Thursday, 10 October 2024
Subjects: Battle of the Bidgee, Gundagai Men’s Shed, Mental Health Month, Small Business Month, Current Grants, Country Shows, Volunteers.
E&OE…
Dave Eisenhauer: Well, let's head down to, well, the greater Cootamundra electorate, the huge electorate it is, and a member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke joins us on the line. Steph, a very good morning.
Steph Cooke: Oh, good morning, Dave. It's great to be with you on what is a really beautiful spring morning across the Cootamundra electorate today.
Dave Eisenhauer: Now, look, we've had a whole run of this one, whether Steph is leading itself into this weekend, which is, of course, Battle on the Bidgee for the Gundagai district, couldn't ask for better conditions for three big days in town.
Steph Cooke: Oh, absolutely. It's a fantastic event. It's really one of those events that's a really important one on the annual calendar for that community and indeed right across the region these days, which is, it's great to see and if you get good weather, it just makes it all the better, doesn't it?
Dave Eisenhauer: Sure does, great weather means great crowds and it's so important, and talking of great crowds and they do a lot of work behind the scenes.
We talk a lot about our officially known as the Men's Sheds of the district, all the towns of got one, Gundagai’s got the Gundagai shed, which is men and women involved in the swan, and, Steph, you were recently over there for a pretty exciting day.
Steph Cooke:. Oh, Dave, it was wonderful to drop into the Gundagai shed, as you've mentioned, there's a mixture of men and ladies that are members of that shed and the women have a dedicated day where they can go along and it's really about them working on their projects and there's some men which are also members that come along on those days and help guide the women on their projects, and for a lot of women, and I'll put myself in this category, there's so many handy skills that we don't necessarily have, and to be able to go along and learn from those who know how to fix things, whether it's a cupboard door or work on a particular project that you might want to do, it's fantastic.
And as a result, they've seen that shed grow in both membership and in the complexity of projects that they do over the last few years, and so just before COVID, we were able to then in government secure some funding for them to extend their shed into a dedicated metalworking area.
And after a few years, and it wasn't just off the back of State Government contributions, they were important, but the community itself rallied and working together, they've been able to complete this metalworking shed extension, and as a result, we were able to officially open it.
It was a great day, we actually had, and your listening audience will be pleased to hear this, we had representatives come down, members from the Adelong Men's Shed that I have visited before in the wake of the bushfires down there and we also had representatives from the Batlow Men's Shed come down as well, so it was a really, really great, a great day, a fantastic event, a wonderful achievement for this local group.
We know that Gundagai itself is a relatively small community in terms of the Cootamundra electorate, but they punch well above their weight when it comes to delivering projects and this was no different and now they have a wonderful facility there and I'm pretty proud of them for what they've achieved.
Dave Eisenhauer: Oh look, they're such an asset to the town. So much goes unnoticed that they just do their little jobs.
You know whether it's park benches or seats or helping out local fare, there’s so many different projects that these sheds do that really need rewarding every time they do something.
And as you said, equipping, whether it's equipping others with skills or helping out other community groups, Steph, they're a great asset to our region without a doubt.
Steph Cooke: Oh, there's no question of that, Dave, and I had a discussion with the members there at the moment, they're currently in, I guess, full swing of production mode in the lead -up to Christmas. You know, they produce a lot of handmade goods, gifts for people, and what that means is that the money raised from selling off that work goes back into the community.
It supports particular causes that need a little bit of extra support, it helps from time-to-time families or individuals who have come on hard times.
At the end of the day, it's organisations like the Men's Shed that keep the fabric of our communities really strong and everything that we can do to support them and make sure that their life is made that little bit easier so they can keep doing their good work is a good thing and look I'd encourage people that are listening this morning, it doesn't matter what region you're in.
If you've got a little bit of either spare time, I know that's hard to come by for everyone today, but if you're looking for perhaps a different way to contribute and let's not forget the important contribution that the Sheds make in terms of supporting people's mental health.
They're a good organisation to join and I think people across the board would get a lot out of it from becoming a member and I know the sheds are always looking for new members so there's an opportunity there.
Dave Eisenhauer: There is, and you mentioned the mental health and of course this month, October, we were only yesterday talking with a few members of the Murrumbidgee Local Health District and of course it is the mental health month, this month as well, Steph?
Steph Cooke: It is and it's a very important month from that perspective and an opportunity to recognise not just our physical health, but our mental health and the evidence is emerging that the two are very, very much connected and I think we had RUOK Day a few weeks ago.
It's good to see in this day and age that the stigma is breaking down around people being able to talk about some of the challenges they're facing and speaking help, and from, I guess, the other side of the equation, it's about all of us keeping an eye on each other and recognising perhaps when someone is struggling and not being afraid at times to have what might seem to be challenging or difficult conversations with someone you care about, but could inevitably be that conversation that changes the trajectory or the direction of their life in a good way.
So, yeah, there's plenty going on around the district for mental health month and I'd encourage people to check in with each other, perhaps stop and check in with yourself and ask those questions about how you're going and if you think that things perhaps aren't going as well as potentially, they could be for you, don't hesitate to reach out.
There's plenty of support available and people are only too willing to give you a hand to work through some of those challenges because at the end of the day, we really do live in the best part of the world and certainly the best part of the region in my view, but that doesn't take away from the fact that from time to time we all experience challenges and there's nothing wrong with that, there's nothing abnormal about that, but it's how you work out a pathway forward, that really matters and there's plenty of people out there to give you a hand with that.
Dave Eisenhauer: And of course, being mental health month and we look at the struggles and the challenges and the triumphs of our small business, it's also a small business month this month, Steph, and of course, by trade, you're one of the region's local florists.
Steph Cooke: Absolutely, Dave, I used to love small business month, I still do, and just getting in and out of our of our local businesses and after I was at the Men's Shed, for example, last week I dropped into a few businesses in Gundagai and had a bit of a yarn and picked up a couple of gifts ahead of Christmas for people, I have to start super early because for some reason otherwise I wake up and suddenly it's Christmas Eve and I really haven't done much at all so that's been really nice.
But I must say Dave, I do worry about our small business community, just reading the newspaper this week, they're reporting record numbers of small businesses who are closing and that worries me a lot.
The small business community are the backbone of employment right throughout the Cootamundra electorate, whether it's in retail or manufacturing or agriculture of course and we've talked about that on a number of occasions. So family farms that support other employees and other workers, they're absolutely critical and I think what we can perhaps all do is prioritize using local small businesses for our needs.
It might be perhaps cheaper and even more convenient at times to shop online but every time we do that it does have an impact on our towns, on our employment and on our small business community and if ever there's a good time to do that of course it's in October being small business month.
Dave Eisenhauer: Isn't that true and of course a celebration of our wonderful businesses, we see quite a few, I know we see some shutting, but we also see quite a few of them opening up some new businesses or people taking over sections of businesses that have reduced in size as the owners get older and think about retirement.
You're right, they're the core of the whole, it's what I think we're the town you're in, anywhere in Australia, our small businesses Steph are so important to our community and one of those things that help out our small businesses, of course, can be grants and they're not just our small businesses but as small community operations as well. Lots of grants available at the moment?
Steph Cooke: Yeah, it's good to see some grant programs that are opening. There's some grants available for in the seniors space for groups that have got some ideas around how to bring older people in our communities together and as we know, Dave, it can be quite isolating for some seniors as they get older, or perhaps if they're living on their own and it's difficult for them to sort of get out of the house and things.
They can tend to stay at home and to themselves, and so it's really important that we make sure that older people in our communities recognise and know that there's plenty of activities for them to get involved in and there's some grants available at the moment to stand up good programs, innovative programs that mean that older people are able to better connect with each other in our small communities.
So those grants are available for another couple of weeks and that would encourage people to get into that.
There's the safe shooting grants, I don't promote this enough, so this is an opportunity for me to promote this program. It's basically grants of up to $15,000 to enhance local sport shooting facilities and to increase participation in our shooting sports.
So right across the Cootamundra electorate we have a number of clay target shooting facilities. We've got rifle clubs, we've got gun clubs, plenty of those facilities and organisations across the Cootamundra electorate and I'm really encouraging them to put in an application if they would like to perhaps upgrade their clubhouse with a new little kitchenette or if they need to undertake works to the range itself.
Perhaps you might need a big ride on lawn mower to keep the grass down in the facility, in the grounds of the facility, any of those types of projects are really, really worthy, and I'd love to support more of them.
And I know that when we pop this up on our social media page, it really did take off and it was a real reminder to me of the importance that those clubs play in our communities and the fact that there is some grant money available for them so I'm really giving that a strong plug this morning.
Dave Eisenhauer: Oh yeah and looking $15,000 goes a long way to help those clubs, as you mentioned pistol clubs or rifle or gun clubs, I remember as a kid growing up at Junee and you'd pistol the gun club, the pistol range is actually on our back paddock at Marina, but the gun club was on the side of the Olympic Highway and there's always dozens of cars, it's a really popular sport and that's going back a number of years Steph.
These days it's we've got archery clubs and a whole lot more that's involved too. When we talk mental health what a great organisation to be involved in to get out there and be part of a really good community.
Steph Cooke: Oh, absolutely and the and the Junee club it does a great job there you're right still they're on the Olympic Highway and dropped in there on a number of occasions and look and that's replicated you know right across right across our country, towns and communities, and I'd really like to see them get their fair share basically, so let's hope that we can have some applications coming forward there.
And of course, the really important one is the local sport defibrillator program, so that program is open again. It doesn't close until the 27th of November, so There's plenty of time there.
There are some stricter criteria this year, but I think clubs would be well advised to have a look.
And if you don't have a D-Fib, then please make an application, you can get up to $3,000 under that program, and that's life -saving equipment that I genuinely believe every club should have.
Dave Eisenhauer: Oh, look, and you're seeing, we're more and more of these units that talk to the operator, so you don't need to have the training, the machine talks you through how they work and how to, you know, act quickly and get that, the paddles on all those sorts of things, they're a real and absolute lifesaver.
Steph Cooke: Yeah, they look, they really are and to me it's a no -brainer that they would be in every single location. I guess there's a separate debate about whether you should even have to apply, you know, it's a sort of equipment that in a lot of ways I'd love to see just issued to clubs rather than having to apply, but nonetheless there is an opportunity at the moment to get amongst that, so I'd encourage all clubs to do so.
Dave Eisenhauer: Steph, you've been travelling a lot watching the news and hearing the news. You've been out there with, of course, meeting, this is important, with our local farmers following the heavy frosts, talking with agronomists. That's been, I mean, I'm talking, I mean, canola, some, a lot, and not some, a lot of turning into hay, that's, I mean, that's, yes, there's a benefit there, but it's not as great as putting in a truck and taking it into the silos, is it?
Steph Cooke: Oh, no, Dave, I didn't want to end our interview on a, on a downer this morning, but there is no doubt that, that frost coming on about three and a half weeks ago now has, has had devastating impacts across much of the electorate particularly in the west which is ahead of the season then in the east and I've spoken to farmers far and wide from out in that Weethalle, Barellan, Ardlethan area right through into the at that Greenethorpe, Grenfell, Cowra area definitely mixed results across the board but certainly the further west you go the harder hit those communities are and whilst our farmers are very very good at making a you know a bad situation as good as good as it can be there's no doubt that there is widespread disappointment around the losses that that have occurred as a result of that frost.
I mean what was undoubtedly going to be an enormous harvest this year so that will obviously be revised. The yield rates will be revised but nonetheless as we head into harvest I'd really like to wish all of our farmers all the very best between now and the end of the year they'll start windrowing canola of course in the next few days and that harvest will come in first followed by the wheat so wishing everyone a really strong end of the year and it's been great to get it to get out and out and about across the electorate and see what's going on.
Dave Eisenhauer: And let's end on a good day Steph with a good day for your car because it's never cold it's always just sitting out idling, it's show season and see there's some shows around our district at the moment, around the electorate.
Steph Cooke: Oh, absolutely every single weekend in the Cootamundra electorate there is a show or two on at the moment. A huge shout out to all of our show committees. Our shows have been going for over a hundred years in every single town in the electorate now and they do a magnificent job.
It's a lot of hard work to pull together a show. They are an important reminder, not just a celebration, but a reminder of our history and how our towns and communities have been built off the hard work of the generations that have come before us.
So, keeping these traditions going in my mind is extremely important. I know that there's a bit of argy-bargy with other events on over the weekends and they're also important because they bring a different perspective, and they bring good reasons for people to visit our regions. but nonetheless our shows are incredibly important, and I encourage everyone to get out and support them.
Dave Eisenhauer: Absolutely, looking forward to it and Steph, catching up with you on the show circuit, which is so important. Look, Steph, it's news time, anything else you'd like to add this morning while we're chatting?
Steph Cooke: Oh, look, just a final shout out to the volunteers right across our electorate, as we've just mentioned. There are so many events happening around the place at the moment and a lot of them raise important funds for local causes and it only happens because we've got a great community of volunteers that pull together and keep our communities strong.
Dave Eisenhauer: Isn't that the truth? and Steph, really appreciate your time joining us for just a 20-minute chat every fortnight, really do. Thank you very much and all the very best, Steph to you will catch up, no doubt we'll be talking in fortnight's time, but we'll catch up in the not-too-distant future, Thank you.
Steph Cooke: That was a wonderful Dave, Thank you so much.
Dave Eisenhauer: There you go, Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke joining us there in a very busy schedule. Steph's been at the Festival of Gundagai opening the Ardlethan Show, a part of the Police Remembrance Day, the Weethalle Centenary Celebrations, the Gundagai Shed and metal works as you mentioned there, the Good Old Days Festival out of Barellan, what a great festival, like the Old Heavy Horse Day Festivals we used to have at our place years ago, Junee, all the Clydesdales and the Percherons and all those sort of things, the
Barmedman Gala dinner and dead ball doesn't stop. We'll be talking more in a fortnight's time.