment: Some big ones to consider including the Football World Cup, Commonwealth Games, and NSW winning the State of Origin for the first time in forever, but the standout for me is the crushing series defeat the Australian cricket team inflicted on the Poms at the end of 2013 into 2014...Yes the Ashes urn is back where it belongs!

Looking forward to: A bit more rain in 2015 (please), but I think I’ll also be spending a fair bit more time at horsey events right around the region with my family and that will be great.

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

Under the tree: Hoping to get something really awesome under the tree, but I’ll settle for “something”...

New Year’s resolution: is to try to slow down a bit...I’m always in a hurry; things to do people to see, kids to get places, and I do tend to be a bit too focussed on the destination rather than the journey...must try harder!

•••

“Riverbank” Frank Doolan – community advocate News moment: The rise and rise of Islamic State is a global worry and it’s been overshadowing all the news this year.

Sports moment: As a Rabbitoh’s supporter, I was glad to see the team win the grand final. And I thought both the winning horse and the winning jockey in the Melbourne Cup were exceptional this year – it was the most decisive win I’ve seen in years. It said a lot about Australian horses and jockeys – how far we’ve slipped, actually. But the real stand out sporting moment for me, even though it was a tragedy, was the death of Phillip Hughes. It showed the very worst aspect of sport, but also the very best – the way the nation paid tribute. It’s still hard to believe it happened. He epitomised everything that’s good about sport and was just fighting his way back into the test team.

Personal achievement: It’s something I’m still working on, but being able to listen to others and to really hear what they’re saying. I’ve paid real attention to that over this year – I haven’t always got it right, but I’m getting closer. Meeting (iconic folk singer) Rodriguez was a highlight this year – it was a buzz, but what really spun me out was to find that although he comes from Detroit and I’m from Dubbo, we’re on about the same thing – he’s all about community, and he’s a very humble man.

Under the tree: I’m not hoping for anything under the tree. I’LL be under the tree! I just hope all the world’s children have a great Christmas. And I’ll be thinking about the children in detention – I don’t know if they know about Christmas; I don’t know if they know why they’re locked up, but I’ll be thinking about them.

Christmas Day is the day I lost my father, so it’s always a time for reflection.

New Year’s resolution: To continue to walk humbly, to have kindness, and to love Dubbo even more.

•••

Tina Turn-On – Diva and our March 2014 cover girl News moment: The Sydney Mardi Gras, of course!

Sporting moment: Being a local Redfern girl, the Bunnies winning the NRL grand final was enough to make my mascara run.

Personal achievement: Being lucky enough to have a float in the Sydney Mardi Gras with 120 of my nearest and dearest fans, umm, friends... and of course being the cover girl on the Dubbo Weekender was a huge highlight.

Looking forward to: Channel Nine launching Farmer Wants a Drag Queen – surely that’s gotta be the next reality show?

Under the tree: Leopard print everything from Mary & Me... and I mean everything.

New Year’s resolution: Finding a hunk of a gentleman to have a glittered kiss under the mirror ball with on New Year’s Eve. Know anyone?

Inspiration: Princess Kate – that hair! Those outfits... and getting rid of her baby body so soon after Prince George? I need that woman’s trainer! (And hairdresser... and stylist... and bank account...)

•••

Ritchie McKay – retired dentist News moment: The implications and causes of price reduction in oil and mineral resources – who are the ultimate sources of our national borrowings?

Sports moment: Adam Scott’s return to number one world golfer and the prominence of young Australian golfers.

FEATURE

Personal achievement: To retire happily after a satisfying career in Dubbo. I was also delighted to return with my wife Maureen to the UK and re-connect with long-standing colleagues and friends.

Looking forward to: Continuing good health and mobility.

Under the tree: The latest publication relating to aviation.

New Year’s resolution: To keep active and enjoy family involvement.

Inspiration: Pope Francis – great to see an Argentinian Jesuit trying to rearrange the Vatican establishment.

•••

David Dwyer – Dubbo City Council Director Community Services News moment: The awarding of the posthumous Victoria Cross to Australian soldier corporal Cameron Baird who died in battle in Afghanistan. It was the 100th VC awarded for gallantry in battle.

A real hero defending our freedom and democracy and his fellow troops with his life.

Sports moment: As a long-time South Sydney Supporter of some 49 years, the best sports moment of 2014 or for that matter for the whole millennium so far was Souths NRL Grand Final victory.

Personal achievement: Learning enough Japanese to negotiate my way around Japan on a recent holiday – buying rail tickets and surviving the Tokyo subway system and not getting lost.

Looking forward to: My daughter’s wedding in September. My little girl has grown up.

Under the tree: A new wallet. My wallet of about 20 years is in tatters, even the moths are leaving.

New Year’s resolution: To eat healthier and to get fitter.

Inspiration: Sam Burgess, the South Sydney Rugby League player who played the entire grand final with fractures to his face but was still the best player on the ground – he showed extraordinary passion and courage.

•••

Geoff Mann – sports columnist and teacher’s aide News moment: The sad and unbelievable moment when Phillip Hughes was felled at the SCG. The shock, the incredible outpouring of love and support for Hughesy’s family and then the extraordinary tributes at his funeral in Kempsey united the world.

Sports moment: Sharing the moment when the 1974 Amco Cup-winning rugby league team was formally recognised by the NRL. This was a unique event; one I will cherish forever.

Personal achievement: Broadcasting the Group XI Grand Final nationally with the ABC Grandstand team.

And having the honour of being MC at our Anzac Services.

Looking forward to: Better health; and perhaps a grandchild (hint, hint)! Also, a trip to China with some local students around September.

Under the tree: Travel documents to the Cricket World Cup, Ashes cricket tour and Rugby World Cup! Or at least one of the above. (I have been pretty good, Santa!)

New Year’s resolution:To make sure I have my wallet, keys, USB and phone with me at all times. This year, I had to go to the police to try and stop a major crime.

My wife was gonna kill me if I lost my cards once more!

Inspiration: Pope Francis; the kids I’ve had the privilege of assisting with their reading and Lachlan Connolly and his brother, sister and parents who have taught me how to see the world in a totally different light.

•••

Linda Christof – DRTCC Manager News moment: The mystery of missing flight MH370 Sports moment: I’m not a cricket fan but I was gutted by the sudden passing of Phil Hughes Personal achievement: Touring Europe and Ireland and becoming manager of DRTCC. Looking forward to: Seeing new

and familiar faces at the theatre Under the tree: Something sparkly? No, not tinsel.

New Year’s resolution: To teach belly dancing again Inspiration: The honesty, maturity and resilience of my two sons •••

Greg King – sports complex proprietor News moment: When you have family, the most memorable news always come from them, even if it’s not that important to anyone else.

Sports moment: When travelling to Adelaide via Broken Hill for the 2014 Junior National Indoor Cricket tournament in the Sports World bus, with passengers aged from five to 55 on board, I was advised to refuel at Cobar. Being someone who naturally knows best, I said we’d find a service station a little further along the way.

I consulted my fuel gauge and knowingly informed all that we had plenty. Within 20 kms, evidently my fuel gauge had other thoughts and decided to brighten the cabin with the fuel light. As we continued at our 100kmh speed (wink wink), I was asked should we turn back? Nah, I replied confidently. How far to next fuel? Bound to be some just up the road was the answer.

The next signpost showed the next fuel was 80 km away at Emmdale, which meant Cobar was also 80 km behind us. The speed dropped to 80, the air-con went off and the nerves frayed. At 60km out, the light had been on for at least 50. We dropped the speed back to 60 then 40 (at 40kms out) and the sporting hardmen began to mumble threats. Then 20km out, with the speed down to 20, all on the bus were desperately looking for sign of life or petrol, with traffic on this road almost non-existent. At 10 km out, a billboard proudly boasted a town not far away. The passengers had the smell of blood in their nostrils as I said how good it was that if we ran out then, we were only five km away.

Then on the left there was a magical bowser. I swear everyone leant forward as if to tip the remaining fuel towards the engine.

It was a trip that never will be forgotten. Not a lot of people travel with me now which is strange after all the excitement!

Inspiration: The same people who always inspire me – the families who battle through tragedies associated with their children. Nothing makes me more aware of how lucky I have been in life.

•••

Sue Peachey – newspaper deliverer News moment: The Sydney siege. It was horrible, but unfortunately, a fact of life for us these days.

Sports moment: When the Rabbitohs won the NRL Grand Final. It was a long time coming and I was over the moon. We are such big fans we have evened named our pet shih-tzu after Reggie the Rabbit (Rabbitohs mascot)!

Personal achievement: Becoming a great-grandmother to Braxton John born on August 14. He’s lovely, perfect and I see him every day. We now have five generations of family and make a point of seeing each other every day, even if it’s just to say a quick hello.

Looking forward to: Watching Braxton’s parents build their new house. They are looking for land at the moment.

Under the tree: A two-bedroom granny flat at the back of the new house. The grandchildren will have a builtin babysitter for life. It would be lovely.

Inspiration: A woman named Nita Scott. She looks out for everybody despite the difficult things she’s been through. I admire how she’s dealt with so much. She’s an amazing woman.

•••

Tony Peachey – newspaper deliverer News moment: When our granddaughter told us she was pregnant. The world news is starting to depress me.

Sports moment: The Rabbitohs winning the NRL Grand Final. They’ve been waiting for that moment for a long time. I have always liked them as a team, but

even moreso when my nephew David started playing for them. I followed Cronulla when he played for them, but then changed back.

Personal achievement: I gave up smoking last Christmas. It just doesn’t bother me anymore. Aside from the health benefits, I didn’t realise how much money I was wasting.

Looking forward to: Getting my legs back. I am having two operations to give me more mobility.

Under the tree: A Mercedes-Benz Vito van New Year’s resolution: To stay off the smokes and to learn woodworking and how to make wooden toys.

•••

Megan Dixon – business owner, Chamber of Commerce senior vice president and Rhino awards chair News moment: I lost my father after a long illness this year, so the start of my year was consumed by his death, but internationally I’m split between the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 and the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. Both devastating events that resulted in significant loss of life.

Sports moment: The Cowboys being robbed again! Also, my kids’ teams all making grand finals in their winter sports and my son’s soccer team winning their grand final. They’ve been playing as a team since they were five so it was great to see the dedication pay off for them after six years. (Go SDW Gunners!)

Looking forward to: Having our house extension/renovation completed. We won’t know ourselves with the extra space!

New Year’s resolution: I haven’t had a new year’s resolution for years, because I’m a goal-setter. If I did have a new year’s resolution, it would be to stay focused and value myself.

Inspiration: Local lady Dawn Fardell. I caught up with her at a friend’s wedding recently and when I asked what she’d been up to, she told me that she’d run a marathon in Berlin. I’m not sure how old she is (older than me), but that proves when you set your mind to it, you can achieve anything.

•••

Steven Hornby – property manager News moment: The business I work for being named franchise of the year.

Sports moment: Sydney’s loss in the AFL Grand Final.

Personal achievement: The purchase of my second property at Caves Beach (settled yesterday).

Looking forward to: Relaxing more about life.

Under the tree: Some new socks for work.

New Year’s resolution: To relax more about life.

Inspiration: Felicia Maljers – one of my employees who had the toughest of years but is still smiling.

•••

Debbie Garden – Red Cross Blood Service Donor Centre Manager News moment: The looks of joy on the faces of the family I helped build a house for in Cambodia.

Sports moment: Having one-third of the Donor Centre staff competing in different sporting events at a national level.

Personal achievement: Managing to get dressed in a sari to attend a Sri Lankan wedding in Sri Lanka.

Looking forward to: Becoming a Grandma Under the tree: No empty donor chairs this festive season! Blood is the perfect gift to give this Christmas.

New Year’s resolution: Be more organised next year!

Inspiration: The number of amazingly committed blood donors in Dubbo.

•••

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

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ON THE SOAPBOX

Photo: Dubbo Weekender

“We won’t let it change us”: Why Sydney will rise to the challenge S

ydney is home to many things... the unique harbour waters, the omnipresent bridge and the gripping Opera House. It’s home to world famous beaches like Bondi, Manly ad Summer Bay’s Palm Beach. She’s home to sporting teams like the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Cronulla Sharks and the Sydney Swans. Bars like the Opera Bar, the markets at the rocks, concerts at the Entertainment Centre, shopping at Pitt St Mall and more Westfields than the eye can see. There’s Chinatown for incredible Asian food, Leichardt for Italian, Newtown for hipsters and the North Shore for snobs. Sydney is home to Sam and Kochie and the Brekky Central team and it’s the background to your news at night. It can be home to the schools and universities you send your kids to... it’s home to inspiring theatre, dance and art. And, for more than 10 years now, Sydney has also been home to me.

I made the trip (escape?) to Sydney at the very young age of 16, to do my HSC at Newtown High School of Performing Arts. Not long after arriving in the big smoke, I fell in love with it. I’d call Mum

Comment by TIM MILLGATE Dubbo ex-pat Tim Millgate has called Sydney home for a decade. In this week of shock and sadness, he reflects on the strength of a city he loves – a city that may be bent, but it’s far from broken.

back in Dubbo: “There’s so much to do, so many people around and it’s so easy to get around... I catch a TRAIN to school, Mum... and, it’s not the XPT.” Mum’s reply was always loving and encouraging, but also with my best interests at heart: “Sounds like you’re having fun, love. But always make sure you’re safe.”

I returned to Sydney for work after uni. A few years older, and if you asked me – soooo much wiser. I forged ahead with career and my social life. There were parties every week, pubs to explore, new bars to frequent. I’d call my

Nan and Pop back in Dubbo: “Guess what I’ve been up to this week, Nan!” Her reply was always delighted, but cautious: “You be careful walking around Sydney Timmy; we don’t want you in any trouble.”

Now, 10 years later, I feel like there aren’t that many differences between Sydney and Dubbo. Just like you, I run into friends and acquaintances when I head to the shops. I have my favourite cafés and shops. I have my secret swimming spots and those “only locals know about” restaurants. For me, there’s a real sense of community in Sydney. And that’s why I love it.

Sadly, on Monday this week, that love for Sydney was challenged. The tragic events that happened at the Lindt Café at Martin Place were shocking and had us glued to our TVs and radios. We suddenly felt unsafe. How could this be happening in our city? How could this be happening to our people... people just like us?

Now, to me, the city seems small.

People I know were due to work at the Lindt store on Monday, but scheduled a day off. Friends of mine know and have worked with mother, daughter, wife and friend Katrina Dawson. Tori Johnson and his partner of 14 years, Thomas, are

“ It’s been a confronting few days but in some strange way, I’m glad it’s given me time to reflect. ” 18 DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

residents of Redfern where I live, and members of the gay community of which I’m a part. These people were more than just Sydneysiders, they’re family.

Not only did we lose these two brave and heroic souls in the attack, we saw our emergency services pushed; our media services stretched and our own political and religious views and values challenged.

It’s been a confronting few days but in some strange way, I’m glad it’s given me time to reflect. I’m proud of Sydney – the way we all came together in the face of terror has been uplifting. To see complete strangers offering their respects with flowers, song and tears at Martin Place is moving. To watch social media light up with the uniting and anti-racist hashtag #illridewithyou has been comforting and reassuring.

Sydney is a great city to call home. It’s a melting pot of backgrounds, locations, religions and lifestyles. I adore this town and all who call it home. And despite the terrifying events that occurred on Monday, I’m sure my fellow Sydneysiders will agree when I say we won’t let it change us. And that, above all, we will continue to be the proud people of one of the most loveable and liveable cities in the world.

OPINION & ANALYSIS

Greg Smart

Greg Smart is a pop culture outcast who avoids commercial television and bad coffee. He has been accused of being old before his time.

2014’s winners and losers: And the award goes to... and Liberal parties have shown that cronyism and self-interest can cross political boundaries and involve both parties in the same slush funds. The backroom deals, powerful cabals and subversion of democracy revealed at ICAC will make voting at the upcoming state election a case of picking who is least worst.

The 2014 Political Character That Keeps on Giving Award:

Instantaneous temporary memory loss was experienced by nearly all who appeared at the ICAC hearing in political corruption, but former Premier, soon to be ex-parliamentarian Barry O’Farrell wins this award for his sterling effort in forgetting about a $3,000 bottle of wine being delivered to his house and the hand written thank you card he sent to the generous political patron.

The 2014 Political “Where’s Wally” Award: From a field that included Bob Shorten (who seems to be in step with the Government or missing completely) and NSW Labor leader John Robinson (who in three months’ time will be asking to be elected NSW Premier) the Award goes to the National Party for kowtowing to its coalition partner and being silent on matters affecting the bush – the NBN, climate change, coal seam gas, cuts to the ABC and electricity privatisation.

The 2014 Went Down Denying Award: Last year he won the Keep Denying and Hope It Goes Away Award, so naturally Craig Thomson was a shoe-in for this award. Despite successfully appealing the fraud charges, he will be forever known as the disgraced politician who protested his innocence way too much.

The 2014 George W Bush Award for Dumbing Down Politics: Goes to PM Tony Abbott, for his use of “Team Australia” to simplify the slogan “you’re either with us or against us”.

The 2014 Dog Caught the Car and Doesn’t Know What To do Award: Has been won by the Federal LNP government for spending six years in opposition browbeating the Labor government for its turmoil and chaos, campaigning on having a plan to govern, then winning office and appearing to be unprepared for actually having to govern. A promised first year surplus turned into a first year circus with back flips and back downs the order of the day.

The 2014 Political Hubris Award: Goes to former NSW Premier and former federal Foreign Minister Bob Carr for the bluster and wisdom-in-hindsight displayed in his memoir detailing his years in office.

The 2014 Services to Bipartisanship in State Politics Award: Joint winners in a field of two – the Labor

The 2014 Sports Award for Outstanding Achievement: Goes to the players in the Wimbledon Men’s Tennis final – Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Nearly four hours of superb tennis played at the highest level.

The 2014 Dubbo Weekender Person of the Year Award:

The 2014 Fifteen Minutes of Fame Must Surely be up by Now Award: From a field that includes any and all Kardashians, anyone involved in The Bachelor, Dr Geoffrey Edelsten and cohort, and any person who uses the phrase “red carpet arrivals”, the sight of Shapelle Corby photographed partying with NRL serial offender Todd Carney had the judges seeking trauma counselling.

Proof positive of a fine line between fame and infamy.

The 2014 Over-Arching Action Strategy Political Phrase of the Year: In what has been a stellar year for linguistic gymnastics from our political leaders, the judges had a hard time picking a winner from gems such as “efficiency dividend”, “price signal”, “rhetorical flourish”, “intergenerational theft”, “game changer”, “lifters and leaners”, “robust discussion”, “economic girly man”, “sharing the pain”, “mature debate”, “adult government”, “right to be a bigot”, “disrupt and degrade”, “evil death cult”, “liberated to get a better job” (unemployed in other words) and “enhanced screening”.

But there can be only one winner – and “shirtfront” takes the award for evolving from a sporting term to a political bluff.

This year, the judges wanted to recognise a quiet achiever and who better than Geoffrey Watson SC, who as Senior Counsel to ICAC methodically dissected political witnesses and left their false claims out to dry.

More power to you sir....

N ow

Goes to Tasmanian Senator Jackie Lambie.

Not afraid to call PM Abbott “a political psychopath” or announce her preference for men with a thick wallet and a large package between their legs, she spectacularly imploded and left the Palmer United Party to become an independent. Passionate and outspoken, her appearance in Canberra rattled the political establishment and delighted the media.

The 2014 Alan Bond No Recollection Award:

En ro l

2

014 has been a year of triumph, happiness, tragedy and chaos. With the year end now here, it is time for us to honour the winners and losers who made 2014 both memorable and forgettable. We do this by announcing the Annual Dubbo Weekender Awards. This year the Awards Committee took a robust look at all the nominees and are confident the winners did the heavy lifting in the following categories:

CONSIDER

CREATIVE

INDUSTRIES

FOR YOUR NEXT STEP

The 2014 Strange Press Conference of the Year Award:

CUV50411 Diploma Photo Imaging Prepare for a career in photo imaging covering various studio photography techniques, researching photographic trends and working on a freelance basis.

Any media appearance involving Clive Palmer is guaranteed to be newsworthy and often not for the right reasons. But the sight of billionaire miner Clive flanked by environmentalist Al Gore was bizarre in the extreme.

The judges still can’t work out how Al Gore was roped into Clive’s media circus, and suspect Al is feeling the same way.

(Orange and Dubbo, 3 days a week)

The 2014 New Word of the Year Award: Lichrally – the judges have heard it enter common use this year, as in “I lichrally died laughing” or “I lichrally can’t eat any more”...

They think it might be a derivation of literally and it has, like, totally won the Award.

CUV30311 Certificate III and CUV40311 Certificate IV Design Learn the fundamentals of design including graphic design (including Adobe InDesign and Illustrator), photography/Photoshop, drawing, colour and 3D design.

(Dubbo and Bathurst, 2½ days a week)

CUV50111 Diploma and CUV60211 Advanced Diploma Visual Arts Covering studio areas of painting, drawing and printmaking as well as art history and professional practice. Articulation into second year university upon completion.

LMT20707 Certificate II and LMT31407 Certificate III in Applied Fashion Design and Technology Learn the fundamentals of clothing production and fashion design to work in the industry or articulate into higher level studies in fashion.

(Dubbo, Parkes or Walgett, 1 day a week)

CUV30411 Certificate III and CUV40511 Certificate IV Arts Administration Gain the administrative skills needed to work in a variety of arts organisations such as galleries, theatres and community arts centres.

(Self paced, online delivery)

Call Vicki Vance on 02 6883 3680 or email vicki.vance@tafensw.edu.au

(Dubbo and Orange, 3 days/1 night a week)

facebook.com/TAFEWestern | wit.tafensw.edu.au | 1300 823 393

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

19

Season’s Greetings Scott, Steve and John at Active Earth Supplies would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. www.activeearth.net.au Dowton Dr, North Dubbo 0488 467 001

The Directors, Management and Staff at the Dubbo RSL Club would like to wish all their Members and Visitors a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

Geffro, Shell and Luke Would like to wish all our valued and supportive customers all the best for Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

G ’S S M E F F R O ION OBI

w w w. d u b b o r s l . c o m . a u 6882 4411

LE COMMUNIC AT

0428 767 768

A L E X & T H E T E A M AT LASER ELECTRICAL WOULD LIKE TO WISH ALL OUR CUSTOMERS A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Year after year we have had the privilege of your loyal patronage. We humbly thank you for the opportunity to serve you and our community and hope to see you again in the year to come. We give you all our best wishes for a happy and safe holiday season!

OUR OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED CHRISTMAS EVE, C H R I S T M A S D A Y, B O X I N G DAY A N D N E W Y E A R S DAY

Laser Electrical Dubbo LIC No. 86384C T: 6885 1477 • 2/55 DOUGLAS MAWSON RD LIC 86384C

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy, safe and prosperous New Year. Thank you for your ongoing support over the past year. We will close from December 19 - January 12 and look forward to working with you again in 2015!

Season’s greetings from Tim, Kim and the staff at The Grapevine Cafe Thank you for your support in the last 12 months.

Yes! We are open between Christmas and New Years, but we’ll be closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day

SERVING WESTERN NSW FOR OVER 27 YEARS 40 COBRA STREET, DUBBO | PH: 6881 8613 144 BRISB ANE ST, DUBBO PHONE 6884 7354

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DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

Wishing our valued customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

COMPUTERS RELIABLE • QUALITY • SERVICE

The team from Harvey Norman Furniture and Bedding are wishing you and your family a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

would like to wish all their customers a safe and Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year!

FURNITURE AND BEDDING

67 River St, Dubbo • 6884 1235

R BOA DING T K S N EL S EN

PINEC RE

223 Cobra St, Dubbo • 6826 8800

Regional Development Australia – Orana wishes the region a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

& CATTERY

Macquarie Foot Clinic will be closed on December 19th and will return on January 12th 2015.

We would like to wish our clients a happy and healthy festive season.

Best Wishes Norma, Kelly, Di and Marilyn

Zumba with Tracy would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year!

Make 2015 your year, call Tracy to help get you on the right track!

The team at Pinecrest Boarding Kennels would like to thank all their customers for a great year. We wish you all a Mery Christmas and look forward to working with you in 2015!

28R Minore Road Dubbo Ph/Fax: 6882 1842 • Mob: 0428 821 842 w w w. p i n e c re s t k e n n e l s . c o m . a u

To all our readers and advertisers, we wish you a Merry Chistmas and a Happy New Year!

1800 851 488 • www.rdaorana.org.au

Season’s greetings to all from the team at Dubbo Weekender.

We will be taking a summer break and will be back at the end of January.

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

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REFLECTIONS

We’ve had you covered: the year in review For our last edition of 2014, we take a look back at just some of the stories told, issues discussed, people profiled and events covered by the Weekender team throughout the year.

One Punch: can new laws change a violent culture?

The year kicked off with a tumultuous start following the tragic death of teenager Daniel Christie, felled by a New Year’s Eve blow to the head that quickly added the term “coward punch” to the Australian vernacular.

In the ensuing outcry, the state government, under then-Premier Barry O’Farrell’s leadership and emboldened by the distressing reality of an 18 year old life snuffed out by thuggery, heeded an enraged public’s call that “enough was enough”. The government intervened – ushering in some of the most socially significant legislation yet seen from this Coalition government.

Weekender asked the questions: is the violent culture being played out nightly on our television screens a new phenomenon, or is it an old enemy revisited? Is alcohol really public enemy number one, or is it a deeply ingrained culture that needs to be both acknowledged and addressed in a holistic community approach?

The government’s “tough new laws” to address alcohol fuelled violence are still being tested and the jury is still out.

But with another no doubt booze-soaked festive season now upon us, perhaps a verdict isn’t far away.

•••

Behind closed doors One of Australia’s biggest, and most disturbing, ongoing news stories has been the revelation and subsequent investigations into child sexual assault in institutions around the nation, including the Catholic Church.

Weekender has been at the forefront of local coverage of the issue, including being entrusted by Member for Dubbo Troy Grant to help tell his unsettling story of being one of the lead investigators, during his early days in the police force, into allegations of abuse within the church’s Maitland diocese.

In February this year, Weekender’s Natalie Holmes spoke with brave abuse survivor Di Frost, who told gave her very personal account of her experiences following her statement to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

•••

Murphy follows PM to the back ‘o’ Bourke

The gift of dignity

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All the world’s a stage It was a slightly bemused cohort of Consuls General from 15 countries across the globe that touched down in the central western town of Parkes in late May at the invitation of Member for Dubbo and then newly anointed NSW Cabinet Minister Troy Grant for a two day tour of the region.

Weekender went along for the ride on the tour that had been months in the planning and was designed to showcase the business, investment, tourism and development opportunities of the region. Among the visitors were Consular officials from Denmark, Ireland, Korea, Germany, Singapore, India, Canada, Italy, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, China, France, and the US. The idea, Grant said, was for the Consuls – who differ from Ambassadors in that their roles are more closely focussed on trade and investment – to see first hand what’s on offer here in the Dubbo electorate.

Grant said the tour was able to demonstrate the credibility of the region and its communities as worthy of consideration for international investment.

•••

Over the rainbow

Prime Minister Tony Abbott made a flying visit to the drought stricken areas of Western NSW, landing – as Murhpy’s Law would have it – just ahead of a deluge that turned the photo-op to farce, with pollies and media bogged to the gunwales in the resulting – if short-lived – mud. But as our photo – taken by Katherine Matts – shows, not all the residents of Bourke were impressed with the PM’s presence.

•••

raised in West Bengal in Northern India, she is the Dubbo-based Australian co-ordinator of Rotary’s Project Dignity – her involvement with which was inspired by her own experiences growing up in Calcutta.

The project is simple – with the help of Rotary’s donations, basic toilet blocks are built in some of the poorest villages on the outskirts of the sprawling city, in what has proved to be a successful attempt to address the lack of facilities that has, by extension, created a barrier to education for girls and young women, who do not go to school because of the indignity and discomfort of not being able to go to the toilet or tend to sanitary needs.

Late in 2013, our editor, Jen Cowley – also an active Rotarian and supporter of the project – visited Project Dignity on the outskirts of Calcutta and in March this year, shared her experience – and Gargi’s story – with readers.

•••

Weekender often tells the story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things – local Rotarian Gargi Ganguly was one of them this year. Born and

In late February, at the invitation of former-Dubbo man Tim Millgate – or more precisely the invitation of his increasingly popular drag-act alter-ego, Tina Turn-on – Weekender joined the 2104 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras as part of “Tina’s” own float, and in March the big-haired, false bosomed, spangle and sequin bedecked incarnation of rock goddess Tina Turner agreed to grace our cover. It was all a bit of fun, but in this age where so many barriers still need to be broken, there was also a serious side to the story. Mardi Gras started as a protest about equality, and while that’s still the gay and lesbian community’s white line, the internationally renowned parade is increasingly more about the celebration of diversity. The annual festival attracts thousands of tourists, immeasurable media and millions of dollars to the city of Sydney, but as Weekender found, not everyone thinks it’s all harmless fun.

•••

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attack hunting strategy, the enigmatic creatures are the world’s largest predatory fish – the undeniable overseers of the marine food chain. They’re among the most feared beasts on the planet.

And our Ed decided during a trip to South Africa in April, that it would be a good idea – in the interests of research, of course – to get into the water with them, albeit from the safety of a cage.

She came up with a vastly different view of the ocean’s most feared predator, and a lesson in why South Africans in particular see the West Australian government’s shark culling program as environmentally irresponsible.

•••

with Phil Comerford, Scolari Comerford Dubbo

Claiming tax-loss deductions to Me, under her arm and she was the hottest ticket in town... literally. The famed funny-girl, who was making a return visit to Gulargambone, which holds a special place in her heart, compared notes with Weekender on hot flushes, life changes and the joys of menopause.

•••

I

F your company suffers a tax loss, it may carry that loss forward indefinitely to offset future taxable income, provided certain conditions are met. To use the losses in later years, your enterprise must meet these tests in this order: 1. Continuity of ownership and control tests, where you show that ownership and shareholder structure have remained the same.

2. Same business test, showing that your organisation has carried on the same activities since the loss was incurred.

The tests must follow that order because the outcome of the ownership test determines the way the same business test is applied. If your enterprise cannot satisfy the requirements, it will not be able to use the tax losses.

Here is how the tests work:

Continuity of Ownership Test

Our Shout!

The depth of talent within Dubbo Theatre Company ranks is no secret.

The award winning outfit – fondly still referred to by locals as DATS – has stopped many a naysayer in their tracks with the kind of polish and professionalism that’s rarely expected – or found – in “amateur” circles. But even by this company’s standards, this year’s production of Shout – which brought the story of Johnny “The Wild One” O’Keefe to the stage – was ambitious.

But it was all “J O’K” on the night – or nights – as local audiences thundered their applause and appreciation for a show that was fast paced and hectic, and both physically and vocally demanding, but among the most enjoyable and “singalong-able” ever produced by well-regarded director Chris Bray.

Helping the indefatigable Bray out with this production was renowned choreographer and Dubbo expat Emma Canalese, who now makes her home in New York and works extensively in the theatre in direction, acting and choreography.

In June, as preparations continued, Weekender was treated to a sneak peek at the show and to some time with the extraordinarily talented Emma.

•••

Hot Stuff Our June “covergirl” was the irrepressible queen of Australian comedy, Jean Kittson – who is no stranger to the region. She was back in the bush with her brand new book, You’re Still Hot

Wool blind In July, animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) renewed its campaign to shut down the wool industry, releasing disturbing footage allegedly showing abuse of animals in shearing sheds across Eastern Australia and encouraging consumers to stop buying wool products.

The images of shearers punching, kicking and throwing sheep, as well as using handpieces and hammers to hit the animals, were confronting. But PETA refused to disclose where the incidents occurred, drawing criticism for waiting up to 12 months to release the images. Weekender sought comment on the campaign and on the serious issue of cruelty in the shearing industry, speaking with grazier Abigail McLaughlin, former shearing contractor Mark Horton and Federal Member for Parkes (and farmer) Mark Coulton.

All believed that cruelty in any form should not be – and isn’t – tolerated in an industry that is one of Australia’s most iconic and valuable, and that while the images were indeed distressing, such incidents are isolated in an industry that quickly weeds out the “black sheep” when it comes to animal welfare.

•••

The same people must hold more than 50 per cent of the right to vote and the right to receive dividends and capital distributions during the ownership period. That is the time that extends from the start of the year of the loss until the end of the year the loss is used.

Some complex issues related to how the rights are held determine how the rule applies. Among the critical issues are: l Whether the rights are held legally or beneficially; l Whether the rights are held directly or indirectly; and l If the rights are held indirectly, how the entities are interposed.

Control Test Your enterprise may fail the control test if, during the ownership period, one shareholder becomes a controlling holder in order for that individual or someone else to get a tax benefit.

Same Business Test If your company fails the continuity of ownership and control tests, it may still use the loss if it satisfies the same

business test. To do that, the organisation must: l Carry on the same business as before the ownership change. This means the businesses retains its essential character; l Not engage in and derive income from new businesses that are generally different from the company’s other activities; and l Not enter into new transactions from which income is generated. For instance, the enterprise must not enter into transactions that are unusual in relation to the operations carried on before the ownership change.

The legal interpretations of some of these phrases have been the subject of much debate. Keep in mind that the time at which you compare whether your business has changed varies depending on the outcome of the continuity of ownership test.

When your business deducts tax losses, they must be taken in the order they were incurred. In other words, the oldest losses must be used first.

Your organisation doesn’t have to use the losses in a year when it would make no sense. For example, if your company wants to pay out franked dividends, it would make sense not to use the losses that year.

 Your organisation doesn’t have to use the losses in a year when it would make no sense...  Tax losses can arise when deductions exceed income. But some deductions, such as those for charitable donations, cannot be used to create a tax loss. And keep in mind, a tax loss is not the same as a capital loss, which can be used only to offset capital gains.

Tax loss rules are complex. Be sure to consult with your adviser who can help determine how the regulations might affect your business liabilities and how to appropriately time the deductions.

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23

REFLECTIONS lar television variety show. Baz DuBois and Miguel Maestre swung into town as part of the RUOK Day roadshow – ahead of the increasingly notable depression and suicide awareness day staged every September in Australia. While speaking with Weekender, the pair – from TV’s The Living Room – showed just why they appear to be such good mates on telly.

It’s because they are good mates in real life, and that makes them perfect ambassadors for RUOK Day – which is all about asking that all-important question.

•••

9/11 and the Art of Happiness Leading the charge In July, our editor Jen Cowley told how an encounter with a rhino and its calf in South Africa’s Pilanesberg National Park made her even more acutely aware of the race against time to save these magnificent creatures from almost certain extinction at the hands of poachers.

When the 20th century dawned, there were half a million rhinos wandering across the African and Asian continents.

Today in Africa, there are just 25,000 white rhinos, and the black rhino population has been decimated to a mere handful in conservation terms – at last count, there were fewer than 6000. It’s estimated that over each 24 hour period, two or three rhinos will be slaughtered purely for their horn – the demand for which has hit staggering proportions among the growing middle class of South East Asia, where access to rhino horn is seen as a status symbol.

But all is not necessarily as black and white as it seems – there are many environmental, cultural, economic and political factors the casual observer can’t hope to fathom.

Weekender spoke with conservationist Dr Kira Husher, who has extensive experience with anti-poaching outfits on the ground in Africa, and with Jennifer Conaghan, from Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s world renowned black rhino breeding program – and while the picture they paint is grim and the idiosyncrasies of the illegal rhino horn trade are complex, while ever there’s will, there’s hope for these magnificent creatures.

•••

He’s best known as a comedian, but there’s nothing funny about Simon Kennedy’s very personal connection to “the day that changed the world”. Back in September, he spoke candidly about the loss of his mother in the 9/11 terror attacks and how, as a result, he’s chosen to be happy, not hateful. His book, 9/11 and the Art of Happyness, is the story of his path through the quagmire of shock and grief following his mother’s death at the hands of terrorists. But it’s as much about how choosing to forgive, and to be happy, is not only the most effective path to healing, but the best way to honour his mum’s memory.

•••

Stamping out violence

The night the music died In 1974, a knockabout bunch of blokes from the NSW bush took on the city slickers in a rugby league competition that was to re-write the history books and inadvertently change the face of the game forever. It was a fairytale David and Goliath story that captured the imagination of a generation of sports fans – including that of journalist and author Ian Heads, who spoke to Weekender in August, about the game, the players and “The Night the Music Died” – the title of his just-launched book about how a bunch of knockabout bushies made footy history.

•••

Field of dreams

Mates rule, OK? Our last cover for August featured two well-known Aussie faces – but they weren’t in town to promote their popu-

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Boxing Championship title under his belt, Macfarlane spoke with Steve Hodder about his life, his love of the sport, and how an absolute belief in oneself is the key to success in one’s sport and life.

•••

It was once a great big green field with a tiny equipment shed, but Dubbo’s Barden Park has been transformed into a centre of athletics excellence, ensuring country athletes are on a level playing field with their city counterparts. Natalie Holmes took a sneak peek as the preparations and construction continued in September for the grand opening last month of what is set to be the multimillion dollar jewel in the region’s athletics crown.

•••

Game on!

It had been a long time between drinks for loyal Rabbitohs supporters as they day of the 2014 grand final dawned – 43 years since Souths had been able to boast the revered trophy in their silverware cabinet. When two of the most popular teams in the NRL competition – the Bulldogs and the Bunnies – took to the paddock for the season’s ultimate clash, one was looking for a storybook final chapter, the other promised to take no prisoners in a quest to fracture their rivals’ fairytale. And both teams had an army of ardent supporters cheering them on. Weekender diplomatically took an each way bet, talking to “mad” Bulldogs supporter Jimmy Skordalis and fanatical Bunnies devotee Richard Tegart ahead of the game. History now shows who pulled the rabbit out of the hat and made a fairytale come true. And Souths supporters haven’t stopped hopping up and down yet.

•••

Fighting chance After almost a lifetime in the ring, Dubbo’s Gary Macfarlane still says it’s the camaraderie, the self-belief and the life skills boxing teaches that have given him a fighting chance. Back in October, and with a shiny new World Masters

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

November’s White Ribbon Day has become an increasingly powerful symbol in the fight against domestic violence and violence against women, and a group of passionate local advocates were deputised as ambassadors to help push the important message. Each year, across Australia, men from all walks of life and from a diverse demographic put their hands up to fly the White Ribbon flag and to help stamp out violence against women – including those Natalie Holmes spoke with: a barista, a farmer, a former police officer, a personal trainer and an indigenous service officer.

•••

Hats off As the year drew to a close, Weekender caught up with former Dubbo-ite and now Broome-based milliner-on-the-rise, Felicity Brown, who has been making a name for herself in the cut-throat world of high hat fashion. It’s a long way from the beaches of Broome to the catwalks of New York, but Felicity – Flic to her mates – is taking it all in her stride as industry heavy-weights take their hats off to her bespoke creations. We managed to pin her down during a flying visit “home” to Dubbo after her appearance at New York’s famed Fashion Week.

Being an accountant today is no longer just about counting the dollars and cents – it’s about you and your people too.

At Scolari Comerford, we firmly believe that it’s you and you’re team who make the money, and so it’s crucial to the success of your business that everyone is working efficiently towards a common goal.

Scolari Comerford is not your typical accounting firm. We are proactive accountants who regularly share ideas with other leading accounting firms. We also have access to unique tools and resources that we use to help our clients achieve their goals.

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Our sole focus is to help you: ● Grow your business ● Increase your profitability ● Improve your cashflow ● Ensure your assets are properly protected Our focus also includes: ● Advising on succession planning or sale ● Doing everything legally possible to minimise your tax ● Helping you financially retire ● Working with you to help you determine the legacy you would like to leave and working towards that goal.

Get in touch with us today. Let’s talk about how our team can start helping your team to achieve great things in 2015.

HOLIDAY NOTICE: Our office is closed for the holiday period and will reopen on 12th January 2015. Merry Christmas from the team at Scolari Comerford.

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COMMENT

James Eddy

James Eddy also exercises his freedom of speech on stage with Dubbo Theatre Company, in his classroom at Dubbo College and from the stands at any good AFL match.

Jingling our bells to new festive traditions A round the time of early December each year, I feel that air of anticipation start to kick in, as it does for many, I guess. It begins with the dressing the tree and the sound of carols in the living room at the Eddy house, and each year it seems to be about fishing through the wonderful memories in search of some delightful haunting of the ghosts of Christmas past.

I don’t remember a bad Christmas from my childhood. As a youngster, the season kicked into gear with my father bringing home a fresh pine tree. He was a forester by trade and had some excellent insider knowledge when it came to the best trees. The New England region was an excellent place for growing super pine trees and we tended to have the pick of the bunch. To an eight yearold they were enormous, almost climbable, and from the moment it entered the front door the house was drenched in that fresh Christmassy smell of pine.

In the years since, good pine trees have been harder to come by; we tend to fall back on the artificial kind. But without that smell permeating the air and flooding my olifactories, it just isn’t quite Christmas. As middle-aged adults, when we get together at Mum and Dad’s, and if we’re lucky enough to have sourced a proper pine Christmas tree, my siblings and I will bury our faces deep into the boughs and drink in the happy memories. There’s nothing quite like it.

I am unapologetically a Christmas carol devotee. For the month of December, we’d be lulled to sleep by Bing Crosby’s dulcet tones on crackling vinyl LP, or the sickly cheesy melodies of Christmas with Conniff, drifting through the warm evening air from the slowly disintegrating, little red portable record player with its mono speaker. The brief two or three seconds of deep fffft, fffft, fffffft as the needle found the first track and exited the last are like punctuation for the soundtrack of my soul at Christmas. As I walk through the mall and I hear Mr Crosby crooning away about Christmas in Killarney – while I acknowledge that others may groan with the same pain of a septic wound – be assured I am nestled snugly in my comfort zone. Bring it on. I know the first verse of Oh Come All Ye Faithful in Latin.

When I moved away from home I played Crosby’s Merry Xmas album in July, just to wallow in the homesickness. I love Christmas carols and will bareknuckle fight anyone who wants to admonish them in open discourse.

But the midyear carols taught me that the more you try to stretch the season out, the more dilute it becomes. In the early ‘80s, the season kicked off in December as I recall, a logical, practical time. Navigating through Christmas trees and the echo carols in Big W from September is making me numb to the sensations. I want it to stop, go back and become special again. I guess noone owns a tradition. We all take part and inject what we want for it, but in the end we all have to surrender control to a degree or become a hermit.

As I’ve grown older, this has become more and more apparent, this evolution of Christmas tradition. We always ate a hot meal for lunch when I was young.

New England summers at the peak of the Great Dividing Range were hardly oppressive. But when we moved to Mildura, Mum and Dad discovered that a

28

hot oven on a 42°C day was more punishment than anyone deserved in a season of such glad tidings. Dad now prepares a pickled pork leg in bread dough a week before – a treat worth the wait – to complement Mum’s awesome roast turkey (often served cold for a 3:30pm lunch). My wife took some time to fathom this. A coastal girl, she grew up with a tub of prawns and salad for Christmas lunch. I remember prawns occurring only once in my life before I was 21. Now I love them and can’t imagine not having them. We have cold pork pies and champers for brekkie, courtesy of my younger brother who brought this little delicacy back from the UK (not literally), a concept from his British in-laws. Our Christmas menu has changed and we’re all the better for it. Pass me a serviette now, I have the drools already.

I’m a bit of sucker for Christmas movies too, in particular the old stop-motion animations. It’s the Little Drummer Boy, and A Year Without Santa Claus et.al., that brings the family around a roaring telly. I thought I had seen the last

of them back in the mid-80s, but when I discovered them on the DVD rack a couple of years ago, I nearly lost my Christmas bundle with giddy excitement. I love Will Ferrell in Elf and I have a Cotton-headed Ninny-muggins T-shirt (for the true fans out there). I love me some Christmas movies.

Each year I reflect on lessons learned from the Christmaases past, like reading the instructions properly. I remember in 1983, a small but crucial tiny piece of mast from my America’s Cup model yacht, lost irretrievably into its hollow and completely sealed hull because I was in too much of a hurry.

The thing rattled for years and we continually tried to replace it with matchsticks or bamboo skewers from then on, but the job was always substandard compared to my brother’s otherwise identical effort. Thanks Santa, but I wrecked it that year.

I also learned that when people love you for what you have, it’s a fool’s paradise. Popularity lasts as long as you feed the beast what it craves, and it craves

“ I love Christmas carols and will bareknuckle fight anyone who wants to admonish them in open discourse. ”

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something new. In 1982 for one brief shining moment, my brother and I were the talk of the schoolyard when we arrived for the start of Term One with the first Nintendo hand held games in town. Friends could not believe the dynamic black and white lithium crystal display that allowed you to control the cartoon wolf in his apparently endless job of catching randomly falling eggs in his hat. This was so much better than Pong and held us at the pinnacle of social esteem, until someone showed up with their freaking Donkey Kong with the fancy double screen, and lo, how the mighty fall.

Christmas is a combination of so many different things and we each have something different that we seek from it each year. All traditions change and grow. For those who celebrate it, what is recognised as Christmas is intensely personal, whether deeply religious or grossly Aussified, a chance to reconnect family and friends or a chance for charity.

The theme I feel summarises Christmas best and the one that resonates most in the fallout from Monday’s turmoil, the theme that has carried through the 40 years that I’ve known Christmas is simply; goodwill to all men.

Merry Christmas to all.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Please drive safely over the holiday season

Dubbo Office Suite 3/153 Brisbane St Dubbo NSW 2830 Ph: 02 6882 0999 Fax: 02 6882 9935 Moree Office 69 Heber St Moree NSW 2400 Ph: 02 6751 1251 Fax: 02 6751 1253 mark.coulton.mp@aph.gov.au For more information or call 1300 305 723 or visit www.metrohotels.com.au

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Mark Coulton MP

Your Federal Representative Authorised by Mark Coulton MP, Suite 3/153 Brisbane St, Dubbo NSW 2830

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Tunnel vision on the road to the future

T

he time has come for my Christmas wish list.

It’s quite short – I want just one thing: a hole. Maybe even a pair of parallel holes. I want them round and straight with a flat bitumen base and to stretch in a 70.5 kilometre straight line from Mount Lambie (just before Lithgow) through to the start of the M4 Western Motorway at Emu Plains.

Before this is dismissed as a pipe dream by someone with tunnel vision (no apologies for the double pun) I want to look at some other visionary projects in our history and crunch some numbers.

The first sod was turned for the Sydney Harbour Bridge in July 1923. Eight years later it was officially opened in March 1932. The cost – in equivalent 2014 dollars – was $556 million. The two-way toll collection was designed to pay for this cost – which it did – but it took 56 years.

The Opera House commenced construction in March 1959. It was formally opened 14 years later at a current cost of $880 million.

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme – the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Australia and one of the most complex integrated hydro-electric power schemes in the world – took just over 23 years to complete at a cost of $6.13 billion (current terms).

The governments that built these projects showed vision.

Everyone west of Lithgow can see the advantages of a tunnel under the Blue Mountains BUT, I hear you say, we simply don’t have the population to support this. Before we jump to any conclusions, I have some numbers we should consider.

A trip from the Dubbo Post Office to the old GPO at the centre of Sydney is 406km. If it was possible to sit precisely on the posted speed zones all the way, the journey would take 4h 47m. Now consider the Blue Mountains traversal. From Mount Lambie to Emu Plains there are more than 30 changes in speed zones, resulting in a weighted average of 67km/h. The distance is 104 kilometres so the theoretical legal crossing time is 1h 33m – but the terrain and the constant speed changes results in a typical crossing much longer.

A straight tunnel crossing with a speed limit of 110km/h would result in that distance being covered in a theoretical 38 minutes – and it would be possible to achieve much closer to the speed limit on a multi-lane motorway. This results in a time reduction of 55 minutes and a reduction in distance of 33.5km.

Imagine doing a legal Dubbo to Sydney drive in fewer than four hours! It would open up Bathurst, Orange and Mudgee and practically make Lithgow a suburb of Sydney.

The average cost to run a vehicle (including fuel and maintenance) is 24.42 cents per kilometre so the average person would save $8.18 in real costs (trucks cost over $1.05 per kilometre so their saving would be over $35 in real costs for each trip). So it wouldn’t be unreasonable to charge $12 per car and $24 per truck to use the tunnel. With close to 30,000 vehicles using the Blue Mountains daily (with the figure rising after the tunnel was built) and 15 per cent of all traffic being trucks, the annual amount generated would be in the vicinity of $151 million. Then there are the productivity benefits for users. With 47.3 per cent of car use for business purposes and averaging an employee’s value at $100 per hour, the time savings would generate $595 million in additional productivity per year. Our road stats show we have 0.7 deaths per 100 million vehicle kilometres so the reduction in kilometres travelled should result in 3.7 fewer deaths per year – which may be even higher given the more dangerous road over the mountains.

The environmental, social and financial benefits are obvious but what about actually building it?

We see tunnels being created all over the world. China; Japan; UK; France; South Korea; Russia; Spain; Singapore and Switzerland and more all have significant tunnels. China has a 60.4km tunnel in Guangzhou and the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland will soon open twin tunnels at 57.1km in length.

On a long straight tunnel the cost could be as low as $40 million per kilometre for twin tunnels (although prices in India are quoted as low as $30 million per kilometre). That would result in a $2.82 billion build cost. Some tunnel building machines (TBMs) can dig as fast as 115m per day so the actual tunnels could be completed in fewer than two years.

If the $151 million in toll fees could be put towards the build cost, it would result in a straight financial Return on Investment (ROI) of less than 19 years.

That is ignoring CPI increases and additional traffic – both of which would reduce the ROI – and all this ignores the real productivity, social and regional expansion benefits.

Sydney has four new TBMs about to start the North-West Rail Link. That project is due for completion in 2017 and, although they are slower at around 120m per week, the project could still be completed within six years using these second-hand TBMs. So there you have it. A project that stacks up financially and socially that helps grow regional Australia and take pressure off the urban sprawl of Sydney.

All we need now is a government with the vision to implement it!

Appeal to the emotions. And what’s better than Google?

O

UR opening ad this week (above) is a fun one, part of a print ad campaign run in the land of the long white cloud by NZ brewer Steinlager.

Hi and welcome to our Marketing Minute. Yes, we admit it, sometimes our so-called “minute” takes longer than 60 seconds to read, so this week we’ll keep it a bit shorter – after all, we’re all in the middle of busy Christmas trade.

When you write: Tip #9 HERE’S another in our series of handy copywriting tips from Richard Bayan’s book “Words That Sell”.

9. Appeal to the emotions rather than the intellect. You want your words to propel the reader to action, and nothing is so propulsive as human emotions.

A cerebral approach might make your reader nod in admiration, but emotions are the fuel that can blast your message off the ground.

Even when you’re writing for an audience of executives or college professors, don’t forget that, like all members of the human tribe, they’re motivated by gut feelings.

Keep in mind that some advertising media are intrinsically less emotional than others. A brochure, for example, has to present the hard facts. It typically won’t generate as much emotional heat

as a good sales letter. But it should still trigger an emotional response (“I want that!”).

Fast fact DID you know that 13 million Aussies use Google every month. By comparison, 15 million Aussies read a newspaper in the same period.

VW – does it stand for Very Witty?

LONG-TERM readers of our Marketing Minute will remember a couple of VW print ads we’ve shown you previously – in particular the clever ads for their precision parking technology. Here’s another one we spotted during the week (below). It’s clever!

Missing: A big stash of chocolate THERE’S news from Italy this week that, while police have recovered 77 tonnes of stolen Swiss chocolates from two locations, they’re still searching for the other 209 tonnes that were stolen in August from a warehouse near Milan.

The total worth of the pilfered treats was estimated at about $10 million.

– Until next week, may your Christmas trade be sweet, and keep up the great marketing!

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland

89 Wingewarra St Dubbo | Tel 02 6885 4433

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

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ARTS

In tune with the top brass WORDS Vivienne Winther

F

or the past seven years, Steve Smith has traversed Dubbo and the region, teaching brass and wind instruments to hundreds of school students, and conducting school bands.

Steve has taught for Macquarie Conservatorium in public schools, including a weekly trip to Wellington Public School, and is also a familiar face at most of the non-government schools, adding St Augustine’s Narromine to his list for the past two years. Onsite at the Conservatorium, he’s kept busy teaching beginner to advanced brass students, and this year he established a Conservatorium brass ensemble.

Just like many of the children he has taught in Dubbo, Steve began his own musical journey learning an instrument in primary school. With a father who was a Uniting Church minister, his family moved several times, and this ultimately led him to the instrument that has shaped his career.

“When I was eight, I started on cello at my primary school in Adelaide,” says Steve.

“But when we moved to Sydney, my new school didn’t teach strings, so I changed to learning a brass instrument, the trombone.”

Steve then attended Port Hacking High School, designated a “school of musical excellence”. The music program there equipped him to enter and complete the Bachelor of Music Performance at Sydney Conservatorium.

“Growing up in Sydney, I played in lots of orchestras and bands: the SBS and Sydney Youth Orchestras, the Sutherland Shire Brass Band, and Sydney Conservatorium’s own ensembles. So I had a lot of opportunities, and learned from some outstanding musicians, both players and conductors.”

On graduating, Steve started specialist instrumental teaching in a range of Sydney schools, both primary and secondary, government and non-government.

“I had done a fair bit of teaching of all ages, and started conducting school bands before I came to Dubbo, but once here I found I had a lot more opportunities and responsibilities, being the lead teacher of brass for Macquarie Conservatorium.”

Arriving at the start of 2008, Steve inherited the teaching load of the departing Director of the Conservatorium, Chris Harrison, also a brass player.

“On top of that, there was growing in-

Steve Smith conducts school bands at Macquarie Conservatorium’s Open Day. Photo: Supplied

terest from the Catholic primary schools for instrumental tuition and band programs onsite at their schools. Some schools like St Mary’s already had a band, but for others like St Laurence and St Pius, I started off their school bands and have conducted them ever since.”

Another unexpected opportunity that came his way in Dubbo was the conductorship of the town band.

“When I arrived in Dubbo, the longstanding town band was a brass-only band, and the numbers of players had really dwindled. Meanwhile at Macquarie Conservatorium, there was a small wind ensemble running. Separately both groups were struggling to be active, mainly because of their small numbers. I felt the best way forward was to combine both groups, and change the traditional town brass band into a concert band, which includes both brass and wind instruments. I then took on conducting this new ensemble, the Dubbo District Concert Band.”

From scratching for players, the band membership now sits at around 50 players of all ages, from teens to over seventy. Tony Wheatland, president of the Dubbo District Concert Band, sees both the move to the concert band structure and Steve’s musical leadership for the past seven years as giving the band a “dream run”.

“Under his leadership, we’ve gone from strength to strength. Steve is really good at working with all age groups.

He’s been very active recruiting younger

players, as he knows who is coming up through his teaching at the Conservatorium and in the schools. He chooses great repertoire, and really knows how to rehearse the band to get it to play its best.”

This has been demonstrated by the Band’s many civic performances in Dubbo, and also its success at the NSW State Band Championship. In 2013, they placed second in the D Grade section, and in 2014, they won their section, and have now been promoted to C Grade.

It has been this journey developing both the Dubbo District Concert Band and his own skills as a conductor that now leads Steve Smith away from Dubbo and back to his alma mater, the Sydney Conservatorium.

Steve applied for and was accepted into its new postgraduate course, Master of Conducting Symphonic Wind.

“When I heard about this new course, it seemed ideal for me. It’s led by an international expert in the field, Dr John Lynch from America, where concert bands are at very high level, both technically and musically. The work I’ve done here in Dubbo at Macquarie Conservatorium and conducting the Band has given me the experience I need to take on this new challenge.”

For his students, Steve sees a strong future in Dubbo with improved access to good teachers and to special opportunities many regional students in other states don’t have.

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DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

and the network of NSW regional conservatoriums, our students are given some really important opportunities, for example the workshops in Sydney this November with the visiting London Symphony Orchestra. These special orchestral projects are organized by the regional conservatoriums, and they make a big impact on students. It can be the catalyst for students making the decision to take their music to the next level, when they have the chance to see professional musicians of the highest calibre at work.”

Being part of so much change, development and progress in Dubbo’s musical life over the past seven years, Steve is confident that the work he has done is going to be continued.

“It is nice to know that there will be new brass expert in town. Neill Ryan is a trombonist like myself, and we are colleagues and friends from way back, when we both played in the SBS Youth Orchestra. He is moving here with his partner Kimberley Pearson, a woodwind specialist, as new staff members of Macquarie Conservatorium.

“Neill is a very experienced teacher and conductor, he’s played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, he’s conducted A Grade bands, as well as teaching in primary and secondary schools. So I am happy to leave my students and the Conservatorium’s school music programs in great hands.”

Just as he has seen his students move on, Steve knows it’s the right time for him to take the next step.

“I’ve taught some Dubbo students right through from beginners in primary school, to going off to university to study music at tertiary level like I did. It has been very rewarding.

“Now it is my turn to try something new. I’m not exactly sure where this postgraduate study will lead me, but I want to give it a go and see how far I can take my conducting and band leadership. And my time in Dubbo will have contributed a great deal to whatever I achieve.” >> Macquarie Conservatorium wishes all readers a happy holiday season. The Conservatorium office is now closed and reopens on Monday 12 January. Enrolments for 2015 are open now, and 2015 class and fee information can be downloaded at www.macqcon.org.au

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THE Write STUFF

For established and emerging local writers The Write Stuff is dedicated to helping both established and emerging local writers and poets explore and develop their literary art. Each week, Val Clark offers tidbits of interest and assistance based on her experiences as a consumer, blogger, teacher and practitioner of the wonderfully rewarding craft of writing.

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From the bookshelves

by Dave Pankhurst The Book Connection, Dubbo

The Christmas story

Inspiration F likely in unlikely places E

ver heard of the Bed-Bath-Bus phenomenon? It happens to me frequently.

It happened this morning, driving home from Dubbo, along a country road. There, suddenly, in the front of my brain, part of a story I’d been concerned about played its way out from my subconscious to the world of my story. Pretty cool.

Archimedes made his great discovery in the bath; Einstein while having a nap.

I wrote what I consider to be my best poem on a train.

Last week I had a great idea in the shower, only I forgot it.

Apparently mathematician and philosopher Wittgenstein (18891951) said that the key to thinking is the three Bs – Bed. Bath. Bus. Inspiration comes when we’re not looking for it; like when you’re on the train or bus or in the car, showering or bathing, dozing in bed. (Some would make it four Bs and add “bar”.)

There doesn’t seem to be any science to prove this phenomenon but it’s true. When we are doing nothing, when we are not focussing or concentrating or are semi-conscious, we give ourselves the licence to day dream and provide the opportunity for something to happen.

Walking, on the bus, train, plane or a passenger in a car? Get an idea?

Write it down immediately, or run the risk of forgetting it.

Driving? I have been known to use a digital voice recorder.

You’re in the shower or having a bath? Use kids’ bath crayons to jot down your ideas.

In bed? I have recently acquired a neat pen that has a light at the writing end in case I’m inspired at night.

Join the great thinking minds like Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein and carry a note book to capture those inspirational, “ah ha”, Eureka moments, or note them on your phone.

This is as much a reminder to myself as it is an encouragement to others. Mid February M and I are off on a much awaited and anticipated trip overseas. Lots of my time will be spent traveling – there’s the long

flight to Dubai to start with. The first two weeks will be beside a beach in Kenya. Bathing in a great big bath.

Long beach walks. Then there’s one of my favourite places to day dream – bed.

I’ll make sure I have all of my writing aids with me.

••• Looking back over 2014, I’m really excited about the opportunities writers in the region have had to work with industry professionals to improve their writing and pitch their work to publishers. Up to 14 people met monthly at the Outback Writers’ Centre gatherings to discuss their poems, fiction and non-fiction stories and articles and up to four met to discuss chapters of their novels. Alison Plasto, of ABC’s Open 500 Words, has provided workshops, skills development and encouragement to local writers.

Eight people, that I know of, started to write a novel in November – one finished to first draft.

Two members launched books this year. Pat Clarke launched Howie the Yowie and The Flying Lesson.

Kerrie Phipps launched Do Talk to Strangers.

These are great milestones in the literary life of our city.

Looking forward to 2015, the Outback Writers Centre will continue to provide even better programs and opportunities for writers. If the OWC gets the funding, it is planning: a Travel Writing workshop with Sue White – check out her website – panels and pitching opportunities to least three publishers; a workshop with Mike Ladd, poet and producer of ABC National Radio’s Poetica and a few other, yet to be negotiated, opportunities for writers.

If you want to stay in the loop, like the Outback Writers’ Centre on Facebook. Not a Facebooker? Email outbackwriters@gmail.com and ask to go onto the email list.

Enjoy the Christmas season, and do get some writing done. Failing that, be prepared for the Bed-Bath-Bus phenomenon.

I’ll be back in July!

Val Clark has published short stories, articles and poems in national and international magazines and anthologies, placed and won in writing competitions and written and directed plays for adults and students. She is passionate about creativity and encouraging new and emerging writers. Val regularly runs creative writing workshops for adults, teenagers and children.

EW of us would have come through life without using a Little Golden book – and this week’s column begins with two from the bookshelves.

“The Christmas Story” relates how Joseph took his wife to Bethlehem. Mary gave birth to the baby Jesus, the shepherds came to the manger, and the three kings visited. The true meaning of Christmas was established and in later times other celebrations began and these are related in “The Night before Christmas”.

In mid-November a number of Macquarie Street businesses started ‘putting up’ their Christmas decorations, on November 20 a little girl came into the book store with Mickey Mouse ears on her head which came as a result of visiting Santa Claus in a nearby store. This push to maximise the impact of Christmas trading has been expanding, but in America, it doesn’t begin until the day after Thanksgiving Day. Deepak Chopra has written “The Future of God” which provides a practical approach to spirituality for our times.

He comments that faith is in crisis, and raises the question, “Are God and faith no longer useful in the modern world?”

Chopra argues that if both are to have a future we must find a new approach to spirituality. He reveals how God is about much more than religion. If God stands for absolute goodness, love and truth, and we are part of God, then we have a direct connection to those qualities.

In addition he offers not only the logic of faith but also a critique of militant atheism. For, if God is here to stay, the results will be for the betterment of us all. An interesting observer of Chopra’s writings is Mikhail Gorbachev who considers him to be “one of the most lucid and inspired philosophers of our time”.

Step back in time by reading Bernard Hamilton’s “The Christian World of the Middle Ages”. It relates the way in which Christianity spread throughout the known world and the various forms that it took. It spans the centuries from AD 312, when Constantine the Great ended persecution of the Church, to 1500 when overseas expansion inaugurated a period of Western religious dominance.

In a Penguin Classic titled “Is God Happy?” Lesek Kotakowski writes about communism and socialism, the problem of evil, Erasmus and the reform of the Church, reason and truth, and whether God is happy. Regarded as one of the 20th century’s important thinkers, Kotakowski deals with the problems of philosophy and the most vital questions of the age. He includes references on Spinoza, Bergson, Pascal and 17th century thought. He left communist Poland after being expelled from Warsaw University for anti-communist activities, and from 1970 he was a fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.

Rez Aslan has written “Zealot – The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth” which became a New York Times best seller. Considered a thought provoking, elegantly written biography, this is a brilliant portrait of a man, a time and the birth of a religion. Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker walked across Galilee gathering followers to establish what he called the ‘Kingdom of God’. The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was captured, tortured and executed as a state criminal. Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call him God. An interesting fact is that author Aslan was born in Iran and now lives in Los Angeles with his family.

Over the ages countless books have been written about God with the Holy Bible recognised as being the word of God. Mark Twain has exhibited real wit in his stories and from the shelves are “Adams’ Diary” and “Eve’s Diary”. Given the serious levels of domestic disagreement in modern society, it would be a wise to read about the creation of man and woman. It could bring more care and thought to the way we all live, and together make up a community of respect.

The mission to preach the word of God in Australia appears to have faded.

In the 1950s Billy Graham conducted a crusade that drew multi-denominational crowds of people equalling those at sporting events. He wrote “Hope For a Troubled Heart” and an autobiography “Billy Graham – God’s Ambassador”. In his writing he makes the point against himself when visiting a Queensland town where, when walking down the street, he asked a boy for directions to the post office. Having secured directions he invited the lad, “Come along to the meeting tonight – I’m preaching on how to get to heaven.” To this the boy answered, “That would be a waste of time, you don’t even know the way to the post office.”

In the Brief Insight series, Linda Woodhead has written “Christianity”.

She offers a wide-ranging overview of the world’s largest religion, distinguishing three types of Christianity – Church, Biblical and Mystical – and examining their struggles with one another. She considers Christianity’s relations with worldly power, while shedding new light on the religion’s continuing evolution.

In the four weeks prior to Christmas the Season of Advent occurs to celebrate the coming of Jesus. Each week progressively, Joy, Peace, Hope and Love are acknowledged – and these four elements challenge us all to consider their implications in our attitudes and lifestyles.

Without question, their application in the way we live can bring comfort and peace.

Wishing you a Joyous Christmas, Dave Pankhurst

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

31

PEOPLE

WEEKENDER DIARY hear ll Carols by Candlelight Local artists, choirs and bands will entertain and lead the community singing at this year’s Carols by Candlelight at Victoria Park No 1 Oval on Sunday, December 21. While you’re waiting for Santa to arrive, take a ride on a trike and support the Dubbo Base Hospital Children’s Ward.

Contact Malcolm Cockrum on 0407 710 454 for more information. Gates open at 6pm with Santa scheduled to arrive at 8.30pm.

ll Carols in the Cathedral Cave Always a lovely evening, the Carols in the Cathedral Cave in Wellington’s stunning natural underground amphitheatre is a popular event. Join local artists singing Christmas carols and enjoy the company of others in the spirit of Christmas.

Afterwards, enjoy a BYO supper above ground at the picnic area. Please bring a rug or chair for the caves concert, Sunday December 21, 6.45pm for 7pm start.

see ll Kyah Wilson: Behind the Seen Today is your last chance to see Behind the Seen by artist Kyah Wilson at the Fire Station Arts Centre. For this exhibition, Wilson has taken inspiration from the landscape around her, after moving to a former dairy farm overlooking the Macquarie River. “Inspired by the vast space and livestock grazing amongst the stillness and sunlight, I embraced my innate desire to create art that resonates with my environment.” Gallery hours are 8am to 3pm. ll Shadow Weave If you’re looking for something to do these holi-

Talking to...

Kaitie Evans This Christmas, you’ll find Kaitie Evans working hard as a Helper Elf at Myer, but she’ll soon be packing up her pointy hat and heading off to Bible College in Sydney.

AS TOLD TO Kaitlyn Rennie On my bedside table at the moment is... nothing, it’s all packed for university.

Life has taught me that when it comes to the opposite sex... they are valuable in their own ways.

My top five albums of all time are: Gabrielle Aplin – English Rain, Paramore – Riot, all of Whitney Houston, Fall Out Boy – Thanks for the Memories, Pete Murray - Free If I had to name my five best loved movies they would be: Stardust, Tangled, Frozen, Lion King and Mulan I draw inspiration from...

God’s immaculate creation.

I believe... in Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost.

I don’t believe... that we have one set way in our lives.

The one thing that will always make me cry is... seeing my mumsie cry.

I always laugh when... people fall over.

I’ll never forget... my family.

What I know now that I wish I’d known sooner is... that there is more to life than boys, grades and friends.

I never thought I’d... move to Sydney.

days, look no further than Western Plains Cultural Centre. Check out Shadow Weave, a collaborative exhibition by four Blue Mountains-based artists, each drawing new dimensions from the shadows specific to their own practice. An installation of sculptural objects, paper cuts, projections and photographs, the exhibition will be immersive and experimental and will explore the intersection between transient new media and tangible art forms. On display until February 1. Western Plains Cultural Centre is open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

do ll Festival of Light Head to Dundullimal Homestead for the Christmas Festival of Light presented by Riverside Church this evening, Saturday, December 20.

Chill out, chat, meet new people, light up the night with fairy lights and candles and add your voice to the beautiful carols. Bring a rug, chairs and a picnic and soak up the atmosphere, sharing the spirit of the season. The fun begins at 7pm. Please note this is a drug and alcohol-free event. ll Last market days for 2014 Take advantage of the vibrant market atmosphere and pick up those last minute Christmas

gifts at the Riverside Markets, Ollie Robins Oval, on Sunday, December 21. The day showcases a range of quality mixed merchandise, fresh produce, art and craft, collectables, plants, clothing, tools, toys, new and pre-loved. Stall holders are most welcome. Free entry between 9am and 3pm. Or for festive fare, try the Farmers Markets, on today (December 20) at the Macquarie Lions Park. Between 8am and noon, pick up some fresh seasonal produce, fruit and vegetables, herbs and plants, homemade bread, local pork, beef and lamb, award-winning olive oils, preserves, jams, honey, wine, nuts more. Meet some friends for a pre-Christmas brunch and catch-up!

etc ll Transgender support group If you’re transgender or gender diverse, or experiencing questions about your gender and need a safe space in which to chat, then the Central West Transgender Support Group is a free, safe and supportive space to discuss gender issues.

The Transgender and Gender Diverse Group will meet on the second Sunday of every month.

If you’re feeling isolated or confused, know that you are not alone. The next meeting will be held at 10am on Sunday, December 21. The first meeting for the year will be held at 10am on Sunday, January 11. Contact Lee on 0434 869 038

for more information, including venue details. ll Boxing Day Races Don’t miss the fun and entertainment of Wellington’s annual Boxing Day Races which include the infamous hurdles with men and women of all ages leaping over hay bales to try and win the coveted prize! (Might be a good way to work off those Christmas puds!)

Of course, the meet offers Fashions on the Field, a full race card and plenty of betting facilities, full bar facilities and food outlets. Second in size only to the famous Boot. Wellington Racetrack, December 26.

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DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

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Mercedes-Benz C-Class named 2014 Drive.com.au Car of the Year - Overall winner FOR the first time in the history of the Drive. com.au Car of the Year awards the MercedesBenz C-Class has been named again as Car of the Year.

Following an exhaustive testing process involving a brace of 42 of Australia's most accomplished cars the C-Class was voted by the Drive.com.au judges as their Car of the Year. The judges praised the C-Class for its safety, value, performance, style, luxury and its benchmarking presence in the market.

Andrew Maclean, Drive National Editor, said "The Mercedes-Benz C 200 is a class above its rivals and a thoroughly deserving winner of Drive Car of the Year for 2014.

It not only won its class as the Best Luxury Car under $80,000 with a unanimous top score from the six expert judges, but comprehensively beat the finalists for the outright award by virtue of its outstanding levels of refinement, class leading dynamic qualities, top-shelf safety credentials, easily accessible performance and economy and the exemplary presentation and level of standard equipment within its cabin.

In fact, the C 200 not only raises the benchmark in its class but sets new standards across the entire automotive landscape."

The Chief Executive Officer of MercedesBenz Australia Pacific and Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars, Mr Horst von Sanden said "No other car has ever won the Drive award twice and we are incredibly proud to have won this most coveted award again. Thank you to the judges for their fair

assessment for not only Car of the Year, but also throughout the year.

The C-Class has for eight years been Australia's bestselling luxury car and the new C-Class continues as the vehicle of choice of luxury car buyers. The combination of safety, luxury, dynamic ability, performance and value won over the Drive judges just as much as it has won over buyers, concluded Mr von Sanden."

What the other Drive Car of the Year judges said about the C-Class: Stephen Ottley - Drive deputy editor "It looks every cent like a premium car. The C 200 is a generation ahead of its rivals for refinement."

Sam Hall - Drive motoring writer "The C 200 shifts the goalposts for refinement, comfort and driving ability. It wouldn't look out of place in the company of cars worth twice the price."

David Morley - Drive senior contributor "There is nothing about it I didn't like."

Peter McKay - Drive senior contributor "It feels much better than its numbers suggest and sets new benchmarks across a range of parameters."

Robert McDonald - safety expert "With automated emergency braking fitted across the range, the C200 sets the standard for safety in its class."

The C-Class was not just named as Drive's Car of the Year but also won the Best Luxury Car under $80,000.

Andrew Maclean, Associate Editor of

Drive.com.au said "In the end, the C 200 walked away with the crown unopposed, scoring a unanimous victory as the top pick from all six judges. With a starting price of $60,900 (plus on-roads), the entry-level mid-sized

This changes everything.

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PUZZLES & PLAY FIND THE WORDS

WEEKENDER SUPER CROSSWORD

This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 17 letters left over.

They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

Cast a line

Avalon Avoca Ballina bass bays Bowen Cairns creel Forster Geelong Hawkesbury

Iluka Innisfail line Lorne Murray River Noosa Old Bar Onslow plan play Portland

Port PhillipBay rays reef rods Rosebud Sandy Cape Streaky Bay SydneyHarbour Townsville

trout Tully tuna Ulladulla Yamba

© australianwordgames.com.au 834 n Solution at bottom

WEEKENDER SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

ACROSS

1. Persistent Dr. Seuss character 7. Total stupidness 13. ...-faire 20. Actress Wilde 21. Fifth US president 22. Dubbo street, runs west to east 23. Dissuade people from using a bridge?

25. “Look, Ma” follower 26. Be a thespian 27. Impressionist Claude 28. Frogs’ relatives 30. Destroy the interior of 31. Azure 34. Horse riders’ shop?

37. Above, in odes 38. Twofold nature 41. Errand boy 42. Thieving Fink?

46. Grammy winner, ... James 48. ...-Z (‘80s Camaro) 49. “Revolver” or “Tapestry,” e.g.

50. Lose iciness 52. Run through small holes 56. “GoldenEye” Bond girl Simonova 58. Open courts used by opera singers?

62. Delayed 63. “... be back” 66. Poet Edward 67. Drink in 68. Stiller of film 69. Predicament experienced by humans?

73. New, in German 74. Self-evident statements

This week’s theme: TEE TIME

65. Molten flows 68. US baseball star Ruth 70. TV’s Oswald Q Ostrich 71. Pot topper 72. Dubbo street, starts at hospital, crosses Wheelers Lane 75. New York county or lake 79. Mimosafamily tree 81. Honorary law deg.

82. “No big ...”

84. Those who bring us back together 85. Suffix with poison 89. 1101 in Roman numerals 90. Tina’s ex 93. Decked in a boxing ring 94. Foyer sofas 95. Josephine of mysteries 96. Neither here ... there 97. Some steaks 98. It has a pH above 7.0 99. Little bump 100. Day after Fri. 101. Threefold 76. 107, in old meals neatly in a 124. New Jersey, 8. Shot amount 32. Spotted lynx 47. Time that DST 104. Granny on USA, borough Rome picnic basket?

9. ----agram 33. See 78-Across starts “The Nanny” next to Fort Lee 10. “... quit!” (threat 34. ... poke (not 77. Actress Irving 97. Dance with 50. Merry refrain 105. Ship parts dips 78. With 33very fast) 51. A eunuch 125. “Help Me, ...” ender) 106. Diem lead-in Down, brand of 100. Shooting guards it 11. Hold 35. Sergeant, (1965 #1 hit) 107. Adjectives marble ice-cream abbr 53. Like liver, 126. Midday naps 12. “Holy moly!” modify them 102. “There’s ... in 127. High regard 13. Ivan of tennis 36. Raises one’s nutritionally 80. Moistens team” meat while glass to 54. Like offenses 108. Throng 128. Wised off to 14. Came up 109. Forward drunk?

103. Actor Feld38. Apply gently one can get 15. Suffix with 112. Russo of 83. Puerto Rico’s man after a bad 39. Ancient trad- canned for amateur DOWN fight? ... Observatory 55. Perfume since “Ransom” 16. Jamaican pop ing vessel 1. Pops 113. North 106. Feisty fish 86. Emergency 40. 24-hour cash 1931 music American lake, at 2. Smart ...

110. Endorsed Medical Teams dispensers 57. “... at ‘em!”

17. Honour with 111. Take the loss 3. Thurber’s 87. Maladies 42. ... Tin Tin a tune 59. Vintage song Buffalo 114. E-mail clutter Walter 88. Author Zola 112. Put at 000 43. Verbal test 18. Tough out 60. Prince 117. US fighters 4. “... done it!”

91. Australian Civil 115. “Nice one!”

44. Plant studier Edward Island, 19. Rind-cutting 118. Scorching 5. Run on TV Liberties Union 116. Zeros tool 45. Former British abbrev.

120. Little child 119. Stress caused 6. Fred of “My 92. Scratched PM Tony 61. Belittle 24. Caviar by a “Great” czar? Three Sons” (out) 46. Suffix with 64. Rank above 121. ... Na Na 29. Admiral, 123. Boy in “E.T.” 94. Arrange 7. “That’s my cue!” abbrev.

Euclid maj.

122. “Help us!”

Tip: This is an international crossword. To add an extra challenge it occasionally uses the US spelling for answers. 1208 n Solution next week

GO FIGURE

>> AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW: One letter stands for another. In this sample, A is used for the three Ls, X for the two Os, etc. Single letters, apostrophes, the length and formation of the words are all hints. Each week the code letters are different.

1208 n Solution next week

TRIVIA TIME 1. MATH: What is the Arabic equivalent of the Roman numerals MMDLVII? 2. LITERATURE: Who wrote the story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”?

3. TELEVISION: What superhero pops up repeatedly in episodes of the “Seinfeld” sitcom series?

4. INVENTIONS: Who is credited with inventing the electric razor?

5. MOVIES: What was Forrest Gump’s home state?

6. MUSIC: What group performed the hit “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”?

7. CHEMISTRY: What is the symbol for the element tungsten?

8. GEOGRAPHY: What modern European country

34

1208 n Solution next week

OUT ON A LIMB

was called Lusitania in Roman times?

9. LANGUAGE: In Latin names for the days of the week, what god is represented by Wednesday?

10. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of weasels called? n Answers next page

DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

>> The idea of Go Figure is to arrive at the figures given at the bottom and right-hand columns of the diagram by following the arithmetic signs in the order they are given (that is, from left to right and top to bottom). Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete its blank squares and use each of the nine numbers only once.

1208 n Solution next week

by Gary Kopervas

Except where otherwise noted, all Puzzles&Play material © 2014 King Features Syndicate

CRYPTO-QUOTE

PUZZLES & PLAY THE WEEK AHEAD

week commencing 22.12.2014

ARIES

LIBRA





Mar 21-apr 19 Your love of the holidays creates a special bond between you and the people in your life. Use this as a way of building stronger relationships that will carry over well beyond this time.

Sep 23-Oct 22 Good news about a loved one makes the holidays even more festive. Expect some unexpected gifts, so be prepared with a few nicely wrapped packages of goodies to offer in return.

TAURUS

SCORPIO





apr 20-May 20 A new approach could go a long way toward resolving a painful estrangement, especially at this holiday time. And since your aspects favour friendship this week, why not go ahead and try it?

Oct 23-nOv 21 The holiday season provides an opportunity to meet new people, some of whom you might even consider “worthy” enough to join the Scorpio’s select group of friends.

GEMINI

SAGITTARIUS



May 21-Jun 20 Your positives continue to dominate, and any negative factors that squeeze in can be dealt with easily. The secret is to tackle them at once and not allow them to benefit by your neglect.

CANCER



Jun 21-Jul 22 Good news: A colleague’s remarks could help you move toward ultimately resolving that persistent workplace situation. Meanwhile, enjoy the holidays with loved ones.

LEO



Jul 23-aug 22 No one reflects the bright holiday more than all you Leos and Leonas who love the shimmer and glimmer of the season. PS: There just might be a very special something from Santa.

VIRGO



aug 23-Sep 22 Celebrate the holidays by being more receptive to new experiences. Overriding the Virgo reluctance to try new things could be the best gift you’ve given yourself in a long while.



nOv 22-Dec 21 You always bring your own wonderful sparkle and light to the holidays, and don’t be surprised if this year someone special reaches out to respond to your warmth in kind.

CAPRICORN



Dec 22-Jan 19 Togetherness is the dominant theme for the Goat’s holiday celebrations this year. That means reaching out to bring everyone you care for into your very own special circle of light.

AQUARIUS



Jan 20-Feb 18 A reminder of a very special moment from the past makes the holidays more memorable for the romantic Aquarian. New friendships hold the promise of a romantic future as well.

PISCES



Feb 19-Mar 20 Getting into the swim of things for all you party-loving Pisceans is easy enough this holiday season.

And, of course, you can expect to impress people wherever you go.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your dedication brings you the success you strive for, and your generosity impels you to reach out and help others on their way up.

Be creative in applying your forecast to the actual circumstances of your life. For entertainment purposes only.

THE ANSWERS & SOLUTIONS Last week’s Super Crossword 1201

Last week’s Go Figure 1201

OPEN WEEKENDER COFFEE & MEALS

RSL AQUATIC & HEALTH CLUB

CARLO’S IGA SOUTH DUBBO

• Open Saturday 12 til late • Good foo, good music, good times • $12 lunch specials

• Open Saturday 7.30am-5pm • Open Sunday 8.30am-3pm • Gym • Indoor pool • Sauna • Steam room • Squash courts

• Saturday 7am-8pm • Sunday 8am-8am • Weekly specials, friendly service, • delicatessen, fruit and vegetables, grocery items

232 Macquarie Street, 6884 7728

TED’S TAKEAWAY • Open Saturday and Sunday 8.30am-8pm • The big value in takeaway food.

• Great weekly specials.

26 Victoria St, 6882 7899

VILLAGE BAKERY CAFE • Open Saturday and Sunday 6am to 5.30pm.

• Gourmet pies • Mouth-watering cakes • Delicious pastries • Gourmet French garden salad baguettes and salads.

• Perfect breakfast and brunch

113 Darling Street (adjacent to the railway crossing), 6884 5454

CLUBS & PUBS PASTORAL HOTEL • Open Saturday 10am to 4am, Sunday 10am to 9pm.

• Restaurant open for lunch and dinner.

• All desserts home made.

• Open Saturday and Sunday • Balcony breakfast’s from 8am - 11.30am • Serving Bill’s Beans Coffee

110 Talbragar St, 6882 4219

DUBBO RSL CLUB RESORT • Open Saturday 8am to 1am Sunday 8am to 10pm.

• Quality entertainment, blackboard specials in the bistro.

Cnr Brisbane and Wingewarra Streets, 6882 4411

CLUB DUBBO • Open Saturday and Sunday from 9am.

• Riverview Bistro 12pm to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm.

• Relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

AMAROO • Open Saturday and Sunday from 10am • Bistro specials everyday for lunch and dinner.

• Night club

81 Macquarie St, 6882 3533

COMMERCIAL HOTEL • Restaurant open 12-2pm and 6-9pm • Free function room hire • Kids playground • Large screen broadcasting all major sporting events

161 Brisbane Street, 6882 4488 This week’s Find the Words solution 834 Special favourites

CLUBS & PUBS SPORTIES

Last week’s Crypto-Quote 1201

• Open Saturday and Sunday from 9am • Restaurant open from 11.45am2pm and 5.45-9pm.

101 - 103 Erskine Street, 6884 2044

MACQAURIE INN • Open 10am-1pm on Saturday and 10am-10pm on Sunday • Restaurant open 12-3pm and 6-9pm

This week’s TRIVIA TIME answers: 1. 2557. 2. Edgar Allan Poe. 3.

Superman. 4. Jacob Schick. 5. Alabama. 6. The Temptations. 7. W (wolfram). 8. Portugal. 9. Mercury (Dies Mercurii). 10. A gang

GROCERIES

OLD BANK RESTAURANT

Whylandra St, 6884 2396

Last week’s Sudoku 1201

GYMS

Cnr Brisbane and Wingewarra Streets, 6884 1777

SHOPPING DUBBO ANTIQUE & COLLECTABLES • Open Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 3pm • Antique furniture, china, cast iron, old tools and collectables.

4 Depot Road, 6885 4400

THE BOOK CONNECTION • Open Saturday 8.30am to 4pm.

• Sunday 10am to 2pm.

• New and used books • Over 60,000 books in store.

178 Macquarie St, 6882 3311

QUINN’S MYALL ST NEWSAGENCY • Saturday and Sunday from 5am- 1pm.

• Newspapers, magazines, stationery supplies.

272 Myall St, 6882 0688

THE SWISH GALLERY • Open Saturday 9am to 12pm.

• Distinctive jewellery, creative contemporary decor for your home and stylish gifts.

29 Talbragar St, 6882 9528

BRENNAN’S MITRE 10 • For all your DIY projects, hardware, tools and garden products • See us in store for great specials • Saturday 8am-4pm • Sunday 9am-4pm

64-70 Macquarie Street, 6882 6133

ORANA MALL SHOPPING CENTRE • 52 Specialty Stores, Big W, Woolworths and Bernardi’s SUPA IGA. • Easy Parking, now also with approx. 160 undercover.

• Food Court • Saturday 9.00am – 5.00pm • Sunday 10.00am – 4.00pm • www.oranamall.com.au

Cnr Mitchell Highway & Wheelers Lane, 6882 7766

THE PARTY STOP • Open Saturday 9am-4pm • Party Costumes • Decorations • Balloons • Gifts for milestone events • Themed parties

95 Tamworth St, 6882 2029

DMC MEAT AND SEAFOOD • Open Saturday 6am to 3pm • Huge variety, bulk buys and red hot specials weekly.

55 Wheelers Lane, 6882 1504

IGA WEST DUBBO • Open Saturday and Sunday 7.30am to 6pm.

• Great weekly specials and friendly service.

38-40 Victoria Street, 6882 3466

THINGS TO DO WESTERN PLAINS CULTURAL CENTRE • One of the largest galleries and museums in NSW • An ever-changing array of exhibitions and events including top national exhibitions.

76 Wingewarra Street, 6801 4444

OLD DUBBO GAOL • Open Saturday and Sunday 9-5pm • Large display of animatronics and holographs providing a realistic insight into a bygone era of prison life.

90 Macquarie Street, near the old clock tower, 6801 4460

TARONGA WESTERN PLAINS ZOO • Open Saturday and Sunday 9-4pm.

• The zoo’s encounters and shows offer visitors truly special experiences with their favourite animals.

Obley Road, off the Newell Hwy, 6881 1400

TRIKE ADVENTURES • Book a ride Saturday or Sunday • Available for town tours, special occassions, outback pub lunches or just blasting along with the wind in your face

1300 TRIKES (1300 87 45 37)

READINGS CINEMA • Comfort, style and value • $10 tickets • 3D extra • Candy bar • 5 screen cinema complex • Digital sound • Dolby Digital 3D projection • Luxury armchair comfort

49 Macquarie St,6881 8600

142 Darling Street, 6885 6188

DUBBO GROVE PHARMACY • Open Saturday 9am til 12 noon • Giftware • Jewellery • Homewares

59A Boundary Road, 6882 3723

THE ATHLETES FOOT • Open Saturday 9am til 2pm • Everything you need for the perfect fit for your foot

IF YOUR BUSINESS IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS EACH WEEKEND CALL US FOR A GREAT RATE ON A LISTING HERE – 6885 4433

176 Macquarie Street, 6881 8400

Birch Avenue, 6884 1955

TO HAVE YOUR BUSINESS FEATURED HERE, CALL 6885 4433 DUBBO WEEKENDER The Dubbo Photo News Weekend News Magazine 20.12.2014

35

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