Former Kyvalley turns 80
Former Kyvalley girl Marita Lunn (nee Roberts) celebrated her 80th birthday on January 13.
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It was quite an occasion, celebrated with a large crowd of family and friends in Motueka, New Zealand.
To make the day even more memorable was the appearance of 17 family and friends who travelled from Australia, including her brother, Kyabram’s Noel Roberts, to surprise her.
Marita is the eldest child of the late Joe and Shirley Roberts, who left Australia for a working holiday in New Zealand at the age of 19.
She was accompanied by two friends, Shirley Toms and Val Hewitt, who both returned to Australia.
However, Marita met Roger Lunn on a tobacco farm they worked at and they married and made New Zealand their home.
They had four children and nine grandchildren, who were all with Marita on her special day.
Change in logo
A Traps reader was interested to see the Free Press front page story two weeks ago, which featured the launch by Australia Post of a new batch of stamps, including the famous former Kyabram Preserving KY brand.
His question was whether the KY on the labels were once hyphenated because he felt it was.
And he was right.
Kyabram historian Chris George has confirmed there was a period when KY products were marketed with a K-Y brand.
‘‘It was in the 1960s but it was gone by the 1970s,’’ Chris said.
Urgency for carp control
It's not good use for those who like to throw a line in.
European carp are being credited for increasing the turbidity (the quality of being cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter) of waterways in the Murray-Darling Basin by an average of 63 per cent.
Some 36 percent of plants and almost a third of yabbies, freshwater crayfish and shrimp are wiped out in such a scenario, seven Australian aquatic scientists in 41 studies into the impact of carp in these waterways have established.
Another disturbing finding is that carp now make up 80 to 90 percent of fish biomass in the Murray-Darling Basin.
The findings have added to the urgency for carp control, revealing it would not only help ecosystems but also make for cleaner streams and lower turbidity.
Weather reports
After the third wettest January on record, February so far has dished up just 1.6mm of rain, which was recorded on Tuesday, February 6.
It takes the total so far for 2024 to 139mm.
Kyabram experienced its hottest day this summer on Sunday, February 4, when the mercury climbed to 39.7°C.
Deni Play on the Plains Festival
Organisers are pleased the Deniliquin Play on the Plains Festival is drawing global interest.
But they are appealing for more hometown and district support.
Music fans from England, Canada, Germany and the United States have made bookings to attend the event on March 9.
Interstate interest has also been pleasing.
Tickets are on sale at www.deniplayontheplains.com.au
Square dinkum
G’day
‘‘I was struggling to get my wife’s attention, so I sat down on the couch, turned the TV on, put my feet up, relaxed and looked extremely comfortable. That did the trick.’’
Hooroo!
Recovery grants
Rochester’s shire hall is one of the latest beneficiaries of grants in the continuing recovery from the town’s 2022 October floods.
Suncorp is the latest benefactor for the hall’s recovery, donating $19,949 to the cause, while in another initiative, The Boys In The Bush program has raised $20,000 to support youth recovery.
On the firing line
Moulamein is in the firing line in the proposed VNI West Electrical line to run from Jerilderie to Kerang, and the locals aren’t too impressed.
The overhead power network is proposed to pass within 2km of the Moulamein township because it best caters to local constraints identified by stakeholders and the community.
Objectors present six reasons as to why the project is not wanted near Moulamein, with the main beef being how close it is to the town.
DID YOU KNOW?
1. The heaviest crustacean ever found was a lobster weighing 42lb (19kg), caught in 1934.
2. The largest jellyfish ever caught measured 7’6″ (2.3 m) across the bell with a tentacle of 120ft (36m) long.
3. The largest giant squid ever recorded was captured in the North Atlantic in 1878. It weighed four tons. Its tentacles measured 10m (35ft) long.
4. The giant squid has the biggest eyes of any animal: its eyes measure 16 inches (40cm) in diameter.
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