No doubt many residents of Finley and surrounding areas will be saddened by the departure of Peter and Janene Scott, who will be relocating shortly to Woongarrah to be nearer their family.
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Peter, well known for his local electrical business, and Janene moved from Beechworth to Finley in 1981 as part of his employment as an electrician with Murray River County Council. He was eventually to leave MRCC and open his own business after buying out Bob Ross.
Their four children - Adrienne, Natalie, Rebecca and Brittany - all attended school in Finley and are happy to have their father retiring and moving closer to them.
Peter, always supported by Janene quietly in the background, has been involved in many community organisations and will be greatly missed. Football, swimming, Lions and numerous other groups have benefited by his involvement.
He is well known for his achievements with the Finley Football Club, which was recognised with a farewell get-together recently. He received five Best and Fairest awards with the reserves and played well over 300 games with the club, as well as having the pleasure of playing in the grand final in his first year.
Peter and Janene were very pleased to have the help of their daughters recently doing some sorting out and deciding what to pack up and what to leave while preparing for the move.
However, there is much the couple are looking forward to now they have the time. As they are avid fans of the Sydney Swans, they plan on attending a few live games for a start.
“No doubt, my sons-in-law will have me playing golf and going fishing before too long,” Peter said.
“I would like to thank our many friends and customers for their support over the years,” he continued. “We consider ourselves very lucky to have spent the past 44 years in such a great community.”
Note: I am sure everyone will join with me in wishing Peter, Janene and their family all the best for this next phase of their lives.
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The Finley Art Network members were delighted with the response to the invitation to Finley and surrounding communities to attend the opening of Glenda McCullough’s paintings displayed at the gallery last Saturday.
Viewing will be available until the end of August on Tuesdays from 1pm and Saturdays from 10am. Tea and coffee are available at a cost of $2.
Glenda was happy to explain to the visitors that she has been interested in all forms of art since she was a young child at school. However, it wasn’t until her children had grown up that she was able to spend some serious time on her work.
She joined the Tocumwal Art Group in 2018, then Finley Art Network in 2019 and has produced many outstanding works of art using techniques such as colour, black and white, pastels, water colour, acrylics, pen and ink and charcoal to name a few. However, it is her work in pointillism which caught the attention of several viewers.
Pointillism is a painting technique developed by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac in the late 19th century, where small, distinct dots of colour are applied in patterns to form an image. When viewed from a distance, the dots blend in the viewer's eye, creating a vibrant and luminous effect.
There are many talented artists belonging to the Finley Art Network, and it is certainly worth a visit to the facility which is located next to the Court House in Denison St.
President Gail Jolly is extremely proud of the works of the members. When visiting the facility on Saturday, many were amazed to find the large number and variety of handmade greeting cards available as well as other craft items, all at a reasonable cost.
A fundraising raffle was also held on Saturday, and the winner of the beautiful cheese knife and platter set donated by Daisy Mae’s was won by Chiquita McNicol.
New members are always welcome, so if you think you have some form of art ability, please feel free to go along and join this great group.
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Many of us have been affected by the suicide of a friend or loved one. What if we had the skills to start a conversation which might prevent a person from taking their own life?
Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network in collaboration with safeTALK will be holding a free workshop at Finley RSL Club on July 29, starting at 10am and finishing about 2pm. This suicide prevention training will help us to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and be better able to connect them with help and support.
Let’s change the narrative on suicide and kickstart the conversation with suicide prevention training.
Registration for this free training can be found at mphn.org.au. Alternatively, email finleylhac@gmail.com and LHAC will send you a link.
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Next week is National Pain Week.
Finley Local Health Advisory Committee recognises that many people, in all stages of life, suffer from chronic pain.
Over 3.6 million Australians live with ongoing pain. Chronic Pain Australia is a non-profit, non-government registered organisation aimed at reducing the social and economic barriers to those who live with chronic pain.
Forums, education, research and connection are all a part of their commitment.
Further information can be found at chronicpainaustralia.org.au. Alternatively, go to the Finley LHAC Facebook page or email us at finleylhac@gmail.com and LHAC will send you a link.
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Ken Griffith was the lucky winner of last Saturday’s Finley Lions Club wood raffle.
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Recently the Finley Pioneer Rail Museum Inc. members were pleased to receive a Transport Heritage Grant of $12,012 to assist with the upgrading of the memorabilia display.
The grant is a NSW Government program, administered by the Royal Australian Historical Society and Transport Heritage NSW.
Finley Railway Precinct is a purely Australian design, which marks the start of the period when railway design moved away from British practice and developed a separate Australian style of railway architecture.
The Finley Rail Station Precinct played a significant role in the development of our region, and the members are committed to preserving some of our history for the future.
Members have been sorting available material to display our history to best advantage in the display cabinets purchased with the grant funds.
The committee would appreciate any material that would apply to the history of rail in Finley – photos or printed articles from the past are invaluable.
Transport Heritage NSW has approved funding for the exterior and interior painting of the station buildings along with structural repairs adhering to heritage guidelines. Members were pleased to be able to secure the services of local tradespeople with the expertise to complete the tasks to heritage standards.
Further restoration of the site is contemplated following the guidelines of heritage architect Noel Thompson as funding becomes available.
Private inspections of the precinct can be organised by contacting the members listed on the premises' noticeboard.
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News has come through that the Finley Rotaract Reunion to be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025, which was to have been held at the Finley Lions Pavilion, has now been changed to the Finley RS Club. Starting time remains as 6.30pm.
The organisers would appreciate any photos from past Finley Rotaract events to feature on the Facebook page and display during the event.
A photo from the first meeting held on June 5, 1971, has been received featuring Mr R. (Bob) Shaw (Finley Rotary President), Ms Nerida Dawe (Rotaract President - now Mrs. Nedia Cardwell) and Geoff Stevens (District Governor).
Past members have fond memories of being involved with this group, which was sponsored by Finley Rotary Club.
Members, both male and female aged between 18 and 28 years, assisted in Rotary Club fundraising, handling show bags at the local show, interaction with clubs in surrounding towns and overseas exchange visits to Japan.
Further information can be obtained by contacting Greg McNamara on 0408 831 911, Peter Braybon on 0428 826 377 or Maria McCaw on 0429 835 438
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