MY SINCEREST thanks to The Herald for the lovely obituary and to all of Stirling Hamilton’s friends and family who created and attended his heart-warming memorial service in Toodyay last month.

It was a night filled with love, laughter and music – memories to be cherished forever.

I’m sure Stirling would like the following quote:

No man is an Island, entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main …
Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind;
And therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
– John Donne, English clergyman and poet (1572-1631) Meditation XV.

Susan Burley
Coondle

MY UNDERSTANDING of recent Toodyay Shire Council announcements was that rate increases were to be of the order of five per cent.

I obviously wrongly assumed that all rates payable would simply be increased by five per cent on what we each paid last year.

Due to apparent manipulations which I cannot follow even with degrees in two mathematical subjects, my rates increased by seven per cent.

Richard Wilkinson
Coondle

AS A Toodyay resident I was delighted to listen to the All Sorts group recently at the Toodyay Club.

They are an enthusiastic group of local musicians who gave us a very entertaining performance as part of a musical evening.

There is a lot of talent in town and it is great that the Toodyay Club is supporting them by providing a venue where they can develop their skills.

Anne Barr
Majestic Heights

LAST month’s Toodyay Agricultural Show included a shearing demonstration from which Toodyay Spinners members raised funds by turning raw wool into yarn.

They took wool from the first fleece shorn on the day and spun it in Parker’s Cottage.

Knitters turned the freshly spun yarn into a raw wool beanie for auction later in the day as a fundraiser for the Toodyay Spinners and Toodyay Agricultural Society.

The attractive beanie drew some enthusiastic bidding at the auction and sold to a representative of Northam’s soon-to-be-opened Spudshed for the sum of $500.

The money was split between the agricultural society and the spinners, with both groups most appreciative of the support from Spudshed.

Wayne Fletcher
Toodyay

LAST month awareness was raised about breast cancer, a disease that is prevalent not only in women but also men.

Our local Toodyay Op Shop window display recognised the importance of the issue and the ladies who dressed the window showed great empathy towards those who have been affected.

Locals and visitors who viewed the window in the Op Shop were overjoyed that Toodyay was recognising breast cancer awareness and that its residents wanted to share the sentiment.

Congratulations to those ladies for having Breast Cancer WA acknowledge your efforts.

Di Roberts
Toodyay

IT WAS great to see Dave ‘The Duck’ King’s story in last month’s Herald.

Dave was living at our business premises at Extracts when he came up with the idea to call his handyman business The Duck Corporation.

Charlie Ferguson
Toodyay