To punish the many good owners, trainers and breeders for the actions of a few reeks of a Government no longer in touch with the community.  

Only three National MPs joined with Labor to vote against the ban.

It was not enough to stop the Barid and Grant Government from passing sentence on this way of life in the dead of night.

The greyhound ban was done with no consultation, with no compensation or assistance.

It was another act by an out-of-touch Government.

What will be next?

Luke Foley

Leader of the NSW Labor Party

On July 9, a tour bus honked it’s way to the steps of the Woodstock Soldier’s Memorial Hall and 39 young people ranging in age from 19 to 25 leapt out, ready and willing to give the Woodstock community their time and energy.

As Chris and Jen, their coordinator and Team President, told me, they were part of a “Pay It Forward” move from the Sydney University of Technology to the small rural communities.

All the village people had to do was find them jobs, give them a roof over their heads for the night and feed them two meals, which we very gladly did.

Comprising a couple of international students, but most from Sydney – these young men and women were very polite, very friendly, asked lots of questions and were excited about their visit to our village.

Their enthusiasm rubbed off on every person who came into contact with them and we all turned up at 7.30am on Sunday morning, ready for a busy and very enjoyable day.

Without a single protest, the students dug holes for tree planting, helped remove a broken down fence, cleaned tree suckers and tidied the Showground in preparation for the Woodstock Show on Father’s Day, painted the panelling in the Woodstock CWA rooms (including interior decorating tips) and completely finished painting the outside of the Woodstock Bowling Club!

In four hours!

After a quick kitchen tidy-up by the team, they packed their bags and headed off to a Llama farm near Bowning, then onto Gundaroo for more community Pay It Forward.

After Gundaroo, they were going to Bombala, Orbost, Stratford, then Melbourne.

In Melbourne they joined the other team for a Flash Mob activity, an Amazing Race event and then back through Eden to Sydney.

The whole weekend was a remarkable success and we have to let the students know about the timetable for Woodstock Show, as many of them are interested in coming back up for it.

We want them back because the village people were completely blessed by the overall quality, politeness and friendliness of these young people. 

In fact, Sharon Barney from the Bowling Club has already offered to provide beds for at least six of them for any visit they care to make!

As I was fortunate enough to be the local liaison over the 6 months of discussions with Chris, I have been asked by the Woodstock C.W.A branch, the Woodstock Bowling Club and Progress Association and the Woodstock Show Committee to extend their very grateful thanks to these young people.

I personally consider that getting to know them was well-worth the effort involved and if your community is offered their service at any time, the people of Woodstock can guarantee it will be an experience you will never forget.

Sue Maynes 

Woodstock CWA Secretary