Merimbula Aglow reconvenes for their first meeting of the year on Thursday, February 2, at 10am at the Merimbula RSL Club.

Join us for morning tea and a time of connection, fellowship, encouragement and teaching, as we view a DVD of Matthew Bolte, an inspirational speaker at the 2016 Aglow National Conference in Adelaide.

Matthew is a regional leader with The Australian Prayer Network and he is passionate about training, equipping and encouraging people of prayer.  

Aglow International is an intercultural, transdenominational organisation of Christian women and men in over 170 nations.  We gather to support one another in our daily lives and in our faith, and to reach out into our community with the love of God.

The next meeting is on Thursday, February 2. Entry is $7 and includes morning tea. Childminding is available courtesy of the RSL. For more details contact  Shanne Fanning on 6495 2220.

The Bega Valley Parkinson Support Group will have their first meeting for 2017 at the Bega Golf Club on February 6 commencing at 10.30am. People living with Parkinson and their carers are invited to attend this meeting or other meetings on the first Monday of each month.

Now in it's 9th year the group continues to provide support and information with regular guest speakers.

Three well known and highly respected local artists are showing their latest works in an exciting new exhibition at Artessence Gallery in Pambula from February 6 to February 27.

The exhibition features new works by Robyn Convoy, Terry Keyt and Stan Squire. Their art showcases their relationship with the local area.

It covers a range of media including surfboard painting, mandalas, lino-cuts, acrylic on canvas and colour pencil drawings. A range of prints will also be on display. All work will be for sale.

Robyn, Terry and Stan have all lived in the local area for many years and their love of the Sapphire Coast is reflected in their work.

The hot tip is that there will be lots of avocados and beetroot at the Nethercote Produce Market on Saturday, January 28.

This fantastic seasonal market, which always sells great fresh locally grown produce, runs from 8am to 12noon at the Nethercote community hall on Nethercote Road.

Most of the produce is picked just the day before and often sells out, so be early.

Artisanal bread, cheese cut from the wheel, jams, chutneys, sauces and other goodies are also on sale and the market’s coffee and cakes are legendary.

Bacon and egg rolls are also available.  

Music will be provided by Layal and Paul Dion and the town crier will make sure no-one misses the cooking demonstration and the raffle draw.

The cooking demonstration, at 10.30am, will be by Lynn Ashton and Christine Welsh from REAP, a local organisation that rescues surplus food from supermarkets, that would otherwise be tossed out, and distributes it to charities and community lunches.  

Lynn and Christine will teach us to reduce our own food waste by "repurposing" food, otherwise known as using up leftovers and ugly fruit and veggies. 

Tasting plates will be for sale afterwards.

The raffle prize is a cornucopia of edible delights, with every stall holder donating an item. 

The funds raised by Nethercote market always go to a local food growing program.  This time the money will go towards the second Far South Coast Student Gardeners Convergence to be held at Bemboka public school in April.  

Landcare, Mumbulla Foundation & Bemboka PS are all co-sponsoring. Ten primary schools will send representatives to learn bout food gardening and the environment. 

Come to the market, buy the freshest of fresh produce and help support a good cause. 

The entire Sapphire Coast community is invited to support Dane Waites’ dream to run from Perth to Pambula by celebrating Australia Day at Oaklands.

There is something for everyone! Gates open at 9am with delicious food and drinks, markets from 10am-3pm with unique, handmade products from local artisans, henna body art, face painting, pony rides, live music, boutique beer, fresh oysters and much more. 

Longstocking Brewery, the Oaklands Cafe and the Oaklands barn will all be open for the public to enjoy.

Garry Carson Jones will provide musical entertainment from 1pm to 4pm as he performs iconic Australian songs. 

Dane Waites will also be there to talk to and thank all his supporters. 

“I will be there from 12 noon, selling raffle tickets with terrific prizes and bumper stickers, the funds will go towards my dream, the stall holders have also each offered a donation towards Perth to Pambula,” Dane said. 

“I do hope I see you on Australia Day.”

Rotary Local Heros is back on air this Friday on Sapphire FM 97.5. Gavin and Col start off at 8.30 with their take on what is happening in our community. At 9 our Shire General Manager, Leanne Barnes, joins Colin to have a discussion about what is going on on the Coast. And then at 10 one of our local legends, Allan Elton, drops in to talk about how things used to be in our Shire. Wayne Tuckfield owns Wandarra Lodge in Merimbula and is a Pambula Rotarian. Tune in at 11 to hear Colin and Wayne going head to head on things that matter to Rotary and tourism in the Shire.

A new South Coast history magazine has just hit the streets. And it’s free.

The inaugural issue, released this week by the South Coast History Society, includes articles on the gold rushes and the bushrangers of Nerrigundah, the sinking of the ‘Cumberland’ by a German raider off the coast of Eden during World War I, the contribution that the Bega Band has made to local communities over the past 145 years, and a simple explanation of how today’s South Coast landscapes evolved and how they have impacted the area’s history.

“The magazine, titled ‘Recollections’, had two major aims,” Peter Lacey, local historian and one of the team that helped produce the magazine, said.

“It is a simple way that we can share some of the many incredibly interesting stories from our past with more people from this area. And it also provides newcomers to the area with something of a feeling for the history of the area.”

This first issue includes a timeline from pre-European discovery and settlement to more recent times. It also includes reviews of ‘must read’ books, a fun Australian history trivia quiz and details about a number of up-coming history-related activities in and around the south coast.

‘Recollections’ is available free on request in PDF format at southcoasthistory@yahoo.com and in magazine form from all libraries in the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla Shires.

“As this is a community magazine, we are also encouraging readers to suggest topics that could be featured in future issues and are inviting local historians to submit articles for publication,” Mr Lacey said.

The production of ‘Recollections’ is one of a number of innovations by the South Coast History Society. In conjunction with the Bega campus of the University of Wollongong, the Society has organized a Masterclass for Year 12 History Extension students to help them with a major history research project that they are required to complete as part of their course.  

This will be run by Dr Glenn Mitchell of the University of Wollongong in Bega on Friday, February 24, and is a free activity. Then on Saturday, February 25, an all-day ‘South Coast History Day’ will be held at the University of Wollongong in Bega.

Seven well-known historians from the local area and from elsewhere will be discussing some of the major factors that have influenced the history of the South Coast.

The $15 cost includes lunch, morning and afternoon tea. Prior bookings for both these events are essential and can be organised by phoning 0448 160 852.

For more information about the South Coast History Society simply email southcoasthistory@yahoo.com.