Our annual public speaking competition took place at last night’s club meeting with Lily-May Hunter of Wee Waa High School, and Elsie Bennett and Elly-May Johns of Namoi Valley Christian School delivering their prepared speeches with eloquence and intellect combined! The girls had a huge support network of family and friends attending the evening.
Adjudicators for the event were Mayor and Rotarian Darrell Tiemens, Narrabri West Public School teacher Margaret Slack-Smith, and Narrabri Rotaract President Sam Howley. Congratulations to our announced winner, Elsie Bennett. Elsie will go on to compete in the regional finals later this year. ... See MoreSee Less

Thank you, Narrabri parish priest Fr John Fowles, for your captivating talk this evening, sharing your journey from childhood and early working life to priesthood in rural parishes and your remarkable humanitarian flying exploits.

An avid aviator and motorcyclist, Fr John is famously known as ‘The Flying Priest’, a title earned after piloting a light aircraft around Australia to raise funds for East Timorese orphans and young pilgrims attending the 2008 World Youth Day in Sydney.

With the unexpected donation of a $70,000 Jabiru kit aircraft, Fr John spent three years building the plane, assisted by parish volunteers. Named ‘Angel Wings’, it went on to lead a squadron of eight aircraft and up to 20 fellow aviation enthusiasts taking part in fundraisers around the country.

His ambitious ‘Fly-Away-To-Heaven’ project was a 32-day, 33-town flight around Australia, aiming to raise $1 million for poverty-stricken communities in East Timor, infrastructure for orphans and sponsorship for young pilgrims.

At each stop, the group joined local Catholic parishes to host community events, with country music artist Korey Livy performing the charity song ‘Earth Angels Care’ to help attract crowds and donations. It was an extraordinary journey combining faith, aviation and an inspiring commitment to helping others. ... See MoreSee Less