Our Own News Issue 317 - December 2009 - Wollombi Valley Online

WOLLOMBI. December 1843
District Council.-The first meeting of this body took place at
the Governor Gipps inn on Tuesday, the 5th instant, when a
series of resolutions relative to their own internal management
were passed, and applications for the various offices under the
council were received and read; after which, the consideration
of these applications, the examination into the respective
merits of the applicants, and the amount of salaries to be
annexed to each office, were very properly ordered to stand
over till the next quarterly meeting. At that time repetition of
this order is devoutly to be wished for, and we hope that the
council will exercise with caution that power which, in direct
violation of the municipal rights of the people, has been placed
in their hands, and in deference to the feelings of the
inhabitants who, have no voice in the matter will pause before
voting away their hard enrnings to salaried officers.
8th December, 1843.
A Studious Thief.-On Friday last a man named Flanagan was
placed before the bench to answer a charge of book-stealing
laid against him by Mr. J. M. Townshend. It appeared in
evidence that the prisoner on a certain day called on Mr.
Townshend, and agreed to commence reaping for him the next
morning. In the interim he requested his employer to lend him
the History of England for the night, that he might, as he said,
examine into the line of conduct pursued by Wellington during
his administration. Mr. Townshend, willing to gratify the man's
political taste, lent him the desired volume, with which he
decamped in the night, and was subsequently captured in the
vicinity of the Macdonald River by constable Daniels. When
called upon for his defence he assumed the most insolent
demeanour, and in a trumpet voice, accompanied by strong
gesticulations, addressed the bench in a strain of disjointed
bombast, well intermixed with "words of learned length and
thundering sound," without much regard to their proper
application, and in a pedantic manner strongly denounced the
charge of theft; with outstretched arms showing with the
forefinger of his right hand on the palm of the other how he
would write a statement of his case for insertion in the
newspapers. He was committed to take his trial at the quarter
sessions, and was led from the bar bellowing threats against
the magistrate.
Exerpts from the Maitland Mercury
Supplied by Steve Sullivan
Community news for Wollombi and surrounding districts
Issue 317 - Our Own News - December 2009
St Michaels Mass back to Saturday nights
St Michaels is happy to announce that from
December it is moving it’s Mass from Fridays back
to 6pm Saturday nights - as it use to be! Still on
the 2nd and 4th weekend each month.
Tell your friends, visitors and guests.
All welcome.
Kilometers 4 kids
On November 16th, Atticus was practicing riding his bike when
30 or so bicycle ridrs rode quietly into Wollombi. The riders,
who rested briefly in the grounds of the Wollombi Museum, were
on a mission. Covering 450 kilometers over three days, under the
banner of "kilometers 4 kids" the riders were on a quest to raise
over $150,000 for the John Maclean Foundation which provides
financial assistance to young Australians who use wheelchairs.
They were not seeking extra funding for this event, having
obtained some corporate funding. However, they were so nice
and encouraging to Atticus in his attempts to master his bike,
that I thought it wouldn't help to mention their cause -
www.jmf.com.au Fiona Burless
Haiku
angophra
prepares for summer
carelessly undresses
peeling bark
a swimmer's sunburnt skin
old regrets
Mike Burdett
Photo: Kevin Rodrom-Robertson
Haiku, the Japanese originated
style of “poetry,” traditionally
written in seventeen syllables
(5-7-5) over three lines.
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