Barooga’s Lily Noonan had every reason to smile after being declared last week’s ABC Hard Quiz champion, when awarded her prize by comedian-presenter Tom Gleeson.
Hard Quiz pits four contestants against each other in a battle to find the ultimate quiz champion amid the sharp mind of Gleeson, who keeps the show alive with his laugh-a-minute quips.
“I have been a fan of the show for many years and felt I would like to have a go! I applied in 2022 and auditioned via Zoom with the producer, and later found out I had made it to the casting pool to provide a good balance of contestants,” Lily said.
After her selection, Lily was given three months to study her preferred category and, in fact, watched 327 episodes of TV show Supernatural.
“This episode of Hard Quiz was recorded in November 2023, yet the difficulty was knowing I had won it nearly 12 months ago but had to keep it to myself until last week when the show went to air,” Lily said.
“My category was Supernatural a US Television show which I love and the other finalist Gen, a doctor, chose the history of anaesthesia.
“It was great fun being on the show, and I was thrilled to bring home the trophy.”
The two other contestants were Kev, whose category was plane manufacturer Boeing, while Paul chose British actor Michael Caine.
Both were eliminated before the final rounds, leaving it in the hands of the two women to fight it out.
The 26-year-old works in the family jewellery business, owned by parents Cath and Andrew Noonan in Cobram.
This recent win may well be the first of many such quiz shows for this extremely bright young woman.
A question she has been asked several times by family and friends since the win, “Did you win any prize money?”
Well, no. However, Lily is now the proud owner of a unique solid brass Hard Quiz jug, weighing 7kg, together with the honour that goes with it.
Table of knowledge farewell
Cobram is one of many towns throughout Australia that offers a ‘Table of Knowledge’ (TOK) in a local café.
Tay & Co is the local venue where people meet with others from all walks of life for a round-the-table conversation from Monday to Friday between 10am and 12pm.
The popular café has been in the same spot for many years, operating under different ownership.
When Tay & Co purchased the café, the owners decided to continue the TOK because of its popularity.
Word spreads to newcomers and older identities who head into the café one or two days a week, catching up with people they have met previously, making new friends, enjoying a delicious coffee and occasionally a small treat, meeting interesting people and discussing a varied range of topics.
Now don’t misunderstand, the group of people haven’t come to gossip about their town.
It is about sharing information and learning more about what makes their community tick. The TOK has become a place where everything and anything is discussed, nothing is off the table.
Perhaps an apt description and a feeling held by those at the large table each morning can best be described by using the word, ‘procaffinating’: a tendency to not start anything until you have had a coffee.
Last week, it was time for long-time regulars around the table at Cobram’s TOK, Keighley and Jan Howard to bid farewell, after 18 years, to people whom they met initially at the very table they were all seated at, on that day.
The couple generally dropped in at least two days a week and would catch up with new and different folk each time. It was a great way to build strong connections.
“We have enjoyed meeting so many good people and learning about each other's life and interests,” Keighley said.
The Howards have now sold their Cobram home and are moving closer to their daughter and family in Horsham.
They have loved their years in Cobram.
“We have made some wonderful friends but have been out of the loop with our family, so now it is time to move closer to them and enjoy more time with our grandchildren,” Jan said.
Keighley recalled that his grandfather William Ballantyne settled in the district in 1840, so the family has quite a lengthy history in the area.
The couple involved themselves in many aspects of the community over the years, including Cobram Agricultural Society, Cobram Lions Club, Country Women’s Association, Riding for the Disabled and Cobram Garden Club.
Generously, the couple treated their fellow TOK to a delicious morning tea at their last drop-in before leaving the town, as a thank you to everyone for their friendship.
Hopefully, they will have an opportunity to connect with the people of Horsham in a similar way.