Despite the heat, there was a fantastic turnout at the gardens on Saturday.
With 25 attendees, the event was a wonderful morning for seniors.
Ben Harris and Pam Wettenhall shared their extensive gardening knowledge, covering topics like landscaping, planting techniques, shade trees versus evergreens, the beauty of Japanese-style gardening and using water as a feature in urban landscapes.
The guests enjoyed a delicious lunch, explored the community garden, and stocked up on fresh produce from the pumpkin stall.
Seniors also had a great time at the screening of 'Thelma' at the Deni Town Hall during Seniors Fest.
Edward River Council worked with U3A, Intereach and the NSW Government to run all activities.
Seniors fire safe tip
The NSW Seniors Festival was also an opportune time for Fire and Rescue NSW to focus on reducing the risk experienced by seniors when it comes to fires in the home.
FRNSW research shows that those over 65 account for nearly 50 per cent of house fire fatalities.
Seniors are encouraged to take advantage of the FRNSW ‘Safety Visit’ program.
Firefighters come to your home and carry out a fire risk inspection, test your smoke alarm and, if need be, install one for free.
They also offer personalised fire safety advice on devices like heaters, power boards and smoke alarms.
You can be a book a free Safety Visit with FRNSW at https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/visits.
“New South Wales Seniors Festival is an opportunity to remind the elderly to make sure they have a fire safe environment at home,” FRNSW community safety co-ordinator Inspector Andrew Walker said.
“People cannot smell smoke when they are asleep, so having a working smoke alarm is crucial.
“Our Safety Visit program allows us to improve the safety of some of our most vulnerable community members, and make sure they are prepared to respond quickly in an emergency.”
Cutters train on and off the field
The Mathoura Football Netball Club has partnered with S.A.L.T (Sport and Life Training) this year and will be running a number of sessions throughout the season.
The first session was held last night, based around Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Dinner at the club was available before and during the session.
Putting a focus on health off the field as well as on it, the session was compulsory for anyone 16 years and above.
Park pitch closed
Due to safety concerns and required maintenance, Edward River Council has closed pitch 2 at Rotary Park until May 1 to ensure it is in top condition for the start of the winter sporting season.
Flagged bunting is installed and council would appreciate the community's cooperation in staying off the pitch during this period.
More on the decision will be included in a future edition of the Pastoral Times.
Mathoura Diary missing
Regular readers of the Pastoral Times, and the Mathoura Diary column in particular, will notice it is not included in today’s edition.
Author Eileen Day was unable to provide one this week, due to circumstances beyond her control.
Check back next week for more on the Mathoura happenings.
Rollercoaster weather
We’ve reached that time of the year when we can’t really get a grasp on what the weather will do.
After scorching days late last week, some of us were reaching for the jumpers and making sure we have firewood for the fires this week.
We’ve been greeted by warmer days and cool nights, and then there was yesterday’s downpour.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s official gauge at the Deniliquin Airport recorded 7mm of rain before the sun came out again about 2pm.
But we know rain in this region is patchy, and more may have fallen in other areas.
Mild temperatures are predicted for the next week, with tops hovering about 30°C.
No further rain is predicted for now.
26°C