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While it is a great recognition, there aren’t too many awards Mr Poole hasn’t won.

He has completed national tours as well as heading overseas to share Australian country music with an international audience.

Known as the “gentle giant” of Australian country music for his extensive charitable work, Mr Poole picked up his first guitar in 1955.

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Woods has the goods

Kyabram’s James Woods has set a new high in his athletics career after a record-breaking jump at Athletics Bendigo’s track and field meet recently.

Woods, 13, cleared 1.66m at high jump to become the record holder for the under-14 age group.

The teenager surpassed the mark of 1.65m set by Eaglehawk’s Jack Palfreyman in October 2005 at the Latrobe University Bendigo athletics complex in Flora Hill.

Woods was a boundary umpire in this year’s Kerang District Football League seniors grand final.

1996

Trevor in state croquet side

Young Kyabram croquet player Trevor Bassett’s career took a big leap with selection in the Victorian team this week.

Bassett, 16, was chosen in a Victorian team of four men and eight women. Two of the other men are from Melbourne and one from Geelong.

The Victorian team will take its mallets to Sydney for the Australian Championships in mid-March.

It was the Kyabram Secondary College student’s first selection in a state team, although he represented Victoria in a Canberra tournament in January.

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Jack’s familiar with new business

Local man Jack Spiewak last week began running Prior’s Fruit and Vegetable shop after supplying the previous owner, Herb Prior, with fruit for 10 years.

Jack and his wife, Paula, plan to supply the shop and the public with fruit grown on their own orchard and intend to keep the same quality for which the shop is renowned.

Prior’s Fruit and Veg has been a mainstay in Allan St and very few changes will be made to the shop; however, Jack hopes to bring in some new lines.

Jack has been a chairman of the Kyabram Fruitgrowers’ Association and believes that by growing and selling his own fruit customers will only receive top-quality produce and service at a competitive price.

1976

Thirds hand over $2020

Captain of the Kyabram Football Club thirds Greg Bowers is pictured above handing over a cheque for $2020 to Kyabram Fire Brigade secretary Mr Bert Wileman as a result of the thirds’ Melbourne-Shepparton run in September.

The amount of $2020 will be invested until Good Friday and will then be included in Kyabram’s total for the 1977 Good Friday Appeal and Bert Wileman hopes that this gesture will spur the people of Kyabram on for next year’s appeal.

The money was raised when the boys ran from the Royal Children’s Hospital to Deakin Reserve Shepparton at the conclusion of the football season.

Coach Aub Reddrop not only gave the boys great support with his running but also collected $200 in sponsorship.

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Bats donated to schools

Kyabram’s three primary schools ― St Augustine’s, Dawes Road and Haslem St ― have each received a $42 cricket bat as a result of generous donation by one of the town’s former star players.

Clive Fairbairn, who played with Kyabram prior to World War II and who went on to play with the Victorian team, donated eight bats valued at $336 to the Kyabram Club.

The Kyabram club retained two bats each for both its A and B grade teams and one bat for the junior side.

Last week the president of the Kyabram Club, Ern Purdey, presented one of the bats to the principal of the Kyabram Dawes Road School, Barry Winzar, for use at his school.