Business

The Murray River holds a special place in many hearts and minds of locals. The river brings life to the landscape and the people who live and rely on her. After a trip down the Murray River from Barham to Wellington in South Australia and back, retired land surveyor David Laughlin was left with reflections of natural beauty, lessons from the past and current management by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

Victoria’s native forest industry officially closes at the end of the month, but Radial Timber in Yarram is going nowhere ... it’s in survival mode. “We’re looking to source what local plantation material we can get – we’ve got two signed up at the moment and one should be starting to harvest,” said Radial’s managing director, Chris McEvoy ... Radial will concentrate on its new peeling plant and its bioenergy plant, which operates by pyrolysis.

Andrew Smith, Rural Bank Head of Agribusiness Development said: “As was the case for 2023, the three key themes that will impact Australian agriculture in the first half of 2024 continue to be seasonal conditions, trade conditions and economic headwinds, but looking to the upside, a more favourable economic environment is expected to begin supporting agricultural markets in the back half of 2024."

Australia’s farmers are approaching the end of the year with a hint of improving optimism as rural confidence levels nudge slightly higher in the latest quarter. The Q4 Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, found net level farmer confidence across the nation edged up marginally…

With four of the five Stephenson family members being huge fans of toys and popular culture, when Maclean Toyworld was listed for sale, Jodie Stephenson followed her lifelong dream by purchasing the popular business.

After more than 22 years owning and operating the Angourie Resort, the Mitchell family have handed over the reins to a new owner, NRMA Parks and Resorts ... Paul Davies said the addition of the Angourie Resort to the portfolio had been a long-term goal...

There wasn’t enough room to fit such a large number of candles on the cake, but the team at local radio station 2GF are proud to celebrate its 90th birthday this month ... 2GF has been a valued resource within the Clarence Valley community, and is widely renowned...

Travellers Inn Kaniva is welcoming new manager, Michael, to Kaniva! Originally from Croatia with family across Europe, Michael brings a world of experience in accommodation and hospitality.

It’s not every day you have the opportunity of trekking up Africa’s highest peak with your daughter ... The six lessons I learnt climbing Mt Kilimanjaro (whilst obvious in the cool light of day) were acquired and reinforced through experience. Learning by doing is the most effective and powerful teacher of life’s lessons. These lessons have application in everyday team scenarios.

The South Australian Government welcomes the Chinese Government’s decision to lift suspensions on the Naracoorte abattoir – along with two other Australian facilities. Eased restrictions will enable the Teys Australia meat facility to recommence sending its products to China.

Patrick Goldsmith. Although its opening may not be far away, the eagerly anticipated Minlaton Family Centre is in desperate need of already-qualified staff members. It is hoped staff orientation will begin in early January, and while several trainees have been put through their paces at its sister site in Maitland, only six diploma-qualified educators have been registered for Minlaton.

A “new breed’’ of recycling plant is up and sorting on the Sunshine Coast, leading the way in creating a cleaner, greener future for our region – and country. It’s called “MuRf’’, which rolls off the tongue much better than Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

Regional and rural Queenslanders are seeking access to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) services at a rate that is almost double their inner-city counterparts – a revelation that should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who cares about the equitable delivery of healthcare, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has said.

Energy leader, RWE Renewables Australia, has announced details of a generous local Community Benefit Fund for the Campbells Bridge Wind Farm, if the project proceeds to operations ... Funding will be calculated at $3,200 per megawatt of project capacity.  

The State Government’s new health tax is another hit for rural and regional communities, with many GP clinics facing the risk of closure.  Labor recently reclassified tenanted medical professionals as employees, not contractors, for payroll tax. This move has left clinics grappling with debts often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as the tax has been backdated up to five years in many instances.

Established in 2013, the Flying Doctor Mobile Eye Care service delivers comprehensive, accessible eye examinations to rural Victorian communities ... Despite the fact that more than 90% of vision impairment is preventable or treatable, missing regular eye health checks or treatment is too often a reality of rural living, and risks more serious future health concerns.  

Those attending put the presenters through a rigorous interrogation about how the project would work and what benefits it would bring. Maldonians are no pushover - even when it comes to issues that most are in favour of – and demanded details while showing an awareness of the finer technical points of battery operations.

If you have guests arriving for Christmas and over the summer break, Maldon Caravan Park is once again an option for accommodation. After more than six months of closure, Gay and Des Stormon were brought in to have the Park ready for the recent Maldon Folk Festival.