December 31 2017

The year is winding down and at this time last year many were wishing 2017 would hurry up because so much bad happened around the world in 2016.

2017 has treated us well as we have written 248 pieces across the year, we had just over 13,500 website visits and over 9,600 visitors.

Let’s take a look at what stories grabbed your attention month by month.

January started off with a call for raffle prizes and that locals also noticed that the weather was going up and down as hot days were followed up by cold ones and quickly replaced by hot days again.

News of a fundraiser got the interest of locals in February, the fundraiser shown that when it comes to helping locals out Deniliquin does really care.

The return of Deniliquin History in Photos topped the readers charts for March, the return of the popular Facebook page saw the news of its return reach #8 on our most read about list for 2017.

A new design of shopping trolleys and the moving of a popular Deniliquin sports team topped the charts in April, these news items did not have the same impact as the report on the merging of Deniliquin’s schools in April 2016.

The question of what does Deniliquin want and research into a postcard from 1916 topped the charts in May, readers helped make sense of the message on the postcard that was never sent to a Connie at Carrigan Villa.

The hunt for the Lyceum Theatre/Lyceum Hall topped the charts in June as locals discovered that the building was dismantled, shortened and rebuilt as an engineering building in Deniliquin North.

Drone footage of the Court House and Waring Gardens was the story of choice in July as the YouTube videos gave a spectacular view of the two areas and was sharp enough to read the rude messages on the bridge.

Also interesting readers was the story on Walking Stick Mick and the search for the site of the Methodist Church, readers discovered a cinema almost ended up on Cressy Street in the late 1930’s.

Images of Deniliquin in the 1960’s dominated the August charts and so did a report on Deniliquin’s many hotels both past and present ones which made a long list and lots of time spent reading up on them, research that continues to this day.

September saw the ERC election take place and so it dominated readers attention, Norm Brennan waltzed into the Mayor’s office after dominating the polls, the voters of the ERC went with a mostly former Conargo Shire lineup with five ex Conargo Shire Councillors, two ex Deniliquin Council members and two from neither council being elected.

October saw readers take a trip back in time thanks to Google Earth leaving most of Deniliquin’s streets stuck in 2008, Google Earth currently has images of Deniliquin’s streets in either 2008, 2010 or 2017 shape.

November had readers learning how to use the ‘Return and Earn’ machine which turned out to be a success in December and a petition to keep the Peacocks at Waring Gardens was launched after the ERC started eyeing the removal of them due to expense of updating their facility.

Finally we come to December and this month saw readers take an interest in the book ‘From The Banks Of The Edward River’, the fireworks at Waring Gardens also got the attention of readers and fine photos were taken by Daniel Clark.

December also saw the demolition of the old Police station and the closing down of Burchfields.

Below is the Top 10 most read stories on DNS for the year 2017.

1. Exploring Deniliquin in 2008
2. Shopping revolution coming to Deni
3. Images of Deniliquin
4. Deniliquin from the Air
5. ERC Election Wrap
6. Deniliquin’s Hotel History
7. ‘Return and Earn’ – December 1 2017
8. It’s Back!!!!!!!!!
9. Hunting down the Lyceum Theatre
10. Election Complication

That was the story of 2017 in terms of what readers of Deniliquin News Service read the most about.

Thank you for reading, we will see you in 2018.

December 30 2017

The signs are down at Burchfields as the clock ticks down on one of the longest running businesses in Deniliquin’s long history.

Gone is the Holden logo on the pole, gone is the long, red sign that read Holden and Burchfields leaving just an empty space on the wall.

It is going to be weird in 2018 without seeing the business operating there, the business started building coaches before cars hit the road and then offered vehicles from General Motors manufacturers such as Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Vauxhall, Bedford and then from the 1940’s Holden.

For many decades in front of the dealership stood two petrol pumps, The Independent mentioned in 1937 that Burchfield Bros. asked for and was granted permission to install a pump and over time these pumps were replaced.

The business saw every make and model that Holden built in Australia, an honour that few dealerships would of had the chance of seeing through.

Holden’s retreat from Deniliquin has defied logic as the business was at the pointy end of car sales in Deniliquin and the service department has been considered vital to this area as people will have to go to the border to get their car serviced.

The good news is that the building is heritage listed and deservedly so as the building has been virtually unchanged over the decades as shown in the second link above shows it virtually unchanged from 1937.

So when 2018 starts, there be two empty buildings side by side, the Community Centre whose facade proudly stands over the footpath while it steadily loses windows and Burchfields, both waiting for somebody to come along and give them new life.

December 30 2017

Tomorrow is the big day when most people are eagerly awaiting midnight and we g from 2017 to 2018.

Exchange Hotel
Jessica Lorraine
8pm to 12am

The Buncha
Trainwreck
From 8pm
Wear pink to have a chance of winning ‘Best Dressed’

Deniliquin RSL Club
Mal McGrath

The Zoo
Late night Karaoke