Business

If Alan Lyons isn’t fulfilling his duties as clerk of the course at racetracks around the state, there’s a good chance you’ll find him at his Strathalbyn stables training ex-racehorses for the next stage of their career ... preparing them for clerk of the course positions. “The first thing is to take them away from what they’re used to,” Lyons said.

Recent catastrophic bushfires and reports of threats to species have highlighted concerns about the management of Australia’s forests. Most prominently, there are increasing concerns that forest management is failing to ensure forest health, build ecosystem resilience and protect threatened species. These concerns are real, but the key drivers are not well understood. A body of opinion and media coverage often presents timber harvesting as the primary threat to forest ecosystems and suggests that creating more national parks will protect threatened species and habitats and reduce the risk of severe bushfires. Yet the situation is far more complex.

Sheryl Lowe. Father Woods Park statues will be the focus of discussions between Wattle Range Council and the Penola Catholic Community in coming weeks ... Cr Price successfully moved for Council to approach the Catholic Church leaders at Penola to see if they would support the relocation of the statues to Penola due to the safety concerns at the current site.

Workers from the EPIC (Employment Preparation and Inclusion in the Community) program have been assisting in the restoration of Porcupine Village since July this year. The group, which rotates its participants through the village twice a week, initially began by clearing out the historic buildings, and are now focused on doing a number of other jobs around the place, including yard work.

The community is awaiting follow up from local Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, regarding the petition to close local wetlands to recreational duck shooting and instead make them a sanctuary for the threatened species which call them home. The petition attracted just under 500 signatures, mostly local, compared to a petition by shooters to have duck shooting remain which obtained 21 signatures (11 local).  

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.