It was disappointing to hear from Finley High School principal Jeff Ward that a number of plants have been removed from the school’s newly established Indigenous garden.
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The garden is only five weeks old, having been created and cultivated as part of the school’s recent NAIDOC Week celebrations.
The plants were generously donated, and the garden represents much more than a collection of plants.
It is a place of learning, connection, culture and community, created through the hard work of students, staff, the wider community and TAFE NSW.
Mr Ward said it was a great shame this had occurred, particularly given the considerable effort that went into establishing the garden.
If someone was genuinely in need of the plants, the community surely would have been willing to help.
It is particularly disappointing to think they may simply have been removed for amusement or without consideration for what the garden represents.
The school will now look to replace the plants as quickly as possible.
Hopefully, this incident will also serve as a reminder to everyone of the importance of respecting community projects, the work of the students and staff, and places that have cultural and educational significance.
The Indigenous Garden is something the Finley community can be proud of, and it is important we support the school in restoring it and ensuring it can continue to grow and benefit students and the wider community
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Finley Garden Club’s August meeting at the Finley RS Club was well attended by members who enjoyed the guest speaker, Wayne Muller, who spoke with passion about his bees.
Wayne travelled from Culcairn with his partner Sandra to give a very informative and interesting talk on our honey friends. Wayne has been handling bees for 30 years.
Eleven members will travel to Numurkah for the Royal Horticultural Society of Victoria - Victorian Northwest Region - annual general meeting.
This is a great day with many garden clubs attending and enjoying morning, afternoon tea and a delicious lunch, as well as the business of the AGM and guest speakers.
Finley Garden Club members will be busy Friday and Saturday setting up for the Finley Show garden and produce section in the pavilion.
They hope to see lots of lovely blooms, arrangements, plants and produce entered this year.
The club’s next meeting will be at Ron and Marg Dixon’s home and garden on Monday September 7, at 2pm.
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Finley Rotary Club members would like to remind everyone that unused mobile phones can still be donated to assist with the Safe Phones project for those experiencing domestic violence.
Donated mobile phones are repurposed into secure untraceable lifelines for victims of domestic violence and can be dropped off in Finley at the Country Club Hotel, Haynes Butchery or Finley Post Office.
Together, we can ensure that every call for help is heard.
Further information can be obtained at https://dvsafephone.org/donate-phones or contact a member of Finley Rotary Club.
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The Finley Regional Care Auxiliary held its annual general meeting, followed by the monthly meeting on August 17, with 14 members attending.
Members thanked Finley Regional Care CEO Ben Levesque, for attending and chairing the AGM, and for speaking about what is happening at Finley Regional Care.
During the past year, the auxiliary continued to support residents by providing entertainment and gifts at Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas.
The committee elected for the 2026-2027 year is as follows: President Sue Hand, vice president Julie Stava, secretary Bernadette Agosta, assistant secretary Robin Beasley, treasurer Maria McCaw, assistant treasurer Shirley Gray, publicity officers Maria McCaw and Julie Stava.
The auxiliary is holding its Father’s Day raffle, with tickets available for $2 each. Prizes include a Dave the Detailer gift voucher valued at $250, a Country Road Weekender Bag and Toiletry Bag valued at $240 and Country Road Cap and Socks Set valued at $110.
The second and third prizes were donated by Country Road and Three Girls Homewares.
Tickets will be sold at Finley IGA on Thursday and Friday. They are also available at the Finley Regional Care facilities and Finley Pharmacy.
The raffle will be drawn at 1pm on Friday, September 4.
The auxiliary will also hold a street stall in Murray St, Finley, on Friday, September 4, from 8.30am to 1pm.
Community members who would like to support the stall with donations of cakes or other saleable items would be greatly appreciated.
Finley Springtime Open Gardens fundraiser - save the date, Sunday November 8, from 9am to 4pm.
There will also be morning tea, lunch, stalls and a raffle, making it a lovely day out to enjoy with family and friends while supporting the Finley Regional Care Auxiliary.
More information about the Open Gardens, ticket sales and where tickets can be purchased will be announced soon.
The Finley Regional Care Auxiliary is a dedicated volunteer group that raises funds to support the residents of Finley Regional Care. Through raffles, street stalls and other special events, the auxiliary helps purchase equipment, provide entertainment and other comforts to enhance the wellbeing of residents.
Meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 2pm at Finley Regional Care, 26 Dawe Ave, Finley. There are no meetings in January or December.
If you would like to be part of this wonderful team, please contact president Sue Hand on 0419 831 554, secretary Bernadette Agosta on 0417 897 462 or treasurer Maria McCaw on 0429 839 438.
The auxiliary members would like to thank the local businesses, volunteers and community members who continue to support its fundraising activities.
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What if, instead of another staff meeting, the most important thing on the agenda was simply looking after yourself?
That is the message from Finley High School principal Jeff Ward, who has introduced a simple but meaningful wellbeing initiative for staff.
Tuesdays would normally be the day for the regular staff meeting. However, recognising the demands placed on teachers and school staff, Mr Ward decided that last week's meeting would look a little different.
At 3.30pm, staff were encouraged to leave work behind. No opening emails. No catching up on paperwork. No feeling guilty about walking away from the desk.
Instead, they were encouraged to go for a walk, spend time with their children or family, have a coffee with a colleague or friend, or simply take some quiet time for themselves.
The initiative is a reminder that wellbeing isn't something that should only be discussed when people are struggling. It is something that needs to be actively supported and prioritised every day.
School staff give enormous amounts of time, energy and care to their students and the wider community. Creating a culture where staff wellbeing is valued can make a genuine difference, not only to individuals but to the whole school community.
For Mr Ward, the message is straightforward: sometimes the best thing a workplace can do is give people permission to stop.
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Parishioners of St Mary’s Catholic Church, Finley will celebrate the Feast of St Lorenzo Ruiz this Sunday with Holy Mass at 10.15am followed by a parish morning tea.
Everyone is welcome to join in the celebration. Those attending are asked to please bring a plate to share.
St Lorenzo Ruiz was the first Filipino saint and the country's protomartyr (first martyr). He was canonised by Pope John Paul II in Rome on October 18, 1987.
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Joanne Dean, organiser of the Finley Golf Club Pink Day, stopped by the Finley Lions Club raffle venue on Saturday morning to express thanks for the support given to the recent highly successful golf day fundraiser for cancer research.
The Lions Club members have generously attended to cooking the barbecue lunch for some years now, as well as providing the meat to be cooked.
The winner of last Saturday’s trailer load of wood was Joie Bateman. The wood raffle season is coming to a close soon, leaving only a couple of weeks to try and win a trailer load of wood. Good luck everyone.
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