Business

COVID made life difficult for our local butchers last week with all the staff, save one, having to isolate at home due to being close contacts. Butcher, Brad Addlem, told the Tarrangower Times that fortunately people came in to help serve, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to stay open at all.

Townsville is a step closer to welcoming ships up to 300 metres long with the arrival of Australia’s largest backhoe dredge, Woomera, at the Port of Townsville. The $232 million Channel Upgrade is the largest infrastructure project in the Port’s 158-year history and is vital to ensuring trade, defence and cruise opportunities no longer bypass Townsville.

Sean Cunningham. Covid has swept through regional communities leaving a trail of economic destruction and Narrandera, like many small towns, has been right in its path. One of the industries which has been the most severely impacted has been the tourism sector.

Ali Bohn. 2022 looks to resemble a regular season with businesses wanting to put 2021 behind them and look to a more positive year ahead. The Bridge took a moment to catch up with some local businesses for their feedback on how the summer trade has been tracking.

The possibility of bare barbecues on Australia Day should be an alarm bell to all sides of politics, NSW Farmers says, with the major retailer supply chains continuing to struggle. NSW Farmers President James Jackson said ongoing failures to prevent anti-competitive behaviour had led us to a handful of companies controlling most of our meat supply, and called on the Federal Government to address the issue.

Hepburn Shire Council is continuing to support recovery efforts in the community following a thunderstorm that damaged homes and property in and around Creswick and Clunes on 5 January. “The intensity of this storm caused widespread damage to homes, farms and public land in the west of our Shire. Our preliminary estimates are around $10m of damage to Council assets alone, and around $25m damage to crops” : Hepburn Shire Mayor, Cr Tim Drylie.

The WA State Government has partnered with the local avocado industry through Hort Innovation, Avocados Australia and Austrade to showcase the popular fruit to potential importers, retailers and consumers at the WA Premium Food and Beverage Trade Event in Tokyo.

Diatreme Resources has discovered a second high-grade silica sand deposit within the northern area of its Si 2 North Project, which could result in a second mine for the ASX-listed company ... Diatreme CEO Neil McIntyre said the finding showed the potential for a second new silica sand mine that could generate new jobs and investment for Far North Queensland.

Now electric vehicles can cross the Nullarbor Plain thanks to BiØfil, a world-first EV fast charging system that is fully off-grid, self-contained and powered by used chip (vegetable) oil from roadhouse deep fryers. On Sunday 16 January 2022, BiØfil was installed at the Caiguna Roadhouse, approximately 370 km east of Norseman and 370 km west of the South Australian border, making it one of the most remote EV fast charging stations on the planet.

Forestry Australia is calling on the Western Australian Government to release scientific evidence in justification of its decision to end native forest harvesting. Forestry Australia President Bob Gordon said the association was concerned the decision to end native harvesting was not based on science, demonstrated poor understanding of WA’s world-class forest management practices and would result in increased imports of wood products from countries with lower management standards.

A  number of Baringhup residents are concerned about the possibility of Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) closing the embankment at Cairn Curran Reservoir and the surrounding picnic and swimming areas. Local resident, Kerrie Jennings told the Tarrangower Times, “It would be good to achieve some clarification from GMW on their current proposal and reasoning. Also, are GMW truly open to local community input, and should we lose a much-loved part of Cairn Curran, is there an alternative visitor plan within an acceptable timeframe?”

Jamie Heffernan. When Kevin Moloney and Janetta Stones opened their BnB known as The Little Cottage (or TLC), in Maldon last year, they wanted to add a few points of difference ... One point of difference was the inclusion of a minibar in the cottage. “Who doesn’t love a mini bar?” Janetta explained.

There was a global shortage of nurses … and then the pandemic hit. Researchers, including a Charles Sturt academic, investigate how COVID-19 has affected an already struggling nursing industry and what can be done to save it.

“I just do it to pay the dogs back for what they have given me in a lifetime,” said Ian O’Connell, legendary dog trainer as he sat atop the sheep yard fence at John Lolicato’s Tullakool property Whymoul ... this seven State Championships trialling champion and judge, farmer and former shearer demonstrates how to work with his four-legged companions with nothing but love and admiration.

Australia’s history is populated with maritime related stories. With over 1,000 rivers and a coast that stretches for more than 36,000 kilometres, it is no surprise that Australia abounds with stories of people who have lived and worked on the water. This exhibition presents some of those stories, exploring the remarkable connections between people and their boats.

Emma Pritchard. Orchestrated by Maclean teenager Nash Crofton, Clarence Tunes is a home-grown music festival which aims to provide local performers with an opportunity to gain valuable experience and boost their confidence on stage in front of a live audience. Nash told the Clarence Valley Independent he felt inspired to organise the event to help support the live music industry in the region, and the response from musicians and singer-songwriters keen to join the line-up has been incredibly positive.

Aware of the interest of many of our readers in knowing when the Novavax protein based Covid-19 vaccine might be available in Australia, Australian Rural & Regional News has obtained some positive feedback from the company.

The Territory Government has strengthened the implementation of a recommendation of the Hydraulic Fracturing Pepper Inquiry with the establishment of a new online subscription service for Environment Management Plans (EMPs). The new online subscription service allows the community to have their say and keep up-to-date on drilling and hydraulic fracturing EMPs that are under assessment.

Emma Pritchard. As the Clarence Valley welcomed visitors from many parts of the country during the Christmas and New Year period, local businesses embraced the opportunity to boost sales during one of the busiest times on the calendar. Hospitality venues exuberantly greeted travellers, retail outlets rejoiced at the increase in trade, and accommodation throughout the Clarence Valley was in hot demand.

Fancy a spiced pumpkin ale? Or are you willing to try a watermelon beer? The Commercial Hotel is serving both in keeping with the spirit of Kyogle’s Giant Pumpkin and Watermelon Festival on this Saturday.

Demand is everything. If more people want an item, the more valuable it becomes — especially when there is only one of them. On eBay, an old postcard of a Kyogle town view is up for sale for $25. And that’s just the starting point as people can bid more on the postcard. The highest bidder gets the item.

NSW Farmers President James Jackson said there were good production levels of fresh food despite the challenging weather of the past few months and urged shoppers not to panic buy. “Our growers are sending plenty of produce down to the Sydney Markets, and we’re working on making sure farm businesses can continue to harvest these crops,” Mr Jackson said.