HAWKSBURY CRUISE
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Chris and Josie Imrie retuned after spending eight nights cruising and sailing the Hawkesbury River over the Australia Day long weekend. The trip saw them anchoring in many different bays up and down the river with a two night stopover at Fenwicks Marina located in Brooklyn.
Many a good meal was had both on and off their 20 foot sailing boat ‘Flombi’ combined with friendly people and exciting shopping, it made for a very memorable trip.
BIRTHDAY GREETINGS
The warmest birthday wishes to two lovely ladies Dot Vitnell and Doreen Ross who this week celebrate their birthdays.
AND last weekend local lad Kerod Wilde celebrated his 21st birthday with a party held at the Cootamundra Showground, where a TOP time was had by all in attendance.
OPEN DAY
The popular B & B ‘Elm & Wren’ is celebrating its first birthday and to mark this special occasion Liz and Chris Sutherland will be holding an Open Day this Sunday, Feb. 9 from 11am.
Liz is most excited at what they have achieved in their first year with Elm & Wren. Their clientele has been building up including group bookings (bike riding groups passing through town have been very happy staying there), family groups celebrating birthdays have had weekends there and held their afternoon tea parties in the lovely appointed living area.
Liz, a talented artist, will be holding weekend Art Retreats with artists travelling from Melbourne and Sydney.
See you at the Elm & Wren this Sunday.
THE ADVENTURERS
There is no doubt Geoff and Majella Carswell and family lead an ‘adventurous life”.
They had the most phenomenal time last year travelling for many months through Western Australia (one of my favourite spots) and across the Nullarbor Plains.
During their trip they would stop for a time at spots. Whilst crossing the Nullarbor they acted as caretakers at roadhouse for a time so the owners could take a well earned holiday (oh, and the stories Geoff tells of their time there and the Aussie characters who called there!!). Following that they headed north of the Nullarbor and worked on an outback station doing odd jobs for the owners there.
Then it was onto Perth where they spent a number of weeks. And what were they doing there? Well, during their time caretaking the Roadhouse one of the people they met was a policewoman from Perth who offered them to stay at one of her rental accommodation homes in Perth and paint the house throughout! Geoff and Majella said yes resulting in a lovely stay in Perth.
Meggan was leaving later that day to visit her sisters Pricilla and Rebecca in Melbourne before flying onto Perth then Kalgoorlie. Her next venture after having worked as a teacher in the Northern Territory and in a town on the Nullarbor, is to set off together with her partner on a long ‘working holiday’ up through the north of Western Australia and the Kimberley.
FAY’S PASSING
It is with sadness that we make mention of the passing of former Cootamundra lady Fay Rodwell. Fay passed away in her hometown of Forbes on Thursday last after a long battle with MS.
Fay lived here back in the early 1980’s when her husband Ken Rodwell was Headmaster at the Sacred Heart Central School and they were outstanding members of the Cootamundra community.
Left to mourn Fay’s passing are husband Ken and children Karen, Lynelle, Matthew, Tony and Olivia
Hereunder is a short excerpt from the eulogy read by daughter Lynelle at Fay’s farewell Requeium Mass held in the Forbes Catholic Church yesterday and attended by a number of her Cootamundra friends –
“Shortly after our family moved to Cootamundra mum received the diagnosis that she had multiple sclerosis (MS). However, she continued to go about her life in an extremely positive manner, building a close-knit group of friends, her dress making abilities were well known and she made debutante gowns for local girls and clothes for others.
The Sacred Heart School fetes had a ‘sell out’ year after year with her ‘kewpie’ dolls – the fancy dressed plastic dolls on little bo peep sticks.
While physically that wretched disease may have taken her away, it cannot take away the happy and loving memories we all have of a woman who loved her husband, family and friends more than anything else. No matter what Mum did, family came first! Evidence of this is the legacy she leaves behind in the form of her five children, their spouses and her 13 grandchildren.These families mark Mum’s legacy – her greatest achievement – and it is in and through the lives we who today celebrate and mourn her passing that Mum’s spirit will live on.
It is beholden upon us to live up to the example Mum has provided for us, to be people of strength, faith, compassion, humility, charity hope and love.”
MEMORABLE DAY
Sunday last will go down as a memorable day in the Sacred Heart Catholic Parish when a capacity congregation gathered in the Sacred Heart Church to farewell Parish Priest Fr. Kevin Barry-Cotter prior to his retirement.
After the concelebrated mass, presentations were made to Father then we all moved to the front garden of the Presbytery for lunch where there were many stories and memories shared by the 180 locals and visitors plus over 30 members of Fr. Kevin’s family including his sister Cathy Harrison, of Adelaide.
Accolades to those members of the parish who played apart in the success of such a happy event.
Pictured (top left) with Fr. Kevin cutting his farewell cake are Fr. Paul Nulley and the ‘backstop of the parish community’ Sr. Kathy Hodge.
Amongst those who returned to Cootamundra last weekend were former Headmaster of the Sacred Heart Central School Wayne Smith and his wife Chris who travelled from their Mornington Peninsula home. Wayne is pictured (below) here with fellow teacher Tim Mahon.
Heaps of smiles on the faces of these gentlemen (Pictured left from left) John Hogan , his son Jack, Tim Mahon, Gerard Trinder and Graham Last.