New fence

The American poet Robert Frost once said "good fences make good neighbours". Whether or not this is true will be put to the test with our magnificent new hardwood picket fence built from river redgum and salvaged mountain ash from the Victorian bush fires.

Dick Pfahlert and I have spent the last few days putting it together after months collecting timber, old gates and fittings frm around the place. It's looking magnificent.

Regards, Toby and the Gatekeepers

Ishka

After 8 months break, camping and relaxing I was starting to get frustrated. I hadn’t learnt how to relax and no matter how many beautiful beaches and campgrounds I was ready for a new challenge.

Then my cousin Mike Sklovsky, the owner and founder of Ishka stores phoned. He had an exciting proposition – buy in to half of the business and take over the day-to-day running starting….now! After a few weeks negotiation I took the leap and began the weekly commute to Melbourne, leaving Beechworth early Tuesday morning and returning Thursday evening.

Five months in and with a hectic Christmas trade behind us I am pondering the year ahead. It has been en enormous challenge stepping into a well established business with a culture, systems, product range and processes not of my making. In many ways it’s been harder than Anaconda and World Surplus – 2 businesses that I co-founded and grew from scratch.

The highlights have been the opening of the very successful new Southland store, new Karma Card, marketing program (some hits & misses), Christmas catalogue, increased wholesale sales, some improved systems and processes and significant cost savings.

I still have lots to learn about this unique business and there are many areas of improvement ahead. Retail trade is expected to be tough for the next year or so – not the best time to buy into a new business.

The weekly drive is wearing me down but I’m enjoying staying at Mum’s 2 days a week and re-connecting with her. An Ishka helicopter?

I now look back longingly on those lazy beach days with kids.

Regards,

The Worker

Christmas is for kids

The kids are now at the perfect age for Christmas - old enough to enjoy the excitement but young enough to believe. They counted down the sleeps to Christmas and agreed to clear the fireplace out for father Christmas but didn't buy into the "Santa only brings presents for good kids" story.

We packed up and went down to Flinders in mid-December and on the appointed day went to Granny Annie's for breakfast, Pa Pud's family for lunch and Grandma Jude and Pa Clyde's family for dinner.

Got home to Flinders at 11pm exhausted and bloated looking forward to a relaxed boxing day.

Came back to Beechworth on 28 January for a relaxed and fun New Year celebration. Jane and I even made it to 11pm!

Regards,

The Darvalls

Kinder Kids Koncert

The kids and parents are loving the Beechworth Montessori Kinder/School. The thoughtful and attentive teachers have really brought out the best in our 3 kids and we're all enjoying meeting new local families. Ironically most of them are Melbourne refugees like us.

All of the kids were involved in the recent annual Montessori concert themed around the mystical Peacock. A real and very spectacular peacock lives in the school grounds and is the school's official symbol and mascot.

Love from Jane, Toby, Ollie, Eloise and Henry

Floods

There was a huge amount of rain all through NE Victoria from September - December ending over 10 years of drought and delivering widespread floods. Beechworth is 580m above sea-level so all our water runs off quickly to lower lying creeks and rivers, ending up in the mighty Murray River. All the local creeks pour over the Woolshed Falls - a spectacular sight and sound when in full flow. The kids loved it.

Uncle Grant and Aunty Penny came to stay continuing the long line of quality visitors to Beechworth.

Love from the Waterlogged Darvalls

Kids Catch

It was a quiet Saturday a few weeks ago and Henry, Eloise and I wandered down to the lake with our freshly dug garden worms. Within 20 minutes pulled in 3 beautiful rainbow trout which were delicious. Boasted about it to all of Beechworth and have never been able to replicate the feat!

Love from Jeremy Fisher and Kids

Mt Buffalo Snow

Chris and her two girls, Charlie and Mia, joined us on the kids' first ever trip to the snow. What a great day! We now live only 40mins from Mt Buffalo so its a great day trip. The kids loved the tobogganing - particuarly Ollie and Charlie - and everyone came home exhausted and happy (all snoring in the car on the way home).

Love from the Snow Bunnies