DUBBO CITY LIFE
A bit of foreward planning to combat an icy issue
FOR all the troubles in the world, frozen pipes are playing havoc on home owners across the region this week, following very chilly overnight temperatures.
A local insurance expert suggests avoiding this risk might involve taking a leaf out of his uncle’s book of life.
The uncle once owned a dwelling in Oberon. Apparently, he would know when the really cold temperatures were coming (before 10-day forecast apps existed) so he’d shut off the water, run the taps until they were empty and avoid the problem.
That’s winter food for thought for you.
Young leaders in the making
THREE local boys not giving our -5 degree nights a second thought are enjoying the balmy days of summer in Washington DC. Dubbo College Senior Campus Year 11 student Marcello Davis and Dubbo College South Campus Year 9 students Harry Kater and Phoenix Aubusson-foley are attending a Global Young Leaders Conference, learning the “how to” before they head to New York next week to stage a youth summit at the UN.
How old do you have to be to run for a State election, again?
As you should know by the time you can read, you don’t have to be in a position of power or authority to make a world of difference.
Urgent call for generous blood donors
THE Dubbo Blood Donor Centre currently have an URGENT need for O-negative blood and are calling out for anyone with this type to please step forward and make a donation.
An increase in demand for O-negative blood, combined with a drop-off in donor numbers due to cold and flu symptoms is behind the decline in supply.
During cold and flu season, sickness leads to as many as 1000 cancelled donations per week across Australia.
An extra 4500 O-negative blood donations are needed just in July to help boost blood service stocks up to normal levels.
“O-negative is a universal blood type that can be used in an emergency situation where the patient’s blood type is unknown,” Blood Service spokesman Shaun Inguanzo said in a media statement recently.
“With one in three of us needing donated blood in our lifetime, the life you save could be that of a friend or family member.
“The number of people suffering cold and flu symptoms greatly impacts the number of regular donors who are able to give. We need others to take the place of those who will be unable to answer our call,” Mr Inguaunzo said.
Donors who are affected by cold and flu symptoms are able to give blood at least seven days after making a full recovery.
To make an appointment, call 13 14 95 or visit donateblood.com.au
Local shows bringing the house down
WE hear that two shows brought the house down last weekend, including Dubbo’s own Black Box Creatives (BBC), a youth theatre group, who performed the play ‘Brainstorm’ adapted for the BBC performance by local author Toni Grant in collaboration with BBC director Camilla Ward. Well done team!
The dulcet tones of some of the world’s best operatic performers echoed in the Wellington Civic Centre last Saturday when local opera talents Hugh Francis, Damian Whiteley, Geurie-born tenor Nathan Bryon, mezzo-soprano Anne Marie Gibbons and accompanist Glenn Amer performed to raise money for the Wellington Eisteddfod.
Considering they usually “tread the boards” in prestigious venues all over the world, it really was a very special treat to have them perform on their home turf.
The program quite literally was rearranged last minute to accommodate a delayed flight from Thailand for Damian Whiteley who almost as quickly had to head off again to return to an overseas performance.
Looking and listening to the stars
MEANWHILE, the Central West Astronomical Society Parkes welcomed industry names and enthusiasts from across the region to hear Oxford University’s astrophysics legend Dame Joyce Bell-burnell speak at the 2018 Astrofest Conference.
Mrs Bell-burnell discovered the first four radio pulsars in the 1960s, though as a sign of that time, her supervisor received the Nobel Prize for it. She’s done alright regardless and cites her high school physics teacher as an influence.
Also on the bill was Professor Elaine Sadler who is the new director of the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), the collection of world-class radio astronomy observatories operated by CSIRO across the country.
With so many positive, uplifting, motivating people visiting or representing our regional neighbourhood this past weekend, it’s an excellent reminder that there is so much to offer and to be gained living, working and researching west of the Great Divide.