Good morning to you all,

Our great year is fast drawing to a close. It must be, there are Christmas festivities on everywhere. So let’s start with them, and we’re off to White Cliffs next Saturday 3^rd. for their Christmas Street Fair, big night always in White Cliffs.  Also on the 3^rd. is the Broken Hill Christmas Pageant, now that is worth seeing. You obviously can’t do them both!

Back to our own little town, and the Wilcannia Concert at Burke oval is on the 9^th.   If you duck down to Menindee next morning, Saturday, you’ll catch Carols by Candlelight there on Sat. 10^th. By the way, the Wilcannia-Menindee west side road is the best I’ve seen it. If you’d like to do a circuit, then head on across to Ivanhoe for their Christmas Fair, everything at it on Wednesday 14^th.

Back tracking a little, you can call at the Emmdale Roadhouse for their Christmas Party on the 10^th. You’ll hear some rippers of stories there if you can handle the pace! Can’t make it? Then the Nyngan Christmas Carnival is on the same night. Nyngan down to Wagga, and their Christmas Spectacular, something for everyone, is on the 11^th.

Bourke comes in next with their Christmas Night Markets at the Wharf, on the 14^th. Then you better hang around that area and  enjoy the Tilpa Christmas Tree on the 17^th. If you can make yourself look under 12 you’re allowed to dress up!

Now a couple of other items, there’s  meetings of the Murray Darling Basin Authority, they are in Bourke on the 2^nd. and Wilcannia on the 5^th. for those interested.

I told you we are proud to have a caravan dump site here in Wilcannia now. Well if you need potable water to top up your trailer/van we have that too! Call and see John, Pat or Michael at BP here in town and they will get you organised. All we need is our “RV Friendly” sign and hopefully you’ll see that next year.

Speaking of next year, I think I will leave you all to it now. I would like to wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas and New Year. Thank you all so much for reading and contributing to my little ‘ditties’, I have thoroughly enjoyed doing this, and I must say special thanks to our secretary Fiona, for putting them on whatever she puts them on!! Each week. I have had feed back from south east SA, Adelaide, Newcastle, etc.

I feel we are going to be on “Grumps and Grandma duties” in January, so unless there is something I can distribute for you, I’ll catch you all at the end of January.

With best wishes to you all, take care,   Bill Elliott.  WCTA.

“ The best Christmas present of all is a hug, and one size fits all.”  “Husbands are the best people to share secrets with, they’ll never tell anyone because they’re never listening!”.