Paintbrushes turn to ash
During the 1990s and early 2000s, golf clubs around the country, including Cobram-Barooga Golf Club, were experiencing a downturn in revenue owing to a lack of members and green fee players.
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Club president at the time, Barry Walker, indicated his concern about the club’s facilities looking tired and in need of a fresh coat of paint and spoke to Ray Findlay about organising a working bee.
Seven enthusiastic retired members put up their hands and immediately swung into action.
The club purchased the tins of paint plus various brushes, and the team of happy volunteers did the rest.
They were retired, had time on their hands and were prepared to give it a go.
Initially, it was just to be the interior of the club, but it grew from there, for as we all know, once you start a painting job, it can be hard to stop.
Next, it was the exterior, which included 400-500m of spouting and fascia boards and 54 doors.
Then, a gazebo out on the course, followed by the two pro shops, together with a bit of renovation.
Whew, what had they gotten themselves into.
Did the chaps enjoy it. Well, they certainly had fun.
They weren’t necessarily experienced handymen, but they did a good job.
There were some instances they still chuckle over, such as the look on Kevin Rose’s face as he climbed down the ladder he was using to discover his shoes had been painted white by his ‘once’ good mate while he was painting below.
Overall, the paint job took eight months to complete and included a motel across the road, but the chaps were firm after that. “No more. That’s it.”
The old saying, ‘Never flog a dead horse,” appears somewhat relevant to the group, for I believe many of them have not felt the need to pick up a paintbrush since.
The year was 2005.
However, the story is not over yet as the group comprising David Cooper, Dennis Staff, Bil Newton, Ray Findlay, Ross Percy, Kevin Rose and Les Hourigan conducted a ceremony, lit a fire and threw the well-used brushes in, gleefully watching as they turned to ash.
The group stored the ashes in a trophy, entitled ‘The Magnificent Seven’, and for the following seven years sponsored a designated annual event in honour of their efforts to provide a fresh new look around the golf club at a time when finances were severely stretched.
Each year, the event stirred many memories of the ‘Magnificent Seven’s painting era’.
Casey shines again
Cobram resident Casey Petrie, 39, attended an annual conference designed for people with disabilities at Deakin University, Geelong, last week.
Several hundred people from around the state attended the third annual ‘Having a Say’ event, which offered a variety of workshops together with a range of ‘come and try’ activities.
It also offered a platform where attendees could express themselves and actively take part in shaping the conference, which covered a wide range of disability-related issues.
A particularly popular aspect of the two-day conference was the ‘Having a Say’s Got Talent’ quest, and the Cobram resident auditioned on a Monday night at the Sphinx Hotel and won her category, which required her to perform at the closing ceremony the following day.
Well, you guessed it: Casey was judged outright winner by Hanson for her amazing performance of MMMBop.
So now we have a young woman who not only brings home a swag of gold, silver and bronze medals from various swimming competitions but also has an obvious talent for singing.
Casey eagerly looks forward to the conference each year and is funded by the NDIS for the event.
“At the conference I always take away different information and enjoy seeing my friends. I also really love the expo, which has lots of stalls and activities,” she said.
Navigating a government health and support system can, at times, be overwhelming for Casey and others living with a disability, and she is grateful to her loving parents, Gwen and Alan Petrie, and fabulous support workers for their knowledge and continuing care.
Well done Casey.
From dairy farm to veterinary science
Dr Emmah Guastella grew up on her parents’ dairy farm at Hallora near Drouin, west Gippsland, where they milk 200 cows.
Her life growing up was ideal; she loved the farm and the dairy cows and looked forward to becoming a dairy farmer.
However, dad Vittorio and mum Debra insisted their eldest daughter do something else first.
Emmah’s number one career choice was to study veterinary science; this is her story.
After completing her VCE studies at Marist Sion College in Warragul, Emmah applied to study veterinary science at Wagga University, a six-hour drive from home.
Not exactly ideal, but she was not keen to go to university in the city, and Wagga seemed to have the course she wanted, and after all, she was a country girl at heart.
Her course to become a vet took 5.5 years after she had completed her first year of study in animal science and gained credits towards her veterinary degree.
Graduating 6.5 years later, Emmah was qualified to make her mark as a professional and was delighted when offered a position at the mixed practice of Cobram Veterinary Clinic, which cares for animals big and small.
“I love Cobram. It’s a good-sized town with regard to population and shops, and everyone is very friendly,” she said.
“I have the job I wanted and I am loving it.”
The 25-year-old has travelled overseas, visiting family in Ragusa, Sicily, with her sister Leesa and dairy farms in Canada and Ireland.
She is keen to become a dairy veterinarian and not be too far away from her family or boyfriend, Tom, a fireman with ACT Fire and Rescue at Bungendore, 40 minutes from Canberra.
While in Wagga, Emmah played AFL women’s football; however, with no available local competition, she has signed to play netball with Katamatite in the coming season.
Her favourite animals.
“I had horses growing up and I prefer large dog breeds, yet I especially love ferrets,” she said.
“They are cool little animals, smart and feisty and make a great pet.
“It has been hectic during the summer with many visitors bringing their animals to the clinic and locals needing our help.
“I just love it, and we have such a good team here at Cobram Vet Clinic.”
Footnote: Interesting to learn that 85 per cent of veterinary graduates today are female.
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