As we noted  in a Whroomer article  last year, RCH has a  talented array
of men whose skills allow them to perform a wide variety of tasks in and
around the House. Here is an update:

Brian Wright  is  the Rushworth Community House’s book-keeper  and  cash-fow manager.  Brian  is  heavily involved in several community activities,  including  both the  Waranga  News  and CFA  involvement  at  both Colbinabbin and Rushworth.

Cass Alexander heads up  the Rushworth Community House’s  Rural  Transaction Centre.  A photographer  and writer, he prepares client CVs, passport  photographs  and poster/brochure designs.  He also  conducts  astronomical sessions at his observatory.

Harry Ashton  runs  the  RCH “Shed  Program”  that  teaches mechanical  skills  to  people from  all walks  of  life.  Harry is  also  a  Community  House volunteer  patient  transport driver,  and  is also  active with the Rushworth Senior Citizens.

Terry Bower wears many hats at  the  Rushworth Community  House.  He teaches  computer  courses,  and has recently become our Finance Offcer. A  self-proclaimed flm geek, Terry also runs the Whroo
Film  Society  and  its  monthly chew and view meetings.

Ken  (Poppy)  Doyle  is  the Rushworth Community House’s “Man for All Reasons”. Our  maintenance  man,  Ken teaches  leadlighting,  and  is  a Community  House  volunteer patient  transport  driver.  His other haunts are the P12 College and Buckingham. Palace!.

David  VanderDonk  is  a  willing  Rushworth Community Garden Volunteer whose efforts have contributed greatly to the excellence of the garden precinct.

Kevin Plew is a dog lover whose collection of magnifcent  foral  photos  adorn  the  reception area of the House.

Bernie  (webDotWiz) Halpin is  a  tireless  worker  at  the Community House. He teaches courses on computers and  the Internet. After several decades working with computers, he is the ideal System Administrator for our extensive PC network.

The  multi-talented  Gillian  Schoenborn  has embarked on a new venture to mark RCH’s twentieth anniversary - a written history of the Rushworth Community House.

The  longest  serving  former Coordinator, Gillian  is an ideal person to wade through the mountain of facts, figures, anecdotes and - dare we say it - rumours that have sprung from the House over the past two decades.

Gillian would  like  to hear from past and present RCH staff, volunteers, committee members or visitors who think they have a worthwhile tale to tell.

You can contact her by phone, or send an email or letter to the Community House and we’ll pass it on to Gillian.

Following an extremely successful 2008, Rushworth Community House’s Whroo Film Society
has scheduled a highly entertaining season of classic flms for its monthly flm club “dinner
and show” at the Rushworth Community House.

Film  Society  organiser  (and  silver-screen guru) Terry Bower has assembled a  mixture  of comedies,  dramas  and  light entertainment  that  is guaranteed  to appeal to a wide range of viewers.

Film  Society  nights  are  held  on  the fourth  Thursday  of  each  month,  and yearly subscriptions cost just $45, paid in three $15 instalments.

If  you  prefer,  the  annual  subscription can be paid fully in advance, and will save you $10 off the normal yearly rate.

One  of  the  great  drawcards  of  the Whroo Film Society is that - in addition to watching  a  classic movie with  delightful company  -  patrons  can  purchase  an excellent three-course meal for just $7.50 per person.

The season starts on 26 February with the 1983 British flm Local Hero.

Other titles to be shown through 2009 include:

• [1940]  •  The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin) USA
  [1950]  •  Born Yesterday (William Holden and Judy Holliday) USA
  [1953]  •  From Here to Eternity (Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr) USA
  [1959]  •  The Mouse that Roared (Peter Sellers) GB
  [1961]  •  The Misfts (Clarke Gable, Marilyn Munroe - their last flms) USA
  [1967]  •  Cool Hand Luke (Paul Newman and George Kennedy) USA
  [1978]  •  Caddie (Helen Morse and Jack Thompson) AUST
  [1988]  •  Wings of Desire (German flm with Bruno Ganz and Peter Falk)
  [1991]  •  Raise the Red Lantern (Chine flm starring Gong Li)

The  Community  House  equipment used  to  show  the  movies  has  recently been  upgraded  with a  dedicated  DVD player and 5.1 digital audio Home Theatre System.

The Whroo Film Society welcomes new members  and  visitors.  Please  contact Terry Bower at the House for information about  this  popular  service  offered  by Rushworth Community House.

After many years service as president of Rushworth Community House, Sandy Ashton has announced that she will be stepping down from the position at the Annual General Meeting in March.

A founding member of the Community House  in  1988,  Sandy  has  held  the presidency several times over the ensuing two decades.

“It’s  time  for  some  new  faces  in  the Committee  of  Management,  and  that includes  the presidency”,  Sandy  said recently.

“This  is  a  great  opportunity  to introduce  new  people  with  new  ideas and  new  ways  of  doing things  while we  veterans  are  around  to  help  out  if guidance is needed.”

“It would  be wonderful  if  people  from other  community  organisations  join  our Board  and  inject their  expertise.  Who knows, a new President may even come from among them”, Sandy noted.

Creator  and  Coordinator  of  the Community  Garden  since  its  inception in 2001, Sandy will continue her green-thumb  activities,  and  will  also  exercise her passion for preparing delicious wood-fired pizzas in the Community Garden on the frst Wednesday of each month.

In 2009 Rushworth Community House will celebrate it’s twentieth year - twenty years of hard work and commitment by the many staff and volunteers whose efforts have made the Community House what it is today.

Indeed, there is much to be proud of – the House itself and all the facilities that offers are indeed great achievements. So  too  are  the  delightful  community garden and the popular shed program.

In  the  coming  months,  we  will  be holding special celebrations  to mark our twentieth  anniversary,  and  our  Annual General Meeting  in March  promises  to be an enjoyable occasion.

2008  provided many  challenges,  and no doubt 2009 will be no different.

Transport service in jeopardy

The  looming  threat  to  our  volunteer driver  program  is  of  particular  concern, and  measures  to address  the  issue  are already underway.

The successful program provides an important service transporting eligible Waranga  residents  to and  from healthcare  appointments  in  Shepparton, Bendigo and other Regional Centres.

Our  primary  aim  this  year will  be  to secure on-going funding to safeguard the future of this vital service.

Last  year,  we  had  to  give  up  our contract to provide meals to the Seniors, so perhaps we can fnd another way to serve the community  in a fruitful way.   If you have any thoughts or ideas, please let us know; better still, sign up for Community House membership (just $5.00 annually) and help us to make a real contribution to Rushworth and District.

Centrelink service

During  2009,  there  was  a  marked increase in the number of people accessing the  Centrelink services  provided  at  the House.  Centrelink  clients  are  grateful that  they  can  use  a  secure  fax  facility with  faxback  confrmation  for  many kinds of form lodgement, and can obtain certifed copies of original documents for Centrelink use.

Courses

The number of people seeking to learn or enhance their computer skills has also undergone  a signifcant  rise,  with  both  daytime  and  evening  classes  almost full  throughout  the year. Indications  are that  this year’s computer classes will be similarly  popular,  so  if  you’re  thinking about  undertaking  some  PC  power-learning at the House, get in early!

Kyabram  Community  and  Learning Centre  delivered a Certifcate IV in Aged Care  course  at Rushworth  Community House  during  2008.  The  students  who completed  the  course  gained  both academically and socially from their study experience, and many were motivated to attempt  new life challenges as a result.

A House full of people

Of  course,  the  Community  House would  not  function  at  all  without  the efforts  of  many amazing  people  who devote  their  time  and  talents  to  helping the place  run  effciently  and happily;  to each of them, we all owe a great vote of thanks.

Our  IT  gurus,  front  desk  femmes fatale, RTC services manager (whom we must  also  congratulate for  winning  the 2008  Brown  Nose  Award  –  well  done

Cass, and extremely well deserved), our bookkeeper, maintenance man, gardeners, volunteer  drivers,our  Committee  of Management and our amazing president, Sandy, whose dedication, vision and hard work are nothing short of inspirational.

This year we are issuing a community-wide invitation for new people to join our committee of management, an important and  enjoyable  role  requiring  about  two hours per month. If you have some skills to  share, or know of  someone who may be able to contribute, please let us know.

At your Community House, change is a constant, as we welcome new volunteers and staff and farewell others. However,  the  one  thing  that  really characterizes  Rushworth  Community House is the way the staff and volunteers work together, maintaining a harmonious environment  that  is  enjoyable  for all  its participants.

We always welcome new volunteers. With  so  many  different  activities going  on  at  the House,  there is  literally something for everyone. And  if  you  would  like  to  share  a personal  skill  or  knowledge,  come  and talk  to  use  about  running  a  class  or conducting a workshop  to enable others to share your passion.

The Community House  is  also    keen to  work  with  any  community  groups that  may  beneft  from  our  knowledge and  expertise. We  offer  such  groups  a wide  range  of  assistance,  including  use of  our  facilities,  together with  technical and  support  services  that  may  prove benefcial.

Wishing you all a very happy new year full of good health and rewarding times.

Debbie Bish

In the life of an organisation as diverse as Rushworth Community House, the golden rule is simple - expect the unexpected! Over the past year, RCH has seen many changes, including a few that could only be described as ... well ... odd! Here a few pictorial reminders of an interesting year in the life of the House.

The Ladies of the Rushworth CWA invited the Community House to produce its 80th birthday commemorative calendar, and we were only too happy to oblige. When the photo at left appeared on the front page of the Waranga News, some people around town said that dear old Rushworth would never quite be the same again!  

In the photo album above:

• RCH mounted its first Hall of Fame photos during 2008 (right).
• Clem Furphy introduced a new standard of dress code for opening events at the House Gallery.
• Photographer Kevin Plew showed us how good Rushworth’s gardens really are (left)
• Esteemed Art Group Tutor Irene Ritli retired after many years of dedicated service to the Community House (far left).

Australia Day Competition

School students are invited to enter Rushworth’s Australia Day Competition by completing either of the following challenges:

Write in no more than 50 words what is so good about Australia

or

Design an Australia Day Poster (either hand-drawn or using a PC and printer)

Entries must be sent to Rushworth Community House by 30 December, and must include your name, contact number and school.

Entries can also be faxed to 5856 1077, lodged by emailed to admin@rushcomhouse.org, delivered in person during holiday opening hours or posted to the House at 67 High Street, Rushworth, Victoria, 3612.

All entries will be returned to the students’ schools, and awards will be given in Junior, Intermediate and Senior categories. Be in it to win it!

Welcome aboard the Rushy Whroomer
For the past few years, Rushworth Community House has compiled and published the Rushy
Whroomer as an internal newsletter that was posted to RCH members, regional Neighbourhood
and Community Houses, and local schools and Community organisations.

Originally  conceived  by  former  Community  House Coordinator  Gillian  Schoenborn,  the  publication  was designed  to  let all of our staff and volunteers know who was who and what was what at the House.

It  was  also  designed  to  appraise  Community  House members  about  our  activities,  and  to report  on  major events throughout the year.

Previous editions of the Whroomer were printed at the Community House. However, the publication only reached a  relatively  small  audience,  and  many  of  the  district’s residents knew little about the House or its activities.

With so much now happening at Rushworth Community House, it was proposed that the frst Whroomer edition for 2009 should be printed as a supplement  to  the Waranga News,  and  thus distributed  to  a much wider  readership throughout Rushworth and surrounding areas.

The idea was approved, so here we are!

We  welcome  your  comments  and  suggestions  about the Rushy Whroomer, and will publish  the newsletter quarterly as a supplement  to  the Waranga News  if  the response  is favourable.

Meanwhile,  one  of  the Community  House  volunteers who assisted greatly with previous editions of the Rushy Whroomer recently left Rushworth to live in Far North Queensland.

“The  fact  that  a  cyclone struck Cairns  just  as Barry  and I  arrived  is  pure  coincidence”, Diane Bundy told us recently. We extend our thanks to Diane for a job well done, and wish her and Barry all the best.