When you can't put up Christmas Lights

Julie:

 As I was driving around just before Christmas I noticed that a new trend is developing in some areas. It is to put a Santa at the farm gate as it is not practical to put up Christmas lights on houses that are too far off the road or at gates that don't have electricity. As you can see some people go to a lot of trouble. Makes for wonderful scenery as you are driving.

Same day but different fire

Julie: On the same day as the Walla Walla/Gerogery Fire (see previous post) fire broke out in the Tooma area just south of Tumbarumba. This fire also caused a lot of devastation with 25 properties burnt, 1 home lost and many animals burnt. This area is on the edge of the Snowy mountains and beside the Murray River so is extraordinarily beautiful but very difficult to fight fires in. Again the rural fire fighters and property owners were almost superhuman in their efforts to save property and livestock.

Fire leaves devastation in its wake

Julie:
We didn't hear a lot in the media but the Walla Walla/Gerogery fires that occurred a week before Christmas were quite significant in the amount of personal trauma and damage that was caused. Five families lost their homes, including one family with 8 young children, a number of people found themselves in life-threatening situations, over 100 properties were burnt, 1000 sheep, 300 head of cattle were killed or had to be destroyed and a number of families lost their beloved pets and horses. As well as this many families were without electricity for two days and lost a lot of food they'd purchased for Christmas. All in all a pretty devastating time.

I was asked to come to the area by the Drought Support Worker from Industry and Investment NSW just before Christmas to help with some of the Chaplaincy work that we as needed and was pleased that I was able to get there. At a public meeting at Gerogery Hall on the Wed before Christmas I met a number of people who just needed to talk about their experiences, and then I was able to visit some families the next day. Whenever I do this sort of thing I am always amazed by incredible stories of heroism of ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations.

Christmas In the Cathedral Cave

Kel:
I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at the Wellington Christmas event in the local caves.
The cathedral cave is majestic with superb acoustics. There were about two hundred people singing carols and enjoying the wonderful atmosphere.
I am sorry I was not able to take photos because of the lighting to show you what it was like. I must say it will be a memory that I will treasure always.
As this is my last post until February as I will be on annual leave I take this opportunity to wish you our visitors to the blog a very happy and blessed Christmas time!

Merriwagga Christmas concert

Julie:

Merriwagga is a tiny village about 40km south of Hillston. It has a population of about 40, a pub, a hall, a church and a silo. However, this is a village that does community events really well. One of them is the annual Christmas concert. There were funny songs, lots of carols and a Christmas message. The highlight for this concert was the Griffith "Sing Australia" choir who came with over 30 members. They performed some wonderful songs for the very appreciative crowd and also lead the carol singing. It was a fantastic commitment by this volunteer choir to come and support the village event.

The other thing that Merriwagga is know for is its catering that the evening was no exception. The nearly 100 people that were there didn't have a hope of making a dent in the fantastic food laid out in the supper room. The night was a wonderful example of great community event.

The Long Road to Wanarring

It was at the end of along couple of weeks that I made the trip to Wanarring to attend their annual school Christmas celebration.
The road to Wanarring from Bourke is considered to be one of the worse stretches of road in the state. There are 200k of bone jarring ruts, corrugations and bull dust to boot. On this occasion I was lucky enough to strike the road just after it had been graded. The track was much smoother and I was able to enjoy the unique and striking landscape. On the way back I was privileged to see a pair of wedge tailed eagles enjoying a feast of kangaroo.
Whatever the condition of the road I would recommend the trip to anyone with a capable vehicle. The people of Wanarring are friendly and happy to see visitors to their town.
The school children provided great entertainment and after Santa Claus had dispensed his gifts we all enjoyed a great Christmas feast.
Thanks to Moc and Cherie Parker for their kind hospitality at the Outback Inn.
Kel Hodge

Goolgowi Ladies Lunch

Julie:

One of the nice customs in some of the small towns at Christmas time is to have a luncheon, usually at the local club, and invite nearly all the district and others to come together and enjoy the company and good food. This was no different at Goolgowi this year when nearly 50 people gathered at the Goolgowi club. With Christmas carols, items and skits it was a most enjoyable and entertaining time. Well done to those who organised it.