Education & training

Nobby State School is very appreciative to Mrs Bowe from Clifton who kindly donated a piano ... This piano is a communal walk-by piano. The children are having the most wonderful time playing it, learning about how pianos work and making some fabulous tunes.

I was taken by a news item over the weekend with the head of the Ferrari F1 Racing team, Frédéric Vasseur, where he said the spirit of Enzo Ferrari still lives on, highlighting any successful team must have a sense of confidence. Which got me thinking. People only perform at their best when they are confident. Likewise, people are motivated when they achieve something and are recognised for it. This builds self esteem and belief in one’s own abilities.

Two new tools ... rural health experts from the UniSA have launched a new online resource to help farmers build and maintain a healthy relationship with their partner ... Rural based entrepreneur Mia Ryan hails from the Hunter Region and when she found trouble finding love using traditional dating apps, she developed her own, 'Howdy' ...

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Mount Alexander Shire Council is proud to be one of the supporters of a new resource to help people learn how to make their home or property ready for extreme weather events. The Castlemaine Institute and Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance, in partnership with ADAPT Loddon Mallee, have developed the ‘Home Upgrades for Climate Resilience Workbook,’...

Now another TEDxMaldon event is underway. Themed The Brave and the Brilliant, it’s being held ... at Maldon Vintage Machinery and Museum ... TEDxMaldon aims to inspire and cultivate change for the better.

Kerry Cain. From community support to culinary apprentice. Many readers would know Janet Mullholland from her five years managing the IGA Supermarket in Maldon or from Porcupine Village, where she is in the second year of a Commercial Cookery - Level 3 apprenticeship at the Golden Nugget Restaurant.

Yanco Agricultural High School polocrosse riders and Equestrian Centre competitors have been achieving success recently ... competed in the Yass PoloX carnival held at Hall in ACT ... The Yanco Agricultural High School Equestrian Centre at Yanco is booming with 24-plus horses now in residence.

Patricia Gill. Denmark school students are part of a landscape-scale move to re-establish the breeding of black cockatoos in the region. To spark their students’ enthusiasm, environmentalist Simon Cherriman visited four schools recently and helped the students build four nesting boxes at each school from recycled materials ... The Denmark Men’s Shed will build 40 nest boxes ...

In the lead up to World Water Day on March 22, SOURCE Global has reported on the success of its partnership with the NSW Department of Education, which installed 100 SOURCE ®Hydropanels across 10 drought-impacted schools to provide accessible drinking water for children and teachers, in compliance with Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

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Last week I attended a Business Leaders Round Table Lunch. I wanted to use the afternoon to observe how leaders go about active listening. After the initial pleasantries and introductions were made, the lunch moderator posed some topical business questions for each table to explore and discuss. I was on a table of eight, and soon four people emerged who loved the sound of their own voices ...

The CEO of a Cootamundra aged care facility has welcomed a move by TAFE NSW Cootamundra to reintroduce a critical healthcare course amid a deepening skills shortage in the industry. For the first time in almost a decade, a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance will be offered at TAFE NSW Cootamundra ...

In a first for the Riverina and most probably in New South Wales, a close association has developed between agribusiness in the Riverina and secondary schools teaching agriculture ... The Riverina Compendium provided a vehicle to build on the past experiences, to attract a suitably qualified workforce, to provide a greater number and diversity of jobs within the Region...

Seems the old saying "all roads lead to the city" applies as much to country kids as it does to new migrants who have just arrived. Can you believe that Australia has imported 8.15 million people since 2000? ... The National Skills Commission report has found that 45 per cent of employers struggle to fill apprenticeship positions and even then 53 per cent of starters fail to complete their qualification. Australian kids just don't want to get their hands dirty, while the skilled migrant workforce who are trade-qualified prefer the big cities to the bush.

Keep your little ones entertained with  First 5 Forever Storytime online sessions. Central Highlands Regional Council’s libraries have you covered with programs designed to keep kids engaged and occupied.

Of all the things that challenges a leader’s energy and stress levels is the need to constantly coach the right mindsets and behaviours into others. Doing this effectively requires a patient, deliberate and an ongoing approach, rather than angry outbursts. It is important for a leader to start any behavioural coaching conversation by assuming best intentions, whether this is the case or not. A coaching conversation that begins with both parties being emotionally charged or angry never leads anywhere constructive.

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Member for Mildura, Jade Benham recently had the privilege to visit local schools to deliver Conor Pall’s debut book, “The Shadow that Follows” ... “It was one of the most meaningful days I’ve had in this role yet, it took a bit of planning, but I had the opportunity to spend the day with the brilliant Conor Pall."