A warm welcome to 2010. I wrote in January 2009 that the coming year would be an exciting and important one for OTHR. Well it was! So much was achieved in 2009 on and off the line. We almost finished the line to Hazelgrove, completed important restorations on and around the station, acquired a biscuit wagon, three S trucks and a five ton crane.

Behind the scenes an enormous amount of work was done on our Safety Management System documentation and the legal negotiations for the licence to occupy the Rail Corridor, the lease of Oberon Station and the lease of the CPH13 railmotor. The negotiations are almost finalised but it has been a slow and painstaking process.

Well what of 2010? It will be a pivotal year in OTHR's short existence. We have small sections of track restoration to complete, three major level crossings and the development of the Hazelgrove siding precinct as well as restoration work on the rolling stock. Our goal will be to operate a rail service to Hazelgrove before the end of 2010. Bob Conners (Editor)

Working Bee Dates for 2010

February: 15 th – 20 th
March: 20 th – 27 th
April: 17 th – 24 th
May: 15 th - 22 nd
June: 12 th – 19 th
July: 10 th – 17 th
August: 7 th - 14 th
September: 18 th – 25 th
October: 16 th – 23 rd
November: 13 th – 20 th
December: TBA

Listed above are the working bee dates for 2010. For fettlers living outside Oberon who take holidays to assist with the restoration work, the annual working bee calendar will help you plan attendance dates. Remember, free accommodation is available in Oberon for out-of-town volunteers.

Membership News

A big welcome to new members Eddie Gibbons (Black Springs), Christopher Duff (Oberon), Margot & Dash Hall (Vaucluse), Ian Davis (Edith), Nigel & Ruth Price (Oberon), Frank McGrath (Kensington) and Len Truscott (Bathurst). We hope you can join in our many activities and if you don't live in Oberon, that you can occasionally visit us to watch our progress.

Big Weekend in Oberon 19th – 21st February

Out of town members are invited to join us in Oberon for an exciting weekend of events which are an important part of the Oberon & Villages Summer Festival (see www.oberonfestivals.com.au ).

110th Oberon Agricultural Show: 20th –21st

The Oberon Show is celebrating 110 years of operation and will have many colourful events including bull rides in the ring, yard dog trials and a championship dog show.

Cattle, sheep wool, poultry and lots of rural produce will be on display in the yards and pavilions. There will be a 200-class horse show held at the showground and an animal nursery will be set up for children to visit. It is shaping up as one of the best shows for years.

OTHR will be participating in a big way by mounting a photographic exhibition in the main pavilion detailing the history of the line and our restoration work. We hope to be running a miniature train set at our display stand.

Highlands Steam & Vintage Fair: 19 th -21 st

The Highlands Steam and Vintage Fair, now in its third year will be located at the Oberon Leagues Sport and Recreational Club. It will include steam engines, collectors' cars and trucks, a hot rod display, tractors and a tractor pulling competition, large military vehicle display and antique stationary engines. Road runs will be conducted around the district on Friday 19 th and there will be farmers' and crafts markets.

A Grand Rally of the heritage vehicles will proceed along the main street on Saturday 20 th commencing at 10.00 a.m. Food will be provided by the Oberon Rotary Club. A courtesy bus will run between the Steam and Vintage Fair, the railway station, the showground, Oberon Golf Club and other venues around Oberon.

President Shane in his 1928 Aveling & Porter steam roller

OTHR will organise a display in the railway station grounds and visitors to the Show and Highlands Steam and Vintage Fair are invited to join us at the Oberon Station during the weekend.

The station buildings will be open to exhibit railway memorabilia and train sets from the Turon Technology Museum. A 7m x 2m replica of Tarana Station will be displayed for visitors and one our S trucks will be loaded with the type of produce that would have been carried in the early days of Oberon's rail history.

Morning and afternoon tea will be served at the railway station for our visitors.

2009 Christmas Party

Over 40 members joined us for our end-of-year party on 13 th December and our many achievements in 2009 were celebrated. President Shane proved a master chef at the barbecue and catering manager Lynette and her team provided a wide range of delightful salads and sweets. The highlight of the evening was Doug Booker's presentation of a photographic history of our restoration of the line. Many thanks Doug, we enjoyed the photos and their accompanying captions.

We also enjoyed Paul McDonald's visit on the evening. Paul is the secretary of the Tourist Railway of Kurrajong group and he presented OTHR with a letter confirming TRAK's donation of a cattle wagon to OTHR. Thank you to Paul and his organisation for their generosity.

Get well Keith

We send our best wishes for a full recovery to one of our quiet achievers, Keith Jones. We look forward to seeing you back with us in February Keith.

February Working Bee – Monday 15th to Saturday 20th inclusive

This is our first working bee for 2010 so let's get the year off to a flying start. Track Manager Peter Culley will be absent so this working bee will be co-ordinated by Harry Cole and Tim Arnison. There are some major tasks to be undertaken. These include cleaning up the station grounds in preparation for OTHR's displays for visitors to the Highland Steam and Vintage Fair (19-21 February) and the Oberon Show on the same weekend. A second set of tasks involves track restoration. There are three areas we need to complete:

•  From the station yard fence to Albion Avenue.

•  Behind the trucking yards, south from Frame D to Albion Avenue.

•  On Lowes Mt Road leading to Gate 6.

These areas need to be completed as soon as possible so the level crossings can be installed.

It is important for planning purposes that all members who plan to attend the working bee notify Harry Cole (6336 5338) by Thursday, 11 th February .

Popular and respected OTHR member, Ross Allen passed away on 23 rd December 2009 and our group has lost an enthusiastic stalwart. When Ross and his wife Alison settled in Hazelgrove some years ago they joined OTHR. Ross became an influential member in many ways. He spent many days as a fettler on the track and undertook many tasks. Nothing daunted Ross and he pulled sleepers out from the line and replaced them, used rail jacks, sledge hammers, pneumatic drills as well as gauging and measuring the line. Ross proved a dab hand with the paintbrush and roller and undertook a variety of painting tasks in a very professional manner.

Ross working hard on the Wickham section car restoration project in his garage.

Ross joined the Committee of Management and worked hard as our Vice President. If Ross undertook a job, you knew it would be done – he was a man of action and a stickler for detail. One of Ross's greatest achievements was his co-ordination of the restoration of the 1955 Wickham section car that was stored in his garage. The vehicle was completely dismantled, overhauled, parts sourced and then rebuilt by Ross and his team of enthusiastic helpers. The Wickham is a testimonial to Ross's passion, determination and resourcefulness.

Our sympathy is extended to Alison and their families. We will miss Ross's quick wit, loyalty and determination to get a job done.

Christmas Hamper Raffle

Three hampers were offered as prizes in its Christmas raffle. First prize went to Ken and Nina Lane, Kurt Boundy won the second prize and G. Lansom won the 3rd hamper. The prize winners are residents of Oberon.

Our thanks go to Lorraine Fielding who co-ordinated the prizes and collected donations for the hampers and led a great team effort in selling raffle tickets.

Snippets from the Committee

Many thanks to Vice President Bill Muldoon for organising a much-needed ride on mower for OTHR. Arthur Robinson will be pleased that he can now put away the push mower that has done sterling service at the station.

Our thanks also goes to member and diesel mechanic, Aaron Faulds who has kindly agreed to repair OTHR's tractor. The tractor is an essential piece of equipment for line restoration work.

Bob Conners      
Publicity Officer
phone  6336 1211