--- THE REDGUM HOLLOW GAZETTE Est. when it needed to be. Marge Holloway, Ed. Monday to Thursday — Edition 6 "We print what matters. Occasionally that's the truth." --- WEATHER: Still nothing. Sky the colour of an unpaid invoice. If you have a rain gauge reading above zero, call the office. We will run it on the front page and weep openly. --- THE BREAD ACCORD: LORRAINE PLAYS HER HAND, AND LO, IT WAS AN EXCELLENT HAND --- Wednesday morning, in an act of commerce that this editor suspects has been choreographed since approximately the first loaf, Lorraine Apps of Apps General agreed to stock Tash's sourdough at the store. Terms: Tuesday and Friday, four loaves, Lorraine sets the price. Both parties have confirmed the handshake. Neither has embellished it. This is how you know it's real. The town's read — which is also my read, which means it is correct — is that Lorraine waited until she was ready and then ended it on her own terms. Anyone who calls this a loss for Lorraine has not been paying attention to Lorraine for the past forty years. By lunchtime Wednesday the bowls club knew. In Warrigal Creek that is the speed of verified fact. Later that same Wednesday, Festival Coordinator Deb Forsythe formally approved Tash's stall application for the Bicentenary — text message, "in principle, conditions to follow." The town has decided these two events are connected. They may not be. But the symmetry is so satisfying that I see no editorial reason to spoil it. --- STEVE-O: THE LANEWAY, THE PHONE CALL, AND A FACE THAT HAS SOMETHING ON IT --- On Thursday afternoon, Steven (Steve-o) — surname withheld because he knows why — was observed in his ute in the laneway behind the co-op for approximately forty minutes, phone to his ear for most of it. Bev Coogan's nephew was the source. I am using this information while noting that Bev Coogan's nephew has the observational accuracy of a weather bureau intern, but the general shape of it rings true. Public interpretation: serious phone call, possibly employment-related. This newspaper has no comment on destinations that have not been named publicly, and we are absolutely not speculating about Parramatta. Steve-o then entered Tash's café through the front door Thursday afternoon and stayed twenty minutes. Witnesses from Inverell — in town for a second day on account of the sourdough, which is its own story — described him as "looking like he had something on his mind." Alan Reeves said to me last week that Steve-o looks like a man deciding something. Alan Reeves says very little. I am watching this space. I have been watching this space. The space knows I am watching it. --- RAY UPDATE: THE ENVELOPE THICKENS --- Ray — at the Henderson place, no surname yet confirmed by any source I trust enough to print — posted a letter to Shelley at Landcare on Thursday. Lorraine noted it was thicker than the previous one. Lorraine's interpretation, relayed to one person who relayed it to me: "he must have got the testing kit working." Bore water results, apparently. A practical farming matter, now semi-public. This paper's position: a man who tests his bore water properly is a man who intends to stay. A man who intends to stay has a surname. I will find it. --- THE GOVERNMENT, THE FUEL, AND BARRY'S PAPERWORK --- The bypass cancellation and the fuel price have formally merged in the town's mind into one grievance, currently titled "the government not seeing us." Barry Coakes filled in three brigade fuel budget forms this week. Three. If that is not an editorial cartoon, I don't know what is. --- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR --- Dear Marge, The parma is back. That's all. That's the letter. — Clarrie Burton, Redgum Hollow [Ed: Clarrie, I could not have said it better. In fact, I tried, and I couldn't. — M.H.] ~~~ Dear Marge, Re: your coverage of the stall application. The approval is in principle and conditions are to follow, which means it is not yet final and I would appreciate the Gazette not presenting it as concluded. That said, we are very excited about Tash's participation and the festival is shaping up beautifully. More details soon. — Deb Forsythe, Bicentenary Festival Committee [Ed: Noted, Deb. Conditions to follow. — M.H.] ~~~ Dear Marge, Somebody needs to write formally to the shire about the bypass. Barry's filling in forms but somebody needs to write a letter with sentences. I would do it but my handwriting has gone to pieces since the shoulder. — Name supplied [Ed: Watch this column. — M.H.] --- AROUND THE DISTRICT --- • The shoe on the Henderson fence post was used as a navigation reference at the CWA hall this week AND by a delivery driver. It is now infrastructure. Someone should tell the shire, though they probably won't see us. • Clarrie Burton attended Tuesday's reinstated parma night at the Royal. He arrived. He ate. He departed. The taps were not discussed publicly. • The couple from Inverell who bought sourdough Tuesday were still in town Thursday. Tash's bread is now a tourism product. Write that down. • No rain. None. We checked. --- Next edition Friday. If you know who Ray is, ring the office. I mean it. I have been very patient. — M. Holloway, Ed. ---