The Federation Dinner is held on the Friday evening of the Federation Festival weekend. At this dinner, a guest presenter is invited to give the Tim Fischer Oration.

Former Deputy Tim Fischer was Corowa's local member for all his time in both State and Federal Parliaments and he has kindly allowed us to use his name for the oration.

The oration is for people prominent in their field, to present a topic of interest, with possibly a Federation and historical leaning.

Presenters of the oration to date have been.

• 2016 - Dr Jeffrey Brownrigg - Adjunct Professor of Australian History, Canberra University
• 2017 - The Hon Tim Fischer - Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia 
• 2018 - Major General Shane Caughey - 38+ year army officer who grew up in Corowa 
• 2019 - Assistant Commissioner of Police Michael Corboy APM
• 2020 - Ms Catherine McGowan AO, former Member for Indi. 
• 2021 - Dr Brendan Nelson AO BMBS FRACP (Hon) FAMA FRSN
• 2022 - Ms Rosalie Ham - Author of 'The Dressmaker'
• 2023 - Mrs Elizabeth (Libby) Mourik
• 2024 - Mr Gary Poidevin OAM

2024-02-07 Corowa Free Press

Why the 'Tim Fischer Oration'

By Robert Muir

The name of Tim Fischer AC needs very little explanation to many people as it has been heard widely throughout our area for almost 50 years.

Some people have asked why the keynote address of the annual Federation Dinner is called the 'Tim Fischer Oration’. At the ninth Tim Fischer AC Oration on January 26, 2024 Master of Ceremonies Paul Miegel took the opportunity to explain the reasoning behind the choice, and paid tribute to the man whose name adorns the event. Tim generously allowed the use of his name to be associated with this Federation Dinner since its inception in 2016.He was born in Lockhart and after attending Xavier College in Melbourne was conscripted into the Australian Army and served in the Vietnam War. On his return, he took up farming at Boree Creek and became an active member of the Country/National Party. He served the New South Wales Parliament from 1971 to 1984, representing Corowa in the seat of Murray for the last four of those years.

In 1984 he was elected to the Australian Federal Parliament and again represented Corowa, this time as the member for Farrer, until his retirement in 2001. During his political career he was the Minister for Trade, led the National Party and was the Deputy Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999. "His advocacy for his electorate is evidenced by the refurbishment of the Oddfellows Hall that was a critical venue in the 1893 'People's Conference' here in Corowa," Mr Miegel explained. "His name is also on the approach bridge to the Federation bridge due to his influence in obtaining funding for a project that sees Corowa as one of the very few towns that have two river crossings.

"Since retiring from Parliament in 2001 Tim held several positions including: Chair of Tourism Australia 2004-2007; National Chair of the Royal Flying Doctor Service; Chair of the Crawford Fund on International Agricultural Research; Chair of the Australian Winemakers Foundation; National Patron of Frontier Services.

"In 2005 Tim Fischer was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia and was also awarded several foreign honours and decorations over the years. ln 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd nominated Tim as the first resident Australian Ambassador to the Holy See where he spent three years, returning to Australia in 2012.

"From political leader to diplomat, to farmer, consultant, company director, author, broadcaster and multiple patron, with a love of trains, military history and Akubra hats, Tim was a man of the highest integrity, compassion and dedication with a phenomenal memory as well as being an engaging speaker'. The MC said Tim is affectionately remembered as 'Two-minute Tim' because of his ability to engage with people for short periods of time yet still remember details, including names, from previous brief conversations. "It was an amazing skill' Mr Miegel said. "It is reputed that he would attend every Iocal function in his electorate that he was invited to - parliament permitting - such as arriving at debutante balls knowing the names of all those making their debuts'.

Tim passed away in 2019, aged 73 years-of-age. "The Rotary Club of Corowa pays its respect to a true gentleman, and recognizes his contributions to this country, this state and this community. May this event continue the memory of Tim Fischer AC," Mr Miegel concluded.

2024-02-07 Free Press

Edge-of-life Gordon Poidevin OAM story

By Robert Muir

Pictured left: Master of Ceremonies Paul Miegel, Federal Member for Farrer Sussan Ley, President of The Rotary Club of Corowa Bill Bott AM, and Gary Poidevin alongside an image of the Australian soldier which includes Gordon Poidevin's trousers and battle jacket.

The remarkable and unbelievable edge-of-life story of World War II survivor and highly acclaimed Corowa identity, the late Gordon Poidevin OAM, was the subject of Federation Dinner's Tim Fischer AC Oration of 2024 on Australia Day.

Master of Ceremonies Paul Miegel welcomed people to the Corowa Civic Bowls Club for what was the ninth consecutive annual dinner which included Federal Member for Farrer, Deputy Liberal National Party Leader Sussan Ley.

A prisoner of war (POW) for 41 months of 60 months' service, which included a successful escape only to be recaptured a few days later, Mr Poidevin made it home to Corowa. An enormous local community contribution ensued.

Gordon's story was conveyed by son Gary Poidevin OAM. Known to many as Mr Poidevin, Gordon, his close friends as Tubby and his Army friends as Pud, Mr Poidevin was born in Corowa on March 30, 1917, at the Corowa Hospital. As a small child, he spent a lot of time swimming in the river down Billy Crags Lane (known today as Lone Pine Avenue) and as a teenager down at the 'Brown Log' the area of river behind the girl guides cabin. This was a popular swimming spot in Corowa in the early 1940s where a light was installed in the big gum tree and the shire council ran power to it so people could enjoy a cool swim at night,

"Dad was educated at St Mary's in Corowa. He left school at the age of 14 because his father, who was a drover, suffered a bad accident, was unable to work and they needed his income to support their family'' Gary said. "He spent a lot of his young adulthood working on farms around the district and also with Sandy Connelly from Wahgunyah on the construction of roads. There were no Ioaders in those days, it was all by pick and shovel. "In his early 20s Dad was known to be a very good swimmer and a person with great physical strength. It was said that he won many a bet by picking up a bag of wheat with his teeth!

"On June 20, 1940, he enlisted in Wangaratta, joining the 2/24th Battalion 9th Division 2nd AIF at the age of 23. His Army training started at Wangaratta, then Bonegilla and Puckapunyal, and sailed from Perth in WA on the November 16, 1940, travelling via Columbo and up through the Suez Canal where they disembarked at El Kantara in Egypt. He quickly rose to the rank of Sergeant. "From there, they travelled by train to a camp in Dimra in Palestine and went through rigorous training in desert warfare, then a little R and R before entering the action.

In late April 1941 they advanced into the Desert below Tripoli. Here the real action started. They encountered the Africa Corp Panzer Division of Field Marshall Rommel. "The Panzers were too strong for the Allies, and they were forced to retreat until they were near Tobruk. Here, part of the 2 / 24 dug in and were ready to have another go at the Germans. "They fought for three days under attack both from the air and surrounded by tanks until finally they had been blown to 'kingdom come!’ The survivors of the attack were taken prisoners on May 1, 1941.

"Dad's eye had been cut badly during the battle and as a POW he was stitched up by the Germans at a first aide post. "The POWs captured by the Germans were trucked back to Benghazi to 'The Starvation Death Camp' and made to work from sun up till dark, seven days a week and any other time that a ship needed unloading. "They worked at the wharf, a petrol dump, a store shed and a Field Post. Most of the work was heavy lifting. "The camp had appalling conditions, no toilets and all POWS suffered with dysentery, body lice and scabies; they also suffered from desert sores, which turned into ulcers with some even eating into the bones of some prisoners. "Dad said the Benghazi camp was a hell camp, a slave camp slowly starving them to death. The treatment of the POWs was inhumane, the bashings and torture horrendous.

As the war moved on so did the Germans with their POWs. "In late December 1941 the POWs were taken from Benghazi up into Italy where they arrived at Taranto. 'After travelling up through Italy, the next prison camp Dad was put into was Campo PG 57 near Gruppignano at the foot of the Northern Italian Alps, arriving on February 19, 1942. “This camp was run by the Italian Army. As the camp grew in size the conditions started to deteriorate.

"With the expansion of the camp and new huts being built closer to the perimeter fence the talk of an escape was thrown around and decided it was time to have a go. "Led by Sergeant Noel Ross, an engineer, the plan to dig a tunnel under the perimeter fence out into a field of Maize about a 100 metres commenced. "It involved nine men, and this grew to 19 wishing to be part of the escape. They had about another 10 men who were unable to escape due to injuries but were prepared to do whatever to assist with the plan. "The only tools they had was a pick Noel Ross had stolen from the Italians and a tin hat. Noel had worked out the engineering for right depth and direction and distance for the escape to happen. "After about three months of horrendous digging, and many hut searches by the guards to no avail, the time had come to see if the tunnel was ready for the escape."

Extracts from two books written by two of the men who escaped were read: ' Tomorrow we escape' by Tom Trumble and ‘'What was it like to be a POW' by Bill Williams. The extracts referred to Pud's initiative in breaking the surface, his leadership and ability to pave the way for the escape.

'AII 19 escaped but unfortunately the Italians sent a division of 12,000 soldiers after them, and because of the torrid rain and swollen rivers, all 19 were recaptured over the next four to five days’ Gary said. "Back in to Campo PG 57 and solitary confinement.

"The satisfaction for the 19 men was they had escaped from a camp that was declared unescapable by the Camp Commandant.

"The Germans returned and started to shift the POWs to other camps. The original camp PG57 Chapel was destroyed but it was rebuilt by the POWs and has a cross displayed inside with the names of the POWS who rebuilt the chapel." Gary, his niece Bernina, and her daughter Ayse visited this camp site in September 2023 and showed photographs accordingly. 

"Dad was shifted to a transit camp in "Spittal-Am-Drau" in Austria. Stalag 18A. Here he organized another tunnel, but this time was discovered by the Germans after a tip off by a British officer. Apparently, this camp was going ok and the POW officers did not want any attempts to escape or anybody to rock the boat. So, Dad decided to go along with camp rules at this stage. "They befriended the German guards with goods received in the Red Cross parcels – so much so that his final escape with seven others came when they were out on a work camp getting wood.

Finally escaped!!

"Six of them had asked could they go to the toilet in the woods and when they had not returned the guards told Dad and another prisoner to go and find them so that they could return to camp. None were to return. "The eight escaped into Yugoslavia, the conditions were snow everywhere' . They met up with a group of Tito's partisans and fought alongside them against the Germans’.

"After 84 days on the run trudging through the snow the group, along with the partisans, were able to work their way do down the Dalmatian coast (Croatia) and from here the partisans took them out to the island of Vis which was a strong hold for Tito and his Army.' "Once again while on our trip last September we were able to visit the island of Vis and see the remains of Tito's stronghold of the island and how he was able to control the Adriatic Sea from here.

"From Vis the partisans sent them by boat across to Italy where they were able to rejoin with the allies. From here Dad was shipped back to London for some R and R and then home to Australia, where he was discharged in Ballarat on 30th July 1945.

"I think Dad's community spirit came from his mother, as a little kid I can remember her doing things like raising funds for an ambulance in Corowa. 'As a kid growing up, I thought Dad was involved in everything in Corowa. Over the years Dad started or owned many different businesses and helped a lot of people find jobs. "Because of his time overseas, he was able to welcome and assist many migrants into our community. I know he assisted many migrants from the Bonegilla Camp to assimilate into country Australia.

"He was a founding member of the RSL Sub Branch and Corowa Lions Club, a Life Member of the Corowa Football Club and Corowa Rutherglen Search and Rescue squad; he and Mum were Life members of the Corowa Amateur Swimming and Life Saving Club. "I have so many memories of things that he and Mum did for these organizations, like weekend wood drives for RSL and Legacy. Teaching people to swim and instructing lifesaving skills, He captained the rescue squad for many years and all sorts of working bees for the Lions Club where there is too many to list. My grandmother Nanna Poidy, Dad and Mum were all involved in the raising of funds for the Corowa swimming pool which opened in 1956.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope that you can see what I see - that Mum and Dad have worked their entire married life trying to make Corowa and the world a better place for us all to live in."

Ms Ley described Gary’s talk as "both heartfelt and informative'.  'As MC Paul Miegel said, his story is more The Great Escape than Hogan's Heroes. And what a story! Of courage, character, and commitment to one's mates’' she told The Free Press. "It reminded me of just how much we owe the post war generation, not just for the ones who gave their all but for the ones who came back and built this country. "Gary's record of service to the Corowa community makes him in every way his father's son.’

Representing Federation Council Mayor Pat Bourke, Gordon was described as "a fair dinkum Aussie whose life was shaped by his experiences as a POW in the hell camp at Benghazi and latterly in northern Italy" by Cr Sally Hughes. "While it was fascinating to learn about Gordon Poidevin OAM's great escape, it was also very interesting to learn about his life after the war' she said. "He opened a TV shop in Corowa and generously assisted migrants from Bonegilla to get jobs and to become part of the community. He played an instrumental role in getting a pool for the town. "His efforts and contributions have served to shape the social fabric of our community. He would be very proud to know that his family continue in his footsteps to make Corowa a great place to live'.

MC Paul Miegel, a former Rotary President and currently Assistant District Governor of District 9790, thanked attendees for their presence. His wife Meredith Miegel happily advised me: "There are 104 attendees, the highest ever number. It's been well patronised by the local community.'

The Rotary Club of Corowa President Bill Bott AM thanked Gary for sharing the history of his parents and acknowledged his wife Chris and daughter Stacey for their support to Gary during his public life. It is a life that resulted in him being the youngest ever councillor to join Corowa Shire Council (26-years-of-age), have 32 years of continuous service, be the longest serving mayor (13 years) of the shire, receive an OAM in 2014 for outstanding service to the community - 20 years after his Dad received an OAM - and is still a great contributor to the community. It is the only father/son OAM situation in Corowa. Gordon passed away on June 1, 2005.

"The presentation this evening is not only special of the Poidevin family, it is certainly a special part of Corowa's history;' Mr Bott concluded.

Corowa Rotarian Gary Poidevin OAM shared stories about his father Gordon Poidevin OAM (pictured with wife Lorna) at the Rotary Federation Dinner and Tim Fischer Oration.

The Free Press, Wed 26^th January. 2022

Rosalie Ham delights all

By Adrienne Hartnett

Residents of Corowa and surrounds were treated to a spectacular night last Friday with acclaimed author Rosalie Ham delivering a fascinating and heart-warming address at the seventh annual Tim Fischer Oration Federation Dinner.

Held at the Corowa Civic Bowls Club, it was the perfect start to a big Federation Festival weekend with over 70 guests in attendance including Member for Albury Justin Clancy.

Born and raised in Jerilderie, Rosalie now calls Melbourne home. She published her first novel ‘The Dressmaker’ in 2000 which was so successful that it was made into a film starring Kate Winslet, Hugo Weaving, Liam Hemsworth and Judy Davis.

The novel female celebrates fashion and draws attention to the small-mindedness of small-town communities, the injustice of bullying, and the satisfaction of revenge.

The Dressmaker has also been an established presence on the VCE Literature List and the English Studies reading list.

While she is best known for her debut novel, Rosalie has also written four other best-selling novels including ‘The Year of the Farmer’ and ‘There Should Be More Dancing’.

Rosalie recounted her experience growing up in country NSW, her studies, travels, journey to becoming an author, and the success of The Dressmaker.

The audience related to Rosalie’s experience growing up in a small town and shared a few laughs with the dynamic author.

“As a teenager I realised I was writing short stories as a form of therapy because I was killing off the main protagonist who would be one of my siblings or someone in the neighbourhood who had offended me”, she said.

“Coming from Jerilderie, that’s where the landscape of my imagination was formed. As far as I am concerned, that’s the only thing that’s relevant in my life.”

“The ability to go back to where I came from, to look at the landscape, the people in it and make sense of everything. All my stories come from there and all my stories feature strong women.”

Having sold over 300,000 copies of her novels in Australia and internationally, Rosalie’s story also touched on the power of overcoming rejection.

Rosalie’s speech was well-received by the audience with Master of Ceremonies Gary Poidevin proudly proclaiming, “now I know why you’re the favourite daughter of Jerilderie!”

“Thank you for inviting me to Corowa. It’s a joy and a pleasure to be here in the name of Tim Fischer AC who I never met but I thought was a lovely politician”, Rosalie replied.

Rotary Club of Corowa President Deborah Rowe thanked Rosalie for sharing her story before presenting her with a gift to remember Corowa by.

“Thank you for sharing with us tonight, it was absolutely wonderful,” Ms Rowe said to rousing applause.

2021-01-22 Federation Festival Dinner and the Tim Fischer Oration

The Federation Festival Weekend got off to a fantastic start on Friday night with the 6th Annual Tim Fischer Oration, which was held in the Civic Bowls Dining Room. The 2021 speaker was Dr Brendan Nelson AO, who spoke about his career and his connection to the late Tim Fischer. The speech was filled with many funny stories, heartfelt moments and memories of Mr Fischer. In his talk, Dr Nelson mentioned his admiration of Neville Bonner as well as his involvement in introducing the holding of ANZAC services in Belgian WWI graveyards. The talk emphasised the values of education, courage, endurance, sacrifice and mateship. Thanks goes to all those involved in making the evening an outstanding success.

Pictured: President Norm O'Flaherty with Dr Nelson

2017-01-19 The Federation Dinner & Tim Fischer Oration.

Eighty-three guests were entertained on the evening of Friday, January 27th at our Annual Federation Dinner and Tim Fischer Oration, held in the Oddfellows Hall in Sanger St Corowa. 

Tim Fischer has represented Corowa in both State & Federal Parliament where he was Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party. He retired from Parliament in 2001, and was the Australian Ambassador to the Holy See between 2008 and 2012.

As our guest speaker for the evening Tim was, as usual, very entertaining. Speaking on many facets of his expertise, starting with the flashpoints that helped build the case for Federation in 1901, comparing them to some of the clunky trade tariffs and trade choke points being proposed by Donald Trump.

We also heard of some of Tim’s challenges as Minister for Trade, some years ago, when dealing with the inequalities of reciprocal trade dealings internationally and in trying to encourage fair debate about the need for free or at least more liberal trade deals.

With his evident love of railways, and the need for a “future bread ticket”, Tim sees the need for both good rail and road, as well as port infrastructure in Australia but particularly seeing a need for extending the loading loop for grain at Barren Junction NSW, rebuilding a rail loop into Oakey Beef Qld. and aiding build a hub at Leigh Creek SA for inter-modal.

Tim very kindly signed copies of his book “Maestro John Monash” for those who purchased one of the thirty books we sold throughout the night. Unfortunately, Tim’s wife Judy was unable to accompany him to Corowa due to health problems, but we hope to see Tim back in Corowa along with Judy in the near future. 

Pictured: President Meredith and The Hon Tim Fischer