General News
17 April, 2025
PROBUS Club news - April 10, 2025
The April PROBUS Club meeting was held last Thursday, April 10 with a smaller group and a lot of apologies. Hope to see you all back for the May meeting.
By Margaret Schier, publicity officer
Tour director Denise told us of trips she has planned especially the ‘Good Old Days of Rock and Roll’ in July. Tickets are almost sold out.
Thank you to the Services Club for the delicious morning tea they provide for us each month. It is a time of catching up with friends you may not have seen recently and making new friends too. Some folk do not go to many functions and Probus is the opportunity for that to happen.
Our April guest speaker was 2025 Senior Citizen of the Year, Julie Sawley, and her story was so interesting. Julie spent her early days in Grenfell, the home of Henry Lawson and close to landra Castle. It took 350 men and 700 horses to build the castle in the late 1800s and is a heritage-listed building.
Her family moved to Wellington where she attended school. Julie commenced work in the office of the local hospital before Medicare as a telephonist. She loved roller skating, basketball and her first vehicle was a motor bike.
Julie and David were married in Wellington in 1973 and joined Rotaract a voluntary organisation for 18-to-25-year-olds where they learnt to be good office bearers and made many friends.
In 1974, David was transferred with the bank to North Ryde and Julie worked at the Ryde Hospital. They joined the Apex Club and for six years enjoyed a busy and happy life. Then followed one year in Nowra and Julie joined the local Red Cross Branch.
Ben was born in Nowra the home of HMAS ‘Albatross’ the air arm of the navy and the aircraft carrier ‘Melbourne’ was stationed in Jervis Bay. Maybe that inspired Ben to become a jet fighter pilot. He is now the Commanding Officer at Williamstown airbase near Newcastle. Tim, their second son born in Eastwood is an agronomist and trained at Armidale University. No doubt both David and Julie are very proud of their family. In 1985 the Sawley’s came to Gilgandra having purchased the Castlereagh Motor Inn.
A new challenge with no experience they bought a second motel in Condobolin where Ben and Tim attended school for one year. Following the sale of the motels they bought the property ‘Barragan’.
David had grown up on a farm so wanted to run sheep and Julie did a wool classing course. Their sons attended the local schools in Gilgandra. Julie volunteered for P&C, canteens, and later relief work at our hospital.
She ran the NRMA office for some years and in the mid 1990’s the Tooraweenah Prime Lamb Marketing Co-op was formed and Julie’s office skills were valuable to that organisation.
They joined the Anglican Church where she has been treasurer for 25 years. Julie’s ongoing love has been the local CWA organisation and in the last few years she helped obtain grants to refurbish the building which is now rented to some organisations and a valuable asset for Gilgandra. They have travelled overseas and recently sold their property and bought a smaller one.
We are thankful this family made Gilgandra their home and thanks Julie for a wonderful story.
