The idea was conceived by several Toodyay locals searching for ways to connect to each other in a positive way and boost community spirit at this time.

One local asked the Christmas shop to switch its lights back on.

She said that when she returns to Toodyay at night, the town is dark except for the Christmas shop lights which make her smile because she knows she is home.

The idea was well received, with many people thrilled to have an activity for their kids at home to get involved in.

A new Facebook page called Lights of Toodyay has been set up for people to post photos of their creative home decorations.

This will enable a ‘virtual tour’ of the spectacle from the comfort of our armchairs as we all self-isolate.

The message behind Lights of Toodyay is to show that we are thinking of each other, our community spirit is strong, we will all get through this together and to remind people that you are not alone.

Please join us by putting some tinsel on your gate and make someone smile.

Within a minute a guy stopped and asked if I was in trouble.

After a short discussion, he agreed to run me home so I could contact someone.

I think his name was Brett but it could have been Brad.

He then offered to go back into town to see if he could find someone who could get my gopher or repair the puncture.

I said he had done enough, thanks.

So he left to go home, or so I thought, and I started to phone contacts who might help me.

After several ‘no’ results, someone asked whether I had tried Toodyay Tyre Service.

I rang and Chris said he could attend to the problem as soon as possible, so I went outside to wait for him.

After waiting 15 to 30 minutes, I was surprised to see Brett/Brad return, followed closely by a white utility towing a trailer with my gopher on board – he had returned to town to find someone to collect it.

Neither knew each other but Samaritan No. 2 readily agreed, saying he had helped gopher users before and had ramps.

The two of them off-loaded my gopher.

I had not met either of them before, and I still do not know the second chap’s name.

Having done their bit, they then left.

Shortly after, Chris from Toodyay Tyre Service arrived, quickly made the necessary repairs and had me mobile again.

When I asked how much I owed, Chris said “It’s on the house”.

It is nice to know there are still good people around who will do more than what is expected.

A very big thank you guys – I wish I knew your names.

Why Man needs to consume rare and endangered animals in the 21st century is beyond my comprehension.

It has been going on for far too long.

We have all seen bears in cages with tubes sticking out of them to extract their bile – health-giving if digested, apparently.

We have all heard of a dining table with a hole cut in it so that greedy rich men can slice open the skull of a monkey strapped underneath and feast on its brain while the animal is still alive.

And what about endangered tigers consumed for their virility-producing properties?

Then there is the magnificent rhinoceros, killed for its horn which is powdered and sold to fat rich men to get an erection – have they not heard of Viagra?

That’s enough – I could list more – but it only makes me angry.

But wait, there is just one more endangered animal that deserves a mention – the pangolin.

Evidence points to a pangolin as the original carrier of the Covid-19 virus.

They eat bat droppings, and why Man would need to eat this endangered animal is once again beyond my comprehension.

Mother Nature provides all the animals we need to eat – cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and more.

The sooner we stop the sale of endangered animals for human consumption, the better.

Mother Nature is not happy, and what with climate change and rampant human consumption, I don’t blame her.

It’s now payback time, and payback is a bitch

The whole world is on its knees because we disrespected the Mother who has provided us with the most.

If those employees don’t wish to live within the shire, we – the ratepayers – should not have to pay for their fuel and other costs because no kilometres or litres are recorded at each refuel.

You may also like to know that we ratepayers also pay to clean their shire-funded vehicles, which in one recent case cost $65.

I am informed that some of these vehicles also refuel at the shire works depot and again, no cost or litres are recorded.

When our council appoints a new CEO this month, the contract should not include a car and fuel.

In such a small shire, we are not seeking brain surgeons, or IT experts but someone within the region who – like most people – uses their own vehicle and pays for their own fuel to get to and from work.

Employing local shire staff means more of their pay is spent in the shire to help keep shops and business viable in tough times.

The Toodyay Progress Association asked last month’s council meeting why the shire needed to buy two new ranger vehicles.

Shire vehicles parked outside the office could be shared to help avoid further rate increases.

As most locals are aware, Pelham Reserve has 50ha of bushland, contains WWII features and the dam and spillway from the town’s original water supply.

It has four walking tracks, so it is a seriously awesome location to add more exciting elements to.

It’s early days but this concept will include a large Noongar Country (Boodja) interpretation board overlooking the town and valley, explaining in Noongar language what you are looking at, along with Wagyl (rainbow serpent) dreamtime artworks on the water tank pipe.

Other components of the project being led by the other groups involved is to use this opportunity to update and renew signage at the site including the geographical history (how the valley was formed), European settlement and key dates, flora and fauna of the region which will include those found within each of the Noongar six seasons (Bonar).

The next step will be to get the concept design and planning requirement finalised but keep your eye out for exciting activities not too far down the track.

Love this place and community people who are keen to acknowledge the past (both Aboriginal and European) through a respectful and collaborative project.

I do not represent the majority, hence my dialogues with telcos.

The number of occurrences where Toodyay residents have been called to say that they ‘must’ upgrade their phone service or their landline will be cut off appals me.

The fact is that where customers are in the NBN fixed wireless service area, copper lines will remain.

The office of the Telecommunication Ombudsman is aware of this issue and is working to get Telstra to stop this happening.

Loss of service due to planned maintenance should be compensated – especially when it goes on for days at a time.

I believe that customers should be notified in advance and bills adjusted accordingly.

Unplanned outages I can forgive them for.

So that I am not seen as being prejudiced against Telstra, a long conversation with iinet about its failure to notify customers of planned maintenance has gone up the food chain – watch this space.

The scammers calling in the name of Telstra is another ball game altogether.

The powers that be can only act against these guys when a fraud has been committed as in taking money out of your bank account without your consent.

The banks treat transactions as consensual when you are guided into online banking and process a payment as instructed.

So, don’t do it.

Your money is deposited into Australian accounts but transferred almost instantly abroad where it cannot be retrieved.

If we all just accept what is dished up then pretty soon there will be no service dished up and there will be no one to complain to.

This length of time is certainly more for the convenience of the traffic controllers and not for the travelling public.

A detour lane of a widened shoulder on the south bound side of the road works would enable traffic to pass effectively in both directions while this work is in progress and no one need be waiting for so long.

While on the topic of shire roadworks, having recently driven the length of Lover’s Lane on the new sealed surface, I am bemused as to what would give that piece of road a priority over any number of unsealed roads within the shire that actually have more residences, school buses and Silver Chain users.