Pleasant Hills Community Newsletter

October 2026

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Pleasant Hills CWA

Certificates and Field Days Catering

We held our meeting in Henty with a large number of members attending. Certificates were presented to some from Dr Joe McGirr, regarding our 90th Birthday and the Legislative Assembly Hansard that he read out in Parliament about our Pleasant Hills Branch, our history plus some of the things we’ve done.

We are in charge of catering at the Henty Field Days on the Wednesday, so much discussion was held on sandwiches, slices etc. Field Day passes were given out, plus sandwich and slice containers. New laws demand that every container must have ingredients written on them, including all the scones!!! We are endeavouring to make a label that’s much smaller, which still contains all the necessary writing, and this will be forwarded to our members. Our numbers are a bit short for the catering, because over half our members are already working somewhere at the Henty Field Days.

Riverina Group 100th Conference

We are also catering for the Riverina Group’s 100th Conference, which is being held at the Henty Community Civic Centre on Wednesday, 14th October. It was resolved that we would all bring the same salads and desserts as we did to our 90th Birthday, as we are anticipating a similar number of people. Heather Barrett and Nett Maloney will be our Delegates for the Conference. We will also need slices etc for afternoon tea please. We are hoping to have an entry in The Rock Show, just three days later, on 17th, so we’ve got a lot going on this month.

Land Cookery and Guest Speaker

We had two Sections in the Land Cookery, a Marble cake and the Coffee Slice. These were cut up for tasting and everyone was impressed with the Coffee Slice. Both sections were won by Lyn Jacobsen.

Next month we will have the Jam Roll and Bread and Butter Cucumbers.

We had Therese Clancy as Guest Speaker, and she spoke about her interesting work with Frontier Services, afterwards joining us for lunch at the café.

Our next meeting will be a week late, due to the Group Conference being held on our usual day, so, it will be held on 21st October at the UPA in Albury, starting at 10 am.

Lyn Jacobsen

Pleasant Hills Community Hotel

Spring at the Pleasant Hills Community Hotel

Spring has certainly sprung, and things have been getting busy around the Pleasant Hills Community Hotel!

At our recent hotel working bee, many of our wonderful volunteers and committee members rolled up their sleeves to help spruce up our gardens and accommodation rooms in preparation for what promises to be a very busy spring season at our community hotel. We are incredibly grateful for everyone who continues to volunteer their time and help keep our hotel looking welcoming for locals and visitors alike.

Congratulations to the Hume League

Firstly, we would like to congratulate all the finalists and premiers from the recent Hume League grand final. Your patronage of our local community hotel after your football and netball games throughout the season was greatly appreciated. It was fantastic to see so many teams, players, supporters and families enjoying the hotel and supporting our community.

Field Days Accommodation

Once again, all of our recently refurbished accommodation rooms have been booked out for Field Days week. We are sure this year's guests will enjoy our lovely new beds and the freshly repainted, recarpeted and refurbished rooms. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make these improvements possible. We look forward to welcoming our Field Days guests to Pleasant Hills!

Live Music – Anderson Lane

On Sunday 11th October, we are excited to welcome Anderson Lane to the Pleasant Hills Community Hotel. There will be live music and drinks from 4pm onwards, so come along, enjoy an afternoon at the hotel and support live music in our local community.

RSA Course

We are still hoping to hold an RSA course at the hotel, however, this has now been deferred until 2027, when we hope to have enough numbers to make the course viable.

Drum Muster

Don't forget, the next Drum Muster will be held in Pleasant Hills on Monday 12th October.

Save the Date – Hotel Christmas Party

And finally, make sure you diarise Friday 18th December for our all-important Community Hotel Christmas Party! We look forward to celebrating the year with our members, volunteers, locals, friends and supporters. More details will be announced closer to the date.

Clare Hampson

School News and Reviews

Bernie O’Connor Football/Netball Carnival — Friday 21st August

We ended up with great weather for the Bernie O’Connor Cup at Yerong Creek. Our students participated in netball and football in combined Greater Kengal Schools teams.

A big thank you parents for providing transport and encouragement. A special mention to Grant and Jeremey for helping as ‘behind judges’ for the AFL games.

PHPS Book Week – Dress Up – Tuesday 25th August

Everyone looked great in their book character costumes. Mrs Gleeson (Princess DisGrace) was photographer. Mrs Baaten was very pretty too!

Ballarat Excursion (Wed – Fri 16th October)

Years 3-6 are excited to attend their Ballarat excursion. Thank you to the PHPS P&C for generously covering the cost of the excursion for our students. This excursion is in Week 1 of Term 4!

School Photos

Thursday 22nd October is school photo day for 2026.

Celebrating SASS Appreciation Week

We celebrated the incredible SASS staff who support our students, families and school communities every day. Thank you to all our wonderful SASS staff in our school community and beyond, we appreciate everything you do!

Important Dates

Pleasant Hills Pre School

Pleasant Hills Pre School

We have been experimenting with all the different kinds of sounds the preschool musical instruments can make. Some can be shaken, some need to be tapped with a stick and others needed the preschoolers hands and fingers to be able to produce a sound. I’m sure the neighbours could hear all of our beautiful music outdoors.

The children set up their own car wash. The hose was dragged around to the path where the preschoolers took turns parking their bikes/cars to get washed. The problem solving to get the game happening was wonderful! Hooks were found on the art easel to hang the hose up when not in use and part of the sprinkler quickly turned into the ‘thing’ they dried their cars with.

We are thinking of different ways we can relax our bodies during quiet time at preschool. We have started to do some group free-drawing. Each child has their own clipboard with paper and there are lots of texta’s in the middle of the group. Some children drew wonderful creations they had been imagining, others wanted the educators to label their drawings so mums and dads knew what was happening and others drew colourful marks everywhere, just for the joy of it.

Mia Heapy

Hills Happenings

Hills Happenings

Birthdays: Happy 50th Birthday to Suzanne Forck for the 11th October.

Congratulations: Wishing Kai Heald all the best for your future plans after completing high school at St Pauls Walla Walla.

Condolences: Condolences to the family of Laurie Gear on the passing of Laurie on the 19th September 2026.

Grand Final Congratulations: Congratulations to many of our locals for winning the Hume League 2026 Grand Final Premierships.

Daylight Saving Starts

Don’t forget to wind your clocks forward 1 hour on the 4th October!

Please Note

Cost of stamps have risen to $1.85. The cost to have the Newsletter posted from 2027 will be $25. Please contact Virginia Clancy via the newsletter email address to organise your payment if you still want the newsletter posted to you in 2027.

drumMUSTER

The next collection day at Pleasant Hills Tip will be Monday, Oct 12th, 9am–10:00am. NOTIFY US IF YOU HAVE A LARGE LOAD. Suz Forck: 0428293047. RINSE, RINSE, RINSE. NO LIDS or BUNGS. PUNCTURE STEEL DRUMS. All proceeds go to the Pleasant Hills Community Assoc (the pub).

Walbundrie Show

Something for everyone — 5th October.

Help Yourself

There is a large pile of wood chips free for anyone to take at the Pleasant Hills Rec. Grounds.

Word of the Month: “Hiraeth”

Hiraeth is an untranslatable Welsh word that describes a longing for a home, a place, or a feeling that no longer exists or never existed. It’s a homesickness for the places from your past you can’t return to or even those you’ve never been to.

Hiraeth can also mean nostalgia for your past self, the people who are long gone, or the emotions you used to feel.

Tennis Club

Tennis Club

We are looking forward to the competition starting on 10th October. In the meantime, we will have hits of tennis on two Fridays, the 2nd & 9th October, from 5pm. We may even try out the new lights before the days get any longer!

We welcome two new young players in Charlie & Hamish.

Thank you to all who came to the working bee the week before. We will have a final tidy up before it starts, most likely on those Friday afternoons.

Carol Smith

Pleasant Hills Patchwork Group

Pleasant Hills Patchwork Group

The September meeting was a hive of activity as can be seen in the collage. Many choosing to continue on UFO’s and one doing the “Fabric Weaving” technique, making a lovely placemat.

Our next meeting is Saturday 17th October and is a UFO day. Remember to BYO: your sewing machine and its accessories, requirements for your project, $7 for hall hire, your own lunch.

Pleasant Hills Hall

Pleasant Hills Hall

The AGM was conducted in August and the office bearers remain unchanged.

The hall committee would like to publicly thank Vallow and Peter Creek for their continued dedicated labour this past year in fixing the foundations of the supper room that had to have some of the footings replaced. It was a very difficult job climbing under the floor and digging out the old rusted footings and then digging further to install the newer more solid foundations. Please accept our continued grateful thanks for all your hard work.

Our community is continually showing up the other towns, in the area, with an amazing level of volunteer participation. Without people in our community like Vallow and Peter and many more like them the rest of the community would have next to no facilities for you to use. Thankyou again.

There is a project that the Hall will be seeking a grant for, which is the construction of memorial gates at the front entrance of the hall. We will keep you posted on the progress.

Fiona Beckett

Poem

Remember September

A poem by Trudy Smith.

September is such a busy time
There is so much to see and do
Not only are Henty Field Days on
School holidays are approaching too.

The paddocks are looking lush and clean
Boasting rows of emerald gold
The crop dusting plane commands the sky
His manoeuvres a sight to behold.

Flowering wattle decides that Spring is here
And the cold breeze says not yet
Chilly nights are still spent by the fire
So there’s more firewood to get.

The rain has been quite generous
Lawns are long with weeds to pull
There’s lots of lambs and poddy calves
Healthy stock with bellies full.

It’s finals month in footy codes
Netball teams will also play
There are chores and jobs and working bees
Those hours are whisked away.

So before the month does disappear
Maybe pause for just one minute
And remember if you do run out of days
October has a spare one in it.

Techno Info

Facebook Made Simple: Groups, Friend Requests and Privacy

Many of you already use Facebook but you could be like me and have an account but rarely use it. So, this month we’re running through the basics of Facebook.

What’s a “group”?

Think of a Facebook Group as your local noticeboard, but online. There might be one for buying and selling things locally, one for community news, one for the footy club. Anyone in the group can post, and everyone in the group sees it.

To join one:

  1. Tap the search icon (magnifying glass) at the top of Facebook
  2. Type the group’s name (like “Buy Swap Sell” or Pleasant Hills!)
  3. Tap Join Group — someone running the group will approve you, which might take a day or two

Buying and selling on Marketplace

Marketplace is where people list things for sale nearby — furniture, machinery parts, whatever’s going. Think of it as an online version of the noticeboard at the post office, but with photos, and you can message the seller directly.

To have a look:

  1. Tap the little shop icon at the bottom of the Facebook app
  2. Scroll through what’s nearby, or use the search bar to look for something specific
  3. Tap anything that catches your eye to see more photos and message the seller

Selling something yourself is just as simple — tap Create New Listing, add a photo, a price and a short description.

One tip: when buying or selling locally, it’s completely normal to arrange to meet in person to hand things over — no need to pay or send any money before you’ve seen the item.

What’s a “friend request”?

It’s simply someone asking to connect with you on Facebook, so you can see each other’s posts and photos. It’s not a big commitment — you can accept it, ignore it, or say no, and nothing bad happens either way. If you don’t recognise the name or photo, it’s fine to ignore it.

Who can see what I post?

By default, a lot of what you post can be seen by anyone, not just your friends. To check:

  1. Tap the three lines (menu) in the corner of the app
  2. Go to Settings, then Privacy
  3. Find “Who can see your future posts” and change it to Friends

That one setting is the single biggest thing you can do to keep your posts just between people you actually know.

Tip of the Month: Ask Siri, or Google It?

Both get you an answer, but they’re not the same thing.

Google Search gives you a list of links to click on and read yourself — good for things like “Lockhart Shire Council opening hours” or comparing a few different opinions.

Siri (on iPhone) or Google Assistant (on Android) answers you out loud, straight away — good for quick things like “what’s the weather today” or “set a timer for 20 minutes.” Just hold the button, or say “Hey Siri,” or “Hey Google” and ask like you’re asking a person.

Rule of thumb: if you want a quick spoken answer, ask Siri or Google Assistant. If you want to read the details yourself, or compare a few options, use Google Search.

Yvonne Lee

Hills History

Steam Traction Engines

To my knowledge the first steam traction engine in the region, a “Foden”, was bought by “Cocky” Davis, of “The Pine”, two miles from Lockhart, about 1910. I understand it was driven up from Melbourne under its own power, and it took more than a week to make the trip.

I saw that engine pulling a wagon load of bagged wheat into Lockhart in 1916. During those early years Charlie and Alex Brown, who lived 3 miles from Lockhart along the Wagga Road, had a steam chaff-cutting plant. Charlie Brown also had a brick kiln on his farm and he made and supplied all the bricks to build the Commercial Hotel, Lockhart in 1906.

Between 1913 and 1920 Lockhart shire council had a steam traction engine for road building between the town and Bouffler’s hill. It used to haul three wagon loads of gravel from the quarry. That road can still be seen about a mile from Bouffler’s hill, on the left-hand side of the bitumen road running between the two pine belts. Early in 1920 the Lockhart council sold this road plant to a Sydney firm. In 1912 I remember seeing a steam traction engine clearing land on a property on “North Brookong”. I was told those giant engines could break trees three feet thick near the stump.

These engines were few and far between in those times. Only four steam chaff-cutting plants worked in the district. The first from 1924 to 1937, was a Ransome, Sim and Jeffery plant. Another two were Marshalls. J. S. Lewington’s Marshall plant was the best about. He moved several houses with it. The steam traction engines had several advantages over conventional tractors. Among these advantages were greater weight distribution, a wider and higher driving wheel and up to 150hp drawer-bar pull. Their disadvantages were that they were too cumbersome for the average farm and they required a lot of firewood and water.

Transcribed by Fiona Beckett from ‘Historic “Brookong” and Antique “Urangeline”’, written by Hamish L. Browne, March 1972.

Our Backyard

The Official Explanations

Throughout history, our lives have been intermingled with people from all walks of life, bombarding us with little quips of knowledge, often ironic in nature, telling us how life really is. I think we all would like to be remembered by a philosophical ‘one liner’ that has our ‘name on him’, so that we might be forever immortalised. Although released in 1980, Paul Dickson, in his book ‘The Official Explanations’ (and of ‘The Official Rules’), has collected many of these. Of course, ‘new’ morsels of knowledge are being procured as we speak.

Have you ever used such an explanation to explain the inconsistency of life?

Bulen’s Advice. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after tomorrow.

Byrnes Law of Concreting. When you pour it rains.

Clay’s Conclusion. Creativity is great, but plagiarism is faster.

Davis’s Dictum. Problems that go away by themselves come back by themselves.

Disney World Rule. Children under twelve must be accompanied by money.

Epperson’s Law. When a man says it’s a silly, childish game, it’s probably something his wife can beat him at.

Feather’s Discovery. Loneliness is something you can’t walk away from.

Fowler’s Note. The only imperfect thing in nature is the human race.

Frost’s Working Rule. By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day (Robert Frost).

Gandhi’s Observation. There is more to life than increasing its speed (Mahatma Gandhi).

From: The Official Explanations by Paul Dickson.

Bob Marshall

Matt’s Cooking Corner

Grandpa’s Chicken Rissoles

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. Lightly fry onion and capsicum in pan to soften (do not burn).
  2. Place mince, onion, capsicum, flour, almonds, parmesan, parsley, chilli powder, coriander powder, spring onion and egg in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Using ¼ cup per rissole, shape mixture into 18 rissoles. Roll in Panko breadcrumbs. Place on a large tray. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook rissoles, in batches, for 4 to 5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Serve with salad greens and potato salad.

Matt

Diary of Events

Newsletter

Many thanks to all our contributors, as without your contributions we would have no newsletter to read. Please continue sending them in by the last week of the month to [email protected]. Website: https://pleasanthills.life/

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Newsletter Editor: Virginia Clancy