History & heritage

Yorke Peninsula National Trust of South Australia branches are refusing to pay a new fee which would take 10 per cent of their gross annual revenue, warning the move could force museums to close. Of the several YP branches protesting, the Moonta branch — one of the NTSA's largest — is facing a $47,365 fee, which chair Graham Hancock has called unfair.

Alex Nelson. The standout features of this year’s local government elections for Alice Springs are the imminent near wholesale replacement of all council members and the high number of candidates running for councillor. With 25 candidates, it overtakes the 1988 campaign with 24 nominations for alderman as the second-highest on record.

Colin Newport. Warwick Street, Allora, has played a big part in the life of Rae Masters, who celebrated her 100th birthday at ‘The Homestead’ last Thursday 31st July. Averil Rae Masters was born in Miegunyah Private Hospital (now the home of Margaret Rackley at 33 Warwick Street) on the 31st July 1925, the daughter of Les and Doris Masters (nee Holmes).

A Living History Day to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the historic Auchmore Home, will be held at the Nullawil Heritage Centre on Sunday, August 17. Nullawil Historical Society members are looking forward to welcoming visitors to the day with an opportunity to "step back in time".

While politicians and activists agonise over the merits of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, a far more insidious war rages on — not between nations, but between species. It’s the war we barely talk about, yet one we’re losing badly: the war against invasive pests. From farmland to forest, the frontlines are everywhere, and the casualties aren’t measured in headlines but in trees, crops, ecosystems — and billions of taxpayer dollars.

Fans will see an exciting climax to this year's Historic Leyburn Sprints on 23-24 August when the weekend's fastest drivers battle head-to-head for the outright win in a new Top 10 Shootout format … Top 10 after the end of the Sprints field's scheduled seven individual runs will each have a final chance in a special eighth run to set fastest time and win the Col Furness Memorial perpetual trophy.

The Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation have been as appointed Crown Land managers for parts of Yamba’s Pilot Hill reserve including two heritage listed cottages. Celebrated at a special ceremony at Pilot Hill during NAIDOC week, the appointment marks a significant step forward in supporting the local Aboriginal community’s aspirations for the culturally significant area.

Listen out for the chime of the town clock in the coming months. A new era, including a fixed timepiece, is to come for local iconic building, Hay Post Office. Catherine and Trent Cox (pictured) have bought the heritage-listed building and significant historical landmark.

The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, has joined scholarship recipients, Hannah Saunders and Rhiannon Jack, in successfully completing the Kokoda Trail, marking the end of a profound journey honouring Australia’s wartime history and the enduring values of courage, mateship, endurance, and sacrifice.

Jenny Oldland. A casual coffee catch-up between Roger Hogben and John Edwards turned into something more lasting when the pair began discussing the day’s headline — the 50th anniversary of Australia’s withdrawal from the Vietnam War. From that conversation, the idea for a Vietnam War Memorial Walk between Edithburgh and Coobowie was born.

At the 40th Bentley Art Prize presentations were made at Bentley Community Hall ... Reg and Phyllis Hartley started the Bentley Art Prize in 1985 and ran it until 2005, when Helen Trustum took over.

Tony Kane. Maldon has many examples of Gothic architecture ... One of the finest examples is John Robinson’s House in High Street, which was built about 1866. The house features intersecting gables and delicate timber barge boards.

What an unforgettable week it has been at the “Buloke Times”, as the extraordinary milestone was reached – 150 years of publication ... Journalists Tim Lee and Andrew Alltree-Williams visited the district from July 16 to 18, spending time gathering insights and capturing the essence of the remarkable 150-year journey.

It’s time to return to a model where prevention isn’t a seasonal checkbox or an afterthought, and land management isn’t a sideshow. Fires like Yankees Gap should be front-page scandals, not just for the damage they cause, but also for what they reveal about how badly we’ve lost our way.

Over 53 years ago in 1972, 150 students came together on their first day as the inaugural cohort of students for the Diploma in Teaching (Primary) in the School of Education at the newly formed Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE), now the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ).

A “deceased” auction, August 10, has considerable personal interest to families living in the wider Wimmera region. The auction features some exceptionally rare passenger vehicles, circa late 1930s to the mid-1960s.

Fraser Island can certainly tell a few tales, and here is one of the saddest. On July 22, 1970, a routine sightseeing trip to Fraser Island turned into a disaster that claimed seven lives, marking the darkest day in the island’s tourism history.

Quill. Featuring in local news this month has been the 150th anniversary of this very publication – the “Buloke Times” ... Amidst the 150th celebrations has been a special visit from ABC Landline journalists, Tim Lee and Andrew Alltree-Williams, covering the history of our humble paper from its first edition as the “Donald Times” on July 29, 1875, right up to its current bi-weekly publication as the “Buloke Times”.

Corryong's 150th anniversary celebrations began on Sunday with a well attended Proclamation High Tea with many guests decked out in period dress. Corryong & District Memorial Hall committee member, Sheril Wilson, reports on the event...

Sebastian Calderon. A historic fire truck which serviced the Renmark district for two decades now has a new home at a local museum. The vehicle will share space alongside a Garford fire appliance from the early 1900's, as a key exhibit at Olivewood museum, aiming to honour the region's rich firefighting history.

Nhill's Mervyn Schneider – fondly known as Merv – marked an extraordinary milestone last week, celebrating his 100th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and well-wishers. A celebration was held at the Nhill Bowling Club on Saturday, with more than 150 people in attendance.