ISSN 1833-1831 08 8672 5169 Tel: 08 8672 5920 http://cooberpedyregionaltimes.wordpress.com Phone: 86725036 Thursday 12 March 2015 DONNA’S RUSH STILL PRODUCING OPAL BUT COSTLY TO MINE Donna’s Rush situated around 50km from Coober Pedy on Mt Clarence Station has produced some top dollars for some of those opal miners who worked the field when it first opened in July 2011. The field was discovered by partners John Dunstan and Paul Reynolds. John had seen opal floaters there some years before. At the time of the rush, the Coober Pedy Regional Times reported the following: “John and Paul started drilling in early July. There was a smattering of shallow drill holes and some meagre dozer excavations but nothing of any real substance. They put down around 30 shafts before they cut colour. “I remember when we first cut colour,” John says, “It dropped out of the bucket and our jaws dropped with it, we couldn’t believe it! It was barry, blue, green, chunky material…a great indicator of more opal to come. Phil Van Poorten and offsider Jordon Whalen at Donna’s Rush last week as temperatures begin to subside. That’s when we started chasing it along what looks to be a fault. We jumped 30 feet from the original shaft, 60 feet, and then 90 feet… the material kept coming up! I’m stuffed if I know what’s there but it could be big!” said John. Phil Van Poorten is one opal miner who continues to work out on Donna’s Rush. Despite the distance Phil is hooked on the quality of opal coming out of this field and believes he is in for a chance. “We’ve now put 12 shafts over a 260 foot length along the slide and every one of them has cut good blue/green crystal,” said Paul. “On the twelfth shaft we started bringing up the best opal so far and (of course) the drill broke. We had it repaired in a couple of days and straight back into it.” Phil is an experienced opal miner but known to most of us as the Manager of the Water Supply operated by the DCCP. There are now over 50 registered claims and over 100 pegged at Donna’s Rush, the most at any one field since Opal Ridge back in 2007. CPRT Thursday 4 August 2011 Daylight savings is a bonus for those opal miners with a day job. Phil is able to get out onto the field most weekends, and most days after work has finished. At present Phil is following a slide and is not thinking of pulling his machinery for greener or bluer pastures. Reflecting back now that we are in 2015, we know that Donna’s Rush has produced somewhere between half, to a million dollars worth of opal. One company sold Donna’s Rush opal in the rough for $18,000 per ounce. Young mining offsider 16 year old Jordon Whalen is a friend of the family from Ardrossan and attends Coober Pedy Area School. Jordon already knows his way around the opal operation and sees opal mining in his future. John Dunstan told us that some of the opal they drilled up with their caldwell was sold for up to $6,000 per ounce. “That in itself is fabulous”, said John. Phil originally from Port Kenny told us that he heard about opal mining from a friend Bruce Payne and so travelled from Port Kenny to Coober Pedy in January 1995 just to have a look. That was 20 years ago and Phil has been here ever since. “The problem with Donna’s Rush isn’t that it ran out of opal; it’s just too expensive. All up to travel out to Donna’s Rush it’s 100km round trip For a good part of the way the roads are very rough so not just fuel and time, but wear and tear on the vehichles is a major factor.” “The area needs a lot of test drilling done to be able to find the deposits more easily”, said John. His early mining partners were Vin and Gary Russell. “We worked as pillar bashers out at Hans Peak with a blower and explosives. We also worked at the 6 mile,” said Phil. “We mined one of the Christianos mines out at the 8 mile. We pulled most of the old ballrooms down and mined the pillars,” he said Continued page 10 SERVING THE OPAL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD SINCE 1982 7 DAYS WEATHER Editor - Margaret Mackay Coober Pedy Oodnadatta Tarcoola Andamooka PO Box 275 Coober Pedy SA 5723 Ph: (08) 8672 5920 - Coober Pedy - an underground town, built on the back of opal mining 333 days sunshine Email: [email protected] Coober Pedy is Australia’s real ‘Down Under’, famous for its fabulous opals and bizarre subterranean homes. For generations, miners have dug into the white and orange rock to extract the valuable, sparkling stone. The tunnels and chambers were converted into undergrounds homes in order to escape from the desert heat. Next Newspapers Thursday 26 March 2015 Thursday 09 April 2015 Thursday 23 April 2015 Coober Pedy ‘evolved’ as the result of a massive post war Opal Rush where hardy pioneers developed a make or break precious gem industry in the desert terrain. Advertising Rates Black & White Display $6.50 per cm/col Classified $8.00 per cm/col Colour on Application Inserts on Application Bookings by Wednesday prior Material must be in Fri prior DISTRIBUTING 4,500 + to SA : ADELAIDE CENTRAL . Also Cavan, Bute, Pt. Pirie, Dublin, Minlaton, Pt. Broughton, PT. AUGUSTA, Snowtown, Pt. Wakefield, * Bute Foodworks 9 High St, Bute, SA * Snowtown IGA 36 Railway Tce, * Port Broughton IGA 27 Harvey St * Dublin BP Lot 7 Port Wakefield Rd, * Port Wakefield BP Truckstop 22 Snowtown Rd Port Wakefield How to send articles to CPRT The Coober Pedy Regional Times - “Your Outback Communities Newspaper”, became a FREE Newspaper in 2006, increasing its distribution to 4,500 hard copies + digital online download, promoting news, events and distributing advertising to our regional towns. The CPRT is a small business and receives no external funding. Ceduna/Thevenard, Pt. Lincoln, Penong, Fowlers Bay, Coorabie, Nundroo, Yalata, Jacinth Ambrosia, Nullabor, Eucla and Border Village Woomera, Roxby Downs, Hawker, Leigh Creek, Arkaroola, Marree, Copley, Parachilna, Nepabunna, Lyndhurst Quorn and Stations, Innamincka, Andamooka, Pimba, Glendambo, Kingoonya, Tarcoola, Cook, Prominent Hill Village, COOBER PEDY, Cadney Park and Stations, Marla, Mintabie, Oodnadatta, William Creek and Stations, Witjira Dalhousie All Communities: APY Lands, NT : Kulgera, Erldunda, Yulara Stuart Well, ALICE SPRINGS, Aileron, Kings Canyon, Tennant Creek, http://cooberpedyregionaltimes.wordpress.com Copyright Notice All of the content published by CPRT, including articles, photos, images, graphics, advertising, layout, printing plate content and related material, is owned by CPRT, or by other information providers who have licensed their content for use in this publication. Additionally, the entire content of the Coober Pedy Regional Times past and present is copyrighted as a collective work under Australian copyright laws and may not be reproduced without written authorisation. The owner of the collective work is the Coober Pedy Regional Times Newspaper. A feature of the newspaper’s long history is that it maintains its prominence in the region as a voice for the people; a regular form of communicating opinions for those in remote areas who may otherwise be overlooked or underestimated. Letters to Editor should be sent by email where possible and be relevent to the community. 1.) Aim for a 300 word story in plain text, if you are sending a News Article after an event. 2. If seeking an Editorial - “Advertorial” or “Special Feature”, please enquire about the cost first. 3.) Advertisers may be entitled to editorials 4.) Sponsorship for material from clubs or community programs is by arrangement 5.) Names and Captions must accompany photos + DO NOT REDUCE PHOTOS 6.) DO NOT attach photos to MICROSOFT WORD documents. 7.) Letters to Editor need to be signed and also may be edited. 8) WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY is the LATEST material can be accepted. Discretion may be used by editor under varying circumstances. 9.) Deadline dates are on the LHS of this page (check b4 sending) SUBMISSIONS not received by Friday, prior to printing are generally unlikely to appear CROSSWORD Opal miners at work in Coober Pedy See the spacious UNDERGROUND SERBIAN CHURCH with it’s magnificent stained glass windows and carvings. Visitors can stay overnight and experience underground life as the locals do! Enjoy LAWN BOWLS, TENNIS and TABLE TENNIS in the friendly atmosphere of the United Club Sporting Centre. Spend a day on the most challenging GOLF COURSE in the world. During Easter Coober Pedy holds its annual OPAL FESTIVAL & GEM TRADE SHOW Arrive at COOBER PEDY on the famous GHAN TRAIN Visit the OPAL FIELDS - you’ll believe you’re on Mars. Join tours to local mines to see how they work and get the chance to noodle (fossick) for your own opal Take a tour to the natural landscapes outside the town (see film locations like Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Red Planet) including the PAINTED DESERT, the colourful BREAKAWAYS and the MOON PLAIN Join the MAIL RUN out of Coober Pedy to deliver outback mail! Take a leisurely flight over the spectacular LAKE EYRE Be part of the last frontier mining town and its living history 100 years on. For more information on the Opal Capital of the World, go to: www.cooberpedy.net Opinions and letters published in The Coober Pedy Regional Times are not necessarily the views of the Editor, or Publisher. The Coober Pedy Regional Times reserves the right to edit or omit copy, in accordance with newspaper policies. Letters to the Editor must be attributed with a name, address and contact phone number - names and town of origin will be printed, or may be withheld at the Editor’s discretion. During the course of any election campaign, letters to the editor dealing with election issues must contain the author’s name and street address (not PO Box) for publication.” Right of reply is always available. INDEMNITY Advertising agencies, advertisers and other contributors accept full responsibility for the contents of advertisements and other submitted, signed material and agree to indemnify the publishers against any claim or proceedings out of the publication of such advertisements or material. Provision of material or copy for publication in the Coober Pedy Regional Times Newspaper constitutes acceptance by advertisers, advertising agencies and other contributors of this condition. Page 2 Coober Pedy Regional Times Thursday 12 March 2015 Mayor Brokers Sponsorship Deal with Local Paper Mayor Stephen Staines recently brokered a sponsorship deal between the Coober Pedy Centenary (owned by Council) and the Coober Pedy Regional Times (CPRT). “It was a ridiculous situation,” explained Mayor Staines. The administration staff at council created a monthly Council Newsletter, and in effect, boycotted the newspaper for the most part. The CPRT then became unable to sponsor council owned causes due to the rift. “We have this once in lifetime opportunity [the centenary] and I was so frustrated with the reluctance of some people to understand that we all live in Coober Pedy which means we are all in this together. In life, we have two choices, we either build bridges or we burn them. Thanks to the efforts of our new Mayor that the relationship between our local council and our local newspaper is on the way to being mended. The Mayor had received many phone calls from concerned residents in regards to the matter. The CPRT and the Council had a falling out last year when the CPRT reported that some Councillors were supportive of a Transitional Accommodation Centre in our town when they had no understanding of what the potential impacts could be. Our previous Mayor, Mr Steve Baines, described the community consultation efforts of the State Government as “deplorable” at the time. The contract to supply council with a monthly page for ‘council news’ soon came under threat when members of council’s administration including previous CEO Phil Cameron, chose to broadcast the special rates the council received despite the fact that the rates were provided as commercial-in-confidence (meaning not for public broadcast due to commercial competition sensitivities). “The bridges had been burned in the past,” Mayor Staines explained. “I was building the bridge from one side and was hopeful that that was enough but it turned out that it wasn’t. I realised I had to build the bridge from the other side as well. The bridge isn’t finished yet but its well on the way,” he concluded. The sponsorship agreement is that the CPRT provides 50% of the cost of advertising for our centenary as sponsorship and the Council pays for the other 50%. That’s a win-win-win solution for our council, our paper and our community. With only one edition of the CPRT left before our major celebrations though, to some it may seem like too little too late. “What Council either failed to realise or chose to ignore is that I used to provide a council page once a month for a fee that had not increased for over 7 years in fact I had inherited the price structure from the previous owner which had been an Incorporated Association Committee. said Margaret Mackay, owner and editor of the CPRT. “On top of that I have supplied well over $20,000 worth of sponsorship to council and community events every year through free advertising. I also instigated a sponsored page for the Childcare Links and Youth programs that were externally funded and operated by Council staff. It was hoped that by publishing their events regularly, it would help to retain their funding to enable our community to benefit from the programs”! “It has been an honour to provide this service to our community, but it has been disappointing to see what I believe has been ongoing unprofessional behaviour occurring in our council.” “I’d like to thank Steve Staines for being such a strong believer in the Coober Pedy Regional Times and our community,” said Ms Mackay. Our Centenary will now feature in our local paper but there is the ongoing issue of the council page missing from our local newspaper and rematerializing as the Council Newsletter! Only time will tell if that situation can be remedied as well. Coober Pedy 100 Years And Still Rocking Photo from Coober Pedy Times 1984 featuring Barry Lewis, David McCormack and Cecil Betts Join Coober Pedy musicians past and present as we celebrate Coober Pedy's 100th Birthday April 4th. Easter Saturday 2015. 8.00 pm till late At the Italian Club All musicians are donating their time and effort for this concert UNDERGROUND BOOKS OUTBACK MAILRUN TOUR Cards & Stationary Computer Supplies Desert Parks Agent & other tours Maps & Books on the area Local Information/Road report Phone: (08) 8672 5558 Thursday 12 March 2015 COOBER PEDY GLASSWORKS (ABN: 66 341 152 244) Free Quoting, On site repairs & Prompt Service Commercial, Domestic & Vehicles Qualified Glazier - 25 years experience For all your Glass needs call Dave at Coober Pedy Glassworks on 0488 788 294 or alt 0428 204 246 Coober Pedy Regional Times Page 3 Coober Pedy Police News ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ On Wednesday 25th February 2015 Police arrested a 24-year-old man from YALATA when he was detected driving whilst disqualified and driving an unregistered motor vehicle. He was on bail for similar offences at the time of this offence. He was further charged with breaching his bail conditions. He was bailed to appear in court at a later date. On Friday 27th February 2015 Police were called to North West Ridge Road, COOBER PEDY. Police located a vehicle which had become stuck on a concrete drain. The driver of the vehicle was taken to the Coober Pedy Police Station where he returned a breath analysis of 0.213. The driver was reported for driving under the influence, driving with a prescribed concentration of alcohol and driving whilst disqualified. He was issued with a further 12 month disqualification, commencing at the conclusion of his current disqualification. His vehicle was impounded for 28 days. He will be summons to appear in court at a later date. On Saturday 28th February 2015 a house on Eyre Street, Coober Pedy was entered through an unlocked rear door. $80.00 worth of coins was stolen. The same house was the target of a break in previously on Sunday 1st February 2015. Police wish to remind residents to maintain the security of premises. Police are seeking further assistance from the public in relation to this incident. Overnight on Tuesday 3rd March into Wednesday 4th March 2015 a black Ford sedan was stolen from behind John’s Pizza bar in Coober Pedy. It would appear that the keys were stolen from a concealed location in the vehicle and later used to steal the unlocked vehicle. The vehicle has been located by Police in Port Augusta. Police have questioned a person of interest in relation to this offence and further enquiries are pending. Police are seeking information from the public in relation to this incident. On Thursday 5th March 2015, a 37 year old Indulkana man was stopped driving a Holden Sedan on Hutchinson Street, Coober Pedy. He was taken to the Coober Pedy Police Station for breath analysis. He recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.175. He was reported for exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol and driving disqualified. He was issued with an instant 12 month license disqualification to take affect at the end of his current disqualification period. His car was impounded. He will be summonsed to appear in court at a later date. Police have received information that a small number of unscrupulous members of the public are “boot legging” alcohol into Coober Pedy and selling it for inflated prices to banned people. This is circumventing the good work being done by numerous agencies and people throughout the community to address alcohol abuse in the community. This immoral behaviour is not only profiteering from people that can least afford it but is illegal. It is an offence to sell liquor without a licence, Section 29 of the Liquor Licensing Act 1997. Penalties up to $40,000 apply. Police frequently issue barring orders to members of the public whose welfare is affected by alcohol. These orders prohibit them from purchasing alcohol in Coober Pedy. Barring orders are also issued for breaches of the liquor restrictions or aiding in the breaches of restrictions. Breaches of barring orders also attract a penalty of up to $1250. Consuming liquor in the dry zone incurs an expiation fee of $220. Police are currently investigating the illegal sales of alcohol and working with liquor outlets both in Coober Pedy and Port Augusta. Police encourage individuals adversely affected by substance abuse including alcohol to avail themselves of the local drug and alcohol services. Police remind members of the public to call 131444 for Police assistance or 000 in the case of emergency. If anyone has any information of criminal matters in and around Coober Pedy please contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000 or ring the Coober Pedy Police on 86725056. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY by Margaret Mackay roc ks to tthe he sou nd of m usic! rocks sound music! One of the highlights of International Women’s Day on Saturday 7 March was the Community Health Ladies Choir. If any singing group deserves it’s own record label it’s this one. The health ladies choir skillfully, humourously and above all professionally, presented “Micky, go wash your hands”, to the IWD audience and received accolades for their rendition which they made clear was “altered”. The angel-voiced choir members also rearranged the lyrics of the Sound of Music’s “My favourite things” and “How do you solve a problem like Patricia”. The entertainment was icing on the cake of a wonderfully planned International Women’s Day. What makes this choir so unique apart from it’s dedicated members and it’s tongue in cheek adaptations of songs by the masters, was their clever and effective use of a singular musical intstrument to accompany their voices and keep time for them. The “orchestra” that was holding the timing of these musicians together was in fact a pair of clapsticks borrowed from the local Catacomb Church at the last minute! Choir member Jenny Davison explained “We only had three practice sessions, and then discovered we needed something to keep time with on stage, so we used the borrowed clapsticks”. The Community Health Ladies Choir members are L-R Christine Radford, Jenny Davison, Lydia Gonzalas, Gai Di Donna, Trish Turner, Kath Kruger, Sue Radeka and Monique Harding. The entire orchestra backing up this amazing choir turned out to be these (unmatching) Catacomb Church clapsticks! Page 4 Soaking up the applause are choir singers Sue Radeka and Monique Harding Coober Pedy Regional Times Whether by accident or design, the Community Health Ladies Choir ROCKS! Finally the IWD cake was cut and handed around (Chocolate cake, mauve icing) Thank you to Rowanna Wardle for Cutting the entire cake into edible pieces Thursday 12 March 2015 International Women’s Day International Women’s Day was held at the Italian Club on 7 March, with a theme, “Make it Happen” Local women ‘make it happen’ My mother was 21 when she arrived in coober pedy; no power and no running water. She washed by hand and had bucket showers. There were no disposable nappies then. She would wash cloth nappies by hand for 3 children, all under the age of 5. She also encouraged and was instrumental in putting together the first womens soccer teams in Coober Pedy which was then played on a dirt oval. Her team won! She further went on to become a JP and now Special Justice including finishing Year 12 Matriculation as a mature age student and obtaining an Arts degree from Adelaide University. I am sure most women in this room share these or very similar experiences with my mother. An all women attendance (except for Pastor Geoff Piggott) proved to be an enthusiastic audience for the 4 women speakers and the Community Health Ladies Choir on the day. Committee members for the event were Julia Sanderson, Julie Charmichael, Rowanna Wardle, Tracey Gordon, Jennifer Reissen, Donna Goulter, Clair Halkias We were able to secure one speech being that of Deputy Mayor Michelle Provatidis to share with those who were unable to attend. Ms Provatidis: Thank you very much! I’d like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today. Also to acknowledge and thank all of you, the women of Coober Pedy who are here today! For those that do not know me, let me introduce myself - My name is Michelle Provatidis and I own and operate a retail opal shop in the main street of Coober Pedy nicknamed the Opal Beetle. Since early 2000 I have travelled extensively internationally and interstate promoting and selling opals and Coober Pedy. I choose to work in the Opal industry and to live in Coober Pedy, the Opal Capital of the World. My opal journey to Coober Pedy begins in 1969 when my parents brought me here, 40 days old. Growing up with Greek immigrant parents and a very strong and united community influence We are celebrating our centenary this year 100 years of Coober Pedy since a young boy found this precious gem. The Opal gem is one of the most unique and rare gems in the world. Coober Pedy produces 86% of that. Sought after by collectors and buyers from major country world leaders such as USA, Germany, Japan and now China. It’s huge and I’d like to congratulate and commend we are a part of that. We have to the pioneer women who travelled to believe it, fight for it, promote it and Coober Pedy in those days. It was keep it. harsh and isolated; they united, endured and made it happen! All of us here today are special, I’d like to thank Wesley Uniting Care for inviting me to speak today in celebration of International women’s day with you all, a day to Make it Happen! I thank you humbly for your support which is why I speak to you today as the 1st woman Deputy Mayor in Coober Pedy to one of the harshest areas of Australia to make it happen; to build a life to bring up families to build a township. Community minded community spirited, united they fought and worked to have what we have today. Deputy Mayor Michelle Provatidis praised the hardy pioneer women of the opal fields whose goal was to find opal and make their dreams come true. That drive and determination I grew up with has encouraged me to believe in myself and in Coober Pedy and to Make it Happen! Celebrating International Women’s Day at this very iconic venue in Coober Pedy the Italo Australian Miners club is filled with sentiment. It was here we held the reception in 1975 when I participated in raising money for the spastic centres of SA and came first as Miss Junior Coober Pedy! We still can further unite as women of Coober Pedy to make it happen for Coober Pedy. Lets face it without women nothing would happen! Coober Pedy is a truly unique place in this world, it is the Opal Capital of the World that produces Australia’s National gemstone. How many towns or places in the world can proclaim that? Not many! successful women we have fought in our lives to make things happen, as mothers, wives, carers, volunteers, in business as owners as managers; the list is long and enduring. Let us together celebrate our achievements and continue to go forward. I ask that we now further unite the women of Coober Pedy to make it It is truly amazing and each and happen for the future of Coober Pedy every one of us should be proud of the Opal Capital of the World to be prosperous healthy and safe. that. Built on tears and sweat of pioneer In closing I call all women to action miners, men and women who travelled to take leadership in all spheres of life! Continued page 13 Guidelines under Native Vegetation Regulation 5(1)(zh) for 1: Changing of Stock Species to Camels for Land Held under Pastoral Lease; and Talia Sheppard Chief Pilot at Wright’s Air in William Creek, inspired the gathering of women with her story of coming to the outback as a commercial pilot in 2009 and being thrown in at the deep end when major flooding occured across the outback while her boss Trevor Wright was in hospital with a nasty insect bite. From 2011 at Wright’s Air,Talia has been Chief Pilot, an honour that very few women in Australia enjoy. Sonia Mazzone, CEO of Umoona Aged Care, recalled arriving in Coober Pedy in 1999 and shortly afterwards studying a range of subjects totally unrelated to Aged Care that she became involved in. Sonia gave a lively talk on her outback career speaking of her experiences with her indigenous clients and how ultimately it is the clients who make the decisions. Sonia is currently training and studying to become a nurse. Thursday 12 March 2015 2: Clearance by Grazing – Changing Stock Species The Native Vegetation Council under regulation 5(1)(zh) is proposing to establish Guidelines for 1: Changing of Stock Species to Camels for Land Held under Pastoral Lease and 2: Clearance by Grazing – Changing Stock Species. The changing of domestic stock species to Camels can impact on native vegetation as it changes the manner and/or rate of grazing in an area. Such a proposed change in the grazing regime requires an approved management plan. The draft Guidelines are required to inform landowners and land managers in the preparation of the management plan for an application to farm domestic camels as a commercial enterprise on a pastoral lease or change stock species. The Native Vegetation Council hereby invite members of the public to make representation on the proposed draft Guidelines for 1: Changing of Stock Species to Camels for Land Held under Pastoral Lease and 2: Clearance by Grazing – Changing Stock Species under regulation 5(1)(zh). Copies of the draft Guidelines are available for inspection and can be obtained by: • Requests in writing to: Heather Walraven, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, GPO Box 1047, Adelaide, SA 5001 • In person: Heather Walraven, Soil and Environs Centre, Entry 4, Waite Road, Urrbrae SA, during normal business hours • Email to: Heather Walraven at [email protected] or phone: 8303 9777 Enquiries and comments in relation to the draft guidelines must be made in writing to Russell Seaman, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, GPO Box 1047, Adelaide, SA 5001 or [email protected] no later than 6 May 2015. Coober Pedy Regional Times 4879649 MC for the occasion was Coober Pedy’s Citizen of the Year Trish Turner.Trish, a Nurse, spoke about self awareness or individual identity; who we are and how we incorporate facets of other individuals in our experience; she spoke about our perceptions and reactions. Afterwards Trish took part in the Community Health Ladies Choir www.environment.sa.gov.au Page 5 The PPeople eople of Coober PPedy edy 2015 From Lighthouse to Outback – Bob Pryce Coober Pedy teacher, resident since 1987, Bob’s earliest memories are of living in lighthouses. He could swim before he could walk. Bob lived at Point Lowly when he was 9 or 10. He remembers a death adder in the toilet. Point Lowly had huge, strong currents. The lighthouse supply ship Cape Pillar called by fortnightly with supplies. Bob’s favourite feature of this ship was an amphibious truck for off-shore unloading. He got to ride in it and imagine he was invading enemy shores. He remembers once, when he was about 4 that he woke up crying, frightened by the light flashing through his window. It was always windy. Althorpe Island Lighthouse was perched atop steep cliffs. Supplies and people were winched up in baskets. When Bob was 10, the family moved to Adelaide. He lived in Klemzig, Elizabeth and visited New Zealand, being raised through his teenage years by his uncle and his grandparents. Bob was not a particularly good student. He developed a passion for ancient history but other subjects failed to engage him. Bob’s father Jimmy Pryce, of Welsh heritage, was in the Merchant Marine before he “went to the Lights.’ Like Bob, he loved boats, planes and trains. Recently Bob found out that his grandfather was a photo reconnaissance pilot in WWII. Obviously a fascination with transportation runs in the family. Jimmy came to Australia about 1951, coincidentally on the same ship as Pauline, who later became his wife and Bob’s mother. Bob left school about 1980 and did various jobs such as a milko in Tea Tree Gully, a barman at the Franklin Hotel in Adelaide and an assistant in a couple of record shops. Around this time Bob dabbled with radio, doing a course at 5KA at Vaughan Harvey radio school. In about 1982 Bob started playing hockey for the South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT) based at Mawson Lakes levels campus. Then, in 1983, Bob went to university as a mature-age student, leaving with a Diploma in Teaching and a Graduate Certificate in Asian Studies. The Neptune Island settlement consisted of 3 lighthouse cottages, a small airstrip, a jetty, a storage shed and the lighthouse. There were lots of snakes, mutton birds, shell fish and sharks. The weather, as in most lighthouse locations, was often wild – stormy, cold, windy, foggy, wet, winter for 10 months of the year. “But, I didn’t mind; it was all I knew.” Pilots, who landed planes loaded with supplies on Neptune Island, often had previous experience landing on aircraft carriers. Bob remembers playing with his plastic toy boats on a small beach once. His father told him to bring the boats up before high tide. Being the boy he was, Bob left the boats on the sand and they were gone. Sometime later, “we flew to Port Lincoln. When I saw the boats in the harbour from the plane, I thought they were my toys.” Bob and Peter are pictured in their playground, on the jetty and windy shores of Neptune Island, about 1966. Number 1 in a series by Sue Britt Bob with younger brother Peter and his mother Pauline were photographed by his father on Neptune Island. This lighthouse is now part of the Port Adelaide Maritime Museum, replaced by an automated light in 1985. Lyndal and Bob met during their university days. Lyndal got a job at Mt Gambier High. Bob followed her to Mt Gambier and they got engaged. Bob had applied for a teaching position anywhere in the state. He got a permanent placement at Coober Pedy as a history teacher so he moved to Coober Pedy in 1987. Thrown in at the deep end Bob said, “I asked another teacher Colin Liston how long he’d been here. He said seven years. I remember wondering how anyone could last that long.” That was 27 years ago, and apart from four years in Whyalla the Pryce family have been here ever since. Supplies had to be winched up a steep cliff to the Althorpe Island lighthouse and cottages. Jimmy Pryce is on the supply ship, Cape Pillar Left: Bob Pryce, just out from Pt Lowly lighthouse Page 6 Coober Pedy Regional Times Thursday 12 March 2015 The next 100 years! Congratulations Coober Pedy! It hasn’t been an easy time, the past 100 years, has it? This is a place that requires some effort, but there have always been people who have risen to that challenge. Not only opal miners, explorers, cattlemen, nurses, Aborigines, noodlers, entrepreneurs, and volunteers galore, but all you others too, many who have come and gone. What a fascinating past this place has – and full of fascinating people from so many different nationalities and backgrounds. The ones who have always interested me the most, as a student of our history, have been those very first European explorers and pioneers – those adventurous young men and women who took a big punt on making it in a very dicey outback venture. Dare-devil stuff. They must have been fairly gutsy and probably even somewhat fool-hardy? In any case, they now deserve our respect and gratitude, because it’s on the back of their considerable efforts that we have a town today, with a varied mining industry, a tourism industry, and all the hard-won amenities. I also pay respect to the forbearance of Indigenous people who have maintained connections with their culture and heritage here despite the impositions of us Europeans. It has been impossibly difficult for them. I hear tell that opal is still being found (hooray!), visitors are still coming (cheaper petrol helps), cattle and sheep still graze, and some diverse mines continue operations. I’ve noticed that all through Coober’s boom and bust history, opal mining has been declared dead a number of times and been proven wrong. What new turn might it take in future? The first 100 years are gone, now marks the start of the next 100, so stay tuned, Coober Pedy is not finished… Celebrate! Anne Johnson Catacomb Chur ch Opal Church Festival Events GOOD FRIDAY 9:30am Catacomb Church “Why on earth would Jesus death be called Good?” SATURDAY 7am Men’s Breakfast Bushrangers & Brekky Speaker— Kerry Medway - minister in Coober Pedy 1977-81 (Gold coin donation) Combined Churches Events SUNDAY 6:15 Dawn service at The Big Winch 10am Service at School Oval Speaker—Kerry Medway “Willie’s Discovery” For more details Ph 08 8672 5038 PENSIONER CONCESSIONS CUT! Pensioners in South Australia will no longer get the benefit of concessions on their council rates as the result of cost cutting by the State and Federal Governments. Commonwealth Government funding to the State of South Australia for pensioner concessions was cut by $27 million dollars in June, 2014. The State Government has continued to pay the concession to pensioners on council rates, as a remission, during this financial year but the concession on rates will stop from 1st July, 2015. This means that your bills from council for rates will increase by about 20% after 1st July this year. In this year, 2015, the Australian Government debt amounts to $356 billion dollars. The budget deficit at the end of 2015 will be $31.2 billion dollars. In plain English, this is because the Australian Government expenditure on things like pensioner concessions is $31.2 billion dollars more than its income from tax. The end of year debt will blow out to $387 billion dollars. It gets better. Much of the $31.2 billion dollars deficit is interest on the debt and the more the debt increases the more interest we pay. Little wonder the Australian Government is looking for ways to We have a financial problem and it won’t go away by debating in parliament or wishful thinking. The answer is not to be found by increasing taxes on those in our community least able to pay. The fairest and most equitable way will be to spread the burden across the entire community in proportion to ability to pay and the obvious mechanism is the Goods and Services Tax. A modest increase will produce a lot of income at very little pain to consumers. The national debt could be paid out relatively quickly and tax payers could save a fortune in interest payments. Pete the Pensioner PS $1billion dollars is 1,000,000,000 ordinary dollars. Statement on Royal Commission into Nuclear Energy and proposal to store high-level nuclear waste at Maralinga, South Australia: In 1953 I was just ten years old when the bombs went off at Emu and Maralinga, I didn’t know anything about nuclear issues back then, none of us knew what was happening. I got sick, and went blind from the fallout from those tests, and lot of our people got sick and died also. A few years ago they cleaned up Maralinga from the waste that was leftover from the bomb tests; they spent $1 million, and now they’re going to put more waste back there? Now I’m 73 years old and I know about nuclear issues, and I have some friends who know about nuclear waste, and they will fight the South Australian Government on their plans to put high-level nuclear waste at Maralinga and to develop nuclear energy in South Australia. Members from the APY, Maralinga-Tjarutja and Arabunna, Kokatha lands say we don’t want nuclear waste on our land. Why does the government keep bringing back nuclear issues when we know the problems last forever? The Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia (1984-85) revealed what happened at Maralinga but it never told what happened to Aboriginal people; the findings were left open. Lawyers proved that there was radiation fallout over Walatinna, but because we never had any doctors records to document what happened to us, (the closest clinic was Ernabella, 160km away as the crow flys and we didn’t have any transport to get there), we only had our stories and they were never written down. Opal was proclaimed Australia’s National Gemstone by Governor General Bill Hayden on the 27th of July 1993. Thursday 12 March 2015 cut costs and reduce the debt. If we don’t there will come a time we won’t be able to pay and the country could go broke and all those services provided by government like a public hospital system, public education system and pension payments will cease to exist leaving the private sector to provide those services we now take for granted. This is a bad case scenario but it could happen. Coober Pedy Regional Times That’s not fair because it’s Anangu land and they won’t be able to use that land. The best thing the government can do is the leave the uranium in the ground, stop mining it. We ask the South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill, to talk to Aboriginal people on the lands, and to everyone who has been directly affected by the atomic tests and nuclear industry in Australia before he makes any decisions for South Australia. Yami Lester, Yankunytjatjara Walatinna Station, South Australia (08) 8670 5077 OME OPENING HOURS: Mon-Fri Sat Sun 7.00am - 5.00pm 7.00am - 1.00pm Closed •Fuel •Gas Refills •General Engineering and Light Fabrication •Industrial and hardware supplies •Filters all types •Hydraulic Fittings •Oils •Bearings •V Belts •Hosing •Air Fittings •Trailer Parts •Safety Gear •Dog Food •Chain blocks, slings, rigging gear •Cigweld Agent Searle Trading Pty Ltd Opal Miners’ Enterprises Lot 1299 Old Water Tank Rd Coober Pedy SA 5723 Phone: (08) 8672 5830 ABN: 44 761 266 367 Page 7 Page 8 Coober Pedy Regional Times Thursday 12 March 2015 Thursday 12 March 2015 Coober Pedy Regional Times Page 9 Arckaringa Basin Drilling Update No.8 4 March 2015 reliable forward prognosis correlation as the pre-Permian velocities were poorly controlled in the area due to the lack of historical well intersections in the Arckaringa Basin. Linc Energy Ltd is pleased to provide an update on the drilling operations in the Arckaringa Basin. The seismic traces recorded data below the current depth identifying high amplitude reflectors from approximately 2,723m onwards (as seen on surface seismic line LNC1110 at Figure 1 below). The current revised total depth of approximately 2,900m will allow Linc Energy to investigate the higher energy seismic interval and further the understanding of the pre-Permian basin stratigraphy. The Eba 1 vertical exploration well (PEL121) is the second of the three well program and is planned to be drilled to a total revised depth of approximately 2,900 metres. Since the last progress update, a number of productive days were lost due to a leaking wash pipe in the top head drive. These setbacks have since been rectified and as of 06:00hrs on 4 March 2015, the main hole rig was rigging up to run in hole and drill ahead in the Officer Basin equivalent of the Cambrian Relief Sandstone at a depth of 2,722m. On the 25th February 2015, a Vertical Seismic Profile (VSP) was recorded to a depth of 2,625m to confirm the Eba 1 surface well-seismic ties. This provided a more Drilling at Eba 1 on Petroleum Exploration Lease (PELL) 121 Formations of interest underlying the Relief Sandstone in the Officer Basin include the Neoproterozoic Tanana Formation, the Karlaya Limestone and the Dey Dey Mudstone; all of which have recorded oil shows in offset wells to the North West. The presence of these intervals under the Cambrian sequence is unknown at this time as all previous exploration terminated in shallower sediments. DONNA’S RUSH STILL PRODUCING OPAL BUT COSTLY TO MINE From page 1 Phil is married to Diane Hoad (now Van Poorten) and the couple have twin daughters Chantelle and Jacinta, both students at Coober Pedy Area School. He is one of a number of opal miners who work full time and opal mine as well. Andrew Lanko (also working at Council) and Phil have partnered at Benito’s Folly for noodling. The partnership saw them underground at Olympic for several years with tunnelling machine and blower. At Ryan’s Hill extension the Lanko/Van Poorten partnership worked again with a tunnelling machine and blower. Working hard is not new for Phil who came to Coober Pedy to mine opal, but at the same time worked nights behind the bar at Opal Inn for three years. He also pulled beers and popped corks at the Italian Club, before joining the Water Supply in 1999. “Working two jobs certainly curbs the appetite for pubs and clubs”, said Phil. “There isn’t a lot of time left over for socialising when you have two jobs requiring an early start.” Now that summer is finished the machinery will be good to go again. Phil keeps his “classic” machines in good working order. He believes that there is plenty of opal out there and will remain at Donna’s Rush for the time being pursuing his passion - opal. Phil prepares for a stint on the excavator with Jordan as support crew Offsider Jordon keeps an eye out from the top Trimming the cut with Komatsu PC2006 Excavator Page 10 The two men finish maintenance on the Caterpilla 3T Dozer - still doing a good job Coober Pedy Regional Times Checking the oil on the ole’ girl Thursday 12 March 2015 CPAS NEWS From the Principal’s Desk… We are already half way through the first term and we are well settled into the routines and expectations of school. Our attendance rate has been strong to start the term and we are running around 74% across the term on average. The Remote Attendance Strategy Team (RSAS) are doing a great job in getting students to and from school and ensuring that we have good information around any family concerns or issues. Being at school is critical to success at school and so it is very important that students attend as often as possible and develop good attitudes to being at school. Put simply, you can’t learn the basics of school if you are not here. Once you start to get behind, it is really hard to catch up and so the attendance drops off and the gap widens. Annual General Meeting The AGM was held on Monday 2nd March and we had a good turn out. At this stage, we have filled our quota of community and parent members for the Governing Council. That is a terrific result and I welcome all the new members to the Governing Council. Our first formal meeting is on Monday 16th March and at this meeting we will select our Executive Group and allocate Governing Council members to the various sub committees that we run. If you would like to be on one of the sub committees then please let the school know so that we can invite you to the upcoming meetings. One of the topics discussed at the AGM was the Student Free Day planned for Friday 20th March. The whole school staff will travel to Woomera and join with the other school staff who make up the Far North Partnership. We will undergo a full day of training and development as well as launch the Far North Partnership. The meeting agreed to finish school an hour earlier on Thursday 19th March at 2.00 pm so that staff can travel to Woomera, to be ready for an early start on Friday so as to make the most of the time available. Please make a note that we will finish school earlier on Thursday 19th March and there will be no school for students on Friday 20th March. Visitors within the school This week we have hosted a range of service providers here at Coober Pedy. These support personnel work for DECD and have been in town working with staff and students. The support services have been based around behaviour, hearing, special education, finance and the implementation of the new Australian National Curriculum. It has been a busy and productive week and we have appreciated the support we can get from these services. This process happens around once a term on site and we use phone hook ups for the remainder of the term. Dear Parents/Caregivers, Red Balloon Day Primary assembly We held a Primary Assembly on Wednesday and were treated to some musical items including the National Anthem from the Choir, and a very catchy song with actions around using manners and how important they are from Miss Rose’s and Miss Walsh’s classes. The Year 6/7 class hosted the assembly and also show cased some amazing work they have done round our school value of RESPECT. A very impressive piece of wall art. A number of student received School Value Awards for their recent actions and behaviours and 4 students were presented with book prizes for achieving the Premier’s Reading Challenge at such an early stage of the year (the Premier ’s Reading Challenge runs through until September). On Saturday the 28th of February was National Red Balloon Day. The Preschool and Mrs Jones’ class took part in learning about what this day means. It is a day where we celebrate all the hard working fire fighters around the nation. We fly red balloons from our letterboxes to say thank you. We learnt about what fire-fighters do and how they help us and the community. We were very lucky to have our own local fire-fighters come in and show us their fire truck. A number of entries in the Why I Love Coober Pedy competition were displayed and they certainly were quite interesting and exciting too. Please feel free to come along and join in the school assemblies and see what amazing things are happening in your school. Pre school plans The new PRE SCHOOL development is getting very close to going to tender and so we can expect an announcement soon as to who has the contract. It will be a big job and may cause us some disruption once it starts. The new facility will be built in the carpark next to the existing Pre School and once it is completed, part of the contract will be to demolish the old site and make a new carpark. This will be a terrific new addition to the school. Copies of the plans along with colour and texture samples are in the Pre School and staff there would be happy to share the exciting new plan with you. This will be a terrific new facility for younger students. It has been purposely designed to support early learners in their development. No Tolerance policy to physical violence Just a reminder that the school has a no tolerance policy to physical violence. This includes hitting, kicking, punching others or threatening to do this. Everyone has the right to feel safe here at school and this can be achieved if the school is a violence free zone. Please reinforce this message with your children as school consequences for this unacceptable behaviour will be quick and severe. We are all responsible for our own actions so an excuse based around what someone else has done will not be acceptable. Mark Ireland Principal We would like to say a HUGE thank you to our local heroes! Please check out our display in the front office. It includes some artwork that we did about fire fighters and our photos. Coober Pedy Preschool It was wonderful to see so many parents at the Preschool open night. If you were not able to make it and would like to look at the new Preschool building plans please come and speak to me, I have them ready to show you. We will keep you all updated when we find out information. At the moment we should start seeing groundwork soon. Every child in the Preschool has a folder and a book that parents are welcome to look at any time they would like. They are kept next to the couch and contain work completed at Preschool. Just a reminder: Thank you for all the lovely donations that parents and students have been giving to the centre. We have a new donation board and basket, if you would like to do-nate something off the list please take the sticky note and bring the item into Pre-school. Some seeds have been donated by Lucas and his family so we will be getting our garden started this coming week. If you have any simple recipes that your child likes to eat please bring them into the Preschool as we are trying to do cooking with the children once a week and would love some ideas. Thursday 12 March 2015 * Please label your child’s lunch box and drink bottles. We do our best at re-membering which child bring which items but sometimes we get confused. * We ask that children don't bring toys from home to Preschool. Toys can get lost and broken. * We understand that it has been hot but we ask that children do not wear thongs to Preschool as this is a safety issue when we walk anywhere. * Please provide pull-ups (if toilet training) and spare clothes for your child as toileting accidents do happen. If you have any concerns about your child at Preschool please don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you, Lisa Vermeeren Coober Pedy Regional Times Page 11 CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISING See page 2 for Rates, Deadlines & Publishing Dates FREIGHT PUBLIC NOTICE - TENDERS MAIL DELIVERY CONTRACT Australia Post is seeking tenders from companies, or persons willing to form companies, to deliver mail under contract arrangements in the Delivery Area listed below. Australia Post has a commitment to providing a consistent and personal service to its customers. Therefore, as far as practicable the successful tenderer should be able to supply the same commitment to deliver the articles each day in the Delivery Area. The successful tenderer will have sufficient time to make arrangements to comply with the conditions of the contract, including the procurement of a suitable vehicle. Training will initially be provided to the successful tenderer, who is then required to train its own personnel. POSITIONS VACANT POSITIONS VACANT NRM Group Members I can enjoy the freedom of working in the community, meeting new people and using my skills to find solutions to complex problems. With my help, my clients, their families and the community can enjoy a better quality of health. At SA Health, I can draw upon ongoing education and team support to help my clients better manage their health and feel more empowered in life. NOMINATIONS SOUGHT The Board is seeking people with an interest in natural resource management and understanding Clinical Practice Consultant of their local area to become NRM Group members. Oodnadatta Community Health Service Job Ref: 556944 Vacancies exist within the Gawler Ranges, Kingoonya, Marla-Oodnadatta, Marree-Innamincka, Northern Flinders www.health.sa.gov.au/careers 1300 882 992 and the North East Pastoral NRM Groups. All genuine tenders and enquiries are welcome. However, Australia Post is not obliged to accept the lowest or indeed any tender, and reserves the right to accept or reject any or all tenders if it considers that it is in the interests of Australia Post to do so. Information, maps of NRM Group areas and nomination forms are available from the NRM Board website www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/ INVITATIONS TO TENDER FOR DELIVERY SERVICES Tenders are invited for the delivery of mail from 1st May 2015 for the following Delivery Area. MAIL SERVICE NUMBER & DESCRIPTION 801605 Marla – Mintabie Transport Service FREQUENCY (5 days per week) aridlands or by contacting the Board’s POSITION VACANT office on 8648 5300. …impact lives by building strong relationships Applications close 5pm Friday 10 April 2015. 4887909 For tender forms, full details and further information, contact: The Manager, Mail Delivery Contract Management PO Box 247, Export Park SA 5950 Tele: 1300 577 819 Tenders must be submitted in the envelope provided and addressed to Mail Delivery Contract Management, PO Box 247, Export Park SA 5950, or online via the Australia Post e-tendering website by the closing date and time. Blaze 061282 IN MEMORIAM TENDERS WILL CLOSE AT 2pm on Friday, 20th March 2015 POSITIONS VACANT GT13998 "DONNA LLYN YN DUNST AN" DUNSTAN" 26-10-79...11-03-09 Time Hides Sadness Smiles Hides Tears In our heart you hold a special place that no one could ever fill. POSITIONS VACANT "LOVE YA HEAPS" Mum, Dad and the Dunstan Family WANTED TO BUY Looking to buy an ALMET MASTERS drill in very good condition *Tyres *Tyre repairs *Fuel, *Parts Opening hours 7.30am - 5pm Phone 86725036 OR 86725169 Page 12 Call Charlie 0400766445 PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE Mining Act 1971 Mining Act 1971 Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 28 (5) of the Mining Act 1971, that the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy proposes to grant Exploration Licences over the undermentioned areas. Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 28 (5) of the Mining Act 1971, that the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy proposes to grant Exploration Licences over the undermentioned areas. Applicant: Location: Applicant: Location: Marmota Energy Limited Aurora Tank Area – approx. 100 km southwest of Coober Pedy Pastoral Lease: Commonwealth Hill Term: Two years Area in km2: 48 Ref: 2014/00224 Applicant: Location: Southern Iron Pty Ltd Ingomar Area – approx. 50 km southwest of Coober Pedy Pastoral Lease: Ingomar Term: Two years Area in km2: 81 Ref: 2014/00231 Apollo Iron Ore No 2 Pty Limited Bulgunnia Station Area – approx. 70 km north of Tarcoola Pastoral Leases: Bulgunnia, Commonwealth Hill Term: Two years Area in km2: 346 Ref: 2014/00214 Applicant: Location: Perilya Limited Mount Goddard Area – approx. 20 km ESE of Leigh Creek Pastoral Leases: Angepena, Warraweena, Manners Well Term: Two years Area in km2: 86 Ref: 2015/00020 Plans and co-ordinates can be found on the Department of State Development website: http://www.minerals.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/ public_notices or by phoning Mineral Tenements on 08 8463 3103. Plans and co-ordinates can be found on the Department of State Development website: http://www.minerals.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/ public_notices or by phoning Mineral Tenements on 08 8463 3103. J Martin Mining Registrar J Martin Mining Registrar 4903522 4887921 www.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au Coober Pedy Regional Times www.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au Thursday 12 March 2015 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY Photos: Margaret Mackay Where-ever they go, these ladies make it happen. Great supporters of local events are Ronda Michell, Julie Rowntree and Carol Oerzmann .. a nd tthe he women ttha ha t made iit t ha ppen! and hat happen! Getting ready for the IWD speeches are good friends and long term residents Jenny Davison, Klara Hartl and Ella Marjanovic. Outback women Sieglinde Bruhns and Gisela Weissnicht looked stunning at the IWD event, the ladies take a seat in preparation for the speeches and luncheon The women that ‘make it happen’ for Archer! International Women’s Day stall holder Jayde Grava with son Archer. Archer was one of the few ‘men’ at the event. Archer gives his mum a proud look of approval! Maternal Grandma Julie Carmichael sits with Archer during the IWD speeches. Julie was on the organising committee for IWD but still found time to spend with Archer. Paternal Grandma Lydia Gonzalas includes Archer while chatting with friend Jenny Davison. Archer doesn’t need to look far for the strong walls of female support. IWD guest speakerTalia Sheppard (left) with friends on the day. L-R: Talia Sheppard Wright’s Air, Janet Walton NRM, Helen Williams - Nilpinna, Jackie Williams - Mount Barry Christine Hartnett chats with Citizen of the Year and event MC Trish Turner at International Women’s Day Julia Sanderson of International Women’s Day organising committee stands back for a moment and watches the event unfold Stall holder Shelley Wells was displaying some of her stylish products including Kiln Fired Dichroic Glass Jewellry (See Shelley’s necklace) Just out of view were, Stained Glass Suncatchers and pictured in front, Slumped Bowls (Kiln Fired). Shelley was also promoting her business, Shelley’s Underground Nail and beauty Spa that addresses the finer details of hands feet, nails hair and face - very important in the dry desert climate! Thursday 12 March 2015 Shannon Swansson is a busy mum with two small youngsters Anthony and Lucas to run around after, so in her spare time she is an agent for the Body Shop. The name speaks for itself but Shannon personally recognises the need for women (and men) to apply regular supplements to their skin to counteract damages caused by heat and dryness, UV rays and other environmental pollutants. Shannon can usually be found displaying her products at most community events Coober Pedy Regional Times Page 13 What’ s On in COOBER PEDY? & Visiting Services MONDAYS Karate -Golf Club 6 - 7pm General Class 7 - 8pm Teenagers & Adults [email protected] GREEK HALL 7pm Charcoal BBQ & Salad Every Thursday night COOBER PEDY MULTICULTURAL FORUM - HACC PROGRAM LITTLE MUSICIANS 10.00am—10.45am Coober Pedy Area School Music Room Caters for 3 to 5 year olds FREE SWIMMING for the Over 65s Pool opening hours.Please register: 8672 3299 FRIDAYS Active Boys Group 3:15-5:00 ages 10 & up at the youth shed TUESDAYS COOBER PEDY MULTICULTURAL FORUM - HACC PROGRAM FREE TAI CHI CLASSES for over 65s Sit or stand for these gentle exercises. 1:15PM at Community Health FREE SWIMMING for the Over 65s Pool opening hours.Please register: 8672 3299 DISTRICT COUNCIL MEETINGS 3nd Tuesday each month at 7pm CFS TRAINING 7pm New Members Welcome AMBULANCE TRAINING 7.30pm Umoona Road. Every Tuesday except school holidays WEDNESDAYS MULTICULTURAL FORUM – HACC Program Over 65s Gentle exercise class 9 AM at Golf Club Please register – 8672 3299 FREE SWIMMING for the over 65s Pool opening hours.Please register: 8672 3299 Serbian Church Social Club, Dinner 6pm Fridays COOBER PEDY MULTICULTURAL FORUM - HACC PROGRAM COOBER PEDY MULTICULTURAL FORUM - HACC PROGRAM Over 65s FREE TAI CHI CLASSES. Sit or stand for these gentle exercises. 1:15PM at Community Health CP SHOOTERS CLUB Friday night shotgun 8pm till dark (daylight savings time) GREEK CLUB - Bingo 7.30 pm CP Social Scrabble 7.30pm United Club . All skill levels welcome AA 7pm Underground Catholic Church - Hutchison Street Contact Geoff 0427646963 GOLF: 6pm Twighlight Golf [email protected] SATURDAYS THURSDAY COOBER PEDY MULTICULTURAL FORUM - HACC PROGRAM CP SHOOTERS CLUB 9am and 11am Pistol FREE SWIMMING for the over 65s Pool opening hours.Please register: 8672 3299 CFS TRAINING 10PM Last Saturday each month MOSIAC at the Italian Club for the over 65s - 1-4pm Please register: 8672 3299 COOBER PEDY MULTICULTURAL FORUM - HACC PROGRAM Page 14 Golf (CP Golf Course Registration 12:00 noon Tee off time 12:30 PLAY TIME Catering for 0 to 5 year olds 2.00pm—3.30pm School Gymnasium Catacomb Church Service and Sunday School 9:30am Sunday. Bus pickup available. Ph 8672 5038 CRICKET AT OVAL Saturday 7.00 pm and Sunday 9.30pm Ph: Fernando 0437 739 447 FREE SWIMMING for the Over 65s Pool opening hours. Youth Shed 11-2 ages 8 Please register: 8672 3299 & up Mine Rescue Training (Alternate Saturdays) KARATE -Golf Club. 6 - 7pm General Class. 7 - 8pm Teenagers & Adults. [email protected] SUNDAYS FREE SWIMMING for the over 65s Pool opening hours.Please register: 8672 3299 CP SHOOTERS CLUB Rifle 10am - 50th Gymkhana William Creek Sat 28 March 2015 We would like to invite everyone who has had anything to do with our gymkhanas over many years to come back and spend the weekend with us. The weekend with commence with a “Meet and Greet” at the Gymkhana Grounds on the Friday afternoon. Bring back any old photos or memorabilia you may have- we would love to display it on the day. For further information contact President Nathan Keogh, The Peake Station, 0886707996 or Secretary Chantelle Edmunds or Treasurer Helen Williams at Nilpinna Station 0886707975 See Poster page 16 Coober Pedy Regional Times Please update your ‘What’s on’ entries for 2015 and help draw an awareness to important community activities and avoid clashes Email [email protected] or telephone 86725920 Thank you for keeping the community informed SIMPSON DESERT to OPEN MARCH 15 High visibility safety flags to be used Simpson Desert parks in South Australia and Queensland are closed in summer from 1 December to 15 March. The whole of the Simpson Desert Conservation Park and Regional Reserve will be closed from 30 November 2014 until 15 March 2015. As from 16 March 2014 vehicles are required to have high visibility safety flags attached to the front of the vehicle. SCHOOL TERM DATES 2015 Term 1: 27 Jan - 10 Apr Term 2: 27 Apr - 3 Jul Term 3: 20 Jul - 25 Sep Term 4: 12 Oct - 11 Dec Thursday 12 March 2015 Charlie Paris Charlie sees the light ♦ ♦ ♦ A few weeks ago mum and dad received the electricity bill. It was the largest bill ever. We don’t have air conditioning and we turn out the lights in rooms we are not using. Mum and dad work, so only us dogs are home most days. Do you really need paid TV? Think about mobile phone cost. Some people de-stress by eating or shopping. Go for a walk; the cheaper way to de-stress. ♦ Hide your credit cards. ♦ Entertainment ♦ Going out for the night can cost a small fortune. Try having a girls night in; everyone bring a plate. Put the kids to bed and watch a few movies you have missed out on. So who is running up our power bill? A legendary story in Coober Pedy has it that a resident ran an electricity cable from his place to his nearest neighbour. Allegedly it worked well for him until the cable was found, albeit taking about 25 years before it was discovered. Mum and dad were looking at us like it was EmDee and me that were running up the bill. EmDee and I tried to explain it might be the legendary electricity burglar of some years previous. But that didn’t work. Mum said she’s not leaving the TV on for me anymore, it isn’t necessary that I watch the midday movie or all those cartoons apparently. She told us to read a book; it’s better for you. Little Emdee is only up to her grade 2 primer. I can’t see that working so well. As a family we decided that we should cut down on a few luxuries to pay this big bill. Every morning when I wake up the first thing on my mind is how many Chicken Tenders I can get out of mum for breakfast. I give her those sad puppy eyes and it gets her every time. When we ran out the other day, dad went to the supermarket to get some. He was surprised that my beloved ‘Chicken Tenders’ cost $75.00 a kilo. Dad said we are definitely making some changes if you puppies are going to eat expensive things like that. I have been looking at ideas to save money that I can live with. EmDee and I are going to share a few with you and you can let me know if it works for you. To cut down on Electricity bills, older people in Adelaide are buying solar lights and charging them up in the sun each day and take them inside each night so they don’t need to turn on lights. This is me road testing drink containers. Dad said 2 litre chocolate milk is cheap, BUT they are NOT what we need for solar lights !! ♦ Switch off heaters or air conditioners and lights in rooms you are not using. ♦ Curtains are great to keep cold or heat out of your house. ♦ Turn off electrical appliances at the power point. ♦ 2 minute showers for each person in the house will save you a small fortune. ♦ Write a list before going shopping, stick to the list. ♦ Use the washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full. ♦ Dry clothes on the clothes line, it’s a big money saver and makes the clothes smell better. ♦ Make your own Birthday or Christmas cards, the kids enjoy doing things like that and your family and friends will love receiving such a personal card. ♦ Have a garage sale to get rid of your excess stuff; it gives you more money to buy something else. ♦ Drink more water, it is cost effective and a healthy way to live. In Coober Pedy the water is so good straight from the tap or chilled is the best. I insist on a large bowl of fresh water every day. ♦ Plan your menu around supermarket catalogues to save money. ♦ Home made school lunches or food for a trip away, better than over heated, deep fried food you get on the road. Entertaining the kids is like throwing $100 notes down a deep hole. When you think about it, what your children need most of all is your attention and your time. That is free, take advantage of that. I believe we are going to have the big Electricity and Chicken Tender Family meeting. I told EmDee to go poke the cats and wake them up. (Better her than me) We will work out a way that there will be lots of Chicken Tenders and mum and dad can work out what they need to give up so this can happen. Hey, I found an interesting site about saving money on lighting you should all look up. Google SOLAR BOTTLE BULB and go to WIKI HOW. You will be amazed. Woof Woof Charlie Paris Charlie Paris, Dog Reporter ([email protected]) SHOOTERS RESULTS Pistols - Rapid-fire 21,02,15 1st with Hcap Steve Marjanovic 661.3 A o/p Les Pullen 526.7 B o/p Les Hoad 441.2 C o/p Misty Mance 309.2 D o/p Stev Marjanovic 385.3 Upcoming Shoots 28,02,15 1st with Hcap Les Hoad 649.4 A o/p Les Pullen 529.5 B o/p Les Hoad 467.4 C o/p Steve Marjanovic 362.1 D o/p Guy Foley 271.3 - 14th &21st March @ 9am and 11am Rimfire Rifles - 50m Scoring & Grouping 22.02.15 Scoring 1st John DiDonna 409.2 2nd Mark Hoad 402 3rd Steve Marjanovic 396.2 Grouping 1st Les Hoad 15.41 2nd Guy Foley 19.70 3rd John DiDonna 21.42 1,03,15 Scoring 1st Mark Hoad 473 2nd Les Pullen 414 3rd Les Hoad 401.7 Grouping 1st Mark Hoad 10.84 2nd Les Hoad 12.60 3rd Les Pullen 20.36 Thursday 12 March 2015 Friday Night Shotgun Clay Target (Sponsored by IGA) - 13th & 20th March Saturday Morning Pistols - Walk & Shoot Sunday Morning Rifles - 50m & 100m Rimfire Rapid-fire - 15th &22nd March @ 10am All shoots are for 5 consecutive weeks (long weekends excepted) with a prize giving at the end of the year. A full calendar will be available in the coming weeks. Daily Range Fees (non member) $10 Ammunition extra All shoots are held under supervision from qualified instructors and range masters. For more information, please go to : www.cooberpedyshootersclub.com.au Rimfire rifle shoot 50m targets or call Club President : John DiDonna 04 2764 9389 Club Secretary : Les Pullen 04 3523 2029 If there are any businesses out there that is interested in sponsoring one of our shoots, please contact Les and we will endeavour to promote your business along with our shooting program. Coober Pedy Regional Times Friday Night Shotgun Clay Target shoot.. Photos: South Cape Photography Page 15 AMBASSADOR FOR K9 PROGRAM IN COOBER PEDY Ruby the Labrador and Major (Retired) Peter Checkley the ex-commando visited Coober Pedy last week and called in at the RSL to draw their attention to the Operation K9 program that has recently matched up Peter with his Assistance Dog Ruby to help him through severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that he developed as a result of combat conditions overseas. Ruby the Assistance Dog and Peter now go everywhere together – on buses and trains, to shopping centres and cinemas, and even to a formal dinner. “Since having Ruby, I’ve got my life back,” says, Peter, 62. “I can now get to places that I used to find difficult. She’s given me a focus.” Peter served for 25 years with Britain’s Royal Marine Commandoes, then another 20 years in the Australian Army. His impressive rack of medals attests to encounter in a number of hot spots, including East Timor and Afghanistan deployment. Peter admits, to PTSD “at the upper severe range”. Before being assigned Ruby as his assistance dog, Peter who suffers from PTSD as a result of combat stress, could not bear to be alone for much more than an hour and found even a trip to the local shops a daunting experience. Now that Ruby has been assigned to Peter, his whole focus has changed and so has his outlook. Peter Checkley with Bryce Tickner at the RSL RSL President Bryce Tickner and the members warmly welcomed Ruby and the program and said that even though the RSL Sub Branch at Coober Pedy is a very small Branch they will endeavor to raise funds to support the Operation K9 program. It was put forward to the members that the next 'two up' function would raise funds for the Operation K9 Program. NATIONAL WINNER - I LOVE FOOD AWARDS 2010 Best National Pizza Open 7 days 9am -10pm 10% Discount for Pensioners Õ¨ Õ Õ Õ Õ Õ Alfresco dining,Takeaway Relax in air-conditioned comfort or heated elfresco INTERNET ACCESS for tourists Group bookings and large functions rooms Extensive menus - breakfast, lunch and dinner . Large selection of pizzas and a range of new regular Follow us on Facebook John's Pizza Bar & Restaurant Ph:08 8672 5561 Fax:08 8672 5537 Email: [email protected] Page 16 Coober Pedy Regional Times Thursday 12 March 2015
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