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MERRIWA RINGER 26 May 2011

Published by: MERRIWA CENTRAL SCHOOL

Bow Street, Merriwa 2329 Ph: 6548 2119 Fax: 6548 2534

Email: [email protected] Online: www.merriwa-c.schools.nsw.edu.au

Issue 14Issue 14: : Thursday 26 May 2011

The May photo competition was won by this excellent entry by Mathew Porter. Mathew has won a family pass to JD’s Magic Show on Friday night, 10 June, as well as 2 ride bands for the Festival of

the Fleeces which is on Saturday 11 June, donated by The Festival of the Fleeces Committee. Congratulations!

The next competition is “Country Kids” sponsored by R&M Moore, the prize will be a $50 dinner voucher at The Royal - Merriwa. Entries will close at 12 noon on Monday 20 June and the winner will

be published in Issue 18 of the Ringer.

MERRIWA RINGER Thursday 26 May 2011

DISCLAIMER

Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily endorsed by the Publisher, Merriwa Central School. No responsibility is accepted by the Publisher or its

Committee for the accuracy of information contained in articles. The advertising of and use of product names does not constitute recommendations or

endorsement by the Publisher or its Committee. Advertisers indemnify the Publisher and its Committee against all liability claims or proceedings

whatsoever arising from the publication.


MERRIWA CENTRAL SCHOOL

Important Dates

May Thursday 26 Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea Friday 27 SRC Out of Uniform Day Merriwa Movie Mania - Love and other Drugs - 6pm Tabloid Sports Day June Wednesday 1 K-12 Athletics Carnival P & C Meeting - 7pm - RSL Club

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT A wonderful day was had by all at the primary book fair on Friday. Students enjoyed the opportunity to come to school in their PJ’s and have a back-to-front lunch courtesy of the canteen. It was great to see so many parents attend the Yr4/5 assembly in the afternoon. Thank you to Mrs Dorney for her organisation of the book fair. Work Experience Year 10 students participated in work experience last week. The work experience program is a valuable opportunity for students to gain a first hand insight into their chosen profession. Congratulations to all students who represented the school so well whilst on work experience, and to Mrs Hegarty for her impeccable organisation. Tabloid Sports On Friday Merriwa Central School will host a tabloid sports carnival. Primary parents would have received information about arrangements for the day, and orders for the canteen. Thank

you to Mr Johnston and the ROAR squad for organising such a fun day, and Mrs Julie Russell for organising the canteen on the day. Athletics Carnival Our K-12 athletics carnival will be held next Wednesday. The whole school carnival has been very successful over the past few years, and parent helpers on the day are most welcome. All students are expected to attend the carnival and show great house spirit on the day. P&C Meeting Our monthly P&C meeting will be held next Wednesday following the carnival at 7pm at the RSL Club. All parents are encouraged to attend.

Darren Noonan

Principal


MERRIWA CENTRAL SCHOOL PRIMARY NEWS

CLASS 4/5 NEWS

In our classroom this term we have set a cracking pace. Enthusiasm for learning is definitely one of the main attributes held by the children in Year 4/5.

It was no different last term, with all that was going on. We had been preparing ourselves for NAPLAN week. Many days were spent focusing on various aspects of English: writing persuasive texts, understanding and responding to texts that we read and the conventions of the English language, in order to tackle the Literacy tests. We also had to get our heads around aspects of Mathematics that would be touched on in the Numeracy test. The children did their best and I hope their results reflect the effort they put in.

During the first term, the children also learnt about the packaging industry in Science, Australian values and identity in HSIE and in PDH we looked at how to be confident in differing situations that we might find ourselves. In sport, with the help of Mr Grant and Miss Willis, we learnt skills in Soccer, Basketball and Hockey. Each week we built on those skills and game practice that we had from the week before.

The children enjoyed these first term’s units of study and are now enjoying what is on the agenda for Term 2.

In English, we are learning about Poetry. We are learning about how nearly every song you hear on the radio is a poem set to music. This helps the children realise that poetry is alive and very present. It is easier to learn about when it is connected to their lives. We have learnt about similes, alliteration, sound words and the effect words have when used differently. The children are encouraged to use words that enrich their world when they speak and when they write, not just use those words that they know how to spell.

Last Friday, the children in Yr 4 / 5 performed two poems about bicycles. The first, ‘Mulga Bill’s Bicycle’ was written by Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson and the second, ‘The Wild

Bike Ride’ by Jill McDougall. Banjo is also credited as the author of Australia’s unofficial national anthem ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and his face is on the ten dollar note. Jill McDougall writes poetry for younger children and her work focuses on aspects of country life that our kids in Merriwa relate to. This was evident in the enthusiastic way the children recited her poem as a choral group, after renaming it “Dynamite.” Banjo’s poem, ‘Mulga Bill’s Bicycle’ was divided up and recited in parts. Congratulations to all the children on how they managed to recite a style of language and many phrases that you don’t hear very much of any more.

In Science and Technology, Yr 5 are enjoying designing and making toys with Mr Martin, while Yr 4 are exploring different tastes as part of their study of healthy eating and cooking with Mr Creamer. The children are enjoying learning Korean as part of HSIE this term. They have already learnt about respect to elders in the Korean culture and that greetings vary in formality when you are speaking to a friend or if you are speaking to your parents or grandparents.

In CAPA for both terms Yr 4 /5 have tried their hand at cubist portraits which use straight lines in geometric shapes to represent natural forms, abstract cityscapes that experimented with the textures found in the surrounding environment and turtles painting in an indigenous style. Before I leave at the end of week 6, I hope that the children will have created some sort of masks using clay and also contributed to the school display for the Merriwa Festival of the Fleeces.

I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching the children



REMINDERREMINDER

The deadline for articles and advertisements for the

Merriwa Ringer is

12 noon Monday

in Year 4 /5. Good luck with the rest of the year and remember to ‘practise what you want to be good at.’

To all the teachers and staff at Merriwa Central School, thank you so much for a fun filled term and a half. Thank you so much for sharing with me your knowledge and skills and enthusiasm for teaching and thank you for including me on your team.

Carina Shannon

ASSEMBLY AWARDS FRIDAY 20 MAY

Last Friday many of our students came to school in their pyjamas to celebrate “Reading May”. The day, organized by Mrs Dorney, included a Book Fair where parents could buy their child a book and then snuggle up to read the book to them .

We also enjoyed a special lunch which was prepared by the P&C. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their bacon and egg roll or their pancakes and maple syrup. Thank you to the parents and grandparents who worked so hard to provide us with the yummy lunch!

Because we had come to school in our pyjamas our assembly was held with everyone, including the teachers, dressed in their pj’s! What a hoot! Class 4/5 performed two poems for our enjoyment.

Award winners f r o m t h e assembly were: Jordan Taylor(Year 6), Tori McNaught (Class 4/5), Anthony Honnery (3 /4) , Jack Ponsford (Class 1/2) and Jack Fairhal l (Class K/1) who were all students

of the week for their great work in writing.

Year 5/6 Tempany, Hunter and Tiger who won individual awards for their hard work in class, along with Ross, Mathew, Logan, Chloe, Caleb, Hanna and Alkira who are all displaying the models created by their group on tectonic forces as part of their science unit: Earthquake Explorers.

Jack and Teianna, Helena and Sharri, Alana, Dylan and Emily of class 4/5 proudly display their awards and work samples.



Attention Readers!

We would like to feature some new regular columns on the following topics:

Cooking Gardening Pets/Livestock Craft If you would be interested in submitting columns

on one of these topics on a regular basis we would like to hear from you!

REMINDER

The deadline for all articles and advertisements is Monday Noon, for distribution on Thursday

Christopher, Brad and Liana, Jamie, Nikki and Libbie Towell of Class 3/4 with their awards and great work samples.

Nick and Mekayla, Nicholas, Giaan and Molly of Class 1/2 with their awards and great work.

Samantha, Jack and Daniel, Kasey, Aaron and Jye Byfield of K/1 display their awards and great work.

PRIMARY NEWS Our K/1 students enjoyed having Mr Kiley and Miss Halum as work experience students for the week. They each enjoyed finding out about the work that teachers do in the classroom and the playground. We hope that they choose to follow this great career when the time comes for them to leave school. This Friday our K-6 students will join with students from Sandy Hollow and Cassilis Public schools for a sports tabloid which will be run by the ROAR boys. We are all looking forward to meeting the other students, enjoying a day of sports and a delicious meal deal.

We are looking forward to welcoming Mr Glen Kite to our staff as relieving Assistant Principal. Mr Kite comes to us from Scone and will take over the 4/5 class from Mrs Shannon who has very ably taught the class from the beginning of the year. We thank Mrs Shannon for her hard work and enthusiasm, and look forward to seeing her again from time to time on our campus.

Our primary classes are all preparing for the K-12 athletics carnival which will be held on Wednesday 1 June at the sportsground. A note went home asking fro assistance in supervising the students as they go around the different activities. The teachers are all involved in running such activities as high jump and long jump and would welcome some additional help. If you are able to assist and, at the same time, watch how your child is performing please contact our primary office.

Ruth Hoye


PLEASE NOTEPLEASE NOTE

If you are sending in articles or advertisements by email and you do not receive an acknowledgement of receipt

from the Merriwa Ringer, please contact us by telephone to follow it up, as we may not

have received the email.

Thank you


PYJAMA DAY We got to spend the whole day at school in our pyjamas!

Class 1/2 and Mrs Eipper. Maddison is showing how cool she thinks it is to wear pyjamas to school and everyone looks comfy and snuggly! K/1 loved w e a r i n g t h e i r pyjamas! 4/5 were snuggly and warm: they loved wearing their pyjamas instead of the regular

uniform! Year 5/6 and Mrs McAlister enjoyed the

opportunity to dress in pyjamas too! Class 3/4, Miss Halum and Miss Willis enjoyed their day in pyjamas as well.

Ruth Hoye


STUDENT OF THE WEEK

ROAR Athlete Profile

MERRIWA CENTRAL SCHOOL SECONDARY NEWS

Name: Shaylee Schmidt Year Group: 11 Favourite Subject: English Favourite pastime: Hanging with family and friends Dream Career: Office work Best school experience: Representing at Zone Best personal achievement: Gold in the 800m sprint Advice on how to be organised: Listen to your teachers

Name: Jey Rawlinson Year Group: 12 Favourite Subject: Maths Favourite sport: Rugby League Favourite team: NSW Blues Favourite player: Michael Ennis Best personal sporting achievement: Dubbo Sevens Advice to young players: Keep going What has ROAR taught you: Respect



ROAR REPORT Merriwa Polo Crosse I had the privilege of attending the Merriwa Polo Crosse this past weekend as part of the crew supporting Megan and Kellie in the canteen. May I say that this was my first exposure to Polo Crosse and I am now fascinated by it. The skills and tactics displayed by all competitors was highly impressive! Thanks to all parents and students who donated delicious goodies to sell and their valuable time behind the BBQ, in the canteen, making runs to the cool room and selling tickets for the P&C raffle. Everyone's efforts made it a successful and enjoyable weekend. On behalf of ROAR and the Merriwa Horse Sports Committee I would personally like to thank all of those people who pitched in to help us with this invaluable fundraising activity. The ROAR component of the money raised from the weekend will go toward purchasing ROAR hats for our new academy members this year.

Adam Johnston

YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE

Last week all of Year 10 experienced the world of work in many different industries. Merriwa Central School is always appreciative of the industries that support our students and would like to thank the following employers very much for the time and effort they put into helping our students understand the nature of their industry. The following industries assisted the students listed below. IGA Merriwa - Angela Burge Coolah Vet Clinic - Tyler Austin Merriwa Petroleum & Ag - Reece Hancock Mr Shane Mason (Bricklayer)- Blake Ellis Muswellbrook Hospital - Ashley Gibbons Tame That Computer (Kurri Kurri) - Michael Gilbey

Newcastle University - Medical Research - Patrick Gilbey Scott Witton Builder - Cassilis - T o m Hagley K & P Clydsdale - Mathew Clydsdale Merriwa Central School (Primary) - Eli Kiely & Rebecca Helem Cassilis Public School - Jemma Heycox Elders Pitt Sons - Brady Hilton Merriwa Hospital - Brodie Hollier Pembroke Station - Jonathon Hood Upper Hunter Shire Council (Depot) - Charlie Kirk Merriwa Tyre Service - Zac McLennan Tamworth Base - Pathology Department- Amy Nicholls Dedicated to Fitness (Bathurst) - Zoi Russell Upper Hunter Shire (Resource Centre+ Library) - Jessica Smith Ironbark Café - Shauna Smith Jeff Towler Builder (Scone) - William Taylor Cross Country Ford - Kyle Withers

Kyle Withers at Cross Country Ford

Angela Burge at Merriwa IGA

Jessica Smith at the resource Centre

Reece Hancock at Merriwa Petroleum & Ag


MERRIWA CENTRAL SCHOOL MCS CAREER NEWS

Term 2 Career events June 3 – Try-a-trade will be held in

Muswellbrook for students currently in Years 9 & 10. This is a fantastic day where students get to experience a number of hands on activities and talk to personnel in over 25 different industries that provide activities on the day. A note for the excursion will be coming home soon.

June 20 – 26 - Year 11 Vocational Education Work placement week where students currently studying Business Services, Metal & Engineering, Hospitality and Information Technology (Year 11 only) will be completing their mandatory 35 hours in an industry representative of their course.

July 25 - MEGS visit to Tighes Hill TAFE scheduled, notes will be out soon. Parents are asked to keep this date free so they can travel with their son or daughter to experience all that the TAFE ha to offer with respect to vocational alternatives in tertiary education.

Important Dates for Year 12 students Key dates for UAC course submissions Early August 2011 applications open Friday 30 September 2011 on-time

applications close Monday 31 October 2011 late applications

close with late fee $116* Wednesday 30 November 2011 late

applications close with late fee $133* Thursday 2 February 2012 final close of

applications with late fee $143*

HSC and ATARs Wednesday 14 December 2011 NSW HSC

results released by Board of Studies Thursday 15 December 2011 ATARs released

by UAC at www.uac.edu.au Change of preferences Thursday 5 January 2012 for consideration in

Main Round 18 January – 25 January 2012 for

consideration in Late Round 1 February – 2 February 2012 for

consideration in Final Round

Macquarie University HSC Enrichment Program. This program assists students prepare for their HSC exams in Chemistry (7 July) and Physics (8 July). Cost $70 per day. Register at www.accessmq.com.au/chemistry or www.accessmq.com.au/physics or call 98053131 University of Wollongong Early Entry Scheme- UOW’s Early Entry applications will open on Friday 1 July. Early entry applicants are assessed based on their school academic record, not just the ATAR. Excellent results in relevant subjects often mean students are ready for university study. Students can apply for Early Entry to a maximum of 4 undergraduate courses only and asked to place their courses in preference order on their application. For the first time, students will be able to apply to Creative Arts degrees through the Early Entry process, rather than the separate process that has been in place previously. The Early Entry website has full details of this year’s program including eligibility, courses offered, how to apply and process expectations. Questions about Early Entry contact Shannon Archer at [email protected] or on 4221 5732 Notre Dame University Early Offer Scheme. - Under this scheme students will be given a conditional offer of a place prior to completing their HSC. The program looks for students with high personal and leadership qualities, who have been active in their school, church or community or have applied their talent in sport or the arts. For information visit www.nd.edu.au UTS Bachelor of Accounting Co-op Scholarship. - The closing date for Round 1 applications is Friday 10 June. Interested students will need to have application forms signed off by the school before this date. Application forms can b e d o w n l o a d e d f r o m www.bachelorofaccounting.com Career News & Options Sports Scholarships USA - Sports Scholarships

USA targets recreational or amateur

http://www.uac.edu.au

http://www.nd.edu.au



sportspersons of all abilities. The program assists students to gain a university in the US. Visit the website to see upcoming information s e s s i o n s . h t t p : / /www.studentplacement.com.au/programs/usa/sport/

Careers in Medical Research Seminar - Students in years 10-12 interested in pursuing a career path in biomedical research should attend at the Footbridge Theatre, University of Sydney, Parramatta Rd, Camperdown. Thursday June 9th, 9:30 am -12:00 pm. to reserve a seat, email Dr Chuck Bailey at [email protected] with your name, school and year. For more information phone: 95656171 or visit http://www.asmr.org.au/MRWNSW.html

Maritime Careers Day - 16 June, 9.00am-3.30pm for students from Years 10-12 at the Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour. Cost: $10 per student. Booking essential – phone 9298 3655 or email [email protected]. A great opportunity to talk to maritime professionals from diverse fields such as marine biology and conservation, employment on boats, including designing and restoration, tourism and defence.

Cadetships PKF currently have accounting cadetships

available for commencement in 2012 in Audit & Assurance, Corporate Recovery, Enterprise Advisers (also available in Caringbah and Tuggerah offices) and Tax Consulting Business Units. For more information visit http://www.pkf.com.au/Careers/Pages/Cadet.aspx. 13 June close of applications.

Moore Stephens Accountancy Cadetships Moore Stephens Sydney is located in the heart of the Sydney CBD whilst Moore Stephens Sydney West is based at Parramatta servicing the expanding Western Sydney business community. They are seeking to recruit a number of Cadets to start work in January 2012. Cadets are required to apply to a university that will allow you to study towards a single degree in Accountancy part time whilst working fulltime. Applications for

the 2012 Cadetship Program will open on Friday 20 May 2011 and close on Friday 24 June 2011. Fur ther deta i l s a t www.moorestephens.com.au/careers

University Open Days Newcastle University Central Coast campus.

20 August UTS Open day- 27 August Sydney Uni Open day - 27 August Newcastle University 27 August UWS Open day - 28 August Newcastle University Port Macquarie campus

1 September UNSW Open day - 3 September Macquarie University Open day - 10

September UTS Kuring-gai Information Evening

Wednesday 17th August College Open Days Billy Blue College of Design Open Day 21

May and 17 September. North Sydney Campus. Visit www.billyblue.com.au for information. 171 Pacific Highway, North Sydney.

William Blue College Open Day: Saturday 13th August, 11am-2pm Level 9, 171 Pacific H i g h w a y N O R T H S Y D N E Y www.williamblue.edu.au

APM College of Business and Communication Open Day 28 May. Northpoint Campus, 171 Pacific Hwy, North Sydney. (02) 9492 3280 www.apm.edu.au

Williams Business College Open Day 18 June and 19 November at 1 James Place, North Sydney. Visit http://www.williams.edu.au

If you require any further information about careers please contact me at school.

Jane Hegarty Careers Advisor

http://www.studentplacement.com.au/programs/usa/sport/









http://www.asmr.org.au/MRWNSW.html




http://www.apm.edu.au

http://www.williams.edu.au


P & C

Meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7-00pm in the Merriwa RSL Club

MERRIWA CENTRAL SCHOOL P&C MONSTER TRAILER RAFFLE

# Box Trailer Retail Price $1160.00 - Includes rego. # Plus Goods to the value of $3000.00 + Drawn 29/10/2011* $2.00 ticket. All proceeds go to Support Merriwa Central School P&C Many Thanks to the following businesses for their support: *Hunter Mutual Merriwa *Ryan’s Trailers &Caravans Dubbo *Merriwa Hardware *McConnell’s This ‘n’ That *Royal Hotel Merriwa *Merriwa Auto Electrical *Muswellbrook Holden *Russell’s Earthmoving Merriwa *Maxs Country cuts *Merriwa Pharmacy *Wightmans Transport *Merriwa IGA & Liquor *Australian Reptile Park *Elders Merriwa *Pearces Working Dog Kelpies *Good Look Nails & Beauty/Hair Indeed *Merriwa Nursery *Repco Muswellbrook *CJ JM Vero & Sons * Lenore’s Quliting This list will be regularly updated as donations are still arriving.

JUNE LONG WEEKEND We have been asked to provide a canteen for Team Penning from Lunch time on Saturday

until approx 9pm and from 6am till approx 1pm on Sunday. Once again we will need plenty of helpers. We understand that this is a busy weekend for a lot of people so we would be very grateful for any help that you can give us. If you can spare a little time on either of the days mentioned above please fill in the below roster and return to the school office as soon as possible – please don't forget to supply your phone number so that we can confirm your chosen times with you prior to the event. New faces are always welcome and it is a great way to meet other parents so please doesn’t be afraid to put your name down and get involved. If you can only do part of a scheduled time slot just change the times on the roster and we will work around you. If you cant work on either of these days maybe you could make a cake or slice to donate as we will need lots of cooking for the two days. For more info please contact Carlita McConnell on 0458 482 889 or 6548 2889.

PYJAMA DAY

Last Friday, 20 May the Primary children were treated to a special lunch of Hot Cakes and Egg & Bacon Rolls - we had breakfast at lunch time to blend in with the Pyjama theme of the Book Fair. We would like to thank all those parents, grandparents and friends that helped get this special lunch prepared. We would like to take this opportunity to also thank Papanui for the eggs and to Jenny & Nick Fellows from Scone MacDonald's who kindly supplied the Hot Cakes, Maple Syrup and Whipped Butter - this made all the helpers lives so much easier and the children had a blast.

NEXT P&C MEETING

7pm Wednesday 1 June. Merriwa RSL Club Fletcher Room – everyone welcome.

Matthew Cronin


CASSILIS PUBLIC SCHOOL

We have had a wonderful week with all students continuing their enthusiasm for learning and enjoying the happy atmosphere both inside the classrooms and out in the sunshine. Congratulations to everyone for their effort to Be Respectful and Be Safe at Cassilis Public School. Let’s keep it up! This week we are introducing our final expectation for positive behaviour at school. Do Your Best involves students applying themselves to each task and striving to challenge and increase their knowledge and understanding of concepts taught at school. Do Your Best also incorporates playing in the playground.

Congratulations to Lauren and family on the birth of beautiful baby Elise.

Welcome to Stan and his family, who will be attending our school each Friday.

Best of luck to Thomas, who is competing at Maitland this Friday at the Regional Cross-Country. We are very proud of you and all the training you have been doing.

Thank you to Miss Heycox for coming to Cassilis last week. Your interest and friendly personality was lovely to see and was appreciated by all students and staff. It reminded me of when I first came into a school during year 10 work experience and I felt that it would be amazing to teach great students for a job! Best luck in whatever you choose in the future. Come back and see us anytime.

Be Respectful Be Safe …steering you to success This week’s ‘Caught You Being

Respectful / Being Safe’ certificate recipients include: Angus M, Rachel, Jack N, Jack S.C, Angus H, James, Thomas (2), Corey M, Summer, Sarah, Steph, Tarnisha, Mat and Corey N. Well done!

Maths Learning Afternoon Please join us this Tuesday, from 2-3pm, to learn games and techniques to assist in your child’s numeracy development. All parents and caregivers are very welcome to come, meet Brett and enjoy afternoon tea. Public Education Day This Thursday, 26 May is Public Education Day. On this day we celebrate the values, traditions and achievements of public education in Australia. The day recognises the learning successes of all students and the commitment of teachers, staff and parents to the public education system in Australia. Well done to everyone in the Cassilis Public School community! Tabloid Sports Day This Friday promises to be a fun filled day combining with surrounding schools to learn new skills and work as a team. Students are reminded to bring their drink bottles, hats, sunscreen, warm clothing, recess/lunch and smiles. The canteen is open throughout the day but the food and drink is limited. Orders that have been pre-ordered will be right for collection at lunchtime on Friday. Please meet Miss Bell and Miss Hodgson at 9:45 to have your child’s name marked off and house group written on your child’s hand. The schedule for the day is:

Paint Shirts Our school paint shirts have been lucky enough to experience many great artistic moments, however, their time has come to an end. It would be really appreciated if replacement paint

10:00 Welcome

10:15 Rotating sessions of soccer, Walla Rugby and athletics

11:00 Recess

11:15 Rotating sessions of soccer, Walla Rugby and athletics

12:00-12:20 Lunch

12:20 Soccer knockout competition

1:40 Awards

2:00 Farewell

https://portalsrvs.det.nsw.edu.au/f5-w-687474703a2f2f7777772e6165756665646572616c2e6f72672e6175$$/


CASSILIS PUBLIC SCHOOL

shirts could be donated to us please. An old shirt can make an excellent protector of our school uniform during lessons!

K-2 News Spelling and Sound Work This week for sound work kinder will be learning the ‘ai’ sound. Year 1 students will be looking at the ‘qu’ sound, while year 2 will be looking at all the different sounds that can say ‘a’ – ‘ai, a_e and ay’ Kindergarten and year 1 Tricky Words are ‘little’ and ‘my’. Year two Tricky Words are ‘half’ and ‘quarter’.

Writing Last week in writing students have been continuing to look at poetry using rhyme by adapting the well-known nursery rhyme, ‘Hickory, Dickory, Dock’, to make their own unique versions.

Maths In Mathematics last week students were looking at addition and subtraction. This week students will be learning to make groups and share objects equally within the topic of multiplication and division.

HSIE Last week in their unit on Meeting Needs, students considered the need of food. Students pretended that they were going on a picnic and had to consider the healthy foods that they would need to bring with them. Chosen items were cut out and stuck in picnic baskets which will be displayed in the k-2 classroom this week.

Being Safe at School Last Monday the children of K-2 were introduced to the next ‘value’ in our behaviour chart and that was ‘Being Safe’. On Wednesday afternoon we took some time to talk about all the things we have to do to be safe at school and to keep our friends and teachers safe at school. We have made another glorious book of our wonderful ideas. Another cherished recourse for our fantastic room!

Reading It was wonderful to see so many K-2 students receive a reading award out our assembly on Friday. You are all working so hard at your

reading skills and should be very proud of the effort you are making and the wonderful improvements we have seen in the recent few weeks. Keep up the terrific work!

Awards Due to time restrains on Friday of Week 3 the two classroom raffles were not drawn. However, we were able to draw four names this week. For week 3, the Homework Award went to Bonny Morton and the Good Behaviour Award went to James Bibby. Also, for week 4 the Homework Award went to Priya Singh and the Good Behaviour Award went to Rachel Bibby. Congratulations and keep up the great work!

Liz Leman and Katrina Hodgson K-2 Classroom Teachers

3-6 News Our very productive week in the classroom included students settling into their numeracy rotations including a times tables competition, speed work, computer activities and groups learning centres. I have been impressed by the level of enthusiasm and understanding of concepts and willingness to develop more efficient strategies to solve problems.

This week in Sentence a Day, students will be discovering what is required of a sentence that asks questions. Students are discovering that good writers need a lot of practice to create an image in your reader’s head.

Thank you for your patency after the office was flooded by a burst hot water system last weekend. We are hoping to have the office back and looking better than ever as soon as possible We can’t have too much inspiration when it comes to quick, easy and nutritious school lunches. The School Canteens website, run by the Healthy Kids Association, has lunch suggestions for children of all ages, tips for healthy snacking for little kids and teens, nutritional information, serving sizes and help w i t h f o o d f u s s i n e s s . G o t o : www.schoolcanteens.org.au

Katie Bell

http://www.schoolcanteens.org.au


ST JOSEPH’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

Last week 13 very talented young runners represented our school at Diocesan Cross Country in Tarro. The team was very impressed by the professionalism and competitive nature at a higher level of cross country. Each student was issued with an electronic ankle band which subsequently recorder their time and allowed for their name to be called out over the loudspeaker as they ran past the line. Our students should be very proud of themselves as they not only competed at a zone level of competition, but they conducted themselves with pride and displayed an impressive level of sportsmanship throughout the day. On Friday, many children celebrated the lovely country we live in and respected its environment by walking to school. Walk to School Day not only illuminates the strong environmental focus we have at St Joseph’s but it also resonates quite strongly with the stage three curriculum at present. Years 5/6 are studying Antarctica currently. Recently they learned about the effect of fossil fuels and co2 emissions and their dangers on the environment. Fossil fuels, which are released into the atmosphere from such things as the running of cars and buses, are widening an already large hole in our ozone layer. If this hole in the ozone layer was to melt all of the ice in Antarctica, our sea level would rise by 70%. It is important on days like Walk-To-School to not only think about our health but to remember that we as humans need to think of ways to co-exist with our environment and not work against it. This week in Daily PE we will be focusing on Athletics as our annual Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday with St Joseph’s Denman, at

Denman. Many of our students compete weekly at Little Athletics in Merriwa. This has proved to be a fantastic sport for many of the children are already familiar with the techniques and rules of shot-put, discus, high jump, long jump and short and long distance running. We wish all of our students the best of luck on Friday and look forward to watching them compete. This term in Religion, Stage 3 are called upon to reflect on the time of Easter and the life of Jesus. There is a period of 50 days between Easter and Pentecost and it is a special time to reflect on the things in life we are thankful for and to think of things that we need to be more grateful for. Reflecting upon Easter, we know that Easter brings a time of hope and joy with the resurrection of Christ. During this time, his disciples heard Jesus and accepted his invitation to follow him. As baptised Christians, we are all disciples of Jesus and Stage 3 are exploring the importance of believing and as leaders of the school, what it is like to be a follower of Jesus. This week will see the return of Interest Groups at school as they were postponed last week due to a special visitor from the Catholic Schools Office. Interest Groups are a fantastic opportunity for the children of our school to participate in extra-curricular activities free of charge. The options for student this term are card making, zumba, gardening, library, reading at Gummun Place and Anklung (Indonesian tuned percussion). This term we have the pleasure of having some parents, experienced in their chosen area, volunteering each week. This is a small reminder to our school of how lucky we are to live in such a heartfelt and helpful community.


ST JOSEPH’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful classroom helpers, Annalise Carrigan and Sister Brigid. Without these two magnificent ladies in my classroom from Monday to Wednesday, many of my students would not get the necessary one-on-one time each week and they thoroughly enjoy the optimistic and enthusiastic nature of these two ladies every week. Both Annalise and Sister Brigid volunteer their time to my classroom and without them I would be very lost. We will all be very sad to say goodbye to Annalise at the end of term when she heads back to University in Sydney; my class has become very fond of her and she has made a significant difference. May everyone’s week be full of joy and happiness and may we remember during times that we are feeling down, the positive things in our lives rather than the negatives.

Wendy Thomas Weekly Awards: Kinder Jack lean for a fantastic effort singing the

national anthem Hudson Attenborough and Will Henderson:

great co-operation in reading groups. 1 / 2: Damian Jamieson - for his fantastic effort

during maths groups Jemma Grady- for her fantastic effort when

writing recounts. 3 / 4 Eliza Peebles - for great work with noun

identification Clancy Martin – for his settled and mature

approach to classroom discussions.

5/6 Brydie Moore - for an impressive speech on

the Emperor Penguin and displaying fantastic public speaking skills

Kasey Cassar - for trying hard and practising his speech whilst learning new words.

Principal’s Awards Jock Grady - for his great discussions about

behaving like Christ. Luke Cronin - for his increased participation in

his leadership role.

Playground Champion Award Adam Constable for always giving a helping

hand in the sports shed when the duty monitors are away.

Year 5/6 helping out i n t h e playground

Helen Whale


MERRIWA ACTIVITY CENTRE After School and Vacation Care Catering for 5 – 12 year olds

Staffing has been/will be a little different for a few weeks as Jill has had a week off and will be having another week off soon. Julie will step up as co-ordinator and the Child Care Worker position will be filled by the ever capable Jenny and Yvonne. It is always comforting to know if Jill or Julie take time off there is always dedicated staff to fill in. Each month at the Pre-School/Mac committee meeting, Jill presents her Co-ordinators report. We would like to share a few snippets from the May meeting. “During April vacation care we had 2 new enrolments and 2 re enrolments from a few years ago. The program appears to attract children to the centre, with our utilisation at 52%. This is the highest is has been in a long time, and up 10% for the same period in 2010.” “We ran a pupil free day on the first Wednesday back. We had 9 children for the whole day and then an extra 3 for afternoon care. I think this shows that it is well worth while running these days. We made sure that we do not interfere with the running of the Pre-school day, taking children on an outing and having outdoor play.” “We have begun work on the next VC program, which is only 6 weeks away. “ “Jenny Kirk (one of our brilliant casual staff) attended a training day in Newcastle on Planning for Positive Behaviours last week. I was also meant to attend but was ill for the first couple of days of my leave, so Jenny brought information back for me” “Our bookings this term have remained the same, with some children changing the day they attend. Our program this term is concentrating on running 1 craft throughout the week, enabling all children to take part, and in having at least one afternoon outside the centre. Today we went to the Sports Club to play putt putt golf, using the community bus to transport the children. The children are currently filling out surveys on “My Thoughts About MAC”, so we can gather some ideas on food, activities, crafts and what they most like

and dislike about MAC. Luckily the responses on dislikes about MAC have been “nothing”. WHEW!

Jill Carrall – Co-ordinator Lachlan celebrated his 8th birthday at MAC and was surprised to be presented with a yummy chocolate cake. His friends sang happy birthday to him before sharing the cake. We can’t always celebrate a child’s birthday on the exact day but we do make the effort to do it as close to the day as possible. Home Work We encourage the children to work on their home work at MAC each day. We usually allow a set period of approximately 20 minutes for them to work on it. If their home work is not complete in this time they can either continue with it at home or at MAC the next day. After doing their homework, the children put a tick beside their name on our home work list. After receiving a set number of ticks they get to pick out of the special box of goodies. What is on at MAC next week? Fruit is served at every afternoon tea. Craft for the week – Rock Painting – Indigenous Art. Monday – Afternoon tea in the park. Cabanossi, Cheese and crackers Tuesday- Walk to the river to collect rocks/party pies Wednesday- Group games/crumpets/milo Thursday- Different forms of painting/Fish fingers Friday- Board games/Saos with cheese/Spreads Activity Centre CRN (Afterschool Care) is 555 014 702K and Vacation Care is 555 014 708J. There is also the potential for working mothers to receive up to 50% of the fees outlaid back in their tax returns. Did you know your child can attend MAC for as little as $3 per session? Contact Centrelink to find out your child care benefit (CCB).

See you next week

Jill, Julie and Staff


ANGLICAN NEWS The Feast Day of St Columba of Iona 11am on Sunday 5 June - Everyone is warmly invited to come to St Columba’s Church, Cassilis, to celebrate St Columba’s day. A ‘bring-and–share’ lunch will follow at the Bowling Club. Blessing of the Fleeces In conjunction with the Festival of the Fleeces, the 9.00am service on Sunday 12 June will include a special blessing for our farmers and animals with participation from the parish families involved in raising sheep. A special ‘shearer’s morning tea’ will be shared afterwards. Men’s Breakfast The May Men’s Breakfast will be held at the Parish Hall on Saturday 28 May. As always a delicious breakfast is assured and the heaters will be on. Please come along and bring a friend. Commissioning of Muswellbrook Organ An invitation has been received to attend the hand over and commissioning of the completed organ at St Albans’ Muswellbrook on Wednesday 22 June after the 10am Eucharist at 11am. A recital of organ music will follow. At

1pm a light lunch of soup, rolls, tea/coffee will be served in the Parish Hall. “Women of the Bible” Verina Rallings is coming to Merriwa to present talks entitled “Women of the Bible” on Saturday 28 May and Sunday 29 May both from 2-4pm. The talks continue so it is recommended to attend both if you are interested. Afternoon tea will be included. Anglican Women’s Conference The annual Anglican Women’s Conference will be held at St Peters East Maitland on Tuesday 7 June. A bus will leave from Muswellbrook. If you are interested in attending, please contact Beatrice Voysey 6548 2065 or Joan Morgan, 6548 2036. Yuletide Luncheon The Anglican Women’s Guild is planning a Yuletide Luncheon to be held at the Parish Hall on Sunday 31 July. Further details will be supplied later. Please mark this on your calendar, in you diary or both, come along and enjoy a delicious meal (as always) and Christmas cheer.


Confirmations Please inform Rev’d Mandy of any candidates who wish to be confirmed this year as the annual visit by Bishop Brian will be on Sunday 6 November. Please note this change of date is due to the Bishop’s commitments. Dates for your Diary May 28-29 - Women of the Bible 2-4 pm June 5 - St Columba’s Day at Cassilis 11am June 12 - Blessing of the Fleece 9am July 31 - Yuletide Luncheon November 6 - Confirmation by Bishop Brian

Farran Sentence of the Week God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God,, and God abides in them.

1 John 4.16b Thought for the Week True faith and courage are like a kit – an opposing wind raises it higher. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40.31 Events for this Week Friday 27 May - 10am Eucharist at Holy

Trinity 11am Eucharist at Gummun Place Sunday 29 May - 9am Eucharist at Holy

Trinity Please come and join us.

Jean Keeping

RECIPE OF THE WEEK SWEET AND SOUR PORK

1/2 cup (70g) cornflour 1/3 cup (50g) plain flour 1 tsp salt 2 eggs 2 tbs water 500g pork scotch fillet, cut into 1.5cm pieces Steamed rice, shallots and coriander leaves, to serve Sweet & sour sauce 1 tbs peanut oil 1 green capsicum, chopped 1 carrot, sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1/2 cup (115g) caster sugar 1/2 cup (125ml) white vinegar 1 tbs soy sauce 2 tbs cornflour 425g can pineapple pieces Method For the sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over

medium heat. Add the capsicum, carrot and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and 1 cup water until sugar dissolves. Combine the cornflour and 2tbs water. Add to the pan and whisk until it comes to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the pineapple. Set aside.

Combine the cornflour, plain flour, salt, eggs and 2tbs water. Coat half the pork in the batter. Carefully deep fry in hot oil for 3-4 minutes until golden. Repeat.

Combine pork and sauce. Serve w i t h r i c e , shal lots and coriander.


PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS & TRICKS PET & ANIMAL PHOTO’S

I thought this tip may come in handy, especially since the latest photography competition is “Celebrating the Fleece’

You need a lot of patience to photograph pets! Fortunately with a digital camera, you can take a lot of photos and delete the ones that are no good. Catch your pet in action – fetching a ball or

stick, playing with a toy. Have someone to help you if your pet is

being uncooperative. They can supply a very useful extra hand..

Use a squeaky toy to get them to look towards the camera if you’re after a more traditional portrait shot.

Use a high shutter speed – particularly when your pet is excited. The more excited they are, the more they move around and can produce blurry images.

Simple backgrounds are best. Look for a solid colour as a background so your pet stands out. Just make sure your pet doesn’t blend in and become invisible!

Don’t forget your smaller pets. Make sure you get really close, and avoid shots with cage bars. Try shooting through the open cage door. Turtles can be placed with almost anything and produce a stunning photo.!

Take a bit of time to get the right photo. You may need to shoot thirty or more shots to get a perfect one. Keep working with it and you’ll be amazed at the results.

Groups of pets can make stunning photos, but you need a lot of patience!

Extract of “Digital Photography Secrets” by David Peterson

Candice O’Neill

LHPA’S PREPARE RECORD MICE BAIT FOR LANDHOLDERS

To assist landholders to combat increasing mice numbers, the Livestock Health and Pest Authorities have now treated over 100 tonnes of grain with Bromadiolone for use as crop perimeter bait.

Tim Seears, LHPA Pests Manager, says record amounts of bait have been distributed to help landholders control the pest. “This is the most bait prepared in over a decade and it’s likely more will be prepared,” Mr Seears said.

“LHPA rangers have also been assisting landholders with mice problems by providing information on early detection, advising and instructing on ‘bait card’ monitoring techniques, and assisting with designing of bait stations for on-farm situations. “Rangers can mix liquid Bromadiolone with grain (supplied by the landholder) for the control of mice around crop perimeters. Bromadiolone is recommended when monitoring indicates that there is evidence of increasing mouse numbers and there are no mice in the crop.

“Zinc phosphide is not available through the LHPA but can be purchased from your rural suppliers. Zinc phosphide is recommended when monitoring indicates that mice numbers are increasing within a crop and there is potential for an economic level of damaging occurring. “If mice are in both the crop and the perimeter, landholders will need to treat both for effective control. “Due to record demand, there have been ongoing difficulties sourcing rodenticides from suppliers and manufacturers. Advice from suppliers that demand has slowed down recently should allow supplies to catch up over the coming weeks.”

Mr Seears said cold, wet weather doesn’t necessarily have an impact on mice populations. “Breeding will generally stop or decrease over the winter period depending on available food supplies. A high population going into winter usually guarantees mice problems in spring,” he said. “So keep up the monitoring and control activities where they are required.”

If you are considering mice control consult with your LHPA ranger or district agronomist for the most up to date information.

Tim Seears 0417 613 673


PRICKLY PEAR Previously, one of the most notorious weeds in agricultural history in NSW, the Prickly Pear is now a declared Noxious Weed. A “Category W.4” under the Noxious Weeds Act 1993, this following repeal of the Prickly Pear Act 1987, from January 1, 1997.

Prickly Pear in NSW is generally controlled by biological means, however, due to climate conditions, biological agents may not be effective in some areas. During these periods other control methods such as chemical or manual control may be carried out. For a W4 Noxious Weed the action specified in the declaration must be taken in respect of the weed. For more information please contact the Upper Hunter Weeds Authority on 6549 3802.

Upper Hunter Weeds Authority

FUNDS SECURED FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SHIRE

Upper Hunter Shire Council has been successful in obtaining grant funds to assist in the employment of an Economic Development Project Coordinator. The NSW Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services (DTIRIS) recently confirmed that Council's application for $30,000 towards employing a project coordinator had been successful. DTIRIS Community Economic Development Manager, Hunter Mr Aaron Spadaro said that the department understands the limited capacity for smaller councils to employ staff and economic development plays an important role within local government these days. "These funds, matched by a contribution by Council, will employ a coordinator for the next year and we are expecting some great outcomes over that time" he said. "There is a range of projects that have been identified including the public art silhouettes in Scone, implementing the Township Marketing plans for Merriwa, Murrurundi and Aberdeen, Welcome to the Upper Hunter Project, festival coordination support, Upper Hunter Branding Strategy and many others" Mr Spadaro added.

"The Plan has identified a significant number of projects and this funding will assist in employing a person for the next year to implement some of these" he said. "We are hopeful that we can apply to the Department again next year if this position is successful."

Council will shortly be announcing the person who will be filling this role.

Lee Watts Mayor


WOOLBROOK RURAL INDUSTRIES

An ever more savage undersea war continued in the Atlantic with increasing numbers of improved German U Boats sinking more and more ships and Britain, with improved methods of detection and attack, sinking increasing numbers of U boats. In a sense this Atlantic 1914-1918 sea war was also stalemated in similar fashion to the land war since Britain, in the absence of much opposition from Germany’s surface navy, was successfully blockading Germany, and German U boats were also having success blockading Britain. This warfare was obviously without historical precedence and therefore rules, and was initially reasonably civilised while the techniques of attack and defence were evolved. U Boats still used age old methods, including surfacing near a ship, boarding it to check its cargo, and, if thought fit, and after giving the crew time to get away in life boats or even taking some on board as prisoners, sinking it by shellfire or explosive charges placed on board. This was not entirely altruistic as it enabled the U boats to conserve precious torpedos. To fast forward briefly, as an illustration, during WW2 a German U boat captain sighted the troop carrying liner Aquitania in the Atlantic within easy torpedo range, but he had used all his torpedos.

However, before long Britain began using very effective convoys which often included observation airships, also the previously mentioned Q Ships, and arming merchant ships against submarines with guns manned by the Royal Navy, the so-called Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS) of WW2. This move allowed U boats to legitimately sink them on sight and without warning. One result of DEMS was that U boats would sometimes let smaller ships go rather than waste a torpedo on them. All these were legitimate defensive and offensive actions by both sides, however Germany had a big propaganda problem which was naturally exploited to the maximum by the Allies. On the one hand improved British defensive measures eventually made it almost suicidal for U boats to surface under most conditions, so the Germans had little choice but to stay submerged and sink anything which appeared to warrant it if they were to maintain their blockade and prevent American arms and food reaching Britain. On the other hand, British propaganda branded such actions by U

boats as uncivilised and contrary to the rules of war and the American public largely agreed, particularly if American ships and lives were involved. Therefore German U boat activities helped to gradually push America to active participation in the war, though the Germans must have realised that if this did happen the war would be lost.

An example of the complexities of the above was the sinking of the liner Lusitania. America was (and is) an English speaking democratic country with most of its culture and systems derived from England as opposed to the then autocratic Central European powers, and her sympathies were largely with the Allies. However, America’s huge immigration policy had included many thousands of immigrants from Central Europe, and obviously some of them still had sympathies for their country of origin. Therefore Germany had a source of informants (spies, if you wish) providing information (reasonably legally, I suppose, America still being neutral), to the Central Powers including through the German embassy, so the Germans had considerable knowledge in some detail concerning what was happening in America including on the American waterfront. They therefore published in appropriate newspapers, including the New York Times, a warning that any ships sailing to or from Britain, and particularly those known to be carrying arms, would be sunk on sight and without warning. Nevertheless the Lusitania was allowed to sail not only with many passengers on board, including Americans, but also with cargo which included about 200 tons of munitions, these being live rifle cartridges ready for use and unfilled artillery shells, that is they did not contain explosives and were to be filled after arrival in England. It seems incredibly stupid that this happened, particularly on such a liner, as the Germans probably knew of her cargo and if so had a legitimate right to sink her, which a U boat captain did off the coast of Ireland after identifying her, and she went down very quickly with the loss of many lives, including Americans. The torpedoing was made easier because Captain Smith, who had orders to zig zag in dangerous waters and to avoid the west coast of Ireland, inexplicably chose to ignore both, thus making the U boat’s job easier. The sinking caused a storm of disapproval from the Allies, as might be


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Pipe installation is much easier if you have a variety of the above so that, together with nipples, sockets, elbows, bends and other

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expected, and outrage in the USA, and is sometimes attributed in folklore to the entry of the USA into WW1. However, while it was certainly a contributing factor, it was not the main one as it occurred in 1915 and America did not declare war till 1917. This declaration, followed by a flood of American troops and arms to France, was more than enough to tip the balance, the war ended, and an armistice and peace treaties followed. The main German fleet, including many battleships, battle cruisers and cruisers, was ordered to Scapa Flow where it lay at anchor. One night the few remaining crew were ordered to open the sea cocks, and most of the fleet was scuttled, a stupid, vindictive and provocative act by a defeated navy which, U boats excepted, mostly did not come out and fight when needed and eventually chose to sink itself in defeat.

Max Wurcker


ST DAVID’S UNITING CHURCH

Compassion Sunday was celebrated at St. David’s in our 11am service on 22 May.

Compassion is an international organisation presently caring for needy children in 25 countries in the world. It encourages sponsorship of individual children with programs dealing with care from antenatal to university. If at all possible, children are kept within the family circle, and given opportunities that we in the western world take for granted.

Compassion programs address the five key areas of a child’s development - spiritual, emotional, social, physical and economical - Christ centred - child focused - church based. It’s challenge is “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute”. - Proverb 31.8

We were challenged and touched as we shared stories from so many whose lives have been turned around. Children who now have security and a future.

One lad from the Dominican Republic recounted being sponsored by a family in Queensland at the age of 7. He remained with mother and brothers, was educated, moving through school to university and qualified as a doctor. His aim was to be able to give back so much of what he had been given, and now he is practising. He

was always so grateful to his sponsoring family, and they were given the opportunity to attend his graduation and then his wedding.

There was a tear in many an eye as we shared the account of children in Compassion homes in Bangladesh, upon hearing of the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti, wanted to help. They pray and gave money - taken all up with their families, it was quite a sum, but it equated to approximately 20c per person - so sacrificial from those who have so little.

With sponsorship comes the opportunity to correspond with the sponsored child. Those who have already sponsored children shared some of the joy of the experience of being part of their child’s life, through letters. I had the joy of visiting my little girl, Oleon, in Sarawak some years ago. There, I saw first hand, the way they cared for - respectful of the culture - but with love. She showed me many things she had brought with the gift monies I had sent - they were just as she had recounted in her letters. Oleon was in a home, which had children from 6 months to 16 years. It was truly a heart warming experience.

Opportunity is given for us to share - we who have so much, with those who have so little.

Barbara Campbell


The Merriwa Community News is available to charity groups or non-funded, not for profit organisations and anyone wishing to advise of a special event (birthday/anniversary/etc). If you would like to make use of this free service, please contact us prior to 12pm Mondays.

MERRIWA RELAY FOR LIFE

Merriwa Relay for Life was a major success in 2009 so the Cancer Council of NSW is hoping to form a new committee to run a Merriwa Relay for Life at the Showgrounds this year. We would like to invite community members who are interested in helping to run the event or forming a team to raise money for research to come to a public interest meeting at the RSL Club at 6.30pm on Tuesday 7 June. For further information please contact Glen Parsons from Cancer Council on 0428 101 252, Rev’d Mandy Wheatley on 6548 2218 or Phoebe Richard on 6548 2109.

Rev’d Mandy Wheatley

ALL DONATIONS GREATLY ACCEPTED FOR SETTLEMENT HALL

Such as pots, pans, cutlery and crockery. All goods can be dropped off at the Upper Hunter Shire Council, Merriwa Office. Thank You

Karlie Ellis

MERRIWA LITTLE ATHLETICS

Presentation Day and AGM - This much-anticipated event will be held on Sunday 29 May, 3pm, at the Merriwa RSL BBQ area. Athletes will be presented with awards, followed by the AGM. After this, we can finish off the season with a delicious BBQ. All parents, families and friends are warmly invited. We look forward to seeing you there!

Sally

PIE & LAMINGTON DRIVE St David’s Pie and Lamington drive is on again. Order sheets are our and about now. Orders will close on Monday 20 June and the delivery is Wednesday 29 June. This is an opportunity to fill the freezer for the school holidays, and those cold winter days ahead. If anyone would like to order and haven't been able to locate an order sheet please call Barbara on 6548 5131

Barbara Campbell

WANTED

Old Wooden cupboard, suitable for storing linen. Must be strong.

Pat


A TRIFECTA OF HIGH QUALITY All Children's Services provided by Upper Hunter Shire Council have been given the stamp of high quality approval through the National Governments Quality Assurance system. Upper Hunter Early Learning Centre and Upper Hunter Family Day Care have recently received notification of their accreditation results and have joined Scone Out of School Hours care, which was accredited in 2009, with the highest accreditation level. The National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC) presently requires all Long Day Care Centres, Family Day Care Schemes, and Before and After School Services to go through a challenging national accreditation system every two and a half years. The system includes self evaluation processes, surveys, and inspections over a number of days by a Validator from the NCAC, to check off hundreds of quality indicators. Ratings of unsatisfactory, satisfactory, good and high quality are awarded in a number of areas, according to results obtained in the process. "Council is very pleased with these excellent results which reflect the hard work of staff, childcare educators and families involved in the services" said Mayor Lee Watts, "Each service scored high quality on every area in the system". The Family Day Care Co-ordination Unit is now looking to expand it's services by registering more Educators, to meet the community's demand for quality care, for children from birth to 12 years.

Lee Watts Mayor

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Last Wednesday night I attended, along with a hundred other people, the screening of the film “Gasland” at the Merriwa RSL.

This film showed the American Coal Seam Gas Wells that have been in production for years, its effects on the water supply, both surface and underground supplies. In a dry country like Australia, our most valuable resource is water. If we contaminate or water supply by whichever means especially our underground aquifers, we are in serious trouble. Underground aquifers cannot be rehabilitated.

The Merriwa area is part of the Upper Hunter that is heavily reliant on underground water for a reliable source of water.

However, I believe we need to separate the Coal Seam Gas from the Coal Mining debate. We cannot get away from the fact that electricity has to be in continuous generation - Base Load; by whichever means of generation is used. The demand for increased electricity and heating is increasing to meet the growing population and industry needs. If we do not have the capacity to meet these needs our society and standard of living will be greatly affected.

Existing and new industries as well as housing cannot function without a reliable, consistent supply of electricity.

I believe coal seam gas extraction will have lasting, irreversible, damaging effects to the detriment of our land, both agricultural and residential.

We as a people need to be aware of the dangers of all forms of energy generation, so we can make informed decisions on our future energy-electricity needs.

Ron Campbelll


SOME NOT SO COMPLEMENTARY COMMENTS

The term complementary medicine covers a wide range of products and therapies. These include vitamins and mineral supplements, herbal preparations, aromatherapy and homeopathic treatments. Alternative or traditional are words often used to describe approaches to health care that might be considered to be outside the realm of conventional medicines as practised in Australia. But given the apparently growing popularity of complementary medicines, it might be argued their use is hardly unconventional. It has been estimated that more than 50% of Australians regularly use some form of complementary medicines.

However, last week the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) delivered some disturbing news about complementary medicines. The TGA is the health and safety regulator for therapeutic goods. That is: it is the medicines watchdog. Most complementary medicines, considered to be of comparatively low risk, are simply “listed” with the TGA. This generally ensures they are manufactured appropriately with safe ingredients, but these listed medicines are not evaluated for safety, so the TGA does not guarantee they work. But, in a so-called post listing compliance review of complementary medicines over a period of 18 months to December last year, the TGA found about 90%

failed to comply with the established standards and about 50% did not have evidence to back up the advertised claims.

In Australia all prescription medicines and most non-prescription medicines available only in pharmacies are “registered” with the TGA. This means they must meet levels of quality and safety and be demonstrated to be effective. Aust L numbers (for listed medicines) and Aust R numbers (for registered medicines) must appear on the product labels. Perhaps by unhappy coincidence, last week was also designated homeopathy awareness week. The concept of homeopathy was developed in the late 18th century at a time when blood-letting purging and other ineffective and dangerous procedures were normal medical practice. These cures were almost always worse than the complaints; so doing nothing was definitely a good option – and that pretty much describes homeopathy. The diluted “like cures like” principle of homeopathy means that it is highly unlikely that even one molecule of active ingredient exists in the finished product. Homeopathy works as an often expensive placebo.

A distinction can be made between complementary and alternative treatments, where the former are used together with the “conventional” therapy and the latter instead of. In either case, with complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs), there is the potential for problems to occur.

Clearly, natural is not always necessarily safe. But if CAMS are your cup of herbal tea, then there are ways of managing the risk. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has produced a fact card titled Complementary Medicines. The card – which is available from all pharmacies across Australia providing the Self Care health information – identifies the problems and pitfall of CAMs, and also indicates which of the claims made from various popular CAMs can be supported by evidence. For instance, there is no conclusive evidence of benefit from echinacea, evening primrose oil, gingko or ginseng. On the positive side, many people have gained some pain relief from osteoarthritis symptoms with glucosamine; and long-term use of cranberry juice or extract


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it in as well. We may not always have to room to

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Shop 1/17 Bridge Street www.jtsrealty.com.au Muswellbrook NSW 2333 [email protected] Ph: 6541 5331 Fax: 6541 0330

21 Collins Street Merriwa - $6,500 Located in a new sub division with quality homes these blocks are two of the best in town. Town water, sewer, power and phone are all available and ready to be connected. Both blocks have fantastic views to the north over town which can't be built out. House plans are available to suit the blocks or build your own dream home. 914 sqm Priced to sell.

32 Collins Street Merriwa - $270,000 Situated in a new Sub-division this home is in excellent condition and would suit anyone looking for a modern brick & tile home. There are 3 big bedrooms all with built in robe's & ceiling fans. The open plan lounge/dining is large and features reverse cycle air conditioning. There is also a good sized family room leading off the kitchen. The kitchen is in very good condition with an electric oven & cook top and plenty of cupboard space. There is a double drive through garage with remote doors & internal access to house. The yard is fully fenced & has a covered entertainment area at the rear. If you are looking for a low maintenance near new home take a look at this one.

31 Mackenzie Street Merriwa - $345,000 Set on a huge 3237 sqm block, this beautiful executive home is approximately 100 years old. The home consists of 3 big bedrooms, 2 with ensuites and fireplaces while the main has a walk in robe. There are 2 livings areas, the lounge is large and has combustion fire, R/C Air Con and slate flooring. The kitchen is near new with plenty of cupboard space and a chef's style gas stove. The home has been freshly painted and had new flooring installed and has ducted R/C Air Con. House also features covered entertainment area, a third toilet, fully fenced yard, established gardens, shed, greenhouse, chook pen and wooden shed. Please phone for an inspection.

FOR SALE Husqvana 350

Chainsaw $350

STIHL MC 210c $250

0428 482 599

helps prevent the occurrence of urinary tract infection. And fish oil has well established benefits in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and in treating some of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. In any event, the undeniable fact is that complementary and alternative medicines (other than homeopathic products) are made up of chemicals, just like any medicine. If they are taken in a dose sufficient to have some benefit, they can also do harm. Before self selecting any CAM, especially if you are taking a prescription medicine, check first with your pharmacist. And for the location of your nearest “Self Care” pharmacy, log onto the Pharmaceutical Society website at www.psa.org.au

Robert Smith Merriwa Pharmacy

http://www.jtsrealty.com.au/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.psa.org.au


MERRIWA ROTARY NEWS

President Bill Reynolds and Rotarian Terry Burgess welcome new member Gary Smith and his wife Wendy into the Merriwa Rotary Club.

The guest speaker for our dinner meeting was Ms Lyn Thorpe OAM; Lyn is a passionate promoter of ROMAC (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children). ROMAC provide medical treatment for children from developing countries in the form of life saving and/or

dignity restoring surgery not accessible to them in their home country.

Merriwa Rotary extends a warm welcome to our l a t e s t N e w Z e a l a n d e x c h a n g e students. Becky Helem from Tauranga and Kyle Martin from Blenheim; both were presented with Merriwa Rotary Banners to take home.

R o t a r y members will be assisting the Salvation Army this year door knocking and seeking donations over the weekend 28 & 29 May. The Red Shield Appeal is the major fund raiser for the Salvo’s who provide a vast number of community services for the needy within our towns and cities. If you would like to find out more about Rotary, our regular dinner meetings are at the Sports Club Tuesday nights 7pm for 7.30pm dinner. Membership is open to both men and women.

Michael Wheatley


Entries Close 12 Noon on Monday 20 June

This month the theme is:

The winning photo this month will receive a $50 dinner voucher for The Royal Hotel - Merriwa. Donated by our

sponsors R&M Moore Rural Services.

The competition is open to amateur photographers of all ages. The winning photo will be published in the Ringer on 23 June

and will receive a prize donated by our sponsor. All entries will be displayed at Merriwa Pharmacy after the winner is

announced.

Each month will be a new competition with a new theme and prize!

Email your entries to: [email protected] or drop them into the office to be scanned.


MERRIWA HARDWARE Welcome back to my trio of loyal readers. This week I have some rather shocking news to share with the three of you. Now carefully put your coffee down and hold on to your seat. Are you ready? This news is almost scandalous. It would seem that for some strange reason, there is another one of you out there! Yes a fourth loyal reader! As strange as it may seem. I guess there's no accounting for taste. Anyway, back to the business at hand. I'm hoping that everyone has received their copy of our latest catalogue via Australia Post. If not, make a placard and go and protest outside the local office....perhaps not, we've still got plenty at the shop. Some of the really great specials we have are..... nah, I'm not gunna tell you, you'll just have to grab your catalogue and check them out and then come down to the store and have a browse around. But please, please, don't put off the purchase until tomorrow, because stock is limited. Some of the stuff I can re-order in, but for some, it just may be goooone. Remember that the catalogue finishes on the June long weekend.

We have one only Hills free standing kids slide in stock that I want to get out of the way. Normally $153.75, I've got it marked down to below cost at only $100.00. Also have a kids rope ladder for a Hills swing set was $51.75, clearing out for only $39.00. Makita 450w power drill was $129.00 down to just $89.00, one only. Maktec planer was $159.00 down to just $109.00. two left. Did you know that we have a couple of vanity units in stock? One is 1200mm wide while the second is 900mm wide and both are different styles. We will sell the one on the shop floor below cost price. This 1200 wide vanity is normally $475.00, this vanity is now only $350.00. Remember, one only! More seedlings should be here this week, keep an eye out for them. That's all for this week. Out of time. Did you know? "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

Ray and the crew


COAL SEAM GAS EXTRACTION More than 100 Merriwa district residents attended a showing of the documentary film ‘Gasland’ at the RSL auditorium last Thursday evening. One prominent farmer and grazier said, “this really is an eye-opener”. Another said, “Everyone needs to see it.” The film revealed the damage being caused to ground-water supplies by cracking; the pollution of ground-water by chemicals; environmental degradation; and detrimental health effects to people in the areas where gas extraction was occurring. After the screening John Thompson of the Lock the Gate Alliance spoke to the audience and answered questions. Mr Thompson said that in the western States of the USA gas was being extracted from coal seams and this was similar to proposals for the Upper Hunter. In the east it was extracted from shale. It was also shown that although, for the end user, coal seam gas (CSG) produced far less carbon dioxide than coal, the initial extraction of CSG resulted in the release of much more intensive greenhouse gases. For example, “fugitive emissions” that escaped from CSG wells during extraction were largely methane, 24 times more intense as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. In other words, one tonne of methane was equivalent to 24 tonnes of carbon dioxide. One audience member said, “The myth that CSG is clean and green is completely busted”. During the meeting it was advised that landholders should not allow access to their properties by gas company representatives, and that any negotiations should be undertaken at another location with a witness present. In

order to avoid community conflict, neighbours should keep each other informed of any approaches by gas company personnel. At the end of the discussion Mr. Thompson was thanked for his very informative contribution. With regard to the gas pipeline proposed to pass through Merriwa, the following concerns have been raised: * What percentage of the gas passing through Merriwa will be used for electricity generation in the Hunter * How much will be liquefied for industrial use in Australia * How much will be available for businesses and the community of Merriwa * How much will be sold overseas? It has been stated that compressors are required for the transfer of gas along the pipeline. Details of the location, size and noise output of these compressors do not seem to be available. What is the point of assessing flora, fauna and cultural heritage values? If the pipeline goes ahead, there will be at least a 40-metre-wide strip of total devastation to the land. Flora, fauna and culture will not stand a chance, as has been shown in other regions of Australia where similar pipelines have been installed. All these concerns are being explored by Merriwa Healthy Environment Group to ensure that correct information is available to our Community.

More Information: Ted Finnie

Ph6548 5171 Merriwa Healthy Environment Group


MERRIWA NEWSAGENCY Your Local Newspower Store and Office Smart Agent. Read-Write-Cut-Paste! School projects can be a drag. Looking up information in books and on the internet, scouring through massive amounts of data, just to find that one little paragraph that is relevant is not only irritating but can also be time consuming. For the next project on Australian History, we have the perfect solution. There is a great book, especially designed for projects, available now. It has been divided into topics, including convicts, Aboriginal Australians, bushrangers, gold rush, the Constitution and more. There are also glossy posters covered in pictures that are able to be cut out. Wartime: Tobruk! The official magazine of the Australian War Memorial is a fantastic historical source that is great for history buffs, War enthusiasts, teachers and those who are generally interested in our heritage. Wartime Magazine is full of personal stories that have been put together using letters, other forms of correspondence, photos, articles, stories of the survivors and other sources. They are tragic, enlightening,

fascinating, and beautifully thought out. They are accompanied by photographs that are not commonly seen in the media and tell facts as well as personal experience.

Outback Tracks One of the most popular sections of the RM Williams Outback magazine has been released as a special edition. The ‘Tracks’ stories are always inspiring, and show parts of this beautiful country that we never even knew existed. There are 20 great road trips that are mapped out in this issue, which will want to make you get out there and follow suit. From the Pilbara to the coast to Tasmania there are beautiful stories full of information and motivation as well as gorgeous images of the trips. This magazine is a great gift idea for someone who loves Outback, or travel in general, and is worth every penny.

On The Road This magazine is fast becoming a bible for those who enjoy camping and caravanning. The latest edition focuses on camping and great sites to camp. There are 10 pages of campsites that may take you on an adventure you never thought about before you read about them. There are tips for fishing, recipes, free camps, beautiful places to visit, the newest caravans that are on the market and the chance to win a Tatonka Zefir 25 Litre daypack. 226 pages of home and garden inspiration…


DAY TOURS 19 Jun 2011 Erina Fair Shopping Tour – Come join us and

make the most of the end of financial year sales $45 P/P

25 Jun 2011 Quilt & Craft Fair Exhibition Centre Darling Harbour - $58 p/p

17 Jul 2011 Christmas in July – Come and enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner (lunch time at Buttai Barn) $70 P/P

3 Aug 2011 Mary Duff – West’s New Lambton – A great night. Dinner at own expense $100 P/P

13 Aug 2011 Hairspray – Star City Sydney Saturday Matinee – Smash Hit Musical winner of over 30 awards worldwide. $155 P/P

7 Sep 2011 Mystery Tour Come and join us on another adventure! $65 P/P

10 Sep 2011 Jersey Boys Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – A must for all you Baby Boomers out there!! Saturday matinee Theatre Royal Sydney $165 P/P

EXTENDED TOURS 4 July 2011 13 Day Central Australian & Top End Tour

Broken Hill, Silverton, Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, Alice Springs, Uluru, Devils Marbles, Tennant Creek, Katherine Gorge, Adelaide River, Crocodile Cruise, Darwin.

2 Oct 2011 11 Day Tasmanian Adventure – Secrets of Tasmania - Spirit of Tasmania, Salamanca Markets, Historic Port Arthur, World Heritage Cruise

30 Oct 2011 15 Day Melbourne Cup - Great Ocean Road - Murray Princess Tour Includes 4 day cruise on the Murray River! 5 Star luxury – 5 Star service.

BOOKINGS & ENQUIRIES

PH: 6547 4416 or 1800 077 099 (free call) CBS TRAVEL PTY LTD

Travel Agents License No 2TA5587 www.cowans.com.au [email protected]

POSITIONS VACANT

CASUAL BUS AND COACH DRIVERS Cowan’s Bus Service have casual driving

positions available for people with LR or MR Licence and Ministry of Transport, Driver

Authority or willingness and ability to obtain same. Interested applicants should phone

6547 4416 for more information.

Home Beautiful is a brilliant magazine for those who are looking for a little motivation when it comes to updating the home. The latest issue is full of great bathroom renovation ideas, update, trends and buys. It also has ideas to create the perfect bedroom for luxurious deep sleep. There are buying tips for dining tables and chairs, as well as carpets and rugs. If the garden needs a bit of an update, there are ideas here for that too. MasterChef is back! MasterChef is back on the box and creating magic every week. If you wish to try some of the recipes from the show, or recipes from the celebrity chefs featured on the show, then we have the perfect magazine in store for you. MasterChef Magazine is available. The current edition features Adriano Zumbo making easy

chocolate desserts, recipes from the new contestants, and time-saving meals for mid-week. Cutting Horse The current issue looks at Maree King- the non-pro trainer who is making a name for herself, events at Yass, Benalla, and other places. This edition is also a select sale special edition. A great magazine if you are interested in the horses or the sport. Phone Cards; all cards are now available including Telstra, Optus & Vodaphone Cash or Eftpos only

Neville & Leanne Hook

http://www.cowans.com.au/

mailto:[email protected]


MERRIWA AUTO ELECTRICAL Battery Check When you think you might need a new battery for your vehicle, bring it in. (It might be a good idea to ring first on 65482114). Your battery will be checked by a fully qualified auto electrician, then if you need a new one, it will be fitted correctly for you. This is all part of the service! Our Century batteries are top quality and very competitively priced. Air Conditioning During winter is an excellent time to get your air conditioning checked. You can then be confident, when, in a few months, the warmer weather returns, your car is going to be comfortable. Dick Smith Electronics There is such a great variety of quality products on the DSE website. Everything from laptops, Meccano, mini TVs and DVD players, kitchen timers, educational and fun gifts for children, IPods, MP3 and MP4 players. It is well worth looking at the Specials. If you are not sure, come in and ask. It was surprising to note that we have a cute little blue iPod in stock, priced at $59, that is less than at Big W!! Also, many of the things, listed above are on their way, we are really impressed with the mini TV, it comes with it's own aerial and has excellent reception. It would make a nice gift!

We are gradually increasing our stock to cater for the diverse needs of our community. If you have any ideas, would you please let us know. As it's almost the end of the financial year it seems timely to acknowledge those who have helped us out in our first six months of

CASSILIS BOWLING CLUB Friday nights – Darts Names to the club by 6.45pm for 7pm start Come along and join the fun Friday night Snack Bar – The Two Ds Good food great company at excellent prices Friday night raffles Meat trays, Vege trays, Schooner Draw, Joker Draw, Members Draw. Zumba has arrived in Cassilis Monday evenings – 6.30pm @ the Cassbowl Gold Coin donation will go towards other needs for the Zumba sessions e.g. big screen etc. Xmas in July is coming Saturday 30 July. Dinner – Music - $25 per head Further details later

business: Thank you to all at Russell's Earthmoving, M Nutt Earthmoving, Merriwa Hardware and Williams Concrete for providing us with administration support; Thank you to Jenny Longstaff for all your hard work over recent months and to our son Tom for working hard during the holidays. Thanks to Dennis for your ongoing encouragement and practical support. Until next week.

Sally


MERRIWA SPORTS CLUB Saturday 21 May - Saturday Members Draw 54 Not Won Next week $250. Winners Jackpot 1957 Not Won Next week $1590. Free Tickets Julie Smith Dinner Nancy Coulton. Bowls Raffle Loretta Cooper Sunday 22 May - Sunday Members draw No484 Not Won Next week $950. $20 one off prizes No 483 Not Won & No 485 Not Won Transport Service is available Friday and Saturday. Don’t take the risk and drive when for $3 per person you can be chauffeured home. To access the transport service you must book through the Sports Club to check availability of the service. Members and Associations Looking for a venue to hold your meetings etc. The Sports Club may be able to assist. Please contact the Club for further details. Bingo Every Thursday Night commences 7:00pm Win Sporties Vouchers $5, $20, $50 + Fruit, Veg and meat trays Zumba Wednesday 5.30pm - Gold coin donation. Members interested in Sunday Social Bowls please contact JR 2:00pm Start. First game 21 May. Saturday 25 June “Dee Blundell” Free Show Saturday 30 July - “Green Limousine” Saturday 20 August - “”Rippers Retro Chicken and Prawn Night with Pixie Jenkins”

The Sporties - Chinese/Australian Restaurant Open for Lunch and Dinner. Lunch Specials Open 5 1/2 days. Lunch Wednesday to Sunday 12noon – 2:00pm Dinner Tuesday to Sunday 5:30pm to 9:00pm. Please Note Saturday hours for lunch are 11:30am to 1:00pm. Closed Mondays reopens 5:00pm Tuesdays. For Bookings and take away ring 6548 3228.

JR

MERRIWA RSL CLUB The Members Lucky Badge for $350.00 was not won on Friday at 8.30pm the number was 966, this week it jackpots to $400.00. The 7pm draw for $480.00 was won the number was 10, this week it commences at $100.00. The 9pm lucky ticket draw for $140.00 was not won the number was 68122, this week it jackpots to $160.00. LTPS/10/05160 The Sunday Morning Badge Draw was not won last week the number was 71, this week it jackpots to $300 and will be drawn between 11.30am and 1.30pm and you must be present to win the money. LTPS/10/05160. Sunday Raffle change: the Sunday raffles will now consist of a choice of IGA vouchers, Thrifty Link vouchers and Max’s Country Cuts vouchers. Coming Events Tickets are now on sale for the Elvis Tribute Show appearing at the Club on Saturday 4 June, $15 per person, tables of 8. Members Monthly Vouchers Starting June - Last week I incorrectly advertised that the members vouchers would start in June, the correct start for the members vouchers will be July, sorry to all those members with birthdays in June that I may have prematurely excited.

MJ Morgan Secretary/Manager

Last week’s results Darts Winners (Chooks): Glenda and Ann-Marie Winners (Chocolate) : Cecilia and Tony Draws Members Draw: $65 John McLennan – unclaimed - $70 next week Joker Draw: $1798 Jann – Ace drawn for $170 – $1677 next week

Hilary Parker


LADY BOWLERS NEWS Mufti Day held on 18 May was a most enjoyable day. Winners were Adel Merle and Doug. Raffle was won by Merle. There will be no Mufti Day on 1 June due to our Association Day. A reminder - Memberships are due and must be paid to Secretary Shirley by the end of this month. Our AGM will be held on Tuesday 21 June at 4:00pm at the Club. Coming Up Wednesday 1 June Merriwa Association Day Wednesday 8 June Mufti Day 9:45 am Wednesday 15 Scone Gala Day Wednesday 22 Murrurundi Gala Day Tuesday 21 June AGM

B & JR

MEN’S GOLF

Williams Putting Comp Winner - Max McNaught 25 putts Runner Up - D Taylor 67 Net Ball Comp - D Walmsley and A Medway Nearest the Pin - D Walmsley 9th and D Taylor 13th

2 match play games were played D Taylor beat Andy Medway 6 & 4 D Walmsley beat P Williams 2 & 1

Next Week 2 Clubs Event T Cooper sponsor

The Cat

MERRIWA RUGBY LEAGUE On Sunday Merriwa travelled to Scone to take on the Thoroughbreds. This game was an important one for Merriwa, a win would mean second on the table, a loss we would slip down to fifth. The game was very close with each team matching each other try for try but in the end Scone was too strong for us and eventually won the game 28 – 16. Man of the match was a tie between the two old boys Bruce Blackadder & Matt Attenborough and Players player was Ben Morgan. Tries: Alex 1, Pitty 1 & Chad (Teach) 1. Goals: Brock 2/3. Half time: Scone 12-10 On 4 June the Magpies will be taking on ‘The Old Boys’ at 2.30pm. Everyone is welcome to come down and watch the boys strut their stuff!! (Or pull a few hammies). There will be a full bar & canteen and entry will be a gold coin donation which will go to the Merriwa VRA.

If anyone is interested in purchasing the club shirt they will be $45. Names & sizes etc to Kayla at Elders 65482307 or Matt at the RSL. Payment is required before we order them and we will not be ordering extras. Orders & payment is required before 9 June. Congratulations to Les Tudor who won the $100 Fuel Card at the first home game. Reserve Grade Table: 1. Singleton 14 points 2. Scone 11 points 3. Muswellbrook 10 points 4. Greta Branxton 9 points 5. Merriwa 8 points 6. Aberdeen 2 points 7. Denman 2 points Next game is verse Aberdeen on 25 June

The Magette


UPPER HUNTER GOLF On Tuesday, May 17 the very chilly Scone Golf Course looked a picture for the 26 Vets who played a two ball best ball stableford event. Gary Morley and President George Smith combined very well indeed to score 49 points and win by three. In the ball comp balls went to these individuals: Les Cottam 39, Bill Hunter, Doug Dowell, Don Albert & Reg Davidson 38, Graham Boles 37, Captain Max Holz, Phil Ledgerwood & Cliff Cooper 36 and Des Goodworth, Noel Kelly & Graham Guest 34. Nearest the Pins: 2nd/11th Graham Turvey 8th/17th Gary Gray On Tuesday, May 31 we play a stableford event at Murrurundi with hit-off from 8.30 to 9.00 am.

Graham Turvey

PONY CLUB The next pony club event on the calendar is Aberdeen Presidents Cup day to be held this Sunday 29 May ready for an 8:30am gear check. A program for this event has recently been emailed to you. Dates to put in your calendars include: Singleton Presidents Cup day is on Sunday 3 July, rally day 10 July, Denman Presidents Cup 17 July and Scone Presidents Cup day 31 July. Keep checking your emails for pony club information. Happy Riding.

Tanya Ninness

LADIES GOLF The first round of the foursomes was conducted at last week’s golf and it is shaping up to be quite a close finish when the second round is played this week. Captain Di and Tania are joint leaders with Deirdre and Didie on a nett score of 70. Close on their heels with a 72 nett is De and Merrie and Sue and Robyn are a little adrift with an 80 nett. Captain Di & Tania were combining well and keeping the ball to the middle of the fairways all day. A little bit of the putting ‘yips’ prevented this pair from really making their mark on the round. De & Merrie were fairing well until the penultimate hole where the plague of all big hitter, the fence, took its toll and their score blew out a little. The quiet achievers for the day were Deirdre and Didie who both played lovely golf. Feeble Peebles was hitting the ball out of sight up the fairways and dead – eye Didie was sinking the putts. Robyn and Sue are looking for a big improvement this week and may pull off a come from behind victory if they both play to their potential. Nearest the pins were De & Merrie on the 4th, Captain Di & Tania on the 18th and Deirdre & Didie won the ball draw.

The Black Widow


MERRIWA JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE U/7’s Merriwa U/7s played against Scone in Singleton last weekend. It was great to see such great team work and all boys using there skills on the field. There was much improvement with their defence this time round with all boys showing us some very good tackling. Christian willingness and eagerness to get that ball up to the try line is starting to show every game and Will has come up against some hard tackles which hasn’t stop him from getting up and doing it again. Damian, Charles and Kade all giving 100% with a couple of try scored throughout the game with the last being scored by Charles right on the full time buzzer. Great effort boys and we look forward to seeing you all ready for our home game this weekend.

Zoe U/9’s Under 9's played against a big and tough Aberdeen side on Saturday. They had some very hard tackles put on them, but to their credit our boy's kept on trying to get across the line. Thank you Charles, Damien and Kade from our under 7's for helping us fill a side of seven. Well done to those 3 boys’ and to Nick, Anthony, Jackson and Ben for a great effort. Our under 9's are very excited about playing at our home ground this weekend, so come along and support our junior rugby league kids playing the game that they love so much. Training now starts at 4pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. Lets all get training for an exciting home game.

Belinda U/13’s The under 13’s were back at Denman again on Saturday, this time taking on Central Charlestown. With John Cronin & Hamish Cameron both out this week, Merriwa were

down to 14 players. With some strong running from Merriwa’s forwards putting us in good field position, Andrew Edwards took on the defence and crashed over the line twice for tries. A good pass from Andrew put Jacob Medd into space who crossed the line to score giving Merriwa a 14 – 4 half time lead. Alex Ashman scored soon after the break to put Merriwa in a strong position at 18 – 4.But once again we let the opposition back into the game with handling errors and missed tackles. With the score at 18 – 14 and central Charlestown playing well, it looked very worrying for the Merriwa boy’s, but another strong run from Alex Ashman scoring under the post’s got us out of trouble with Merriwa just winning 24 – 20 after Central Charlestown scored on the full time siren. Well done to all the boy’s. We have introduced two weekly awards for the U 13’s. The man of the match sponsored by Bits & Pizzas going to Jacob Medd and the coaches award sponsored by Nathan & Ian going to Ross Proctor.

Ian & Nathan Please come and support our Merriwa Junior Rugby League Magpies this weekend the 28 May for our First Home Game of the season. First game kicks off at 9am Volunteers and helpers would be much appreciated on the day even if you can fill in for an hour or two in the canteen or maybe you could help out on the grounds. Every little bit helps.

MERRIWA JUNIOR NETBALL Go Magpies!! The Magpies are playing extremely well together, with another successful game this week. On Tuesday afternoon I had the pleasure of training the Magpies & Parrots, I would like to thank them for the great work they did. It was a joy to train them as we did a bit of fitness, ball skills and movement skills whilst having fun doing it. Thank you to all the girls. Good luck for next week’s games.

Gaynor


NAME PHONE

Andy Carrigan 6548 2646

Boardman Peasley Pty Ltd 6543 3600

Bricklayer Block layer 6548 2591

Cannock Pastoral Company

6548 2195

Cassilis Bowling Club 6376 1002

Cassilis Public School 6376 1009

Colles Manufactured Homes Pty Ltd

4353 3606

Cowan’s Buses 6547 4416

Craig McPherson Haulage 6548 2663

Curls & Swirls 6548 2499

Custom Made Kitchens 6548 2025

Di’s Clothing Patch 6548 3023

Equine Dentistry 0427 153 446

Festival of the Fleeces 6548 2109

Good looks Nail & Beauty 0408 175 028

Gummun Place Hostel 6548 2111

Hidden Valley Homestead 6548 8588

Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority

6542 4444

Hunter Mutual 6548 2651

Judy Lee - Massage Therapist

0407 476 500

MA Macdonald & Co 6548 2226

McConnell’s This ‘n’ That 6548 2889

Merriwa Activity Centre 6548 2082

Merriwa Amateur Swim Club

6548 8510

Merriwa Anglican Parish 6548 2218

Curtis, Irving & Gant 6543 2433

Hanckel Hay Sales 6548 5168

NAME PHONE Merriwa Auto Electrics 6548 2114

Merriwa Caravan Park 0418 668 402

Merriwa Catholic Parish St Vincent de Paul

6548 2086 6548 3092

Merriwa Central School Primary office Secondary office

6548 2101 6548 2119

Merriwa Central School P&C Association

6548 2119

Merriwa Cricket Club 0428 485 110

Merriwa Darts Competition

0428 899 749

Merriwa District Health Non-Emergency Medical Transport

6548 2653

Merriwa District Progress Association

6548 3060 6548 2653

Merriwa District Education Foundation

6376 1052

Merriwa Hardware 6548 2077

Merriwa Junior League & Netball

0447 035 694

Merriwa Magpies Rugby League Football Club

0411 800255

Merriwa Newsagents 6548 2031

Merriwa Petroleum & Ag Supplies

6548 2071

Merriwa Pharmacy 6548 2213

Merriwa Post Office 6548 2042

Merriwa Pre-School & Kindergarten Association

6548 2083

Merriwa RSL Club Restaurant

6548 2157 6548 2295

Merriwa Rotary Club 6548 2025

Merriwa Show 6548 2276

Merriwa Sports Club Restaurant

6548 2028 6548 3228

Merriwa Surgery After Hours

6548 2305 6548 2305

Merriwa Tennis Club 6548 2679

Merriwa Traders - IGA 6548 2315

Merriwa Tourist Welcoming Centre

6548 7201

Merriwa Engineering 0427 476085

NAME PHONE

Merriwa Tyre & Service Centre

6548 2078

Merriwa Youth Centre 6548 2109

Panorama Motor Inn 4943 3144

Pitt Son & Keene Elders 6548 2307

PT Pest Control 6548 2444

R & M Moore 6548 2992

Rockwell Livestock 6548 5100

Russell’s Earthmoving 6548 2246

Sporting Shooters Assoc 6548 7226

St David’s Uniting Church 6548 5131

St Joseph’s Primary School 6548 2035

Stokes Dr Bronwyn After Hours

6532 5013 6532 5000

Tash Holden Communications

6548 5002

Trinity Markets 6548 2323

Upper Hunter Landscape Guardians

6545 1996

Upper Hunter Shire Council - Merriwa Branch

6521 7000

Welderup 6548 2500

Whale, Mark 6548 2389

Woolbrook Rural Industries

6548 2150

Rosto Olives 9327 5635

TransCare 6545 3113

Merriwa View Club 0429 197 397

NSW Farmers Association 6548 5150

Scott Witton Building 0427 761 169


MAY

Thursday 26 Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea - The Royal Hotel, Merriwa

Public Education Day

Friday 27 Merriwa Movie Mania - Love and Other Drugs - 6pm

Saturday 28 Men’s Breakfast - Anglican Parish Hall Junior Rugby League Home Game Live Rocky Horror Show - The Royal Hotel

Merriwa Alturas Tango Concert - Gulgong - 8pm Muswellbrook Open Art Prize Opening Night -

6pm Red Shield Appeal Door Knock

Sunday 29 Little A’s Presentation Afternoon - 3pm Aberdeen Pony Club Presidents Cup Day Red Shield Appeal Door Knock

JUNE

Saturday 4 Elvis Tribute Show - Merriwa RSL Club Old Boys V’s Merriwa Magpies - Sports Oval -

2.30pm - Supporting the VRA

Friday 10 “JD’s World of Magic” - 8.30pm at Merriwa RSL Club

Saturday 11 Festival of the Fleeces Merriwa Team Penning Competition

Saturday 18 Coolah Working Dog Training Day - Weetaliba

Saturday 25 “Dee Blundell” Merriwa Sports Club

Wednesday 1 Merriwa Golf Association Day

Wednesday 8 Mufti Bowls Day - Merriwa Sports Club

Tuesday 7 Anglican Women’s Conference - Maitland

Monday 20 Entries Close for “Country Kids” photo comp

Bar snacks everyday at 4.30pm

Thursday 10.30am Australia’s

Biggest Morning Tea. $5 entry, lucky dor prize and auction. All profits donated to the Cancer

Council. $11 chicken schnitzel

night

Friday Happy hour 5-7pm

Pick the Joker between 7-9pm stands at $1,300

Meat, Beer and Spirit Raffles for the Social

Club

Saturday Happy Hour 10-11am

Social Club draw 4.30 - 6.30pm, stands at $150

Publicans Punt Rocky Horror theme

night and karaoke. Start 7pm. $100 prize for best rocky horror costume.

Sunday

Happy Hour 11-12noon $12 roast pork or corn

Meat & Veges

Tuesday $10 Rump night

Wednesday

Pool Comp - 7pm

Dining room open for lunch and dinner

7 days a week

BAR BISTRO

ACCOMMODATION

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