The 2023 Remembrance Day theme was ‘Who will you remember?’.
Tocumwal RSL held a service on Saturday at 11am with about 60 people attending.
Tocumwal RSL president Alf Grayson led the service, remembering the sacrifice and service of so many local residents who served their country. Refreshments and a light luncheon followed the service.
A flyover was noted by many community members paying their respects from home.
The annual Remembrance Dinner was held on November 9 and 82 people attended with the dedication at the dinner in honour of the service and contribution of Nursing Sister B2455 Christina McKechnie.
Christina enlisted on December 26, 1916 in the Australian Army Nursing Service. She was one of 2861 women who served in the AANS, which was part of the Imperial Force, and they served in many places including Belgium, Egypt, England, France, Greece, India, plus hospital ships and trains. Twenty-five of these service women died during their tour of duty.
Christina was stationed in many posts between 1917 and 1919 before being discharged on May 12 1919 where she returned home to her parents in Fenton’s Creek, Wedderburn, Victoria.
After the war, Christina nursed in South Africa and later returned to be matron at a hospital in India. She eventually retired here in Tocumwal and lived with her niece Katherine Quick, a Tocumwal Hospital nurse. She attended every Anzac Day here, along with her niece Kath and her husband Allan Quick, a life member of Tocumwal RSL, until she passed away in 1975.
The local children affectionately called her ‘Aunty Teena’ and her ashes are interred at the Memorial in the front of the Tocumwal RSL Sub-Branch.
President Alf Grayson also noted her continued contribution to the Tocumwal community at the Remembrance Dinner.
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Tocumwal Cricket Club is running a Christmas raffle to raise money for a desperately needed roller for their pitch.
This year, the club has an A-Grade and two C Grade senior teams, plus two Under 12s teams, an Under-14s and an Under-17s range of junior teams. They also have father-son combinations and a couple of young players who have been selected for the Southern Riverina Under-16s team to play in Hay for the Colston Scammel Shield with more juniors up for representative selection in the Under-12s, 13s, 14s and 15s.
The club is hoping to have the raffle up and running by November 17 and is seeking donations from the community and businesses, plus sponsorships for the 2024/2025 season.
The raffle will be drawn on December 16 with first prize being the giant Christmas stocking which will be displayed at IGA and will include golf clubs donated by Club Tocumwal and a 5.11 Roller Tactical 2.0 Roller Bag. Second prize is a $1000 voucher from PLC Custom (custom plasma cuttings for privacy screens or property signs) and third prize is $260 car service from Cobram/Yarrawonga Toyota.
These are all amazing prizes, but with cricket clubs finding it hard to generate funds, any additional donations and sponsorships would be greatly appreciated.
If you are able to assist, please contact Kim Sutton on 0438 833 199 or email kim@kimden.com.au.
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Tocumwal Pharmacy has put up its annual Tocumwal Giving Tree.
This tree helps put smiles on our local kids’ faces on Christmas morning. If you can place an unwrapped gift for a child of any age under the tree, they will be distributed to local families in need this festive season.
Gifts do not have to be purchased from the pharmacy, although if you are buying from in store, please let staff know so they can mark the product before it is placed under the tree.
There are many families in need of support and your generosity is greatly appreciated. Please get your gifts in before Wednesday, December 6 so they can be distributed as needed.
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The Committee for the Tocumwal Railway Heritage Museum has been busy amid renovations of the former ticket office, and it is now looking fantastic. This room had become more of a storage area for things that needed to go elsewhere, and it didn’t really look like a room that you would want to go in and look at.
Now this room is home to information regarding railway workers and memories, family histories, and a growing library. You can now also see the two ticket windows that were in use - one for NSW tickets and one for Victorian tickets.
The Tocumwal Railway Heritage Museum, at the old Railway Station, is open every Saturday 10am to 3pm for you to come and check out this revived area. Tocumwal’s rail history is on display as is the town’s general history and is fantastic to see. Adults are $5 entry and kids are free.
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After a slight hiccup with the chemicals, Tocumwal swimming pool is opening this weekend! Discounted season tickets will be available this Friday, November 17 from 3.30pm to 7pm and Saturday, November 18 from 2pm to 7pm.
A family season pass is $170 and $90 for a single ticket which must be paid in full on the day. EFTPOS facilities are available.
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Tocumwal Rotary has proudly announced its sponsorship of the Community Scam Awareness Workshops being held in Tocumwal.
Rotary president Ron Sampson said the club was proud to sponsor the workshops after being approached by NBN. He said many people in the community had been affected by scams and with new scams being developed all the time, it was really important for businesses and the community to be aware of how to protect themselves and how to find out about new scams.
NBN has engaged community ambassadors, whose role in part is to educate the community regarding scams.
Michael Palmer, who is community Ambassador for Riverina Murray, will be conducting the information sessions. He has more than 20 years’ experience in information technology and education.
There will be two sessions held on Tuesday, November 21, one at 10.30am and a second at 5.30pm. The sessions will take about one hour and will be held in the Tocumwal Library Meeting Room. There is no charge for attendance, and you are not required to book in.
The sessions will cover the main types of scams;,what to look out for; how to protect your business and yourself and how to keep up to date with new scams. They are suitable for both the business community and the general public.
The workshops will be co-sponsored by Berrigan Shire Council.
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If you have something of interest for inclusion in the Tocumwal Tells column or are celebrating a special event, please send an email to leonie.smith1725@gmail.com or call on 0432 261 296.