Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from Australian Community Media, which has journalists in every state and territory. Sign up here to get it by email, or here to forward it to a friend. Today's newsletter is written by Macleay Argus editor Christian Knight.
G'day from the NSW Mid North Coast - God's Own Country and where many of us are in his waiting room as it's a retirement hot spot.
Given our collective life experience, it was no surprise to see considerable excitement at the official opening of the Macksville Railway Station - albeit 100 years' late.
The North Coast Line from Kempsey to Macksville was actually good to go a century earlier - but the kibosh was put on any public fanfare at the time due to the presence of a particularly nasty bug doing the rounds.
The Spanish Flu was fingered - and in the popularity stakes it was among the low points of the 1900s, along with The Great Depression and the German Unpleasantness (parts I and II).
But there was no derailing the joy this time as scores of locals got all-aboard a two-day knees up at Macksville.
With NSW Governor Margaret Beazley, and punters from across the region in attendance, it was a lock for success - as sure a thing as one politician or another mumbling "fast train" in the run to an election.
Tracking elsewhere, Queensland State of Origin coach Kevvie Walters could be excused for mouthing "done, done, done", after the other team from the other State brought Mitchell Pearce back into the fray for the decider.
Pearce, who has played 18 times for NSW for a duck egg haul of series' salutes, thought his train had passed until a late injury to Nathan Cleary saw him drafted in.
Another sleeper could be the 'stick fighting' team from Mt Isa who are off to the Australian national championships in Melbourne over the weekend.
Eskrima is the national martial art of the Philippines - and "it is really fast and that is what I love about it," The Isa's Patrick Roche told the North West Star.
We're not sure how much jousting sticks go for these days, though it's unlikely many would be brave enough to say the words "tell him he's dreamin" anywhere within cooee of Patrick.
And that's before we even get into the "axe incident" that occurred at a medieval festival in Sydney over the weekend.
Christian Knight, Editor, Macleay Argus
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