On the Grapevine

Dairy herds were considerably smaller in comparison to today, with computerised milking systems enabling farmers to increase their herd size while reducing their time in the shed.

Young Bill began school at Larpent Primary and later went to Colac High before obtaining a position as an apprentice butcher in Colac.

After gaining his apprenticeship, he went to work for another butcher in the town, and it was there he decided to study to become a meat inspector.

This took two years, travelling twice a week to Geelong.

Tall and handsome, Bill met and married his wife Lola in 1960 after the pair met at a local dance.

Bill played football when he was first married and was presented with a life membership of the Imperial Football Club at Colac for his years of service and involvement in the club over many years.

He also played cricket and squash. When it was time to give football away, he turned to golf and loved it from the beginning.

Achieving his meat inspector’s licence changed Bill’s employment prospects dramatically as he was offered a position as a meat inspector at the Kyabram Abattoirs.

Several years later, a position became available in Yarrawonga.

The couple purchased land in Cobram 32 years ago and built a home, and continues to live here.

The couple has children Darren, Sheree and Kylie, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Darren and Sheree live in Sydney with their families, while Kylie lives in Perth.

Bill appeared to be a natural sportsman, much like most of the Monday Morning Gentleman’s Coffee Club group, and it was not long before he was taking to the fairways three days a week.

He played pennant golf for Cobram Barooga, winning several pennants over the years and consistently played from a handicap of between 7-8.

“I scored several hole-in-one’s but never had the chance to win a car, unfortunately,” recalls Bill with a laugh.

His favourite club.

“Definitely a putter. I had quite a good eye and was generally fairly accurate,” reminisced Bill.

Like other retired golfers (Bill retired in 2003 at the age of 65), he had time to play each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Friday nights, he and Eugene (Zol) Zolnierczyk organised a nine-hole Poets Mixed Event for many years which included wives/partners.

If the women weren’t golfers, they would join in for the social aspect, and everyone had a marvellous time.

Appreciating that they were fortunate to still have each other, Bill and Lola would often invite a group of single men who had lost their partners to join them for dinner at their home.

Unfortunately, after being diagnosed with dementia, Bill was eventually forced to give golf and squash away, and it has been three years since he last hit the fairways.

However, the 85-year-old and his loving and supportive wife, Lola, have continued to maintain a relatively busy life, regularly out for dinner and coffee and the occasional day trip organised by the MMGCC group, as well as medical appointments.

MMGCC continues to provide catch-up for Bill with his mates, and he looks forward eagerly to being chauffeured to the Sporties each Monday by the oldest member of the group, 93-year-old Kevin Ansell.

Lots of debates and friendly banter on every topic under the sun go around the table as they enjoy their coffee, and it’s not just golf.

“The group is unique; everyone cares about each other’s situation and is chosen for their ability to get along with others, and we do that well,” said Bill.

Newcomers to Cobram Park Run

On Saturday, there were 111 participants from throughout the district, together with a number of visitors who enjoyed a 5km run/walk in Cobram’s Park Run adjacent to the Murray River.

Strathmerton couple Jade Stanyer and Alicia Manning were joined by their favourite canine, Lottie, a three-year-old blue heeler.

Relatively new to Park Runs, Jade finished with a personal best of 30.12 minutes in just his fourth outing at Cobram.

He was the 16th male to finish and fourth in his category SM25-29, and needless to say, he was happy with his performance. Lottie had her running feet on also, achieving the same time as Jade, a good job by the young canine.

Alicia walked the course and enjoyed the ambience of the bush setting, allowing Jade and Lottie to do their thing.

Alicia teaches at Cobram Secondary College, and Jade is a skilled fabricator at Stanyer Engineering in Katunga.

French village fights smartphone invasion

The population of a small French village, Seine-Port, will restrict the use of smartphones after a referendum spearheaded by the town mayor, Vincent Paul-Petit, voted in favour of the ban with a 54 per cent majority.

This progressive little town of nearly 2000 people south of Paris is fighting the smartphone invasion, which is happening worldwide, and also frustratingly alive and well here in Cobram.

Every day of the week, people can be seen crossing roads or stepping out on a pedestrian crossing with their smartphones, texting and scrolling and remaining oblivious to everything, including their own safety.

Smartphone usage has removed common sense in our daily lives, such as when out dining with friends or that special person, everyone is on their phone texting or scrolling.

How many couples were seated at a table for two, doing just that on Valentine’s Day, no conversation, just phone activity.

With conversation, you just might learn something new and exciting about the person you are with.

If we were to live in Seine-Port, the ban on the use of smartphones would be put in place when walking down the street, sitting on a park bench, inside shops, cafés and restaurants, and waiting at the school gate for children.

The ban will not be enforceable by law but is designed to raise awareness of the impact smartphone devices are having on family life, particularly children, with many struggling to engage with others face to face today.

Further recommendations made to families include:

• No screens of any kind in the morning.

• No screens in bedrooms.

• No screens during meal times or before bed.

One would envisage the above suggestions would affect parents as much as children, yet perhaps it’s time for a common sense approach.

To admit, kids having a smartphone has meant taking the easy approach when parenting.

What are your thoughts — send me a text or give me a call on 0402 858 877. I’d love to have a chat with you.