Russ Fisher again showed his dedicated to the Edward River Concert Band this week, turning up to practice on his 90th birthday.
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But his bandmates were not going to let the milestone slide - there had to be cake, balloons and other treats.
Russ’ wife Bev also made sure to be there on the night.
“Russ has been in the band for 76 years and has never missed a Monday night practice,” Bev said.
“He’s still playing well, too.”
Russ plays cornet in the band.
He joined in 1945, when he was 13, but his love of music began when he was 10.
He initially learned to play the violin, but it was quickly replaced with a cornet when he was asked to ‘‘welcome the diggers home’’ at the end of World War II.
He has been playing brass instruments ever since.
By 16 he was playing the old time dances with the band, which gave him the confidence to excel.
Russ continued to play for the town band even when he was transferred to Griffith for work between 1960 and 1970.
Out in force
Victorian and NSW police will be out in force this long weekend, urging drivers to stay safe on the roads.
in Victoria, police will be executing Operation Regal. It started at midnight last night, and runs through until midnight Monday, June 13.
In NSW, double demerits will apply for the same period.
Murray River Police Inspector Paul Huggett said all officers had been advised to ensure safe driving over the weekend.
“Our goal is to modify behaviour,” he said.
“So there will be plenty of tickets, but also plenty of warnings.”
Insp Huggett said all NSW police vehicles were equipped to test for alcohol and drug driving.
He also reminded passengers the onus was not only on the driver to be safe.
“Don’t just sit there and condone the driver’s behaviour,” he said.
“Passengers need to remind the driver ‘if you’re driving, it’s my life in your hands’.”
Extra highway patrol vehicles will be patrolling in NSW.
Rain confusion
Something must have gone a bit haywire at the Deniliquin Airport weather station this week.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, it only collected 2.6mm of rain at the weather station on Monday and Tuesday combined.
But we would have thought Tuesday’s heavy downpour would have delivered a bit more than that.
Feel free to tell us what your rain gauge said by emailing zoe.mcmaugh@denipt.com.au. Please include the location of your gauge.
Regardless of how much rain we’ve had, Moulamein correspondent Ian ‘China’ Gibson said it seems to disappear as quickly as it falls.
“Someone asked me the other day if I had too much rain yet. ‘Never’, I replied. Not in this district,” he said.
“It has a bad habit of drying out just when you relax.
“There is no money in dust. There is always money in mud, you just have to dig a bit deeper sometimes.
“As I look across our green paddocks and see all of our weirs at over 90 per cent at the start of the filling season, with a wet year we may be able to wash those Crow Eaters out to sea yet.”
No Pride for Deni
There were a few locals who were disappointed the long road journey for the Pride of the Murray from Echuca to Longreach did not pass through Deniliquin earlier this week.
The historic paddle steamer was finally loaded on to the back of a truck and left Echuca on Tuesday, after a few delays due to weather and road access.
Original route maps showed the Pride coming through Deniliquin, but that map was plotted in error.
It actually made its way around Deniliquin, initially going to Barmah and with that first leg taking two hours to complete.
Residents in the Southern Riverina were treated to the amazing sight though, with the Pride going through Tocumwal, Finley, Jerilderie, Coleambally, Darlington Point and then across to Carrathool before continuing on its way.
Our colleagues at the Southern Riverina News in Finley were on hand to take some snaps of the historic moment.
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