Attendance numbers were slightly down on previous matches, so honorary Bitchies had to be nominated ahead of the game. At the toss, team captains for 2011, Patrick Houston (Bitchies) and Laird Stewart (Dirties), brushed up on the rules with game coordinator, George Barnett.

The pitch was in good condition after days of preparation by George Barnett who had spent hours mowing, grooming and rolling in the lead up to the big game. With the cool and damp weather throughout December the pitch was officially declared “dead” and the bounce effect, or lack of bounce, took a number of “batsmen” by surprise.

The Bitchies won the toss and elected to bat first with Charlie Chamouille as a stylish opener – Charlie being a honourary Bitchie. Wickets fell steadily throughout the 20 overs, with a magnificent catch taken by Tim Burley at the eighth wicket.

The Dirties made a great start to their innings with the first wicket falling at the 25 run mark. Bowled by Max Bove on the first ball of his over, this was immediately followed by another wicket with Max’s next ball. He completed his hat trick by taking a third wicket at the 32 run mark. In all Max took 3/7. For someone who is only 6 1/2 years old this was a tremendous result. Max’s proud mother told the Chronicle that he hadn’t really played cricket before so he was very excited to have been able to achieve such so much in one game. During proceedings at the end of the game, George Barnett declared Max as Man of the Match.

Another up and coming star was 5 year old Connor Hicks (as Charlie’s cousin he was also a honorary Bitchie). This was Connor’s first cricket match and when he arrived at the crease his Aunty Julie gave him a few instructions on how to hold the bat. Once he got the bat the right way around there was no stopping him. His keen eye saw him scoring runs almost immediately. In the next innings Connor took to bowling as quickly as he’d taken to batting. His only disappointment came when his mother had to explain to him why he couldn’t bat again. We wouldn’t be surprised if Connor gets a cricket bat for his next birthday.

The Canyonleigh cricket match follows a version of backyard cricket and the rules state that everyone gets to bat and to bowl. If you hit a 6, you’re out (you do get the runs for your team) and if you’re out on your first ball then you are allowed to play on. With 8 balls in an over, the limited over game saw a number of bowlers get multiple sessions.

Drinks can be taken on the field at any time a fielder manages to get the attention of spectator willing to run over with a beer. With the cooler weather there seemed to be a steady stream of take away coffee’s on the pitch along with beers. There is no limit to the number of dogs on the pitch at any one time and this year if you had a Border Collie in attendance you part of the fashionable crowd.

At the end of the game the scores had the Dirties win with 13/103 over the Bitchies 13/79.  Another win for the Dirties, following on from their success last New Year.
Since the revival of the Canyonleigh cricket match in 2008 there have been 3 matches with the Bitchies winning the inaugural Shirley Barnett Memorial Cricket Cup and the Dirties winning the next two matches. The cup is proudly on display again at the Canyonleigh Store.

Special thanks go to:
Ian & Jan Dalzell from Canyonleigh Store for the use of their grounds and the wonderful service they provided to patrons by ferrying food and drink orders,
Julie Chamouille for umpiring and also coaching the littlies,
Carolyn Chaplin for scoring, Team captains Patrick and Laird and to George Barnett for his passionate love of the Canyonleigh cricket match and taking the time and care to organise and run the match.

See you all at the game next year.

The Bannaby power station is proposed on a site about 1km west of the Wollondilly River, and west of the Bangadilly Rd – Old Coowong Rd area in Canyonleigh. The site is about 1.5 km north of the Tarlo River, and is east of the adjacent Transgrids’ Bannaby electrical substation. It’s about 4 km north of the site of the Kerrawary Power Station proposed by Origin Energy.  The 16 hectare (40 acre) Bannaby site is about 25 kilometres due west of Berrima.

The main elements of the Bannaby proposal are the gas turbine power station, a gas pipeline to connect the site to the Moomba to Sydney Gas pipeline, electricity transmission lines and associated equipment, water supply, storage and treatment works, and a site access road.  The project is proposing to use rainwater falling on site as the main source of water.

The route of the gas supply pipeline is yet to be determined but the gas pipeline investigation area includes parts of Canyonleigh west of Tugalong Rd, as well as Paddy’s River, Brayton, Big Hill, and Bannaby. The length of the pipeline would be between 23 -39 kilometres.

SnowyHydro  expect the proposed Bannaby power station to operate less than 10% of the year in times of peak load (high electricity demand) such as hot summer days or cold days or nights in winter.

The project documentation states that the power station would be a dual fuel power plant, with natural gas being the main fuel. Diesel is proposed as a backup fuel when gas is unavailable and diesel storage facilities would also be included.

The Bannaby power station proposal is being assessed under the new State Significant assessment provisions of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.  To view the documents associated with this project go to http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au and search for ‘Bannaby’ or go to www.snowyhydro.com.au for information on the SnowyHydro website, including the first project newsletter.  Snowy Hydro presently operates two gas fired power stations in Victoria, as well as the hydro electric Snowy Mountains scheme.

Like the proposals for the power station at Hanging Rock, the two TRUEnergy Marulan power stations and the Kerrawary power station proposal, this latest proposal cites proximity to the Moomba to Sydney gas pipeline and proximity to high voltage transmission networks as factors in the selection of the site.

A recent upgrade of part of the NSW electricity transmission network, known as the Western 500 project and the largest project ever undertaken by Transgrid, involved work on the high voltage ring of transmission lines from Hunter Valley power stations, through western power stations (via Mt Piper substation near Lithgow) to the newly upgraded Bannaby substation, then into southern Sydney. That ring of transmission lines is now operating at 500Kv and has become the backbone of the NSW transmission system.  The upgraded transmission system capacity provides scope for more power generation in the region – meaning even more power stations and wind farms could be proposed.

The cumulative impacts of the power station proposals potentially include air quality impacts locally, sub-regionally and regionally; construction and operational noise on existing and approved residences for power station proposals located near each other; biodiversity impacts on sites and along pipeline routes in particular considering biodiversity corridors; light spill; impacts on water quality in rivers;  impacts on water supplies including the Highlands Source; and visual amenity impacts.

A spokesperson from the Department of Planning and Infrastructure told the Chronicle “there are requirements for cumulative impact assessment in the Kerrawary Director-Generals’ Requirements, and the department will consider the Bannaby proposal in its assessment.”

In reply to a question about the possibility of Kerrawary and Bannaby having two separate gas pipelines and the consequential impacts, the spokesperson said “It is a matter for the proponents to determine the content of their projects. As no environmental assessment has been lodged for either of these projects, the department is unaware of whether there will be any shared infrastructure. However, a shared pipeline, if feasible, would be the department’s preference.”

The southern tablelands is experiencing considerable development pressure and there are a number of major projects that have been approved or are proposed in the region under the previous Part 3A provisions or the replacement State Significant assessment provisions of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. The Chronicle has compiled a list of major projects in the Wingecarribee, Goulburn Mulwaree and Upper Lachlan Council area.  (See separate article “Power Station Update” for details).

Excluding coal mining or coal seam gas extraction proposals, there are seven quarries approved or proposed, six power stations approved or proposed, the Highlands Source water pipeline now operating, and there are nearly 800 wind turbines operating, approved or proposed.

The issue of community contributions by major projects is a matter being debated in the press. Unlike developments assessed by Councils, there is no compulsory monetary contribution from projects to benefit the community.  The Department of Planning and Infrastructure told the Chronicle that “the need for contributions is assessed on the basis of potential impacts. In general, contributions will be required where the proposal is likely to increase the demands on community services and infrastructure.”
However it’s hard to see how demand can increase on services that often don’t exist in rural areas, nor how services or infrastructure can be improved without funding.  People living near these major projects will have to live with the impacts of these developments, when often they have come to rural localities to avoid the very things that these developments bring – such as noise and air pollution.  Residents in rural areas expect scenic rural outlooks and not an industrial power station or a rising plume of exhaust gases, or the spill of lights at night.

There is also no apparent ceiling on the number of proposals this area could ultimately face, or even what are acceptable limits in terms of impacts, a prospect that rightly has locals seriously concerned.   A Department of Planning and Infrastructure spokesperson told us “Each proposal will be assessed on its merits in consultation with agencies and councils, also taking into account any community issues raised during the exhibition of the proposals. When required, the department will assess the cumulative impacts of proposals. Available mitigation measures will be considered in determining whether a project is acceptable, whether on cumulative grounds or otherwise.”

The Chronicle will continue to keep up to date on power station developments in the area.

Documents on the TRUEnergy website confirm its intention to connect the power stations to the Highlands Source water pipeline. The Environmental Assessment for the projects gave a potential combined water use of up to 76ML per annum.  For more information go to www.truenergy.com.au  and search for ‘Marulan.’

Kerrawary Power Station update:   Origin Energy held a Community Information Forum on 19 November 2011 at Greenwich Park.  Sound specialists held an outdoor field demonstration of expected power station noise levels.  Details of preliminary studies into biodiversity, cultural heritage, bushfire safety, as well as air quality, noise and visual assessments were provided by the project team. If approved, the project would likely be built in two stages, including a gas compressor station and buried gas pipeline.  Origin would require its own pipeline however they aim to minimise impacts on the local community and landholders.

Origin expect to submit an Environmental Assessment to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure in late 2011 or early 2012, which would be placed on public exhibition around mid 2012. The third newsletter on the Kerrawary Power Station project is available on the Chronicle website, or see www.originenergy.com.au  and search for ‘Kerrawary.’

Hanging Rock Power Station update:  The application for this project was lodged in 2008. The Chronicle sought comment from the Department of Planning and Infrastructure on the present status of this proposal.  A spokesperson said “The department has not received an environmental assessment and this is a matter for the proponent. The Director-General Requirements, which set out the issues to be addressed in the environmental assessment will expire in October 2013 in accordance with Part 3A transitional provisions. However, the department has advised the proponent that it should consult with the department should it wish to proceed, and the department will consider whether there is a need for additional requirements at this time.”

“Lady  ……  Lady  ……  LADY !!  Shirt for you.”  A cotton missile is launched through the open window of my cabin on the 3rd deck of the MS Tulip, our home for 4 nights while cruising down the Nile.

“Good price for you – 1,000 Egyptian Pounds” (approximately $200).

“No thanks.”

Another cotton missile lands on the cabin floor.  “Lady.  Beautiful Egyptian dress for you.”

“Do you have any Egyptian cotton?”

“Of course, lady” and in hurtles a white tablecloth and napkin set, followed by various other articles.  My cabin very soon resembles a stall in the Cairo bazaar.  I started to toss items back to my new friend, Ahmed, standing in the back of a small row boat filled with all manner of wares.  Sadly, my aim is not quite as good as Ahmed’s and one beach towel received a baptising in the blue waters of the Nile.  Not to worry – more beach towels soon landed in the cabin.

“How much for a beach towel?”

“Lady, for you a special price today.  EGP1,000 for two.”

“£1,000?  No – what’s your best price for one?”

“£1,000 for two.”

“No thanks” as I nervously toss them all back to the boat bobbing about 20 feet below.  This ritual went back and forth with my best offer being two for £100.  The deal was clinched and the money popped inside a weighted plastic bag and dropped down to Ahmed in the boat below.  Did I want a beach towel with Nefertiti’s head on it?  Not really – but the experience was priceless!

The following morning, after another wonderful breakfast on board, we were escorted off the ship for our day’s port of call, Edfu, to see the most completely preserved temple in Egypt – the Temple of Edfu which is dedicated to the God Horus, the beautiful Falcon God.  The site is located about 2 km from the wharf so our thoughtful guide organised a horse and carriage ride for our group of 12 – two people per carriage.  I picked the carriage with the pretty bay filly and off we set at a lively trot through the busy streets of the town.  Our driver, Abdula, deftly negotiated the traffic and delivered us safely to the temple.  On alighting from the carriage he told us he would be waiting at the exit point for us when we were ready to return to the ship.

And, sure enough, waiting he was with his patient horse, Azziza.  When we were safely on board, he turned and asked if I would like to drive the horse for a while – “Sure” I said, having previously had a little carriage driving experience.  Experience I may have had on the quiet dirt roads of Canyonleigh, but certainly nothing like this!  As we left the back streets near the temple and approached the busy streets of the town, I handed the reins back to Abdula.  “No”, he said pointing past the madding throng of cars, trucks, people and other animal drawn vehicles towards the port and our ship.  So bravely I continued on trying to steer the trotting Azziza around triple parked cars, neatly between carts pulled by oxen or donkeys and past people dodging the traffic with their baskets laden with goods purchased at the markets.  Whew – the port is in sight and I am happy to relinquish the reins again to Abdula.

Of course there is much more to Egypt than bargaining with hawkers or taking a carriage ride to a temple.  There are so many wonderful things to experience and absolutely amazing sights to see including the magnificent Valley of the Kings, awesome Abu Simbel and, of course, the majestic Pyramids of Giza – but these are all things you will have to see to believe for yourself!

For more information on Egypt or other destinations call in and see Jen, Carol, Denise, Renee and Michele at Moss Vale Cruise & Travel or call on 02 4868 1177.

The storeroom! Yes it is going ahead and the DA has been submitted. We are currently waiting on the Lands Dept. to OK the submission which we are hoping will be done before Christmas!!! The council has agreed to contribute $2000 towards the cost ($6000) and thanks to our successful dinner dance we now have the money in the bank to go ahead. We believe that the extra room to house all the chairs, tables etc., will make a big difference to the way the hall works for people hiring it, especially those outside our community.

The council has also come on board as far as the clearing and fire hazard reduction around the hall. This is still in its infancy, but we are hoping to clear the land along the road so that the fire hazard is reduced. We are not removing trees etc., but clearing away all the debris and rubbish and generally cleaning it up.

Some of you have probably seen the newly renovated car park above the hall. Council has cleaned up and resurfaced the area, making it a much more serviceable space. We now have to organize to have some steps down from the parking area to the hall – a winter job I think!!!! The entrance is from the current car park and the exit is up the top.

You may have noticed too that the land below the hall has been slashed again thanks to the council. We seem to be a bit of a priority at present which the committee is loving – our beautiful hall certainly loves the attention too.

I think 2012 will see more changes (for the better) for our hall. The current usage is increasing and more people from outside the community are being exposed to the originality of it – a true Australian icon!!!!!!

So, Canyonleighites (and beyond) have a wonderful Christmas and we shall see you all at the hall sometime in the New Year.

Jenny Stewart & The Hall Committee

How about our lost summer?  I know it supposed to warm up sometime in January, but even in December we cranked-up the Rayburn: and I though chopping wood for the year was over!

Which brings me to a funny story about my neighbour Pete … aren’t they always funny? It was late October and we got a bit of a cold-snap. Pete, who tends to get deathly sick and says he’s dying four or five times a year, was dying again.  On a Saturday morning, Pete and his comfort rug were lying (and dying) on the couch watching TV. “I’ll get one of the kids to light a fire to keep me warm” he thought. “Harvey, (not his real name) light your poor old Dad a fire … I’m freezing to death,” Pete yells.  Young Harvey was in a hurry to go to town, so he quickly and dutifully gathered some firewood, loaded the fireplace, lit the fire and ran out the door to the car to head to town.

As a dying Pete watched the warming flames grow, all of a sudden there was a huge KAAABOOM! …. soot and ash exploded out of the fire box covering the room and poor dying Pete.  Luckily Harvey (not his real name) had already `done a runner’ for town. In his rush to get going, Harvey left the gas lighter in the fire box after lighting the Jiffy Fire Starters, causing the explosion.  Now, that’s one way to get a dying man up and about quickly!

Have we had a bee exodus?  As all good gardeners know, we need bees to pollinate our fruit and vegies for a summer harvest …. funnily enough, there don’t seem to be many bees around (at time of writing) and I fear that we will struggle to get a tomato crop going this year. We have plenty of flowers growing, so where’s the bees? Just checked my extensive vineyard (all three plants), and there don’t seem to be many bunches of grapes growing.  If you have any hives, let me know so I can borrow one!  Does anyone else have a bee drought?

Well, another Christmas has come and gone – meaningless terms such as `Just what I wanted’ or ‘Oh, you shouldn’t have’ or ‘I know exactly where I will put this’ all have double meanings …… to get even with my two grown children, I give them totally useless gifts (such as stick-mixers) as revenge for twenty plus years of socks and underpants.  I am so easy to buy for: a new tractor, new chainsaw, set of off-road tyres, holiday in Las Vegas – there’s an endless list!  Don’t they get it?

With our deadline for the Chronicle some several days before Christmas Day, I will have to let you know how the Top End Christmas went in the next edition – but I can tell you we have a Top End cricket match organised for after lunch on Christmas Day ….. should be quite a laugh!

Until next time.
Terry Biscoe

Welcome from John & staff at Raine & Horne Moss Vale.

We are proud to confirm that Raine & Horne Moss has averaged a genuine Canyonleigh property sale per month for the last 6 months of 2011. This is a very satisfying result taking into consideration that the last time that the same number of sales was achieved over a similar period was the boom year of 2003, with them being divided up between a number of Southern Highlands Agents operating within the area. We are particularly pleased with our results taking into consideration the overall difficult property market, and the lack of availability of finance which has had negative impact on property sales, particularly in the rural sector. As per the back page of the Chronicle I firmly believe that our background, experience and dedication to the Canyonleigh area combined with a professional approach are our key points of difference in achieving consistent results.

The fact that the Canyonleigh community also has the benefit of a professionally operated, but warm and friendly General Store and strong membership of various community groups puts it well ahead of most rural areas of a similar size. We look to consistently make the above facts clear to potential purchasers who are new to the area.

We find that it leads to a higher level of interest often leading to a final property purchase that is not only suitable and meets their needs, but will improve their overall lifestyle due to the surrounding area and the people that live within it.

We are pleased to confirm that our last sale for the year to a Sydney based purchaser was “Echoleigh” 80 Hawkshill Road, Canyonleigh, which was a very attractive predominately cleared and pastured 100 acre vacant block with good rural improvements including water, fencing and shedding. The property was one of the first lots sold following the original subdivision of “Hawkshill” and at that time featured a private airstrip which was shared between the only two rural properties in the area being “Hawkshill” and “Nandi”. The property was originally listed for sale over 18months ago by a Robertson based agent for an inflated asking price of $625,000.00 which did nothing for the vendors with regard to their desire to achieve a sale within a reasonable time frame. After carrying out an extensive marketing campaign over a prolonged period, which included taking the property to auction in amongst a number of price reductions, we finally sold the property for a little below the final asking price of $465,000.00. In the process of achieving the desired results for the vendors who had owned the property for around 30 years we carried out a significant number of inspections with genuine potential purchasers. On behalf of the staff at Raine & Horne Moss Vale, and local Canyonleigh residents I would like to congratulate the purchaser on his excellent property purchase and welcome him into the community.

If you are considering putting your property on the market in the near future and would like a genuine appraisal to allow it to be sold within a reasonable time frame, please do not hesitate to contact myself or staff.

Have a great day and enjoy Canyonleigh for all that it has to offer including its unique Chronicle.

John Jeffcoat & staff
Raine & Horne Moss Vale
4869 1222 or 0418 221 999

The stall was run in conjunction with the Big Garage Sale in November. It was a glorious day that brought people out and about and looking for a bargain.

It was the first cake stall I’d ever held and I really had no idea what to expect. Would we get many donations? Would we raise much money? Would people buy if they did turn up? Well the answer to all the questions was in the affirmative.

Canyonleigh has a wonderful ability to come together when there’s a good cause. The donations we received were magnificent and meant that we were so busy I didn’t get to take any photos of these delicious goodies. The range of sweet delights included cakes, pies, slices and biscuits. They actually sold in that order too. First to go were the all the large cakes and by mid afternoon with only a couple of items remaining we packed up.
These last items were kindly sold for us at the Store.

The final tally came to $350 – I was thrilled by the result. The funds have been given to SES Wingecarribee as a thank you from the Canyonleigh community for their support and efforts in establishing the Canyonleigh CFR unit. We hope that these funds will, in a small way, go towards providing some needed equipment that doesn’t fit under government funding.

Running a call stall isn’t all about sweet treats and there are many people to thank. To all those who donated the delicious results of their baking and also to those who came along and bought from our stall – a very big thank you. In particular I’d like to thank Louise Brazenor, Julie Chamouille, Wendy Quigg and Katrina Hill for their help on the day. A special mention goes to Jan and Ian Dalzell from Canyonleigh Store – Ian dashed up early in the morning and bought two cakes for the shop and Jan kindly sold the last of our stock for us.

Carolyn Chaplin

Foot note:  Our efforts are very much appreciated as was indicated in the letter we received from the Controller of Wingecarribee SES, Anthony Kasoulis in thanks for our donation.

The Fifth Elephant
By Terri Pratchett
Corgi, London, 2008

I’ve reviewed works by both these writers before and I must admit that both of them are among my favourites. Both are highly absurd and highly real at the same time. If you an cope with different dimensions, dwarves, ogres, etc., both these writers manage to move freely in a fantasy that is reality because both seem to understand people. The Fifth Elephant is the 24th in the Discworld series and each stands on its own, so any would be as enjoyable. What binds Fforde and Pratchett is their humour – don’t look for a serious read with either. But humour can have a serious side to it too! Fforde and Pratchett see the humour of life whatever form it takes and likewise can the reader. Both writers are enjoyable whatever the work if the reader treats the subject with the same irreverence. Don’t look for side -splitting laughter from either but those sniggers are constant.

Lesley Baker