Clarence Valley Independent

Emma Pritchard. He spoke so passionately about his work with Clarence Valley youths, Jeremy Jablonski had to pause several times as the emotion of the occasion overwhelmed him. Mr Jablonski, a youth hub coordinator with the New School of Arts Neighbourhood Centre Inc, was among a small crowd which gathered at Fisher Park in Grafton on April 28 to welcome The Honourable Bronnie Taylor, Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Woman, and Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis as they officially launched the Clarence Valley Youth Hubs, made possible through Round 3 of the Stronger Country Communities Fund.

Emma Pritchard. More than 100 people gathered at the Ramornie cenotaph on April 24 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong, which raged for three days during the Korean War, 1950 – 1953 ... A special plaque designed by the late Major Bob Hayes as a tribute to those who served during the Korean War was consecrated by the Reverend Canon Camellia Flanagan as members of the Hayes family stood close by.

Emma Pritchard. If you asked Grafton Show President Rex Green what to expect at the 2021 Grafton Show several weeks ago, he wouldn’t even have been able to tell you if the event would go ahead. On April 23 and 24, it did, and it was a huge success. Close to $90000 in takings was recorded after the popular attraction made a highly anticipated return, delighting Clarence Valley residents and visitors who were forced to wait an additional twelve months for it to happen.

Geoff Helisma. ... The Browns’ successful $1.265million bid for the property – the store, a residence and five units – fulfilled their long-held desire to purchase the property ... Mr Brown said he is comfortable withe the price. “We were always prepared for the price to go higher … factoring in the price of real estate in Yamba and Coffs Harbour; in theory it should have been more like $2m,” he said. “The last house sold in Brooms Head went for $1.5m; it was a knock down house.

Emma Pritchard. Proudly holding his beautifully framed certificate in his hands, Grafton man Ian McGaw remains humble and appreciative as he shares the story behind it. After dedicating more than 60 years of service to local shows, including the Grafton Show, Mr McGaw was recognised for his selfless contributions by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW who recently presented him with a certificate of appreciation for his ongoing support and service to the most famous show in Australia, the Royal Easter Show ... Describing the “friendships formed through volunteering” and being able to “share your knowledge with others” as highlights throughout his association with local shows and the Royal Easter Show, Mr McGaw said he felt very humble upon receiving his certificate during the Easter long weekend, and he is looking forward to adding “a few more years” to his impressive portfolio.

Geoff Helisma. Clarence Valley Council [CVC] has restated its opposition to any diversion of the Clarence River or mining within its catchment. The council’s general manager, Ashley Lindsay, concludes in CVC’s submission to the draft North Coast Regional Water Strategy: “Council reiterates its position that any proposal to divert the Clarence cannot be justified from an economic, environmental or social perspective.”

Geoff Helisma. The latest data from Liquor & Gaming NSW has revealed that Clarence Valley local government area residents lost $20,727,573 to poker machines in the last six months of 2020 ... There were 691 poker machines distributed across the Clarence Valley Local Government Area (LGA); 214 of which were in 22 hotels and 477 of which were in 12 clubs. There has been a reduction in the number of machines since the Liquor & Gaming NSW started publishing the statistics from December 2016 ...