Three-year-old Ava Garland of Forbes was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in June last year. Within hours of having blood test results Ava started intensive rounds of chemotherapy at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney. Ava is the youngest of Andrew and Kathy’s five daughters. Kathy and Ava had to remain on site at Westmead for the next eight months, which meant the close knit family was forced to live in four different locations until January.

Scarlett was boarding at Red Bend, Polly, Willa and Olivia moved to Orange with their aunt and Andrew stayed at home to run the cropping enterprise. Ava has mostly responded well to treatment and returned home with her mum in January to begin 18 months of home chemotherapy. The family lives over 50km out of town and with Ava’s regular checks and hospital visits it is a juggle to manage family activities while maintaining Ava’s care. A group of friends have come together to organise a concert to raise funds to support the family as Ava continues her journey through leukaemia. Opera for Ava will be staged at Red Bend Catholic College in Forbes on Saturday, 8th April from 2pm.

Mezzo soprano Dominica Matthews from Australia, soprano Kathleen Moore from Canada and sensational tenor Diego Torre from Mexico will be performing, accompanied by talented Forbes local Barbara Bruce on the piano. There will be something for everyone, with well-known arias from classical operas including Rigoletto, La traviata
and Carmen, and popular pieces from musical theatres such as Phantom of the Opera, Sweet Charity and Les Miserables.

Tickets cost $85, and includes drinks and canapes, and can be purchased from Hazell & Field in Forbes, or via email at opera4ava@gmail.com. For more information contact email or on facebook.com/opera4ava/

Relax At Taveuni Island
Relaxing on an exotic island is what comes to mind with a name like this, however you don’t need to travel very far for the same experience. Taveuni Island is a unique shop located in the heart of Blayney. Owner Thyra specialises in Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, reflexology, chakra healing and much more. There are also double massages available for $100 with essential oils. Follow the sweet scent of essence into her new age shop to find yourself immersed with a combination of unique gifts such as salt lamps, books, crystals and spices from Fiji. Meditation classes will start soon and you can keep up to date on her Facebook page Taveuni Island. “You aren’t walking this path alone, it’s all about getting people together.”

Homeliness At Iron Bark
Ironbark Espresso is a rustic, modern, fresh coffee shop with a new location in Blayney. With more seating available, you can relax with a Fish River roasted coffee and homemade food. Now offering a full menu with vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options for everyone to enjoy. Local artwork is featured throughout to add that extra homeliness to the place. Open seven days a week you will be sure not to miss them: Monday to Friday from 6 to 4pm, and Saturday and Sunday 7am to 2pm. Dine in or takeaway to suit travellers’ needs. Step inside to meet the young team at Ironbark and be delighted with the relaxing atmosphere and homemade food.

Exchange Hotel Is A Real Country Pub
Looking for a good old-fashioned country pub, look no further than the Exchange Hotel in Blayney. A pub with old-school hospitality, where you will always find a good chat and many events throughout the week. Happy hour is from Monday to Friday from 4 to 5pm, fishing club raffle on Friday at 4pm, huge jackpots and much more. Offering affordable Australasian meals from 12 to 2pm for lunch and 6 to 8pm for dinner. The Exchange Hotel has all of your country pub needs covered with a jukebox, pool table and good beer. Come have a chat, a drink, and a meal.

Blayney Region Has Many Treasures

The Blayney region has many hidden treasures to be uncovered by visitors. Located in the historic villages of Carcoar, Millthorpe, Lyndhurst, Mandurama, Barry and Neville along with other localities such as Kings Plains, Hobbys Yards, Errowanbang and Forest Reefs there are lots to see and do. Visitors are welcomed by local hospitality
built on a strong community spirit which is shared by generations of about 7,400 locals who call the region home. Well known for its thriving agricultural industry, fresh food and cool climate wines, the landscape is simply spectacular. Expect big, open skies filled with bright stars, rolling green pastures, colourful native flora and fauna, picturesque landscape and waterways, like Carcoar Dam and the Beluluba River winding its way through Blayney, west to Carcoar and beyond.

Heritage abounds with a rich culture and intriguing stories from the days of early Australian
settlement. Founded by pioneers exploring west of the Blue Mountains, Blayney was first proclaimed in 1843 and the villages soon flourished in the gold rush of the 1850s. This was a time that brought growth in commercial enterprise, and the rail network soon followed in 1876. Experience the vivid history of the first bushrangers, like Ben Hall and his gang who attempted the first ever day light robbery at the Commercial Bank in Carcoar. Trek the route of
Cobb & Co horse wagons, explore historical architecture preserved for over a century in the heritage listed towns of Carcoar and Millthorpe.

Alive in history, there are many museums to explore including Australia’s only piano museum in Neville, Carcoar’s Hospital museum, a 20th Century toy museum in Carcoar and the Millthorpe Golden Era Museum. Blayney and its villages are fast becoming known for the many attractions and events that bring together the community and visitors such as the monthly fresh produce Blayney Farmers’ Markets, biannual Millthorpe Markets, B2B cycling festival
(Blayney to Bathurst), Millthorpe Garden Ramble held in December, some of the best little country shows at Neville, Blayney and Carcoar and the Australia Day celebrations in Carcoar, the third oldest town west of the Blue Mountains.

Art and culture is in abundance with many local artists displaying their works at exhibitions and galleries throughout the year. Come for a short trip, stay longer and return once again to indulge, unwind and relax in all that Blayney and
villages have to offer. You never know, you and your family and friends may just want to stay. More on Facebook     @BlayneyShireCouncil #warmwelcome #historicvillages

If you haven’t met Kath Swansbra, you’ve probably seen her work. The talented cake decorator’s incredible edible creations are the pride of Parkes. Two of her sugar craft pieces are currently on public display. The Henry Parkes Museum is home to a sugar-art piece that Kath created as a tribute to our soldiers. The three-tier Anzac memorial is part of the museum’s World War I collection, and is even featured on the new sign.

Yvonne Hutton, President of the Parkes & District Historical society said that thousands of people have photographed the exhibit, and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has expressed interest in preserving it. “I think it’s one of the best pieces Kath’s ever done,” Yvonne said. Kath’s Elvis Festival Silver Jubilee cake is currently on display at the Craft Corner.

It’s an amazingly detailed design, topped with a vinyl record and surrounded by a festival of sugar figures, and even a candy pink Cadillac. “I think that cake used up all my ideas,” she joked. It is made on a fruitcake base, so the entire piece is edible, though cutting it would seem like an act of vandalism.

Kath got her first taste of sugar craft many years ago when she decided to decorate a cake for her daughter’s 21st. She enrolled in a cake decorating course at TAFE the following year, as she wanted to learn more techniques. “I just changed from making dresses to making cakes,” she said. “All the arts are related, if you’ve got skills in one field you can transfer those skills to another.”

She has been honing those skills for 32 years, and it’s fair to say she is now a master of her craft. The eight-time national champion won first prize in a cake decorating category at last year’s Royal Easter Show, with her Leather and Lace wedding cake. She has just delivered her entries for this year’s judging; a Christmas cake with a nativity scene celebrating the first Christmas, and a decorated hand-moulded sugar-egg that opens to reveal a ballerina.

Her cakes are works of art that represent hours of effort and meticulous attention to detail. Each creation takes anywhere from three weeks to three months – or longer – to complete. “You can’t always throw everything together” she said “there is a lot of drying time in between each stage.” Kath makes her own modelling paste, and uses a mixture of moulds and freehand designs. Her work is so detailed and delicate it requires a steady hand and the kind of patience that not many of us possess.

By Raen Fraser

The third Cementa festival returns to Kandos next week, 6th to 9th April, delivering a roll call of more than 60 artists and collectives. Cementa is about culture, community, art and the land – and bringing people to the small regional town. Four days and nights of performance, sound, cabaret, interactive and electronic arts, video, photography, installation and ceramics will pop-up in surprising and unexpected places like shopfronts, cafes, streets, the famous Kandos Museum, nursery, parks, paddocks, garages, cars, backyards, a former convent, tennis courts, golf club, CWA, community halls and church yards.

Kandos was founded 100 years ago to house the work force of the Kandos Cement Works. Cement from Kandos has built the Harbour Bridge and much of the city of Sydney. In 2012 the cement works closed, leaving the town without a defining industry and an opportunity for transformation. The Cementa festival transforms inside and outside spaces, domestic, retail and historic dwellings into hubs of creative inspiration.

It offers new pathways for visitors to discover these sites, contemplate contemporary art and learn about a tiny town and its place in regional Australia. For more information visit www.cementa.com.au

Eugowra CWA member, Wendy Drady came first with her handmade doll in the CWA handicraft competition in Orange. She will be judged at the state competition in May next year. The Eugowra Branch came fourth overall.
Members decided to join the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) to help with worldwide projects such as supplying water to remote villages, setting up clinics and much more.

The plan for the May meeting is to tour the Adagio Mohair mill and to have lunch at Nile Street Café in Orange.
Planning has started for next year’s 90th anniversary in May of the Eugowra Branch. The very first project of the branch was to operate a maternity hospital at the house where Gwenda and Tony Rue now live. The hospital was opened in 1930. The first baby was Campbell Walter Athol Howell. In other news the Central West Group of
CWA donated $500 to the Sir Ivan fire appeal.

The Eugowra Branch will be holding a cake and craft stall at the Eugowra Country Fair on Saturday, 8th April. Any donations are welcome. The next meeting of the Eugowra Branch will be on Friday, 7th April at 10am with
guest speaker Garth England, a volunteer pilot from Angel Flight. He will do a presentation and talk on his experiences.

By Janet Noble