Apiarists on edge as mite threatens
Parts of New South Wales are in the grip of a Varroa mite infestation, the most serious pest for honey bees ... Narrandera apiarist and owner of King Bee Honey, along with his wife Wendy, David Mumford, is one of the region's beekeepers to be affected. The Riverina region has fared well so far compared to other areas which have had hives eradicated.
Critical research into local koala population
Narrandera's iconic koalas are at the forefront of an exciting research project to assess the population, health and genetics of the free-ranging colony. The project, led by National Parks and Wildlife Service, swung into action last month when a six-member team of specialist veterinarians, NPWS staff and a professional tree climber arrived in town to undertake field work.
Duo’s artistic creations on show
Two women, Alice Halden and Ayla Young, will feature in Narrandera's Artist of the Month in the Wide Open 2022 program, which features a variety of artists' work each month throughout the year ... Ayla will have 10 charcoal drawings on display while Alice has 10 photographic prints, seven water-colours and two oil paintings in the exhibition.
Grong Grong solar farm crowd-funds $750,000
It took just eight days for a community solar farm project planned at Grong Grong to reach its $750,000 crowd-funding target ... Under the scheme, the investors who signed up in the crowd-funding campaign join other seed investors in owning 90 per cent of the shares in what is the first crowd-equity-funded and owned solar farm.
Low unemployment not all good news
Narrandera Shire, along with Hay, have recorded the highest unemployment rates in the Riverina, according to the latest unemployment data released by the National Skills Commission, whilst neighbouring Lockhart has recorded one of the lowest ... Regional Development Australia Riverina chief executive officer and Director of Regional Development Rachel Whiting says it's no cause to celebrate because the Riverina has more jobs than people to fill them.
Narrandera set to showcase the best of country racing
Jeff Hanson. Narrandera Race Club is gearing up for one of their biggest ever meetings. Racing on Sunday July 17, Narrandera will host their first Showcase race day, with each of their eight races carrying a minimum $30,000 in prize money.
NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award for local man
Narrandera's Dr Stanley Grant Senior AM has won the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022. Dr Grant is an elder and a warrior of the Wiradjuri people who grew up in Griffith and spent time with his grandfather Wilfred Johnson (known as Budyaan) who spoke seven languages and taught Dr Grant the Wiradjuri language.
Population going backwards
The Census results for Narrandera have been released, showing a slight decrease of 155 in population. Conducted in August last year, the Census recorded 5698 people in Narrandera, down from 5853 residents recorded in the 2016 Census. The results revealed that Narrandera was home to 12.7 per cent of people who identified as Indigenous. This figure came in at four times higher than the national average of 3.2 per cent ... “This accurate and valuable data reveals who we are as a nation and how we have changed.”
