Cowra Community News



New memorial honours our Nasho servicemen A NATIONAL Servicemen’s War Memorial has been dedicated before a large crowd in Cowra’s Squire Park, in the town’s CBD. State Minister responsible for Veterans’ Affairs, Victor Dominello, and Member for Burrinjuck, Katrina Hodgkinson, unveiled the memorial (pictured above) on Saturday morning. The project was undertaken by the Returned and Services League Cowra Sub-Branch and supported by a $3500 Community War Memorials Grant from the New South Wales Government. Mr Dominello said the memorial commemorates all national servicemen (Nashos) from the Cowra district who provided Australia with defence protection from 1951 to 1972. Fittingly, it is placed in Squire Park, a central town space that includes memorial plaques to the four Australian soldiers who lost their lives in the 1944 Cowra Japanese POW Breakout, he said. Right: Part of the large crowd at the unveiling of the Nashos' memorial. “National servicemen formed part of our nation’s defence forces in the 1950s and 1960s, a period that saw Australia involved in conflicts in Malaya and Borneo, and in the war in Vietnam,” Mr Dominello said. “The Cowra National Servicemen’s Memorial is testimony to the bravery, mateship and courage of those who served. “It is a fitting tribute which will ensure future generations do not forget the hardships faced by previous generations in defence of the freedoms we enjoy today.” Ms Hodgkinson welcomed the partnership between the NSW Government and the Cowra community in the “honouring of our precious legacy of military service”. “Monuments such as the Cowra National Servicemen’s Memorial testify to the enormous strength and resilience of our defence personnel and their families who hail from every town and suburb throughout our nation,” Ms Hodgkinson said. Left: Nasho flagbearers at Saturday's ceremony. Mr Dominello and Ms Hodgkinson also visited the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, a national landmark in which the NSW Government has been closely involved since its inception. Mr Dominello, Don Kibbler AM, and Mayor of Cowra, Bill West, confirmed the recent establishment of a new organisation, the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre Inc, which aims to modernise the governance of the garden and secure its future for generations to come. “Cowra’s association with Japan, although beginning in difficult circumstances, now prospers and provides a focus for tourism,” said Mr Dominello. Right: National servicemen display their banner. Ms Hodgkinon and Mr Dominello were also taken by Cr West to Cowra Council’s Peace Precinct, which aims to further strengthen the protection of Cowra’s military heritage sites and to educate visitors and residents of their significance. “The town and community of Cowra are grateful for the continued commitment of the NSW Government to the preservation of the district’s remarkable history of military sacrifice and the promotion of Cowra’s internationally recognised work for harmonious relations between nations,” Ms Hodgkinson said. [more]


Group born of compassion reaches hearts via the ’net THE Chance’s Clothes Project founder, Nikki Howden, has announced the group that hand-knits and provides funereal clothing for stillborn children has now opened an internet Facebook page and website. Ms Howden says she’s been overwhelmed with the response the project has received, given it was established only six weeks ago. Chance’s Clothes was started to provide a service for the Cowra area, but response has been forthcoming from all over Australia and beyond, Ms Howden tells CCN Editor, Garry Starr, in an interview. The Facebook page has been set up to allow easy communication among the group, for people who wish to assist with clothing donations and for those who may need the service. A woman even contacted Ms Howden from the United States to congratulate her on the initiative, saying her daughter currently living in Brisbane had suffered the trauma of giving birth to a stillborn child in a city hospital. Ms Howden has also received requests for assistance from hospitals around Australia whose staff are keenly aware of the problems suffered by families under such sad circumstances. The group has been assisted by the Cowra Neighbourhood Centre, firstly through its knitting group and afterwards with other services. Negotiations are underway to provide a facility at the centre through which people can make tax-deductible donations. The centre has also offered to be a depot for residents who want to donate suitable clothing and to assist in making up the packages for distribution to hospitals that request them. During the interview Ms Howden pays tribute to the people who have helped establish both the Facebook page and the website. The Facebook page is up and running and can be accessed by clicking the Facebook logo (above right). The website is functioning but still being fine-tuned. In the near future it will carry a selection of patterns and other resources for use by those who wish to contribute and those who find themselves in need of the service. The website can be accessed by clicking the picture on website’s home page. Simply click the PLAY icon ► on the audio panel below to hear the interview with Ms Howden. [more]


The word’s out – Cowra’s a great place to visit COWRA Tourism Corporation today (Thursday) announced substantial increases in the numbers of travellers calling into the Visitor Information Centre and of people visiting the website www.cowratourism.com.au during the month of January. Some 4146 visitors came through the doors of the Cowra Visitor Centre last month, an increase of 24 per cent on this time last year, says the centre’s manager, Belinda Virgo. The figures indicate the highest number of visitors in January since 2003. Ms Virgo says in an interview with CCN Editor, Garry Starr, the figures have also been reflected in Cowra’s accommodation sector, according to data gathered from her sample poll. The Japanese Garden (pictured right), the premier tourist attraction in Cowra, has also registered a visitor increase of more than 20 per cent. Click the PLAY icon ► on the audio panel at the end of this story to hear the interview with Ms Virgo. Weather conditions, she says, affect visitor numbers. Wyangala Dam, at near capacity, has this year attracted more visitors to the district, whereas numbers in 2011 were down because of regional flooding. January has also seen a remarkable increase in visitor numbers to www.cowratourism.com.au – an increase of 57 per cent over the same period last year. Ms Virgo suggests the increase in website visitors shows that more people considering, researching and planning their trip to the Cowra region are using internet resources. She says the number of people accessing the website from their smart phones and tablets accounts for a big proportion of the increase. . Ms Virgo says she would encourage town and district people, and visitors alike, to access the website which is “a fantastic source of local information including upcoming events in the area”. She says corporation memberships will soon open for 2012 and new members are always welcome. Ms Virgo stresses the fact that Cowra Tourism Corporation members reap the benefits of www.cowratourism.com.au with its dedicated space to promote their businesses. [more]


Just the right note Donors heed clarion call for Fiji school band’s brass instruments THE Natabua High School Band in Fiji (seen performing above) will soon receive new brass instruments from generous donors in Australia. The gifts follow the CCN story, published in October, in which Cowra residents, Terry and Sue Metcalfe, sought replacements for the band’s battered instruments. The Metcalfes are serving a two-year stint at a special school in Fiji. At the time, Ms Metcalfe said she first read about band in the Fiji Sun newspaper in which the bandmaster, Ooro Naocatabua, a final year student at Natabua High School, told readers of how hard it was for fellow students to learn to play their ancient and faulty instruments. At times the students felt like giving up but wouldn’t, he said, because of their love of music and determination to give their best for the school. The Metcalfes said they couldn’t believe the band could even make music, such was the terrible state of their instruments, little more than scrap metal. The damage and the dents were appalling – tops of valves and cork seals missing, some of their joints held together with ducting tape. Mr Metcalfe said he felt compelled to help the band after evidencing the students’ enthusiasm, their marching skills, politeness and impeccable behaviour. Since watching the band for the first time, the Metcalfes have met and talked with the school principal who co-ordinates the 30 musicians’ activities. More students are queued, waiting for an instrument to become available. Mr Metcalfe said the Natabua High School Band needs improved instruments and sheet music of an appropriate level to develop students’ playing skills. Learning to play from sheet music would produce more competent musicians, with the prospect that some would progress to professional standard. “One member of our old Griffith (Rotary) Club, Avanti, gave us $500 and another donated $150 for a trumpet,” Mr Metcalfe says since the appeal opened. “The club has undertaken to manage any funds we raised and started the fund with a $1000 donation with a promise of more, later, if needed. “Garry Starr, Jean Henderson, Lucinda Metcalfe, Lorna Sullivan, and my wife Sue’s son-in-law, David Song, have donated cornets and trumpets, cash or instruments. “A Wagga Wagga Rotary Club has promised a cash donation and the Parkes Rotary Club is working hard to obtain donated instruments and have also promised a cash donation. “Frank Johnson of the Orange-Calare Rotary Club has collected a lot of instruments, including a tuba, a horn and three trumpets. “He has also acquired violins, keyboards, a clarinet and stands. These latter instruments don’t feature in brass bands, but surely will come in useful in instrument-starved Fiji. “With the funds donated I have purchase sample instruments from India and China. I am impressed with these samples. “We can buy satisfactory instruments for this level of band quite cheaply, all instruments being in the range $100 to $500 except tubas, which will cost about $1000,” he says. “More donations of either instruments or money would be greatly appreciated. “So now individuals or clubs who would like to donate to this cause can send money to the Secretary, Rotary Club of Griffith Avanti, PO Box 2295, Griffith NSW 2680. “Donations should be flagged for Fiji Band Project,” Mr Metcalfe says. Further information from Terry and Sue Metcalfe on 0429 424 436. Sponsors’ update: Cowra Community News (CCN) is a major supporter of the Instruments for Fiji Project, as is Kinross Wallaroi School in Orange which has donated quite a lot of second-hand instruments. The school has also arranged to have these serviced at its expense before they are despatched to Fiji. The Fiji shipping company, Williams and Gosling Ltd, has agreed to freight the instruments without charge to Lautoka. This contribution overcomes a significant hurdle to the project and organisers have described it as “a wonderful contribution”. Their Australian agent is Mainfreight International Pty Ltd. This company, with offices in Sydney and other major ports, will receive the instruments and arrange shipment to Lautoka free of charge. “Without the help of these commercial companies, management of the Instruments for Fiji would be very difficult,” says project organiser Terry Metcalfe. [more]



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