Kyabram’s Fay Shaw is a resilient woman.
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She typifies the observation of a former prime minister who famously claimed ‘‘life wasn’t meant to be easy’’.
But her will and tenacity have prevailed in enduring a string of personal setbacks during her married life.
In recent years she has lost her husband, John — initially struck down by a stroke in the early 2000s, from which he never fully recovered — a daughter, Julie, two years ago and a son, David, earlier this year.
And before all these setbacks another of Fay’s children, Marty, was left a paraplegic after a car accident in 2002.
Battling through COVID-19 has been another challenge that Fay met head-on.
She admits her life has taken a tough road, but it recently reached a notable positive milestone.
On April 27 she turned the grand old age of 90 and that was cause for double celebrations — a family reunion and then a gathering of close friends.
The now nonagenarian was brought up at Boorhaman North, between Wangaratta and Yarrawonga, and spent most of her working life as a schoolteacher.
Fay has always had a passion for sport, was a better than average tennis player and loved her footy, at one stage taking the statistics for the Kyabram Football Club.
Her late brother, Ken, started his football career with Stanhope and played 55 VFL games, mainly in defence, with South Melbourne between 1962 and ’65.
Fay said she thoroughly enjoyed her two birthday bashes and would like to thank all those who attended and those who afforded her good wishes on her marvellous milestone.
Pitter patter of rain
Welcome rain has fallen in Kyabram and district in the past week.
From last Wednesday to Saturday about 30mm was recorded at the Kyabram weather station.
Most was recorded overnight Friday, with 20mm, after falls of 1.2mm last Wednesday and 8mm on Thursday.
In February, March and April, Kyabram received a total of just 25mm after a near record total for January of 38mm.
The rain is particularly timely for grain growers, and the tractors have been out in force since the rain preparing to sow or sowing crops.
Square dinkum
G’day.
When I got to work this morning, the boss came storming up to me and shouted, ‘‘YOU MISSED WORK YESTERDAY, DIDN’T YOU?’’
I replied, ‘’No, not particularly.’’
Hooroo!
Tough times for councils
Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor Shane Sali has labelled his current councillors as facing ‘‘more challenges than any other council of the modern era’’ after council released a draft budget with a 2.7 per cent rates increase last week.
Father and son on beat together
It’s not often you get to work with your father if you are police officer but that was the case recently at Echuca when Constable Ben Walker joined his father, Sergeant Shane Walker, on the beat.
Ben has been working in the NSW police force but has crossed the Murray and spent a week working with his father, who has been a police officer for over 30 years at Echuca.
The working union was only temporary, with Ben moving to Melbourne to further his policing career and Dad admitting working with his son “was an honour“.
Open forest for firewood
State Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell is back on the bandwagon of reopening the collection of firewood from Barmah Forest.
She said she was shocked to see dead trees and branches covering parts of the forest floor during a recent drive through the forest.
“They are inhibiting the growth of saplings and regeneration of the forest,” she said.
‘‘Allowing local residents into the forest to collect the fallen firewood would not only help generate forest growth but also clear potential fire risks.“
Tourism organisation closes
Sad times for Echuca-Moama Tourism service, now on its last legs.
The decades-old organisation has pencilled in June 30 as the day its doors close.
Tourism chair George Santos said all the options had been analysed but without ‘‘major support’’, the long-term future of the organisation was not sustainable.
The ‘major support’ came from the Campaspe and Murray shire councils, which have withdrawn their monetary backing and are devising their own plans to attract visitors to the tourism hot spot.
New millionaire in Berrigan
A guessing game has begun in the Riverina town of Berrigan — who became the instant millionaire in a recent Tattslotto draw?
There are fewer than 1300 residents in the town but all that is known is that the lucky person was a local married woman.
The guessing game continues.
Did you know?
• Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. Only Antarctica gets less moisture falling on its landmass.
• The highest mountain in Australia is Mt Kosciuszko, its peak 2228m above sea level.
• New Zealand is home to five million people and 25 million sheep.
• Maltesers were originally marketed as a weight-loss food because of their “less-fattening centre”.
Sports reporter