Engaged Buddhists in Wingello

The Association of Engaged Buddhists is a group of lay Buddhist practitioners and resident ordained Monks and Nuns who are committed to putting the Dhamma into action within their own lives in order to be of benefit to all.
Established in 1993, the Association runs regular evenings of meditation at Sangha Lodge in Lewisham, as well as retreats, workshops and courses in response to specific needs. The Association’s main aim is to share in a non-sectarian way the many benefits of the Dhamma with the wider Australian community.
The association has taken over the property at 219 Forest Road for use as a Retreat centre.  Once they are up and running they will have an open day so that any interested locals can see what they are all about.
This is Bhante, the Spiritual Director of the Association and senior resident monk.  You will see him occasionally in the shop enjoying a coffee and a meal.

Robertson Show 2011 Winners Again

Yummy.  Served with Jam and Cream.

Eric’s scones once more won first prize for Scones.
Lana won first prize for her Muffins and biscuits.
This is not surprising to all those who have enjoyed these delights at the shop, but it is good to have confirmation!
The Robertson Show was very enjoyable.  Even very heavy rain in the afternoon didn’t stop the show.  When asked if they should change anything because of the rain, organisers looked at each other and said, “Nah.  This is Robertson.  Rain is part of the Show.”
The parking control people had their 4WD vehicles ready to pull vehicles through the exit (like they needed to for our Transit van).
So whether an award was won or not, all that attended the Show were winners.

Wingello Village News April 2011

Wingello Village News April 2011

Wingello Village News for April 2011 is out.

Highlights:

Wingello Community Dinner
Engaged Buddhists move in
Passion Play open to all

Free Chestnut Roasting

James carefully holding chestnuts

Mark your calendars: Sunday 27 March 2011 9am to 11am

Just down Bumballa road is the Pinehaven Stud and Chestnut Farm. We are now in the Chestnut season which lasts from 25th March to 29th April each year.
The farm grows a number of different Chestnut varieties including Morena, Prolofic, Special, Purton’s Pride and their very own King chestnut.
The farm is so close to us and the public are encouraged to pop in and pick their own chestnuts. The farm has all the facilities required including toilets, barbeque and chestnut roasting too.
On Sunday 27 March, the farm is hosting a Free Chestnut Roasting at the shop to let us experience the delights of roasted chestnuts.
We will set up in Maple Lane (near the phone box) and serve free roasted chestnuts from 9:00am to 11:00am.
Many of us have heard of roasted chestnuts in books or movies. Here is your chance to experience the real thing with locally grown chestnuts.
If you are looking for a day out, why not call the farm and organise to make a day of it. Farm opening hours are from 10am to 5pm.

Why we employ young people

Jacob and Jamie in the kitchen

Back in the Age of Sail, the time of Napoleon and Wellington, boys as young as 15 were Lieutenants in the army and navy. 15 was considered an age of responsibility and the young person was expected to contribute to their family and society around them.
Even going back to the 1960s, young people were regularly employed in many businesses formally as apprentices or trainees, or informally as paperboys, lawn mowing, cleaning, etc. This utilisation of the talents of young people was a benefit to themselves, their families and society as a whole.
That is why we like employing young people at the Wingello Village Store. Every young person employed takes part in our immersive training program, learning all the facets of our rather diverse little shop. Learning about the businesses of Retail, Cafe, Restaurant, Post Office and handling all the goods and services we provide gives a good start to any resume.
If they work in a full time position, we then enrol them in an official traineeship which provides nationally recognised TAFE equivalent certification. They also are provided with formal food safety certifications through registered training organisations.
The village also benefits from having young people working in the store. Often there is friction between generations and much of it is caused by the lack of contact the generations have in day to day settings. The opportunity for young people to interact with the village and for all villagers to meet young people in a helpful environment provides great benefits.

Eric weighing Zach and confirming correct postage

A further benefit is the general youthful playfulness and joy of life. The store - and village - are happier places with young people having a somewhere to utilise their skills and share their lives in the midst of village life. There are few places where young people have the opportunity to be such an integral part of a small community.
We are providing a structure whereby young people of the village can learn useful skills, get paid doing it and participate productively in village life.
Being young, they will eventually move on to other employment and we envisage a steady flow of young people working in the store. The more the shop is patronised by local villagers the more we will employ locals.
By shopping locally, the whole village benefits in many ways.

Customer Loyalty Program

Did you know we have a very effective customer loyalty program at the Wingello Village Store?
The customer card you use to borrow DVDs is also your loyalty card.
At the end of every 3 month period, we add up all your purchases (excluding cigarettes, telephone credits) and for each $200 you have spent, we give you a credit of $10.00.
Rather than paying for advertisements in various magazines or newspapers, we want to reward our regular customers directly.
All you need do is mention your account number and we will record the purchase against your account.  You still pay as you go or in advance, we just record the sale to you.

Wingello Village News March 2011

Wingello Village News March 2011

Wingello Village News for March 2011 is out.

Highlights:

Chestnut Roasting
Why we employ young people

Good Neighbours II

A blackout becomes a community event
On Saturday night (Feb 5) a very hot week ended with a gratifying cool change.  Around 9pm Wingello and Penrose experienced a blackout which - as always - the children found exciting.
Thinking about the retained heat in the shop and the freezers with all our ice creams, I drove to the shop with Eric and we opened all the doors to let that lovely cool breeze flowing through the front door to the back of the store.
The temperature dropped 2 degrees in about 45 minutes but the important part to this story is what happened while we were waiting for Nature to do her work.
As it was a refreshing change in the weather and most homes remained quite warm, many villagers were outside on their verandahs or going for walks.
You could see the flashes of torches in all sorts of places and there was a great lightning show being put on for our benefit in the clouds.
Noticing a couple of flashes in and around the shop many people flashed lights our way, making sure “everything was OK”.
One neighbour even rushed over with his car to make sure no-one was doing anything “silly” at the shop.
Thank you to Wingello for the community watch.
Why be anywhere else?

Now open Sundays until 2:30pm

We have been running the Wingello Village Store for two years now - doesn’t time fly!
On Sundays for the last 12 months we reduced the time we were open to only a few hours in the morning.  This worked out very well allowing the locals to get their newspapers, bread and milk and for the early risers breakfast and other food.
The popularity of the Un Named Cafe has meant we now need to be open longer to meet demand.
So from February onwards we will be open on Saturdays and Sundays until 2:30pm.
Public Holidays will remain open until only 10:30am.
If this is what you want, show us your support.

Wingello Village News February 2011

Wingello Village News February 2011

Wingello Village News for February 2011 is out.

Highlights:

Good Neighbours II
The story of The Little Girl and the Diamond Tree