Wagga Weekly 17August2018

YOUR local

ISSUE 037 FRIDAY, 17 AUGUST, 2018

YOUR INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY

PAPER

Coolamon rallies for family Marguerite McKinnon

SADLY, tragedies hit many families, but when two members are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses in the space of a few months, it’s a double whammy that’s hard to comprehend.

In June 2017 Bill Randall had a coughing fit and blacked out while driving a fully-loaded tanker truck towards Uranquinty at 88 kilometres an hour.

What happened next is nothing short of astounding.

“My truck veered onto the wrong side of road, then went down a gully, through the rail fence, straight through a gum tree, then drove up on the railway line, turned back onto the tracks before coming to a perfect stop, like I’d parked it parallel to the train tracks,” Bill said.

“When I came to, it was like a dust storm around me. I opened the cabin door and a freight train came past and missed me by a metre. I’m not a very spiritual man but my father was a truck driver who’d passed away and I believe my dad took me off that railway line that night.”

Bill had an impeccable driving record and only weeks earlier had received his company’s Driver of the Year Award.

Because recently-installed cameras recorded the event, police didn’t pursue charges.

“If it wasn’t for those cameras, police would have booked me for negligent driving, thinking I fell asleep at the wheel.

Instead it was clearly shown I had a medical episode and I was never charged,” Bill said.

Following the incident, Bill underwent tests which picked up nodules on his chest.

“I was told I had sarcoidosis lymphoma.

I had no idea what that even was. The doctors told me that it was a form of cancer that was in my sternum, my stomach and my chest.

“I was put on a steroid treatment. They don’t know what causes it, they just have some way of controlling it, but not curing it.”

“I went back for another MRI three weeks later and discovered the condition had doubled in size. By August I had another scan and discovered the condition had spread to my brain, my heart and my spine,” Bill explained.

Remarkably, he has remained positive and considers his truck accident a blessing in disguise.

“If I didn’t have the accident and caught this disease, doctors said I could have been dead within 12 months.”

Reduced employment and pay, rounds of steroid treatments, repetitive scans, a diet of pills, and even more pills to ward off the side effects of the first pills, Bill found himself 40 kilograms lighter through the stressful treatment, and heavily in debt for the first time in his life.

“We’ve had to get credits cards for the first time and the treatment and lack of work has seen us clock up $70,000 in debt,” Bill said.

If this wasn’t enough, tragedy struck again just before Christmas.

Bill’s 15-year-old daughter, Shaelea, was working as a waitress at Coolamon Chinese Restaurant when she started to feel unwell.

“I got this really weird feeling and started to feel dizzy and hot, so I crouched down, but somehow I jumped back up and blacked out. I face-planted on the floor and started having convulsions,” Shaelea explained.

Bill and wife Maggie were nearby at Maggie’s parent’s when they got the call so arrived within minutes to see Shaelea on the floor, shaking and unresponsive.

She was taken to hospital and released but scans later revealed a massive tumour on her brain.

She was rushed to Randwick Children’s Hospital where doctors removed the tumour and sent samples to the USA for analysis. Eight months later, the tumour has returned, and, added to this, since the surgery, Shaelea suffers tremors down her right side.

“I was paralysed down my right side and I had to learn to walk and function again,” Shaelea said.

“The doctors say I have an abnormal glioma tumour,” Shaelea said before Bill added, “If you Google that it means brain cancer, but doctors aren’t saying that to us.”

Now 16 and facing the prospect of being on medication for the rest of her life, Shaelea regards her condition in true teenager-style.

“I don’t have anything wrong. I just want to get my drivers’ licence on 16 October,” she said.

“I get tired pretty easily now. I still work a couple of days a week at Coolamon Chinese because I’m the on-call waitress.”

News of the Randall’s plight travelled quickly and close friends Holly and Dan Cartwright have organised a major fundraising day on 25 August at the Coolamon Sport and Recreation Club.

Titled More than Words and running from 10.00am to 10.00pm, it will include a performance by Shaelea and live music

Shop 26a - Marketplace Shopping Centre 87 Baylis Street WAGGA WAGGA NSW 2650

featuring Genevieve Chadwick, Pete Gare, Wagga based band, Old Skool and many others. There will be market stalls, food vans, a jumping castle from Echuca activities for kids and an auction of donated items as well as raffles. Donations for the raffles have begun pouring in from across the country and locals are rallying to help the family who aren’t used to being on the other side of charity.

“The Randall’s do so much for others,” Holly said.

“We wanted to help and we just sent out emails and so many people have answered the call.”

The family’s troubles aren’t over, but the community’s support has eased what has been a terrible burden.

“I’m very honoured that the community is coming out to support us, but we are a private family and this is something we wish we weren’t dealing with,” Bill said.

“We’ve been in the Rural Fire Service.

We help others but to be in this position it’s both humbling and uncomfortable having to get help. Whatever help we receive now, we plan to repay somehow.”

This week, Bill travelled to Sydney to trial a new medicine designed to stop the disease progression which has extended to his arms and legs and is breaking down muscle tissue. Bill now has rheumatoid arthritis but is looking forward to celebrating his 20th anniversary with Maggie in November.

“My wife Maggie is my rock,” he said.

“She has been through breast cancer herself so she’s been an amazing support.”

As well as this, Bill said he is inspired when he sees children worse off than him.

“Whenever I got to the cancer ward for treatment, I see the kids. These kids are so sick and yet they can still smile so it’s made me think, I’ve had 47 years of life, I don’t have the right to feel down and out,” Bill said.

Bill and Shaelea Randall.

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page 2

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

NEWS

Daffodil Day in Wagga

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Index 4 Denture breakthrough 6 Trauma help evaluated 10 Literature 11 Boating pain 14 Puzzle page 17 Sport Weekly Weather

SINCE Tony Orlando sang; A simple yellow ribbon’s what I need to set me free, the colour yellow has come to depict freedom and a new life and none more so that the yellow daffodil.

Even William Wordsworth back in 1804 depicted the flower as an expression of life when; I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils, Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Now there may not be a host of golden daffodils on Friday 24 August during the celebration of Daffodil Day which is a harbinger of Spring and one of the biggest dates in the Cancer Council’s fundraising calendar.

As she has done for the past 17 years at different venues around Wagga, Carolyn Shawe will coordinate the annual Daffodil Day stall. This time at the Rules Club in Wagga.

Since first being diagnosed with cervical cancer 31 years ago, Carolyn has battled and survived two other cancer diagnosis, breast cancer and cancer of the uterus.

During her 17 years involvement, Carolyn has raised thousands of dollars to help fund the Cancer Council’s work in research, patient support services, prevention programs and advocacy.

This year’s Daffodil Day stall will be Carolyn’s last because she has decided to retire from running it, but not before making and bottling 52 jars of lemon, lime and passionfruit butter for sale.

That’s in addition to Carolyn’s handmade coat hangers, crocheted hand towels and facecloths which will be on sale as well as bunches of fresh daffodils and Cancer Council merchandise.

Time to get tidy

IF the front lawn needs mowing or the rubbish out the front, down the side or on the nature strip needs a clean-up this weekend is the time to get it done because you may be under scrutiny sometime next week.

That’s when the Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Towns assessor will be in Wagga and Jerilderie. As a heads-up, Doug MacDonald will be in Wagga on Friday 24 August and in Jerilderie on Saturday 25 August.

Doug has been assessing Tidy Towns for many years and knows what to look for and understands what’s required to prepare an entry for the Tidy Towns- Sustainable

FRI

Cloudy Min 2º Max 14º Chance of rain 30% SAT Shower or two Min 4º Max 14º Chance of rain 70% SUN Possible shower Min 2º Max 11º Chance of rain 40% MON Partly cloudy Min 0º Max 13º Chance of rain 5% TUE Partly cloudy Min 1º Max 13º Chance of rain 30%

“I will miss doing the stall. It will be a big hole in my life,” Carolyn said.

Her two long-time helpers, Dorothy

Ceeney and Noreen Tuckwell will set up the Daffodil Day stall in the foyer of the Rules Club from 8.00am on Friday.

Carolyn Shawe (right), Cancer Council Dougal Bear and Wagga Rules Club duty manager, Stephen Creighton prepare for Daffodil Day at the Wagga Rules Club.

Communities Awards.

Towns entering the Sustainable Communities competition will contest the Overall category which will be announced at the Tidy Towns Awards Weekend in Orange from 9th to 11 November.

Other towns being assessed are Cessnock, Lithgow, Murrurundi and Tilligerry Peninsula.

The CEO of Keep Australia Beautiful NSW, Val Southam, said that assessment for the Overall category is an important process that assists the organisation to ground truth projects submitted by the towns.

“The submissions received this year show that many towns throughout the State are developing innovative and resourceful ways of being sustainable in the face of a

host of financial, environmental and social issues,” Val said.

“It’s now time for our trained assessor to look at the projects, meet with the communities and evaluate the overall impact of these initiatives in these six towns. We encourage communities to get involved to show the assessor why their town deserves to win this year.” she said.

As well as the Overall State Tidy Town Award, towns will be evaluated in 15 other categories including in areas such as litter prevention, recycling, habitat and wildlife conversation, renewable energy and response to climate change.

There’ll also be special categories for a Heritage and Culture Award, a Schools Environmental Achievement Award and a Young Legends Award.

Phases of the moon Sunday 26th August - Full Moon Monday 3rd September - 3rd Quarter Monday 10th September - New Moon

SEEKING ALL

POETS, WRITERS & ARTISTS

Monday 17th September - 1st Quarter

Please send your creations for inclusion in YOUR

local

NEXT EDITION OF

WEEKLY TORQUE 5 SEPTEMBER 2008

Stories 500 words | Poems 300 Words | Art 1MB+ (High Resolution)

editor@waggaweekly.com.au

Any published material remains the property of the author, but the Wagga Weekly reserves the right to edit any copy to reflect the style and content standards of the Wagga Weekly.

ISSUE 8 ||

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INSIDE

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Friday, 17 August, 2018 - Your Local Wagga Weekly

page 3

NEWS

The ultimate man-cave Jacob Saggers

PSYCHOLOGICAL studies suggest that men process emotions fundamentally differently to women. Men use language to solve problems, scarcely utilising it to process emotions effectively. Therefore, it is believed that men yearn for, or indeed retreat to their sheds, or man-caves for salvation.

This retreat allows them to take time to think, to socialise with other men, or to lick their wounds if they are somehow emotionally injured.

One such loved sanctuary for many Wagga men has been the Men’s Shed in Ashmont Avenue. The shed celebrated its birthday on Sunday, having opened its

doors 10 years ago.

President of Wagga’s Men’s Shed, Peter Quinane, enjoys the comaraderie involved in coming to the shed every day.

“A lot of blokes here would never have met were it not for the Men’s Shed. We have fellas from all occupations of life such as, bus drivers, electricians, carpenters, truck drivers, school teachers, you name it.

A lot of unlikely friendships have formed here,” Peter said.

A community based, non-profit, noncommercial organisation, the Men’s Shed provides an informal location where the men can spend time engaged in manual crafts such as woodworking, metal working or the restoration of old furniture, objects, and machines.

Masked theatre

Last year, the Men’s Shed assembled 400 bikes for Kmart, raising $4000 for its activities. Members of the shed have been hard at work also since January this year restoring every table and chair on Wagga’s Baylis Street for the City Council.

“That’s over 300 pieces of furniture to restore. It’s a huge job but it keeps the boys busy.

“We do all sorts of activities here.

We are even registered bee keepers. We produced 80 kilos of honey last year, which we sell to members for $6 a jar,” Peter explained.

Members range from men who are using tools for the first time to experienced woodworkers looking to maintain and hone their skills.

The health and wellbeing aspect of the Men’s Shed, particularly in terms of

preventative health, is perhaps its greatest benefit.

The shed provides an environment where productivity and being of value to the community can contribute to a man’s feeling of self-worth and help to develop a sense of meaning in the years following retirement, loss or other hardship.

A steady flow of donations arrives at the Men’s Shed and people often comment on how lucky the shed is, but members don’t believe its luck. They say it’s a very public presence in a very generous community. The shed goes out of its way to be a strong contributor and supporter of any worthwhile community endeavour.

Members of the Men’s Shed, and the wider community took time to reflect on the 10 years of service through a slide show and BBQ on Sunday.

Men’s Shed President, Peter Quinane (left), Leoni Maher, Councillor Yvonne Braid, and Men’s Shed Public Relations Manager, Rick Priest.

Jacob Saggers HAVE you ever been to a play where an actor missed their line or there was a set or costume malfunction, and then out of nowhere comes this masked talent juggling bowling pins while riding a unicycle? If so, you may have witnessed what the Italians call, lazzi.

Lazzi is a joke, skill, trick or witticism that is weaved into the plot of a play and can be either improvised or pre-planned.

It can be used to help enliven the audience when a scene might be dragging, to cover a dropped line or cue, or to delight an expectant audience with the troupe’s specialised lazzi.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) First Year Acting students will perform short comic sketches in the style of commedia dell’arte and will use masks to represent the characters that exist within this highly theatrical world.

The name of the show is More Lazzi.

More, because this is the second year

that the lazzi style of performance has been presented by First Year Acting students from CSU. Directed by CSU’s Acting for Stage and Screen Lecturer, Dominique Sweeney, More Lazzi is intended to throw the students into the deep end and help to highlight their individual talents.

“It’s really going to test their acting skills. We’ll be covering comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene undividable, and poem unlimited,” Dominique explained.

“The show is looking at running for about 50 minutes, and there will be 16 students acting in the production.”

More Lazzi is playing at the CSU Riverina Playhouse at 7.30pm from Wednesday 12 September until Saturday 15 September. Booking can be made on line at www.trybooking.com/book/ event?eid=383539.

SESSION TIMES F R I D AY 17 T H A U G U S T T O W E D N E S D AY 2 2 N D A U G U S T 2 018 DOORS OPEN 9:30AM DAILY Grease - 40th Anniversary

125 min

ONE SCREENING ONLY - NO FREE TICKETS ALLOCATED SEATING - NORMAL TICKET PRICES

Saturday 18th Aug Only: 7:00pm

The Meg

128 min

NEW THIS WEEK - NO FREE TICKETS

Fri: 10:30am, 4:00pm, 9:00pm Sat: 10:30am, 4:30pm, 9:00pm Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed: 10:15am, 3:30pm, 8:15pm

Submergence

127 min

119 min

150 min

NEW THIS WEEK - NO FREE TICKETS

Fri, Sat: 10:30am, 3:30pm, 6:15pm, 8:45pm Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed: 10:30am, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, 8:00pm

DISNEY CLASSICS FILM FESTIVAL 79 min

ALL TICKETS $7.50, 4 GREAT FILMS OVER 4 WEEKENDS! NO FREE TICKETS - WEEKEND SCREENINGS ONLY

Saturday 18th Aug Only: 12:30pm Sunday 19th Aug Only: 10:30am

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

131 min Fri, Sat: 10:15am, 1:45pm, 6:45pm Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed: 10:00am, 1:15pm, 8:15pm

Fri: 12:00pm, 3:45pm, 7:00pm Sat: 10:15am, 4:00pm, 9:30pm Sun: 12:15pm, 5:45pm, 8:30pm Mon, Tue, Wed: 12:15pm, 3:15pm, 8:30pm

✓ Business Insurance ✓ Transport and Earthmoving Insurance ✓ Marine and Logistics Insurance ✓ Commercial and Professional Insurance ✓ Claims and Workers Compensation ✓ General Insurance

115 min

Fri: 12:45pm, 6:00pm Sat: 12:45pm Sun: 12:30pm Mon, Tue, Wed: 12:30pm, 5:45pm

NEW THIS WEEK - NO FREE TICKETS

Dumbo (1941)

162 min Fri, Sat: 10:30am, 3:00pm, 8:30pm Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed: 10:00am, 3:00pm, 7:45pm

The Wife

Fri: 1:00pm, 4:30pm, 9:15pm Sat: 10:30am, 6:30pm Sun: 2:30pm, 8:00pm Mon, Tue, Wed: 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 8:00pm

BlacKkKlansman

111 min

Fri: 10:00am, 2:15pm, 6:30pm Sat: 2:15pm, 6:30pm Sun: 3:45pm, 6:00pm Mon, Tue, Wed: 10:00am, 3:45pm, 6:00pm

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

NEW THIS WEEK - NO FREE TICKETS

The Darkest Minds

Chasing Comets

The Equalizer 2

135 min

Ant-Man and the Wasp

133 min

Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation

110 min

Fri, Sat: 4:15pm, 9:15pm Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed: 5:15pm Fri: 1:15pm, 9:00pm Sat: 1:15pm Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed: 12:45pm, 5:45pm

ADULTS AT KIDS PRICES

Sat: 3:45pm Sun: 3:15pm

132 min Fri: 10:15am, 1:30pm, 6:30pm Sat: 1:30pm, 6:00pm, 9:00pm Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed: 10:00am, 1:00pm, 6:00pm

Incredibles 2

ADULTS AT KIDS PRICES

140 min

Sat: 1:00pm Sun: 12:30pm

No Free Tickets - Any complimentary/ free tickets issued by the cinema cannot be used for these sessions

FORUM 6 CINEMAS WAGGA WAGGA be entertained...

77 Trail Street Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 (02) 6921 6863

page 4

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

NEWS

More than a toothless tiger

IT’S often thought that losing your teeth and having dentures overcomes many of the problems associated with a full set of teeth such as cavities, gingivitis, periodontitis, oral hygiene and a host of other complaints. There is a plethora of solutions to deal with these problems, but the issues associated with dentures and other so called removable oral appliances are virtually unrecognised.

Now a Wagga dentist, Dr Mark Wotherspoon, has come up with an innovative solution to unhygienic cleaning of removable oral appliances likely to serious infections and disease, particularly in older Australians who wear dentures.

And the Federal Government has recognised the importance of a solution, making a $566,715 grant to accelerate the commercialisation of Dr Mark’s Hygenie™ Australia device.

The Member for Riverina and Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, said it’s a fantastic story of a local man who identified a problem within the industry and worked to find a solution.

“Through tireless work in his own home workshop, Dr Wotherspoon has found a way to effectively clean and store removable dental appliances, such as dentures or mouthguards,” Michael said.

“This is a wonderful example of innovation and problem solving right here in Wagga.”

Dr Wotherspoon, who has more than 30 years’ experience as a dentist, said development of the cleaner started with numerous dishwashing brushes and a glue gun.

“There is still a lot of work to do and no doubt some challenges ahead. However, we have made a good start to becoming a worldwide brand,” Dr Wotherspoon said adding that clinical trials for the Dr Mark’s Hygenie™ device would begin in September and he hoped to launch the product nationally early next year.

The grant to develop the device is part

of the Accelerating Commercialisation element of the Federal Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programe. It is designed to help small and medium businesses, entrepreneurs and researchers to provide access to expert guidance and grants to find the right solutions for novel products, processes and services.

The Minister for Small Business, Craig Laundy said the latest offers of Accelerating Commercialisation grants was very encouraging because it demonstrated how entrepreneurial Australians play a pivotal role in driving innovation in Australia.

“The Australian Government’s commercialisation support helps businesses

Dr Mark Wotherspoon with his Dr Mark’s Hygenie™

An engineering gateway AN optimist says the glass is half full, a pessimist says the glass is half empty, an engineer says the glass is too big. Although the size of a glass may not be considered there’s likely to be some constructive discussion during a camp at the Borambola Sport and Recreation camp facility between Monday 20 August and Wednesday 22 August. That’s when 24 students from Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 will attend the 12th annual Build A Bridge…& get over it! camp.

Students from Wagga, Cootamundra, Culcairn, Gundagai, Tumut, Temora and West Wyalong have been selected

prove product, process or service viability and, in some cases, take their innovations to the global market,” Minister Laundy said.

For more information about how to apply for an Entrepreneurs’ Programme Accelerating Commercialisation grant, go to www.business.gov.au/ep.

to participate in the camp, which is organised by the Riverina Eastern Region Organisation of Councils (REROC) in partnership with the career development organisation, COMPACT Inc through sponsorship from the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia.

REROC CEO, Julie Briggs, said the camp plays an important part in raising the profile of civil engineering as a career.

“Every council in NSW employs civil engineers to build their roads, bridges and other infrastructure and with much of the local government workforce aging,

particularly in this field, we need more young people to choose engineering as a career,” she said.

The Camp combines hands-on practical work with theory to build an understanding of engineering with students allocated into teams which participate in practical activities. They work alongside REROC engineers who teach basics such as laser levels, soil compaction testing, forces in equilibrium and spatial coordinates.

The initial theory is followed with a project brief, to design a bridge to span a creek in the grounds of the Borambola Sport and Recreation facility.

On completion of the design phase, students will present their peers and engineers and to decide on a winning

design, which will be used to build a bridge over a running creek at Borambola.

The team with the winning design will take on the role of Project Manager while the remaining students will make up the construction team.

The completed bridge will feature in the final event when students walk over it to collect their participation certificates.

The success of the camp has been revealed in a survey of past participants

by COMPACT. It showed that of the 123 past participants surveyed, 56 had gone on to study Engineering in a range of specialisations. A large number of respondents confirmed that Build a Bridge…& get over it! was a positive influence in their engineering career choice.

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Friday, 17 August, 2018 - Your Local Wagga Weekly

page 5

NEWS

Up the canal with a paddle Marguerite McKinnon

THE Bidgee Dragons call Wagga’s Lake Albert home, but this year a team of 15 paddlers went international when they flew to Italy to compete in the 44th annual Vogalonga Regatta, a 30 kilometre event open to non-motorised craft which paddle around the picturesque city of Venice and surrounding islands.

It’s a long way, both geographically, and developmentally since the Bidgee Dragons began in 2007 as a support group for breast cancer survivors.

Medical studies dating back 25 years showed breast cancer survivors gain incredible benefits from dragon boat racing.

Now, the Bidgee Dragons is a sporting group that encourages anyone to join up.

Bidgee Dragons president, Ann Buik, and secretary, Denise Flockton, enjoyed some interesting experiences during their Italian adventure.

“It was amazing to be on an international stage as The Bidgee Dragons, and have people sing out, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi” as we paddled past,” Ann said.

“We hired a dragon boat and there were all sorts of craft; single person craft, kayaks, rowing skulls, right through to big Venetian boats with enormous horns out the front and lots of paddlers.

“We were there, we were part of it and we were in this ancient city going through their canals and under their most famous bridge.”

That famous bridge is none other than the Rialto Bridge which was built in the 1500’s and is a must-see tourist spot when travelling to Venice.

Denise said the most incredible part of the experience was having Wagga celebrated

on the international stage.

“The great thing is we had 15 paddlers from Wagga as well as paddlers from Tasmania and one lady from the North Coast of NSW,” she said.

“In all we had 22 on the boat and when people saw us, and found out we were from Australia, we had amazing support. We had the Australian flags and our green uniform which really stuck out,” Denise said.

It took the Bidgee Dragons more than six hours to complete the 30 kilometre event, which also included getting lost up a canal.

“We weren’t lost for too long,” Ann said.

“It was such a beautiful day and people were out along the canals and on their balconies, and we even saw one with a sign saying Wagga Wagga, which was incredible.”

Despite paddling all day, Ann and Denise said the Bidgee Dragons crew felt elated.

“We didn’t get blisters on our hands but our backsides hurt that’s for sure.”

Remarkably, the Bidgee Dragons had put in months of diligent training, even when Lake Albert was closed for weeks because of blue-green algae blooms.

“In those times when we couldn’t train on the water, we went to a pool and sat on the side and paddled and paddled, which was harder because you don’t get the movement from being in a boat.

“It really helped our strength and we’re talking about paddlers aged in their 30’s through to their 70’s,” Denise explained.

The Bidgee Dragons are now looking to do more marathon-focussed as well as their annual racing regattas and the door is open to new members.

“We would love new members to join, because we know how much we get out of doing this,” Denise said

Science in the kitchen

THERE’S something about kitchens that make it a family gathering point, a place to entertain visitors an entertainment centre for juveniles and ultimately a place to prepare food. Now the Wagga City Library is looking at science in the kitchen.

It’s all part of the Riverina Science Festival which will include a session in the library, Kitchen Science Storytime, on Friday 17 August which is for preschoolers and is designed to encourage budding scientists to ponder the future.

Library Manager Claire Campbell said the Festival will continue until Saturday 18 August and is aimed at captivating and engaging children in science, with handson activities ranging from a robot zoo to 3D printing, virtual reality and Indigenous science.

The festival will culminate with an event titled Roboday in the Wagga Civic Centre between 10.00am and 4.00pm on Saturday, 18 August. It will include a robot catwalk, robot petting zoo, 3-D print room and a microscope nerve centre as well as a hands-on opportunity to

manipulate robots around an arena at the Ground-Based Robot Room.

“RoboDay promises to be a fabulous event and I anticipate the entire Civic Centre will be buzzing with an array of robot-inspired activities,” Claire said.

Another feature is a Robotics Digital Projection on the external walls of the Wagga Civic Centre which has been created specifically for the event and will continue until 5th September.

“Every evening the Civic Centre’s walls will light up with all things robotic with the Festival’s digital projection animation by local artist Alice Peacock.

This whimsical and creative piece will celebrate emerging technologies highlighted throughout the festival, including drones, 3D printing, virtual reality and humanoid robots.

“Thanks to the hard work of the Riverina Science Hub members, and a grant of $18,482 from the Federal Government Inspiring Australia program, this year’s festival will be bigger than ever,” Claire concluded.

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Julia HAM Liberal for Wagga Wagga

Julia Ham is the Liberal Candidate for the 2018 Wagga Wagga By-Election.

Born and raised in Brucedale, Julia is proud to call our Wagga Wagga region home. Having raised her own children here, Julia understands the challenges faced by local families in a regional community.

A Merino farmer and early childhood teacher, Julia is passionate about supporting our regional communities and ensuring every community in the Wagga Wagga electorate gets the services and infrastructure it needs.

Julia has always believed in giving back to her community, volunteering with her local Rural Fire Service Brigade and serving on the Snowy Valleys Council.

Now Julia wants to use her experience to be a strong, local voice in the Government as part of Gladys Berejiklian’s team, to deliver the local services and facilities, better hospitals, and quality schools that the communities in Wagga Wagga need.

02 9037 4236 WaggaWagga@nswliberal.org.au JuliaHamforWaggaWagga JuliaHamforWaggaWagga.com.au Authorised by Chris Stone, Liberal Party of Australia, NSW Division, Level 12, 100 William Street, East Sydney NSW 2011.

WAGGA WAGGA

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8

page 6

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

NEWS

Trauma help evaluated

IT was first noticed by the medical profession early last century during and after what became known as the First World War and it was called shell shock. It persisted during subsequent conflicts and continues within the military today. But now, it’s also recognised as a malady which effects the whole community in one way or another, whether though road trauma, personal loss resulting from death or a multitude of other causes.

Today, its recognised as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a Charles Sturt University medical research team wants to assess ways to combat the often debilitating

mental health issue.

The Associate Professor research team leader, Herbert Jelinek says the team will consider the effectiveness of mindfulness practices such as breathing and selfcompassion to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD. In collaboration with researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Professor Jelinek is seeking at least 40 participants aged over 18 and at least 20 who have been diagnosed with PTSD in the past year and 20 without PTSD. Each participant will receive free mindfulness training in two one-hour sessions over the

course of two consecutive weeks.

Participants will learn simple skills that can be easily applied in daily life to help manage the symptoms of PTSD. They’ll also be in a draw to win a $150 Westmead shopping voucher.

Professor Jelinek said that each year 1.5 million Australians are diagnosed with symptoms of PTSD, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

“Current approaches for treating symptoms of PTSD include cognitivebehavioural therapies and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy, and stress-inoculation training which uses

controlled breathing, muscle relaxation and positive self-talk.

“Recently, mindful emotion labelling has demonstrated benefit for PTSD. Even brief mindfulness interventions over one week seem likely to foster improved wellbeing and reduced PTSD symptoms.

“We want to put these claims to the test in a scientific trial,” he said.

For more information on or to participate in the PTSD study, contact Herbert Jelinek on 0427 681 754 or email hjelinek@csu.edu.au, or Darius RountreeHarrison on 0421 821 978 or email drou0001@student.monash.edu.

CSU PTSD - Herbert Jelinek.

Jobs for the taking

EMPLOYMENT opportunities are on the rise in the Riverina and nowhere more so than in Junee where the operator of Junee Correctional Centre is preparing for completion of a major expansion program.

The centre currently houses more than 850 offenders but will cater for an additional 480 on completion of the expansion, creating around 130 new positions.

To help meet the demand the centre’s operator, The GEO Group, will begin an 11-week course from 3rd September which will be delivered through online

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and classroom learning and result in a Certificate II in Community Services.

As a prelude to the course, GEO held information sessions in Wagga this week which were aimed at increasing the organisation’s diversity and employment opportunities in line with its commitment to employment growth for Indigenous people.

The certificate course, which is being offered in conjunction with TAFE NSW, will provide the skills, experience and confidence to undertake GEO’s recruitment

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process for a career in corrections.

The Centre’s Human Resources Manager, Kelly Eisenhauer, said that with the focus on working as a correctional officer, applicants will develop an understanding of the rewards and challenges this career can offer.

“We are 100 per cent committed to delivering Indigenous employment opportunities across our organisation and are excited to be piloting this program,” Kelly said.

Junee Correctional Centre General Manager, Scott Brideoake, says employment of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders was important for the centre and for offenders in the facility.

“Strengthening our Indigenous

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employee cohort plays an integral part in the rehabilitation of Indigenous inmates, providing positive role models to help offenders break the recidivism cycle and return to their communities with skills and attributes to positively influence others.”

TAFE NSW Regional General Manager, Kerry Penton, said the organisation was honoured to play a role in such an important program.

“TAFE NSW is proud of its commitment to helping those in the Aboriginal community gain the hands-on skills to further their careers. We are proud also of our relationship with GEO and the contribution our partnership plays in contributing to the communities we serve,” she said.

The primary role of the centre is to improve opportunities for offenders by delivering a range of education, vocational training, reintegration and offending behaviour programs aimed at lowering a the risk of reoffending and increase the likelihood of successful community reintegration. The activities also help with the development of strategies which encourage and enable participation by previously marginalised prisoner groups such as Indigenous Australians and the chronically ill.

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page 7 A DV E RT I S I N G F E AT U R E

Macquarie Grammar opens doors to boarders

MACQUARIE Anglican Grammar School opened in 2001 and has developed from a small school to a growing population of more than 540 students from Pre-Kinder to Year 12. Macquarie students consistently achieve excellent results in external assessments. More than 90 per cent of Year 12 students achieve their first choice post school option.

Macquarie has discovered a high demand for a boarding school in Dubbo. Subject to regulatory approval, the school will open its doors to its first boarders in 2019.

The Boarding Facility will be staffed by experienced, highly trained staff whose

attributes will include suitable medical training.

Boarders will engage in a balanced program with an appropriate mix of activity and leisure time. They will participate in Saturday sport and/or an activity each weekend on a Saturday evening or Sunday, as well as a youth focused chapel service.

The weekend will allow students to also gain and commit to part time employment in Dubbo if desired.

Boarders will be involved in the outstanding education at Macquarie Anglican Grammar School. Macquarie’s vision is to produce outstanding, resilient,

young people who are ready to change the world. The school has a wide range of subject offerings and an extensive cocurricular program, including a livestock show team, musicals and sporting representation.

“We welcome enquiries and expressions of interest. We will soon be visiting West Wyalong, Temora, Griffith and Condobolin,” Headmaster, Craig Mansour, said.

WEST WYALONG Wednesday 22 August 6pm at West Wyalong Services Club.

TEMORA

Thursday 23 August 12pm at Temora Ex-Services Club.

CONDOBOLIN Friday 24 August 12pm at Condobolin RSL Club.

GRIFFITH Thursday 23 August 6pm at Griffith Leagues Club.

Interested parents can visit www.mags. nsw.edu.au and Facebook for details of the upcoming boarding information sessions.

Registration for the events is enrolment@mags.nsw.edu.au or phone (02) 6841 6222 for further information.

page 8

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

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page 9 A DV E RT I S I N G F E AT U R E

New generation regenerates Wagga Show Virginia Gawler THE old adage that young people should be seen and not heard is a description which thankfully has been relegated to the past, and its archaic origin is being very well illustrated by the Wagga Show Society’s Next Generation Group of young volunteers. Aged between between 18 and 35, the dynamic group is bringing new life and new ideas to the annual show.

By incorporating the enthusiasm, passion and ideas of the younger generation, the group is aiming to reinvigorate the event and ensure it remains relevant to the community.

This year’s show on Friday 7th September and Saturday 8th September.

A third-year agricultural science student at Charles Sturt University (CSU), the group’s president Paige Mazoudier, said the concept had humble beginnings.

“The Next Generation Group began when five girls who were entrants in the 2016 Wagga Showgirl competition decided the Show needed help and it needed to attract young people, so they formed the Next Generation Group subcommittee,” She said.

The group now has 25 active members, including veterinary science and agricultural science students, young farmers and junior doctors.

One of the group’s successful innovations in 2017 was the inaugural Agricultural Industries Education Day, which attracted more than 100 high school students from throughout the Riverina.

The second Agricultural Industries Education Day on Friday August 17 will involve 120 students studying agriculture

at Kooringal High School, Wagga High School, Yanco Agricultural High School and The Riverina Anglican College (TRAC) who will learn about, develop and practise skills relevant to agricultural industries.

The students will participate in several interactive educational workshops delivered by industry professionals which will focus on the cattle, sheep, poultry, alpaca, wool and grain industries.

The students will then have an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a judging competition.

“The aim of the Next Generation Group is to identify areas where we can improve the Show and generate more interest and involvement of young people,” Paige said.

Show Society president, Bruce Ryan said the show needed to be reinvigorated and regenerated with new ideas and the enthusiasm of young people.

“The Show Society gives the Next Generation Group the ownership and responsibility to run with their ideas and put them into action,” Bruce said.

Among the new show attractions which the Next Generation Group is working on is the expansion and improvement of the Kids’ Zone entertainment and activities in the Kyeamba Smith Hall.

“We’ve introduced a kids’ passport which they have to get stamped at different exhibits and bring back to the Kids’ Zone where they’ll get a free sample bag,” Paige said.

For more information about the 2018 Agricultural Industries Education Day or other events at the show, contact the Wagga Show Society on (02) 6925 2180 or email admin@waggashow.com. au.

HORSE SPECTACULAR SUNDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2018 WAGGA SHOW GROUNDS

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SUNDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2018 WAGGA SHOW GROUNDS

Members of the Next Generation Group Cara Earlam (left), Kate Thomas, Daniel Brunskill, Paige Mazoudier, Kate Webster, Bree Gardoll and Tahlia Bruce.

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page 10

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

LITERATURE

Nobody eats wombat anymore

By Alan Reid

FRED had shot animals all his life, sometimes for food, sometimes for their skins, sometimes to control their numbers.

He’d shot rabbits, foxes, pigs, wild dogs, dingoes, kangaroos and wombats as well as some birds. There was little he hadn’t hunted over the years.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like animals, he shot them out of necessity or because he was hungry. He could be soft on animals too. Sometimes he let the ‘roos camp on the verandah in winter and put out seed for the birds. He even had a snake living in the

wallpaper to keep the rats and mice under control, although he may have to get rid of that soon, or at least let Norman believe it wasn’t in the wall when he stayed to help with the coming muster.

It was because of his hunting and shooting that the police Sergeant and the Ranger were sitting in his kitchen; some kafuffle about the wombat curing in the smokehouse. Fred had shot and eaten wombat for years. Now the Sergeant says he’s breaking the law and the Ranger wants him arrested.

He’d been in trouble with the law a few times in the past, but it was nothing

too serious. They were mainly charges for being drunk and disorderly whenever he took a drum of eucalyptus oil to town, but the magistrate would let him go each time after a talking to and a small fine.

The Ranger had told Fred he’d be charged if he continued killing wombats.

So had the Sergeant. The Sergeant told Fred he should stop eating wombat. He’d said it was just a warning. He’d warned him about the whisky still too, but he usually had a drink when he called in. In fact, he said he enjoyed Fred’s brew more than the watered down excuse for whisky they had at the pub in town.

The Ranger said he would do everything in his power to have Fred locked up for killing a protected species.

Fred didn’t think much of the Ranger.

Nobody around the valley did. He was fresh out of university and said he knew the law. Fred reckoned he should know; he was always pontificating about the law and reading rules out of some book he carried around.

The Sergeant had been reluctant to visit Fred that day. There’d been storms in the high country and the creeks were up. It was only a rumour that Fred had shot a wombat and it was curing in a brine barrel and the smokehouse. It would be better to wait a few days until the storms passed. If Fred had shot a wombat, it would still be there in a few days. But the young Ranger was insistent. He was focused on promotion and Fred’s scalp was a good one to have hanging from his belt. The Wildlife Service had been after Fred for years for illegal activities in the nearby National Park. He’d been an elusive quarry, but now he could be taken with the evidence.

Fred developed the taste for wombat when he was a young bloke. He had a job boundary riding during a particularly cold, hard winter with big snows. The few killers he’d been left had perished, or been taken by dingoes, and he’d been killing wombats for the dogs. They were enjoying fresh meat while Fred suffered the monotony of a diminishing supply of salted beef.

The meat on a wombat’s ribs looked fairly succulent as Fred cut it up for the dogs. It had a texture not unlike bacon.

The next wombat to move into Fred’s rifle sights had a different destiny than its predecessors. Fred sought out a good healthy specimen and shot it precisely; sighted exactly between the eye and the ear so it would die instantly and not run off and bruise the meat. He fed the dogs, but saved some of the rib meat and part of the hindquarters. After smoking the ribs up the chimney and soaking all but a little of the rump in brine Fred had his first meal of wombat. From that moment Fred’s dogs ate only legs and forequarters. Wombat bacon became part of Fred’s staple diet.

He even built a smoke house alongside

These Walls

A POEM by Casey Kowski from the publication, Dreaming Inside – Voices from Junee Correctional Centre Volume 6, Edited by Aunty Barbara Nicholson.

In the four corners of these prison walls I see anger, hatred, emptiness and despair.

In the centre of this black hole, with hands clawing out after souls.

There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide,

@wagga_weekly

the burner for the eucalyptus still. Fred’s distillery with its eucalyptus, whisky and smokehouse systems was a true example of value added versatility.

As the Ranger left to recover the remains of wombat from the smoke house and brine tub, the Sergeant explained to Fred that he would have to appear before the magistrate in the morning. Fred didn’t mind. He’d already been before the magistrate over a charge involving a wombat; well he told the Sergeant it was wombat. He’d actually accepted a forequarter of mutton some bloke had killed. He was carrying it home when the Sergeant asked him what he had in the bag.

Fred knew the bloke who’d butchered the sheep was a bit shady, and the Sergeant had been looking for someone who had been duffing stock, so he said it was wombat.

When the Sergeant asked to see the contents of the bag, Fred emptied his parcel onto the grass. Confronted with what obviously was mutton, the Sergeant asked to see the skin. “Always eat the skin first,” Fred replied. He was arrested for being in possession of stolen goods.

This time the Sergeant said Fred would be charged with destroying an endangered species.

“Endangered?” Fred quizzed. “Bloody endangered! There’s more of the buggars now than there ever was.”

“They’re a threatened species,” the Ranger intervened as he returned triumphantly with his booty from the brine tub and smokehouse ensconced in a bag.

“There no more endangered than I am,” Fred went on. “The bloody things are everywhere digging up the countryside.”

“If people like you continue killing them they’ll become extinct,” the Ranger persisted.

“Extinct!” Fred exclaimed. “I’ve been shooting the damn things for years and there’s more now than ever.”

“Scientific investigation into wombat habitat …….” The Ranger started before realising Fred was moving out of the room; still talking.

“I started shootin’ ‘em when I was a kid to keep ‘em out of my mum’s vegies,” Fred called from the adjoining room. “Then I shot ‘em to keep ‘em from pushin’ holes in the nettin’ fences big enough for the sheep to get out. Now I shoot ‘em for a feed. And their numbers are still growin’!”

He continued as he returned to the room carrying a whisky bottle.

The label on the bottle was illegible. It was well worn, even though the bottle was almost full. It had that rolled ’round in the back of a ute on a long trip look about it.

It was a bottle that had been in prolonged service. Next week, the debate between Fred and the Ranger continues with enthusiasm from both sides as the whisky bottle takes centre stage.

for we are the crims, forever locked inside.

We all try our best to hide our tears and pain, we only have fond memories of the outside that help keep us sane.

We all wear masks to hide who we really are: for not one of us want to show the pain left inside.

We all have a cross to bear, Some more than others.

Regardless of what each other has done, We all brothers, Doing time for our crimes.

Wagga Weekly

@wagga_weekly

Friday, 17 August, 2018 - Your Local Wagga Weekly

page 11

NEWS

Boating pain for hospice gain Alan Reid

IT’S not unusual for some people to get hooked on a sport to the point it can become an obsession, but for most it’s the gentle, less exhausting such as golf, lawn bowls or croquet. But for others it’s the energy sapping, muscle straining events such as mountain climbing and dragon boat racing that is the attraction.

Wagga’s Sandy Doyle fits the latter with Dragon Boat races on the Ord River Marathon from Lake Argyle to Kununurra, at the Hong Kong International, Tasmania’s Derwent River Marathon, the World Masters and the Australian Dragon Boat Nationals. And to top it off, Sandy climbed Africa’s 2017Mount Kilimanjaro.

Now she plans to contest the 404 kilometre Massive Murray Paddle which runs over five from Yarrawonga to Swan Hill in November this year. And it’s all to raise funds for The Forrest Centre Hospice in Wagga.

Traditionally the Massive Murray Paddle is a race for kayaks but Sandy will join a group of Dragon Boat Paddlers from all over regional NSW, the nucleus of which is the NSW Regional Team Sandy paddled with at the Australian Dragon Boat National Championships.

As a prelude to the event along the Murray Sandy has organised a Movie Premiere fundraiser at the Forum 6 Cinema on Thursday 13 September at 7.00pm. The movie, Christopher Robin starring Ewan McGregor, is a family movie depicting the adventures of a grown up Christopher Robin and his family with Winnie the Pooh and friends. with proceeds going to The Forrest Centre Hospice.

Tickets for the movie are $20 each and are available at The Forrest Centre or by contacting Sandy on 0407 289 805

Hospice

Sandy’s Massive Murray Paddle Movie Night The Massive Murray Paddle raises funds for local community programs.

Sandy Doyle is raising funds to aid the palliative care work of The Forrest Centre Hospice.

Sandy’s team is paddling 404km over 5 days in a Dragon Boat down the Murray River.

Thursday 13th September 2018 Showtime: 7.00pm Forum 6 Cinema Wagga Tickets: $20 Tickets available from The Forrest Centre Reception or phone Sandy on 0407 289 805 All funds raised will aid The Forrest Centre Hospice Printing courtesy of Oxford Printery Wagga

Rating CTC

or Tony on 0428 948 650 or 02 6921 3161.

Because numbers need to be confirmed with the Forum 6 Cinema a week before screening, tickets should be purchased before 7th September.

The Forrest Centre is building a 10bed palliative care Hospice in Lewisham Avenue Wagga which is scheduled to open in late September. When completed it will contain single room accommodation, spaces for families, and consulting rooms

for visiting doctors and other health professionals. The Hospice will provide respite and long-term end of life care outside of hospital for families to be more present and comfortable in a high-level care environment.

with sound, video, installation and performance, with special interest in sitespecific work. He is interested in creating new dynamics by working with diverse partners and exploring difficult themes within the lived experience of communities and localities.

He is currently exploring experimental and contemporary arts practice in partnership with hospitals and believes he

can improve the lives of people who work and live in hospitals.

SHIFT will give practitioners, entrepreneurs, business owners and the public an opportunity to meet with 100 other people from the region to discuss ideas, projects, collaborations and issues.

SHIFT will be held in the Temora Town Hall on Friday 31 August. For further information visit www. shift.org.au.

Shift into the future Jacob Saggers

THE arts and creative industries are playing increasingly important roles in the transition and transformation of spaces, creative economies and communities.

In the ever-increasing interconnected world, pressing issues associated with globalisation are forcing the restructure of industries and communities are needing to rapidly adapt to ensure survival.

A one-day event in Temora on Friday 31 August titled Shift will educate participants about the role creative practice and industry can play in transition and transformation.

Shift is an event suited for practitioners who want to look at how arts might work to transform the way they operate. The event will deliver a series of presentations and round table discussions with some of the country’s most interesting cultural leaders.

One key speaker at Shift will be Australian opera and festival director, Lindsey Hume, who has worked throughout Australia and internationally.

She is currently the Artistic Director of Tasmania’s Ten Days on the Island Festival and is a passionate advocate for regional arts.

Her recent platform paper, Restless

Giant: Changing Cultural Values in Regional Australia, made a solid case for investment in and recognition of the work of regionally based artists and arts organisations. Lindsey’s keynote speech will discuss the transition of regional arts practice and the way the arts and cultural festivals are transforming regional cities and towns.

Another speaker will be, creative business facilitator Monica Davidson, who looks at ways in which towns and cities need to organise to prepare for the explosion of the creative industry.

She offers resources for creative businesses and individuals and is the self-described doyenne of Creative Plus Business. Her presentation, Get ready for the boom, looks at the global creative industries boom, and discusses how creative practitioners, and other interested stakeholders can make the most of this optimistic future trend.

Another important speaker, Vic McEwan, is the Artistic Director of The Cad Factory, an innovative arts organisation based in regional NSW. He explores experimental and contemporary arts practice in partnership with diverse sectors. Vic’s practice involves working

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page 12

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

NEWS

Elsewhere art at CSU Jacob Saggers

WHY is it when we think of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, we have a pre-conceived idea of what kind of people live there, what they believe and how they act, even though we may not have been there, or even met anyone from there?

This is the question posed by the author of the book, Orientalism, Edward W. Said.

The argument in Orientalism centres on the way knowledge is acquired is not innocent or objective, but is the result of a process reflecting highly motivated interests.

More specifically, Edward argues that the way the West views the people of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia is through a lens which distorts the actual reality of those places and people and considers it creates a framework to make the people of those countries appear different and threatening.

Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Edward’s book, a major art exhibition began a two-year tour at the HR Gallop Gallery at Charles Sturt University (SCU) on Monday 13 August. The exhibition, titled Elsewhere – Orientalism, provides a perspective journey through people and places which have been clouded by misapprehension.

It features works by celebrated Australian artists Wendy Sharpe and Bernard Ollis.

Wendy is one of Australia’s most awarded artists, receiving The Sulman Prize, two Travelling Scholarships, the Portia Geach Memorial Award on two occasions, the Archibald Prize and has held numerous solo exhibitions around Australia and internationally.

Bernard was previously the Director of the National Art School in Sydney and is a widely respected artist who works primarily with oil pastels containing ideas which are presented in a whimsical manner. His work explores vibrant complex themes which distort reality to better engage with it.

Art critic of the Sydney Morning Herald John McDonald described Bernard as a painter who elude easy categorisation.

“This is at best a mixed blessing, because art historians love to be able to define an artist as an expressionist, a realist, a surrealist, or some plausible combination.

Bernard is a little of each, but ultimately

none of the above,” John explained.

The Elsewhere exhibition has been curated by lecturer in Art History and Visual Culture in the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries, Dr Sam Bowker, with support from assistant curator Ms Jessica Green.

“Elsewhere came about as a collaboration between, Wendy Sharpe, Bernard Ollis and me,” Sam said.

“The idea was that we wanted to understand how the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia was represented in our history and contemporary art, and particularly how Australians imagine these places.

“The primary motivation was to show this exhibition now as opposed to any other year because this is the 40th anniversary of Edward Said’s book, Orientalism. This book is very important to us because it argued that the way in which the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia has been seen in visual art slanted towards certain biases, and it has since become rather difficult to describe these countries and visual art without reference to this book and those ideas,” Sam explained.

Orientalism revolutionised the study of The East and helped to create and shape entire new fields of study, such as post-colonial theory, as well as influencing disciplines as diverse as English, history, anthropology, political science and cultural studies. The book has been translated into 26 different languages and is required reading at many universities and colleges. Orientalism is considered one of the most controversial scholarly books of the past 40 years, sparking intense debate and disagreement.

In collaboration with artists, Wendy Sharpe and Bernard Ollis, Sam attempts to tackle the West’s patronising representations of The East.

“The art communicates understandings of areas to which we are visitors and diverts audiences’ expectations of a place.

“For example, when you think of visiting Egypt, you might expect to see pyramids, whereas the reality of life there is the teeming streets where people live their daily lives, like the markets and the City of the Dead, the kinds of places that are not normally seen by tourists. Elsewhere is about trying to create a more empathic connection with these areas through the lives of ordinary people as best we can understand them through art.

Blooming beautiful camellias

By Charles Lee; Hume Camellia Society Inc. LATE August and September heralds the full bloom of the camellia show season in the Riverina and the ACT with several local shows on the calendar.

The Narrandera Camellia Show on, Friday 17 August and Saturday 18 August at the Narrandera Ex-Servicemen’s Club in Bolton Street, will showcase up to 1000 of the best camellia blooms in the district.

Other upcoming shows include:

• Young Camellia Show on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 August at the Uniting Church Hall, 82 Lynch Street, Young.

• Albury Camellia Show, Saturday 1st September and Sunday 2nd September at the Mirambeena Community Centre, Martha Mews, Lavington.

• Canberra Horticultural Society Spring Bulb and Camellia Show on Saturday 15 September and Sunday 16 September in Lancaster Hall, National Circuit, Forrest, ACT.

“I commend this exhibition to all who are interested in art and the world seen through artists’ eyes,” Sam concluded.

The exhibition also includes a Booranga Writers’ Centre workshop on Saturday 18 August at the HR Gallop Gallery between 2.00pm and 4.00pm, and a seminar titled Art after Orientalism on Thursday 30 August from 1.00pm until 2.00pm in the lecture theatre beside the HR Gallop Gallery at CSU.

The Elsewhere exhibition travels through Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Iran and Central Asia and has been made possible through the support of the NSW Government program Create NSW. The free exhibition will be open to the public from Monday 13 August until Friday 7th September in the HR Gallop Gallery (building 21) on Darnell Smith Drive at Wagga CSU. The official launch will be on Thursday 23 August at 6.00pm.

Bernard Ollis – Palmyra Roman Ruins.

Wendy Sharpe – Uzbekistan Scroll.

As we enter the show season, it is a good time to reflect on this beautiful plant and its huge variety of ornamental flowers.

Ornamental camellias originated in many countries throughout Asia centuries ago with the first known book written about them, Classic of Flowers, by Zhang Yi during the Shu Kingdom (AD 221-263) in Sichuan, China, in the period of the Three Kingdoms.

However, it was 1500 years before there were written records of camellias growing in Europe. Similarly, their introduction into Australia did not occur until European settlers ordered them from England early in the 1800’s, particularly the Macarthur family. Many of these plants and others propagated from them are still alive around older parts of Sydney and Hobart.

The camellia’s popularity in Australia has been a rather chequered journey.

An especially popular period occurred during the mid-20th century, with many new cultivars propagated by local enthusiasts. This continued until Australia’s extreme plant quarantine laws prohibited the importation of live plant material.

While this could have spelt the end of camellias in Australia, we were fortunate to have a huge number of species and cultivars on hand because of the good work of our forefathers, which provided a strong base to cultivate our own varieties.

Camellia societies in Australia date back to 1954 with many still actively working

to maintain this historic plant. Our district group, Hume Camellia Society, was formed in the 1970’s and has members in Wagga, Narrandera, Griffith, Canberra, the Albury/ Corowa region and south to Wangaratta.

Hume Camellia Society was instrumental in establishing the Camellia Garden in the Wagga Botanic Gardens as part of the Australian Bicentenary celebrations in 1988. The Camellia Garden is the largest outside Sydney with more than 300 plants and will play a significant role in the Botanic Garden’s 50th Anniversary celebrations throughout 2018.

My personal journey with camellias began in 1997 at the annual garden festival, held in the Wagga Botanic Gardens each October. The Hume Camellia Society had a small marquee with a display of hundreds of camellias, highlighting their variation in size, colour and form. I have since attended International Camellia Society meetings in China, Japan, the UK and in Melbourne.

So next time you sit down for that wellearned cup of tea, just remember that tea is made from Camellia sinensis leaves, a famous camellia species grown across the world.

For further information about the Hume Camellia Society, which meets from March to November please contact me on cmlee@ tpgi.com.au or visit www.humecamellia. worpress.com or www.camelliasaustralia. com.au or visit the camelliasaustralia Facebook page.

Friday, 17 August, 2018 - Your Local Wagga Weekly

page 13

DESTINATION RIVERINA MURRAY

Murray region a golfer’s paradise

FROM Albury in the east to Swan Hill in the west, all along the Murray River there are amazing golf courses to suit beginners, part timers and professionals.

The region boasts more hours of sunshine than the Gold Coast and the tranquil riverside location of the courses make the Murray a fabulous year-round golfing destination.

Teeing off on the banks of the Murray is a delight, with challenging courses set in natural beauty. With almost 40 courses on both sides of the river, it’s little wonder the Murray is a top spot for golfing.

In 2016, a collection of six golf courses on the Murray were named the Australian Golf Industry Council’s number one golfing destination in Australia.

The courses and resorts include the Commercial Club Golf Resort in Albury, the Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort, the Cobram-Barooga Golf Club, the Tocumwal Golf and Bowls Club, the Rich River Golf Club at Moama and the Murray Downs Golf and Country Club near Swan Hill. Under the banner of Golf on the Murray they offer a variety of packages,

experiences and gift cards so you can play your way along the river.

Starting at Albury, the Commercial Club Golf Resort is the best combination of country life and city convenience. This resort features greens that are considered the best in country NSW and an 18-hole championship course. As well as a great day on the greens, the Commercial Club Golf Resort offers accommodation on-site in double, twin or family rooms.

A short drive west will take you to the Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort which is home to an incredible three courses boasting 45 holes making it Australia’s largest public access golf resort. Here you’ll see the mighty Murray run along the length of one of the fairways and the views across Lake Mulwala make it a spectacular place to play golf. Not to mention everything else the resort has to offer including a bistro, movie theatre, tennis courts, swimming pool, day spa, bowling and croquet greens, kids’ activity area, and luxurious accommodation.

Down the road is the Cobram-Barooga Golf Club with two beautifully manicured

championship standard courses. A community focused club offering premium quality sporting facilities, accommodation and dining, everyone from the seasoned golfer to the keen beginner will find a thrill in Barooga. The 4.5 star luxury accommodation at Bridges Villas overlooks the fairway.

Just a little further north west is the Tocumwal Golf and Bowls Club with another two immaculately presented championship courses. Tocumwal always appears in the Top 100 list of Australia’s Best Public Access Golf Courses and is a course that never closes, regardless of weather. As well as golf there’s bowls, a restaurant and function rooms at the club, and accommodation options available close by.

Travelling further west to Moama, the famous Rich River Golf Club is right on the banks of the Murray River. Here you’ll find deluxe accommodation, golf stay and play packages, and two distinct championship golf courses. Perfectly groomed and playable all year round, there is the West Course which has hosted

many professional events and the East Course that was redesigned by five-time British Open champion, Peter Thompson.

Whichever you choose to play, Rich River has something for everyone including luxury getaway options that feature, not only golf, but also cruises and winery visits as well.

Last but not least, the most western golf club in this collection is the Murray Downs Golf and Country Club just minutes from Swan Hill. Consistently voted in the top resort courses around Australia, the beauty of this course is in striking contrast to the surrounding Mallee plains. One of its unique, if challenging, attractions is the large lake that separates a par three tee and green. The accommodation at Murray Downs Resort is located opposite the 16th fairway and features a large pool, tennis court, heated indoor spa, spacious barbecue area and restaurant.

The Murray region has everything a golfer could possibly want and more. Learn all about the great courses and resorts along the river and the package deals on offer by visiting www.golfonthemurray.com.au.

page 14

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

/ Kids cornerKIDS CORNER YOUR local

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DUDES _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BINGO / 4x4 ARREST

CRIMINAL

GUN

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5 What is the name of the character played by Eddie Redmayne (pictured) in the upcoming film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald?

6 True or false: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is life-sized?

7 What tools are used while knitting?

8 What is the main difference between high jump and pole vaulting?

9 Jewellery worn around the ankle is called what?

10 Who is Ant-Man’s superhero partner?

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Friday, 17 August, 2018 - Your Local Wagga Weekly

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MAILBOX STICKER - Visit our office at 99 Peter Street, Wagga Wagga

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page 16

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

LIVING WELL

Controlling the fundamentals Sally Holden

OUR emotions can often feel as if they are dictating our life.

I know I used to feel that way a lot. I just tended to feel a particular way each day when I woke up. I felt for years that my emotions were just something that happened to me, that I couldn’t control. I believed, that was just the way it was.

It was just the way I was and it was just the way that I felt. I couldn’t help it.

However, one thing that made a profound difference in my life was learning how in fact I create my own emotions. This was life changing for me, simply because previously I had no idea why I felt the way that I did at times.

I didn’t understand that I was literally creating my emotions from the things that I chose to focus on, the things that I was thinking about, the beliefs that I thought were true in my own mind, and the way

that I held my body.

I had no idea that just lifting my sternum up as little as one or two centimetres could take me from feeling flat and a bit down in my emotions, to feeling a bit more energy, a bit more inspired, a bit more confident, and happier in myself.

I had no idea that lifting my eyes up to greet the world helped me access the visual cortex in my brain, which helped me to see things and experience things differently, and that I could also create new happier images in my mind, through visualisation.

I had no idea that when I had my eyes focused downwards I was accessing all of my deepest feelings through the kinaesthetic cortex in my brain, and that if I was feeling down, all that looking downwards was just emphasising those difficult feelings.

I had no idea, of how I was

programming my body to be depressed, be sad, be angry, be a failure, be negative with all of the things that I was saying to myself everyday, with how I spoke to myself using “I am….. “ statements, and how I had actually attached all of my feelings to my identity by speaking to myself in this way.

I had no idea that I was in fact literally becoming that person by continually saying those things to myself over and over, and that every time I said those things to myself I was hardwiring my brain to think and feel that way about myself, and, therefore, becoming more and more of the person I didn’t want to be.

I didn’t know that I could say to myself that I’m experiencing a feeling of sadness, anger, disappointment etc. without attaching the feelings and emotions to who I am as a person. I didn’t know that doing that would help me to be able to observe my emotions, instead of becoming them.

I had no idea that the way I walked and the way I breathed, impacted my nervous system and emotions so much, that by holding my shoulders back and taking deep breaths, it was actually switching my autonomic nervous system from my fight/ flight/freeze response (sympathetic) back to a more relaxed state, in which my body can more easily relax, regenerate and digest food (parasympathetic).

I didn’t know that by being in the fight/ flight state, increased my stress hormones like cortisol exponentially and that, over time, this hormone creates so much inflammation and disease in the body, not to mention a foggy head, exhaustion, muscle lethargy, and belly fat.

I didn’t know that I could feel so much

calmer, simply by taking 5-10 minutes a day to meditate, journal, read something positive, or practise the art of gratitude and how much of a difference that would make in my life.

I didn’t know how to not believe the thoughts that I had about how ugly or fat I felt at times, or how alone in the world I felt. I believed them all until one day I discovered that I could question my own thoughts, that I didn’t have to believe any of them anymore.

There was so much to learn about transforming my own personal happiness.

So much that I could do personally every day, to transform the way that I looked at life, the way I experienced my life and the way I chose to see myself.

By taking personal responsibility for my own happiness, I chose to stop blaming all the circumstances and events in my life for my own unhappiness.

I learnt that I could choose to lift my sternum even when I felt tired. I learnt that I could start to read more and more positive books. I learnt that I could question my thoughts and change the way I was looking at my life and myself. I decided I was done with feeling the way I’d felt for so long, and I was so ready for a new experience and the best part about being a human, is that we get to choose something new every day.

It’s the gift of the present moment. You get to choose every day. It’s the greatest freedom that we have as humans.

You get to choose what you will make things mean, what you are going to focus on and think about and you get to choose how you feel in each moment.

It’s the greatest gift that we can give our self.

INDEPENDENT - Matt Quade The LIBERAL PARTY is WEAK & DIVIDED

$

We must prioritise;

HEALTH

Senior citizens remain in own homes, Nurse Ratios, RNs in Nursing Homes

ENERGY

Support H.E.L.E. Baseload Power & Solar, REPEAL Wind Subsidies

COMMON SENSE

Re-open Wagga Base Hospital morgue and coroner services.

Drought infrastructure as operational planning, not ad-hoc disaster planning Enshrine genuine OH&S, repeal over-regulation killing Australian farms & industry

and VOTE AGAINST RECKLESS SPENDING in Sydney

Stadiums, Powerhouse Museum & Billion dollar Light-Rail lawsuit Election-based pork-barrelling & ‘Directorships’ for compliant politicians

Background: 5 years military service.

Private Security Contractor: Iraq, Haiti, Libya & East Africa (USAID projects) RN Degree & Post-Grad: Wagga Paramedic Grad Dip: Bathurst & Wagga Local resident with family since 2006

Online Video content: Intro, Health, Energy, Reckless Spending www.facebook.com/thebaghdadbugle

Friday, 17 August, 2018 - Your Local Wagga Weekly

page 17

SPORT

Magpies and Mortimers – four generations Christine Williams

ABOUT five decades ago, a local policeman with young sons saw the need for a rugby league club in the Kooringal area. He met with likeminded parents under the family carport and the (Kooringal) Magpies Junior Rugby League Club was born.

The policeman was Ian Mortimer and that carport meeting was instrumental in the rugby league careers of his sons, Steve, Peter, Chris and Glenn.

The elder three played first grade for the Canterbury Bulldogs and represented NSW while Steve and Chris also played for Australia. Glenn played first grade for the Cronulla Sharks.

However, talk with Chris and he will quickly advise that the Wagga Magpies’ focus is on character development, supporting and celebrating with your mates, and learning to mix with people from all walks of life.

Following in the Mortimer tradition, Chris’s sons Ian and Ned played for the Magpies and now his grandsons Sam and Louie (named after Chris’s footy moniker) don the black and white jerseys.

Louie played in the undefeated Under 9 Wagga Magpies at the recent Riverina Schoolboys Football Carnival in Junee, and, like his father and grandfather, he wore his jersey with pride.

Louie, and his brother Sam, who played in the Under 7 team, is a third-generation Mortimer to pull on a Magpies jersey and the

fourth generation to be involved in the club.

Coaching the team was Louie’s dad, Ian, a former Sydney Roosters player, and cheering from the sideline was Louie’s Pop, Canterbury legend Chris Mortimer.

“The Junee Knock Out has been around for 75 years and my Nan and Pop would have taken their children over to play in the carnival, and so for us to do that as well is pretty special,” Ian said.

“Naturally I wanted Louie to play at the Magpies, because my Dad had played there, and my Pop helped start the club. I’m very proud for both my boys to play at the Magpies.”

Equally delighted to watch Louie and Sam run around in the black and white is Chris, who along with other dedicated parents, has been instrumental in a resurgence of the club.

“I’ve got my grandkids playing for the Magpies. I’m reliving it. I love it,” said Chris.

“I love watching my grandkids play and it brings back memories, great memories. I phoned my mum and said; Guess where I am?’, I’m at Junee, watching the boys.”

Chris reflected on the club which took a downturn in players and parental commitment some years ago.

“The Magpies club was struggling a few years ago. I think they had 34 players. Like most clubs it went thought a cycle,” he said.

Using his profile and connections, Chris and a dedicated group of families was able to gain exposure for the Magpies, increase player numbers and recreate a family

Chris Mortimer with his family: (back row) Sons Ned and Ian; grandchildren Hank, Louie, Sam, Hazel (with ball) and Grace.

atmosphere.

“We got a few kids back that left us and we are back being a really strong club and a well-run club, with good people and no egos.

It is very satisfying,” he said.

“We have got some really good parents who have grabbed hold of this opportunity.

Having the support of your parents and having them involved in the club is very important for the development of the kids.

“I reckon it’s just as important to develop their character and make them understand you have to do the right thing off the field.

“I think that helps you on the field. I know it did when I got to the level I was lucky enough to reach,” Chris said.

Ned agreed with his father that being surrounded by the right influencers makes a big difference.

Ned played all his junior league at the Magpies in a team which won every grand final from 10 to 16 years.

“I think with good people comes success and we had a lot of good people around the club at that time,” said Ned. However, Ian joked that playing for the Magpies was a matter of survival as a Mortimer.

“The first year I played with Kangaroos and we won the grand final, but I worked out pretty quickly I wouldn’t have a roof over my head long if I stayed at the Kangaroos,” Ian laughed.

Young Louie had the final say and summed up the Mortimer’s commitment to the club his great grandfather started.

“I reckon I’ll stay playing with Magpies for a few years yet,” he said.

That first win!

Chris Mortimer’s league achievements include wearing the green and gold and three NRL premierships, but he vividly remembers his first rugby league win with the Magpies in Wagga.

Chris’s eyes danced with delight and his smile grew larger with each sentence as he relived a memory he clearly relishes.

“We got flogged for three years. When that first win came, it was magnificent,” he said.

“I remember Dad pulled us over to the corner of the Allen Staunton Oval and said; Wait here’ I’ll be back. He was so excited.

“He raced up to the Union Club Hotel and bought three long-necks and a lot of lemonade and gave us all a little shandy.

“He stood there and said; You are going to remember this day for the rest of your life.

And tasting that success set us on a path to taste more and more and more. I’ll never forget that.”

His Dad was right!

Accept everyone.

Despite being a tough competitor on the footy field, Chris accepts all people, a characteristic taught to him through footy by his father, Ian Mortimer.

In the early days the Magpies had very few players, but Ian found a solution.

“I remember Dad used to hook the trailer on to his police car and drive out to boys’ home at Gumly. There was a correctional centre there. He would pick up these kids, put them in the trailer with a canopy over it and we’d all drive into training at Henwood Park.

“We had a lot of fun in the back of that trailer, whistling and carrying on with the canopy over the top.

“Dad gave these kids something to cling on to, which they loved doing. And Dad loved the satisfaction of seeing a kid develop, seeing their character develop, not just their ability on the football field.”

The Magpies Club still embraces that inclusiveness according to Chris’s son Ian. “We’ve got a really great little team in the Under 9 and the kids come from a lot of different backgrounds,” he said.

“People that normally wouldn’t mix in, within their individual circles of life – they all come together.

“They all listen, they are all humble and they all do their best and there’s no egos or bad attitudes. They’re just a lovely bunch of young kids,” Ian concluded.

Family matters: Steve, Chris and Peter Mortimer after Canterbury won the 1980 grand final.

Chris’s son Ian is on his father’s shoulders.

Dogs chase millions at Wagga Christine Williams SOME of the best greyhounds in the nation are expected to compete in Wagga next month as part of the world’s richest race, just two years after the sport was facing extinction in NSW. In a turnaround for the NSW greyhound industry, the State Government, together with Greyhound Racing NSW and corporate sponsor, Ladbrokes, will stage the Million Dollar Chase across regional NSW and Sydney.

Wagga is one of 11 tracks to host regional qualifying heats and finals with the landmark event culminating in a grand final worth $1million to the winner at Wentworth Park on 20 October. The total series prizemoney is $1.7million.

Wagga and District Greyhound Club racing manager, John Patton, described the chase as the best of the best and so much different to a normal race meeting.

“This race will bring the best dogs to Wagga that we’ve ever seen before. Instead of the dogs racing in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Western Australia they could be racing here.”

News of the Million Dollar Chase is a far cry from July 2016 when thenPremier, Mike Baird, legislated to ban the sport over a live baiting scandal, only to reverse the ban three month later. The State Government will put $500,000 towards the series.

“It was found that the minority of people in the greyhound industry were doing the wrong thing,” John said reflecting on the scandal.

“So I think like any other industry if you are doing the wrong thing, you, the individual, should be outed, and not the whole industry.”

Wagga will host four regional qualifying heats on 6th September and one regional qualifying final on 14 September. The heats offer $2615 each and the regional qualifying final’s total prizemoney is $5915. Dogs must finish in the top two placings of their heat, qualifying final and semi-final to reach the grand final.

All greyhounds in Australia are eligible to be nominated for the Million Dollar Chase, but a condition of entry is that all must be re-homed at the end of their racing career.

“It is an exciting announcement and highlights our commitment to improve animal welfare at the same time as improving the greyhound industry, which is key to our future,” Greyhound Racing NSW CEO, Tony Mestrov, said.

Wagga hobby greyhound trainer, Mitch Williams, believes the Million Dollar Chase is a strong step towards a refocus on the positives of greyhound racing.

“Once the greyhound ban was announced it cost the industry millions if not tens of millions of dollars,” Mitch said.

“Now to turn around and have the

Wagga and District Greyhound Club racing manager, John Patton with Kojack (left), and hobby trainer Mitch Williams with Cougar.

government on our side, as such, and have them fund half a million dollars towards this race is giving a little bit back for the industry which will be good to see.

“I’m looking at the bigger, broader picture for the industry, which is to attract new people to the sport, owners, buyers and hopefully grow the industry,” he said.

Together with his father Bruce, Mitch has been involved with greyhound racing for two decades, but took on training in his own right eight months ago.

With three pups in his kennel, Mitch is not in a position to compete in the Million

Dollar Chase, but dares to dream.

“We’d all dream to have a dog good enough for a million dollar race. It would be lovely to have a greyhound in it,” he said.

But for Mitch, it’s not all about the money.

“I love the thrill of winning, but it’s not all about winning, it’s a hobby and a passion,” he said.

“The kids (daughters Aylee and Emalia) love the dogs. It’s a family affair. We all got involved and when they do race we will go as a family and cheer them as one.”

page 18

Your Local Wagga Weekly - Friday, 17 August, 2018

YOUR local

www.yourlocalwaggaweekly.com.au

The city of good sports

Belief is Aggies’ weapon Christine Williams SELF-BELIEF and belief in the team are the motivators which will power Wagga Ag College (Aggies) in its rugby union grand final against the undefeated Waratahs on Saturday.

A fired-up and emotional Aggies coach,

Will Mitchell, has spent all season listening to the reasons why others believe his young team will not succeed, but he has used the comments as inspiration.

“We’ve been told by a lot of people that we wouldn’t have success because the team is not big enough, not experienced enough, not fast enough and the players are not

Ben Brook flies high for Aggies

good enough,” Will said.

“My job is to tell the team; Don’t listen to that. We’ll prove it wrong. It motivates us. We judge our success and we dictate our success. It begins with self-belief, and belief in the team is the most important thing.

“These young blokes worked bloody

hard, on and off the paddock and they deserve to be there,” Will said.

It’s been well documented that Aggies player and Will’s brother, Andy Stanham, died last month and the team has rallied hard to commemorate him.

“Andy’s still at the forefront of our minds all the time, and he’s a motivation for the guys, but these blokes are doing the tackles. It’s bitter sweet in a sense, because everyone loves a good story about the young blokes whose friend passed away and they are doing it for him, winning games and getting to the grand final.

“But the first thing they need to do, is do it for themselves.

“At the end of the day there the 15 members of the team on the field and they are making the tackles and they are playing 80 minutes,” Will said.

Will is no stranger to winning grand finals, having coached Waratahs in 2016 to an undefeated year in first grade and picking up a treble with the second and thirds also winning their grand finals.

He is acutely aware of the talent depth in this year’s Waratah’s team, going as far as to pay them the ultimate compliment.

“The Waratahs really are the best side to ever have played Southern Inland Rugby. They are all great players, there is no lack of talent in that side. They have big hard-working forwards and some skilled backs that finish off really well,” Will said.

“They deserve to be in the grand final and they deserve to win, but Aggies won’t be handing it to them.

“We have got to stop their forwards which is easier said than done.”

Aggies secured a grand final berth by defeating Leeton, for the third time in four weeks, last Saturday when Mike van Diggelen scored a try in injury time Aggies lost winger Will Whiteley with a collarbone injury and fullback Jock Ward with an eye injury in the first 20 minutes of the game against Leeton, but Will believes both will return for the grand final.

“We’ve got quite a few injuries and niggles across the paddock, but these guys have been playing all year and I’d never take the opportunity away from them to play in a grand final. If they say they are right to play I will leave it up to them,” Will said.

Meanwhile Waratah’s coach Richard Skellern was modest about his team’s grand final chances.

“It’s going to be a pretty tough game, grand finals bring out passion of a different level,” he said.

“We’ve trained hard and are focused but one can never be overly confident.

“The boys have played some good rugby all year and should be applauded, but the job is not over until the siren goes,” Richard concluded.

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