Business

You may have noticed the new window display with artfully displayed bandages, band-aids and defibrillators at 22 High Street. Nurse Nicole Gleeson, started Rhythm First Aid three years ago, a training company delivering first aid training of the highest quality in a captivating and fun environment. Rhythm First Aid delivers first-aid courses to schools, parents, and businesses around Victoria.

Three regional NSW hotels have been snapped up by prominent publicans, with the Sir George Hotel setting a record. One of Australia’s oldest and most iconic hospitality venues, the iconic Sir George Hotel in Jugiong has sold to long time publican and hotel operator Fraser Short for a reported $14 million.

ASX-listed Rural Funds Group (RFF) has added to its Fitzroy River Basin holdings, picking up the 27,879-hectare Kaiuroo cattle and cropping property aggregation in Central Queensland’s Mackenzie River district for nearly $69 million, well above the expectation price of $55 million.

Kirstin Nicholson. Celebrity Chef, Manu Feildel dropped in recently to sample some of the local produce. Feildel was in the region as part of the Cohuna and District Progress Association’s (CDPA) Chef and Chandeliers Gala held on Saturday night. On Saturday morning, Manu and CDPA representative, Keith Link, toured the region by helicopter, visiting properties and sampling the region’s produce.

Kirstin Nicholson. The Cohuna community was treated to a gala event at the weekend which involved a host of celebrities, fine dining and entertainment. The Apiam Chef and Chandeliers Gala was organised by the Cohuna and District Progress Association (CDPA) and over 200 guests attended the event at the Memorial Hall where they dined on a meal prepared by celebrity chef, Manu Feildel, using produce from the region.

This year marks 100 years since the first subsidised air-mail service in Australia, and Geraldton holds a rich history in the momentous milestone. In 1921, Major Norman Brearley, a decorated pilot with the Royal Air Force, was awarded a Government tender to deliver the country’s first subsidised air-mail and passenger contract. Tragically, during the inaugural flight, one of the three planes flying from Geraldton to Carnarvon met with disaster near Murchison House Station. 100 years later, that milestone is being commemorated with an RAAF aerial acrobatics display and the launch of a historical booklet.

Emma Pritchard. Several retailers in River Street, Maclean, will remain open until 8pm on December 10, allowing shoppers additional time to grab some last-minute bargains ahead of the Christmas rush and boost the local economy ... the event aims to support local businesses and unite the township following a difficult 12-month period as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Geoff Helisma. As a shopper walks past the Yamba Fair Butchery, the ‘extra-loud’ shirts the butchers are wearing is likely to catch their attention and, perhaps, stimulate a thought: Why?

Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan said he was delighted to launch the 160 km world-class hiking trail Grampians Peaks Trail, starting at Mt Zero in the north, passing through Halls Gap and with highlights including Redman Bluff, Major Mitchell Plateau and Mt Abrupt before reaching Dunkeld in the south.

Lord Howe Island Marine Park staff have recently commenced a trial of environmentally friendly mooring designs to reduce impacts on coral and seagrass in the lagoon. There are 11 courtesy day-use moorings in the Lord Howe Island lagoon which are maintained by the Lord Howe Island Marine Park ... These moorings were originally installed as traditional block and chain swing moorings, which can limit the growth of coral and seagrass within the mooring footprint.

Turtle monitoring around Rio Tinto’s Amrun mine has shown the unusual benefit of a mining company that improves the environment around it. Before the Amrun mine was constructed, turtle hatchings were rare in that part of the Cape, mostly because feral pigs predated nests.

In a major coup for Tasmanian sport fans and the visitor economy, Tasmania is gearing up to host seven major hockey tournaments between 2022 and 2027 in Hobart and Launceston with clinics and training camps held on the North-West Coast. Through its continued partnership with Hockey Australia, the Tasmanian Government is providing $1 million in funding which will support the delivery of six major Australian National Championships and one International Pro League match.

It began with a vision to get Sunshine Coast kids back to nature. Now, Wildlings Forest School is teaching outdoor education around the world with one simple goal: to let kids be kids ... From raft building and archery to wood carving and bush cubby houses, the forest school offers a dose of the outdoors enriching the lives of thousands of children, big and small.

WA Forestry Minister Dave Kelly has announced that the McGowan Government has made an additional 12,000 tonnes of structural pine available over the next three months for the Western Australian timber manufacturing industry and the State's building and construction sector ... In the past, the WA softwood processing industry supplied approximately 65 per cent of pine products to the State's housing and construction market. The remaining demand has been met by timber imported from the Eastern States or overseas.  

The professional association for forest scientists, growers and managers in Australia has expressed its concern at the escalating Victorian forest wars, saying changes are desperately needed in the way the State’s forests are managed. Forestry Australia Vice President Dr Michelle Freeman said the escalating situation in Victoria shows the State’s current approach to forest management is simply not working.

The biggest sporting and cultural event of its kind will come to regional NSW for the very first time when thousands come to see knights and vikings battle it out at the Medieval Faire in Orange next year, thanks to the NSW Government’s Regional Events Acceleration Fund. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said a $200,000 grant will deliver the world-class two-day Orange Medieval Faire, where visitors can wander through a historical village featuring viking battles, archery, birds of prey displays and a giant medieval catapult.

Block your diaries, book your trip and get your tickets to the hottest festival in Australia, the Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster held 13 to 22 May 2022 in Kununurra in Western Australia’s East Kimberley. A highlight of the ten-day festival is the Aviair HeliSpirit Kimberley Moon Experience headlined by Australian rock legend Ian Moss along with Sheppard, Baker Boy and King Stingray held on Saturday 14 May at the Muster Hub, on the banks of Lake Kununurra and walking distance to town.

Today marks a significant milestone for Phillip Island Nature Park and the very popular little penguins − which were put on the map as a must-see experience 100 years ago today ... Penguin numbers on the island have almost tripled since the mid-1980s − from 12,000 to around 32,000 breeding birds today thanks to extensive conservation work.