Hi Andy, you’re one of 13 kids. What number are you?
I’m number 11. I am now an uncle 143 times over with all the grand, great, and great-great grandkids.
Wow, that is a lot of nieces and nephews! Can you tell me a bit about what you’ve done for work over the years?
I grew up in Castlemaine and when I left school at 16 I went and worked as an apprentice baker at Preece’s Bakery. We were taught by the very last of the old blokes. We’d do the bread moulding by hand and there were no pre-mix cakes. I worked there for five years. My party trick is to whip up a batch of chocolate eclairs.
After that, I cooked at the hospital for eight years, and then in 1982 I went out to work for myself in earthmoving. I called the business AJ Chapman Pty Ltd and girls for my wife Kath and daughters Leah and Lana.
Walking into your home there are a pair of brigade overalls hanging in the entry and the CFA scanner is providing background noise in the kitchen – can you tell me about your involvement with the brigade?
It’s just a way of life. My mum, dad, and big brothers were all CFA. It was like a backbone you grew up with – it was always there. In the early days, I lived at the station. I joined in 1969 when I was 14 years old.
Kath, myself, and my daughter Leah have clocked up over 100 years worth of hours between us. There’s something really special about going to a job with your family, although it does put them in the line of fire.
What’s one of the most memorable fires you’ve seen?
I was up in Buckland Valley during the 2003 fires and saw fire behaviour I’ve never seen before.
I read a story about the 1939 fires, there was an inquiry that took place after the town was obliterated and three separate townspeople said they’d seen a huge ball of fire in the sky. They investigated and found this it was caused by gases gathering above the fire.
I witnessed it myself in 03′. The fire had come up and ran through the treetops, pushing the gas in front and by the top of the hill and there was a ball of flame the size of a football field about 300-400 metres above the ground. I gotta be honest, I feel blessed to have seen it – it was amazing stuff.
How did you meet your lovely wife Kath?
I was working at Mt Macedon after the fires and it’s a bit of a cold place so I went to the shoe shop in Gisborne to get some fur-lined boots and there was this little chick in there with the biggest eyes.
I think I’d bought a pair of gumboots, desert boots, and slip-on shoes before I asked her out! I took her for coffee and I only had $2 in my wallet and I thanked God she didn’t want another coffee!
That’s so funny! With work, the brigade, and family do you have time for any other interests?
I’ve got a 1969 HT Holden. I bought it in 1973 and had a bad smash in 76′ and sold it off. I found it behind someone’s house in 99′ – bought it back and spent six years rebuilding. There’s still a few blokes around who would remember me hooning around Castlemaine back in the day. Hubert the HT is the second love of my life.
What music do you enjoy?
60s – I just love it – Dusty Springfield and Silver Black.
What philosophy do you live life by?
Head down, arse up.
Finally, what do you love most about the place you call home?
There’s a lot to love – the hot rod/car scene and there’s lots of characters around.
My Elphinstone: Andy Chapman
Life-size sculpture honours the fallen
A life-sized sculpture honouring the 10th Australian Light Horse Regiment produced at Billmans Foundry in Castlemaine, has been shipped to Stirling Square in Guildford Western Australia where it was unveiled to a crowd of several hundred people earlier this month.
The commission of the sculpture, worth over $400,000, was brought about by the local historical society, the present-day light horse brigade, the local council, and interested members of the community.
The artist behind the work, Dr Charles Robb, senior lecturer at Queensland University of Technology, told the Mail that it took the committee six years of lobbying federal, state, and local governments to gain the required funding.
“This is a fantastic example of a community’s will, coming together to have history acknowledged in sculpture form,” Charles said.
“There is a great sense of duty and responsibility to the history of the regiment, which is central to the ANZACS. This made the project both appealing and daunting.
“I hope I’ve done the story justice,” Charles said.
“It was amazing to see the statue in its bronzed glory and to see the joy and feeling it aroused in people.”
Charles and his team spent more than two and a half thousand hours over a period of 18 months working on the moulds of the digger and his horse before sending it to Billmans Foundry in Castlemaine, where a further 300 to 400 hours of work were required.
A lot of the smaller elements of the sculpture including the buckles, badges, buttons, feathers, and even the hands were produced using a 3D printer.
“Once it was sent to Billmans that’s when the serious and ferocious work began,” Charles said.
Travis Billman told the Mail that it took five moulders and three welders, plus the assistance of Phil Mune from Eclipse Bronze Art in Elphinstone who worked on the finer details using a lost-wax casting technique.
“There were over 40 pieces that needed to be assembled. Once completed it weighed half a ton,” Travis said.
Once assembled Peter DeGargis, a colour specialist from Melbourne, spent an entire day using different chemicals creating different temperatures with a hot torch to produce colour variations.
Charles noted that the staff at Billmans Foundry have an incredibly broad array of knowledge.
“They moved heaven and earth to pull together a very immense and complex in a seamless way, with a high level of attention to detail,” he said.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the team at Billmans who were lovely to deal with, positive, creative, and energetic. They invested as much love into the project as myself and my team.”
Harcourt Pony Club welcomes you
Nestled behind the swimming pool and on the grounds that once held the Harcourt Tennis courts, lies the Harcourt Pony Club, a hidden gem with a rich history dating back to 1993. Formed by a group of dedicated parents who wanted to provide their children with a local opportunity to ride horses, the club has gone through its ups and downs but has emerged stronger than ever under the leadership of Peggy Mills.
Despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating flood in 2022 that damaged the clubhouse and grounds, the club remains resilient and competitive. Members have renewed their focus on all aspects of horsemanship, and new members have joined the ranks. With a renewed sense of purpose, the club is gearing up for an exciting calendar of events, including a showjumping competition and an eventing clinic featuring some of the best coaches in the country.
But the most exciting event coming up is the Harcourt Pony Club’s Community Open Day on April 1. Everyone is invited to come along and experience the joy of Ponies! Starting with an Easter egg hunt at 10.30am there will be face painting, a reptile demonstration, pony petting, pony leading, riding demo’s and more. This is the perfect opportunity to discover all that the Harcourt Pony Club has to offer, and with a history spanning nearly three decades, it’s sure to be an unforgettable experience for the whole family.
Highs and lows for Harcourt bowlers
It was a disappointing result for Harcourt Weekend Pennant Division 6 side last Saturday. The Grand Final against Bendigo at Eaglehawk treated the sizeable crowd of Harcourt supporters to some great bowling. At the 12-end break the scores were level, although the second half saw Bendigo gradually take the lead and eventually win the game. Harcourt displayed some great bowling but were out bowled by the Bendigo side.
Weekend Pennant Grand Final results were as follows:
Division 6 Harcourt 72 lost to Bendigo 104. Darren Cunningham (s)15/27, Ron Douglas, Damian Bird, Diane Marsh. Russell Maltby (s) 12/39, Wayne Walsh, Rick Williams, Alf Manallack.
Ken Tribe (s) 20/12, Chris McAuliffe, Tim Carr, Wendy Chaplin. Terry Robinson (s) 25/26, John Grant, Les Harding, John Starbuck.
Ladies Drawn Pairs
It was a perfect evening for bowling for the Ladies Drawn Pairs last Thursday March 9. Ten teams were drawn to play three games of eight ends. As has become a tradition, the evening ends with a meal prepared and served by the bowling men – and they didn’t disappoint! The overall winners were the only 3-game winners – Wendy Chaplin and Mary-Anne Doyle. Runners-up were Heather Braid and Kay Francis. The Men’s Drawn (Gough) Pairs was held on Wednesday, results will be in the Mail next week.
Australian Women’s Choir visit
After performing at the Harcourt Apple Fest the Australian Women’s Choir relaxed at the Harcourt Bowling Club before returning home. They are pictured here enjoying our sunny deck.
Mount Alexander golfers tee off
Tuesday’s nine hole day at Mount Alexander Golf Club saw the ladies play a stroke round with Fleur Smith beating Eileen Strong on a countback for the win, both scoring 20-1/2 nett. George Potts was the best of the men on the day, also playing stroke George had 39-10-29. After a countback Laurie Hauser beat Joe Norris for the putting with 12.
It was the first Thursday of the new season and we opted for a fun, relaxing day playing a par 3 stroke round. Best for the ladies was Myrl Hauser with 46 nett, runner-up was Robyn Scoles 50 nett. Nearest the pins on the 2nd and 9th were both won by Fleur Smith. Joe Norris was the best of the men scoring 41 nett, r/up with 49 nett was Bob Pratt. Nearest the pins were won by Charles Cilia on the 2nd and George Potts 2nd shot to the 18th.
Saturday was the club’s annual opening with a Yankee Mixed. The weather was perfect and we had a great turnout from the members The day’s winners were Eileen Strong and Bob Pratt scoring a nice 65-7/8 nett. Nearest the pins on the 2nd hole were won by Jean Carmichael and Keith McLean, and on the 9th Joyce Smith and George Potts.
Castlemaine Parkrun milestones celebrated
It was a day for big numbers at parkrun on Saturday – well over 110 participants running, walking or strolling the course, two significant personal milestones, twenty First Timers and
over twenty Personal Bests.
David Heath was the third runner across the line, but what an effort in his first ever parkrun, completing the three laps of the gardens in 20:24! Members hope to see much more of David in
future. First across was Adronis Ndihokubwayo and he was followed by Beau Cook at 18:30 and 20:23 respectively.
This was mirrored among the female runners too with Kyla Byrne being the first of the female runners in her first ever parkrun on 24:35, with Janelle Hurley and Kate Freston following close behind. The three of them were only separated by six seconds.
The volunteer contingent was, as usual, first on the scene on what was only the second parkrun this autumn and that initial chill in the air gave way to a perfect morning for a run.
Headed up by Run Director Colin Moore, they had Claire Brien, Kerry Calcraft, Bessie Faircloth, Geoff Faircloth, Jane Hamilton, looking after members, with Lisa Minchin as nominated Tail Walker. As usual, Jane Harding was ‘volunteer wrangler’ doing her good work behind the scenes.
At Castlemaine Parkrun they are careful to observe ‘Milestones’, those personal achievements that often mean a great deal to the individual participant and on Saturday they had two. Sam Gearing and Luke Kneebone notched up their tenth and 100th events respectively and were treated to Parkrun’s very own ‘Tunnel of Love’ to celebrate. Another notable Castlemaine parkrun tradition, and ‘Well Done’ to both milestone runners.
While there too many PBs, and First Timers to list individually, all the results are available on the Castlemaine Parkrun website so jump over and have a look. The ‘actual’ first timers though, like David and Kyla are worth a mention and Arjun Singh, Belle Ganglmair and Baxter Kelly joined them on their initial parkrun adventures. Castlemaine Parkrun would love to see much more of all of them in future too of course.
If you’d like to join David, Kyla and company, all you need to do is register online, it’s free, and then turn up for the morning briefing a bit before 8am. It’s as simple as that!
From our archives – the Mail looks back at 20 years of local news
Campbells Creek swimming instructor Sylvia Pearson retired after 30 years dedicated service to the community. Sylvia taught hundreds of local youngsters and adults to swim and said it was one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. She is pictured at the former Campbells Creek Pool with swimmers Kate Taylor, Alice Taylor and Louis Boyle. In other news the $8.4 million 70 bed wing at Loddon Prison, Castlemaine was officially opened by Corrections Minister Andre Haermeyer. The new Lauriston Unit took the capacity of the medium security prison to 400 beds.
Bendigo West MP Bob Cameron announced that the 15 kilometres of the Malmsbury to Elphinstone section of the Calder Freeway was to open 11 months earlier than planned. Mr Cameron said there would be a community event on April 12 to mark the opening, during which people could walk the two kilometre section around the Metcalfe State Forest. Castlemaine Lions Club were also gearing up for their 22nd annual Swap Meet with a wide array of vintage and veteran car and motorcycle parts expected to be up for grabs at the club’s annual major fundraiser.
Two elderly residents and their dog were lucky to escape with their lives after an electrical fault sparked a fire in their home in Forest Street, Castlemaine. The couple were fast asleep when the first broke out at the rear of their home just after 10pm and it was lucky that a Castlemaine taxi driver spotted the blaze and quickly raised the alarm. Leading Senior Constable Chad McKenzie and Sen Constable Mark White were on patrol when they received the call. The pair, along with local young CFA volunteer Matt Murdoch, had to force open the front gate to raise the alarm and save the occupants.
For Franklinford sculptor Issa Ouattara making sculpture is a way of spreading and sharing positive energy. Originally from West Africa the local creative talent had three of his large metal sculptures on show at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Festival. Issa had been creating sculpture at his Franklinford home for six years after meeting his Australian doctor wife, Monica, in Africa where she was working in Cote d’Ivoire to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. “With everything I do I want to put my inspiration in to make people happy…” Issa said.
Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky presents ‘Out of the Hat’
Renowned local storyteller and musician Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky is set to feature as part of this year’s Castlemaine Fringe Festival with a new show ‘Out of the Hat: The Other Side of History’ next weekend, March 25 and 26, at The Coolroom at Castlemaine’s Northern Arts Hotel.
Jan is famous for his history shows, beginning with The Bushwackers Band in 1971 – and still going strong.
Following ten years of Bushwackers touring in Australia and Europe, Jan embarked on a solo career, travelling the country with his family, working with Indigenous people ‘up north’, and producing acclaimed one-man shows Buckley and Bilarni, a dozen history features for Radio National, award-winning television documentaries Buwarrala Akarriya – Journey East and Aeroplane Dance, best-selling oral history books Me & Phar Lap and Born Under the Paperbark Tree, and many shows for schools. This show, ‘Out of the Hat – The Other Side of History’, is what happened on the way.
The performance is personal and intimate, with the audience choosing the set list – out of the hat – and Jan stringing it together with songs, poems, tales of love and death and weird adventures in foreign lands.
Such as, how his Czech grandmother’s sister mistook him for Rasputin; the travails of long-distance romance in the time of Covid; meeting God and Kerry Packer in a bush church; a significant death in Castlemaine; broken bones and re-birth in Bali; how, after two divorces, one should propose to a new love – and lots more … you know, just the normal stuff of life, accompanied on claw-hammer banjo, harmonica, bodhran, spoons, bones and ukulele. With sing-alongs!
Writer Josiane Behmoiras describes the new offering as “Intimate, spontaneous and very touching, a wonderful show.”
Jan was deep into rehearsals this week with director Suzanne Ingleton when he took some time out to chat to the Mail about the new show.
Jan says many of the songs and stories shared in this new performance have rarely been performed and audience members will literally be drawing them ‘out of a hat’ which will be passed around.
“There is a lot more music in this show and some poetry too. It’s a really interactive show, quite personal. We haven’t done the same show twice in rehearsals so it will be interesting to see the order of things and how it comes together. Both shows will be completely different each day. It could be challenging if two items really don’t go together but therein lies the risk. I will just have to improvise and make it work! I’m really looking forward to it!” Jan said.
Tickets are limited. Visit outofthehat.eventbrite.com.au
Hall of Fame honour for local trucking company
A T900 Kenworth rig proudly owned by Thompson’s Transport Castlemaine operator Keith Thompson is set to be installed in the ‘Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame’ in Alice Springs.
The rig holds a special place in Kenworth history being the rig driven across the Nullarbor by country music legend Slim Dusty.
Keith told the Mail it was a huge honour to have the truck selected to be part of the prestigious hall of fame.
The Alice Springs attraction comprises almost 4,000sq metres of display space devoted to the history of the Australian designed and built Kenworth. There are more than 30 trucks on permanent display, with many more rotating through from time to time, making this the broadest display of Australian-made Kenworth truck models on the planet. The displays range from the first Australian built chassis, the Grey Ghost, to the most recent additions – the T610 and the limited edition Legend 900.
The 82-year-old said the T900 was purchased by Thompson’s Transport Footscray on September 15, 1997.
“Later that year I was honoured to play the role of instructor for Slim as he drove the road train across the Nullarbor from Eucla to Norseman,” he said.
They were joined on the voyage by the truck’s regular drivers Faye and Jack Norton, Keith’s wife Carol and Slim’s wife Joy.
“Slim was working on a new trucking album and really wanted to experience life behind the wheel and gather ideas,” Keith said.
“Truckies often say “Let’s Make a Mile” and that was the inspiration behind the title Makin’ a Mile,” he said.
The album went gold and Keith has an EMI plaque celebrating the milestone on the wall of his office.
The journey also made the cover of Truck’ Life magazine that year.
“It was an incredible experience. Slim was a great man,” Keith said.
The local trucking identity later sold the truck, trading it in for a newer model.
“You generally trade them in once they have done a million kilometres,” he said.
Keith established the business back in 1961 and over the last 62 years the company expanded to have depots in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth and at its peak the family-owned company had 65 trucks and 130 trailers operating across the country.
Around four years ago Keith was approached by a man from Ballarat which had restored the truck and wanted to know if he was keen to buy it back.
“On closer inspection we realised it was the truck Slim drove,” Keith said.
“It was great to be able to buy it back. We have had it on display at the local Rotary Truck Show and other events over the past few years. Locals will have seen it on display in the yard as they pass by,” he said.
The rig is set to be collected by the Kenworth team on Monday to make the long journey north to Alice Springs.
“It will be amazing to see it on display as part of their permanent collection. It’s pretty impressive,” he said.
Castlemaine’s new maternity service applauded
Dhelkaya Health’s Maternity Service has received a glowing review from women who gave birth at the service in its first year of operation. The feedback from the women was gathered as part of a formal evaluation review undertaken by La Trobe University.
Publication of the evaluation report was celebrated at an event held at Buda Historic Home & Garden last Thursday evening.
The event was attended by local GP obstetricians, Bendigo Health, La Trobe University researchers, Dhelkaya Health staff, and representatives from Dhelkaya Health’s Board of Directors and committees.
Dhelkaya Health CEO Sue Race said the report gives them confidence that the new model is working.
“It equips us to be both responsible and responsive and to offer the care pathways which meet individual needs and preferences. It also maps the priority issues we need to navigate for
sustainable growth,” Ms Race said.
The service, which reopened in March 2021, offers a model of care that sees Midwifery Group Practice midwives working collaboratively with GP Obstetricians for women with low risk
pregnancies. The relationship with Bendigo Health enables collaborative shared care, and complex maternity care when needed.
La Trobe University researchers Dr Méabh Cullinane and Dr Laura Whitburn were in attendance and spoke about what the evaluation process involved, including speaking in-depth with women to explore their satisfaction with the service, their clinical outcomes and the workings of the collaborative relationship between Dhelkaya Health and Bendigo Health.
“The voices of local women birthing in Castlemaine played a critical role in this evaluation,” Dr Méabh Cullinane said.
The researchers also spoke with clinical and non-clinical staff including GP obstetricians, midwives, governance officers, safety and quality staff, Board Directors and executive staff at Dhelkaya Health and Bendigo Health.
The report concluded that the maternity care model is highly valued women and their families, staff and the community.
Midwifery Group Practice midwives were found to be working within their full scope of practice and were fully supported by committed GP Obstetricians working within the model, and by Bendigo Health.
New mum and midwife Elloise Richards, who recently gave birth to her first child, spoke glowingly about her own experience of Dhelkaya Health’s Maternity Service.
“We walked away looking forward to our next visit. I was seen for who I am and my needs were supported. Our midwife even helped to connect us to our community,” Elloise said.
Dhelkaya Health’s Maternity Clinical Coordinator and Educator April Jardine talked about the importance of supporting midwives to use their full range of their skills and providing space for them to build supportive relationships with mothers and partners along the continuum of pregnancy, birth and parenthood. She also highlighted the consultative process for forming the model and praised the work of the evaluation team.
CEO Sue Race said the service has a great future and it is wonderful to have our dedicated midwives who have a pivotal role in its future development.
“Their care is rightly valued by the women who choose to birth with us and all staff involved deserve the praise that is evident in the feedback. It has been a great outcome for the Mount Alexander community.”
All those involved in the creation of the new model and the reopening of the highly valued local service hope it will serve as a positive example to other regional health services of what can be achieved.
Dhelkaya Health acknowledges the support of Safer Care Victoria and the strong partnership with Bendigo Health that have enabled the service’s success. The evaluation report is available
in full to read at www.castlemainehealth.org.au.
Perth Collective to visit for Castlemaine State Festival
There is just one week to go until the official opening of the 2023 Castlemaine State Festival! This year’s event is once again jam-packed with a myriad of incredible live music, performance and exhibitions and more.
Perth collective Alter Boy fronted by trans/hard-of-hearing vocalist Molly Priest is set to feature as part of this year’s extraordinary CSF line-up.
The band works between sound and silence, voice and Auslan to express music and convey storytelling.
Their live shows are like nothing you’ve ever seen before, combining heartbeat-like rhythms – both pounding and pulsating – with visual storytelling and bespoke lighting in an otherworldly way that is very much of this world.
An Alter Boy performance combines heartbeat-like rhythms both pounding and pulsating with visual storytelling and bespoke lighting. The senses themselves are enlightened, not only by the unexpected feast of sound and vision, but towards the d/Deaf experience as it is presented to us to embrace and (potentially learn to better) understand. Priest leads with vocals that ululate on a lived, dual trans/deaf reality backed with Auslan signing that adds not only an evocative physicality to the music but opens up a world of inclusiveness to an audience who are not able to enjoy (and therefore attend) a traditional gig.
The group is coming to Castlemaine fresh from a performance at Sydney World Pride on March 5 and will also appear at Dylan Alcott’s Ability Fest in Melbourne on Saturday March 25 just prior to their local show which will take place under the CSF ‘Big Top’ at the Western Reserve on Tuesday March 28.
2022 was a stellar year for Alter Boy with captivating performances at Bigsound and Vivid Festival, the release of singles ‘I Repent’ and ‘No One’s Gone Like You’, which garnered praise from NME, Pilerats, Music Feeds, and airplay across triple j, triple junearthed and community radio, plus they were selected to guest host on Rage.
The CSF appearance follows the launch of their first single for 2023 ‘Like Home’.
Discussing the single lead singer Molly says, “Like Home is about breaking toxic family cycles and recovering the authentic self – following narcissistic abuse in childhood. The song ends in a hopeful place with a lyric about love – I’ve been running since I was nine, I leave it behind, yearning for it since I was nine, I don’t need it anymore I’ve got mine.”
Alter Boy keys/synths and producer Andrew ‘Midnight’ Wright took some time to chat to the Mail ahead of their show and said it has been an incredible 12 months for their group.
“I have known Molly for 15 years and we formerly did some writing together. In 2018 she asked me to be part of the band. Covid made things challenging performance wise, but in the last 12 months or so we have played some big events such as Big Sound and Yonder in Queensland and we have built a real following and our singles have taken off!” Andrew said.
Alter Boy’s performances are not just about the music but making it accessible.
“Those who are deaf or hard of hearing no doubt enjoy music, but with interpreter Luke as part of the band audience members can also follow the lyrics and really enjoy the full experience,” Andrew said.
The group aim to secure a record deal in the not too distant future to produce a new album and share their music more broadly.
“Things are really building for us and we’d love to take that next step,” he said.
For tickets to this very special one-off show visit castlemainefestival.com.au
Noel bids farewell
Well-known local figure Noel Muller has announced his retirement after a rewarding and varied 46-year career with Parks Victoria.
“I’ve done it all, garbage, toilet runs, driving the zoo cart, guiding, teaching, and the environmental side,” Noel told the Mail.
“I’ve seen bushfires, storms, floods, drownings, pulled bodies out of the surf, a bit of everything, and then botulism to finish it off.
“It’s been good fun and I’ve met lots of great people. I met Bob Hawke at the opening of Point Nepean and I even shared an umbrella with Weary Dunlop!”
Noel, born and bred in Ballarat, began his career when he joined an employment program with ‘National Parks’ initially working on the Bush Rangers Bay Walking Track at Cape Schanck and working in the Point Nepean region for 20 years. He moved to Kerang for a few years before coming to Castlemaine in the early 2000s to work on the Box Ironbark Project, working as a park ranger and then a team leader in the Goldfields region which covers three big parks and 50 or 60 little ones.
“I’m not sure I got to see them all in the end,” Noel said.
After living in Castlemaine for a brief time Noel and his wife bought an unfinished 80s holiday shack nestled amongst the Maldon Historic Area (which fittingly is Parks Victoria land).
“I’ve loved working in the parks and working with the community, being involved in things like the Monster Meeting and Anzac Day.
“There’s a lot of great and passionate people on both sides of the fence, although sometimes you do get stuck in the middle,” Noel laughs.
The 67-year-old is looking forward to his retirement years and is hoping to travel overseas and spend more time with his four grandchildren.
One of the founding members of the Wheel Cactus Warriors, Noel will continue getting out in the bush from time to time with the Warriors, as well as continuing his involvement with the Maldon Museum and taking part in the yearly Mt Tarrengower Hill Climb.
“Plus I’ve got a pair of Jaguars sitting in the shed that I’ve had for a few years and one day I might have them finished!”