THE remarkable life and achievements of New Norfolk’s Layton Hodgetts OAM were celebrated at a special gathering last week. About 200 people attended the function which was hosted by Black Swan, the business operated by Layton’s daughter Sarah and her husband Alexander Okenyo. Sarah said the event was a chance

FAMILY and friends have recently celebrated the life of one of the Derwent Valley’s leading campaigners in the fight against cancer. Elsie Rayner spent several decades raising funds for the Cancer Council, through Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea and the Relay for Life. She was also a stalwart of the local

TASMANIAN historian Reg Watson has produced an engaging YouTube video telling to story of Betty King, who is believed to be the first white woman to set foot in Australia when the First Fleet arrived from England in 1788. Published last week, the video was filmed at the Back River

A CENTURY of caring for her family was reflected in loving tributes for Sheila Blackwell following her death at age 100 on August 1. Mrs Blackwell passed away at her nursing home three weeks after celebrating her 100th birthday and receiving congratulatory letters from the Queen, Governor-General, Prime Minister, Governor

NEW Norfolk Lions Club member Wayne Hodge has been involved with local volunteer organisations for decades. He was born at the Royal Hobart Hospital and his family lived at Dromedary until his father began working for Australian Newsprint Mills when Wayne was five years old. The family then moved to

THE Derwent Valley Youth Future Action Team (D’FAT) is looking forward to big things in the coming year following a successful annual general meeting yesterday. The Derwent Valley Council’s youth advisory group welcomed a number of new members, with one of them being elected to the position of vice chairperson.

FUTURE generations will have master builder Noel Browning to thank for the preservation of many of the Derwent Valley’s most significant homes and buildings. During his funeral service at historic St Matthew’s Anglican Church in New Norfolk last March, Noel’s daughter Natalie said it was fitting that this had been

MEMORIES of the long life of former New Norfolk woman Shirley Julin were shared at her funeral service at St Matthew’s Anglican Church in July. A daughter of Sheila and Gordon Cleaver, Shirley was born on April 2, 1929, and was raised in New Norfolk with her sister Betty and

CRAIG Farrell is a well-known member of the Lions Club of New Norfolk and the Derwent Valley community. The club’s Chocolate Wheel would not be the same without his engaging, lively, and often cheeky, spruiking skills. Although Craig has spent most of his adult life in the Derwent Valley, he

DAVID “Sam” Wilton has been a life member of the New Norfolk Lions Club since 2004. He is a devoted family man and, until recent years, has long been a very active member of the club. For 34 years, Sam’s energy and commitment to community service were drivers for his

A NEW record has been set for the longest period of membership of the Derwent Valley Youth Future Action Team (D’FAT). At the group’s meeting last month, it was announced that Adam Pearce had been a member for more than 11 years when he reached the age limit last year.

THE Jimmy Barnes anthem Working Class Man played at the funeral of Len Blackwell, perfectly summing up the life and times of the well-known New Norfolk man. The former businessman and councillor had lived life to the full, finally succumbing to injuries sustained in a bush accident. At the funeral