Clarence Valley Independent

Emma Pritchard. More than 70 competitors will make a splash on the Clarence River during the Grafton Rowing Club 2021 Regatta this weekend. Featuring 47 events including single skulls, double skulls, quads and open skulls, the event is the first Northern Rivers regatta to be held this season and has attracted a pleasing number of entrants from Lismore, Murwillumbah, Tweed Heads, the Lower Clarence and Sydney.

Geoff Helisma. The  Regional State of the Environment Report Summary  2020 reveals that Clarence Valley Council is near or at the back of the pack when it comes to its renewable energy and emission reduction targets. The document, which was funded by 12 north coast councils (and Rous County Council), from Port Macquarie to the Queensland border, “aims to provide data on environmental conditions at both a regional and local level from 2016 to 2020”.

Story Dogs is a reading support program where selected children read to an accredited dog and its handler ... Rusty and his handler Kathy are the Clarence Valleys first Story Dog team. They visit Gillwinga Public School in South Grafton each week to listen one on one to a pre-selected group of children who benefit from Rusty’s calm and relaxed manner.  

Gai Pritchett. A collaboration  of art and photography is featured in Julianne Gosper’s intricate detailed paintings of  amazing birds and animals and the ethereal photography of Brian McGrath.  “Artography”  will be exhibited at the Old Kirk, Yamba Museum from Friday November 26 to Thursday December 23, 2021 ... Julianne Gosper is a Clarence Valley based artist who has had a lifelong  fascination with the natural world ... Photographer Brian (Dino) McGrath spent his initial childhood years in the small town of Harden/Murrumburrah in the Riverina Region of NSW.

Geoff Helisma. In Grafton on  Sunday and Monday, November 14 and 15, Armen Arakelian (CEO) and Will Jefferies (director), from  Clean Waters Oceania  exhibited a machine, manufactured by Israeli company  Watergen, that “uses condensation as a means of producing fresh water”. Watergen says it has “become the global leader in the atmospheric drinking water devices market”.

Miles James. Grade B Grade Maclean golf on Saturday, David Lorenzo showed his steady progress with a very good forty points take second place by just one shot from another improver Geoff Willis. Neither of these consistent scoring golfers could be prepared for the hurricane behind them. After a steady 17 points on the first nine holes and a no score on the tenth, Tracy Johnson breezed through the final eight holes scoring a nett birdie 3 points on every hole.

Emma Pritchard. “Teachers are instrumental in every community and the NSW Government needs to invest in them because children, especially in rural and regional areas, are bearing the brunt of the shortages and as a consequence their education is being put at risk”: NSW Teachers Federation President, Angelos Gavrielatos.