Missing a paddle in Womdomnom
The Editor,
This week I would have happily participated in the Womdomnom paddling event from Wellington, along the Macquarie River down to Narromine.
The event sits proudly in the State’s paddling calendar and attracts paddlers from as far afield as Adelaide, Brisbane, Ballina, Albury, Sydney and Melbourne. It is a fantastic way of raising funds for the Black Dog Institute and is testament to the marvellous organisational skills and dedication of its organising committee.
It shows how, in the hardest of times, people from many backgrounds pull together, and in true Australian fashion, make bloody good fun out of it.
Unfortunately, due to limited water flows along the Macquarie River, the event this year has had to be cancelled.
This saddens me greatly, as not only do the paddlers miss out on an experience of a lifetime – paddling for a great cause along one of our iconic inland waterways, camping and making lifelong friends along the way – but the townships miss out on the much needed income that a thousand or more visitors bring to a drought stricken part of our country.
Hotel accommodation, dinners and food supplies, petrol, the odd drop of beer and wine, incidental shopping...
Even more sad is that the Black Dog Institute will miss out on funds that would have been raised and donated to the cause. I find the irony of this particularly cutting as, as the drought worsens and mental health support organisations are increasingly called on to support our rural communities, their ongoing funding is placed in peril.
It’s a sad, sad day.
REGARDING the photo [published in Time Warp, Dubbo Photo
October 24], if I remember correctly Moran & Cato were previously further down Macquarie Street, in the late 1950s early 1960s near where Lowes Menswear are today.
After they left the store in the photo it became a Soul Pattinson Chemist.
Permewan Wright in those days was located in Brisbane Street, where Robertson’s Tyre Service is now, and possibly part of the Government
Office Block.
Seaman’s Butcher Shop was possibly owned by Neil Seaman (previously Ottley’s Butcher Shop); his brother Roy later had a butcher shop in Darling Street.
The cake shop I think was called Corn Cob Cakes.
Fred Kirkby moved to the front of the Riverdale Shopping Centre when it was first built, being right on the street before the centre was updated.
Ian Graham, Dubbo
Dear Tim,
On behalf of Men of League Western Region Committee, I thank you for your valuable sponsorship given to our organisation for our eighth MOL Golf Day held at Dubbo Golf Club on October 25.
We had a very good roll up with 90 players participating on a dry and dusty course where some good scores were recorded.
Our three former Australian Rugby League guests Brett Kimmorley, Bruce Walker and Don Mckinnon accompanied by North Sydney legend Greg Florimo and Manly’s Dave Hosking mixed freely with the gathering and played in a number of different teams.
Final figures should reveal that we cleared a around $9000. on the day, and this was a very pleasing result for us considering we are experiencing the worst drought in nearly a century and times are tough.
Your paper’s generous support and publicity was greatly appreciated.
Ross Tighe, Secretary, MOL Western Region Committee, Dubbo
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