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Thursday, August 31, 2023
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Calling all authors: Dubbo Writers’ Festival is coming
Narromine Show this weekend!
St Augustine’s great escape to Aussie Bush Camp
STORY: PAGE 6
STORY & PHOTOS: PAGE 14
STORY: PAGE 4
Remembering the sacrifice of Private Paul Large By DAVID TAYLOR, PRESIDENT, RSL NARROMINE SUB BRANCH ON Friday, August 18 this year, several members of the Narromine RSL Sub-Branch travelled to Coolah to take part in the commemoration of Vietnam Veterans’ Day, which also remembers the Battle of Long Tan in 1966. This day is particularly poignant for Coolah, because one of this town’s own, Private Paul Large, was among the fi rst Australians to fall in the battle. His sisters, Sandra Fleming and Robyn Wesley, facilitated a lunch following the memorial service for all servicemen in the area. The event was well-attended, including by Federal MP, Mark Coulton, and a number of retired Defence Force members who gave enlightening, and at times impassioned perspectives on not only the Vietnam war, but on confl icts in general. The keynote speaker was Lt Colonel EA Chitham MC, OAM (retd). He spoke on, among other points, the fact that in the field, a soldier needs at least six others to support him, including for supplies, medical, administration and transport. This need continues when he/ she leaves the battlefield and, indeed, the service, because on their return home, their welfare depends on immediate family, friends, and the wider community, as they deal with not only any medical conditions, but the ongoing mental and emotional issues. Continued page 12
Rhonda paddles her way to gold medals By EMILY MIDDLETON DONNING the green and gold for the fi rst time, a Trangie local has done Australia proud, after coming home with two gold and two bronze medals in this year’s World Dragon Boating Championships. Rhonda Betts paddled for the Australian team Auroras, over in Thailand for the senior C division. When not on the world stage, you can often fi nd Ms Betts paddling with her local team the Outback Dragons Dubbo. But looking for an extra challenge, Ms Betts tried her hand at applying for the championships. “The selection process started at the end of last year, and we had to put in an expression of interest and a two kilometre row time,” Ms Betts explained. “Then in January, we had a selection camp in Canberra, then we had to go to another selection camp back in Canberra, and from that, the team was selected to represent Australia,” she said. But it didn’t stop there. All team members were required to undergo a rigorous training program, consisting of a six-day weekly gym and on water program. “Shout out to Holly at the Trangie gym - she kicked me into shape!” said Ms Betts. “I also did a lot of kayaking, and there were lots of camps in Newcastle and Sydney for
Trangie’s Rhonda Betts and her Australian Auroras team mate Kerry Madden from Orange, at the recent World Dragon Boating Championships. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
training. It was pretty full on, but now it’s fi nished, I kind of miss it.” The senior C’s crew medaled
in every event they competed in at the World Dragon Boat Championships, making up two of Australia’s seven gold
medals on the official tally. Continued page 17
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