Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Sophie Baldwin. Since the 1970s, the Chalmers family have been growing rice, so they certainly know a thing or two about the importance of performance and business planning. For Michael and Felicia that acumen was rewarded with the couple recently crowned CY25 SunRice grower of the year.

Coming off a farm at Barham, 14-year-old Hunter Toohey is at school in Ballarat studying as hard as he can to get back there as fast as he can. At the weekend he was on a mate’s property outside Ararat trying to help thin the local fox population before heading back to the boarding house on Sunday night.

Wakool Sheep Stud Induro White Suffolks has had a great showing at the 2025 Hamilton Sheepvention with wins across the board with their White Suffolks and also in Hamilton’s inaugural Ultra White showing. Induro stud owner Guy Treweek said it was a very successful event as they warm up for the year's bigger shows.

Families in Barham now have greater access to quality care for their school-aged children, with the launch of a new Out of School Hours (OOSH) service at Barham Public School. Driven by strong community feedback about the lack of childcare options in the region, the service has been established by Intereach in partnership with Barham Public School and its Parents & Citizens Association.

Gannawarra Shire Council is undertaking efforts to support small businesses operating in the municipality. As part of its 2025/2026 Budget, Council has reduced the costs associated with obtaining a footpath trading permit from $65 to $10.

In a bid to garner a better understanding of the important role irrigation plays in supporting biodiversity on farm, food producers from Southern Riverina Irrigators (SRI) and the Cohuna and District Landcare group met with MDBA regional engagement officer Sam Campi.

On Friday May 30, a group of ten passionate individuals came together to tackle a topic close to the heart of every community: volunteerism. Held in Barham, the roundtable brought together volunteers, committee members, and community leaders from Koondrook and Barham to reflect on what volunteering looks like today—and what it could become.

The Barham Koondrook Pastoral, Agricultural, and Horticultural Show Society is sounding the alarm: without a dedicated secretary and additional volunteers, this year’s iconic community show faces cancellation. Time is running out, and we need your help to keep this beloved tradition alive!

Barham Women's Group hosted another very successful Biggest Morning Tea on Monday 5th May. Over 100 guests enjoyed a delicious selection ... $3413.20 was sent to the Cancer Council ...

Ten candidates for the seats of Mallee and Farrer respond to questions on a range of key issues including cost of living, national energy security and affordability, housing, water buyback and human rights violations of the Government's Covid-19 response.