The Editor

A spirited collaboration between Devils Thumb Distillery and Far Northern Milling has culminated in Best Cane Spirit (sugarcane juice) at the inaugural 2022 Australian Rum Awards held in Brisbane this month ... Dependent on proximity to the raw ingredient of sugar cane juice gives Australian Cane Spirit a distinctive quality and means Far North Queensland’s Devils Thumb is uniquely placed to produce cane spirit which in other countries is known as Agricole (Martinique) or Cachaça (South America).

Recent flooding across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia has been declared the most expensive in the nation’s history and a natural catastrophe by trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, as the dire consequences to regional communities become more clearly understood ... In response to the unfolding disaster the organisation is relaunching its Buy a Bale fundraising campaign which was popular during the equally significant recent drought.

South Australia’s 2022-23 harvest is set to break previous records of production levels and farm gate value, according to estimates in the latest South Australian Crop and Pasture Report. The record high production estimate of 12.1 million tonnes, combined with high global grain prices means the farm gate value is estimated to come in at $4.4 billion, breaking last year’s previous record high value of $3.3 billion.

The Shire of Coolgardie’s independently run Meals on Wheels service was recognised on a National stage this week, after winning the Meals On Wheels Australia Service Excellence Award for 2022 ... The program not only provides residents with free and nutritious meals, but it also became a welfare check on clients in our regional towns throughout the Shire.

It’s been an egg-cellent start to the Sunshine Coast turtle nesting season, with six nests laid in seven days. At sunrise on Friday, November 25, expert citizen scientist and Turtle Care volunteer Lesley Dimmock spotted the first turtle tracks on Buddina beach.

Boosting Defence Force presence in Central Queensland would provide maximum capability gains for Australia’s Defence Forces while remaining substantially out of range for the most likely enemy long-range weapon systems. That’s the finding of a compelling submission to the Federal Government’s Defence Strategic Review compiled by independent defence consultants commissioned by key local government and regional development authorities in Central Queensland.

David Landini, Riverina State Group. The Victorian election, with the re-election of the Daniel Andrews’ Labor government, and the election of seven Greens Members of Parliament, ensures that the suppression of natural resource-based industries such as irrigated agriculture and timber harvesting will not only continue, but actually accelerate and expand. That these Members of Parliament are all urban-based, while the industries being suppressed are all in the country, demonstrates the cultural and economic division existing between the urban and country populations.

Not long to go now until the fantastic, fun-filled Summerland Giant Pumpkin and Watermelon Festival. Spread the word to family and friends over Christmas. It’s going to be an action-packed day to enjoy for the whole family. Displays of giant pumpkins, watermelons and various other gigantic vegetables.

Farmers are reporting increased snake sightings as floodwaters force the reptiles onto higher ground. Sarah Thompson from the NSW Farmers Rural Affairs Committee said many members were reporting an increased number of snake sightings as a result of the flooding, which had also reduced access to veterinary treatment.

The South Australian Wooden Boat Festival (SAWBF) will be sailing into new territory for the April 2023 Festival, with Coorong Quays hosting the two-day event at the Alexandrina Cove Lifestyle Village, Hindmarsh Island. This biennial occasion will showcase the finest wooden boats from our region and beyond.