Putty People December 2017 Newsletter of the

Putty Community Association Inc.

CHRISTMAS PARTY IN PUTTY By Margaret Ferguson Christmas was celebrated early at the Putty Hall on Saturday 2nd December with a large number of local families joining the festivities.

The hall was beautifully decorated with garlands, ornaments and a Christmas tree, all done by the children at the Friday Night Detour the night before.

The PCA supplied ham, chicken, salads cocktail frankfurts and rolls along with ice-cream and jelly for the children.

There was no room left on the serving table for any more plates of food which people had brought along to share. With the cheeses, dips, chicken, potato bakes, prawns, trifle, pavlova, etc. etc. people were able to begin their 2017 Christmas dining experience early.

Jane Robinson brought along two well stocked Christmas fare hampers and a third was supplied by Tim and Kathy Spooner. The lucky winners of these were Mary Stokes and her friend John, Marg Ferguson and the

third prize was won by Brendan Pierce.

It was a good night for the children and adults alike. A big THANK YOU is sent to everyone who made it such a success.

Martha Babineau and Jo Ferguson led the children in the singing of Christmas carols with Martha providing the accompaniment on her mandolin and ukulele. As the last carol was sung, Santa arrived with his sack of presents for the excited children.

Upcoming at the Putty Hall . . . .CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT ON CHRISTMAS EVE from 7 to 9pm at the Putty Hall. Bring a plate and be ready to enjoy a fun night singing carols!

FRIDAY NIGHT DETOUR will resume on Friday 16 February at 6 - 9.30 pm.

PUTTY’S MUSICAL FEAST will be held on 24 March at 2pm at our Putty Hall. A variety of groups will entertain you well!

Putty People Newsletter Dec. 2017, Page 2 of 7.

Putty People Newsletter December 2017, Page 3 of 7

BRIAN ABBOTT - VALE By Margaret Ferguson 11.03.1939 - 9.11.2017 The residents of Putty mourn the loss of Brian Abbott who left us on the 9th November, 2017 after a

long battle with cancer. Brian was always out and about, having a chat with as many people as he could find to share stories with. He was particularly Community minded and wanted to keep up with all that was happening in Putty. A regular at the Putty Hall, he elected himself the “Mower Man” keeping the grounds in a tidy state as well as joining in any working bee activities.

He would come to the Friday Night Detours, enter the hall via the kitchen door, sure to find the ladies there and after a kiss

and a cuddle with them would have one light beer, a chat with the men, and go home again.

While Brian loved his little herd of goats on his property on Putty Road, his passion over the years was machinery, cars, trucks and all other things with motors. As his health began to fail he described himself having a broken fan belt or one of his pistons not quite reaching the top.

The celebration of Brian’s life was held at the Castlebrook Memorial Park Cemetery at Rouse Hill on 17th November 2017. As a special request from Brian, his service was officiated by his friend Jane Robinson, Lay Minister, The Christian Communities of Our Lady.

Missed by all who knew him in Putty, a Message of Sympathy is extended to Brian’s wife Lanie, sons Wayne, Scott, Brian Jnr., Dean, their partners and his grandchildren.

LANDCARE NOTES - Wombats By Ian David Roadkill is pretty common around Putty. I find it hard to imagine anyone not liking a wombat. Unfortunately, while some road encounters are unavoidable, some people hate wombats enough to run over them.

It’s true, your average wombat can dig a burrow just where you don’t want one, and they prefer to go through things like plants and fences rather than around them. However, they’re an important part of our environment, occupying a critical role in the biodiversity of the area. Wombats don’t just dig one burrow. Underground, it’s more likely there’s a network replica of the London Underground. A wombat can disappear into one hole to bob up 30 metres away. However, they can be deterred with a bit of patience and knowledge.

Studies undertaken by the University of Western Sydney show that wombat holes are used by many animals in a time of crisis, particularly during storms and fires. Early next year, your local Landcare

group will be running a workshop on sharing the land with wombats and treating the dreaded mange, which if left untreated can decimate a local population.

If you see a wombat on its way home over Christmas, please be kind.

Putty People Newsletter December 2017, Page 4 of 7.

REMEMBRANCE DAY 11th November 2017. By Margaret Ferguson At 11 am on 11 November 1919 Australians, for the first time, paused and stood in silent tribute to the men and women of the 1st Australian Imperial Force who had died on battlefields in Gallipoli, Europe and in the Middle East.

Young men from Putty, Howes Valley and Bulga enlisted to serve in the Great War of 1914-18. Gallipoli was fought for then evacuated but our Australians continued to be involved in conflicts in France, Belgium, the Sinai Desert, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Mesopotamia. Our local soldiers were there until Armistice was declared. The soldiers from Putty came home but twelve men from Howes Valley and Bulga did not return.

Australia first sent military observers on a United Nations (UN) Consular Commission to Indonesia in September 1947 and over the intervening seventy years has had over eighty thousand military and civilian operatives stationed around the world.

Deployments involving Australian personnel as part of UN forces have included Korea, Kashmir, Cyprus, Lebanon, Kosovo, The Solomon Islands (an engagement that lasted for 14 years until 30 June 2017) and Timor-Leste.

What began as Armistice Day is today - Remembrance Day, the day on which the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts, including our Peacekeeping forces, is commemorated.

During the 2017 Remembrance Day service at the Putty Hall, Putty residents reflected on the sacrifices that our Australians forces have made in the name of Peace.

Putty People Newsletter December 2017, Page 5 of 7HOBBY CORNER

SPRINGHEAD RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE DEPOT, HULL, EAST YORKSHIRE 1955 TO 1958 - Modelled by Richard Helm

Richard’s hobby is modelling and he has created a superb model of the railway sheds, where he started his working life as an apprentice in 1958.

In 1999 Richard visited the UK and was given a book on the Hull and Barnsley Railway, which was the parent company of Springhead in 1874. In the book was a plan of the railway workshops, in much reduced form, showing modifications made in 1955 and it reignited a latent interest in railway modelling which had been dormant for some forty years.

“I got the idea of building a model layout based on the general arrangement of things, but then I decided to recreate the whole affair in full, at a scale of 4mm/ ft. (00 scale) as by this time the quality of ready to run models had improved greatly. At this time I really had little idea of what I had bitten off, and a seventeen year time span did not register.

First I had the plan enlarged to a size that I could work a scale for, as the major dimensions of the buildings were in the book I had been given, then I set to work on a set of drawings using what photos I could find in various publications. By counting rows of bricks in photos, a good indication of height is obtained. Length is a bit more difficult and has to be worked out on a pro rata basis using what information is available.

In 2001 in Singleton, when I had a set of drawings that seemed to be a reasonable interpretation of the main loco shed building, I was able to start construction. I built a base the size of the main shed building, 1550mm x 610mm, using pine legs, ply box section frame and an MDF top as a base. This base was the bottom of the inspection pits, and the floors were built up from it to rail height. This set the datum for all other work.

Eight sets of track were laid along the tops of the inspection pits, using some cheap Italian 00 scale track which was dismantled just for the rails. These were spiked onto the edges of the pits with model railway spikes, all of which had to be trimmed to size, some 3500 of them.

When completed I was able to start on the building itself, which is made from a variety of materials. Balsa, ply, styrene sheet and some cardboard in places. The first sets of windows I came to I fitted all frames to represent Victorian architecture individually.

It was a long and tedious job, so when I came to the remainder I had them specially laser cut to size, same as the window and door lintels

As I mentioned earlier part of the shed was rebuilt in 1955, so this was relatively straight forward as it was all concrete and steel. This was modelled largely in balsa, incorporating the smoke jacks for the steam engines that never used it. All the outside walls are finished with English bond brick styrene sheets, incorporating the laser cut lintels were required on the windows and doorways.

By the time that I started work there all of the original roof had been removed, and only the new section was covered. The steam fitters worked under little market stall type awnings erected over their benches, in an effort to keep out rain and wind, so all of the remaining roof trusses are modelled too. There are two different styles. The original 1874 ones and a later mid 1880’s extension, plus the 1955 section. These have been formed into three section so that they can be lifted off individually to attend to anything going pear shaped underneath.

I’ve also built the associated rail yards that connect with the shed at both ends, and these measure some thirty feet overall.

As for inhabitants of this establishment, there are some seventeen model steam locos of the appropriate type, and around ten railcars that used the new section for all of its existence. All the track is wired, or in the process of being wired, and all sections are free standing so that they can be upended when work on wiring and other electrical problems arise. Saves the back ache!

When will it be finished? Maybe never, but it doesn’t have to be.”

Putty People Newsletter December 2017, Page 6 of 7.

PRAYER, BIBLE STUDY & SUNDAY

UPCOMING EVENTS

Our Lady of the Valley Services at the Putty Hall

Every 4th Sunday of the Month 9am SERVICE, 10am BIBLE STUDY

and 11am SUNDAY SCHOOL.

FRIDAY NIGHT DETOUR AT THE PUTTY HALL RESUMES on FRIDAY 16 February

2018, 6 - 9.30 pm The PCA invites you to catch up with friends or meet new ones in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Bar closes at 9.30pm.

Delicious meals are available at reasonable prices from 6 - 8.30pm. The Putty Community Association practices the responsible service of alcohol. All profits support Putty Community activities.

LOST AND FOUND FOUND - At the Putty Spring Fair Two pieces of jewellery.

FOUND - On Putty Valley Road One Hand held 2-Way radio.

Reply with details of items to pca@putty.nsw.au and arrangements will be made for their return.

REVITALISED LANDCARE GROUP IN PUTTY Since taking on the leadership role of the local Landcare Group, Ian David has been working tirelessly to connect the Putty based group to the support, training and funding / grants available through the Land Care organisation and Local Land Services (LLS). He has attend the Landcare annual conference and various other regional Landcare meetings to gather vital and interesting information to share with our local Landcare group. On behalf of Landcare, Ian has recently written to Landowners with Putty Creek frontages to engage them in the possibility of the Landcare Group seeking grant funding for a Putty Creek restoration and management project which would see the waterway restored to its natural flow and vitality as a native habitat. One of the great benefits of being a member of our local Landcare group is access to useful farm equipment at no cost - the Putty Landcare group will shortly take delivery of a petrol powered auger for drilling 10 & 20cm post / planting holes. Richard Helm is the Equipment Officer for the group and is happy to discuss the equipment available through our local Landcare group. In March 2018, LLS will be holding a "Managing our Waterways" Field Day in Putty and a high- light will be a Bus Tour through the Valley checking out Putty Creek at various properties. Pasture and weed management will also be a key focus for the 2018 activities of Landcare, so if this is an issue that interests you why not get involved? To discuss the benefits of Landcare membership please contact: Ian David, President - 0419 733 022 Jane Robinson, Eggert, Secretary - 0407 953 353

HOW TIME FLIES . . . Jane Robinson - Eggert's Daughter and Granddaughter have recently spent some time in Putty enjoying a break at Pilgrim's Rest after recently

relocating from LA to their new home in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Elizabeth- Joan is now walking and talking - a cute cheeky toddler who loves to play with Grandma's dogs, cats,

chickens and makeup! The family will celebrate Elizabeth- Joan's 2nd Birthday in Bali in February - volcano's permitting!!

For all your building & home Improvements

* New Homes & Cottages * Alterations & Decks * Bathroom & Kitchen Renovations * flats

Jason Bomski - BUILDER Mobile: 0407 216 258

TRADES AND SERVICES

NEWSLETTER CONTACT

PUTTY PEOPLE ADVERTISING In publishing these ads, the PCA is not

endorsing or recommending any product or service advertised below.

Putty People Newsletter December 2017, Page 7 of 7.

PUTTY VALLEY ONLINE Putty’s Community Website contains many interesting links including:

• Trades & Services Directory at: www.putty.nsw.au/whereis

• The PCA with a link to the membership form at:

http://www.putty.nsw.au/pca/membership/

PCA FACEBOOKFor news as it happens. If you haven’t already signed up to our Facebook page, you can do so by clicking Like at: https://www.facebook.com/PuttyCommunityAssociation

Post your pictures and stories!

ADVERTISING: pca@putty.nsw.au

Please call with any news, activities or photographs to include in our

monthly newsletter. Martha Babineau, phone 6579 7000

mailtroika@gmail.com

SOUTH FAIRVIEW NORTH Nov 2017 72.75mm 40.25mm 49.00mm Nov 2016 61.25mm 71.00mm _______________________________________ Nov 10 yr 85.70mm average Year to date Nov 2017 548mm 460.10mm 638.00mm Nov 2016 786.05mm 907.00mm 10 yr av 702.70mm 104.00mm

Recordings were taken at Fairview-Putty Central (with reference to www.bom.gov.au) “The Top Place,” Putty Valley Road - North, “Fairview,” Putty Valley Rd. - Central, “The Grange,” Burnt Arm Road - South.

If it rains at Putty, residents are encouraged to post their rainfall on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/PuttyCommunityAssociation so weekenders will know if they need to water their gardens.

FULL POWER

0455 120 544

OFF THE GRID SOLAR SYSTEMS

PUTTY RAINFALL NOVEMBER 2017