COMMUNITY HEALTH DATES TO REMEMBER ... - Platypus Country

May 2012
Next deadline: May 25th 2012
Phone: 02 64580295
E-mail: tubbutnh@bigpond.com
THE NEXT DEDDICK VALLEY ISOLATED COMMUNITY GROUP
MEETING WILL BE HELD IN
JUNE
More details in next Tattler
DATES TO REMEMBER
TUBBUT
NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE
is open
Monday 9.30 - 4.30
Thursday 9.30 - 4.30
Friday 9.30 - 4.30
Call in & use the computers
or have a cuppa and chat with
Deb or Robyn
COMMUNITY
HEALTH
Community Health Nursing
Delegate MPS 02 6459 8000
Orbost 03 5154 6625
Social Worker
Brett Martin 03 5154 6717
Rural Outreach Counsellor
Di Robinson 0427318961
Doctor
Delegate 02 64951369
Should you wish to see the Community Nurse,
please phone Delegate MPS 64588008
5th May—Bombala Market
5th May—Dellicknora cemetery walk
6th May—Candelo Market
12th May—Local History Workshop
16th May—Dalgety Women’s Day
18th May—lunch with Danny Thorpe Tubbut
19th May—Towamba Acoustic Session
19th May—Delegate Golf Club Market
19th-20th May—Needle Sculpture workshops
20th May—Cooma Market
20th May—Million Paws Walk Cooma
24th May—School Input Meeting Tubbut
25th May—Library Bus
26th May—First Aid course
29th May—Pamper Day Bonang
29th May—Little Green Frog Bonang
30th May—Responsible Serving of Gaming
30th May—Espresso Coffee Basics
31st May—Photoshop workshop Goongerah
7th Jun—Safe Food Handling
7th Jun—Responsible Serving of Alcohol
DISTRICT NURSE
Tubbut: 1st May/15th May/29th May
Bonang: 8th May/22nd May/5th June
Events advertised in the Tattler are open to the public.
Everyone is welcome to attend

MAY
BIRTHDAYS
Judy Edwards
Kate Ingram
Bev Tyler
Valerie Auer
Jonno Hagger
Kacey Collins
Tom Hagger
Willem Lankhorst
Library Bus
Just a reminder that the Library Bus
will next be visiting the area on
25th May
Bendoc 9.00—9.45
Delegate River 10.45—11.30
Tubbut 1.15—2.15
Bonang 3.00—3.30
Goongerah 4.15—5.00
Boof and Bones
HANDYMEN
“We’ll try our hand at any job”
Trailer for Hire
The Neighbourhood House now has a trailer available
for hire
$5.00 per day
For bookings phone
THE
BOMBALA TIMES, SNOWY RIVER MAIL
& DELEGATE DOINGS
Tubbut Neighbourhood House purchases
a copy of these newspapers
each week.
Call in and browse the current editions
Wood
Ute Load unsplit $120
Ute Load Split $160
Trailer Load Unsplit $50
Trailer Load Split $70
Ute + Trailer Load Unsplit $160
Ute + Trailer Load Split $220
Lawn Mowing/Handymen Service
A flat rate of $20 per hour for this
service
Phone: 0428799157
www.boofandbones.com.au

DALGETY
WOMEN’S DAY 2012
DELEGATE PLAY GROUP
Thursday from 10am-12pm at Delegate Pre-school
Further details:
Tonelle 64588196
Wednesday 16 May
8.30am
Memorial Hall, Dalgety
“Women who have inspired
you”
Don’t miss a wonderful day of entertainment,
fun and friendship
Wonderful Guest Speakers
Dancing
Music
Entertainment
Raffles
and a few more surprises..
$10 donation (includes morning tea) - Tickets available from
• Snowy River Shire Council, Berridale (Myack Street)
• Jindabyne Council offices, Razorback Plaza
• Cooma Visitors Centre, Sharp St
• Snowy Mountains Visitors Centre, NPWS building, Jindabyne.
You can also order tickets by posting a cheque made out to Snowy
Mountains Neighbourhood Centre, PO Box 241, Jindabyne NSW
2627
PLEASE NOTE - THERE WILL BE NO TICKET SALES AT THE DOOR
Interested in
Pottery?
Like minded people interested in meeting to share
ideas, techniques & play with clay
Phone Jo Hagger
0264580281
WANTED
Clear plastic jars
Small plastic containers
Contact Nellie
0264580312
FOR SALE
Petrol driven Cement Mixer
$400
Stihl Pole Saw
$550
Phone John: 0264583035
Bring your own lunch - or order your lunch pack from the CWA
Dalgety/Numbla Vale branch by calling Maree McMillan on 6456
4308 or 0428 970 898 - Cost $10.
Lunch orders will need to be placed by Monday 14 May
Tubbut Neighbourhood House
will be running the community bus
to this event
To book a seat on the bus phone:
0264580295
0264580399
Some tickets have been pre-purchased for bus travellers
WANTED
1 or 2 wardrobes
in good condition
& not too expensive
Phone: 0264580232
The Tubbut Tattler is produced by the Coordinators of the Tubbut
Neighbourhood House which is funded by the Victorian Government.
Material herein is the responsibility of the authors and does not
represent the views of the DVICG or Tubbut Neighbourhood House
unless stated. We welcome material from, and of interest to, people in
the border areas of East Gippsland and NSW.

outreach
Orbost
Responsible Service of Gaming
All new gaming industry employees who are
working in the gaming machine area of an
approved venue are required to undertake an
approved course within six months of
commencing employment.
Employees are also required to undertake an
approved refresher course within three years
following completion of an approved course.
Venue: Orbost Education Centre,
Ruskin Street, Orbost
When: Wednesday, May 30 th 2012
9.30am – 1:30pm
Course cost: $70
Espresso Coffee Basics
Have you always wanted to learn how to make
good quality espresso or gain the skills to help
get a café job?
This course covers the essentials of espresso
coffee from the who’s who of the espresso
menu, to preparation and service of delicious
coffee.
• Understanding the espresso coffee menu
• Extraction of espresso coffee
• Milk texturing
• Making different types of coffees
• Operation of an espresso machine
• Cleaning an espresso machine
• Operation of a grinder
Venue: Orbost Education Centre,
When: Wednesday, May 30 th 2012
2.30pm – 5:30pm
Course cost: $90
Course subject to numbers.
Responsible Service of Alcohol
Whether you plan to become a liquor licensee or
simply work in the industry serving alcohol, it is
important to know the liquor laws and
responsible serving practices. This course will
cover topics to help you provide responsible
service of alcohol. Topics include:
· problems associated with excessive
consumption
· alcohol and the law
· the question of who is responsible for RSA
· facts about alcohol
· improving the atmosphere of your premises
· handling difficult customers’ health and safety.
Venue: Orbost Education Centre,
Ruskin Street, Orbost
When: Thursday, June 7 th 2012
9.30am – 1:30pm
Course cost: $70
Safe Food Handling
If you're a person who handles food -
whether you're a kitchen hand, a food
process worker, a shop assistant or a waiter -
you have an important responsibility to
handle food safely.
This course will help you learn about issues
associated with food safety and safe food
handling practices.
Venue: Orbost Education Centre,
Ruskin Street, Orbost
When: Thursday, June 7 th 2012
2.00pm – 5.30pm
Course cost: $70
More information?
Enrol now to ensure you don’t miss out!
Call Greg on (03) 5154 1788
Email: gmcnamara@advancetafe.edu.au

Photoshop elements Workshop
Goongerah / Tubbut School
Input and ideas meeting
Thursday 24th May
Tubbut Hall Supper Rooms
5.00 PM
followed by BBQ dinner at 6.30
To all Parents, Staff, Past students
and all members of the Community,
We invite you to a general School Council
meeting of the Goongerah/Tubbut school:
Our School, Our Community, Our Future
The aim is to have a wide ranging
discussion on the Opportunities, Strengths,
Weaknesses and Threats of the education
we are offering in the community.
How do we best capitalise on the unique
location, community and size of our school?
How do we minimise any issues that arise
from the size and location of our school?
How do we best deliver strong educational
outcomes that set children up to move into
tertiary education? And much more -your
input is needed.
Childcare will be provided, please let us
know if you require this.
Contact:
Principal Peter May 03 51540133
or
School Council President, John Auer
02 6458273
Thursday 31st May
Goongerah Primary School
Dennis Wehner will be running this workshop.
Course aim: editing/enhancement and better
presentation of images using basic photoshop
techniques.
You are not require to have your own computer,
but if you wish to do so and have elements
installed feel free to bring it along.
The course will be for 2-3hrs
Cost $5 per person
Call Jo on 0351540179 if interested
places are limited
Computers for Communities
17th May
Tubbut Neighbourhood House
10.00am – 2.00pm
Sharon Buckman will be taking this workshop.
Come along with your questions/problems and
Sharon will help get you sorted!
Personal tuition sessions available on request
Phone the Neighbourhood House for details.
Tea & coffee will be supplied.
Bring your own lunch
‘Apply First Aid’
Certificate Course
May 26th 8.30-4.30 pm
Hall behind the Catholic Church
Church Street Delegate
Provider: St John (NSW)
Tutor: Yvonne Camm
Cost is $120/participant
Bookings essential
Please phone Tubbut Neighbourhood
House 64580295 or email
tubbutnh@bigpond.com

PAMPER DAY
COMMUNITY LUNCH
& PLAY GROUP
BONANG HALL
29th May
THE FUN WILL START AT 11am
The ‘Little Green Frog’ will cater to your children’s needs
while you have a relaxing time!
All community members are welcome to come and have a cuppa, chat
and lunch……..also join in the activities if you wish.
BBQ lunch supplied. Bring a salad or slice to share if you can.
Pampering includes:
Massage
Beading
Chocolate making
PLAYGROUP 11.00 – 2.00 LUNCH 12.30 – 1.30
Tubbut Resource Centre Neighbourhood House

Tony Abbott in Bonang
This year was the 15th annual Pollie Pedal. It began at Geelong on
March 25th and finished in Canberra on April 1st. The Pollie Pedal
raises funds for charity. This year the raised nearly $500,000 for
Carers Australia.
On Friday March 30th the cyclists, including Tony Abbott, Leader of
the Opposition, began their days ride in Orbost. They stopped in
Goongerah to spend time with the school students and then continued
on their ride, stopping at Bonang Hall for lunch.
After a lunch and a chat with some of the locals the riders continued on
their journey through Delegate to their overnight stay in Bombala.
A big thank-you must go to all those who helped with the supply,
preparation and serving of the food for the lunch…...and with the
cleaning up afterwards. It wouldn’t have been possible without your
help!
Tony Abbott with some of the locals at Bonang Hall

Tubbut Neighbourhood House News
Tubbut Neighbourhood House serves the communities of
Tubbut, Bonang, Delegate River and Goongerah and places
in-between. We organise events and assist with activities in
any of these places: workshops, courses and community
events.
We want to know what you want in 2012.
Here are some of the events in the pipeline. Please let us
know if you are interested in any of them.
Local history workshop
There has been a lot of interest in the workshop on May
12th—conducted by May Leatch—but there is room for
more participants. We have a mystery participant—can you
guess who he is? He lived in Bonang from 1945 till 1952
and wants to tell his stories. If you have stories to tell or
are interested in gathering other peoples’ stories, please
come along and bring your recorder.
Its 10-3 at Bonang Hall. Cost $5. Please bring something to
share for lunch. Coffee and tea available.
Bookings essential: Tubbut Neighbourhood House
Then and Now
The Tubbut Tattler gets good feedback for the local history
articles and interviews that we publish. We love doing these
and will keep them coming—and hope that there are more
active interviewers after our workshops. But the vitality of
the area reported in these interviews recalls ‘the good old
days’. What of our future?
Let’s face it—we are an ageing community where the young
people have to leave us to pursue their education and find
work. In any community, the presence of children brings
adults together. In the past, for instance, tennis was big at
Tubbut, bringing people out for the social event, not just the
sport. Parents get to know each other through the school
their children attend and often develop lifelong friendships.
These things are in short supply here now, but they still
exist. We need to make sure we don’t forget the children
when we organise events for us oldies; the community spirit
that everyone talks about in the past is still here and
nothing much will happen if you don’t get involved. So if you
have an idea—share it. That’s what the Tattler is for.
Preserve your media
Tubbut Neighbourhood House has equipment to:
-digitise your photos and slides
-turn your records and tapes into MP3 format for your
i-pod or MP3 player
-capture film from video tapes and DVDs to store in
more up-to-date format
People helping people
Tubbut Neighbourhood House has funding to help
people out. This might mean covering the cost of
getting you to a medical appointment or other
necessary activity, perhaps by assisting someone to
drive you. It could be assisting with your heating costs
or school and other education costs. Absolutely
confidential—just contact us.
If you are interested in being a volunteer driver,
petrol paid, or assisting in any other way we want to
hear from you.
Volunteering at Tubbut Neighbourhood House
Just ring if you have time to spare on the days that we
are open. We can usually find something for you to
do.
The Community Bus
We welcome feedback on ideas for the bus. Here are
a few—let us know what you think.
monthly trips to Merimbula for a film and
shopping
Regular run to Orbost to connect with the
Vicrail bus, allow medical and other
appointments and shopping
Regular run to Delegate and Bombala to
connect with bus to Canberra and allow
medical and other appointments and shopping
One-off trips to theatre and musical events in
the region.
Tubbut is to have a public telephone
Its enough to restore faith in Telstra—after a decade
of taking away public telephones, it has changed its
policy and is now establishing them in areas where
mobile reception is poor. Including Tubbut! Thanks to
all those who wrote letters of support, we now have
the official letter telling us that a phone will be placed
on the side of the hall, capable of taking both coins
and cards.
Says Steve Wilson of Telstra: “The decision does not
differ from the original payphone proposal which was
discussed at the site meeting & with the assistance of
the community hall committee to allow access to install
the payphone on an external wall of the community
hall and power access from the hall meter board. I will
begin to raise work orders immediately but it is
anticipated the new install could take up to three
months to complete. It is anticipated the new install
could take up to three months to complete.”
Deb

Yarram Community
Learning Centre
Out and about
.
SHORT STORY
& POETRY
COMPETITION
Now Open
Stories - 1500 - 3000 words
Poetry 8 lines - 48 lines max
Short Story
1 st Prize: $200
2 nd Prize: $100
Poetry
1 st Prize: $100
2 nd Prize: $50
ENTRIES CLOSE
MONDAY, 23rd JULY,
2012
(No late entries accepted)
Entry forms available at Tubbut
Neighbourhood House
Do you have a poem or short story you can
offer the Tubbut Tattler to publish?
Please send it to us—you will be a published
author and our readers can enjoy your work.
Deb
East Gippsland Regional
Catchment Strategy 2012 – 2018
You are invited to attend an 'Open House' meeting
to discuss the draft Regional Catchment Strategy
for the East Gippsland region at:
Bairnsdale 14 May 2012
DSE Building, 574 Main Street Bairnsdale
Orbost 16 May 2012
Neighbourhood House, Cnr Browning & Lochiel
Streets
Time: between 3pm – 8.00pm. No appointment is
necessary
.
The RCS is an integrated planning framework that
will set priorities for land, water and biodiversity
management in the region for the next 6 years and
beyond.
The draft RCS has been prepared by the East
Gippsland CMA.
As part of the consultation process, the CMA is
holding Open House sessions. Please consider
attending a session to find out about the RCS and
present your views.
For further information contact East Gippsland
This East Gippsland Regional Catchment Strategy 2005 to
2010 (RCS) is the principle strategic document setting
regional priorities for maintenance of our natural resources.
It is completed every five (5) years by the Authority in
consultation with the East Gippsland community, the
Victorian and Australian Governments.
Agencies and industry have a large role in managing our
catchments and it can sometimes seem the role of
individuals is quite small.
However, each individual has an impact, positive or
negative, on the natural resources of our region.
Therefore, everyone has a role to play and the RCS sets
out some ways how this can be achieved.
We encourage everyone to acquaint themselves with the
RCS, at least to inform yourself about the importance of the
natural resources in East Gippsland, and then ask yourself
the question: 'What part should I play in this?'
http://www.egcma.com.au/inform.php?a=6&b=220&c=227

Felt Sculpture
Workshops in Delegate
Delegate Golf Club
Markets
The Delegate Golf Club markets are on
again. Come and browse and enjoy a sit
down lunch at the Club.
There is no cost for setting up a stall.
For more information, ring Louise Manning on
64588457
Bombala Council is delighted to offer two, one
day Felt sculpture workshops as part of their
annual Art Escape workshop programme,
based at the Delegate Arts Centre, Corrowong
Road, Delegate.
Felt Sculpture Workshop 1- Cone Pixies/
Bosom Buddies
Saturday, 19th May 2012 9.15 am – 4 pm
Tutor: Jenny Romano
Course Cost: $62.50 Limit: 12 participants
Needle Sculpture Workshop 2- Cone
Critters
Sunday, 20th May 2012 9.15 am - 4pm
Tutor: Jenny Romano
www.seabreezecreations.com
Course Cost: $62.50 Limit: 12 participants
All Materials are included in the price of
the workshop. If you would
like to purchase felting needles and
extra wool these will be available
from the tutor on the day.
Note—workshops will need sufficient
numbers to run—Any enquiries should be
made to the Platypus Country Visitor
Information Centre ( 6458 – 4622)

Mothers Day on Sunday May 13th
was raised by Mrs Heyden with local
businesses and even the local Mayor. The day
has since become commercialized.
Traditionally, the Chrysanthemum is given to
mothers for mother's day as the flower is
naturally in season during Autumn and ends
in 'mum', a common affectionate shortening
of 'mother' in Australia.
Mothers with children at home can expect
breakfast in bed— or a cuppa at least. Mothers
with children far away can hope for a card or a
phone call. Many of us regret the
commercialisation of our day, but we do
appreciate recognition for the love and effort we
put into raising our children.
So, to all mothers reading the Tattler
Happy
Mothers Day
Spiritual Origin of Mothers Day
Only recently dubbed “Mother's Day,” the highly traditional practice
of honoring of Motherhood is rooted in antiquity, and past rites
typically had strong symbolic and spiritual overtones; societies
tended to celebrate Goddesses and symbols rather than actual
Mothers. The personal, human touch to Mother’s Day is a relatively
new phenomenon. The maternal objects of adoration ranged from
mythological female deities to the Christian Church itself. Only in the
past few centuries did celebrations of Motherhood develop a
decidedly human focus.
Northern Pacific Railway postcard for Mother's Day 1916
In most countries mothers are recognised with a special day. In
some countries, it is a holiday. English speaking countries like
the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia
choose the second Sunday in May to recognise the
contributions that mothers make to families, communities and
the nation as a whole.
The tradition of gift giving has become the media’s main focus
as Mothers Day becomes another way of selling products.
According to Wikipedia, however, this was not how Mothers
Day began.
The tradition of gift giving to mothers on Mother's
Day in Australia was started by Mrs Janet Heyden
a resident of Leichhardt Sydney, in 1924. She
began the tradition during a visit to a patient at
the Newington State Home for Women, where
she met many lonely and forgotten mothers. To
cheer them up, she rounded up support from local
school children and businesses to donate and
http://www.mothersdaycentral.com/about-mothersday/history/
Goddess Isis - Early Egyptian
Roots
One of the earliest historical records of a
society celebrating a Mother deity can be
found among the ancient Egyptians, who
held an annual festival to honor the
goddess Isis, who was commonly
regarded as the Mother of the pharaohs.
Her stern, yet handsome head is typically
crowned by a pair of bull horns enclosing
a fiery sun orb. She is most often depicted
sitting on a throne.
So the story goes, after Isis’ brotherhusband
Osiris was slain and
dismembered in 13 pieces by their jealous
brother Seth, Isis re-assembled Osiris’
body and used it to impregnate herself.
She then gave birth to Horus, whom she
was forced to hide amongst the reeds lest
he be slaughtered by Seth. Horus grew up
and defeated Seth, and then became the
first ruler of a unified Egypt. Thus Isis
earned her stature as the Mother of the
pharaohs.

(f)route: is an East Gippsland-wide community-based arts project about public fruit - from Picnic Point in
Bairnsdale to the Walnut trees of Bruthen, to the bee-keepers of Tubbut, and the sugar plums of
Goongerah, to the community gardeners of Orbost, to the canned fruit of Cann River - and all the places
we are yet to discover.
Samara McIlroy is artist-in-residence for the Tubbut area. She was in the area recently interviewing
people, taking photographs and making drawings. She is taken with the wide variety of mailboxes—each
telling us something of their owners—and has turned them into watercolour paintings. You can see them
in colour in the email version of the Tattler or on the web at http://platypuscountry.org.au/6928.98.html.
PASSIONfruit Portable Community Museum
(f)route artist in residence Samara McIlroy would like to say a big thank you to the community. It's certainly been a
long time since I've seen some of you! The PASSIONflower conversations were delightful and the journey to
Mckillops Bridge from Bonang is as wondrous as ever.
But that's not all folks. The artist is collating a newsletter which will feature a mix of fruit facts and stories, historical
and contemporary. There’s also the Portable Community Museum to turn into a (f)route CART.
Want more information? Interested in being involved? Please contact Deb 6458 0399 or contact the artist on
samara.mcilroy@gmail.com . For more pictures, visit www.froute.com.au

Beekeeping—it runs in the family
There are people who travel a long way for their honey.
For many years, Alan and Helen Neven have kept a honey
cart outside their home on McKillops Road in Tubbut,
Victoria, where they trust people to put in their money as
they choose the size of container they want. Helen says
they have never been ripped off, indicating that only high
quality tourists travel through our area. I always buy my
honey in big buckets and when I lived in Canberra I would
on-sell it to friends who still ask me to bring up a kilo or
two next time I come.
The Nevens keep honey because it’s a family tradition and
because they believe in it. Honey is an immediate source
of energy, helps build the immune system and is used as
an external antiseptic on cuts and wounds. Its antioxidants
help the body fight the free radicals which
contribute to cancer.
Alan is the third generation of Nevens to make bees a
central part of his life. “It might even be the fourth
generation – we don’t know.”
When Alan’s father Jim moved to Tubbut in 1928, he
started keeping bees straight away. He built the first honey
shed – the one near the sheep-yards is the third and first
permanent one.
Alan’s grandfather, Tom Neven, managed his bees from
Campbelltown, a rural town between Ballarat and Bendigo.
Jim, his son, would have learned from him, as Alan
learned from his father from the age of twelve years and
Philip learned from him. “I enjoyed it. It was a job you had
to do to survive. It’s always been a bit of a hobby, a handy
one.”
Alan took over from his father in the 1950s or 1960s. “We
just kept working together until he couldn’t work any
longer. When Dad became too ill, Mum and I used to do
them”
“We don’t travel very far with the bees nowadays; we used
to. We moved to Bairnsdale, doctor’s orders for Dad, and
we worked them from there. When I left school at fourteen
– 1947 - we went to Deniliquin while the river red gums
were flowering, up on the Edwards River and that was our
first big move with bees. At that stage, the bees were all
we had to provide an income. A bloke would come around
on a truck and pick up the honey and pay us cash for it.
“We went from there to Bealaba and from there to Nhill in
the Little Desert. After winter we went to Brimpaen near
the Grampians. Not sure where we went from there; I
know we went to Daylesford at one stage for the manna
gum and messmate.
“We stayed in tents, then a caravan, Mum and Dad and
me. My sister Bonny was working at Ballarat. In 1949, I
think, we came back to Bruthen, and then to Goongerah
and worked the bees there. We had an excellent year
there at Goongerah, 1000 four gallon tins of honey out of
about 230 hives. Everything was flowering that year.
“We used to take our extraction gear with us on the
back of a truck. The honey made us gypsies.
The Gippsland Apiarist Association has an article in a
recent newsletter which tells the story of a trip that
Kate, Jim, Bonny and Alan made in 1949. They had
to travel over 750kilometres from Nhill to Bruthen,
carrying their fuel with them in three forty-four gallon
drums on the back of the truck along with 230 hives.
All went well until they were nearly at destination. At
the top of eleven mile hill between Bairnsdale and
Bruthen, the truck got bogged. With the bees closed
into their hives and consequently threatening to
suffocate, they had to act fast. One by one they
unloaded the hives into the surrounding bush. Once
the truck was unloaded, it had to be dug out so the
driver could take it back to Dimboola, where it had
been hired. The bees had to be left where they were
unloaded until they returned with their own truck to
pick them up. Sadly, about a quarter of the bees did
suffocate.
“In those days, we sent the honey by rail to Melbourne
from Orbost where it was decanted from the four
gallon tins by the Pender Brothers. I don’t know
whether it was branded as our honey or whether it got
mixed with honey from elsewhere. We got about
seven pence a pound then.
I came back when I was sixteen years old and I’ve
been here ever since.”
The bees the Nevens have now have been
replenished by the purchase of new queen bees every
year. They come from Queensland by post in little
cages in a post pack with “enough tucker to keep them
going for a week or two. It’s much the same as buying
a bull, you want to know where they came from; they
are cheaper in bulk. We buy Italian bees, they are
better breeders and better honey collectors. They are
bred especially for the job, like a bull.”
Alan keeps bees for money and love; it’s a patchy
income. It probably takes about two days a week if
averaged out. “Spring time is the busiest time – you
have to watch for swarming and try to stop them.
Swarming happens when the queen is getting old and
the bees decide to rear a new one. When it is ready to
hatch, one queen and some bees leave the hive; if not
caught, they live in hollows in trees. When they do
swarm, I try to catch them and rehive them. Winter
time you don’t go near them, about three months of
the year.”
Summer time is the busiest time, maintaining the
frames and collecting the honey.
At present there are about 80 hives. Maintenance
involves repainting the boxes and checking the
frames. Alan built the hives out of silver wattle. Some
of the boxes are very old, made by Frank Neven,
Alan’s uncle who had a mill at Bonang.

I wondered why most bee boxes were light colours.
“White reflects the heat, keeps them cooler. In summer
you keep the hives in the shade because it’s cooler,
especially down at Deddick. One summer they got so hot
that they melted down. When that happens, the wax and
honey melt together and fall to the bottom of the box.
The bees die from heat exhaustion. It happened
everywhere, everybody had trouble.
“Weather is crucial. A wet year like this gives you good
prospects for the next year. But the bees can’t work in
wet weather. It’s good to have a dryer year after a wet
year. During the drought we had ten years when it just
wasn’t good. We didn’t lose many bees but the honey
harvest went down. The bees go into maintenance mode
– there isn’t much swarming either.
“At the moment we work between Orbost and McKillops
Bridge. We put the bees mainly on Crown Land and pay
$44 for half a year for a bee site. I think we’ve got about
ten sites. DSE makes more out of beekeepers than it
does out of timber royalties. We aren’t supposed to take
them into National Parks – used to be able to take them
into country the other side of McKillops Bridge but aren’t
allowed to now.
“Got some down at Deddick and some on Coulsens
Track near Orbost. Apple box and red stringy blossom is
just coming out now. My favourite is red stringy. Other
honeys from around here are peppermint and apple,
white and yellow box. Towards Orbost is silvertop,
ironbark and the various gums, depending on the time of
year.”
Although he didn’t get the name quite right, Chester
Eagle praised local honey in his memoir about his
time as a teacher in Gippsland.
Mr Nevin’s hives would be little white cubes in this
country where prospectors go looking for lead, tin
and copper, and his bees would go roaming in the
shy-flowering bush, and his square-nose truck would
come out of Tubbut again … but there never was any
more honey. ‘No, we’re not getting it now. No
demand, you know …’ No demand! Where was
Gippsland’s pride? The shops had lines of jars
labelled Barnes and Allowrie, full of honey blended to
a standard taste. People dropped it in their wire
baskets while Everett of Swifts Creek made
wonderful honey from the white box in the Tambo
Valley, Eucalyptus Albens, and he and Albert Borrow
at Glenaladale and a dozen others sold most of their
product to big companies and co-operatives, when
one taste of it in a Gippslander’s mouth should bring
to mind hives lit by sunlight pouring through box
leaves and tea-tree, hives that would be loaded on to
trailers and moved away to wherever the bush next
broke out in flowers.
Hail and Farewell! An Evocation of Gippsland,
Chester Eagle, Heinemann Melbourne 1971
“Helen and Philip help. Philip would like to do more but
he hasn’t got enough time. We get about 50 kilos a hive
in a normal year – 4000 kilos a year from 80 hives.”
There have been changes over the years: less honey
production, the trees aren’t as healthy probably owing to
the drought.
“We’ve been lucky, our bees have been healthy. We did
have nosema (equivalent to diarrhoea in humans) one
year and lost a lot of bees. I’ve been lucky, never had
foulbrood disease where they have to be destroyed.
“We’re happy to have people looking at our honey shed,
the school kids go through it nearly every year.
“Philip was allergic to bee stings, had to race him to
Delegate hospital once – so was Daisy, his daughter.
Philip is right now, he got half a dozen stings the other
night. As for the next generation, James is interested.
But of course, who knows, depends on what he does in
his life.”
Farming is like that. But let us hope that beekeeping will
continue to run in the Neven family so that honey can still
flow in Tubbut.
Deb

The inaugural GippyFarmLife photo competition
runs until November and is seeking images of
regional farms, farmers and food in primary student,
secondary student or open categories. (PS: We are
also seeking donations of prizes.) Email
gippyfarmlife@gmail.com or Facebook at Gippy
Farmlife or tweet @GippyFarmLife, or WGCMA, PO
Box 1374 Traralgon 3844 or ph 1300 094 262.
Accepted entries will be displayed via Facebook and
Twitter. Winners will be announced at the Gippsland
Show and displayed at Farm World 2013.
Participants aged under 15 need parental approval.
Captions of 15 words or less, please. Supported by
Lardner Park Events, West Gippsland CMA, Bunyip
Food Belt, Agribusiness Gippsland and the Regional
Landcare Facilitator Program. More? Nick Dudley
0428 562 139, 1300 094 262 or
westgippy@wgcma.vic.gov.au
Are you the next Australian Farmer of the Year?
Nominations are now open for the Australian Farmer of
the Year award, backed by ABC Rural and the Kondinin
Group. More? http://kondiningroup.com.au/static.ASP?
t=2&I=16#nominations
Funding brings opportunities for rural farmers
Rural Finance is offering three scholarships to young
farmers and agricultural leaders: - Vocational
Education Program – offering payments of up to $2000
per annum to two recipients completing a diploma -
Undergraduate Scholarship Program – offering
payments of up to $6000 per annum to six recipients
completing an undergraduate degree course. - Ian
Morton Memorial Scholarship Program – offering
payments of up to $6000 per annum to one recipient
completing postgraduate studies. Applications for all
three scholarships close on May 31. More? Alana O’Shea
5448 2600 or scholarships@ruralfinance.com.au or visit
http://www.ruralfinance.com.au/pages/Default.aspx?
PageID=26&id=1
Help in preventing falls for older farmers
The Victorian farming community is an ageing workforce
and the risk of falling and being injured increases as
people get older. Falls often result in serious injury and
are the most common reason for admission to an aged
care facility. Preventing falls can help you remain active
and independent on the farm. A few ideas to consider to
help reduce the risk of falls on the farm are:
Grab rails for cattle yards and steps
Non-slip surfaces and marking to highlight edges on steps
Wearing well-fitting, sturdy non-slip footwear and
Bits & Pieces
the use of walking staffs and sticks
Improving lighting in poorly lit areas.
A range of farm related OHS information is available
from the FarmSafe Alliance.
More? Tim McKenzie 0407 369 294
East Gippsland Landcare Network photographic
competition
Members of the community are invited to submit
images for this East Gippsland Landcare Network
photographic competition. Entry is free.
Entries must be of native flora found within East
Gippsland and the photograph must be labelled with
both the botanical and common name of the species
presented.
The competition is for amateur photographers only and
up to two (2) entries per person can be submitted.
The competition has three (3) categories; Primary
School age, Secondary School age and Open(over 18
years). Prizes will be awarded by a judging panel for the
three best photographs in each category.
All entries submitted will be displayed at The Stables
(Service St, Bairnsdale) between 4th -10th June 2012.
Prize winners will be announced at the opening of the
exhibition at 6pm on the 8th June 2012.
For information on competition rules and entry
forms, please contact the East Gippsland Landcare
Network on 03 5152 0600 or visit the office
at 574 Main Street, Bairnsdale
News from Goongerah
Earthworks for the new Goongerah hall have
been completed except for the hole/trenches
for the septic. Expect the new building in June –
construction is well underway at Anchor Homes,
Stratford.
Drastic action
Heard on Bush Telegraph (ABC Radio National) April
30th
A farmer in Khancoban in the upper Murray is taking
drastic action in response to the killing of his lambs by
wild dogs. When dogs killed eleven lambs, and injured
eight others, Russell Murdoch picked up the carcasses
and took them to NPWS office in Khancoban and left
them on the steps. HE made the point that the Parks
service is no longer receiving the funds they need to
assist farmers in the fight against wild dogs.
The area manager for NPWS said that the trappers will
be redirected to Russell's and other threatened
properties.
Russell Murdoch: I don't like making a scene - this is
radical for me. Last week I wanted funding; I couldn't
get it. Today I got it but it shouldn't have to come to
this.

Taking the elderly off medication
Elderly people are involved in a study on
medications (teaeff: www.flickr.com)
A new study in WA is hoping to find out what
happens to the elderly in residential aged care
facilities when they are taken off some prescription
drugs.
The findings could change the quality of life for the
elderly, their families and their carers across all
states in Australia.
Professor Kathleen Potter, Research Fellow
Assistant, University of WA, Geraldton, WA is
looking at whether frail older people might benefit
from taking fewer medications. There is a lack of
evidence as to the effectiveness of drugs - most
studies are done on people younger than 60.
People may have been prescribed drugs early but
once over 70, the side effects may outweigh the
benefits. For instance, for people over 70
prescribed statens, the reduction in mortality by
heart disease is outweighed by deaths by cancer—
in other words, substituting one death for another.
The way that drugs are metabolised changes as the
body ages. As well, some drugs can contribute to
constipation and other annoying symptoms.
For obvious reasons the study is not being funded
by the big drug companies; instead, it comes from
NHMRC and General Practitioners' College - as
many GPs are concerned about the quantity of
drugs they find themselves prescribing. As a GP
herself, Professor Potter had patients coming in
taking large range of tablets and she wondered if
they benefit from them all. However, she
acknowledges that there are risks in taking people
off medication they have been on for a long time -
Health News
anti reflux medication and anti depressants and
blood pressure medication need very gradual
process to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
The professor has noticed the benefits to rural
people of a healthy lifestyle on the land.
A similar study in Israel found that people whose
medications were reduced were 50% less likely to
die after one year. However, more studies are
needed before final recommendations can be
made.
Deb—from a Bush Telegraph broadcast on April
30th 2012
Liquorice: the good and the bad
Its always good to hear about about confectionary that
is actually good for you—if you aren’t pregnant, that is.
And here I’m not talking about liquorice flavoured
lollies but the real stuff (Available from Goongerah
Good Foods locally).
Liquorice is harvested from the root and dried rhizomes
of the low-growing shrub, Glycyrrhiza labra. Currently,
most liquorice is produced in Greece, Turkey, and
Asia. It has been used medicinally for thousands of
years, from the time of Ancient Greece, China, and
Egypt. As well as its medicinal uses, liquorice has been
used as a flavouring agent and it is valued for its
sweetness – a compound called glycyrrhizin is 50 times
sweeter than table sugar. Liquorice was originally used
to flavour liquorice lollies but these lollies are now
flavoured using anise oil.
It also has health benefits.
In a study of ten healthy young adult volunteers,
researchers saw an increase in serum cortisol levels in
subjects taking 500 mg of a standardized licorice
extract for ten days. The results of this study, published
in "The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and
Metabolism" in June 1990, concluded that
glycyrrhetinic acid, an active ingredient in licorice root,
blocks the enzyme that converts cortisol to cortisone,
resulting in higher levels of cortisol.
Cortisol allows the body to restore itself after stress.
We get a big surge in the morning to help get us out of
bed— we need a good supply to get us through the
day.
The bad: Its not so good for babies however. The
steroids stimulated actually inhibit babies’ growth.
Recent studies show that glycyrrhetinic acid might
assist in preventing short term memory loss.
The good: Elderly men were treated with liquorice for
four weeks in a recent study—their short term memory
improved markedly.
Deb—from The Health Report http://www.abc.net.au/
radionational/programs/healthreport/excessiveliquorice-consumption-by-pregnant-women/3966634

L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T N E W S
EAST GIPPSLAND SHIRE
COUNCIL
Community Planning—next steps
The community planning group has now met three
times and are at the stage of a draft document. We’ve
agonised over issues like the name of our region—
currently we are using Mountain Rivers District— and
what should be in the profile which describes the area.
Its been great to get to know people we wouldn’t run
into in the street—Rita from Bendoc; Ed from Delegate
River; Phillip and Nellie from Tubbut; David from
Bonang; Jill and Tamar from Goongerah; and me from
Cabanandra. We have had meetings in Bonang at the
hall; Bendoc in their fabulous neighbourhood house;
and Goongerah at the school.
Its good news that Goongerah’s Hall will soon be
arriving because that community of over sixty people
really needs it.
In fact the committee gained a clearer insight into the
different issues affecting our neighbouring hamlets
through meeting and travelling to each others’ towns.
Nonetheless we were able to recognise plenty of issues
we have in common and Brian Greer, the facilitator, has
put those into the booklet which goes to the East
Gippsland Shire Council for approval and then gets
mailed out to every rate-payer in the district for
comment, hopefully in early June.
That, of course, is just the plan. The big challenge will be
to make it happen.
Deb
) Satisfied with the new management of Shire
roads in our district?
Come and have lunch with Danny Thorpe at
Tubbut Supper Room on Friday May 18th at 12
o’clock.
Bring something to share. Sausages will be
available.
Not sure which is a Shire road? Everything
except McKillops Road and the Road in our
area.
DRAFT TRAILS STRATEGY
C O U N C I L I S S E E K I N G Y O U R F E E D B A C K O N
T H E D R A F T T R A I L S S T R A T E G Y . C L O S I N G
D A T E F O R C O M M E N T S I S 4 . 0 0 P M O N
F R I D A Y 2 5 M A Y 2 0 1 2 .
T H E D E V E L O P M E N T O F W A L K I N G A N D
C Y C L I N G T R A I L S I N E A S T G I P P S L A N D
C O N T R I B U T E S S I G N I F I C A N T L Y T O
O P P O R T U N I T I E S F O R R E S I D E N T S A N D
V I S I T O R S T O E N G A G E I N H E A L T H Y
L I F E S T Y L E S , P R O V I D I N G A R A N G E O F
S O C I A L , R E C R E A T I O N A L A N D E C O N O M I C
B E N E F I T S .
T H E D R A F T T R A I L S S T R A T E G Y A I M S T O
P R O V I D E B R O A D S T R A T E G I C D I R E C T I O N
F O R F U T U R E T R A I L S P L A N N I N G A N D
D E V E L O P M E N T A C R O S S T H E S H I R E , A S
W E L L A S G U I D A N C E F O R D E V E L O P I N G
L O C A L T R A I L S P R O J E C T S .
T H E S T R A T E G Y P R O V I D E S A P O L I C Y
C O N T E X T F O R T R A I L D E V E L O P M E N T ,
T O G E T H E R W I T H A R A N G E O F T O O L S A N D
R E S O U R C E S T H A T C A N B E U S E D T O
E V A L U A T E A N D P R I O R I T I S E P R O J E C T S A T A
C O M M U N I T Y L E V E L .
T H E S T R A T E G Y H A S A N E M P H A S I S O N
E M B R A C I N G U N I V E R S A L D E S I G N
P R I N C I P L E S T O I N C R E A S E T H E R A N G E O F
P E O P L E W H O C A N U S E T R A I L S A N D
R E F L E C T S E M E R G I N G T R E N D S F O R S P E C I F I C
A C T I V I T I E S S U C H A S S I N G L E T R A C K
M O U N T A I N B I K E T R A I L S .
R E S O U R C E S F O R N E W T R A I L S P R O J E C T S
A R E L I M I T E D A N D T H E R E I S A N E E D T O
E N S U R E T H A T T R A I L S P R O J E C T S W I L L
M A X I M I S E B E N E F I T T O T H E C O M M U N I T Y .
T H E S T R A T E G Y H A S B E E N D E S I G N E D T O
S U P P O R T T H A T O U T C O M E .
P R E P A R A T I O N O F T H E D R A F T T R A I L S
S T R A T E G Y H A S I N C L U D E D A N E X T E N S I V E
R E V I E W O F E X I S T I N G P L A N S , P O L I C I E S
A N D S T R A T E G I E S , A N D T A R G E T E D
E N G A G E M E N T W I T H I N T E R N A L A N D
E X T E R N A L S T A K E H O L D E R S O V E R A 1 2
M O N T H P E R I O D .
C O U N C I L I S N O W S E E K I N G Y O U R F E E D B A C K
T O T H E D R A F T T R A I L S S T R A T E G Y . P L E A S E
P R O V I D E Y O U R F E E D B A C K O N T H E F O R M
P R O V I D E D . F E E D B A C K I S E N C O U R A G E D A N D
S H O U L D B E L O D G E D A T C O U N C I L ’ S
C O R P O R A T E C E N T R E O R V I A E M A I L B Y 4 . 0 0
P M O N F R I D A Y 2 5 M A Y 2 0 1 2 .
Y O U C A N D O W N L O A D T H E S E D O C U M E N T S
B E L O W , O R O B T A I N A P R I N T E D C O P Y F R O M
C O U N C I L S E R V I C E C E N T R E S . Y O U M A Y
A L S O C O N T A C T C O U N C I L T O R E Q U E S T A
C O P Y T O B E S E N T T O Y O U .
M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N
F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N P L E A S E C O N T A C T
A N T H O N Y N E L S O N , S T R A T E G I C P R O J E C T S
P L A N N E R O N ( 0 3 ) 5 1 5 3 9 5 0 0

Ground Orchids near Tubbut
Phil Gilmour
Last October I visited a property between Tubbut and
Dellicknora belonging to our friends John and Gill
(formerly Quinnethe’s place). This was the first time I had
visited in the spring and, as a botanist, I was interested to
see a number of ground orchids flowering, especially as
where we now live on the NSW Mid North Coast there
aren’t many ground orchids. I saw at least eight different
species and got reasonable photos of some of these that
we thought you might be interested in. The species I saw
were:
Caladenia carnea Pink Fingers
Diuris pardena Leopard Orchid
Diuris sp. a spider orchid
Glossodia major Waxlip Orchid
Pterostylis curta Blunt Greenhood
Pterostylis mutica Midget Greenhood
Pterostylis squamata Southern Rustyhood
Thelymitra sp. a sun orchid
Of these most are fairly common and widespread in the
dryer forests of southern NSW and Victoria but the
Southern Rustyhood is scattered and uncommon.
If you are interested in identifying orchids possibly the
best book is “Field Guide to the Orchids of New South
Wales and Victoria” by Tony Bishop; unfortunately this is
out of print but you may be able to get a copy at a
second-hand shop or online.
Pterostylis curta Blunt Greenhood
Pterostylis mutica
Midget Orchid
Pterostylis curta
Blunt Greenhood
Pterostylis
squamata
Southern
Rustyhood
Diuris pardena Leopard Orchid

This is Brian McQuillen’s second letter to Clem and Dulcie Ingram,
passed on to me by Sandy Cameron. I have edited it a little. Some of
the language reflects attitudes no longer held but I have included it to
convey the spirit of the letter.. Deb
14.1.1944
Dear Clem & Dulcie
It is about time I decided to answer your long letter,
which I received some time ago. After home leave we
wasted little time in reaching New Guinea. Upon my
arrival on the island, your letter, with 40 others, was
waiting for me so I have been busy trying to answer
them all. On account of censorship regulations we were
not permitted to mention that we were in New Guinea
for a certain period; hence the reason for the short
note. …
I am at present in hospital with a poisoned hand but I
return to my unit tomorrow. I came into hospital on
New Year’s Eve and they gave me the gas on the same
evening. It has been a perfect holiday for me with sisters
to give the necessary attention. I have been an
enthusiastic listener to tales from the front line from the
wounded and returned Middle East men. One chap had
the whole ward interested in his experiences of pre-war
days. He had been employed in mines in every state of
Australia, also in New Guinea and New Britain. He
eventually enlisted with the AIF and went away with the
Sixth Division to the ME. Whilst he was speaking of
mines in NSW, he mentioned Captains Flat and Bredbo;
also Cooma. I immediately asked him did he know the
Ingrams—almost certain that he would know at least
one. He told me that he lived with Ted Ingram and
family at Cooma Hotel for two years. When I told him
that I lived with that same family for almost twelve
months he was deeply interested. He spoke very highly
of Pardie and wishes to be remembered to Pardie, Eric,
Clem and Sheila. “Just tell them Dooly” and they will
know. He is a huge man and an excellent chap. We
talked for half an hour with Dooly asking plenty of
questions. It’s a small world. …
How is Tubbut these days? It won’t be long before the
kiddies return to school. I suppose Malc will soon be
making his debut.
I shall endeavour to give you a description of my trip
over and my life in NG.
There was much excitement as we mounted the
gangway of our luxury liner. With our harness and
equipment we were very awkward as we slowly
ascended that swaying gangway. As we stepped aboard
we were all handed an ACF parcel and directed to our
quarters. I was very fortunate to be directed to excellent
quarters—2nd class in prewar days. This deck, named
Awning Deck, was reserved for sergeants. Each berth
contained four bunks, wardrobe, washstand, electric
light and fan with showers and bathrooms nearby; so
Letters to Tubbut
you can see that we travelled in comfort. We were a little
more fortunate than the others as we had a large dining
room, each table attended by stewards. The meals were
all fresh and of a great variety—duck, cod etc. We also
had a lounge in which we spent our leisure. Officers and
sergeants certainly had all the privileges which does seem
unfair; but I did not complain. In the army one learns to
look after oneself. This does not mean that the privates
and corporals were harshly treated.. They slept in
hammocks which were taken down during the day; they
had exactly the same meals except that they had to file
through for their mess.
We had a very peaceful trip across and I cannot recall
ever seeing the ocean so calm.. Another sgt, an officer
and myself were placed on deck ‘patrol’ - midnight to 4
am and midday to 4 pm. We were not permitted to sleep
in our bunks in the morning so we got very little sleep. At
night it was too hot and we wouldn’t get more than two
hours before midnight and another two between 4 am
and 6 am so we saw most of the voyage by day and by
night. We had to enforce the blackout precautions at
night and keep the chaps off the rails during the day so by
the time we dropped anchor we had ‘provost’ for a
name. Some fed the fish but I managed to see it all
through.
It was all interesting to me but I don’t mind admitting
that I was glad to see land again. When we reached our
destination we were transferred to land barges—once
again very unsteady down that gangway; thence to the
shore, setting foot on NG soil for the first time. Then
came the laborious work in clearing the jungle for our
camp and believe me, we lost some sweat; when we
erected our tents, we had to build a road into the camp;
but this was not so bad as we were permitted to remove
our shirts. We take great precautions against our old
enemy the mozzie. We cover the uncovered skin with
repellent regularly and take an Atebrin tablet every
night—prevention against malaria.
At first we found the heat stifling but now we have
become accustomed to the climate. The jungle is full of
wogs which crawl, walk and fly and they all bite. There
are pictures in various camps almost every night with a
concert once a week so we have plenty of entertainment.
I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Gladys
Moncrieff, Kitty Bluett and Bebi Scott—a super show.
The natives were a great attraction for a while but now
we take little notice of them. The ANGAV (Australia NG
Administrative Unit) missions do wonderful work
amongst the natives. Most of the Boongs, as we call
them, are employed by the army on various work; they
sing all day long in their enchanting harmony. On
Christmas Day I attended a native festival (similar to the
Aboriginal corroboree). In olden days it was a celebration
after a successful hunt. With their war-paint, huge

headdress of feathers, necklets of shells etc they
presented a weird and wonderful picture. In their hand
they carried a horn-shaped drum carved out of wood
and hollow, one end covered by hide which, when
struck by the hand, gave the pom-pom effect; and did
those boys go to town! Every dance and song seemed
the same to me. Many can speak comparatively good
broken English, replacing ‘I’ with ‘me’ etc. The Boongs
are very clever at thatching and their huts are super
structures. Although we spent Christmas Day on this
tropical island, we were treated excellently. Everyone
received a large Christmas hamper from the ACF which
contained most of the necessities. For dinner there was
turkey and what goes with it; plum duff, peaches,
custard and cream. For tea, ham replaced the turkey
plus the same sweets. We had turkey again last week.
The meals are very good, mostly tinned but almost once
a week we have fresh meat.
The coconut plantations are very attractive but it is
difficult to persuade a Boong to scramble up for
coconut; they are like monkeys when it comes to
climbing. The kunai grass grows to a height of six feet
and it was a scratch from this grass that poisoned my
hand. I have not met any of the Delegate boys; my
cousin is camped only a few miles away so we visit each
other regularly. Dot and Robin are both well … Have you
been to any dances lately? The only dancing partner I
can find is a ‘Mary’. Well I must bring this to a close,
wishing you all the best
Your old friend
Brian
Digging into our Past—
Brian McQuillen
Brian McQuillen left his mark
on Tubbut, and is
remembered fondly by some
of our older residents. He was
Tubbut School’s first teacher
when it opened in 1941. These
memories were reproduced in
a booklet produced for Tubbut
School’s Jubilee in 1991. The
photo was taken at a Tubbut
School working bee.
When I first received notification from the Education
Department to proceed to Tubbut as head teacher, I
had no idea where Tubbut was situated and after much
map searching, discovered that it would be one of the
most easterly schools, but how to get there was my
next problem. A train to Bairnsdale, passenger bus to
Orbost, finding accommodation for the night, catching
‘Ryan’s’ mail car at 8 o’clock the following morning and
being deposited at the Bonang Store—I certainly had
my doubts. Reg Ingram, the storekeeper, assured me
that he would transport me to Tubbut in his mail/
grocery truck. How well I remember that
journey! At every delivery point along the route,
a whisper from Reg to the locals meeting his
truck and there would be a sea of faces appear in
front of the windscreen top behold the
newcomer who immediately melted below the
dashboard. I still didn’t know where I would be
accommodated and neither did Reg until we
arrived at the home of Eric and Sheila Ingram—
my host and friends.
From this moment, my6 life began. I met ‘real’
people for the first time in my life. After two days
travelling, I didn’t have much time to appreciate
the beauty of my surroundings. All I thought
about was ‘my’ isolation and how I was going to
miss my participation in Australian Rules football.
This was Easter 1941.
I was ushered into my bedroom where I
deposited my luggage—a very modern room
attractively furnished. The following day I made a
startling discovery. Eric and Sheila, who were
building their home in stages, had moved out of
their own bedroom—which they allotted to me—
into an unlined room with no ceiling which was
to be their sleeping quarters for the next nine
months. They promptly rejected my protests, so
everyone will appreciate the high esteem that I
possessed for this family. Their generosity and
kindness towards me cannot be described.
One could not have been welcomed to Tubbut in
a better way. This preamble is most important
when one thinks of a school, its environment
both physical and human.
I was quite excited about seeing ‘my own school’,
‘my first rural school’ for the first time. Situated
between Eric Ingram’s and Nevens was a small
fibrocement building perched on a narrow point
of land falling away from the road to the Deddick
River. It certainly looked barren. Inside there was
no lining nor ceiling, the floor boards, cut from
local timbers, were un-nailed waiting to shrink;
there were ten empty desks, an empty cupboard,
a table and chair and two portable blackboards
without easels leaning against the wall. A small
porch was at the rear of the building and a huge
stump almost at the doorstep. Of course there
were two toilets—no septic.
This might appear to be a dismal start for a young
teacher but let’s consider how the school got
there in the first place. The people of the district
wanted a school for their children but the
Education Department refused to establish a
school there. If the local residents would provide
a building, then the Department would supply a
teacher. So this is precisely what the local
residents did—raising money and erected, this

neat little building. With enrolment of ten pupils, the
Department supplied me. Margaret, Mary, Nat, Normal
and Meg Bryant, Allan Neven, Bobbie and Pally Stokes,
Clive and Sally Ingram from then onwards became my
happy little family. On that first day they arrived at school
with their school bags crammed with books and lunches,
rather shy and non-communicative.
Fortunately the District Inspector, Mr Whelpton, had
forewarned me that there wouldn’t be any resources in
the school so I had brought a supply of chalk and books
with me. After an SOS to my parents, two wooden trunks
of aids, supplementary readers, art paper etc arrived.
Very soon the room was lined with brown paper to which
was attached projects and articles of art. The chalkboards
were nailed to a couple of studs and, with a log blazing in
the fireplace, the learning process had begun. The age
range was from five to twelve years and, apart from two
pupils, none had been to school before in their lives. My
wages were four pounds and five shillings per week and I
paid 25 shillings a week board and lodging. Rabbits were
plentiful and furs were bringing around $1 a lb (four to
five skins). I soon became the proud owner of twelve
traps which I ‘ran’ on the way to school and ‘set’ on the
way home again. With my savings and this
supplementary income I was able to purchase a set of
Arthur Mee’s Children’s Encyclopaedia, a battery
operated film strip projector.
To fence the school ground a working bee was arranged
and I think that every man in the district attended. We
waded across the Deddick and up the slope on the other
side; trees were felled, cut into lengths with a crosscut
saw, split with mall and wedges, and we all carried the
posts on our shoulders back across the river to the
school. Two working bees and the whole area was
enclosed with a fence and a gate plus a beautiful straight
flagpole. Thus, with a small garden bed around the
flagpole we could hold our Monday morning ceremony
around this new area.
The children and I built a rock fireplace down near the
river and during fine sunny days we would have picnic
lunches and boil the billy.
To teach the pupils music I bought a 24 bass piano
accordion and the poor little building used to shake and
tremble from the vibrations of this noisy contraption.
However, we all enjoyed this part of the curriculum.
News soon spread that there was a musician in the
district and an invitation was soon extended to me to
play some ‘extras’ at the next dance at Bonang—even
though I could only play five tunes—and didn’t those
tunes get thrashed!
A small maintenance allowance was received for postage,
school requisites such as ink which we made ourselves
from ink powder to which we added water and then filled
the ink-wells. Teachers in those days must have been
extremely popular with parents when their children
arrived home covered in ink stains. And of course, there
was an allowance—equivalent to 25 cents a fortnight —
to attend to the toilets: Professional Sanitary
Contractors.
Today in education we hear about child-centred
programs, interest-based activities, developing
initiative and independence. Believe me, the
rural school has always possessed these
qualities. The relationships between teacher and
pupils is everlasting. I have met quite a few of
the pupils in later years and ‘we’ all bubble. A
deep affection grows between every one of us.
The whole community has the same spirit and I
was welcomed into everyone’s home and
treated like their own.
One evening as I was planning and setting work
in the school, I heard the call of a whipbird. This
was nothing new to me as I had heard this bird
along the Mitchell and Wonangatta Rivers at
Dargo. But the sound this evening was
different—it seemed to come from the upper
slopes of the mountain in front of the school and
then from a stump of tea-tree at the rear of the
school. My curiosity aroused, I ventured towards
the tea-tree, but the call would cease. After an
hour of sneaking, I saw the whipbird in the teatree,
performing like a lyrebird on a mound, and
ah! I made a discovery. The call was made by two
birds—an answering call. One bird would whistle
and the other would ‘crack the whip’ to make it
sound like a continuous call made by one bird.
An authority in wild life at that time was Crosbie
Morison, so I wrote him a letter about my
discovery. His reply left me rather deflated
because this phenomenon was a well known
fact. Oh well! We all learnt anyway.
What did all this do for me? I learnt a lot about
people—we don’t have to be academics but just
people who care for each other.
The flora and fauna of the district fascinated me
and here in the peace and serenity of the bush I
developed a strong appreciation of our
environment, so much so, my own teaching was
based around the environment. Hence this was
an initiation for me and in later years I became
the co-author of a book ‘Mud, Daisies and
Sparrows’ based on teaching language through
environmental experiences [still available from
Amazon—Ed].
There is much more that could be written—
about bonfires, dingo drives, short-cuts to
Dellicknora by walking across a log over the river
at Cabanandra—and falling in, and only owning a
bicycle for a mode of transport, but all these
were the happiest days of my teaching
experiences.
This is an edited version of the original article
which can be viewed at Tubbut Neighbourhood
House—Deb

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