LAST Sunday the Coleambally Community Club played host to the reunion of the 10th Coleambally Ballot with farmers celebrating 40 years since the event.
Balloteers and their families, who numbered 78 in total, travelled from Young, Wagga, Griffith and Leeton to join with those still living in Coleambally.
Friendships were renewed and memories shared, as well as a few laughs as people relived stories from the early days.
Roy Brain and John Graham shared the honour of cutting the anniversary cake as they are the only two original ballot holders still farming and living in the area.
Those present on the day were:
Barry and Sue Allen (Leeton), Tom and Hazel Cooper (Jamberoo), Margaret Dunbar, Trish Clark, Nevis and Leo White (Griffith), June Sly (Darlington Point), Shirley and Rhys Kingham, Beris Lyell, Evelyn and Kevin Coster, Collen and Lance Harland, Geoff Irvin (Binya), Jack Patten (Leeton), John and Judy Graham, Anita and Roy Brain, Kay and Reg Foster, Olive and Jim Nelson (Young), Maurice Batkin (Young) and Pat and Bob Fraser.
A poem titled Coleambally was also read on the day, which was dedicated to the original ballot holders who have since died.
They are Tim Lucas, Doug Martin, Neville Chisholm, Harold Eckley, Gordon Schubert, Jake Caduro, Terry Josling, Alan Pfitzner, Jim Lawson, Bill Lyell, Clem Dunbar and John Sadlier.
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