FORMER horse trainer, Pakington Street resident and one of nature’s loveliest people, Cathy Brennan, lost her long battle with ill health last Monday and will be farewelled at a service to celebrate her life at Armidale Crematorium next Monday from 10am. Heartfelt condolences to Cath’s husband Wayne, sons Luke and Andrew, along with all other family members including Frank, and Cathy’s many friends.
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PERSONALLY, I was fortunate enough to catch up with my good friends Cathy and Wayne last Thursday at their home where we enjoyed a chat and a beverage to celebrate my birthday. That is one present I will remember forever.
DURING very recent times, Apsley Arms Hotel co-host Lizzie Manns headed to Canberra to babysit while her son Nathan and her daughter-in-law Rachael went to a Pink concert in Sydney. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled, but that leads us into the next paragraph.
WHEN Lizzie wasn’t present at the pub on Monday, her partner Graeme Hislop explained what she was up to. Regular patron Mick White asked if Liz had driven to Canberra, only to receive the reply, “no, she flew”. Mick’s next response was “by plane or broom?”, which prompted Graeme to comeback with, “you ask her when she comes back – if you’re game”.
LATE last week, I was sent to an abode on Woolbrook Road to empty a wheelie bin that had been missed the previous day. Despite being employed by Walcha Council for more than 38 years, I wasn’t quite sure where Woolbrook Road was, but in a village the size of Woolbrook, how hard was it going to be to find?
NO dramas locating Cross, Berman, Borthwick, Singh, Collier, Church and Trainview streets, along with Campfire, Common and Surveyors Creek roads - but still no Woolbrook Road. Could someone please tell me where it is?
DURING my travels, I bumped into Berman Street Small Motors mechanic Adam Cas, who was having a yarn with Peter and David Grills at the time, and it wasn’t long before I was directed to Woolbrook Road. If you find yourself in the same situation, it runs off the Oxley Highway around the corner to the McDonald River Bridge and has a sign on the highway intersection indicating that.
WHILE bowling in Urunga recently, “Normie” Goodwin bumped into former Walcha builder Bob Bowden, who must now be in his 90s. Bob used to live down near Walcha Central where Barry and Pam Watt now reside. Normie reports that Bob is still going strong and still enjoys his game of bowls.
I wasn’t quite sure where Woolbrook Road was, but in a village the size of Woolbrook, how hard was it going to be to find?
FORMER Walcha sheriff Bruce Pettitt and his wife Robyn are members of the Urunga Bowling Club, rolling the odd bowl down between them. The Walcha boys had plenty of support at Urunga, with Graham and Margaret Tickle also present, cheering the “Mountain Men” on, along with Bobby “Dolittle”, formerly of the Aquatic Caravan Park in Port Macquarie.
ALTHOUGH the second Walcha team consisting of Fred Cameron, G. J. Carter, Jamie Kerr and Nathan “Alf” Goodwin weren’t quite as successful as the winning quartet (see Sports Shorts), by all accounts, they certainly enjoyed themselves.
BIG Wigs of the Week: Prime Meats – Les Dunn; Bowling Club – Mark Ferguson (both 14 points); Newie – Mark “Dwarf” Neil, Steve Hammond, Lachlan “Filbert” Green (all 12 points); Vet Supplies – Peter King, Dion Bird; Apsley – Dave Abraham, Wendy Starr, A. J. Cross (all 10 points).
THANKS very much to Sharks supporter Lisa Swanton who afforded me 6.5 points start last week before extending it to 12.5 the next day. As it turned out, the Sea Eagles didn’t need a head start at all after league legend Daly Cherry-Evans landed a field goal in extra time.
SOON after Dylan Reeves commenced employment with the Walcha Council engineering department, water and sewer boss Kevin Creighton nicknamed him “Bob”, as in Bob Dylan, which has stuck since then. Of course, everyone knows who Bob Dylan, the legendary American singer-songwriter is – well, you would think most people do anyway.
DURING the recent school holidays, I was working with Year 12 Walcha Central School student Brayden Bloomfield, who has been employed by council during his holidays. He mentioned he needed to see Dylan later in the day. When I replied it shouldn’t be a problem to see “Bob” that afternoon, Brayden told me with some confusion that he needed to see Dylan, not Bob.
“YEAH, Bob Dylan,” was my reply, which left a blank look on Brayden’s face before he declared he had never heard of anyone called Bob Dylan. In Brayden’s defence, he is nearly 18 years old, while the singer is 77 years young, leaving a gap of just under 60 years between them.
LAST Thursday marked 10 years since former Walcha Road larrikin, Parramatta supporter and Roos rake Colin Sean Kelleher left this world. Some of us are still getting over his wake held at the home he shared with his wife Cathy and sons Martin and Cameron at the Karangi Church. May he continue to rest in peace.