History & heritage

After 33 years in business, the family-owned and operated business Kaniva Bus Service owned by Steve and Annie Austin, has been sold to Wimmera Roadways. Kaniva Bus Service was originally begun by Norm Austin, Jack and Sandy Goldsworthy in 1953 whilst they were running Kaniva Motors.

Patrick Goldsmith. There were cultural burns across Yorke Peninsula from Monday to Friday, June 19-23. In a bid to reinvigorate the Narungga land management practice, Narungga men and women took to four locations in Ardrossan, Point Pearce and Minlaton for just the second time in recent history to ignite shrubbery.

A decision to build a bushfire access track across the western side of houses between the old surf club building and Mary Lindsay Homestead is on hold while other options are considered, according to the property owners. Charmane Edwards, whose grandparents bought the home she now owns in 1947, and other owners met with the City of Wanneroo on June 27 about the proposed bushfire access track.

When Lord Howe was discovered, there were sixteen land bird species breeding on the Island and early sailors, naturalists and painters documented these ... The extinct Lord Howe Island Grey Fantail was a small (length: about 15 cm) grey insectivorous bird with pale creamy-yellow underparts and a long dark-grey tail ... Over a period of a few days, I found not one but two fantails in the forest there.

There will be plenty happening from Thursday July 20 and running for 10 days in Warwick and surrounds. An easy 20 minute drive north of Warwick and you’re in Allora "The best little town on the Downs".

From Pozieres, France, to Grafton, Australia, the spirit of the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay 2023, continued to burn brightly when it arrived in the Clarence Valley on June 26 to commence its Grafton tour as part of its nationwide journey commemorating the 100th anniversary of Legacy, an iconic charity dedicated to providing support and assistance to the families of deceased and seriously injured Australian Defence Force personnel.

The arrival of a DC3 aircraft on the morning of the Nhill Airshow on April 13th 2024, will be a special treat for visitors. For older Nhill residents, the sight of the magnificent DC3 landing on the airstrip will bring back memories of the regular passenger service that ran between Adelaide, Nhill and Melbourne from the 1940s to ’60s.

The new WA Aboriginal Cultural Heritage laws will have far reaching consequences to the farming community, many of which are only just coming to light as the WA Department of Heritage workshops the changes across the State. This is how WAFarmers responded to one of the workshops in the central Wheatbelt.        

Aimee McCartney. On May 5, 2023, Headquarters Air Academy (HQ AirA) personnel gathered at the RAAF East Sale Yarning Circle to celebrate the significant service and diverse career of Wing Commander (WGCDR) Garry McKee ... At 16 years of age, WGCDR McKee, from Charlton in Victoria, enlisted into the Air Force as an apprentice Radio Technician.

Have you seen the new hand crafted signs for the Maldon Vintage Machinery & Museum? The eye-catching artistry was meticulously created by Signwriter and Graphic Designer Kim Johnson of Signsation, based in Hepburn Springs and each sign depicts one of the vintage machines on display at the museum.

Laughter rings out from a work shed behind various display buildings at the back of The Sheep’s Back museum in Naracoorte. The popular trio help form part of a small and dedicated group who make up the Naracoorte National Trust.

When Phyllis Shooter strolled along an exposed bank of Dalrymple Creek on her property in 1994, she had no idea she was about to discover, what Dr Andrew Rozefelds described as, a significant fossil find of a Palorchestes.

HM Woodhouse-Herrick. Former Nhill resident Tim Rath was heard recently on Matt Tribe’s Saturday morning show on ABC Radio. Tim was on to talk about his book: The Footy Jumper Book, which traces the history of the humble guernsey from the hessian sack days of Moonta FC in regional SA back in 1876 through to Neil Craig’s remarkable one-piece lycra invention for Norwood in 1994.

The Veteran Games is an exciting opportunity for former and current serving military personnel to showcase their physical resilience, teamwork and problem-solving in an Australian-first team competition.

Now in its 11th year, the Scenic Rim Clydesdale Spectacular happens over the weekend of June 17 and 18 at Boonah. It is the richest Clydesdale Show in the Southern Hemisphere, where the grand champions of the breed are judged, the heritage of the breed is shared, and the history of the breed in Australia is toasted.

It's not actually real glass that clads the "newsagents" shop on the corner of Victoria and Macpherson Streets but a product called Opalite ... Opalite was a marketing name in Australia and was mainly used as an Art Deco enhancement on buildings and in 1903, it was chosen by architect J.B Barnes for the design of a butcher’s shop for Owen Edwards on the corner block that had become vacant after a fire.

The Campaspe Run H.V. McKay Rural Discovery Centre, a community-driven tourist attraction nestled in Elmore,   recently marked its 25-year anniversary. Established on April 26, 1998, following the closure of the Elmore & District   Hospital in 1994, the Centre honours H.V. McKay’s contributions to agricultural advancements and Elmore’s rich socio-historical heritage.

Rev. Rick Gummow shares a brief history of All Saints’ Anglican Church in Cambooya and its important role in the surrounding district. "Why!" wrote a perplexed Patrick Leslie in his diary in 1848 regarding the choice to base a new settlement at Drayton.

Toowoomba Region Councillor and former Cambooya Shire Mayor Carol Taylor has expressed her sadness following the recent destruction of the Cambooya War Memorial by a car. Cr Taylor has a strong connection with Cambooya and the surrounding district and has attended numerous Anzac Day services at the memorial, including this year.

The Mt Elgin reserve is regionally important not only for its biodiversity, but for its cultural history. This Swamp was an important place for the Traditional Owners, the Wotjabuluck people, as well as providing a seasonal food source, such as waterfowl and their eggs, and freshwater mussels; it had a permanent spring, which, in dry years, was essential for their survival.

It wasn’t until 1937 that the Flying Doctor started looking at servicing Wilcannia. In June 1937 the Barrier Miner reported that "the "flying doctor," Dr. L. E. Odium, accompanied by Pilot Anneal', left at 12.30 o'clock to-day ' on a survey flight to Wilcannia. : He expects to return to Broken Hill shortly after 5 o'clock this evening, and if he has the time to spare - will make a call at Menindee on the return journey.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) will celebrate its 95th anniversary of operation on 17 May 2023, as the world-famous organisation edges closer to a centenary of service ... "Within the South Eastern Section we offer GP clinics, extensive mental health and alcohol and other drug services, dental services and reproductive health services": Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section) CEO Greg Sam.