Are you really OK?

Spring has teased us by showing up for a couple of days, and then hiding again. Winter can be a cruel time of year. Many people feel more depressed and vulnerable, especially if it’s too hard to go outside and walk or garden. There is a name for it - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which may affect some people more than others, there are strategies and treatments available if you feel that this applies to what you’re feeling. (https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/seasonal-affective-disorder)

If you can, perhaps getting out as soon as the weather warms, or the sun is at least shining, could help. We have a few groups around that encourage people to get together and try new things - sporting groups - footy, tennis, bowls, the choir, book club, card club, dance group, not to mention the myriad of service clubs including SACWA and the Men’s Shed. Not all of them are full of oldies, but we acknowledge that many younger people - some with hectic lives - may find it harder to connect with those. But, having a chat with us oldies might not be as bad as you think, and sometimes, we come up with some good ideas.

Our SACWA and the Men’s Shed are cases in point. Sitting about and having a chat, stirring each other up, getting out and having fun, and occasionally making stuff, is what we do. Neither group fits the stereotype in that our primary focus might not be what you first think. One or two CWA members may know how to make scones, and there are a few who are whizzes at crafts, but if you ask us what is the best thing about us, it would probably be about supporting each other. No judgements, no third degree, nor unwanted advice, but always a shoulder (or ten) to support, to cry on. During August, some of our CWA members went to Lyndoch to check out some SALA exhibits, and to have lunch at the Monkey Nut Cafe, next week we are going to see the latest Downton Abbey movie after lunch at a cafe. (New Australian movie ‘Kangaroo’ (below) is due out shortly - based on a true story, it could be a great ‘feel-good’ movie to cheer you up.) Next year we are already planning more outings and projects - preferably things we haven’t done before.

The Men’s Shed is similar - you don’t have to be a member to sit and chat. If you need advice on a project, there will always be someone who can help. The coffee may not be great, and I don’t think they can cook (except for fantastic barbies), but the biscuits tin is always full, and there are warm hearted blokes underneath grumpy exteriors.

All of us enjoy company, and we love serving our communities. Sometimes you may hear about it - as in our support of the Reflection Bench located in Old Talunga Park (pictured below). Made by wonderful members of our community, the design incorporates our local flora, fauna, Bowdy’s dog, the Torrens, a sunflower and a rainbow. It’s a reminder that there will always be someone to listen, everyone is worthy. No matter what your problem, there will always be someone to help. Sometimes we may not know exactly what you need and how to help, but we probably know someone who has an answer. The bench is there for anyone who wants to take some time - to sit, to ponder life, or to wonder what the next step is. No matter who you are, where you come from or who you love, we support you. You are worthy.

Now - time for me to go outside - as it’s not raining - and figure out what to do with the four tones of sawdust currently residing all over my backyard. The birds are confused as their big tree is gone - but luckily none have nested in it for years - and the smaller trees that lived in the shadow of the old Ash are spreading their branches and rewarding us with blossom. The care everyone, and ask a mate if they are OK - but before you do - ask YOURSELF. Good luck.

There are some links on this page you might find useful: https://www.mtpleasantbeat.org/social-services-organisations-information

Reading Cinema - Elizabeth https://readingcinemas.com.au/movies/now-showing

Wallis Cinema - Mt Barker https://wallis.com.au/wallis-cinemas/mt-barker-2/

Both are easily accessible, and there are cafes and eateries in close proximity. Concessions as well.

Cold as Charity

I don’t need to tell you it’s cold, but, it’s bloody cold! Anyhow, the cold is a good excuse to hole up with blankets, a hot cuppa and a good book or movie. It gave us a reason to take a couple o f days and finally watch some stuff we’d bookmarked ages ago. We also managed to get out over the holidays to see Dick and Angel at the Festival Theatre. It was a hoot, and almost made this Christmas present worth the wait. We made a couple of days of it, and stayed at the Oval motel - big treat, and one we won’t be able to do often. Port was playing and we were given the option of watching it from the bar (yes, the view was that good!), but Don being a fair-weather Port supporter declined. Should have watched a bit. Anyhow, they forgot our dinner order, but made up for it with a rather nice bottle of red and a cheese platter that we enjoyed when we got back. Monday saw us at the Museum, looking at the Galloway Hoard, which though small, was exciting when you looked at it in context. I did manage to pick up some souvenirs as gifts, and a particularly nice shopping bag which isn’t about me at all!

The Community Association held our Meet Your Neighbours event, and we met more new people, which was really pleasing, and we have a lot to take away from it. New people are presented with a goody bag containing information about our town - that includes anything wr know about groups and organisations was well as businesses and a couple of freebies from the Market and Recreate (many thanks to them!).

We also went to a Red Cross Redi event, which was surprisingly helpful It concentrated on the response to catastrophic events, and I would urge anyone who is interested to visit the Red Cross site and wold the information. We allo picked up a goody bag, which is always welcome!

The footy club has been in the news lately, and it’s hard to watch them struggle to get a hearing. There has been a lot of special media about their woes, and an article in the Advertiser, all of which seems to have gained them some much needed support. When Don was in SAPol, we spent much of our early years in small or rural towns. The things you learn about this is that most towns are largely the same - same characters (just different names), same struggle to stay relevant, same fight to maintain essential services. And they all need their schools, shops and sporting clubs. When small towns lose these, it’s like the heart goes out of them and it’s just a matter go time before they start shutting down. We love touring rural South Australia and Victoria especially, and seeing the struggle these towns all have is heartbreaking. Which makes me want to ask those in charge - what will happen when all of these little towns are gone? Where will you get your fuel? Will you be able to pull into a little bakery and pick up a pie? What if something happens and you need help? Can’t get it if there’s no-one there. Good luck with that, mate.

A few years ago, I was going to start a little campaign in the newsletter - to be called “Pick One”. Sadly COVID scuppered that one, but I think the need is still there. What if… you picked one? One club, organisation, charity? Gave some time to a sporting club, or maybe joined a book club or writer’s group, or painting class? One event, or one hour, one day, one month, one year…. I guarantee you, it would make someone’s day - might even make yours.

Get to Know Your neighbours

We cancelled our plans to holiday in Victoria this winter, and decided to stay home and explore. Partly because we have a lot on, and partly because we want to explore. Because of Don’s job we have seen a lot of the state but always enjoy finding out more, sometimes we have felt that we explored more of an area than the people who lived there did.

Because it is NAIDOC week, Don chose for us to go to Kingston’s Historic house at Marino. Not an obvious connection to our First Nation’s peoples, until you take a step out to the edge of a cliff and see the beautiful sculpture created by the renowned sculptor, John Dowie. It’s a starkly beautiful piece situated as it is, facing Gulf St Vincent. The dreamtime story is of love and loss, and explains for the people the creation story of the waterholes and springs in the area, as well as familial love. (Picture of the plaque and sculpture below.)

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. 

Kingston’s Historic House “Built in 1840, Kingston House is one of South Australia’s oldest remaining houses. It is still being used today. The quiet beauty and hidden charm of the House and Reserve make it a favourite picnic spot for visitors.” There are many more impressive and beautiful houses in the state, but the story of Charles Kingston is what draws you in. He was so much revered - despite being a bit of a ratbag - that the state government bought his house some time after his death. An excerpt from the section about him on the Kingston’s house website: “He was a great social reformer and is noted for introducing the following legislations:

• the first factory regulations

• set wages for set hours

• industrial conciliation

• establishment of the State Bank guaranteeing deposits

• Married Women’s Property Act

• female suffrage (second in the world), and

• women’s right to stand for Parliament (first in the world).”

So you can see why he would have appealed to me. After a lovely Devonshire Tea - provided by the volunteers who look after the house, we were given a talk by Coralie, who knows her subject, and who understands well Charles Kingston’s place in our state, and Australia’s history.

Visiting many historic places as we do, coming across those people with a passion for passing on all those wonderful details about each place and tidbits about the lives of those who were associated with them is what makes history come alive. We also felt that recently when we visited ‘The Cedars' - definitely worth another visit.

Meantime, another ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ event to prepare for, and trying to keep warm!

Farewells and Acknowledgements

May has finished colder than we were expecting, and also drier. It seems the eastern states have only just begun to understand that were are drought affected, I guess they had a lot to think about with the dreadful rains…

Mount Pleasant farewelled some well loved people during May, including David McQueen, Colin Fawcett and Les Modra. All will be missed by those who knew them and our sincere condolences go out to their loved ones.

History Festival was celebrated widely in the district, and although we didn’t mount a huge display this year, there were plenty of displays and events around the district. Tattie Bogle - our Scarecrow entry, has packed her bags - maybe she’ll make another entrance next year?

May ended with Reconciliation Week, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Federal Government’s apology to the stolen generations. This was a landmark in our country’s history and it is hoped that this will spur on further reconciliation and understanding of our First Nations peoples.

As winter is now upon us, we watch the skies anxiously for signs that we will at least get some winter rains, and look forward to an acknowledgement from governments that those who depend upon the arrival of such rains for their livelihoods - and our food - deserve all the help we can give. There are a few organisations set up to deliver aid and support to rural families if you are thinking of a donation. (The Birdwood Pantry assists those in need in our wider community. If you’d like to donate, you may leave non-perishable items at the United Church in Birdwood, or contact St John’s in Mt Pleasant: 8568 2875.)

Easter, Elections and Anzacs

Lots happened over April - including a fantastic Easter Twilight Market - and of course the Anzac Day Dawn Service.

The Market joined in the fun of the gather Round, with members of the Torrens Valley Lions FC encouraging youngsters to come and have a go with Auskick. There were some great stalls and of course, a busker (Gordon Wehr with his smooth jazz vibes - one of my favourites).

The Easter Twilight Market was huge - perfect weather and a fantastic atmosphere. We are really lucky that this has become such a feature. The Caravan Park has been full, and we’ve had major horse events, all of which benefits our community. It must be said that some of the aftermath has been less than we would have wanted, with some manure being left (cleaned up later) and the oval bearing the brunt of horses hooves on a soft surface. The council have been notified, and we hope that a solution is found so that the oval fares better for ALL of the users.

The Anzac Dawn Service was again well attended, with the crowd spilling over into the CWA garden, and along the road. There were also over 200 Gunfire Breakfasts served (thank you Men’s Shed and Progress), the SACWA also supplied hundreds of Anzac biscuits. Thank you to all who came along to mark this important commemoration, and than you to all who assisted. President of the Mt Pleasant Gus Van Lakerveld and crew should be proud of the effort they made, and how it was received. More info and photos on the RSL Facebook page.

Voting has been going on for some time, with pre-polling open a while back. It is said that over 6 million people have already voted. We should know by late on the 3rd, which party will govern us for the next 4 years. The Polling Place is again at the school, which I think is a silly place for so many reasons - not the least being that people with mobility issues are not looked after properly, as the parking area is on a slope. Also, most people break the law by parking where they shouldn’t, as there is a single unbroken line along the road outside the school. Not a very safe situation at all. If you have any issues or want to air your opinion on the site of the Polling Place, please contact The Australian Electoral Commission and have your say. You can do it online.

The nights are cooler, but we still have the most glorious weather during the day, which would normally be a good thing - but - until we get decent rains, it’s hard to celebrate. Fingers crossed we get some decent rain in May! Stay warm.

March Madness

Sort of glad March is over - and it could be because I’m getting older. But then again, it could be because I really wish things could be spread out more. I usually only do WOMADelaide, buy my tickets early, and for for the whole four days with my friend. We stay in town and meet up occasionally for meals, and get to see and experience as many entertainers as possible. This year it was pretty hot, so hot in fact that I didn’t go the last two days. The event area is set up well for heat, but nothing could beat to 40 degree days. The good things was, I saw who I really wanted to see - namely the Bangarra Dance Troupe and Nitin Sawnhey. A couple of the acts I had seen before - Central Australian Women’s Choir, etc - so tried to see new acts. As is always the case, I met a few people and had some great conversations. I always joke that as a family, our superpower is finding connections, and it’s in that we find South Australia really earns it’s big country town status. Next year, I think I’ll try the Fringe.

Paula decided we (the History Room - Mount Pleasant Community Association) should have an entry in the Barossa Vintage Scarecrow competition - to give Clyde from the old Police Station a run for his money (Clyde won last year). Drawing on the experiences of the early settlers, Paula created Tatty Bogle, representing our Scottish heritage. Unlike the rest of the Barossa, Mount Pleasant was settled predominantly by Scottish and English immigrants. Tatty can be seen at the front of the CWA Garden, and if you can, please vote for her (and Clyde!). Just google it and you’ll find a link on the Vintage site.

So, the Show actually did quite well, even though the livestock weren’t represented. Kudos to those who went and supported this great local event.

We have a few things coming up in April - namely Easter at the Market. This year the Market will also join in with the Gather Round Fun - so look out for shenanigans on the 12th, when there will be a ‘Festival of Footy’!

We will also have the Tungkillo Monster Auction on the 13th - not to be missed.

And of course, on the 25th, our RSL will be hosting the annual Anzac Day Dawn Service. Always a solemn event, there will be displays by the local school children, the History Room and the RSL. For those who can’t resist, we’ll have the usual Gunfire Breakfast, and Two Up and Crown and Anchor will be played.

At the end of March, we said farewell to a very popular identity in Barrie Mills. Some of you may not know his name, but I’ll bet you know of him. You may have even stopped for a chat sometime. Barrie could be found at the Bakery (because he loved coffee and cake), he was at the Bowls Club on Thursdays (although he never played bowls), and the Men’s Shed whenever he felt the need (although he never lifted a hammer). Early each month, he would meet up with a group of blokes and enjoy a steak dinner and several glasses of Merlot. We will miss him and his gentle humour and warm personality, and if there is an afterlife, we hope he will be reunited with his lovely wife Marion. Rest in Peace.

Navigating the news

It’s a difficult time for many of us - and not just in Australia. Best of times - worst of times stuff. Some of us are torn between wanting to keep up with news that affects us - even if it’s the chaos in another country - and needing to look after our mental health. Our federal elections are looming and for me the choice is clear, but for some the waters are so muddy, they are not sure what is right and what is wrong. Our options for trusted news sources seem to be more limited than ever, but there are still a few journalists of integrity who understand the difference between reporting the news, giving solid opinion pieces based on facts, and checking sources.

I read an interesting piece on how to define a cult recently, and the cult of the Orange Baby currently cutting a swathe through independent oversight in the US seems to behave true to form. When I was younger, we read about some of these things in history lessons, and now we are living through them. We never thought the horrible atrocities that occurred during the World Wars could happen again, but here we are, and now the stakes are higher and the weapons bigger. Edmund Burke’s quote “all that is needed for evil to flourish, is that good meant do nothing” doesn’t seem to be making much headway when there are so many speaking out about the wrongs being done, but those with power are ignoring them and ramping up the rhetoric. The latest debacle from the Oval Office is almost too appalling to comprehend. Even thought the US seems determined to wreck long held allegiances, most of the leaders of European countries have leaped to the defence of Vlodymyr Zlenskyy and Ukraine. So there is still hope.

Meanwhile, in sleepy little Mount Pleasant, the weather has been pretty good, except for the lack of rain. The Red Cross Garden party has come and gone, with Sophie entertaining us again with personal insights and practical gardening advice. Sophie will be moving soon, and has bought a ‘fixer upper’ near Sedan, so her segments on Gardening Australia will certainly be different from those at Mt Barker! Sophie’s talks are always entertaining and educational, and this year she touched on re-wilding, and her visit to Cadell Training Centre, which she found eye opening. She also spoke about the benefits of green spaces near large blocks of flats and the resulting reduction in crime statistics. Kangaroo Island and their experiences with with increased self-sufficiency also rated a mention. We are hoping to have Sophie as our Guest Speaker again next February - so please look out for the event booking (around December) as tickets are limited and sell out fast.

The Community Association held a morning tea to welcome new residents to our town, and although we didn’t present Community Awards this year, we met some really nice and enthusiastic newcomers. We had some great conversations, and I hope they left feeling that the town had a lot to offer, and that they wanted to contribute. Last year when we held our first ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ event, we made up some goody bags, which included leaflets from various groups around the town, information about upcoming events, brochures from the Market, a Mt Pleasant History Walk brochure, Lavender Trail brochure and a re-usable grocery bag gifted from Recreate, amongst them. We gave them to our new friends and we will keep them at the History Room so that any newcomers can be given up to date information about what they can expect to find in the district.

The annual Mt Pleasant Show will be on again next month. Our biggest event, the Show is a must-see, and attracts stallholders and exhibitors from all over Australia, so in the immortal words of Molly Meldrum - “Do yourselves a favour” and pop along to the show on the 15th March.

The effervescent Sophie Thomson.

A New Year

Another hot season is upon us, earlier and hotter, and a time for us to be on our toes. Fires rage in Western Australia and Victoria, and we are up for a few hot days at the beginning of next week.

Meanwhile, there are lots to look forward to, despite the dreadful news items coming from overseas. Some things that we are sad about last year, have continued, and despite best efforts, don’t seem to have an end.

The Red Cross Garden Party takes place in a couple of weeks, and it is already booked out. Sophie Thomson will again be our guest speaker, and she is always great fun.

The MP Community Association will again be holding a ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ event in the CWA Garden on the 23rd February. Last year was the first time we had held such an event, and we were so pleased with the outcome and reaction from many members of our community, that we resolved to hold more of the same style of event. We would like to encourage anyone who is new (or newish) to our community to pop along and have a lovely morning tea, and chat with members of the Community Association - but more importantly - meet your neighbours! The event is free, but any donation is welcomed. Also - if the weather is not kind to us, we’ll be in the Hall - with the airconditioning going! (Unless of course, it is a designated Catastrophic Day, and it will be postponed.) Even if you came last year, please feel free to come again.

A couple of us attended the Tilt Renewables workshop at Tungkillo last night, where we discussed the contribution the project would be making to the community in the form of grants. There were many ideas discussed - and a few categories that would best help the local communities, and there will be more information about this released further down the track. This won’t be an overnight process, but the good thing is that we will have the time to consult with our communities and possibly put some strategies and plans in place to get the most out of this that will benefit our communities for a long time to come.

Anyhow - one of my New Year’s resolutions was to make more time to write blogs and give out news to the community its in as many ways as I could this year. Let’s hope it lasts!

2024

I have not felt up to writing a blog for some time. After the Referendum, I didn’t feel like doing much at all. And now, we have Australia Day to contend with.

The Mt Pleasant Community Association Inc, which runs the Australia Day Community Awards ceremony decided that this year we would hold it on the 28th. This year the holiday makes it a long weekend, and we had an issue a few years back when many people stayed away. As the event is funded by the MPCAI, sustaining a loss is a big hit for us. Some people have complained to us in the past that we shouldn’t charge for the Breakfast, but as the main event funded by council is held at Tanunda, we have only approached council once for funding, where we received a small amount. A lot of effort for a small return.

We have always enjoyed the community awards event. Taking submissions from members of the community regarding who they think is worthy of an award is always rewarding for us, and we have often found out things about community members that we never knew. There are some great people in this district. Many of whom get no recognition, and that’s the way some of them like it. We are proud of all our past recipients, and are looking forward to this year’s event.

As previously mentioned, we are a small community organisation and would rather spend the money on community projects than sustain a loss, and many of the people who bring this event to our town have been doing so for decades. It’s no small feat to get up early and set everything up to serve a hot breakfast - not knowing how many people will attend.

In the last few years, a few community members have attended a couple of workshops with Chris Sands, who started the Totally Locally movement. Chris is all about passing on free information and advice that encourages communities to be proud of what they have achieved. To support each other and small businesses so their towns don’t die. One of the initiatives was a ‘Meet Your Neighbour’ event, which Eden Valley has used to its advantage over the last year, and Cath Davies from Robbers Dog also used to encourage people to assist with the re-vamp of the CWA garden.

One of the perks of COVID has been an increase in the populations of many small towns, with families choosing to move from the cities where the likelihood of the transmission of virus’ like COVID is more likely, to an area where the population is more likely to not travel to risky places at those times.

A ‘Meet Your Neighbour’ event seems like another good reason to get together at a time when we are more likely to have people willing to take a couple of hours mid-morning to come along and have a cuppa and a chat. We welcome those who are new to our town, and look forward to meeting them and letting them know what the district has to offer.

We hope you’ve had a restful and enjoyable Christmas and new Year, and that we see you at the Community Awards event on January 28th at the CWA Garden.

Listening and being a good friend

I have a friend, a dear friend, and we've been friends for well over twenty years. She has been coming over almost weekly for almost that long, and in the early days, me being determined to be the perfect host would always pop the kettle on to give her a cuppa as soon as she came around. This went on for a while, and one night I noticed her pouring her cold cup of tea in the sink. I said I was sorry, that I didn't realise we were talking so much that she didn't get to drink her tea, and that I'd make her another one - all while I was putting the kettle on and getting things ready. She said "no - it's OK", but I went ahead anyway, because I wanted her to feel welcomed. As I picked up the milk to add it to her cup, she put her hand over it and said "I don't take milk." I looked at her and said "What? I always give you milk." She then said she was allergic to milk and it made her ill.

So, in my haste to give her what I thought she wanted, I was giving her what she didn't need. That it was the opposite of what she needed. She had told me, several times, but I didn't hear or listen. So I did what I always did when I had to remember something important - I put a large note on the fridge which read "Don't give 'Rosie' milk - it makes her sick."

Now anyone who has known me for a while, knows that I have a terrible memory, and putting notes on the fridge was a great way for me to remember important things - like #2 son had to do the dishes for a couple of weeks for whingeing, and #1 son had to do them because he was giving #2 son grief in the first place, and #3 son (toddler) had to stop kicking #2 son when he was lying on the floor.

If I didn't put the note there, I would forget and go back to doing the same stuff over and over again, and nobody won. If one of those notes were on the fridge - no-one was allowed to take it off. If the kids tried, they would be in worse trouble - and the Man of the House knew I was dinkum, and he’d better not mess with it either. It was law.

See the parallels? If we don't enshrine the Voice and listen, we'll keep doing what we've always done, because it's easy to forget what works, and a new government will just overturn it easily anyhow.

So if you want all those horror stories about how bad things are on the lands to continue - keep voting no - and you'll get what you want, but First Nations peoples will never get what they need.

The story about the milk is true - and friends will know who I'm talking about. She's a great friend and I've never seen her get angry.