Show Society Calls on Help

The Chinchilla Show Society is calling on all locals to band together to help make this year’s centenary show one to remember. A special feature of the show’s 100th birthday will be a grand parade on opening night, which will be on Friday May 25.

Chinchilla Show Society committee member Rowan O’Hara said it was a one off chance for the town to do something really special.

“We don’t just want an ordinary parade, we want to tell the story of Chinchilla’s show over the past 100 years,” Mr O’Hara said.

The show society is looking for musicians, dancers and actors to help to add a little drama to the parade.

Even if you do not have a flair for drama, organisers are pleading for all community members to get involved. “We need a lot of help to make this happen,” he said. Organisers are also looking to incorporate pieces of history in the parade.This will include stories from the pioneering days and stories from the show at the time of WW11, right through to today with the emergence of the resource sector in Chinchilla.

“We would love to hear from anyone who has some stories or memorabilia regarding the show’s history,” Mr O’Hara said.

Anyone interested in being involved can contact Mr O’Hara on 0427 027 025.

Mates Helping Mates

Clover Hill Ranch was filled with laughter last Friday, as year 6 and 7 students from Chinchilla State School made their regular visit.

Chinchilla State School teacher Sue Cobb said it was a tradition for the students, getting the chance to come out every second year.

Mrs Cobb said the kids had an absolute ball. They spent the day out of the classroom and worked together with their school mates to overcome physical and mental obstacles.

“They absolutely love it, it is the highlight of the year, so the older brothers and sisters key them up and they are just so excited,” she said.

Clover Hill Ranch part owner, Jason Hewett, loves seeing the kids outside and being active.

He said he enjoys watching their confidence grow throughout the day.

“It’s just great to get the kids outdoors and actually see their attitude change from when they first camp and when they leave, they have more of a positive outlook on life and not only at school but in their personal lives as well.

“It is good to see that transition,” Mr Hewett said.

The Ranch has been operating for about 12 years.

Mr Hewett said kids come from all over the state, mainly to do team building exercises, leadership camps, where they are able to sit around the camp fire at night and discuss the day’s activities.

He said the ranch had been affected by recent flooding but thankfully was restored to its old self.

The newest attraction on offer at Clover Hill is laser skirmish, which potentially may become available commercially to businessmen.

New Sergeant Brings New Game

Sergeant Gerard Brady has been in the police force for more than 13 years and has just taken up the top job at Chinchilla Police Station.

He said he always loved Chinchilla as a pleasant place to stop on his way to visit family in Emerald.

“It is such a lovely place to live,” he said.

“When the position for Officer in Charge at Chinchilla came up I jumped at the chance.”

Sergeant Brady’s previous posting was at Babinda in Far North Queensland, located about 60km south of Cairns.

He brought with him his wife and two kids.

“The kids have started school and are really enjoying it.”

Sergeant Brady said he and his family have been overwhelmed by the friendliness of the locals.

“We took the kids to the weir on Saturday, they love boats so we were having a look at some, when someone from the Chinchilla Boat Club offered to take them for a ride,” he said.

“What a great introduction to the town.”

Sergeant Brady said he prefers living and working in small country towns.

“I find working in smaller towns is a lot more rewarding you can really get involved in the community. My family and I love the lifestyle.”

The new boss has been thrown straight in and had his first shift last Friday night.

“I’m enjoying getting to know the other staff, they are a friendly and functional team,” he said.

With no plans for pulling up stumps anytime soon, Sergeant Brady is sure to become a familiar face around town in no time.

River Rats Blow Away the Cobwebs

One of Chinchilla’s staple winter sporting clubs is gearing up for the 2012 season.

The River Rats rugby union team got rid of the cobwebs on the weekend with a 10-a-side carnival at the Gold Coast.

The squad travelled ot the home ground of the Currumbin Alligators for the two-day competition.

The event is held annually in the lead up to the season, and this year featured a number of first grade teams from Brisbane and also one from Papua New Guinea.

River Rats coach, Scott Gale, said while the Rats did not record a victory across the four matches they played, the boys did very well considering the tough competition they were up against.

“We were playing against first grade sides and we’re only a social grade side, but we did very well to hold our own where we did and the boys gelled really well,” Scott said.

“The competition showed our strengths and weaknesses coming into the start of the season.

“It certainly tested our fitness, but we held our own in the scrums and in some cases dominated in the scrums.”

Come March 31, the boys will be looking to kick off the season strongly against the Toowoomba Rangers and maintain the consistency every week that saw them make it through to the semi-finals last year.

(Courtesy of the Chinchilla News)