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Community Reference Group chairman Jack Papageorgiou says the group is printing another 20,000 'postcards to the pollies', with up to 10,000 to be handed out the the upcoming Riverland Field Days and the remainder to be distributed to local community groups.
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Momentum builds: Postcards to hit Field Days
The 'postcards to the PM and the Premier' campaign has gained further momentum, with 10,000 cards to be distributed at the upcoming Riverland Field Days.
Driven by the Community Reference Group, the campaign demands immediate action to help struggling Riverland irrigators, businesses and the region overall.
Thousands of postcards have been inserted in The Murray Pioneer over the past fortnight, and this week the group decided to print an extra 20,000 cards - half to be handed out at the 2008 Field Days and the remainder to be distributed to Riverland community organisations and local retail outlets.
"We're getting bombarded with requests for the cards," said Community Reference Group chair Jack Papageorgiou.
"We're making them available at the Field Days so people can continue to send a message to Prime Minister Rudd and Premier Rann.
"And we're also getting other enquiries - a local church wants 1000 cards, as does a primary school.
"The encouraging thing is our ageing community is getting behind the card.
These are people who have actually had experience with issues about being on the land and issues about water - and they have a passion for the river."
Mr Papageorgiou said group members were encouraged by local response to the postcard campaign, which follows the theme of a recent letter sent to the two leaders.
"We're really encouraged that the community is getting behind it, given the time and effort we've taken over the past couple of months putting this together," he said.
"It makes me feel very proud of my community.
"And of course we want to thank The Murray Pioneer for all their help and generous donations towards getting this project up and running."
Mr Papageorgiou said he would be advising the Sunraysia community to adopt a comparable campaign.
"I'll be going to Mildura on the weekend and meeting with a community group there, and I'll be encouraging them to do something similar," he said.
The Riverland Field Days will be held on September 17-18.
Meanwhile the State Liberals have also backed the call for immediate action to help local irrigators.
"The Riverland needs extra water now," said Legislative Council Member John Dawkins, who is 'paired' to the Riverland.
"Riverland producers and the community have always been resilient and positive, however, I have not seen the region under such stress.
"Indeed, I can not recall any other periods in my life long association with the Riverland where there has been such a widespread impact on horticulture and associated industries.
"This is highlighted by the large scale loss of permanent plantings. South Australia cannot afford to lose the permanent plantings..." 
Festival rescued
By PAUL MITCHELL
A surge of community support has secured the South Australian Country Music Festival's long term future in the Riverland.
The volunteer-driven event was on the brink of folding when its organising body, the Riverland Country Music Club, was unable to stage an annual general meeting last month.
However, following a front page story in The Murray Pioneer and subsequent community concern, a spectacularly successful annual general meeting was held in Barmera on Monday night, with more than 30 people attending.
All committee positions were filled, while the Barmera District War Memorial Community Centre (BDWMCC) has taken over as the club's treasurer.
In addition, representatives from the Riverland Development Corporation (RDC), Riverland Tourism Association (RTA) and Berri Barmera Council have agreed to help the club source government funding.
"I was so emotional when I saw all these people turn out (at the meeting) for the country music festival," said club life member and long time festival organiser Dot McDonnell.
"They all said that the festival was crucial to the Riverland and the region's economy, and they said that the festival folding was not an option."
Mrs McDonnell said festival organisers were already looking towards next year's event - to be held from May 30 to June 9 - and were hoping to attract a star of similar standing to Troy Cassar-Daley, who attended this year's event.
"I don't think the festival's short term and long term futures could be any healthier," she said.
"We're looking towards booking our next major act. We've got a regular committee meeting in a fortnight and hopefully these (new) people can catch up with what we're doing."
Mrs McDonnell said having the BDWMCC take the club's financial reins would allow existing volunteers to spend more time on their area of expertise.
"They want us, the committee, to handle the entertainment side of it, and that's what we do, we're musicians," she said.
"And they're doing the financial part."
RDC chief executive officer Ken Smith, RTA marketing manager Emily White, Berri Barmera Council mayor Peter Hunt and chief executive officer David Beaton, and BDWMCC chairman Ian Penno were among those to attend the meeting.
Mrs McDonnell said this group has promised to help the festival source government funding.
"They know where all the grants are," she said.
"They can raise funds much better than us.
"We're not really experienced in those areas. We're just volunteers and do our best, and we were missing a lot of what we could get."
Mrs McDonnell's husband, Murray, was re-elected club president, while David Glen is the new vice president. Anne Haby is secretary and Dennis Wutke public officer.
Mrs McDonnell and Radio 5RM's Trevor Scott will be joint publicity officers.
MP launches Renmark's 'solar school'
By MONIQUE PASCHKE
Renmark Primary School will become partially self sufficient after installing solar panels to produce electricity for its facilities.
The panels were launched at an assembly attended by local Member for Chaffey, Karlene Maywald, on Wedensday.
After a rousing rendition of the national anthem, Mrs Maywald took to the stage to discuss the environment and "clean green energy" with the students.
"I think anything going on with the environment is good for schools," Mrs Maywald said.
"Students are actually seeing an approach (towards adopting) green energy."
Mrs Maywald said she enjoyed taking the time to visit schools from her local electorate.
"I really think it is important to be a part of our school community," she said.
School principal Denise Rigby-Meth said the partially government funded solar panels had been installed as a component of the school's energy saving plan.
She said the school had a significant focus on the environment and it was important for students to learn how to save energy for later in life.
"It has made a big difference to their understanding of how the future will be for them," she said.
"Students can get on a computer and see how much energy the solar panels are producing."
She also explained that the panels would be economically beneficial because they would produce energy that the school would otherwise pay for.
"It is saving money for the school," she added.
Take allowances out of our hands
By CRAIG TRELOAR
Two Riverland councils have backed a proposal to change State Government legislation that currently forces elected members to set their own allowances.
Under the changes, mayors and councillors will have their allowances determined by an independent Remuneration Tribunal.
Murray and Mallee Local Government Association president and Loxton Waikerie Council deputy mayor Leon Stasinowsky said he supported the concept, but only if the allowance calculation method was fair.
"That's certainly going to be a hard job, to work out what council does more (than others)," he said
"But councils with a bigger area like ours mean more travelling and more down time, which should be taken into consideration.
"It (allowance set independently) has been done before and those who were put up thought
it was okay and those that went down thought it wasn't fair."
Mr Stasinowsky said the Loxton Waikerie Council had not raised its allowances for three years.
"It usually makes headlines when councils put allowances up, even if they were low to start with," he said.
"But some councillors are probably only getting $2 to $3 an hour for their work.
"We need to reward people reasonably or we won't get anyone to stand."
The Renmark Paringa Council also supports the concept, according to chief executive officer Barry Hurst.
"We're supportive of that concept and it has been the position of the council for quite a long time," Mr Hurst said.
"The main thinking behind it from a council perspective is that we don't believe that it's appropriate for council members to determine their own remuneration levels."
State/Local Government Relations Minister Gail Gago said the proposed changes would require the Remuneration Tribunal to set allowances once every four years, with the amounts indexed annually in the intervening years.
"Subject to consultation on the draft Bill, I envisage the new arrangements applying to councillors and mayors who will be elected at the next local government elections, due in November 2010," Ms Gago said
The Murray Pioneer was unable to obtain comment on the issue from the Berri Barmera Council.
Tourist centre unscathed by visitor slump
By CRAIG TRELOAR
The Berri Visitor Information Centre (BVIC) has recorded excellent sales growth despite experiencing one of its quietest quarters ever.
From May to July this year the number of visitors to the centre decreased by 33.1 per cent from 3487 in 2007 to 2331 in 2008. During the same period bus enquiries decreased by 40.5 per cent from 1993 in 2007 to 1184 in 2008.
Despite the decline, BVIC manager Nicki Millington said sales figures for the quarter increased by over 10 per cent.
"Everything seems to be going really well here," she said.
"Our sales figures include Premier Stateliner bus tickets and freight sales, Greyhound bus tickets and freight sales, cruise and souvenir sales.
"Even though visitor numbers have gone down, I think (the increase in sales) is due to our expanding range of products.
"The main area that's increased has been our souvenir sales, which are being driven by people from outside the area.
"We are also trying to get more local products in…the centre has been selling prints by Italo Vardaro, which have been running out the door."
Mrs Millington said the August to October quarter could be "even better" as Berri is hosting a number of prominent events.
"It already looks like August was a very good month," she said.
"Visitor numbers have picked up and sales figures have gone up as well.
"We are coming up to a very busy time, with the Riverland Renaissance Festival, the October long weekend and school holidays, so visitor numbers should continue to grow."
Mrs Millington said the BVIC would also be launching a new tourist promotional program in coming weeks.
"Through the support of our local operators, we have been able to develop a fantastic promotional tool to encourage visitors to spend money in our local area," she said.
"When visitors come to the Riverland they will be able to pick up a pack of coupons from selected outlets, which enables them to receive discounts when they shop at participating local businesses.
"These businesses included accommodation providers, local food outlets, wineries, shops, tours and even hair and beauty salons from Berri and the surrounding districts, namely Glossop, Winkie and Monash."
Drive-in's farewell screening
Fans of the Riverland Drive-In Cinema will have one final chance to farewell the local icon this weekend before it shuts down permanently.
Will Smith's Hancock will be the final film to screen at the drive-in, accompanied by support film You Don't Mess With the Zohan, starring Adam Sandler.
Owner Geoff Harris said the films would be screened tonight and Saturday night.
"I'd like to thank everyone who has supported the drive-in through my seven years of ownership," Mr Harris said via the Riverland Drive-In Cinema's website.
After the closure, Mr Harris said the cinema would be replaced with three new housing blocks.
The gates and canteen open for the final screening from 6.45pm, with the film starting at 7.30pm.
The Barmera Drive-In, as it was known at the time, was established by Wallis Theatres in 1962 and became the region's sole drive-in when the Loxton Drive-In closed in March 1986.
Until this weekend, it had been one of only two operational drive-in cinemas remaining in South Australia, the other at Gepps Cross.
Burnout drivers caught
A 16-year-old Waikerie youth was reported for the misuse of a motor vehicle after he was allegedly conducting burnouts around 4pm on Tuesday.
The youth's vehicle was impounded for seven days.
In addition a 31-year-old Berri female was reported for alleged burnouts in Cooper Street, Berri, around 10pm Wednesday.
Police also seized the female's car for seven days and she will appear in court at a later date.
Meanwhile a 29-year-old male from Renmark North was reported early Thursday morning for recording a blood alcohol concentration of 0.109 per cent after being stopped by Riverland police on Bookpurnong Road, Berri.
It is alleged that he was also driving unlicensed. The man received an instant six-month driving disqualification.
Irish superstars play to their strength
Ever mindful of the musical preferences of his parents (and their close friends), Murray Pioneer editor PAUL MITCHELL dutifully sought an interview this week with Irish singers DANIEL O'DONNELL and MARY DUFF, who will perform in Adelaide on Monday night.
T
WO Irish musical superstars will slip into South Australia next week with virtually no hype and even less fanfare.
However, the Adelaide Convention Centre will be packed when Daniel O'Donnell and Mary Duff take to the stage for their joint concert on Monday night.
The pair's relatively low Australian profile can be partly attributed to their typical audience, which O'Donnell admits is more mature than some other concerts.
"I suppose the music that I do dictates that the audience is going to be older," he said.
"You're not going to get too many teenagers, although we do get some younger people. We were in Canberra and we had a little girl in the audience that was about five or six and an old nun that was 105."
O'Donnell - a devout Christian - is somewhat of a musical phenomenon, boasting 20 UK top 40 albums, 15 top 40 singles and album sales of more than 10 million worldwide.
C
URRENTLY on his 10th Australian tour, the 46-year-old's blend of "easy listening" music has earned him a legion of loyal fans.
"I sing some Irish ballads, some country, some from the 60s and some inspirational songs," he said. It's a mixture of music and it's what I enjoy to do."
Not many of Monday night's crowd will be at their first Daniel O'Donnell/Mary Duff concert, and O'Donnell says he continues to be amazed by the devotion of his fans.
"I think the loyalty is quite incredible," he said.
"Once people start enjoying my music they seem to come back, and if they can't come every time, they come back at some point."
D
UFF regularly accompanies O'Donnell on stage and is also an Australian touring veteran.
She said the pair's most popular duet for audiences worldwide is Whispering Hope, but said the old Renee and Renato track Save Your Love is also high on the list.
Duff's latest album, Love Songs, was released in May. She said Australian concert-goers can expect her signature tunes such as Power of Love and Yellow Roses.
"When I sing Yellow Roses, people bring up yellow roses to me on stage," she said. "They go to a lot of trouble. Often they're not an easy flower to find."
Duff will tour solo during March and April next year and said she particularly enjoys Australian crowds.
"I love Australia because Australians are very much like the Irish people," she said.
"They're very welcoming people and very down to earth people. We find it very easy to relate to Australians."
Duff will release a new album of inspirational songs in October. She will perform next year in Mildura on Saturday, March 7, and in Adelaide on Monday, March 9.
Local jeweller's second diamond safari
Renmark jeweller Andrew McDonald is setting off on another diamond safari.
Mr McDonald will head to Antwerp, Belgium, and will be bringing back high quality diamonds for his Renmark store, Avenue Fine Jewellers.
The 17,000 kilometre journey will be Mr McDonald's second trip to Belgium.
"The beauty of it is I can handpick the diamonds for the customers and find one of the exact quality and price they are after," he said.
Mr McDonald said the major advantage of inspecting and selecting diamonds from overseas was the significant savings customers would make.
Anyone interested in obtaining one of the diamonds from the Belgium safari trip is urged to contact Mr McDonald on 8586 6878 or drop into his Renmark Avenue store.
Local sister act hits TV screens
By DALE FLETCHER
Former Berri teenagers Christine and Cassie Glenn have hit the small screen in the production of Double Trouble, which started on Channel Nine late last month.
The 13 episode children's drama is running on Saturday mornings and is based around the theme of two identical twin sisters who are separated at birth and accidentally meet 15 years later.
"It was great to work with my sister (Cassie), because we hadn't done any acting before and we were away from home, so we had each other," Christine Glenn said.
"We are actually twins in 'real life'."
Christine was thrilled with the final product and happy with her performance.
"The show does look a bit different on television, the colours in particular," she said.
"I know what parts of the show I like, and don't like."
Double Trouble was also shown at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
Christine is currently at Flinders University studying social work after completing year 12 at Glossop High School in 2006.
"I think it is important to gain an education," she said.
"I want to act, it would be great, but some of the actors from the show only work as actors. They can go months without working - I don't want that."
Christine still has fond memories of the Riverland, where she spent her childhood.
"Before we left to do the show, we were based in Berri and I have a lot of family and friends in there still," she said.
Glossop High School Aboriginal education co-ordinator Greg Albrecht is particularly thrilled with the sisters' accomplishments.
"The efforts of Christine and Cassie in this television series make them great role models for other indigenous teenagers growing up in the Riverland," he said.
"They have made everyone feel proud."
Mr Albrecht said he will be contacting WIN TV in the Riverland to ask about the possibility of Double Trouble being screened locally.
"It would be a great thrill for the region to get the series and the girls on to local screens," Mr Albrecht added.
More than just a meal
By MONIQUE PASCHKE
For many Riverlanders, Meals on Wheels does much more than simply deliver food -it also provides friendship.
Last week Australia celebrated national Meals on Wheels Day, an event occurring each year on the last Wednesday of August to recognise the 80,000 Australians and over 100 Riverlanders who volunteer for the charity.
Volunteers work five days a week to cook, deliver and organise meals for the aged, disabled and temporarily disabled.
In the Renmark Paringa region Meals on Wheels has been operating for 44 years and delivers around 50 to 80 meals each day.
Co-ordinator of the Renmark Paringa Meals on Wheels kitchen, Judy Dean, has been volunteering at the charity for 20 years.
Mrs Dean said she enjoyed being a part of Meals on Wheels because of the friendships with both her fellow volunteers and the people who receive meals.
"It is very nice, you feel useful," she said.
"Often they are such nice people that you go and visit and some of our clients are ex-helpers."
Mrs Dean said Meals on Wheels was an important service for people who are unable to cook and shop for themselves.
"A lot of people would eat inadequately and their health, I think, would deteriorate (without the service)," she said.
"We've noticed when a client comes onto Meals on Wheels how much their health has improved."
Ora Minge, of Renmark, is a Meals on Wheels recipient and said the friendships she has shared with the deliverers is an important aspect of her life.
"Each day I look forward to them coming," she said.
"I wonder 'who is it going to be today?'
"Meals on Wheels is just wonderful for people who cannot look after themselves properly."
Anyone interested in receiving Meals on Wheels or volunteering for the charity should contact Judy Dean on 8586 6040.
Not your regular John Smith
T
he Riverland's John Smith is definitely not your regular John Smith.
Married and living in Renmark, Mr Smith works as a customer service officer at Centrelink's Berri office, as well as being the lifeblood of the Riverland Basketball Association over a number of years.
"I sometimes get a weird look when I say my name is John Smith to strangers," Mr Smith said.
"But I reckon I look like a John Smith though."
B
orn and raised in Adelaide, Mr Smith worked for the Bank of New South Wales (now known as Westpac) before he received a job transfer.
"When I was 21 I got the transfer up to the Riverland and have stayed ever since," he said.
"I have been up here for the last 30 years," he said.
Mr Smith concedes he is a "sports enthusiast", playing volleyball and tennis before finding his calling on the basketball court.
"When you move to the country as a single guy, you play a variety of different sports," he said.
"My passion is sport, with basketball in particular.
"With basketball, I played, then I branched out into coaching and administration."
Mr Smith use to play basketball on Sunday nights on the outside courts in Renmark.
"People would sit in their cars on the sideline and toot their horn when a basket was scored," he said.
T
he club teams turned into the Riverland Basketball League for intertown competition, which started in 1990.
"When that league started all the club teams ceased to exist," he said.
"The standard of basketball increased due to the introduction of the league, but the number of people playing dropped."
Mr Smith said his biggest basketball highlight was Renmark A grade men's stunning 1993 championship.
"We were the underdogs, Loxton were heavy favourites and we beat them in double overtime," he said.
Renmark has continued its strong tradition by contesting the next 16 A grade men's grand finals, winning nine championships.
M
r Smith was also head coach of the Riverland side that won the women's SA country championship in 2004.
"We had a great team, we won by 25 points in the grand final," he said.
"It was a great day, it was satisfying to see some of the players who went through some tough years playing for the Raiders in the Central Australian Basketball League (CABL) finally taste success, they didn't have much success during those times.
"Hannah Lehmann was a superstar in that tournament, she was named most valuable player and was instrumental to the Riverland's success."
W
hen the now defunct Riverland Raiders joined the CABL in 1996, Mr Smith played a huge part.
"I was always around on the fringes," he said.
"John Ormsby, Seamus Flynn, Sam Fielke and Kerry Graetz were instrumental, I think, in the birth of the Raiders.
"When we joined the state league in 1996, that was a big call."
The Raiders opportunity to join the CABL came through The Advertiser writer Boti Nagy, who was heavily involved in the start up of a country league in the years before 1996, and told the Basketball Association of South Australia about the potential in the Riverland.
"In 1996, it became a reality," Mr Smith said.
During the Raiders years, Mr Smith's positions included secretary, treasurer, media and recruiting manager.
"I got a bit more involved with the Raiders when I saw things weren't happening that should be happening," he said.
"The Raiders was a pretty big operation, there was a lot of work that got done behind the scenes.
M
r Smith instigated for the Raiders import players during the years, including Derrick Boles, Chad Spady, Janice Moseychuck, Mel Croser and Willie Joseph, to be a major part of a school basketball campaign.
"That program was great for the kids and the players," he said.
"I used to take junior teams down to Adelaide to play in the carnivals run by North Adelaide, Woodville and Norwood and we would go to Mildura as well," he said.
"It was important for the juniors development.
"But in the end, there wasn't enough juniors."
Mr Smith believes that basketball in the region is on the rise and can only get better.
"The visit of the Adelaide 36ers to the Riverland last month was a huge boost to the region, I really enjoyed every minute they were here," he added.
FOOTNOTE: John Smith won 'best media coverage' for the CABL in 2000 for his weekly Raiders reports in The Murray Pioneer, defeating Dale Fletcher, of Messenger Newspapers.
Paving a way for remembrance
A memorial in honour of post World War II Riverland servicemen and servicewomen will be erected in Berri early next year.
The memorial will acknowledge all those who served Australia since 1945 with either the army, navy or air force.
It will feature 'remembrance pavers' that family and friends can purchase to honour former and current servicemen and servicewomen.
"It also will recognise those diggers who have served as peacekeepers and re-builders of countries," said Vietnam veteran and Buy A Paver fundraiser committee member Peter Richardson.
The Buy A Paver project has been instigated and co-ordinated by the Riverland Vietnam Veterans Association.
"We think that the paver project is finally recognition for the Vietnam veterans especially," Mr Richardson said.
"It's for the comrades who have served in Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor, Solomon Islands, Somalia, the list goes on.
"But the pavers are open to all Australian diggers who have served anywhere and at anytime."
Mr Richardson said the pavers are not simply for soldiers either.
"This is just not for people who have fought, this is for anyone who has served as a peacekeeper, maybe for the United Nations or as a police action," he said.
Mr Richardson said the fundraiser aims to raise half the amount needed to build the memorial, which will be situated in the median strip at the river end of Vaughan Terrace.
The campaign will be launched at the Berri Library today from 2pm.
"We think this will be the start of a well deserved respect for those who have served this country we live in," Mr Richardson added.
Planning begins for hospital's $41m upgrade
Planning for the $41 million upgrade of the Berri Hospital has begun, according to State Health Minister John Hill.
The hospital will be redeveloped under the State Government's controversial Country Health Care Plan, which is currently being revised by the government and its Country Health Taskforce, following public consultation.
Mr Hill said while the taskforce has asked for "additional time" to work through the submissions, the government would be "pushing ahead" with the redevelopments at both Berri and Whyalla.
He said it was important
the taskforce had enough time to complete its role satisfactorily.
"Many people had their say through the consultation period and we want to give the taskforce the chance to properly analyse all of the submissions," Mr Hill said.
However, Shadow Health Minister Vickie Chapman says the government needs to provide more information about what new services will be provided at Berri and the other three Country General Hospitals.
"Minister Hill's announcement…that work will begin on building the Country General Hospitals is a hollow promise at best," Ms Chapman.
"We still don't know what services are available in these hospitals or what is going to be in them when they are upgraded.
"Saying hospitals will be enhanced without providing details is useless."
Meanwhile the government this week released figures showing it had increased spending on country health services in South Australia by 55 per cent over the past six years.
Relay for Life's poolside view
An underwater photographic session is being offered to Riverland families as part of one local Relay for Life team's major fundraiser.
From October 10 to 12 parents can take their children to the Renmark Health and Fitness Centre and have action shots taken of them either diving into the indoor pool or swimming.
The concept is being driven by the Riverland Swim School's Relay for Life team, called the Chlorinators.
Team member Karley Anderson said it was the first time the school had entered a team in the cancer fundraising event.
"People can obtain a single photo or a set of three sequence action shots," Mrs Anderson said.
"This will be our major fundraiser and we don't have any set target, we are just going to go for gold."
Single shots (8x5) will be $5 each, while a set of action shots (6x4) will be $12 a set.
The Chlorinators currently comprise 10 team members, including one who is particularly passionate about fighting cancer.
"One of our (swimming) instructors participated in Relay for Life last year with St Josephs," Mrs Anderson said.
"It is an especially important event for her because some members of her family have had to fight cancer."
Anyone wishing to participate in the photo shoot - to be conducted by Kerry Pyers - should call Sandra at the Renmark Health and Fitness Centre on 8586 6072.
Riverland phone link for hearts
Riverland patients will now have improved cardiovascular care due to a new phone link with all major tertiary cardiology units in Adelaide.
The single telephone access number has resulted from the work of the Integrated Cardiovascular Clinical Network of South Australia (iCCnet SA).
It will allow rural doctors to contact cardiology units at Flinders Medical Centre, Lyell McEwin Hospital, Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for 24-hour cardiovascular advice.
State Government Health Minister, John Hill, said the introduction of the statewide access number was a major milestone for country South Australia.
"The service has contributed to the significant improvement in access to evidence based acute cardiology management and the improved clinical outcomes for country patients," he said.
The development of iCCnet SA has been led by Flinders Medical Centre cardiologists, who wanted to find out why cardiovascular disease had a higher impact on people living in regional and rural areas.
"This investment is aimed at ensuring country health services continue to have a strong future," Mr Hill added.
Slingshot seized
Riverland Police have located and seized a slingshot in Renmark after the weapon was operated in the area of Renmark Avenue on Tuesday afternoon.
Police are continuing their enquiries to locate the user of the slingshot.
True Blue Jenni our top 2008 tipster
BY DALE FLETCHER
Being a successful footy tipster is all about luck, a toss of a coin, a bit of good judgment and picking against your heart.
That was the advice from Jenni Thiel, of Renmark, who has taken out The Murray Pioneer Berri Retravision 2008 AFL footy tippers competition.
"There are no trade secrets, I can tell you," Mrs Thiel said.
"It was all a bit of fun and luck, but the last four or five weeks have been tense.
"I was one ahead going into the last round, so last weekend I was a bit nervous, especially when Fremantle beat Collingwood and then Port beat North Melbourne, I became a bit worried."
An avid Carlton supporter, Ms Thiel knew that when it came to the crunch, she had to follow her head, not her heart.
"I was a bit disappointed the times when I tipped against Carlton and they won," she said.
Ms Thiel scooped the tipping pool around the region, winning another tipping competition she was involved in.
"I did the same tips for both," she explained.
Ms Thiel beat hundreds of entrants to win the competition and a Sony LCD television, valued at $1500.
"I'd like to thank The Murray Pioneer and Retravision for the wonderful prize," she said.
Ms Thiel won with 128 correct tips, two in front of Jim Whellum, of Lyrup, and Trevor M Schulz, of Loxton.
Mr Whellum won a Sunbeam coffee machine, valued at $799 while Mr Schulz won a Dyson vacuum cleaner, valued at $599.
Andrew Lloyd, of Renmark, finished fourth and won a Samsung digital camera, valued at $199. All prizes were donated by Retravision while the Berri Club donated two meal vouchers each round for any lucky tipster who scored a rare eight out of eight.
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