Education & training

A doctor or nurse practitioner who lives and works in rural and remote Australia will have their HELP debt wiped ... The HELP debt reduction for a doctor or a nurse practitioner will depend on the length of their course of study, and the amount of outstanding HELP debt when they commence providing eligible services in an eligible location.

The Kwoorabup Nature School has for the past 10 years explored options to expand and believes the best is to use the neighbouring Denmark Lions Club lease area. The school is WA’s first Nature School and has experienced a 70 per cent growth in 18 months.

Central Regional TAFE has welcomed the first group of international students to Geraldton following their success in the inaugural round of the McGowan Government's regional bursaries for TAFE international students ... Interest in the program has been strong with a total of 22 international students already receiving bursaries to study at TAFE campuses in Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury and Broome in Semester 1, 2023.

Teachers and students headed back to school on Tuesday after the six-week break to start the new school year. Plenty of nerves and excitement as students look forward to seeing friends and getting to know new teachers ... One big change this year that has been welcomed by staff and parents, is the introduction of the mobile phone ban.

This year Maldon PS has welcomed 16 preps to our school. This is the highest number of prep enrolments we have had for many years. We have also had some new enrolments across the school, bringing our enrolment number to 84 students.

Students in Rochester will return to their schools this week after being affected by the devastating flooding across Victoria last year. It’s the first time the students at Rochester Primary School and Rochester Secondary School will be able to walk back through the school gates since the flooding left both schools inundated with water.

Hundreds of students returned to school this week after the long summer break, along with many Prep students, who started their schooling lives. One local seat of learning, Cambooya State School welcomed 18 new Prep students to the school this week.

A group of Denmark Senior High School students took a long walk from Greens Pool back to the school as part of Duke of Edinburgh International awards camp ... Along the way of their walk, the group collected rubbish littering the trails ... Lightning weed was the target species over the morning in what had felt like a gym work out.

Serena Kirby. A school holiday program involving Indigenous games of mock warfare and dispute settling was hosted at the Denmark Recreation Centre. Jayden Caldwell, a Noongar man from Perth, organised the Institute of Indigenous Wellbeing and Sport-run games.

If you’re aged between 3 and 60 and grew up in the district, chances are you were taught to swim by Geoff Dale. Geoff has celebrated 30 years of his Geoffswim program, which has seen him teach swimming and water safety to the youth of Cohuna since 1992. But his swimming teaching goes back much further – to 1967.

With widespread La Niña flooding in the Murray-Darling Basin, common carp (Cyprinus carpio) populations are having a boom year.  Videos  of writhing masses of both adult and young fish illustrate that all is not well in our rivers.

The prestigious Sydney Dance Company joined forces with NORPA last week to mentor young dancers from the Northern Rivers in a week-long dance intensive held at Southern Cross University in Lismore. Working with Sydney Dance Company's Teaching Artists, 30 local dancers aged 13-18 years from across the region were taught Sydney Dance Company choreography and repertoire as well as learning how to develop and express their own experiences through contemporary dance.

Kristin Murdock. With the school year approaching an end, students have been busy finishing off projects ... Shearing and marketing of the lambs has also occurred recently, with Agricultural Studies students from all year levels taking part in the process.

Ali Bohn. Travelling three hours a day, five days a week for six years to attend secondary school in Echuca might seem more than a little daunting for many students, but for Harry Coughlan, he looks back on the last six years and feels that every minute of travel was worth it. The Koondrook local graduated from Echuca’s St Joseph’s College last year with a 95.3 ATAR score, affording him the opportunity to enrol and be accepted into his first course preference of bio medicine at the University of Melbourne.

Artist Donna Mitchell has been drawing and painting since the age of eight, with portraits her speciality. She now shares her knowledge and skills by conducting art classes for kids and adults ... "Since moving to Hendon in 2022, we have enjoyed the simpler lifestyle that comes with living in the country."

Chronic pain doesn’t discriminate. It can impact anyone, of any age, and in any location. However, how it is managed can differ greatly ... The problem of chronic pain is complex, so solving it is going to be difficult. However, progress is being made and researchers at the University of South Australia are exploring how to bring better outcomes for rural Australians challenged by chronic pain.

Racing SA is offering those living in the state’s South-East and wanting a career in thoroughbred racing a great opportunity to expand their knowledge ... Multiple Group 1 winning jockey and Racing SA’s industry, development and training officer Clare Lindop will be joined by Racing SA’s Jockey Coach Dean Pettit to host the day which will encourage and support students with the knowledge to progress their career in the Racing Industry.

Cambooya Hall is now the second venue to host classes by Kiyua, a not-for-profit organisation working with children and youth, building confidence and self-esteem through performing arts. Kiyua Kids come from all backgrounds and cultures and enjoy classes every Saturday during school term.

Totally Renewable Denmark members attended a workshop last month in Bridgetown for community renewable energy groups from regional and urban WA ... The workshop was the inaugural meeting of CREATE Community Energy, a network of community groups which are driving local energy initiatives.

Local students have been acknowledged for their outstanding academic achievements in this year's HSC examinations. Some students from St Francis de Sales Regional College, Leeton, performed very well, resulting in the college gaining 14 mentions on the statewide merit list.

Pony Club Australia has announced the winners of the 2022 awards.