ENTERTAINMENT

DURAL AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC

The Galston Club is welcoming back the new COVID safe way of entertainment. Keep your eyes out for any advertisement on our Friday night entertainment.

Also our Wednesday & Friday Night Members Badge Draw is back along with our usual Meat & Veg Raffles.

Don't forget Trivia on Wednesday Nights and Poker on Tuesday & Thursdays.

Hornsby Library is currently in the process of getting a makeover with new spaces being created for reading, learning and relaxing. In the meantime, there will be some necessary disruptions to services and opening times so make sure you check the website for updates. All other Hornsby Shire Library branches are operating as normal so it’s a great opportunity to check out what Galston, Pennant Hills and Berowra Libraries have to offer. 9FW^S 0MFRQZ ,FQXYTS 1NGWFWNFS

For the descendants of four Russian couples who settled in Middle Dural and Kenthurst, April is a special month. It was in that month,

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The Choir came together in the refugee camps on Lemnos following the defeat of the White Army at the end of the Russian Civil War in 1920. At a recital for the reopening of the cathedral in Sophia in 1923 the uniqueness and quality of their singing was recognised and they came under the patronage of the Queen of Romania and the famous ballerina, Marina Karsavina.

After three years of touring Europe and the United kingdom it was decided to visit Australia and New Zealand, where Pavlova and Shaliapin had recently made such an impact. Following concerts to enraptured audiences the Choir left Australia for New Zealand in June 1926.

For some of the members the impressions of Australia were strong, and three decided to stay. Over the next four years seven more came back to Sydney. Of those Tichon Askotchensky,

Michael Bogdanoff, Peter Gollieffe and Paul Molchanoff, with their wives, settled in our community. Their descendants have now scattered to parts of the country but those early days in our community, farming, singing on occasions with other members in church choirs or at special events, including with the ABC, are the origins of links with modern Russia. Some of those descendants have visited Russia and for them it was always an emotional time.

The Don Cossack Choir has an important place in Russian Music. This is recognised in the Glinka Museum of Music in Moscow, which has a large section of its archives dedicated to the Choir and its director, Serge Jaroff.

The Corona Virus has rendered a near shutdown situation within the budgerigar hobby, with no club meetings at Hills Branch until the recent January 2021 meeting, (conducted with the distancing restrictions and no supper), no Annual Shows, no Inter-Branch State Challenge Show and no National Show, which was due to be held in Bendigo in May 2021, cancelled for the second consecutive year. 2019 and 2020 rung birds have been denied the opportunity to compete during the 2020 and 2021 competition seasons, with no National Logue being available at the National Show.

Whilst this situation has meant a change in the way a normal year within the hobby is conducted; the recent announcement by the Royal Agricultural Society “, that the 2021 Royal Easter Show is to be conducted ,“has provided some normality to what appears to be another restrictive year for the budgerigar hobby. After the 2020 Royal Easter Show being cancelled; this year 2021 Royal Easter Show will be held between the XY FSI YM &UWNQ, with Budgerigars on display within Hall No 3, Pet Pavilion on the YM FSI YM &UWNQ

Breeders and exhibitors have undertaken the normal daily activities in relation to keeping of budgerigars with the exception of preparation for exhibiting at shows. Aviary visits to other breeders and country friends within the hobby has been severely restricted during Corona Virus, but the use of technology has seen many a budgerigar photograph being inter-changed by mobile telephone.

There appears to be no reduction in the interest to have a pet budgie or keep a small aviary of these little aussie icons. Pet shops seem to turn over their birds for sale on a regular basis. Hills Branch members receive regular enquiries from the general public, seeking advice about their pet or information in general. Over the past year, a younger lady who works within the Galston area has been making an attempt at breeding a pair of budgies; after having obtained a mate for her previously lonely male pet budgie, and seeks regular information, but to no avail; it appears love and not family are the birds only interest, they just keep destroying the eggs. Never the less ,just keeping the birds continues to provide enjoyment.

Care to be part of a hobby that provides enjoyment for the individual, partnership or family, then contact should be made with Ray Galbraith by telephoning 9653 1538 or e-mail GT]JW %GNLUTSI SJY FZ

Edmad Younan @emadyounan