Northern Valley NewsNN

Marc

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Bindoon • Bullsbrook • Calingiri • Chittering • Gingin • Muchea • Mooliabeenie • New Norcia • Regans Ford • Wannamal

47

2015

Beef Innovation DayPage 14-15

chittering inter-town challengePage 26

Sweet rewards

gingin from$350,000

Tom Cabassi 0429 095 864

guilderton $699,000

Craig Hyne 0448 825 833

69 Moore River Drive• Quality 2 storey 6 yr old home.• 4 bedroom, 2 bathrooms & 3 WC’sYou won’t find anything of this quality on the market in Guilderton right now

Amy McAuliffe 0400 298 884

CHittering $520,000

49 Pelican RiseBeautiful 6.22 acres set up for equestrian pursuits. Transportable 3 x 1 home with large alfresco area, wood heater, and 2 aircons. Tropical gardens, 6x9m powered shed, massive 18x15m lockable machinery shed, 6 stables, 5 paddocks, shelters, excellent electric fencing and windmill.

62 Robinson Street Cottage built circa 1900 located on 9,365sqm on the Gingin Brook. Three bedrooms, one bathroom, lounge, kitchen/dining/living room. Valley views. Pergola and outdoor entertaining area. 18m x 8m shed and windmill. Room to move for all your animals on this 2.5 acre brook side block.

Choice of Residential Blocks Close to shops, school, bowling club, Doctors. All with Underground power, Bitumen road access, scheme water. All blocks are fully fenced.

gingin $125,000

Tom Cabassi 0429 095 864

Cheriton RoadGreat Town Location

Tamieka Preston

Nothing could have possibly prepared Anthony and Lee-Anne Yewers for the massive influx of customers chasing their locally grown berries after the Australia-wide recall of certain imported frozen berries due to suspected Hepatitis A contamination. Even though they were expecting to increase business after launching a new purpose-built farm-gate shop and cafe at Berry Sweet, their berry farm and popular pit-stop just out of Bullsbrook, they have been overwhelmed by the demand of the past few weeks.

Lee-Anne is barely able to catch her breath between packaging and freezing as many berries as she can get her hands on, fielding phone calls and serving the long queue of customers waiting patiently in line at the

freshly-minted shop.

“We’re absolutely gob-smacked at what’s happened – it’s crazy because throughout the season we have to throw so much away, particularly strawberries. The cows eat them!”

“We’ve got no sale for them, we don’t have a processing line, and you can only sell so many fresh. We don’t have the facilities to freeze a lot, but it looks like we’ll have to now!” she said. I suspect she has already started planning the next step to expand this local business she and her husband have built from scratch over the past eight years.

The demand for their product has always been high and when their children Kyle, 14 and Sienna, 11 reached more self-sufficient ages they finally agreed to enter a joint venture with Coles. Two years ago they established

a farm in Pemberton where the cooler climate enables them to produce fruit all year round. The berries are all grown under contract, and their first grade strawberries go straight from the farm to Coles Distribution Centre where they are distributed statewide as a premium product. Their first ever harvest of blackberries this February are being picked and packed alongside the raspberries for Driscolls who market the end product.

The Yewers own and sell the ‘seconds’ fruit at their farm gate – perfectly palatable and deliciously fresh berries that don’t meet appearance or size standards of the big supermarkets, or have been broken in the picking process. Whilst there has always been an interest in frozen raspberries they have never before seen demand for frozen strawberries. “My regular customers

were happy with a 5 kilo box of seconds strawberries for jam or sauce, but now I’m getting a lot of people from Perth demanding frozen, hulled fruit, ready to go,” says a still surprised Lee-Anne. “People are calling me from as far away as Paraburdoo, desperate to get their hands on our frozen berries.”

Was she as shocked as the rest of us to discover that most frozen berries in Australian supermarkets are grown overseas? Of course not. “The berry growing industry is very small here. In WA we’re basically it, so I’ve always known they were imported.”

Along with plans to build a display tunnel of growing strawberries for cafe customers to enjoy, Lee-Anne is busy nutting out how she can store more frozen fruit, and it’s obvious this family business is a continuously growing success story.

It’s your news...

Northern Valleys News MArCH 20152 www.nvnews.com.au

EMErgENcy NuMBErs

Ambulance 000

Doctor 9576 1222

Hospital 9347 5244

Fire Brigade 000

Police - Emergency 000

Police

Attendance 131 444

Police (Gingin) 9575 5600

Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000

Police Headquarters 9222 1997

Poison 13 11 26

Rural Watch 9576 4600

Chittering Shire 9576 4600

Chittering Ranger A/H 9576 4616

Gingin Ranger 9575 2211

Vet 9575 2274

JuStiCES oF tHE PEACE

Bindoon

Lee Martin 9576 1066

Walter Zemunik 9576 0156

Phillip Lefroy 9576 2086

John Agnew 0419 903 797

Lower Chittering

Eric Schmidt 9571 8040

MuChEA

A.J.Fewster 9571 4012

david Lindsay 9571 1389

donald Mcdonald 9655 9024

GinGin

Margaret Greenwell

9575 2220

It’s your in the Northern Valleys

Northern Valleys News is a community newspaper available FREE at local newstands. Print run: 4500

NNEditors’ note

With a bit of rain in most parts of the Northern Valleys on the first official day of Autumn, the gardens, paddocks and inhabitants of the region breathed a collective sigh of relief – the end of the heat is in sight!

This past month we’ve seen a lot of events happening around the region: the popular Chittering Inter-town Challenge, a virtual rotto swim at the pool, an inspiring Beef Innovation Day and celebrations of International Women’s Day to mention a few. We also welcomed many out-of-towners to the inaugural Kintetic Dreaming festival held at Mooliabeenie.

The Maggie Dent seminar held in Gingin this week was another fantastic event I attended. Maggie reminded us all how lucky we are to be bringing up our kids in the country – with plenty of space and dirt to play in as well as lots of opportunities to build resilience.

To our new readers we hope you like this semi-rural local paper that is a blend of lifestyle and rural interests. It is a feel-good paper which is designed to uncover our community’s great secrets and treasures.

Thank you to all our advertisers and to our editorial contributors. We do our best to deliver a “true” community paper and your assistance and financial support makes it all worthwhile.

Jackie Shervington and Tamieka Preston

Northern Valleys News - helping to grow our regional community.

BookINg DEaDlINE for aDVErtIsINg &

EDItorIalthursday 26th

Marchon the streets

3rd of april 2015

Produced by: Jackie Shervington & tamieka Preston

Editor & Advertising: Jackie Shervington Phone: 0419 045 783 Email: jackie@nvnews.com.au

Editor & Art Direction: tamieka Preston Phone: 0419 902 904 Email: tamieka@nvnews.com.au

www.nvnews.com.au

Published by Northern Valleys News Po Box 206, Bindoon, 6502

Printed by Rural Press Printing 7 Rafferty Close Mandurah WA 6210

Your paper, your news. All attempts have been made to include accurate and full coverage across the region, but we are sure to have missed something. Please help us by emailing your feedback to the editor@nvnews.com.au or call on 0419 045 783 or post to NV News PO Box Bindoon 206

aD ratEs oNlINE atwww.nvnews.com.au

BINDOON IGA - OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 8AM - 7PM Fruit & Veg, Meat, Deli, Dairy, Freezer, Grocery & Variety.

Now available at Bindoon IGA!Bindoon IGA is proud to announce that we have partnered with Craig, Rita and team at Bindoon Fresh Meats to have their Gourmet Meats available at Bindoon IGA.

This will include a range of their premium cuts and some cheaper budget lines exclusive to IGA as well as their gourmet range of beef lamb pork and chicken.

A select range of their gourmet sausages will also be available on weekends.

We look forward to the great range of meats available and we hope you will too having the convenience of being able to buy local product instore when the butcher shop is closed.

The ‘Northern Valleys’ region has been created to describe the very unique valleys that lie north of Swan Valley. This region offers a richly-diverse landscape of valleys, rivers and farmlands. It covers 4 shires – Chittering, Gingin, City of Swan and Victoria Plains.

Just one hour north of Perth, the Northern Valleys is a veritable food basket growing just about everything you can imagine from beef, chicken and

lamb to horticultural and grain crops. Not only is there an abundance of food produced in the region, but vast areas also remain untouched and are blessed with wildflowers and native wildlife begging to be discovered.

Within the Northern Valleys are well known areas such as the Chittering Valley, famous for its picturesque valleys and wine trail; and Gingin, a powerhouse of food production with estimates from ABS suggesting the area

contributed appoximately $158 million to the food industry in 2012/13.

Further north is the historical town of New Norcia, the only monastic town in Australia, where olive groves were planted by the monks as early as 1850.

We hope you will be inspired to explore this amazing region and enjoy discovering some of its hidden treasures.

The ‘Northern Valleys’ region

3 www.nvnews.com.au

NN

Monday 9 March

International Women’s Day Luncheon. $25. 10 am at The Pavilion, Pickett Park Maroubra Ave., Bullsbrook.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia seminar, 9:30am -4pm Granville center, Gingin. Ph 95752541

Saturday, 14 March

IHC Markets and Swap Meet 09:00 AM until 12:00 PM, Lower Chittering

Tuesday 17th March

Linda J Bettenay talks about her latest book at the at the Gingin Library. More this page

Saturday, 21 March

10am Storytime at Bullsbrook Community Library, Chittering Rd. Free family session.

Bingo night at Lower Chittering Hall to raise funds for Leukaemia foundation. 7.00pm. $15 per person. Contact Deb on 0408 920 505 to book your tickets

Sunday, 22 March

Chittering Farmers Market 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM. Edmunds Place reserve.

Wednesday 25th March

CWA Bullsbrook meeting, 7pm at Picket Park Hall - see more this page

Sunday, 29 March

Muchea Youth Festival 10:00 AM until 2:00 Pm, Sandown Park Muchea.

Monday, 30 March

NGALA Workshop - Good Sleep Patterns 9:30 AM until 11:30 AM Bindoon Playgroup The first 5 years matter and last a lifetime. RSVP 23rd March to Alison Reliti, 9576 4600 or ecdosupport@chittering.wa.gov.au

Tuesday 31 March

Feral Animal Forum” to be held on at Chittering Landcare Centre, 175 Old Gingin Rd, Muchea. See more page 10

Sunday 19 April

Heroes and Pioneers, Gingin Railway Station, Jones St, Gingin. 10am-4pm. 10th Light Horse Regiment display, Blacksmith demonstration, plus a variety of art and craft stalls and refreshments- including wine tasting. Part of the National Trust Heritage Festival

It’s your community...

Gingin residents are sure to be fascinated as Western Australian author Linda J Bettenay talks about her latest book at the at the Gingin Library in March. After the amazing success of her first book ‘Secrets Mothers Keep’ she has recently released ‘Wishes For Starlight’ a story steeped in our area. Bettenay will present a talk about her book and she will also explain how she uses historical fact to weave historical fiction.

The talk will be at the Gingin Library on Tuesday 17th March at 12:00 noon - 1:30pm. Please book on 95751253 for further details on purchasing the book, go to www.lindasbooks.com.au or visit Linda’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/lindasbookswa.

We need your helpThe Gingin Pensioners Group is organising the 2015 Anzac Day dawn service in Gingin and wish to celebrate the Anzac Centennial year with a special tribute to Diggers from World War 1.

The Gingin Chittering Lions Club are holding their open day on 19 April 2015 at the railway Station as part of Heritage Week with their theme “Heroes and Pioneers” and have generously invited the Pensioner Group to participate with a display of photos and memorabilia from past conflicts with the emphasis on World War 1. The display will also be open on Anzac Day.

We are interested in hearing from families in the Gingin area who have photos, letters or memorabilia of Diggers which they are happy to share as part of the Anzac Centennial celebrations. Family members of World War 1 Diggers will be invited to lead the dawn service walk of reflection and also participate in the Dawn Service.

If you would like to be involved please reply to Lindsay Conway on 0429044140 or email coolawindy1@bigpond.com. Your response by 25th March would be appreciated in order to allow us time to prepare the display.

Master class in oil painting with tV’s Ken Harris Tuesday, March 31, at Gingin Arts & Crafts - 11 Constable Street, Gingin, 9.30am - 3.00pm

$100.00 per person

Featuring Animals & People - Bring 2 canvasses or boards

Enquiries & registrations to: Valerie Landgrebe Tel: 9575 1400 Mob: 0428 393 319 Email: valeriel@iinet.net.auCWA in Bullsbrook

Women of Bullsbrook and the surrounding district are invited to a community meeting to renew a local presence of the Country Women’s Association of WA.

Join us at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 25th March at Picket Park Hall to learn more about CWA. If there is sufficient interest the inaugural meeting of a new CWA branch will be held that evening, chaired by CWA State President, Mrs Sara Kenny.

For forty years culminating in 2003, members of Bullsbrook CWA Branch served their community and an excited group of ladies is keen to continue the tradition.

Through CWA, members find opportunities for friendship and personal development as well as serving their local community and supporting Association projects at State and International level.

Each CWA branch is different as branch activities are decided by the members. Activities could include a sharing of members’ skills, guest speakers, discussion and action on a wide range of topics or “fun” fundraising often involving scones and a cuppa.

Everyone is welcome to be part of this highly respected non party political, non sectarian, not for profit, community service Association which since 1924 has provided support for members and their communities throughout Western Australia.

Photo: Jo Ashworth

Author speaks at Gingin library

Buddhist meditation Classes will be held on the following dates in March 2015 starting at 9.30pm at Buddha Mandala Monastery, 8 Lewis rd Chittering :

14 Mar, 21 Mar and 28 Mar.

Gingin triathlon 2015 coming up soonIf you haven’t started already it’s time to strap on the boots and get training for the annual Gingin Triathlon which takes place on Sunday 12th April 2015. The courses include;• Slater-Gartrell short course – 325m swim /

12km cycle / 3km run• Bendigo Bank long course – 125m swim / 6km

cycle / 1.5Km run Age groups: Under 12 (7-12 YRS), Under 16 (13-16 YRS), Open (17-44 YRS), Masters (45 YRS +)Contestants to arrive at the Gingin Aquatic Centre, New Street, Gingin.Event day sign-in & number allocation: 7.00am, event day briefing – short course: 7.35am; long course: 8.15amEvent start – short course: 7.50am long course: 8.30amPlease note: early bird registrations include a $10 discount and close 23:59.00pm Thursday 26th March 2015. Adults $30, Students $20.Standard registrations close 23:59.00pm Tuesday 7th April 2015. Adults $40, Students $30.

No late entries permitted.

For more information and course maps email triathlon@gingin.wa.gov.au. or visit www.gingin.wa.gov.au

It’s your news...NN

G a l l e r y & G i f t S h o p

Local crafts & giftsOpen Friday, Saturday, Sunday and

public holiday Monday 9.00 - 4.30pm. 29 Binda Place,Bindoon

Bindoon

Chitterbug

Frayed Knot now offers all aspects of Beauty Therapy.Colour technicians, cut & colour specialistsProfessionally trained Skin clinician offering chemical peels, Ionzyme DF II

vitamin infusion. Collagen induction theraphy & anti aging skin solutionsDaily, weekly and monthly specials available on our facebook page.

Frayed Knot Hair, Beauty & Skin clinic

9/14 Brockman Street, Gingin

Ph 9575 2759read the Northern Valleys

News online at;

www.nvnews.com.au

4 www.nvnews.com.au Northern Valleys News MArCH 2015

Rosetta - rendezvous with a cometThe European Space Agency (ESA) commissioned the first of their deep space tracking stations at New Norcia in 2002 to support the rosetta mission.

In March 2004 ESA launched the rosetta space craft with the hope of rendezvousing with the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

This inspiring mission to unlock the origins of the solar system made worldwide headlines on 12th November 2014 when the rosetta probe, after journeying through space for ten years, finally released a probe ( Philae) that successfully landed on the comet. Since then, Philae and rosetta have been sending back data to the ESA tracking stations located around the world for the scientists to analyse.

The European Space Agency visited the Benedictine Community on Monday 16th February to share their findings to the

Education Centre and staff members. Internationally renowned mission experts Paulo Ferri and Mark McCaughrean from ESA delivered a presentation of the rosetta Mission and its discoveries. They explained the technical difficulties and challenges of the mission, and the excitement from the scientist’s point of view of successfully rendezvousing with the comet. The presentation also celebrated 50 years of successful cooperation between ESA and Australia. The day concluded with a light lunch provided by ESA representatives.

ESA has funded a fascinating interpretation centre at New Norcia to educate and inform interested parties about the mission into space exploration – a great excursion for schools, groups and local residents. Call the Education Coordinator on 96 548 018 for more details.

Red Balloon Day thanks fireys

Above: A young firefighter checks out the giant Bindoon Banger outside Bindoon Fresh Meats.

Sam Martin opens for Eskimo JoeCongratulations to young Sam Martin from Bindoon who was selected from a host of hopefuls to open for well-known alternative rock band Eskimo Joe at their Hamiltion Hill gig on 14 March this year.

Sam impressed us all with his performance at the Bindoon show talent quest back in 2013, and has been playing regularly at Bindoon open mic nights and honing his skills since – keep an eye on this bloke!

Sam Martin played at the Bindoon show talent quest back in 2013, now he’s on the big stage!

The local community flocked to thank firefighters at the Red Balloon Day sausage sizzle held in Binda Place on Saturday 28th February. National red Balloon Day is celebrated all over Australia in honour of those career and volunteer firefighters that put their own safety at risk to keep their communities from harm’s way.

A former career and volunteer firefighter, Member for Agricultural region, the Hon Martin Aldridge MLC said the role firefighters play in protecting communities often went unrecognised and Saturday offered the perfect opportunity to show gratitude for the work they do.

“Not only does February 28 mark an occasion to say thanks to our fireys, it jointly acts as a fundraising opportunity to assist local fire services and organisations that support them in times of emergency,” he said.

A sausage sizzle jointly supported by the Bindoon Bakehaus, Bindoon IGA and Bindoon Fresh Meats gave many an opportunity to thank local fireys in person and enjoy a famous Bindoon Banger for brekky. Well over $2000 was raised which will go directly back to support volunteer firefighters.

Many others around the region showed their support by buying an displaying a red balloon, the proceeds of which also support the cause.

Combined Chittering brigades at Bindoon. Photo Chittering ISB

5

out & about... NN

www.nvnews.com.au

kinetic dreamingThe inaugural Kinetic Dreaming ‘festival for the environment’ took place at Mooliabeenie over the long weekend. Organisers said; “A great time was had by all and the freedback from patrons was overwhelmingly positive. Bring on next year!”

Photos: Sit Stay Photography

Sarah and Nic

Terri and Codi Williams

Abbey and Robyn

Eleisha, Jenna and Pip

Maggie Dent, gingin

Sally Calder and Kate Watson

Carrie Edwards, Maggie Dent and Irene Neville

Nikki, Kylie, Jones, Belinda and Melissa

Rochell Van Blitterswyk, Maggie Dent and Cassandra Heal

Claire Nicol , Megan McCallum, and Irene Neville

Happy Hours – FrIDay 5pM - 6.30pm and suNDay 4pm -530pm

Normal hours : from 11:30am Wednesday through to sunday for lunch and dinner. saturdays and sundays open from 9am for Breakfast.

www.stringybarkwinery.com.au2060 Chittering road, Chittering. ph: 9571 8069

snap a copy of this ad* with your phone (or cut it out) and pay half price for your second full english breakfast on saturdays and sundays all through March! Adults $27.00 Kids $15.00. Includes fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereals, fruit juices, tea and coffee. *You must show a copy of this ad to receive the special price

Second breaky half

price at Strinybark

Renowned author, educator and resilience specialist Maggie Dent visited Gingin on March 4 sharing her valuable insights into raising children to over 100 local parents during two seminars. Many thanks to sponsor Gingin Community Bank and Lancelin Branch of the Bendigo Bank, and the support of the Gingin CRC for making this event possible.

It’s your community...

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NN

Gingin Fuel & Tyres is a family owned and operated business providing a quality service and prices competitive with the metro area.

• Tyre sales & repairs from wheelbarrow to tractor tyres as well as truck tyres with an efficient turn around time to get you back on track.

• Stocking leading brands Maxxis, Toyo & Bridgestone plus many more.

• Mobil/Lubrimax Oils at very competitive prices.

• Large range of batteries & car parts & accessories.

• Agent for hills gas & BOC Industrial gas

• Large stock of Bare-co parts.

• Farm Merchandise. 9575 233914 Weld St, Gingin

New Regional Artist Development Fellowships open for applicationsOutstanding regional artists and arts workers in Pearce are invited to apply for up to $30,000 to develop professional skills and gain experience in the national and international arts landscape.

The Federal Member for Pearce, Christian Porter, said funding for five Regional Artist Development Fellowships by the Coalition Government would support professional regional artists and promote a vibrant, creative life in Australia’s regions.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for regional artists to work in other regions, cities or even overseas alongside experienced artists and I encourage local artists and arts workers to consider applying,”

Mr Porter said.

The five fellowships are:

• The International creative development fellowship ($30,000) open to regional artists to support a placement or experience outside Australia to develop creative practice.

• The Indigenous creative development fellowship ($20,000) open to Indigenous regional artists to support a placement or experience outside their region (including international, metropolitan or other regions) to develop creative practice.

• The Young artist creative development fellowship ($15,000) available for regional artists aged between 18 and 26 to support a placement or experience outside their region (including international, metropolitan or other regions) to develop creative practice or support their career path.

• The Institutional fellowship

and Indigenous institutional fellowship ($30,000 each) will each support a placement for a regional artist or arts worker at an Australian arts institution. The placement could include formal training, mentoring with institutional leaders or a work placement.

regional Artist Development Fellowships are administered by regional Arts Australia. For more information visit www.regionalarts.com.au. Applications close at midnight on Friday 17 April 2015.

School Board for Bindoon Primary SchoolAs a newly minted Independent Public School, an inaugural School Board was been established at Bindoon Primary School. It is heartening to see the high level of accomplishment of each member of the School Board. The School Board has nine members who represent parents, community and staff. Eight parents nominated to be on the School Board with the elected parent representatives being Mark Kay, Trish Murrell, Leigh Junk (Board Chair) and Jaime Hawkins. The two community representatives are Councillor Sandra Clarke from the Shire of Chittering; and rosanna Hindmarsh, Executive Officer from the Chittering Landcare Centre. School staff are represented by teacher, Leanne Summers, Deputy Principal, Linda Toms and Principal, Jenny Kuhn.

An induction day was held for Board members where the school’s finances were examined in detail and teachers had an opportunity to explain the various programs at Bindoon Primary School. In helping to set school directions, one of the first tasks for the School Board will be to determine the future of AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language) which has most ably been taught by Leanne Summers over the past few years. Parents, students and staff will be asked to complete a survey about AUSLAN so the School Board can make a balanced and well informed decision.

There is a ground swell of confidence as members of the School Board ensure the school represents the aspirations of the school community and that we work together to create the best possible learning conditions for children.

School Board Members: Front Row L to R: Leanne Summer, Jenny Kuhn, Sandra Clarke, Linda Toms

3 Year Old Program at Bindoon Primary SchoolBindoon Primary School runs a playgroup for children in the year before they begin kindergarten. Bindoon Primary School believes in providing the best possible start to school for all children. Our Pre-kindergarten playgroup has been designed to support families of children who are

nearing school age. It means children are well prepared to start kindergarten. Popular teacher, Mrs Sharon Gardiner and Education Assistant Jemma Cram offer a fun program where children learn the rudiments of school in a play-based learning environment. Communication, social skills and motor skills

are the main focus with early literacy and numeracy being incorporated through theme-based programs.

The program will begin Monday 9 March from 9:00am to 11:30am until the end of term 1. From the beginning of term 2 a full day program from 9:00am – 3:00pm will be offered. Children need to turn 3 before 30 June, 2015 to enrol in the program.

The daily charges are $25 per half day in the first term and $35 for a full day from the beginning of term 2. Parents will need to be registered with the Play Group Association of WA to enrol.

The 3 year old program is proving popular with only a few places left. If you would like to enrol your child or find out more please visit the school office, or contact the school registrars Dawn Kay or Susan Mudd at Bindoon Primary School on 9576 1097 or email bindoon.ps@education.wa.edu.au

The machine was purchased from a Lotterywest Grant. Several members have had lessons and have become quite proficient. Members are lining up to learn how to use it so we can finish off our own quilts and the quilts that we donate to Zonta. Our grateful thanks go to Lotterywest for the grant and their support for rural communities.

Bindoon Arts and Crafts has a new toy - a long arm quilting machine

Keeping in Touchfrom the team in the Pink shirts

livestock

From the AuctioneerJim Sangalli

Muchea Sheep 24/2/15Agents yarded 9270 Sheep and Lambs at Muchea on Tuesday 24 February 2015.

Heavy cross bred lambs were in short supply and realised $100-$119.50 according to frame and weight. Trade cross bred lambs sold from $70-$100 while light lambs realised $47-$70 according to weight.

Heavy ewes in the 23kg dressed weight range realised $72-$80 while trade ewes sold from $65-$72. Boning ewes realised $50-$65 depending on frame and weight.

Shipping wethers and wether hoggets sold from $75-$90 while store drafts realised $50-$75 however numbers were in short supply. Ewe hoggets (yellow tag) sold from $70-$80 with quality mixed, while store lines realised $25-$60.

Rams for live export sold from $50-$60 while killing rams realised $20-$45 per head.

Muchea Cattle 23/2/15Numbers increased marginally with large numbers of pastoral cows, heifers and bulls presented. Trade drafts were again limited in number along with local feeder cattle. Quality continued to slip as dry, hot conditions persist. Buyers were more animated this week with adequate numbers difficult to source. Prices remained very strong with most categories firm or dearer.

Vealer steers made from 200-269c, mostly firm with vealer heifers between 207c and 249c/kg. Yearling steers to feed lifted slightly as prices sold between 235c and 259c with those to live export averaging 260c/kg. Yearling heifers also lifted to feeders with most ranging from 200-246c/kg. Pastoral heifers sold between 145c and 221c for the majority with very plain drafts from 100-140c/kg.

Trade cattle were firm with steers averaging close to 252c and trade heifers from 207-258c/kg. Grown steers made 220-248c and were also firm on last week. Grown heifers sold from 220-248c/kg for the better conditioned drafts with most prices marginally higher for the quality offered.

Cow supplies were dominated by store pastoral drafts which sold at very strong prices. Light cows made 120-170c with the D2 cows making 160-239c to be close to 5c/kg dearer. Better quality cows including heavy weight drafts made 226-246c and also averaged close to 5c/kg dearer. Bull prices remained firm with heavy drafts to processors between 202c and 246c/kg with the light weight drafts to export and feeders from 200-250c/kg.

Elders MidlandJim Sangalli: Branch Manager

0417 706 996

LIvESTOCk 92735888Don Morgan: Muchea/Stud Stock

0429 721 156Preston Clarke: Sales Gingin South

0429 111 797Nigel Hunt: Sales Bindoon North

0437 970 006

FArM SuPPLIES 9273 7999Brad Thompson:

Manager 0429 116 033Bryan Burrell: Sales representative

0428 591 208

Mathew Hunt: Sales representativeFErTILISEr

Jeff Bruce: Sales Specialist 0429 900 187

rurAL BANk 9273 5861John Dingle:

District Banking Manager 0419 792 620

vince Monterosso: District Banking MangerLisa Mann: Sales Support Deposits

INSurANCE 9294 6666Jon Nelson: 0417 913 121

krystal Hayward: Sales SupportAndrew rowley: Sales Support

or visit elders.com.au

Chittering Landcare Centre

We would like to invite you to attend our Feral Animal Forum to be held on Tuesday the 31st of March, at Chittering Landcare Centre, 175 Old Gingin rd, Muchea.

The Chittering Landcare Centre is holding a second Feral Animal Forum to raise the profile of the impact of feral animals on agriculture and the natural environment. We aim to discuss the BAM Act, its continued implementation, the Invasive Species Council and activities by the Biosecurity Council, practical methods of feral animal control, research into new methods of control and listen to community feedback.

To achieve this we will have researchers, DAFWA members, regional officers and community members as speakers. We will be inviting other agency officers to attend. We encourage vigorous debate on issues and welcome new ideas on how to resolve feral animal issues.

We will be encouraging local parliamentary members to attend to listen to the impact of these animals on our community. We appreciate your involvement in this forum. Raising the profile of invasive species is an important issue when there are so many competing challenges which require funding.

Draft Program:

3.00 ArrIVAL. Welcome to Landcare Centre and Outline of Forum

3.30 – 4.00 VIV rEAD. DAFWA Director of Invasive Species, member Invasive Species Council.

‘BAM Act and Implementation of recognised Biosecurity Groups’

4.00 – 4.30 KEVIN GOSS Member of Biosecurity Council. ‘What is the Biosecurity Council? What do they do?’

4.30 – 5.00 GArY HArLEY A Local Perspective of Feral Animal Control. ‘Valuing Colloquial Knowledge. How can agencies benefit?’

5.00 – 6.00 PETER ADAMS Research

Fellow at Murdoch University. ‘Feral Pigs in the Northern Jarrah Forest’

6.00 – 6.45 DINNER BREAK

6.45 – 7.10 ROWAN HEGGLUN Biodiversity Program Manager. ‘New Zealand – another place/ different methods. Learnings from overseas on removal of predators.’

7.10 - 7.35 SHANNON DUNDAS Post Doctoral research Fellow Murdoch University. TrISH FLEMING Senior research Fellow Murdoch University ‘Better strategies for baiting red foxes in the south-west and why the work is important to help conserve native species’

7.35 – 8.00 TIM DOHErTY PhD Candidate Murdoch University. ‘Feral domestic cats are a global threat to biodiversity and were recently named as the biggest threat to endangered Australian mammals. But what about your pet cat, or the local stray?’

8.00 - 8.30 Questions/Feedback

The workshop will run from 3pm to 8.30pm, with Dinner provided. The cost for this workshop is $5, and free for members. To rSVP, please email chitteringlandcare@iinet.net.au or call 9571 0200.

WAFarmers reaffirms support for live exportWestern Australia’s peak agricultural lobby group, WAFarmers, supports the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council and their response to the latest campaign by animal rights activists to ban live export.

A campaign to ban the live animal export industry has been launched with bus and billboard advertisements by Animals Australia suggesting the trade is a “crime against animals”.

WAFarmers Meat Section President Jeff Murray said the sheep industry is an integral part of the Australian economy and a fundamental part of that is animal welfare.

“The welfare of livestock is central to the practices of all farmers in the sector – without strong animal welfare, farmers don’t have a livelihood,” Mr Murray said.

Australia maintains world class animal welfare standards and is constantly working to improve these.

“We have an ongoing staff training program in the country of destination, to ensure the highest welfare standards,” Mr Murray said.

There is a long history of sheep production in Australia as they are well suited to the country’s landscape and climate, with over 50 per cent of

production being exported, both chilled and live product are required for global customers.

Therefore, producers must rely on international demand to sustain the market.

“Banning the live export trade would have a serious negative impact on a billion dollar industry and the livelihood of thousands of people,” Mr Murray said.

“Furthermore, it would not improve animal welfare.

“Australian markets would go to exporters who don’t invest in welfare, train their staff or consider the health and welfare needs of their livestock.”

Feral Animal Forum

Servicing the Northern Valleys region

Northern Valleys News MArCH 201510 www.nvnews.com.au

farming news in the Northern Valleys...NN

Northern Valleys News MArCH 201512 www.nvnews.com.au

Dennis Martin & Mike Borrello Carey Hobson and Angela White

Mark Madew and Murray GreyWylie Woolcock, Angie, Shahni and Jarrod Clifton Gina Micke and Tracy Cook

Stephen Fidge and Murray Hyne Bill White, Murray Nixon and Leon TophamAndrew and Stewart McCormack

Claire Payne, Carris Waite and Kristen Prosser David Roe and Victor Rodwell

Bob Wilson and Colin Crane

Jade Kitchen and Chooky

There were smiles all round at the recent Gingin Beef Innovation Day held on Friday, 13 February at the Gingin recreation centre. The event was presented by the Midlands Cattle Breeders’ Association in association with the Gingin Beef Producers’ Group and Evergreen Farming.

13 www.nvnews.com.au

NN farming news in the Northern Valleys...

Jackie Shervington

The informative Gingin Beef Innovation Day was packed with cattle showing, high quality speakers and finished with a sundowner of prime beef steak burgers courtesy of Harvey Beef – a winning combination!

The event attracted the ‘who’s who’ of beef with 150 producers and industry representatives registered to be a part of this significant day.

Consensus was that it was the best beef event Gingin has held for a long time – a credit to the organising committee and sponsors. Cattlemen and cattle women, yes about 30% of attendees were women, of all ages came from all over the state, from the Gascoyne to Pinjarra.

Beef Innovation Day committee chairman Tony Sudlow, Kapari Angus stud, Northampton, said it was a huge success.

“It was particularly satisfying for the committee, who put a lot of careful consideration into planning.” The committee included Tony and Liz Sudlow, David roe, George Gifford, Brad and Peter Kupsch, Ian (Sam) Collard, David Topham and Bob Wilson,

The morning kicked off in the yards with local producer David roe who provided an insight into his beef operation. David also shared his passion to see more young people in agriculture, particularly cattle farming given it is such an ageing group. David is hopeful that advances in technical innovation and an increase in prices might entice the next generation to follow in the field.

Zoetis Australia demonstrated how

producers can use DNA technology to enhance traditional phenotypic methods of selecting replacement heifers.

Alex McDonald, who flew in from the eastern states provided some technical advice on genetics, specifically EBV traits producers should be targeting when selecting breeding stock. For those who don’t know EBV stands for ‘estimated breeding value’. The use of EBVs enables producers to look at the genetic merit for particular traits rather than relying on on-farm measurements of animal performance, which can take years. I found this be enlightening – albeit extremely technical. It was clear he was an expert on the subject and that Breedplan is a invaluable tool for beef producers that has evolved incredibly over 30 years, to now being able to measure over 19 traits.

Dr Peter McGilchrist, Murdoch University provided an enthusiastic presentation on the new MSA (Meat Standards Australia) index producer feedback system. He challenged producers that with this new simple index the ‘quality’ of a carcase will be the future in WA.

“When would producers increase their MSA index? When you get paid to increase quality,” he said.

“If you care about consumers and you want to improve the lotfeeder rank of your cattle.

“It will come for WA. It is already in the east - they are now paying on the index.

Producers need to know how to improve the quality for when processors start paying for the variation in carcase quality

indicated by the index.”

Mr McGilchrist said the current MSA grading feedback makes it hard to judge how good a carcase actually is.

“It is difficult, because you have so many measures like marbling, ossification, fatness, hump height etc,” he said.

“How these measures impact on quality isn’t linear, so we have

made it easier. We have produced a singular MSA index.

Mr McGilchrist explained that the MSA index is calculated by averaging the predicted eating quality of 39 muscles in the body for the most common cooking method and weighing the score of each cut by its proportion of the total cuts’ weight.

Mr McGilchrist said

the expected range will most likely be between 50 and 75, and the higher the number the better.

“It is one score, one number for a carcase, which gives you the potential eating quality for that carcase.”

Mr McGilchrist said the purpose of the index would be to have a standard measure over time of potential carcase eating quality.

This will be useful for evaluation of on-farm genetic progress and management strategies over time,” he said.

“It is a solid benchmarking tool for suppliers of cattle and the ability to look at regional or seasonal impacts on eating quality.”

In 2014, 30% of Australia’s 9 million cattle were MSA graded. The average grading was 56.77%.

Who has the highest graded cattle in Australia? Peter challenged the audience to guess who has the highest average quality graded cattle in Australia. Not many hands went up to pick Western Australia.

Mr McGilchrist said WA beef needs to be packed and marketed differently. We can’t compete with the high volume lower

quality beef of QLD - we need to compete on quality.

He said it needed to be marketed as a niche, high quality premium product and packed and marketed according to this quality.

For many the highlight of the day was a presentation by Victor rodwell who is widely considered a true innovator. His Boyanup dairy farm has over the years been home to numerous trials and experiments, with researchers and service providers alike recognising Vic’s passion for ‘pushing the envelope’ but also, his passion for dairying.

Victor had the audience hanging on his every word as he shared his personal experiences with dairy farming and his approach of maxmising efficiency to increase profits. The third leaf concept was not new to all but the message “know your numbers” switched on lights across the room. Firing questions at the audience; he challenged the on-farm norms; does it make more financial sense to buy feed or grow feed; nitrogen how often, when; pivot on or off. The list went on as he enthusiastically shared his intimate knowledge of the key drivers of his business and his ability to challenge the status quo, exploring ways to improve those results whether that be through science or just looking at things differently.

Doing things more efficiently not only delivers better results but just as important to Victor is more time with his family and a balanced lifestyle. He is a terrific role model for Australian farmers. I’m left with one question. How do we clone him or get him on television into every Australian farmers home?

Beef innovation day - inspiring a better future...

Northern ValleysNorthern ValleysProPerty

Northern Valleys News MARCH 2015NV Property 1 www.nvnews.com.au

Feature ProPerty 6000 Great Northern Highway, Bindoon

57 acres (23ha)

Price reduced to $699,000

Jackie Shervington

VNW Independent

0419 045 783

What a wonderful autumn gift with the valleys enjoying a good cleansing downpour over the March long weekend.

Definitely my favourite time of the year as the nights cool down and we prepare for paddocks to be painted green.

It is also a great time for real estate activity as people venture out to enjoy the milder weather and celebrate the beauty of the valleys.

So what sort of season can we expect? There is no doubting that the market dull. The economic backdrop is lacklustre with job security fears having a major impact.

On the flipside interest rates are very low and livestock prices are the best they have been for a long time.

A couple of months ago I spoke to a potential seller who after a long hot day in the paddock was considering selling. I rang him recently on behalf of a buyer and after a great day at the cattle market he is no longer a seller. How quickly sentiment can change!

Jackie ShervingtonProperty ConsultantVNW IndependentP.S. In such a dull market you need to be working even harder with your agent to achieve a result - check out our pricing insights on page 8 of this liftout for more. Are you “in” or “on” the market.

A picturesque outlook is offered from this 57 acres (23ha), which rises from Great Northern Highway to the ridge of Castle Hill, east of the Bindoon town. From this magnificent ridge you can enjoy views of the town to the north and the Chittering Lake to the south.

The bock offers excellent acreage for hay cropping with good fences. The bottom flats offer prime alluvial soils and have in the past achieved up to 1500 bales of prime hay. The property would be ideal for horse owners with the property in view from a potential house site on the ridge.

This property comes with loads of extras. For those with horses there is a 18 x 12 metre horse shed with round yard and lighting. There is also three phase power to the shed.

A 22x9m shed provides bonus accommodation with a comfortable 2 bedroom and 1 bath. 2 smaller sheds - 8x5m and 5x4m, plus a bonus 1 bedroom cottage.

The property also boasts abundant water with two historically permanent soaks and 2 massive dams. There are also 4 water tanks each holding 22500 litres.

Castle Hill Ridge

BINDOONCammeray Farm60 ac (25 ha) Extensive home built in 2008, overlooking Bindoon and surrounding valleys. Five stylishly presented

bedrooms, three bathrooms, an enormous living space, separate games and play areas, a home theatre room and an elegant study. Bindoon loam, four fully fenced paddocks, cattle yards and horse shelters offer the opportunity to run livestock or pursue an equestrian dream. Enjoy efficient water management with a solar powered bore and

500,000L dam plus a 19,800kL water tank + 2 x 7571L water tanks. Hot water - two solar, one gas boosted, one electric boosted. Three phase power, two power box connections. Sewerage: Bio system 2000 ATV. The entertainment extends through to a large swimming pool. For Sale Mid-High $1mil

Head office: (08) 9380 6191 24-26 Coghlan Road SUBIACO WA

Jackie Shervington 0419 045 783

Local and independent. Helping people buy and sell property in the Northern Valleys

NNNorthern Valleys Property...

BINDOON 3.8 AC (1.5 ha)32 Pioneer DriveAmazing views across Bindoon town from this 3 bedroom and 1 bathroom property. The home boasts a very functional kitchen with excellent sized pantry. Enjoy the bonus fully sealed and enclosed garage/shed which could be modified to provide extra rooms or potentially an artists workshop. EOI

GINGIN (0.34 ha) Low $300s 538 Cockram StreetAffordable cottage - a delightful neat and tidy 3 bedroom fibro and steel cottage. Recently renovated - fresh paint, polished wooden floor boards and window treatments. Gas stove and HWS, reverse cycle air-conditioning, lock-able one vehicle garage, bore water and open space on this one acre block.

GINGIN (1.41 acres) For Sale - Low $500s

19 Fraser StreetLocated on the Gingin Brook this property includes an adorable home, built circa 1900s, with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom plus enclosed verandah sleepout/storeroom. A light and modern renovated kitchen and dining area offering slate floors and a quality finished kitchen. The property boasts strong infrastructure: large garage/shed with 3 roller doors (power connected) connection to scheme water, new electrics throughout. The land is fenced into 2 paddocks.

Buy a home or an investment

Northern Valleys News MARCH 2015NV Property 2 www.nvnews.com.au

Head office: (08) 9380 6191 24-26 Coghlan Road SUBIACO WAJackie Shervington 0419 045 783

Should your property be here?If you are reading this, potential buyers who love the

Northern Valleys are too.

To advertise in the Northern Valleys Property

lift-out, call Jackie Shervington 0419 045 783

The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia says that its rural members are supportive of recent changes made to foreign investment in agriculture.

On 11 February the Abbott Government announced a tightening of the rules around foreign purchases of agricultural land in a bid to have a more transparent system. The changes will apply from 1 March 2015.

The Prime Minister said the restrictions would result in “the right investment” for the nation.

“Foreign investment is important to us but it’s got to be investment that serves our national interest. It can’t just serve investors’ interests,” Mr Abbott said.

Starting next month, the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) screening threshold for purchases will be reduced from the current $252 million to $15 million, with a foreign ownership register of agricultural land to be established.

Chairman of REIWA’s Rural Network, Don Fry, noted that the reporting threshold had been reduced significantly but said transactions at the $15 million mark were “very small in number in Western Australia”.

“Rural agents are more concerned with

the FIRB being adequately resourced to deal with the inflow of transactions and to ensure this doesn’t unduly hold up the transaction process,” Mr Fry said.

Mr Fry said the WA agriculture industry relied on offshore capital investment to further develop the capacity of the state to export and trade, so investment was very welcome.

“While there is some concern from business groups with the lowering of the threshold to $15 million, REIWA does not see this as a major threat to the incentive to invest in WA agriculture. Rather, rural agents consider that it creates transparency and provides further information around foreign investment levels in our state,” he said.

REIWA understands that no application for the purchase of agricultural land has been rejected by the FIRB to date.

The Prime Minister said that the Australian Tax Office will start collecting information on all new foreign investment in agricultural land from 1 July regardless of value.

Federal Government tightens foreign buyer rules

BINDOON (15 Acres) $539,000Lot 23 Cammeray Close Zoned rural residential this 15 acres, perched up high to capture valley views, is the stuff dreams are made of. Scheme water.

NV Property 3 www.nvnews.com. www.nvnews.com.

Northern Valleys Property...

Priced to sell! Check out these great buys

upper chittering 12.6 ac (5.1 ha) 99 Hart Drive

Enjoy spectacular views over the Chittering Valley and Lake Chittering. 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom with extensive verandas. Large 12m x 8m enclosed shed with power - good open flat area turnaround and access. The land is fenced into 5 paddocks and

would be ideal for horses plus has a bonus mixed fruit orchard and numerous water tanks.

Price Reduced TO $570,000

GINGIN 2.5 AC (1 HA) 112 McHavloe Drive Set high on Marchmont Estate this home offers spectacular views across the region. Built in 2008, this is a neat and tidy 4 bedroom, 2-bathroom

home with large open plan living kitchen, dining and lounge. Excellent infrastructure with a two car carport plus 10x6m shed /garage with power connected. The roof boasts 8 solar panels and a Solarhart 300 litre hot water system with booster.

The home is on scheme water plus has two rainwater tanks totaling 50,000 litres.

Price REDUCED TO $620,000

Aldridge calls for Department of Mines and Petroleum to prioritise public interest.

There needs to be greater transparency and easier access to information regarding potential contamination of land and water in onshore gas operations, according to Nationals WA Member for the Agricultural Region Hon Martin Aldridge MLC.

Mr Aldridge tabled a series of contamination reports relating to a site near Gingin in the Legislative Council on Thursday after months of applications and an arduous Freedom of Information process.

Mr Aldridge said despite the fact that no groundwater was found to be contaminated, the process and lack of information provided to neighbouring landholders and the community was not good enough.

“After an approach from concerned residents in late 2013, it has taken until now to get important information to those concerned,” Mr Aldridge said.

“It is extremely important to landholders to know that their groundwater is safe to use, and a period of time such as this can quite

rightly create unnecessary concern.”

The documents tabled were released by the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) and Department of Water (DoW), and include an important groundwater investigation report.

In releasing the documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1992, the DMP ruling made reference to the importance of this information to the public and the fact that the community has the right to be informed about issues affecting water quality.

Mr Aldridge said this ruling showed the importance of providing critical information to landholders and the public.

“The more information the public has about onshore gas operations and its impact on the environment, the more easily they will be able to make informed decisions about the industry,” Mr Aldridge said.

“The industry in Western Australia can only succeed with the support of the community and integral to that is transparency and accountability by industry and the regulator.

“We need to make sure the public can have confidence in what these

Aldridge calls for Department of Mines and Petroleum to prioritise public interest

Great Northern Highway - Muchea to Wubin Upgrade Stage 2COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSIONS TO DISCUSS OPTIONSThe preliminary design concepts developed as part of a planning review into the Great Northern Highway’s Muchea to Wubin link will be available to view at the following local community information sessions. Landowners, residents and business operators are invited to attend and provide feedback about the proposed road safety improvement options.

DATE VENUE TIME AREAS TO BE DISCUSSED

Thursday 19 March Bindoon Town Hall 5pm-7pm Muchea to Chittering, BindoonTuesday 24 March New Norcia Hotel 5pm-7pm New Norcia bypassWednesday 25 March Miling Recreation Hall 5pm-7pm Lyons Road East to Pithara,

including MilingTuesday 31 March Dalwallinu Recreation Centre (Oval Room) 5pm-7pm Dalwallinu bypass improvementsWednesday 1 April Wubin Golf Club 5pm-7pm Wubin realignment

EnquiriesTel: 1800 820 366Email: info@m2w.com.auWeb: www.m2w.com.au

adcorp F98169

Head office: (08) 9380 6191 24-26 Coghlan Road SUBIACO WAJackie Shervington 0419 045 783

NNcompanies do.”

In addition to tabling the documents, Mr Aldridge has also had discussions about regulations surrounding the industry with the Ministers for Water and Mines and Petroleum, as well as corresponding with Parliament’s Environment and Public

Affairs Committee, which is inquiring into the implications of hydraulic fracturing for the State.

For media enquiries please contact Martin Aldridge MLC on (08) 9324 3155 or email martin.aldridge@mp.wa.gov.au

NN Northern Valleys Property...

Northern Valleys News MARCH 2015NV Property 4 www.nvnews.com.au

Gingin Water Group

Gingin Water Group(GWG) has worked quietly over the past four years to understand and track the way the Department of Water(DOW) controls the use of water within the ground and surface systems across the Gingin region.

It has made many submissions and organised public forums as well as presented local issues to the DOW.

GWG must remain effective to allow the community an ongoing voice in the way our water is allocated across the full range of users.

Particularly so as pressures on the use of water increase.

The most pressing local issue where GWG can be of immediate benefit to the community is the need to gather and collate an ongoing set of reliable data on the health of the greater Gingin Brook system.

GWG has already commenced this monitoring and is set to take the 3rd round of readings at 20 sites used in the past by the DOW . The aim is for 2 -monthly readings initially is to build a baseline of data , then reduce to 4 per year. All data to be professionally collected and acceptable for DOW and community interpretation.

To be more meaningful to farmers and the community generally the data must accurately reflect the current situation.

At this point it does not. Most of the system is in private ownership , and government agencies are not inclined to venture there , due in part to the prohibitive cost to them.

The system is vast and varied with differing functions and uses . However , each landholder is well aware that his bit is just part of a greater whole , which needs a greater level of understanding if it is to pass successfully to our offspring.

Landholders with an interest in caring for this system are invited to help GWG build

the database of waterway conditions across the system.

The focus will be on the following areas:

• Mungala brook catchment including the Red Gully creeks and Whitfield brook;

• Gingin brook, Moondah brook and Wowra brook and Lennard brook in the east;

• Quinn brook;

• Gingin brook to the west;

• South Moore river before and after it joins with Gingin brook and to the ocean.

There are a number of project partners. Gingin Water Group will collect and collate the data. Gingin Shire and Moore Catchment Council have provided the monitoring meter. DOW and Chittering LCDC will provide input and training.Northern Agricultural Catchment Council( NACC) will fund a participant landholder explanation forum and provide an

explanation of short and long term goals. NACC officers and the GWG will explain how each landholder’s personal data and any photo monitoring will be protected and kept private.

Description of data collection:

• Each site will be selected in consultation with the landholder to represent the region chosen. It will be described using a standardised form for future comparison. It may be photographed using a program which allows exact reproduction over time. This operates from a mobile phone and is ideal to involve the landholder’s children in the process.

• Water monitoring is basic but scientifically instructive over time with proper analysis and repeatability. Parameters such as temperature, pH, oxygen content, salinity and turbidity will be collected.

• No water will be taken off the site. Chemical analysis is expensive and not necessary at this stage of the project.

Monitoring personnel:

• Currently monitoring is carried out primarily by 2 GWG committee members. Rodger Walker is a NACC regional NRM field officer and Lorraine is a local resident and waterways monitoring scientist (using borrowed equipment) volunteering her time. It is expected more landholders and community members will offer to become involved in this process , though this is by no means necessary to have your section monitored.

The most important thing landholders can do is offer to become involved in a project fundamental to understanding and tracking this changing system. Many can bring a lifetime of personal local observations to the program. The time is well overdue for this collective experience to be recorded and considered.

To find out more contact David Rickson 0427612918, drickson@bigpond.net.au or Rodger Walker 0408891502, rodger.walker@nacc.com.au.

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Gingin

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31°2

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! Major_Towns

Rivers0 2 41

Kilometres

MapGingin Brook Catchment

1:80,000Scale:1

Coordinate system: GDA94 MGA 50

13 Feb 2015Date:

Map number:

Notes:Insert notes if applicable

Data source:Roads - MainRoads WA - 2012Topography - Landgate - 2013250k Topography - Geoscience Australia - 2006

Size: A2!

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Disclaimer: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, no responsibil ity is accepted for the accuracy or completeness of the contents. No liability is accepted for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of nor reliance on the contents of this publication.

Created by: Rodger Walker.

Mungala Brook

Lennard Brook

Quinn Brook

Gingin Brook West

Wallering Brook

Moondah Brook

Wowra Brook

Gingin Brook

South Moore River

Head office: (08) 9380 6191 24-26 Coghlan Road SUBIACO WA Jackie Shervington 0419 045 783

Prime grazing country in Beermullah flats.

BEERMULLAH/GINGIN741 Bootine Road. A chance to secure some of the most sought after grazing land available, with a potential stocking rate of 150-200 cows with calves. Cattle yards with covered working area, water and power. Horticulture poten-tial with a 78,000 kl water licence. Quality mixed soil types - medium to heavy sandy loam suitable for horticulture.

Boasting excellent infrastructure with 3 hay sheds; 2 x 72ft x 30ft and 1 x 60ft x 25ft shed. Machinery shed 72ft x 30ft which includes accommodation; 2 bedroom, kitchen, lounge, office and bathroom. Power, water and telephone connected. This is wonderful country that always seems to get more than its share of local rainfall.

334ha (825 acres). 2 titles FOR SALE EOI

Community waterway monitoring projectInvitation for Landholder Participation

NN Northern Valleys Property...

www.nvnews.com.au NV Property 5

Head office: (08) 9380 6191 24-26 Coghlan Road SUBIACO WAJackie Shervington 0419 045 783

GINGIN/ CullullaThis architecturally designed homestead is of rammed earth construc-tion with generous glazing which fills the enormous living spaces with natural light. The home is grand by any measure; 1200sqm under roof. Extensive outdoor entertaining areas.Commercial size 120 ft size shed and tool shed. Abundant water; solar

bore, tanks, satellite and more. A formal dining room which is separated by a lengthy gallery creating many different living spaces in the home.Virgin bush covers 2/3 of the property with back third cleared, with two paddocks (around 300-400 acres) of gently undulating light soils.

825 Acres For sale Low $2mil

www.murchisonexploration.com.au

Grand estate on large acreage.

“Fencing Workshop”Saturday 14th March 2015 Chittering Landcare Centre.

Would you like to learn how to erect and maintain fencing on your own property? Fencing is a very useful skill to have and now you can come and learn this skill in a friendly environment. The workshop will run from 9am to 2pm, with lunch and morning tea provided. The cost for this workshop is $5, and free for members. To

RSVP call - 9571 0200. Please bring some gloves, hat and a water bottle.

Australia’s proximity to Asian markets, infrastructure quality and level of agricultural production are drawing an increasing number of global investors to its agribusiness sector – with WA assets high on the wish list, according to Colliers International.

Guests at an InvestWest Agribusiness Alliance event hosted by Colliers International were told by the agency’s National Rural and Agribusiness Director of Valuations, Alex Thamm that Australian assets were firmly on the radar of offshore investors – including fund managers, sovereign wealth funds, high net worth individuals and international corporates – with the historic Free Trade Agreement with China late last year and a lower Australian dollar delivering extra impetus.

“Our proximity to those key Asian markets is a major attraction for investors in the sector, and the falling dollar adds to that by improving affordability for offshore players and making us more competitive in export markets,” he said.

“The recent Free Trade Agreements, including the China FTA, are widely seen as a positive for Australian agribusiness and are expected to further boost confidence and demand for our produce.

“We have already seen a steady increase in the scale of foreign investment in our agribusiness sector, and we’d anticipate that will continue to grow.”

However, Mr Thamm said the view that foreign entities were taking over Australian farming and agri assets was not an accurate one.

“A recent study indicated there are around 160,000 farms in Australia today, and about 98 per cent of those are family owned,” he said.

“We haven’t been hearing a lot about those owners in recent years as many of them have been capital constrained or demonstrating caution around buying decisions, but they’re there.

“The investment of foreign capital is nothing new to our rural property markets, and history tends to tell us that we have little to be fearful of – our farms get

modernised, productive capacity improves and at the end of the day these properties aren’t going anywhere.

Large scale offshore investment tends to happen in waves and Australia should be heartened that it is a favoured destination at the moment.”

A whitepaper released by Colliers International and Grant Thornton on Monday (16 February) found low interest rates and the weaker Australian dollar were creating perfect market conditions for rural owner-operators to take advantage of sale and leaseback opportunities, freeing up capital to invest in their core business.

“In a market where the cash rate is easing and there’s a question mark over the performance of equity markets, a solid rural and agribusiness property with strong covenants and steady long-term yields make this type of investment very appealing,” said Mr Thamm.

In WA, 2014 saw a number of agribusiness transactions, with the acquisition of Jameson Farm at Wongan Hills by the Macquarie Bank Group’s Lawson Grains for in excess of $30 million one of the biggest.

While transactions in WA to date have generally been straightforward sales, Colliers International’s WA agribusiness specialist Greg O’Meara said 2015 may see the sale and leaseback option become more popular.

“These sort of deal structures suit pension fund and similar investors who are looking for a passive investment in rural land without the operational risk,” he said. “These investors are typically prepared to accept lower annual returns, but enjoy exposure to capital uplift in land values over time.”

Mr O’Meara said while rural land lacked the liquidity of other investments, it did not tend to display high levels of volatility either and this appealed to longer term, patient investors.

“Our proximity to Asia and our reputation in WA as the gateway to Australia for those markets puts us in a very good position to capture that investor interest and translate it into sales,” he said.

Offshore interest in Australian agribusiness on the rise

NN Northern Valleys Property...

Northern Valleys News MARCH 2015NV Property 6 www.nvnews.com.au

Jackie Shervington 0419 045 783Head Office: 24-26 Coghlan Road, SUBIACO WA 6008

Local and independent. Helping people buy and sell property in the Northern Valleys

BINDOON/mooliabeenee 97ac (39 ha) 1 Barn RoadRich soils and abundance of water including a

111,000kl water licence, make this a perfect small farming property. The property has nine paddocks plus the house block and includes 40 acres of 1st quality hay. Extensive farm infrastructure with cattle yards, feed bins and more. Plenty of farm

storage with a 60x40 feet shed, including ablution block. 4 x 2 well appointed home you can enjoy picturesque valley views from a large open plan kitchen, dining & lounge.FOR SALE EOI

UPPPER CHITTERING 83 AC ( 40 ha)5283 Great Northern Highway

This mud brick home has been lovingly renovated to create a charming 4 bedroom and 2 bathroom character home. Views of the Chittering Valley. Bo-nus renovated 1 bedroom cottage - granny flat or

guest house. Paddocks to the west could be home to a flock of sheep or run a few horses. For Sale Low $1 MiL

In August 2014, after many years of discussion and consideration, the Shire of Chittering commenced the process of reviewing the rating strategy for unimproved valuations in residential areas of the Shire.

This action is a requirement of the Local Government Act 1995 (Section 6.28) and was an undertaking that Council had given to the Community.

The consultation with affected landowners (1,642 properties) is now, six months later, complete. As such, at their February Ordinary Meeting, Council considered the Officer’s recommendation and resolved to; “Apply to the Minister for Local Government for a determination pursuant to Section 6.28 (1) of the

Local Government Act 1995, to change the Basis of Rates for properties detailed under Appendix 1.1 to Appendix 1.24 from Unimproved Value (UV) to Gross Rental Value (GRV) as the predominant use of the land of these properties have been determined to be residential or non-rural, not of a commercial rural nature.”

Twenty-four applications, comprising the 1,642 properties grouped into their relevant sub-divisions / areas, have been made to the Minister for Local Government for his assessment. Pending his approval, and subject to completion of the process by Landgate, it is envisaged that the new method of valuation will be applied to the rates notices issued for the 2015-2016 financial year.

Rating strategy review Update Shire of Chittering

The long awaited road upgrade was opened to traffic for the first time.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Member for the Agricultural Region, Jim Chown, welcomed the completion of the Bindi Bindi bends upgrade.

The $40m project, jointly funded by the State and Federal Governments, has realigned and widened the notoriously dangerous 11km stretch of the Great Northern Highway (GNH) south of the Miling town site.

Mr Chown said he had no doubt that the 1,200 vehicles that use the road each day on this busy freight route will enjoy the benefits of the upgrades.

“As a Dalwallinu local, I travelled that particular section of road many times and the upgrades are a vast improvement on previous driving conditions.” Mr Chown said

“Locals and transport operators have been calling for this upgrade for many years and I am extremely pleased that the Barnett Government has been able to heed their calls and deliver – it is great to see improved travel and transport efficiencies, but most importantly significant safety improvements, being realised by this important project.”

Construction has already started on the second stage from Batty Bog to Walebing, due for completion by late 2015.

Mr Chown said that it was thanks to sound management by the

State Government and Main Roads that the project was delivered under budget and before schedule. He said it was crucial to ensure that the GNH, which forms part of the National Land Transport Network, is upgraded and maintained to a high standard to ensure transport safety and efficiencies.

“The GNH is a critical lifeline to the Mid and North-West Regions of this State, which are the powerhouse of the Australian economy.” Mr Chown said “This upgrade is an absolute boon for not only local communities, transport operators, tourists and the broader Western Australian community but also the nation as a whole.”

Bindi Bindi completed!

L to R - Proud Main Road’s staff holding the ribbon as the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister for Transport, Hon Jim Chown MLC, officially opens the Bindi Bindi Bends upgrade in a ribbon cutting ceremony. L to R: Hon Brian Ellis MLC, Member for the Agricultural Region, Jim Chown, local Member Shane Love MLA, Hon Marty Aldridge MLC, Hon Paul Brown MLC and Cr Ken Seymour, Moora Shire Council.

www.nvnews.com.au NV Property 7

NNNorthern Valleys Property...

upper chittering

119ac (48 ha) 3x2 brick and iron homestead with bull-nose verandahs. Country style kitchen with wonder-ful views of Lake Chittering through the large bay window.

Sheds – 30’x20’ fully enclosed workshop/garage. Concrete floor and power. 75’x40’ fully enclosed with power and concrete floor.

Divided into three paddocks with excellent soil type. The property is presently running cattle and cropping. 5462 Great Northern Highway For Sale low $1mil

This quality two-storey home is only one street back from Moore River and Silver Creek, so you can literally walk down with your fishing rod or kayak and be at the water’s edge in a couple of minutes.

The home is only 6 years old and has been beautifully maintained. Downstairs it has a huge kitchen, tastefully appointed with dishwasher, walk-in pantry, vinyl wrap cabinetry and built-in wine rack. The kitchen and living areas feature beautiful sandstone floor tiles.

The spacious master bedroom and ensuite are downstairs, ideal for an older couple or parents who want their own space away from the kids.

Upstairs are three good-sized bedrooms, two with large built-in robes. The central activity room has a built-in study desk and opens out to a massive balcony.

At the back of the house is an awesome enclosed patio, featuring sandstone flooring, raked timber ceiling and full-height tinted windows. It’s designed to be used all year round, with a ceiling fan and wood heater.

The home has reverse-cycle air conditioning throughout, split systems downstairs and ducted upstairs.

The garden is absolutely spectacular, and welcomes an abundance of bird life throughout the year. It was awarded Guilderton’s Native Garden of the Year in 2012. It’s fully reticulated from a bore, and the property backs onto farmland, giving a real sense of

space and privacy. There is also a lockable workshop, carport and open patio.

You won’t find anything of this quality on the market in Guilderton right now.

Feature ProPerty69 Moore river Drive Guilderton $699,000

Country Values Real EstateCraig Hyne 0448 825 833So much more

Jackie Shervington 0419 045 783Spectacular views of Lake Chittering

Listing your propertyIf you are considering listing your property for sale one of the first decisions you will make is whether to chose an exclusive listing or a non exclusive listing.

Exclusive Selling Agency Agreement: a vendor engages the agency on an exclusive basis to market and sell the property.

Non-Exclusive Selling Agency Agreement: a vendor appoints more than one agency to market and sell the property, on a non-exclusive basis. Commission is paid to the successful agency who secures a sale.

I’d like to try and explain why some agents are hesitant and often even refuse to take on a non-exclusive listing.

In the case of a non exclusive listing, the thinking is that with more agents competing against each other to sell it that they’ll all be working much harder to get the sale.

This might be true in the initial couple of weeks but there is a risk you have created an environment of “all care and no responsibility”.

From an agent’s point of view there is a real risk that under a non exclusive you can put in quite a bit of work only to be pipped at the post by another agent who gets lucky and gets the sale.

There is also the risk the agent will be less inclined to be trying to get you the best possible price as all they want is a sale before another agent sells it.

In my experience there is also less motivation to spend time nurturing every lead and better understanding the property as there is a risk the efforts may never pay off.

In the case of exclusive listings, the listing agent has some control over the listing and the marketing of the property. Also the vendor will have an agent that is 110% devoted to selling the property.

The other risk of non-exclusive is that potential buyers see three adverts for the same property, they often think the owners are desperate.

Ultimately it is the sellers choice - take care it is an important decision. It is also worth noting that most properties today are researched online.

Jackie Shervington 0419 045 783

NN Northern Valleys Property...

80 Warren Rd, Bullsbrook Zoned Industrial 6.1843ha

Situated on Warren Road, the property is in a highly stra-tegic location in the rezoned Bullsbrook South Industrial Zone and ideally suited to trucks. It is located in close proximity to Stock Rd, which will be the road train access into Northlink WA, scheduled to commence in 2016 and finish in 2019.

The property has a large street frontage of 150m with a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom fibro house, large 8 car shed and is connected to Western Power. As an an added bonus there is a 1150kl water licence with bore and good quality water.

For Sale EOI

Zoned Townsite. Large corner lot 4743m2. For Sale EOI168 Great Northern Hwy, Existing commercial single storey shop/retail storeZoned townsite the 4743sqm corner block offers extensive commercial opportunities. High traffic location with sub-division potential.The site is strategically positioned on the Great Northern Highway which will continue to be the main link to the north.

Bindoon Commercial opportunity

Bullsbrook Industrial

Northern Valleys News MARCH 2015NV Property 8 www.nvnews.com.au

GINGIN, Coonabidge

124.6 HA Sub division approval

2 Range Rd, Approved for subdivision into 9 lots with some of the work already done. Entry Statements constructed, lot surveys and pegging done, full exte-rior fencing, some roadworks started and both electricity and telephone available.

Low $700s

GINGIN Development

reaL eState tIPS by Jackie Shervington

Pricing your property I recently had the opportunity to chat with a collegue of mine who runs a very successful Perth real estate company.

We discussed pricing tactics for the current dull market. He offered a share market analogy. If the share price is $4.50 and the seller is selling at $5.00 then they are not “in” the market but rather “on” the market.

Okay - a pretty simple supply and demand equation which I couldn’t argue with.

I was stirred when he suggested that agent’s are getting in the way of a sale as they support higher prices. I presented the case that in a buyers market people will negotiate on price and the agents job is to secure the highest price. His response had me stumped - yes but there is a risk buyers will ignore your property and direct their attention to a lower priced competitive property rather than negotiate on yours.

I’m not certain how much of what he said can be directly translated from the Western Suburbs (numerous buyers and sellers) to a market like the Northern Valleys which has less depth. Each property is unique and owners’ circumstances dictate the pricing strategies but nonetheless the market is where “willing buyer” meets “willing seller”. Head Office: 24-26 Coghlan Road, SUBIACO WA 6008

14 www.nvnews.com.au Northern Valleys News MArCH 2015

Northern Valleys fooD celebrating local produceNN

www.stringybarkwinery.com.au

talk to the chefwith David Stott of Stringybark Winery

Chocolate cup, sorbet, with

strawberries and berry coulis

Last chance to indulge in summer strawberries and mangosAs summer draws to an end, (hard to believe, gone so quick) now is the time to enjoy the best sweet strawberries and mangos at the markets. They are in abundance, prices are low and quality is excellent.

It’s a good time to make fresh mango chutney to go with winter curries and of course strawberry jam for scones with cream. One of my favourites is a mixture of raspberries and strawberries with a dash of lemon juice. The lemon juice really brings out the flavours of the fruit.

This month I have a quick and easy recipe for you to enjoy and impress your friends and family, as you enjoy the last of the hot sunny days and warm nights.

I hope you enjoy this mouth-watering dessert as much as I do.

Chef David signing off for now Happy Cooking

DID you kNoW? 1. A dash of Balsamic vinegar and a pinch of

cracked black pepper added to strawberries bring out the best of their flavour.

2. Strawberries are great to eat with cheddar cheese and blue cheese. The sweetness of the strawberries counteracts the strong flavours of the cheese.

3. Adding a fruit alcohol to strawberries makes fantastic compote, to go on ice-creams.

4. Sprinkle icing sugar over half a mango, place under a hot grill and your mango becomes like a crème Brulèe, with that lovely sugar crisp coating.

5. Mangos make the best smoothies or ice frappes

farmgate update

Water for Food projects to boost irrigated agricultureThe second phase of the royalties for regions-funded Water for Food project is set to roll out following an announcement from Water Minister Mia Davies MLA last week.

Nationals Member for the Agricultural region, Hon Martin Aldridge MLC welcomed the announcement, saying projects in the Agricultural region highlight the importance of the region to WA’s food future.

“Investing into the future of our agricultural water supply is imperative to ensure our agricultural businesses are able to continue to adapt and expand,” Mr Aldridge said.

“This project will provide opportunities for businesses to grow, to increase our economic diversity and strengthen our communities.”

The $4.7million Midlands Groundwater and Land Assessment project will undertake detailed groundwater investigation to determine the quality and quantity of groundwater in the

Midlands region between Gingin and Dongara.

Mr Aldridge said the investigation would potentially provide significant gains for local business and primary producers, with Department of Water estimates putting the amount of available groundwater at 90 gigalitres per year.

“Gingin and the Mid West currently irrigate just under 4000 hectares of agricultural land,” Mr Aldridge said.

“With this Water for Food investment there’s no reason we can’t lay a foundation to allow producers to increase production levels by up to 300 per cent.”

The Water for Food Project is aimed at accelerating water investigations and optimising production of irrigated agriculture over the next 40 years.

The $40million program is part of The Nationals WA’s ‘Seizing the Opportunity in Agriculture’ initiative.

For more information on Water for Food visit http://www.water.wa.gov.au

Whats IN sEasoNFruits:

apples banana, berries , blackberry , blueberry , boysenberry , loganberry, raspberry , strawberry, fig, grapes, guava, kiwifruit, lemon, lychee, mango, melons, honeydew , rock melon, watermelon, nectarine, orange, Valencia, passion fruit, peach, pears, plums, prickly pear, rhubarb, star fruit, tamarillo.

Vegetables:

avocado , beans (butter , green and snake), capsicum, celery, chili, cucumber, daikon, eggplant, leek, lettuce, okra, onions (brown, salad and spring) peas (green, snow and sugar snap), radish, squash, sweetcorn, tomato, zucchini and zucchini flowers.

1. 2 x Chocolate Cups (available at supermarkets)

2. 500 ml sorbet (available at supermarkets)

3. 200g of fresh sweet strawberries

4. 100g frozen Blueberries (liquidised with a little sugar, passed through sieve )

5. Whipped cream

6. Cocoa powder to dust

7. Sprig of mint

Method

1. On two chilled plates, place a small amount of whipped cream in the centre of each plate

2. Place chocolate cup on top of cream

3. Add 3 scoops of Mango sorbet, in middle of choc cup

4. Fill cup with strawberries

5. Spoon blueberry coulis around outside of plate

6. Garnish with mint

7. Dust with icing sugar and cocoa powder

8. Sit back and enjoy

Tamieka Preston tamieka@nvnews.com.au

Local mangoes are no longer available with Avalon orchard finishing up their picking in the first week of March. It’s the lower-yield year in the 2 year cycle of their mango trees, so we can look forward to a slightly longer season next year. Hopefully you got an extra box and froze them for smoothies!

Locally grown, fresh and frozen berries are the talk of the town at the moment, and Northern Valleys residents are lucky enough to be able to buy them direct from Berry Sweet on Neaves rd, Bullsbrook.

Berry Sweet strawberries are $20 for 5 large punnets – and I think they are sweeter and redder than the supermarket punnets!

They also have their own frozen rasberries and blackberries for sale (from their Pemberton farm) and frozen blueberries from regans Ford. These amazing berries are still only $10 a kilo, so stock up your freezer as availability is limited. NOTE – these are classified as seconds and may not appear pristine – that’s why they are only $10 people – instead of $8 for a 300gm box!!! Rest assured though, they are packed and handled to Australian standards and do not contain Hepatitus A! They also

taste fantastic and are genuinely good for you.

The clever ladies at Berry Sweet have also made a particularly yummy spicy strawberry chutney, which is a great gift or addition to a summer cheese platter. If you are on your way to town, or returning, be sure to stop in for a delicious frozen berry icy pole and a coffee when you pick up your fruit.

Brigette and Lee-Anne at Berry Sweet

15 www.nvnews.com.au

small landholder newsWith Jodie Whitfield, Manager Small Landholder Information Service, Department of Agriculture and Food, W.A.

Say goodbye to summer for another year! Now it’s time to start preparing for the cooler weather of autumn and winter.

Weed control at this time of year is all about planning. Before the break of the season it is important that you give some thought to your winter weed control strategy. From last year’s paddock records you should have a good idea of what weeds were present in the pasture and it is useful to consider what the paddock will be used for and the weed burden that may be present.

Ensure any fallen or unmarketable fruit is removed and/or destroyed to reduce pest and disease pressure and maintain your baiting and monitoring programs for Mediterranean fruit fly.

If you own livestock it is important to practice good personal hygiene when

working with your animals. Some animals carry pests and diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Infectious diseases that are able to be transmitted between animals and humans are known as zoonoses. To reduce your risk of catching diseases like scabby mouth, Q fever and leptospirosis from cattle and sheep, wear gloves where possible and do not handle any stock that have lesions without gloves. Wash your hands and clothing thoroughly after tending to your stock, keep any cuts and sores hygienically covered and wear protective equipment when medicating your stock. If you notice unusual signs of disease in your stock or have unexpected deaths, contact your private vet, DAFWA vet or the Emergency Animal Disease hotline on 1800 675 888.

Pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb disease) and hypocalcaemia (milk fever) often affect lambing ewe flocks at this time of year and have similar signs but different causes. These diseases can be avoided by providing

adequate nutrition and minimising herding and yarding of ewes in late pregnancy.

Order soil amendments and fertiliser now so that they will be on hand to apply during winter. If you are going to employ a contractor to apply your fertiliser or soil amendments book them early as they can become booked out.

Feral animals will be at their hungriest until autumn rains bring new growth. Ensure protective fencing barriers around native tree plantings are secure and continue to exclude rabbits and other pests.

It is important if you own dogs that they are not permitted to wander your farm or neighbouring properties. Dogs can kill young or small stock, frighten larger animals and cause serious injury. Concerns about stray dogs and dog attacks on your property should be directed to your local shire ranger.

Until next time, Jodie. facebook.com/DAFWAsmalllandholders small_landholder@agric.wa.gov.au.

NorthErN VallEys garDENINgwith Linsey Riddle of the Facebook page Northern Valleys Plants, cuttings and seeds for sale and swap free.

Wow – wasn’t it nice to receive 23.4mm of rain in February? It was such a well needed relief for the garden. Unfortunately it came with thunderstorms and lightning strikes which caused quite a few fires. We still need to make sure we are bushfire ready and keep the area around our houses clear. With the recent strong easterly winds, I’ve noticed quite a few branches have snapped off trees so these will also have to be moved away from the house. A big thank you must go to our career and volunteer fire brigade for the great job they do at keeping us and our homes safe.

The latest plants I’ve added to my garden are two beautiful big Lagerstroemia Indica ‘Comanche’ (Crepe Myrtles.) They have made a stunning addition to the garden with their coral pink flowers that can flower for up to 80 days in warmer areas from early-to-mid-summer. Hopefully it won’t be long until they are providing very welcome shade. They are deciduous trees growing to a height of approx. 6m tall and 4m wide. They are also moderately drought and heat tolerant.

Another welcome addition to my garden was a couple of ‘Aussie Delight’ Australian Native Hibiscus. These have prolific pale pink perfumed flowers with glossy green leaves on attractive red stems. They grow approx. 2m high and 1.5m wide. Once established they will take periods of drought, light frost, high heat and humidity. An added bonus is that their flower petals can be used to make jams and cordials. You can also propagate by placing cuttings in water.

My top tips for this month:

• Bulbs are available in late summer and early autumn for planting in autumn once the soil has cooled. Daffodils are best planted in March or April, after the first autumn rains and once the heat of summer has passed.

• Autumn is a great time for transplanting and propagating as there is still enough time for plant growth.

• Add organic compost and blood and bone to the garden to give it a real boost and enrich the soil.

• March is the time to sow kale, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, peas, broad beans, spinach, leeks, turnips, spring onions and Asian greens such as Chinese cabbage, bok choy and wombok. Vegetables will need to be fed regularly during the growing season to encourage a strong root system and healthy foliage.

• March is also the time to sow alyssums, calendulas, carnations, dianthus, lobelia, pansies, poppies, primulas, sweet peas, and violas.

• Feed roses, potted plants and lawns with slow-release fertilizer for growth before the cooler weather sets in.

• Prune natives to tidy them up, prevent woody growth and keep compact.

• Save money and keep perennials such as agapanthus, native irises and clivias healthy by lifting and dividing them. You could also trade them with friends, family or a neighbour.

• Nothing beats the taste of fresh basil but, if you’d like to have some for your winter dishes, you can pick and dry it or paint both sides of the leaves with olive oil, wrap in plastic and freeze.

• Remember to stop, find a shady spot, smell the roses, sit back, have a drink and enjoy your hard work!

For more inspirational gardening ideas and advice from locals join my Facebook group. Get local updates, sell, swap or share plants,

cuttings and seeds.

Nature Notes What native species are flowering?Marri (Corymbia calophylla) is flowering very well this year although there have been reports nectar production is not as good as in some years. Marri is an important source of food for honeyeaters and parrots. You may have noticed bunches of flowers scattered on the ground under trees as a result of parrots feeding. Also coming into bloom in March are Firewood Banksia (Banksia menziesii) and Acorn Banksia (B. prionotes). These are large shrubs or trees with the familiar cylindrical flower heads. The Fox Banksia (B. sphaerocarpa) is a shrub with flowers in a round head and needle like leaves. It can be seen flowering in sandy and lateritic soils at this time of year.

WeedsNarrow-leaf Cottonbush is flowering and many of the pods are now ripening and starting to open. removing seed pods now before seeds disperse will greatly help in the reduction of the spread of these plants. Also flowering now is Stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens), Flax-leaf Fleabane (Conyza bonariensis), Golden Crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides) and several other members of the daisy family. A number of weedy members of the grass family also flower in March including African Lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula), Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) and Parramatta Grass (Sporobolus africanus).

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) also flowers in March. It is a free-floating aquatic plant with attractive mauve flowers but is considered one of the world’s worst water weeds. It was introduced as an ornamental pond and water garden plant and may still be found in these places. When it gets into freshwater lakes and watercourses it can completely cover them causing a great deal of environmental, economic and social damage. It is a Weed of National Significance which is not currently established in the wild in Western Australia. To prevent it becoming established and spreading in Western Australia it is declared as a C2 pest plant throughout the state. This means any plants seen must be reported, it is illegal to introduce it or move it or its seeds around within the state or to supply it to others within WA and any plants found must be destroyed. If you think you have seen this plant either in a natural area or garden or being sold or given away it should be reported to the Pest and Disease Information Service on 1800 084 881.

NN It’s your community

  NORTHERN  VALLEYS  –  PLANTS,  CUTTINGS,  SEEDS  FOR  SALE,  SWAP  FREE  

16 www.nvnews.com.au

What is QCPP & Why is it Important?The staff and premises at Bindoon Pharmacy have just undergone their biannual Quality Care Pharmacy Program (QCPP) audit and have been re-issued with their accreditation status for another two years. It’s always a lot of effort but the glowing comments we received are a rewarding result and a confirmation that the service provided by Bindoon Pharmacy to the local Northern Valleys area is constantly of a high standard (which matches what many of our customers also like to tell us!).

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s QCPP is a quality assurance program for community pharmacy, and provides support and guidance on professional health services and pharmacy business operations. By increasing the number of accredited pharmacies in Australia, QCPP aims to ensure that community pharmacies provide quality professional services and customer care. There are now over 95% of pharmacies accredited across Australia.

To ensure that pharmacies meet the Australian Standard they must undergo an external audit every two years. These audits are conducted by QCPP Licensed Assessors and are designed to protect the

integrity of the program. The assessors are trained professionals with a background in the pharmacy

industry. random assessment visits are also used to assess the maintenance of QCPP standards in accredited pharmacies.

There are many benefits of QCPP to pharmacy customers; including a higher level of professional and customer service at their local pharmacy, assurance that their pharmacy conforms to industry and professional standards, confidence that their pharmacy has mechanisms in place to identify and eradicate any customer issues or problems, confidence that their pharmacy staff are trained to refer the best level of assistance, and that they will not provide advice in areas outside their area of responsibility. In short it means that their local pharmacy team is dedicated to meeting customers’ health care needs and providing excellent customer care.

Well done to all the staff at Bindoon Pharmacy – Lorraine, Samantha, Nicole, Jess, Mitchell, Kate and Brodie, pharmacists Michelle, Colin and John, all led by manager Craig and prioprietor Carolyn. Be sure to come in and say Congratulations when you’re next passing by!

The staff at Gingin Pharmacy are also currently accredited and will be undergoing their QCPP re-assessment later this year.

Chittering PhysiotheraPy

cd

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(Tuesday and Thursday)Chittering Community

Health CentreGreat Northern Hwy, BindoonPhone: 0427 198 278

Judy DennisBSc PT, Grad Dip PT, Dip PT

Spinal Pain RehabilitationArthritic Pain

Skeletal ProblemsMuscle Dysfunction

Ante Natal EducationCoordination ProblemsRespiratory Conditions

Neurological ConditionsWestern Health Clients

Sports Injury RehabilitationHand Injury Rehabilitation

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Diabetes and Exercise EducationContinence Advice

and AssistanceOver 55 Exercise Classes

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keeping Monday -Friday 9am - 5:30

Saturday 9am - 5pmSunday 9am - 2pm

GinGin PharmacyOpen Monday to Friday 9am – 5:30pm, Saturday

9am – 1pm.

Phone 9575 2331

Northern Valleys News MArCH 2015

Post your Classifieds on the Northern Valleys News facebook page

It’s frEE!

Are you suffering from...q Neck or back painq Headachesq Arthritisq Shoulder and knee problemsq Sports or work injuries

No referral is required and appointments are available at :

Bullsbrook Medical Centre: 9571 1478

Bindoon Medical Centre: 0418 409 475

Dr Keith Brown, ChiropractorBSc BChiro(Hons) ICSSD (Sports)

If you are - call to make an appointment

a

a

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16 Cancers‘16 Cancers’ is Make Smoking History’s brand new, hard-hitting campaign which highlights both the common and lesser known cancers that can be caused by smoking and emphasises the immediate and long-term consequences these cancers can have on a person’s life.

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including 69 carcinogens, or chemicals known to cause cancer. When you inhale cigarette smoke, these chemicals enter your lungs and spread throughout your body. Many of the chemicals in tobacco smoke are toxic and can cause damage to your cells which can lead to the

Walking found to be the most popular form of Physical Activity amongst Australians We already know that more than half of the Australian adult population is not active enough to gain health benefits and being inactive is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease – the number one killer of both Australian men and women.

recently, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released figures

showing a disturbing decrease in the number of Australians participating in sport and recreation over the last four years. Overall, 60 per cent of Australians aged 15 years and over participated in sport and physical recreation at least once in 2013-14, compared with 65 per cent in 2011-12.

The ABS figures showed that among those Australians who were physically active, walking was the most popular activity.

The Heart Foundation’s National CEO, Mary Barry, said the charity’s flagship program, Heart Foundation Walking

aims to recruit thousands of walkers in 2015 to help Aussies live more active, healthier lives.

“Walking for just 30 minutes a day can help you maintain a healthy weight, increase fitness and strength, improve your self esteem and mental health, and cut your risk of heart disease by as much as 30 per cent,” Ms Barry said.

“Heart Foundation Walking groups walk regularly all over Australia and are a great way to have fun, meet new people and look after your heart health.

Heart Foundation Walking has more than 1300 groups that meet and walk regularly all over Australia and are a great way to have fun, meet new people and look after your heart health.

For further information and details of a walking group near you call the Heart Foundation on 1300 36 27 87 or visit walking.heartfoundation.org.au

Heart Foundation Walking is funded nationally by the Medibank Community Fund and the ACT Government through ACT Health.

development of many diseases like cancer.

Lung cancer was the first major disease linked causally to cigarette smoking. There is now sufficient evidence that smoking is a risk factor for 16 types of cancer: lung, mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomache, bowel, liver, pancreas, nasal cavity and sinuses, voice box, cervix, ovary, bladder, kidney, ureter and bone marrow.

The new advertisements finish with the line ‘There are 16 different types of cancer caused by smoking... and you have one clear way to reduce your risk’.

If you would like more information on how to quit, please see the website http://makesmokinghistory.org.au/ or your local Health Promotion Officer, who runs quit smoking sessions – Marissa on 9652 0200.

17 www.nvnews.com.au

NNBusiness... NN

Northern Valleys News on facebook!follow us and keep in touch with your region

text-to-speech appsBy Daryl du Plessis - daryl@chitteringit.com

If you spend a lot of time reading electronic documents then it may be worth giving your eyes a rest and let your mobile device do it for you. Apple’s iOS has a built in feature for accessibility purposes that allows you to select a block of text (whether it is in an email, on a webpage or a PDF document) and you can then convert the text to speech. You can turn the text-to-speech (TTS) feature on in the accessibility area of the settings app. While this is useful it is limited as you have to manually select the text you want read, which can be a tricky process. Another option is to use an app that can read text automatically. Voice Dream is an app I have been using to read articles for me while

I am driving. It costs $13 on the app store and comes standard with the built in iOS voice and one other voice. You can purchase additional voices that have a more natural intonation as well as US, British or Australian accents. These range in price from $3.74 to $6.49. There are a few free TTS alternative apps such as SpeakPad and Voice Generator, they also have the option to purchase additional voices.

For Android tablets there are several TTS apps. There is the built in Google TTS and if you have a Samsung device there is also the Samsung TTS. These can be configured under the Settings | Language and input menu. The built in engine is not supported by all apps but you can use it to read Google Play books. Ivona Text-To-Speech is a third party app that has more natural sounding voices and is currently in beta (so is free). Once again you can purchase additional voices in the app. Happy reading.

tech

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Call Jackie Shervington 0419 045 783

Andrew joined WAMIA in February 2015 coming from a property role within Western Power. Prior to Western Power, he held a range of financial, strategic and operational roles across a number of Wesfarmers divisions over a 14 year period. He was heavily involved in the successful acquisition of Howard Smith Limited by Wesfarmers in 2001 and a number of other business

improvement initiatives. Andrew’s background includes the dairy industry, the timber industry, retail, chemicals and fertilisers.

He holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Business Law), a Post Graduate Diploma in Business (Economics and Financial Management) and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance.

Business sundowner Attention: All Businesses in the region.Business networking opportunity plus

hear from guest speaker:

Government response a disappointmentWAFarmers is extremely disappointed with the State Government’s response to the Economic and Industry Standing Committee report into the management of Western Australia’s Freight rail network.

WAFarmers President Dale Park says this response demonstrates the Government’s lack of respect for the considerable efforts of Mr Blayney and the rest of the Committee.

“The Committee worked hard to find solutions and made some good recommendations which the Government has taken almost no notice of,” Mr Park said.

“Government policy on this issue is obviously in tatters and even Minister Nalder has admitted the Strategic Grain Network report is out of date.

“Given the current state of the roads, as a result of the Tier 3 rail line closures, this is of grave concern,” Mr Park said.

The Shire of Cunderdin recently closed the Cunderdin - Quairading road to heavy vehicles after an inspection revealed that the road had sustained damage to the surface and sub-surface from continual heavy movements of road trains.

The Council stated on their website that they believe the damage “is an extreme safety hazard for other vehicular traffic on the road which includes school bus and many light vehicles.”

“The State Government might not think they have a responsibility to look after rail in WA but they obviously have a responsibility towards the road,” Mr Park said.

Andrew williamsnew Ceo of wAMiA

A chance to engage and meet the new guy

Wednesday 1st April Members & non members welcome

6.00pm onwards at Bindoon Bakehaus$20 members $25 non members.

RSVP by 27.3.15chitteringcc@gmail.com or 0438 860 022

Calling Local Business for Advertising In the next edition of the annual

Contact Barni Norton Email; chittering.directory@bigpond.com Or phone 08 9576 1978 or 0419 964 909 view the current 2013/2014 edition online at www.chittering.com

Northern Valleys News MArCH 201518 www.nvnews.com.au

church NotIcEsANGliCAN CHuRCH

(Marion Bird 9576 2054, John Broad 9576 0311)

Bindoon 2nd and 4th Sundays of month at 9.30am

Gingin 1st Sunday of month 8 am 3rd Sunday of month 9.30 am

uNitiNG CHuRCH (Marian Crew, 9575 1357)

Worship 2nd and 4th Sunday 10amSEVENtH DAy ADVENtiSt

(9576 0085)Bible Study 9.30am to 10.30am,

Divine Service 11am to 12 noon every Saturday, Bindoon

BENEDiCtiNE MoNAStERy New Norcia 9654 8018

Parish Priest: Abbot John Herbert OSB Weekend Mass times: Sunday 9am

CAtHoliC CHuRCH (Fr Paul Fox ph 9571 8068)

Sat Vigil: St Catherine’s Gingin 6pm Sunday: St Anne’s Bindoon 7.30am Bullsbrook Shrine-Church 9.30am

Immaculate Heart College, 34 Santa Gertrudis Drive, Lower Chittering

Sunday 5pm Mass.MuCHEA – BullSBRook CHRiStiAN FElloWSHiP

Lowery Park Hall,End of Parklands Rd., Bullsbrook. 9576 1326

Worship Service every Sunday 10amGAtEWAy CHuRCH

(0437 411 227 or 9571 8610) Pickett Park Hall, Sundays 10amCHRiStiAN FElloWSHiP NoN-DENoMiNAtioNAl WoRSHiP.

(Jac 0412873447)GINGIN CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

Cnr. Brockman & Robinson Streets, Gingin.

Meeting: Every Sunday - 10 am Sunday School available

Ph: Barry & Alison - 9575 3089 or Judy - 9577 2938ANGLICAN PARISH

WONGAN HILLSKathy Barrett-Lennard kathybl@bordernet.com.au

St Peters Anglican Church Wongan Hills weekly Sun and Tuesdays 9am

BuDDHA MANDALA MONASTERY

8 Lewis Road ChitteringFor enquiries, Ph: 9571 8286

between 12.00 noon to 1pm, or email: bmmoffice8@gmail.com

Solutions to last month’s sudoku

NN It’s your community...

PoNDErINgs By Alex Douglas

Every day we make countless decisions and judgements that effect our lives. Where to go; why to go; when to go; who to go with; what to do there; how to do it. All require the power to apply reason and logic, right? Wrong!

Firstly, deciding to remove your hand from a hot stove seems to require neither logic nor reasoning. Pain will do the trick! Instinct is instant decision based on experience and incredibly rapid reasoning. Hand hurts - stove is causing pain – move hand! Very quick but still reasoning. reason is necessary to any practical decision-making, instinctive or not. Logic, on the other hand, frequently contradicts practicality to a staggering degree.

Someone once claimed giving a chimpanzee a typewriter and infinite time would eventually reproduce the works of Shakespeare. Despite our natural inability to visualise infinity, we must concede the truth in the statement. After all, given eternity to work with, all things must be possible, right? Wrong. Typewriters don’t last forever, and neither do chimpanzees. To counter these failings we have to invent a totally indestructible typewriter and breed an immortal chimpanzee. Not entirely practical solutions given nature’s unwritten law against anything lasting forever. Let’s try another tack.

Suppose we work with the concept of time being forever, all we need to do is keep replacing the other components. An infinite number of chimpanzees wielding an infinite number of typewriters. (Imagine the noise!) That’s starting to sound like it may work. But wait. An infinite number of chimps would require feeding, with an infinite quantity of chimp tucker; unless, since we have an endless supply of the beasties, we let them work ‘til they starve. Of course, we will end up with an infinity of dead chimps, which could produce a few problems. Then there is the fact that living chimps have to breathe and we have a limited supply

of oxygen on earth. Lots, it’s true, but not enough to last forever at the suggested rate of consumption. So we must now conceive another infinity. An infinite supply of air on a limitless planet, capable of accommodating countless apes pounding typewriters beyond number, while dense carpets of their predecessors lie decomposing around them. All of which can only occur if the universe is guaranteed to be never-ending and never-changing – which, of course, it’s not! So before we start trying to conjure up imperishable universes, let’s just review where pure logic has taken us.

It is all logically possible, as long as we have an infinite amount of whatever we fancy to play with. Time, primate livestock, machinery, food (or carrion-eaters), air, and space for all the foregoing. But, alas, there’s no logical guarantee that anything is infinite. Confused? I am!

The practical aspects of working with chimps, maintaining typewriters and similar mundane considerations undermine the effects of the logic. It’s logical but not practical to follow the “chimp with a typewriter” theory too far. And what about the elements of animal cruelty, slave labour and protests from the typists’ union, if there is one? Is it all worth it? And when all is said and done, how much do we really need a reproduction of Shakespeare’s works anyway? Won’t the copies we’ve already got serve our purposes? It’s not logical to want another! After all, he hasn’t produced anything new for years!

Thanks for your time.

tHOUGHt FOR tHE MONtH

Tony Webb, former editor Chittering Times

Jockeying for position.Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Our Body Balance instructor at our local health club threw out a challenge.” I want to see you in a different position every time” she said, “not crowded at the back”. Some of us followed her instructions, there was a hostile reaction from some of those that claimed the same spot every week. It reminded me of a time in Bindoon, the CEO refused to start the council meeting as someone was sitting in the seat of a well known identity. True story. Have you ever noticed that those with the most to say stand at the back, I think it takes courage to sit in the front row,

We welcome your local community events & information.

Please email to Jackie@nvnews.com.au or Phone: 0419 045 783

WORDLINESS by XIV

We are all familiar with rhyming slang. It seems to have originated in the East End of London in the 1840s. It was first written down in 1859. It is an every-growing ever-changing phenomenon. And it is indelibly associated with the Cockneys. But who or what are the Cockneys? We are told that it means those born within the sound of Bow Bells. Being born a Cockney hasn’t always been easy to do. In 1666, the church of St Mary-le-Bow was burned down in the Great Fire and not rebuilt until 1680. Again, in 1940 the bells were silenced all over England and the church was

bombed in 1941 and the bells were destroyed. They were replaced in 1961. So on at least two occasions there were no bells, so no Cockneys!

But who coined the word Cockney? During the reign of Henry II (1154-89) a poem referred to a “King of Cockney” meaning King of London. Certainly during the Middle Ages there were myths about a Utopia called Cockaigne, sometimes misspelt as Cockayne, Cocknay, or Cockney, and used, sarcastically, to refer to London. It would seem that the name came to mean an inhabitant and by 1520 was being used as an impolite name for city folk generally, with a suggestion of them being soft compared to country folk. History has shown that this is not the case!

rAINFALL DATA recorded at 150 Bindoon-Moora road, Bindoon

2014/2015

This month 32 years Ave

Rainfall

Progressive total

Rain days mm Rain days mm

Month This mth

Last year

This month

Last year

This year

Last year

This year

Last year

March 1 4 3.5 60.5 15.4 4 10 4.9 85.9

April 5 6 49.2 17.7 22.1 9 16 54.1 103.6

May 16 12 107.4 74.1 77.4 25 28 161.5 177.7

June 8 7 97.6 12.4 93.3 33 35 259.1 190.1

July 18 11 128.9 93.2 113.5 51 46 388.0 283.3

August 9 15 56.0 139.7 87.2 60 61 444.0 423.0

September 12 19 65.0 136.9 62.9 72 80 509.0 559.9

October 8 8 39.3 16.7 31.3 80 88 548.3 576.6

November 5 2 15.8 3.2 19.5 85 90 564.1 579.8

December 1 1 0.2 2.5 11.2 86 91 564.3 582.3

January 0 2 0.0 0.9 14.3 0 2 0 0.9

February 3 1 31.1 0.5 13.4 3 3 31.1 1.4

Bindoon Retirees newsHello to all our Members and Friends, we are now back into our year of fun and trips, and we would love you to come and join us.

We had a great day at Joondalup for a game of Ten Pin Bowling on the 11th February, and then into the shopping centre to have lunch and spend some time looking around the new shops and doing some shopping, great day out, and good not to have to drive as we have our lovely driver Tom and the community bus.

Next month we have a trip to the Law Courts in Perth which should be most interesting.

If you would like to know more about our trips, or you would like to come to Chinkabee every Monday at 1.30pm for a cuppa or a game of indoor bowls, please contact either:

President, Lois Jones, Tele: 9576 0451, or Secretary, Jane righton Tele: 9576 1532

They will be happy to give you all information on what we have coming up.

it also has its benefits, you can hear the speaker, you have eyeball contact and when you pose a question he can hear you.

“That’s my seat”, applies in church, on the bus and even socially. A church we attended had a novel solution, the last two rows were covered with dust sheets forcing the congregation forward, only when the front was filled were the sheets removed.

I remember the advice of a well known sportsmen, honoured with a MBE and OBE, who I have had the fortune to know personally. He said at public function he always tried to get alongside someone he wanted to learn from, irrespective of where the organisers had seated him. Jockeying for a position that would be beneficial.

The point I am getting to is that when we change positions we get a different outlook, we meet different people, we get a new slant on the world. Make no mistake it is a challenge as we get into a comfort zone.

The people who stay in one place display a strong attitude and objection to change it could also be seen as insecurity. My wife remembered on her daily bus trip to work there was a well dressed elderly commuter who sat in the same spot every with his brief case on the seat beside him. No one ever challenged him to remove the brief case.

The Lord Jesus encouraged his disciples to change their positions, he urged them to seek new locations and audiences. Try it out next time you go to a regular venue, sit in a different place, it is not easy, we are creatures of habit.

19 www.nvnews.com.au

It’s your community... NNADRA Bindoon Op Shop Open each morning Sunday-Friday

(Closed Sat) Market last Sunday each month Dawn & Bob Blizard

9576 0085 or 0429 209 264

Bindoon Arts and Crafts Pat Beard email: graybeards@bigpond.com

9576 1325 0427 682 296

Bindoon Basketball Teena Leuba 0429942032

Bindoon Bowling Club Sandra Clarke 9576 1444

Bindoon and District Ag Society Meets 3rd Monday of each month at 7.30pm in the Society Office, northern end of oval.

bindoonshow@gmail.com

0457103 033

Bindoon Community Progress Association

7.30pm 3rd Tues of month in Ag Society Rm. Rin Rutherford (Pres) Lance Stagbouer (Secretary) 9576 2001

Bindoon Districts Historical Society

Meets 2nd Tuesday of each month 2pm in The Museum- Don Gibson 9576 1090

Bindoon Men’s Shed Inc. First and third Tuesday at the Museum 10.00am to 1.00pmRex Thorpe John Williams

0448 793 513 0439 937 829

Bindoon Sporting and Rec Assn Meets 2nd Monday of each month at 8pm at Chinkabee. Gail Smith 9655 9046

Bindoon P and C Assn Meets every 3rd Tuesday of each month in the Bindoon Primary School Staff room, Trish Shemeld 042 729 0048

Bindoon Play Group Meets every Friday at Chinkabee 9.30am-12pm Belinda Martin 0429 180 245

Bindoon Range Pony Club Ros Maindock 95760285

Bindoon RSL George Ferguson 9576 1046

Bindoon Retirees Lois Jones (President) Joy Askew (Secretary)

9576 0451 9576 0262

Bindoon Rifle Club Colin Clarkson (Captain) Dave Mann (Secretary)

9576 0772 9296 0103

Bindoon Sing Australia Meets Mon nights in the Town Hall from 7-9pm Yvonne Press 9576 1409

BIndoon Tennis Club Thursday evenings at 6:30pm, Chinkabee courts. Ph Vivienne du Plessis 0420 352 958

Bindoon Theatre Group Alex Douglas 9576 1154

Bindoon Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade

Meets 1st Wed every second month at 7pm in the Fire StationCaptain Fred Hoogland. 0422 228 415

Bullsbrook Football Club (Seniors) Rory Bennett 0432 872 931

Bullsbrook Senior Citizens John Thompson (President) 9571 3129

Chequers Golf Club Open 7 days a week. Visitors welcome. info@chequersgolf.org 9571 1277

Chittering Visitors Centre Open 7 days a week. Volunteers welcome 9576 1100

Chittering Scout Group Meets Thursdays at the Lower Chittering Hall. Scouter in Charge is Sue Budd 0403 852 333

Chittering Junior Football Club Kevin Smith 0428 929 120

Chittering Junior Cricket ClubIan Claxon 0409 087 917

Chittering Wildlife Carers Inc Ann Graham (injured wildlife) Secretary - Karen Derrick

9576 1010 0417 518 958

Country Women’s Association Meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month at the CWA rooms at 10.00am Carolyn Cover (President) 9571 0263

Chamber of Commerce Jackie Shervington Pres Angela Anspach Secretary

0419045783 0419 043 960

Gingin Arts and Crafts Group Irene Dewar email: irenedewar@me.com. 0427 752 348

Gingin/Chittering Lions 2nd Mon of month at 6.30pm, Bowling club, Gingin. 4th Mon of month at 6.30pm at St John Ambulance Rooms, Bindoon. Pat Elliot 9575 2316

Gingin Freemasons Lodge Bob Blizard 9576 0085

Gingin Bowling club Tom Cabassi 9575 2342

Gingin Tennis Club Nicole Hendry 9575 3043

Gingin Football Club Rodney Hannagan 9575 2339

Gingin Pensioners Social Club 9575 2245

Gingin P & C Assoc 9575 2249

Muchea Senior Cricket Club Shane Angel 0408 674 643

Muchea Netball Fran Bryant 9571 4168

Muchea Judo Club Inc Meets every Tues at Muchea Hall Ann 9576 1497

Muchea Vol Bushfire Brigade Secretary Christine PantonEmail: pantons3@bigpond.com 0439 624 623

Pearce Community Toy Library Open Fridays 9.30am – 11.30am 9571 7491

South Midlands Polocrosse Club Jenny Hall 9571 4362

South Midlands Pony Club Julie Drummond 0418 714 107

Wannamal Community Centre Julie Taylor 9655 7013

Wannamal Indoor Bowls Keith Cunningham 9655 7070

Wannamal Tennis Club Donelle Martin 9655 7013

Do we have your club here? are the contact details correctly listed?

if not please let us know so we can update this list asap! email editor@nvnews.com.au or call 0419 045 783

community groups

Warriors Wellbeing

Returning to work - getting ourselves back on track!The Regional Men’s Health Initiative

We are not the same! Is it embedded in our masculinity?

Quite often as blokes we have been told to get in touch with our feminine side. What an affront and insult to our intelligence. Over time this has been part of the language barrier that has put blokes positive approaches to wellbeing issues in reverse.

There are three parts to our health: physical, mental and social/spiritual wellbeing. The latter is where we find: our identity, our individuality, our own sense of self, our sense of belonging, our passions and interests and our emotional context (not a feminine side!)

We are the same species but putting it simply men have evolved differently than women. Our DNA is 99.6% similar but it is that 0.4% difference that we need to talk about and address, because it helps explain why blokes have a warrior attitude to life and that we seek help differently than the ladies.

There are three main areas of difference that we talk about in the work we do:

Communication

• On average blokes will talk one third less than ladies per day (7000 words to 21,000 words) this starts from a young age from boys through to men. Anyone with a wife, mother, and mother in law, daughter, and partner will know this. But this is a good thing for the ladies as it helps them talk about a whole lot of issues that blokes don’t.

• It is perfectly normal for blokes to talk in dot points and even just grunt!

risk-taking

• Blokes are hard wired to take risks from an early age. Some of this is linked to our brain development. The brain development stage for a lady is roughly finished between the age of 18 to 20, whereas for a bloke it is between the age of 25 to 28 (some may say 45 to 50!)

• As we get older we get wiser but are still hard wired to take risks.

Winning (a really important part of the warrior culture)

• The majority (90%) of Aussie men think winning is important (a trait that can be traced back to our true warrior days for survival.)

• An alarming stat is that 50% of blokes think winning is all that matters. So quite often blokes don’t take a backward step when it comes to finances, relationships and/or business matters.

• The importance blokes place on winning, explains why a loss event and/or a sense of loss becomes problematic and can be really hard to deal with.

• Combine this with the lack of understanding about our emotional context and we can have a ticking time bomb.

As blokes we need to be more aware of our emotional context and that it is alright to show it. That is we all experience emotional times, so we can show it (maybe a hug or a cry) and/or to use language that is foreign to us to express our emotional context i.e. I am sad and/or I am struggling here.

Talk to a mate!! It is beneficial and you will realise that you’re not alone, it’s not just you and there are a lot of other blokes feeling the same way.

Bushfires are a common conversation topic at this time of the year. Did you receive adequate notification, what happens when the roads are blocked and when can we get back to check to on our livestock? These and many more questions were answered by Ian Hollick, Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Chittering Shire, at the recent Annual General Meeting of Koorunga CWA Branch.

A not so well known role for the Country Women’s Association is assisting the Salvation Army with emergency catering. During the recent spate of bushfires, Koorunga members and supporters happily provided hundreds of meals for our fighters on the midnight to dawn shift. A very busy but rewarding opportunity was working in the Salvation Army’s Emergency Catering van and providing support for the many fire fighters and administration staff.

Koorunga CWA branch meets at the Wannamal Hall on the first Thursday of the month – new members always welcome. Office bearers for 2015 are President Bev Fleetwood, Secretary Lois Jones and Treasurer Annette Howard.

Sharon Martin and Christine Howitt making toasted sandwiches

The Bullsbrook History Group continues to make headway in its preparation towards opening a Museum in the West Bullsbrook Hall. We have now come to the realization that there is a lot more to opening a museum than we first thought, but enthusiasm is high and we are thrilled to have assistance and guidance from Clare-Francis Craig, Manager of Development Services at the W. A. Museum.

Following CF’s suggestion we recently had a very informative meeting with Mr John Davies who has assisted numerous metropolitan and country groups with their museums. John’s experience and ideas are invaluable.

In addition to continuing to grow our collection, we are in the process of drawing up a detailed concept plan for the museum to guide our progress and use when seeking funding.

We plan to include a display on the lime industry that was established in Bullsbrook in the early 1900s. We have a photo of Mr Joe Bandy working in this industry in Bullsbrook around that time and are keen to speak to any of his descendants.

Several people have already contacted us about this gentleman but we would be grateful for any more information. We would also love to hear from you if you can help us with advice or support with funding matters.

Please Contact Judith 95712923 or Anne 0418 940 848

Bullsbrook Museum update

CWA at work

Museum committee member, Mrs Rosemary Scantlebury, whose family have lived in West Bullsbrook since the early 1900s, with a photo of her father, Mr Sydney Kirby in his WW1 uniform.

read your local NEWs oNlINE

www.nvnews.com.autrade ads $120 for 6 months

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with all your tax needs, contact Chris Oversby

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Northern Valleys News MArCH 201520 www.nvnews.com.au

Trish Murrell CPA Registered Tax Agent

Specializing in Individual Tax Returns

M: 0438 860 022 E: trish_murrell@bigpond.com

Earthworks

BArrON CONTrACTING

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ring Wayne 042 796 8215

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• Waxing/Tinting • Manicure/Pedicure • Facials/Peel • Special Occasion

Make-up• MISMO Skin Care Range available

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computingElectrician

• Ducted Reverse Cycle• Split Systems• Evaporative

Scott Davidson Mob: 0457 003 685 Email: scott@precisionacs.com.auABN: 92 523 679 640 ARCTICK NO: AU33951

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Reidy’s Fence, Deck & Landscaping

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John Glover All stonework, all types of stone,

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We welcome your local

community news & events

Please email to Jackie@nvnews.com.au or Phone: 0419 045 783

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Piano TeacherAMEB exams if required

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21 www.nvnews.com.au

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BuS FOr SALE

Ex school bus, large 51 seater. Ideal for

conversion to camper etc. Mechanically very

sound. $10000 ono.

Phone kevin at Bullsbrook 95711540.

Casual staff required

Casual wait staff needed for Friday, Saturday and

Sunday nights only

December -MarchExperience essential

Call David 0422 307 753

PHArMACY ASSISTANT

An enthusiastic person is required for a casual position working with a cheerful and motivated team at Gingin Pharmacy on Saturdays.

Apply in writing only to:

The Manager

Gingin Pharmacy 2/8 Brockman St, Gingin, WA 6503

Applications close Friday 20th March at 5.30pm.

PHArMACY ASSISTANT

An enthusiastic 15-16 yr old

is required for a full-time traineeship position working with a cheerful and motivated team at Bindoon Pharmacy.

Apply in writing only to:

The Manager, Bindoon Pharmacy

25 Binda Place, Bindoon, WA 6502

Applications close Friday 20th March at 5.30pm.

TrANSPOrT SErvICES General, Oversize, Hay, Bricks,

Limestone Blocks, Single to Road Train.

Based in Muchea 20 Yrs Exp. Phone Mick In A Mack

0428 191171

Doorways Inc. Want to Hear From You!

reducing Barriers for Apprentice’s

and Trainee’s in the Wheatbelt

Doorways Inc. is a group of education and training professionals

and interested community members that work together to progress education and training opportunities in Merredin and surrounding districts. We are

currently focusing on what are the barriers to successfully completing traineeships and apprenticeships in the Wheatbelt and are seeking your

feedback via a short survey.

Are you a student aged between 15 and 19?

Are you currently an Apprentice or Trainee in the Wheatbelt?

Are you a Wheatbelt Business that employees an Apprentice or

Trainee?

We want to hear from you! The survey gives you an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your education, training and

employment aspirations and experiences as well as businesses

barriers and successes to employing an apprentice or trainee in the

Wheatbelt. What are you planning to do when you leave school? Have

you experienced problems with your apprenticeship or traineeship?

Do you employ an apprentice or trainee? Have you looked for work

in the Wheatbelt? What are the jobs like for young people in your local

area?

Visit the link as we would appreciate your input by completing the

following short 15 minute survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/doorwaysinc

The survey is open until Friday, 6 March 2015.

Art ClassesNight Classes for Beginners

to AdvancedIf there is enough interest I would

consider a day class.Monday Evenings 7 -10 Pm

Limited NumbersOils & Acrylics

Experienced Teacher Starting Date 23rd MarchContact Robyn CooperMobile. 042 778 855 3

Email info@robyncoopersworld.com

Web: www.robyncoopersworld.com

results of the Bindoon & District Agricultural

Society(inc) AGMChange of Officers

President - Mr Bob BlizardVice President - Mr Robert Hawes

Secretary - Mr Peter BrooksSchedule Secretary - Mrs Jenny

Brooks

We’d love to hear from you!If you would like to promote an event run by a not-for-profit or community organisation or have a write-up about a recent event or local person we would love to hear from you.

Please write the copy just as you would like it to appear. You can attach it as a word document or just write the text into the email.

Please try and include a picture! Attach it to the the email at the highest resolution possible. Don’t paste it into a word document as it will be poor quality.

If you have any queries please call Tamieka on 041 9902 904 or email tamieka@nvnews.com.au. Many thanks and hope to hear from you soon!

Hampton Livestock Transport (HLT) Pty Ltd operates from its depots in Perth (region) and Geraldton. HLT provides cattle and sheep cartage,

with long hauls to the Kimberley and upper Pilbara regions to service the

live export trade.

HLT is presently seeking experienced Livestock Truck Drivers (sheep &

cattle) for fulltime work for its depot operations based from Perth, WA.

Applicants must be able to meet all recruitment process clearances including a full medical, drugs & alcohol assessment, commercial driver’s fitness assessment and

supply a fatigue online certificate. A valid MC driver’s licence and

livestock safety and handling experience are required for the role.

Please send resumes to: hr@rta.net.au, or post to: Human Resources, PO Box 336, Subiaco WA 6904 or tel: (08)

6380 6400.

No agencies please.

HLT is an EEO employer.

Northern Valleys News MArCH 201522 www.nvnews.com.au

NN It’s your news...

Hannah Lee, Sophie Lee, Grace Pritchard and Karen Dore - Winners of the best dressed team!

The second Chittering Inter-Town Challenge was held in perfect weather conditions on Sunday 22 February 2015 at Edmonds reserve in Bindoon. There were 64 eager competitors, along with a number of vocal and enthusiastic spectators, who also enjoyed the added attraction of the first Chittering Farmers Market for the year.

Once again the Challenge involved teams and individuals undertaking a fun, but challenging, obstacle course. The 11 four-person teams and 20 individuals had to: tiptoe through some tyres; hop in a (very short!) sack; scale a climbing wall (“that must have been in the fine print” cried the height adverse!); perform a ‘flip’ on the bungee tramp, race up the slippery steps and down the waterslide, before carrying (oops, apparently it was meant to be dragged!) a sack of sand to the final destination… the dunk tank.

The Shire of Chittering and Chittering’s Youth Krew (a group of local teenagers facilitated by the Shire) sincerely thank everyone who assisted on the day: the amazing Noel and Monique russell for

organising the site; the Bindoon Men’s Shed for coordinating the parking and keeping the sausages sizzling; along with St John’s Ambulance for being on hand ‘just in case’.And the winners are…

Team Event (Youth) 1st Tough Love / 2nd Blue Team

Team Event (Adult) 1st Mystery Team / 2nd Country Values real Estate

Individual (Youth) 1st Clinton Ishiguchi / 2nd Emani Iga

Individual (Adult) 1st Mathew renstone / 2nd Jesse Grime

Best Team Name Maryville Mums

Best Team Effort Kinetic Dreaming

Best Individual Effort Daniel White

Best Dressed Competitors The ‘Four Orange Amigos’

The winning locality this year is, once again, BINDOON and the Cup will be proudly displayed at the Shire Administration until next year’s Challenge.

Chittering Inter-town Challenge 2015

Karen Dore bravely awaits a dunkingThe Mystery Team won 1st prize in the Senior Event

Shire of Chittering CEO Gary TuffinThe Country Values team

The Country Values team receives their award from Shire President Cr Robert Hawes

Tresa White, Matt Johns, Jacob “The Ring-in” Wilshire, Gary Tuffin. Photo bombing supplied by Hannah Lee and Sophie Lee.

Lynn Jamieson and her son from Fun Airbrush Tattoos added colour to the day. Ambos Cathy Fisher and Del Fisher

Grace Pritchard

Fun on the bungee

Many thanks to Alison Reliti and Monique Russell for capturing these great photos!

Dragging the sack of sand - the proper way!

23 www.nvnews.com.au

NN sport... NN

We welcome the news and events from your school community!

Please email to Jackie@nvnews.com.au or Phone: 0419 045 783

should your class be here? Email to Jackie@nvnews.com.au or

Phone: 0419 045 783

fun fitnessBindoon BootcampClasses held in Muchea , Lower Chittering and

Bullsbrook Craig, Gener8 Fitness 0417960724

Bindoon over 50’s Exercise groupMeets every Friday at 9am at the Bindoon Hall.

Laz Rabin 0412 911 193

Bindoon exercise class with lazFridays 10.30- 11:30, Bindoon Hall.

Laz Rabin 0412 911 193

Bindoon tai chi Thursdays 8:30am at Clune Park, Bindoon

Ph Barni Norton 0419 964 909

Bullsbrook ‘Be active together’ fitness classesMondays and Thursdays, Pickett Park Hall, at 9am,

$6.50 per class. This also includes tea and coffee

afterwards. Janet Alexander 0405039833

Bullsbrook group Exercise classMondays 6:30pm-7:30pm at Chequers Golf Club,

Bullsbrook Ph: Rachael 0428 720 005

Bullsbrook - Zumba Tuesday 7.30pm, Lower Chittering Hall Contact:

Roberto 0418 640 840

calingiri community gym Open 24/7, contact 9628 7004

Gingin Cubs, Scouts and VenturersAre you up for the adventure? Well then what are you waiting for. The Gingin scout group is ready to get into another year of fun-filled activities.

These are just some of the exciting things that we do, camping, abseiling, shooting at the gun club, many age-appropriate challenges and outdoor activities, learning life long skills, numerous adventures in a supervised environment,campfire cooking,individual and team challenges, team building, survival camps, navigation, bush hikes, many camps away from the hall and the occasional overseas holiday, and the list goes on and on and on!!!

This is a great way for your children to get a bit of adventure running through their veins and meet many new friends within the scouting movement.

We meet at the scout hall on: Mondays 4.30 to 6.30 for Scouts

Tuesdays 3.15 to 4.45 for Cubs. Cubs are picked up straight from school and taken to the scout hall.

This for both girls and boys.

Cubs age 7 1/2 to 11; Scouts age 11 to 15, Venturers age 15 to 18

Our registration day was on the 14th February for both past and present members but if you are interested and didn’t make it please call Gloria Hyne, group leader on 0409 103 700.

Virtual Rotto SwimOn Saturday, 21 February 2015 3 teams of up to 10 Northern Valleys locals participated in the annual Virtual rottnest Channel Swim (VrCS) which is part of a state-wide competition organised by the rottnest Channel Swim Association.

The VrCS takes place in various swimming pools across the state so that those who live too far away or for some other reason cannot compete in the actual 19.7km open water swim from Cottesloe Beach to rottnest Island can take part.

Competition was running pretty hot all morning and into the early afternoon at the Iluka Aquatic center as competitors tag-teamed their way through 800 laps.

The winning team was the Gingin Guppies in 6hrs,15mins. They will have the honour of being the first name engraved on the beautifully carved wooden dolphin trophy Manager Cameron Wrathall had commissioned especially for the event. Second place went to Gingin Shire Bits and Pieces in 6hrs, 30mins and not far behind was the Gingin Superseals in 6hrs, 40mins taking third place. All teams managed to reduce their times by approximately 2hrs from previous years. A fantastic achievement - well done to all those who took part!

Winning team Gingin Guppies with the perpetual trophy

Netball 2015 registration Day17th March 2015 4.00 - 5.00pm

At Chinkabee Sporting ComplexTaking registrations for Net Set Go, Juniors and Seniors.

Forms can be picked up from General Store, IGA, Bindoon School or on the day.

Please contact Michelle 0419947514 or kylie 0427722139 if you have any queries.

Please come along, support netball in Bindoon and register your interest!- Could any past players please drop in old uniforms to General Store - Thank you!

sport...

Northern Valleys News MArCH 201524 www.nvnews.com.au

NNTessa Forbes from Bullsbrook is going to use a passport for the very first time. She is off to America later this year to compete in the International Mounted Games Australian Pony Club Team. This event is being held from 12 to 26 July at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia.

Each year only one rider, from each state not on the reserve list, is selected and this year Tessa is that Western Australian. Tessa went through a selection process on Saturday 7 February 2015 which involved riding different ponies and sitting an interview with questions from the 4 selectors.

NSW, SA, NT and Tasmanian riders will meet her when she flies east and then they all fly to the USA together with their coach.

Tessa started riding when she was 5 and joined South Midlands Pony Club in Muchea at 8. Now 15, she has been dreaming about achieving this goal since 2012 and can’t wait to get on the plane and meet the other Australian riders and the riders from USA, Canada and United Kingdom.

Mounted Games emerged as a Pony Club activity in Great Britain in 1957 - 28 years after the inauguration of pony club in 1929. In 1956 His Royal Highness Prince Philip spoke of his interest in developing a team competition for pony club riders who didn’t necessarily have ‘show ponies’. He envisaged a series of games on horseback for teams of four riders. His vision was to arrange races that would be exciting for the spectator and rider alike and encourage outstanding horsemanship, skills and balance without the need for specialist ponies or horses. By 1965 the Prince Philip Mounted Games (PPMG) had spread from Great Britain to America, Canada and Australia.

In 2013 and 14 Tessa was in the State Junior Prince Philip Mounted Games Team and both times WA took out the Championships here in Perth. As well as Pony Club, Tessa is a member of the Mounted Games Association of WA who hold monthly competitions all over WA. In 2014 Tessa was the under 18 Individual Champion.

Tessa is in year 10 at Bullsbrook College, adores her amazing pony Blondie and loves the challenge of riding borrowed ponies in her chosen horse riding sport. Tessa thrives on the competition and at the same time enjoys the opportunity to make lifelong friendships all over Australia and later this year, the world.

tessa selected to compete in the USA

WIN A VOuCHER TO SPEND AT HORSELANDTo help Tessa Forbes raise the funds needed for this exciting

International Mounted Games trip you can buy a $5 Raffle Ticket. You could win $250 to spend at Horseland or a fab Wintec

saddlebag, thanks to Cheryl Campbell at Horseland Midland and Kai Schuler at Bates Australia

To purchase a ticket please direct deposit to EFT BSB: 306115 A/C: 0180083 REF: Name

& Also please email details to: candsforbes@bigpond.com so that a reply text/email can be sent to confirm your ticket

purchase. DRAWN 15 MAY 2015 Tessa Forbes competing in the Sword race at the Mounted Games competition on 14 February 2015