The Eden Meals on Wheels roster for the week starting Monday, December 5 is: Monday, Shirley McCamish and Faye Traise; Tuesday, Julie Ristanovic and Jenny Cole; Wednesday, Steve and Marie Mahoney; Thursday, Rose and Jack Dickenson; Friday, Mary Mitchell and Gayl Cox.

The next “meet and munch” lunch will be at the Eden RSL Hall on Thursday December 1, at noon. This will be a traditional Christmas lunch catered for by the Eden Lioness Club. It’s important to RSVP before the date. To do so, please call Aileen on 6496 1920. Please leave a message if not home.

The Nethercote Christmas party is on this Saturday. At 4.30pm Santa will arrive and present gifts (BYO gift to go in Santa’s sack, no more than $20). At 5.30pm kid’s games will begin followed by the buffet dinner at 6.30pm, please bring a plate to share. At 7.30pm there will be a coin toss for hampers and other items. At 8.30 the tradition southsiders verse nothsiders Tug-o-war cup will take place which will be followed by music into the night. 

The last meeting of the year for the Eden Country Women’s Association branch will be on Friday December 9. The meeting will commence at 10.30am in the Eden CWA Hall on Lake Street. All welcome.

This Friday on Rotary Radio on Sapphire 97.5 FM at 8.45am Gav and Col will start with local news and events and at 9am Colin's first guest is Paul Morris, former principal of Eden High. Paul is now working on some exciting youth projects in Eden. At 10am Colin will speak with Ryan Clarke the new manager of the Pambula Merimbula Golf Club. Local hero Alexandra Seddon will then join Colin at 11am. 

With the Merimbula Gift on January 7 getting closer, the committee would like to thank all their sponsors and supporters. The committee would also like to remind people that the Gift raffle draw will take place on December 13, 7pm at Club Sapphire. All are invited. The main race of this event, the Merimbula Gift race, is over 120 metres and is a lead up to the Stawell Gift in Victoria at Easter. Along with seven other races this year, organisers have added an invitation footrace over 100m for South Coast Athletes. There will also be a 3km for all local runners. All races will have a cash prize for placed athletes along with a sash for the winners. Phone Ian Llyod 0404 625 240 for details.

Gen-I proudly presents Movie in the Moonlight on Saturday, December 10 at the Eden Swimming Pool. From 6.30pm until 10.30pm there will be swimming, food vans, a barbecue, buskers, face painting and a lucky door prize. The movie Mr Peabody and Sheman will start at 8.30pm. Tickets are $5 per person or $15 for a family of two adults and three children. Children under 6 are free at this cash only event. Children under 13 require adult supervision

A large crowd gathered at Twyford Hall on Friday night for the opening night of the fantastic local production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. 

The audience was amazed with huge amount of local talent on display. After a successful first week of shows the cast and crew are looking forward to finishing in style. 

The last show will take place on Sunday, December 4.  Anyone who was unable to see the show on the weekend is urged to head to www.josephmerimbula.wordpress.com to grab tickets for their upcoming shows. 

The Bega Valley Shire Library Service will complete its line-up of self-checkout technology next week with new self-service machines to be installed in the Eden and Bermagui libraries.

When installed, customers visiting any library in the Shire will have the option of checking their own library resources out and save time waiting in queues.

Eden library was closed on Tuesday 29 November for the installation of the self-check machine along with a security gate and improvements to the library’s layout.

Coordinator of Customer and Library Services, Cassandra Margules said the installation of the machines will lead to a better experience for people visiting any of the Shire libraries.

“It basically means more time looking for that book or magazine you’ve been looking for and less time waiting in checkout queues,” she said.

Library Operations Team Leader, Samantha Fenton said the new machines will help to improve customer service levels by allowing staff to spend more time helping customers with queries and technology help.

“Staff will always be happy to show people how to use the machines, it’s a straight-forward process and counter service will always be available,” she said.

It is expected that machines in both libraries will be up and running by Thursday 1 December.

For more information call Bega Valley Shire Council on 6499 2222.

The Art of Dinosaur Designs is an exciting new exhibition from artists Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy.

“We apply the same principles in our art as in our design practice, but with a greater sense of freedom,” Ormandy said. “We tackle each project the way you would tackle a painting or a drawing, really following your eye and allowing those accidents and developments to happen.”

Iain Dawson, Director of Bega Valley Regional Gallery said: “Exhibitions like The Art of Dinosaur Designs put regional galleries on a level playing field with the metropolitan institutions. Cultural tourism is growing in Australia and the Bega Valley Regional Gallery sees itself as a small, but perfectly formed, player in that space.”

All are welcome to see the free exhibition which will close on December 3. 

The exhibition at the Bega Valley Regional Gallery is open from Monday to Friday from 10am until 4pm and Saturday 9am until noon. 

In the lead-up to World Aids day on December 1, the Southern NSW Local Health District is encouraging those at risk to get tested for HIV. 

One in six people diagnosed with HIV in NSW report heterosexual exposure, and at least 10 per cent of people with HIV don’t know they have the virus and could unknowingly pass the virus onto others.

Those are the surprising statistics  Alison Nikitas, Southern NSW Local Health District’s HIV & Related Program manager, said and hopes this will prompt more people to get tested for HIV. Once a person is diagnosed, they can start treatment and improve their health outcome as well as prevent the virus from being passed onto others.

“A person with HIV who is on treatment in 2016 can expect a near-normal life expectancy and to live a healthy life. Health professionals now view and treat HIV like any other chronic manageable condition”, Ms Nikitas said.

Health professionals across NSW are encouraging people ‘at risk’ of HIV to be tested.

In Southern NSW Local Health District HIV Testing is available at the Bega Community Health

Centres and is free and confidential, or speak to your local GP.

For confidential information on where to get a HIV test people can call the NSW Sexual Health Infolink on 1800 451 624.

The Sapphire Coast community is invited to enjoy an exploration of our local area through the camera lens.

Lenscapes, a photography exhibition at Artessence Gallery, will feature the stunning landscape works of well known locals DeeGee’s Photography and Rob Evans. 

There will be drinks and nibblies with the photographers on the exhibit’s opening night, Saturday December 3, at 5pm. 

The exhibition will then be open from 10am-4.30pm Monday December 5 to Saturday December 17 in the Main Gallery Room at 47 Toallo Street Pambula.