The Finley RSL Sub-branch would like members of the community to keep two important dates in mind, with an invitation to take part in important commitments.
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Thursday, August 3 marks 60 years since the arrival of the Australian Army Training Team (AATTV) in South Vietnam, and 50 years since the withdrawal of combat troops in 1972.
This day will see commemorative services - known as the Vietnam Veterans Vigil - held around Australia, including at Finley.
At 11am on that day, a service will be held at the Finley Cemetery. It will be held at the grave sites of Vietnam veterans Matthew Loughman and Roger Hanlon.
Stories of these two veterans will be provided in coming editions of the Southern Riverina News.
Then, on Saturday, August 19, we will commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day and the 100 years celebration of the Finley War Memorial obelisk will take place.
A service of remembrance will be held at the Finley Memorial Park at 11am, followed by drinks and light refreshments at the Finley RS Club.
Lunch, at a reasonable cost, will be available to those who wish to continue on and exchange stories of the past.
Further information on this occasion will be given closer to the date.
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Veronica Dobie was thrilled to have her family and friends meet at the Finley RS Club for a lovely luncheon to celebrate her 80th birthday recently.
Her husband Graham organised for their three sons - Michael, Anthony and Timothy, and their families - to be there for this very special occasion.
Veronica is a well known member of our community, especially for the Tai Chi classes she conducts followed by the friendly coffee sessions at the club.
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A street stall was held in Finley last Friday to raise funds for teenagers aged 12-18 to attend a ‘Pioneer Trek’ this September, in the National Park near Mathoura.
The trek is coordinated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and treks are held worldwide all with a similar basis, organisation and purpose.
Youths on the trek are asked to relinquish all devices.
The youths attending are organised into 'families' pulling a cart with basic necessities, for a purposefully challenging trek through difficult terrain. Each family must navigate adversities as they trek, and unify as a group to make decisions.
The purpose of the trek is to build faith and resilience, strengthen identity through connection with past ancestors, create awareness of the individual's strengths and weaknesses, develop gratitude for the individual's blessings in life, and respect and tolerance of others on the trek despite differences.
The group thanks those in the community who supported the fundraising efforts.
The winner of the firewood raffle was Colin Drury.
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Members of Finley PCP Ltd. (Passionate Community Participants) are continuing in many ways to uphold their principle of “growing a future for our community”.
The group - which purchased the property ‘Mandalay’ with a view to having a constant source of income for the Finley area, after the bank loan has been repaid - purchased sheep earlier this year, which were ready for shearing last week.
With the help of Dale Crow Shearing Team, the sheep were shorn on the property ‘Tongaboo’ owned by Cameron and Eliza Robertson on Thursday. Dale Crow has generously donated part of his team’s services to assist with fundraising.
The shearing crew comprised of Matthew Grieves, Jarred Diwell and Travis Stevens shearing, Courtney and Georgia Browne as roustabouts and Mo Poker as wool classer.
Matthew advised that he has been shearing for approximately 25 years and can average about 150-180 sheep a day.
It was also interesting to find that Courtney is currently doing a gap year before going on to doing her midwifery course.
As this is a community group, the PCP members would welcome assistance at any time with donations of money, fertilizer, labour, etc.
They would also appreciate hearing from anyone who could provide a paddock for agistment of the weathers.
Further information can be obtained by contacting Mark Robertson on 0417 403 376, Chris Kelly on 0417 650 508 or Greg McNamara on 0408 831 911.
• Read more about the PCP’s cropping endeavours in Farming Extra, inserted in this edition.
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Pam May was the lucky winner of last Saturday’s Finley Lions Club wood raffle.
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If you are looking for somewhere warm and welcoming tomorrow, be sure to go along to the Finley Uniting Church Hall in Coree St for the movie screening at 10am.
Everyone is welcome to attend, especially newcomers to Finley.
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Annie Wood was fortunate to have a very special group visit her recent 80th birthday celebrations.
A ‘Collingwood Cheer Squad’ - aka Kellie White, Christine Shaw and Heather Daniel - had the guests in stitches with their performance at the Finley Golf Club.
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The Finley Golf Club, Finley Bakery and Patisserie, and Joanne Deane are preparing to host the 18th annual Pink Day Out on Wednesday, August 16.
This day came about after Joanne lost her mother to breast cancer, and the event has continued to grow with many clubs from the surrounding area taking part.
An invitation is extended to all golfers to take part in the men’s and ladies 4BBB event. The cost is $30 per player, which includes a barbecue lunch.
Members of the Finley Lions Club are once again generously attending to this as they did last year.
There will be the usual novelty events including nearest the pin, straightest drive, best dressed, ball competition and raffles with some great prizes donated by businesses and individuals.
Entries close Monday, August 14. Email finleygolfclub@bigpond.com or phoning Mary Polkinghorne on 0428 104 284. However, if anyone should find themselves available to play at the last minute, Captain Mary certainly won’t knock them back!
Proceeds from the day are donated to breast cancer research, so let’s work together to make a difference.
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Items for ‘From Finley’ may be submitted by phoning 0428 293 922, emailing anne.freestone@bigpond.com or left at the SRN office. Please include a contact name and phone number.
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