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Dorothy Maher celebrates her centenary PAGE 4 Nuffield scholars from Narromine Shire off and away By SHARON BONTHUYS THE Nuffield Scholars from Narromine Shire, Richie Quigley from Trangie and Billy Browning from Narromine, left Australia on June 5 on the fi rst leg of their Global Focus Tour. FULL STORY: PAGE 2
Billy Browning was named Young Achiever of the Year at the Macquarie Cotton Growers 2021 Awards Night in March 2022. PHOTO: COTTON AUSTRALIA.
Change of heart on funding for Rural Financial Counselling Trangie Tigers’ scratch Service PAGE 3 match against Coolah SPORT
Les McKinnon joins exclusive club at 100 By SHARON BONTHUYS WHEN Trangie resident Les McKinnon turns 100 tomorrow, he will join a very exclusive club. He will become one of 246 centenarians in NSW who are still licensed to drive. He is also the oldest licensed driver in the district. “I just like to drive,” said Mr McKinnon, who started driving at the age of 23. Now on a restricted licence, Mr McKinnon only drives in and around Trangie these days. He regularly visits his wife of 74 years, Pat, who is now residing in the Kurrajong units at the Trangie Multi-Purpose Health Service. He also visits the family farm just out of town. “He drives past my house every day,” said Narromine shire mayor and Trangie resident, Cr Craig Davies. Mr McKinnon said he is a “lifelong Ford man”. Although admitting to owning “three Holdens” during his life, he has always owned and preferred Fords, he said. To this end, a Ford Escape 4WD and a 1995 Ford Fairmont Ghia take pride of place in the family garage. A fan of long trips, Mr McKinnon used to take a caravan
Les McKinnon behind the wheel of his Ford Ghia. He drives daily and is officially the oldest driver in the district. PHOTOS: NARROMINE STAR.
away on holidays and loved visiting Karumba on the edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria in far north Queensland. Those long trips are well behind him now, even as a passenger. But they hold great memories. With a 77-year driving history behind him, Mr McKinnon said the challenge of driving as he aged was keeping up with the changes to road rules. “I had to re-learn the road rules at 85,” he said. Tara McCarthy, Transport for NSW deputy secretary of
safety and environment regulation, told the Narromine Star that “NSW has the most robust older driver licensing system in Australia”. “Our system aims to strike a balance between safety for everyone on the road, and keeping older members of our community independent and moving, with flexible licensing options to better suit their needs,” she said. Since 2008, older drivers in NSW have had to undertake an annual medical assessment from 75 years to ensure
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medical fitness to drive safely. From 85 years, drivers undertake an on-road driving assessment every two years for an unrestricted licence or can opt for a modified licence. Mr McKinnon said that some people viewed older drivers differently but the testing regimes in place helped to make sure everything is clear and safe for road users. “People will tell you if you’re a bad driver,” Mr McKinnon said. He has yet to hear that from anyone in Trangie. The Narromine Star will report back on Mr McKinnon’s 100th birthday celebrations in next week’s issue. Birthday greetings f “Ford Australia would like to wish Mr McKinnon a Happy 100th Birthday. We are so very proud and humbled to have lifelong enthusiasts like Mr McKinnon as part of our Ford family – we really appreciate their loyalty and thank them for their trust.” – Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia president and CEO. f “Transport for NSW sends our congratulations to Mr McKinnon on his 100th birthday.” – Tara McCarthy, deputy secretary, safety, environment regulation, Transport for NSW.