It was a spectacular sight for some residents of Tocumwal over the weekend who were lucky enough to see the Aurora Australis, more commonly known as the Southern Lights, light display dance across the sky.
This phenomenon occurs when the sun releases a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields into space.
These solar winds carry particles that interact with the earth's magnetic field which collide to produce energy. This energy explosion forms auroras.
Experts warned that while they are a spectacular sight, the storm’s associated lights can leave negative impacts including disruptions to satellites, GPS systems, and electricity groundwork which can lead to blackouts.
Aurora Australis is not usually seen in our area. With the strongest geomagnetic storm we have had in years, these lights have been observed in the tropical latitude over most of Australia when they are usually only seen in polar latitudes.
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The Tocumwal Optimists have been entertained recently hosting two guest speakers.
Mark Nordbye from the Royal Flying Doctor Service enlightened members with a brief history of the service. Mark is coordinator of the community transport sector which provides transport for needy community members.
Although based in the Cobram and Numurkah areas, several Tocumwal residents have accessed this service.
Jane Middlebrook provided Optimist members with an insight into her family’s involvement over many years in the dairy industry. Jane also presented an extensive display of her amazing mosaic and needlecraft creations.
The Optimists thank both Mark and Jane for their time, effort and most interesting presentations.
Recently, the Optimists held a social event at the Barooga Botanical Gardens.
They were fortunate to have Vanessa Ranken, the designer of the gardens and volunteer for over 30 years, address the group.
Vanessa spoke about the origin of the gardens, progress over the years and led members on a stroll through the gardens explaining features and plants along the way.
Thank you to Vanessa for her time and insight into such a magnificent venue.
The Tocumwal Optimists are a group of volunteers who raise funds for local community organisations.
Meeting on the fourth Monday of most months, members organise fundraising efforts, host a variety of guest speakers and enjoy friendship and fun over dinner.
The Optimists are keen to welcome new members and may be contacted via secretary Marg Dixon (0419 438 887) or president Glenda Burns (0499 311 620).
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Rao Medical Clinic is presenting its first Reconciliation Day at the Tocumwal War Memorial Hall on Friday, May 31 from 10am until 2pm.
The clinic welcomes our community to attend the event and have a look at the stalls they will have available with service providers.
They will also be holding a barbecue lunch and dot painting with Aunty Iris Troutman.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
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This year there has been quite some work carried out on the Tocumwal RSL Sub-Branch building.
Unless you are a member, you may be unaware of what the committee has arranged.
Firstly, the leak in the ladies’ toilet roof has been repaired after leaking for a number of years.
The roofing above that area needed to be fully replaced but before this could happen, the old solar panels needed to be removed along with the evaporative cooling units.
To replace these old panels and cooling units, new systems have been installed along with a new 13kw solar system.
In the next phase of upgrades, the rear wall of the hall has now been clad using Colorbond sheeting after having the previous cladding removed. This was necessary due to the southern wall allowing water to seep into the building.
A family of parrots that used to nest annually in the roof due to the gaps in the wall has now been evicted and the possums that used to visit will no longer be able to get entry.
The remaining two walls will hopefully be re-clad in 2025 as soon as the club can raise the funds.
The RSL thanks the Tocumwal Rotary Club for its assistance with these works through a generous donation of $25,000.
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Congratulations to Cherilyn Taig on winning the Tocumwal Lions Club’s hamper raffled at a recent street stall. The hamper was kindly donated by March's IGA.
The Lions Club thanks the community for the generous support of the raffle and street stall.
If you would like to know about the Lions Club contact the secretary on 0417 868 498 or email tocumwal.nsw@lions.org.au.
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If you have something of interest for inclusion in the ‘Tocumwal Tells’ column, please send an email to leonie.smith1725@gmail.com or call 0432 261 296.