Emma Pritchard, Clarence Valley Independent

A number of fires which have severely impacted sugarcane crops in the Lower Clarence during the past week are being treated as suspicious. Around 11:45pm on August 25, emergency services were called to three properties along Serpentine Channel South Bank Road, Bewleys Lane, and Beckmans Lane in Harwood, following reports of fires in sugarcane crops.

More than 2200 submissions were presented to Clarence Valley Council (CVC) Mayor Ian Tiley by General Manager of Marshall Notaras Hardwoods and Vice President of Timber NSW Donna Layton on August 28 as a formal response, rejecting a report made at a council meeting two months ago by the Biodiversity Advisory Committee (BAC) which proposes to phase out native logging on public land.

Lestatt Hammond-Hurst from Glenreagh will represent NSW in the baking category at the WorldSkills Australia 2023 National Championships in Melbourne ... “In preparation for the competition, I’ve been working hard on my consistency, and making sure everything I take out of the oven looks perfect and has the same texture and colour."

There will be plenty of adrenaline pumping through the veins of competitors and spectators when the Grafton Rodeo bucks into action on August 12. Featuring an impressive line-up of 30 well-bred, professionally trained bulls, and close to 50 highly skilled riders, the event will deliver an unforgettable and electrifying experience.

A stretch of water along the Clarence River at Maclean will become a fast-paced raceway on July 23 when the Northern Rivers Aquatic Club Inc host their inaugural Power Boat Circuit Race Day. Close to 30 competitors from as far as Northern Queensland and the South Coast of NSW will roar into action...

From Pozieres, France, to Grafton, Australia, the spirit of the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay 2023, continued to burn brightly when it arrived in the Clarence Valley on June 26 to commence its Grafton tour as part of its nationwide journey commemorating the 100th anniversary of Legacy, an iconic charity dedicated to providing support and assistance to the families of deceased and seriously injured Australian Defence Force personnel.

After finishing sixth in the inaugural running of the event last year, talented white and blue dog Vamoose returned to the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club a stronger and more experienced performer in 2023, unleashing a brilliant turn of foot to record a powerful victory in the $75000 Thunderbolt, the richest race in the world over 350m, on June 24 ... Speaking from her Branxton home in the Hunter Valley, winning trainer Susan Smith, who also bred, and races Vamoose, said his triumph in the Thunderbolt was her biggest win after being in the sport for 50 years.

As she prepares to head overseas to represent her country as the newly crowned 2023 Rodeo Queen of Australia, Grafton resident Jessica Hicks, reveals it all still feels like a dream ... Ms Hicks will travel to Canada and the USA next month ... representing Australia alongside other rodeo queens from around the world at the Calgary Stampede and then following up events in Dallas, Texas over a fiveweek period.

In receiving the 2023 Dr Helen Proudfoot Women in Planning Award which recognises her outstanding contributions which have enhanced and improved agricultural planning policies ... DPI employee Tamara Prentice remains dedicated in her commitment to ensuring agricultural land maintains a pivotal role in the increasingly competitive rural landscape, and is motivated by her love of the natural environment.

A substantial number of landholders and residents of rural communities between Glenreagh and Ulong are vehemently opposing a proposal by the Glenreagh Mountain Railway (GMR) and their newly established sister company Tallowwood Ventures Ltd (TVL) to develop a 35km section of the currently inactive Glenreagh to Dorrigo Branch Line and transform it into a rail trail ... several residents including former GMR members told the Clarence Valley Independent they are “frustrated, angry, and disturbed” by the proposal.