Residents and staff at the Tocumwal Lions Community Hostel celebrated ‘Christmas in July’, hosted by Cheryl and Ian at ‘Carwell’ last week.
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They were treated to a delicious lunch for everyone who all had a fabulous time, even if they did get a bit wet, thanks to the winter weather.
The festivities continued later in the week as the preschoolers from Tocumwal’s Little Explorers visited residents at the hostel.
Santa and Elves had a special bag of treats for everyone to celebrate the occasion as they all enjoyed cookies and sweets together while the children did some Christmas colouring in.
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In a wonderful show of community spirit and support for local wildlife, Tocumwal Rotary Club has made a generous donation to Dutch Thunder Wildlife Rescue, enabling the organisation to purchase two vital rescue poles used in animal rescues.
Earlier this year, Dutch Thunder volunteers were called out to a tricky rescue involving a bird tangled in fishing line high up in a tree.
Using their specialised extension pole - known as the ‘tap down pole’ - they were able to safely rescue and rehabilitate the bird.
Unfortunately, the pole snapped during the rescue, leaving the team without one of their essential pieces of equipment.
These poles are critical for high rescues, especially when it comes to birds and koalas.
With a replacement costing upwards of $2500, Dutch Thunder had no clear way to fund a new one.
In June, Kylee Donkers from Dutch Thunder was invited to speak at a Rotary meeting in Tocumwal, where she shared the work of Wildlife Rescue and the challenges faced by their team.
Impressed by her presentation, members of the Rotary Club asked how they could help.
Although Kylee briefly mentioned the broken pole, she didn’t expect what came next.
Just a few weeks later, a generous donation from the Tocumwal Rotary Club appeared in Dutch Thunder’s fundraising account; enough to cover the cost of a new rescue pole.
Thanks to a great deal, the team was able to purchase two.
Having two of these poles is a game changer.
The team can now conduct multiple rescues at once, and koala tap-downs will be much easier and safer for both animals and volunteers.
Dutch Thunder Wildlife Rescue and all its dedicated volunteers have expressed heartfelt thanks to the Rotary Club for their incredible support.
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Tocumwal War Memorial Hall is holding its annual general meeting on Wednesday, August 13 at the hall from 4pm.
This will be followed by its regular monthly meeting.
Anyone interested in the history of the WWI War Memorial Hall and the committee’s activities is welcome to attend.
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Tocumwal and District Lions Club is again teaming up with the Finley Lions Club to bring the Lions International Peace Poster Contest to local students.
This global competition encourages young people to express their vision of peace through art.
The theme for the 2025–26 contest is ‘Together As One’.
Students are invited to imagine a world united in purpose and spirit, and to explore what can be achieved when people from diverse backgrounds come together for a common goal.
The contest is open to students who will be aged 11 to 13 November 15 2025 and who are currently attending schools in Finley, Blighty and Tocumwal.
All entries must be submitted in person by 4.30pm on Wednesday, September 3.
Exhibits must be delivered to the main pavilion of the Finley Show by the same deadline for judging.
Late entries will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the show office.
For full competition details, including rules and entry guidelines, participants are encouraged to visit the Finley Show Society website at https://www.finleyshowsociety.org/events-annualshow.html.
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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.
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