The Bega Valley Motorcycle Riders Winter Appeal and Blanket Ride is taking place on Saturday, May 28.

With the temperatures predicted to be in the low double figures for the day, it’s the ideal time to consider how donations of blankets and warm clothes could help the region’s homeless and underprivileged.

Organiser Glenn Cotter said the dollar figure for donations already collected has equalled last year’s total, while there have already been plenty of donations of blankets and so on, so this year’s appeakl is looking like a success even before the bikes hit the road.

Donations have come in from valued sponsors already on board including major sponsor Target as well as Club Bega, Club Sapphire, FurnitureOne, Big W and the Merimbula Visitor Information Centre among others.

The ride itself will take place from 10am on May 28, with riders meeting at Club Sapphire before riding through to Pambula and then on to Bega, finishing with a barbecue lunch in the Bega Target car park.

Barbecue and entertainment will be running from around 11, with riders expected to arrive closer to 12.

The Merimbula Visitor Information Centre has nominated itself as a drop-off point for donations if you can’t make it on the day.

Building your resume? Want some experience in interviewing? Good at public speaking?

Why not enter the Quota International of Narooma Student of the Year Quest to be held on July 26 at Club Narooma?

This quest gives students in Years 9, 10 and 11 experience in both interviews and public speaking.

It targets aspects of grooming and presentation; citizenship; cultural and/or social participation; leadership potential; and most importantly, knowledge of current affairs as well as public speaking.

The major prize is $250, with the runner-up receiving $100. The winner goes on to compete at the Quest final in August.

The Quest is open to students living in the region from Tuross south to Bega.

Information and nomination forms are available from the administration office of participating schools or by contacting Rosemary Towers on 4476 2614.

Bega Floral Art group in conjunction with the Bega Garden Club were thrilled by the community support for their Mother’s Day flower stall again this year.  Local charities and mums benefited from the efforts of these two groups.

The Floral Art Group will meet on Wednesday, June 1, at 2pm in Tarraganda Hall. The focus this meeting is on “foliage-only” arrangements. Quite apt with these winds! New members are welcome.

Members of the Bega Heritage Car Club recently celebrated National Motoring Day with a rally to Short Point Merimbula and then to Candelo for lunch.

The aim of the Bega Heritage Car Club is to preserve, restore and enjoy the use of heritage cars. The club meets on the first Monday of each month at 7.30 at the meeting rooms in Bega St in Bega.

Anyone interested in old cars and motorbikes is warmly invited, or they can contact president Col McRae on 6494 1124 for more information.

The Bega Valley Genealogy  Society’s is hosting its annual seminar on Saturday, May 28, 10am until 4pm at Pambula Public School.

Notable speakers Kim Phillips, editor of Spirits of Gallipoli and Robyn Dryen, president  of the Australian Jewish Genealogical Society, will spark your interest with the topics: Could my ancestor have been Jewish? and UK and European sources for finding Jewish ancestors.

All property owners will find Dr Carol Liston’s two sessions on land and property information most informative.

She will explain Torrens Title, old parish maps, DPs, lot numbers, old ownerships and encumbrances such as mortgages, leases, easements and so on.

Register with Ursula Hunt 6495 3566 or Mike Harrison 6492 0321.

Readers and writers in the South East will be spoilt for choice when two authors visit Bega Valley Shire libraries next month.

Surf photographer and author of Capital Surfers - Surfing Australia’s East Coast in the 60s, Ian Ingram, will share his photographs and stories of being a surfer in the 1960s.

He will talk about a bunch of adventurers as they embarked on their surfing journey, starting from Bermagui and Narooma, to find the best beaches and breaks on the east coast.

Ian Ingram will be at the Bermagui Library on Monday, June 6, at 10.30am.

The other guest is Stafford Ray who will teach the art of creating limericks.

From school teacher to jazz musician to asparagus farmer and to the dubious achievement of having visited every pub along the Murray River, Stafford Ray now spends his time as a wordsmith writing poems, plays and, so far, two successful novels.

His two-part session will start with how to write a limerick and end with a talk about his books and the process of novel writing.

Stafford will be at the Bermagui Library on Wednesday, June 15, at 10.30am and at Eden Library on Thursday, June 16 at 10.30am.

To book for either event, go to http://begavalleyshirelibrary.eventbrite.com.au/ or phone the libraries on 6499 2411.

Lisa Carberry returns to Cobargo to lead an afternoon of personal and planetary healing, intent and invocation.

The healing circle and workshop will be held in the Cobargo School of Arts Hall, Sunday, June 5, 3-5pm. Prepare to engage your heart and expand your soul through a series of empowering exercises utilising sound, movement, divine energy, meditation, and mantra.

Please bring a comfortable cushion or yoga mat, a bottle of water and wear comfortable, warm clothing. Book your place in the circle by June 3 by calling Lisa on 0432 830 989.

Bega RSL sub-branch will be holding its monthly meeting at its Elgas House headquarters on Upper St, Bega, on Monday, May 30 at 1630 hours. The branch is currently looking for a treasurer. Anyone interested in invited to attend.

Greg Thompson, a dietician from local Community Health, was the guest speaker at the May meeting of the Bega Valley Parkinson Support Group.

Mr Thompson brought to  the attention of the members at the meeting the need for care in their diet while managing their Parkinson’s disease. The way Parkinson’s medication is affected by a poor diet was highlighted in his presentation.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, June 6, at 10.30am at Bega Golf Club.

Selected works from artists who have exhibited at Ivy Hill recently will be part of its Winter Exhibition, on display from Thursday, May 26, to Monday, June 13 – then open by appointment.

Enjoy drinks with the artists on Saturday, May 28 from 3pm.