Business

Steve Dobbyns. The native forests of the north coast of NSW are not just the backdrop for an idyllic seaside lifestyle for its 1.7 million residents, they also sustain a hardwood timber industry that has been in existence for more than 150 years ... The 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires have emerged as a tipping point for the hardwood timber industry on the NSW north coast.

Can you quantify the impact music has had on your life? Don Hearn from Caldwell near Barham believes music is intrinsic to our DNA and is enjoyed in every culture, and in every country around the world and he is looking to share the unity that music brings to us all ... Noteworthy’s aim is to repurpose pre-loved guitars or the like and provide them to people around the globe.

Norco Primex director Bruce Wright is ready for the event to roll next month. With all necessary covid measures in place, he is confident this will be the best Primex yet ... Norco Primex calls itself “Australia’s sustainable farm and primary industries exhibition” and says it offers a complete paddock to plate experience where farmers & foodies meet.

Every Friday afternoon stalls selling honey, fruit, vegetables and cinnamon doughnuts are set up close to the beach in the surf club car park. This is Evans Head and the market here is like no other.

A new campaign is set to make a big difference in helping to reduce waste and provide more food security for our region. NE Waste in collaboration with Councils, Northern Rivers Food, Northern Rivers Area Health Service, NSW Environment Protection Authority and the Love Food Hate Waste Program, have been working to address issues around food waste, nutrition, food security and sustainability.

A tourism strategy revolving around events in Cape York will be rolled out this year as part of a joint initiative from councils in the region. The Cape York and Torres Strait Regional Events Strategy is an initiative of the Torres and Cape Indigenous Councils Alliance (TCICA). The strategy aims to increase tourism on the Cape and in the Torres Strait by developing frameworks for regional event coordination and event growth.

Tourists wanting a unique Cape York experience are in for a treat this year following the launch of Heartland Helicopters in Weipa. Local pilot Bevan Duke has added a four-seater Robinson R44 to the fleet, which will allow him to offer scenic heli-fishing tours and scenic flights.

Kirstin Nicholson. Cohuna has lost another of its bank branches with the closure of the ANZ Bank on March 19. It is the third bank branch to close its doors in recent years, following in the footsteps of the Commonwealth Bank and Bendigo Bank. The NAB is the only bank branch still operating in the district. Staff from the branch have been relocated to neighbouring towns or have taken packages.

Motorsport fans had their popular Easter Brobenah Burnout Championships canned for the second time due to COVID. But the not-for-profit organisation, Brobenah Burnouts, is aiming to stage a three round championship series, kicking off next month, and are also concentrating on raising funds for a new burnout pad.

Nicholas Rupolo. Narrandera’s first major COVID-Safe event has passed with flying colours and organisers deeming the 2021 Easter Rod Run as a spectacular weekend. Organiser Steve Alldrick has applauded visitors and rodders for supporting the 36th annual Narrandera Rod Run and helping the local community and its businesses thrive. The event was boosted by the State Government’s announcement that outdoor restrictions had been lifted.

Target Country store in Casino has closed. John Hamilton photographed workers taking down the sign at the Coles Plaza last Wednesday. Next month Price Busters will move into the shop vacated by Target. Not everyone is happy about the lack of a clothing store in Casino, especially one that sells affordable children’s clothing.

Chocolate eggs rained from the skies at Casino Airport on the weekend. Tyson and Kevin Dodd, who have a property at Dyraaba and live in Sydney, organised the event with NSW Aeromodellers. There were 120 aircraft and owners travelled from Queensland and Victoria to be at the Richmond Valley Casino Airport Fly In ... NSW Aeromodellers saw the fly in as a test run for a much bigger event in 2023.

Emma Pritchard. Let it bee known, Grafton couple Ken and Carol Faulkner are extremely passionate about the Clarence Valley’s native bees, and they are dedicated to educating their community, particularly children, about the important roles these humble flying insects play in the environment and how we can all help to keep their population buzzing.

Emma Pritchard. The unmistakable sounds of the bagpipes and drums which filled the air above Maclean during the Easter long weekend, signalled the triumphant return of one of the Clarence Valley’s most characteristic, culturally significant and popular local events. After being cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and faced with the possibility of history repeating itself this year, the 116th Maclean Highland Gathering went ahead as planned on April 2 and 3.

“Many of our tourism industry work hard to ensure they have their product listed across online travel agency platforms like Wotif, showcasing the region and all of the wonderful experiences we have in our backyard, like our easy access to the Southern Great Barrier Reef, our food and drink heroes, our parks and gardens. This increases visibility for the Bundaberg Region and supports all of the other businesses in the region that benefit indirectly from the visitor dollar," says Bundaberg Tourism CEO Katherine Reid.

Bendigo and region is Australia’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, so this is the perfect way to highlight all we have to offer and help people design the perfect day trip or weekend away.

Cape York bauxite company Metro Mining will recommence operations this month after shutting down early in 2020 due to COVID-19. Operations are planned to resume on April 19, with the company aiming to mine and ship four million wet metric tonnes of bauxite between April and December.

Twenty-one men on board a vessel tasked to pick up bauxite from Weipa were left to starve by the Qatari shipping company that owns the vessel, angering officials in Australia. The Panama-flagged bulk carrier Movers 3 has been anchored off Weipa for a month and food had to be purchased and delivered to the ship after the crew ran out of provisions. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which placed the ship in detention on March 4, has slammed operator Aswan Shipping for its negligent practices. Rio Tinto has responsibility to avoid bad operators, say unions.

The milko is back — the clinking of glass bottles, the layer of cream at the top of the milk — harks back to a time long gone. Dairy farmer Shane Hickey delivers fresh bottled milk straight from his Jersey cows to homes around Kyogle ... Shane said bypassing the supermarkets meant people could connect to a farmer who “farmed in a way that was ethical and sustainable”.

They had been planning to construct a lake out the back of the Rappville Pub. But publicans Lisa Rosenbaum and Col Foyster didn’t expect the deluge last week to leave a body of water so vast it lapped at the steps of the back veranda as Rappville faced flooding ... Through it all they kept serving drinks at the bar. Dave Newby came to the pub in a tractor to get through the floodwaters, she said.

Amy Foxe. A significant event occurred on 5th March which is certainly worth mentioning and celebrating whilst the project team continue to work towards practical completion. A combination of slightly lower than average overnight demand and very clear morning skies provided the perfect conditions for the solar PV and solar-charged battery to take the island load for a full 24 hour period.

The vaccination rollout across the remote reaches of the Torres Strait has been made easier thanks to the generosity of Skytrans. The airline has committed to supporting the vaccination rollout by transporting vaccines and supplies for free across the region to all locations serviced by the airline on Cape York and the Torres Strait.