Life

Three days a week, Janet Becker drives 30 minutes from her home to the ac.care Berri Community Centre, where she helps run cooking groups, supports art sessions and welcomes people into the space with warmth and humour. While she now volunteers regularly at the centre, Janet first connected with ac.care during a difficult period in her life when she was experiencing homelessness and social isolation.

At 21 years old, Luke Foggo is the youngest SES member across several units in the region, but you would never know it from the way he carries himself. He did not join the conventional way.

...Pictured is one of Kathy Koop’s amazing sunrises, captured during the week. National Volunteer Week is being celebrated this week, with the 2026 theme, Your Year To Volunteer.

Ned Thomas. The Southern Yorke Peninsula Show will pause in 2026 as organisers restructure the growing event behind the scenes and prepare for a more sustainable future. After several years of rapid expansion following the show's 2022 rebrand, SYP Agricultural Society president Kristy May said the workload had become too large for a small volunteer committee to manage sustainably.

In April 2026, Peter Garrett AM took over as chair of Landcare Australia from Doug Humann AM, marking another significant chapter in a notable career. Australian Rural & Regional News was interested to learn how Peter sees the potential of this enduring community environmental organisation and his role in it.

Less than 1 per cent of junior athletes go on to play sport at the highest levels. So, what is the role of a junior sports club, and how should its success be measured? The most premiership trophies with the highest number of junior dropouts is failure in my book.

The Commonwealth Government has formally issued a Native Title Determination for the White Cliffs opal fields, bringing to an end a period of administrative gridlock that had threatened the economic viability of the historic mining outpost. The declaration of the White Cliffs Main Field as an "Approved Opal or Gem Mining Area" under Section 26C of the Native Title Act 1993 now provides a legal framework for the granting and renewal of mineral claims.

Seeing the healthcare barriers faced by rural families inspired Armidale medical student Fleur Steen to pursue medicine, and now a national grant is helping support that goal ... Now studying medicine at the University of New England in Armidale, Fleur said growing up in rural communities made her aware from an early age of the challenges many people face when trying to access healthcare.

He flawlessly captures everyday life and nostalgic scenes of domestic and social euphoria perfectly in a variety of colours. And as he celebrated his 100th birthday on May 5, renowned Australian artist John Beeman is continuing to paint his own story.

Rhiannon Govier. Every property owner has a story. That is just one of the reasons why Lyn and Stan Rasmussen became coordinators for Blaze Aid. During the four months of coordinating the Blaze Aid camp in Maldon to support those impacted by the Harcourt fires, the camp has spent $11,000 in groceries and $6,000 in fuel...

It was certainly not an average Mother's Day in Maldon, with fluttering gold hearts, music on and off the train, a brass band and even a bespoke song. That's because it was the Maldon Notable Day Out on Sunday 10 May, held in honour of the National Trust's 1966 declaration of Maldon as Australia's first Notable Town.

“The real test with the Budget is whether the dollars announced reach rural people, First Nations communities and primary care in thin markets where healthcare access is hardest”" Susi Tegen, NRHA Chief Executive.

Students in grade 6 at Greenmount State School will be interviewing past students, and writing their biographies as part of the school's 125th Anniversary celebrations this year and members of one family, the Stenzels, have been attending Greenmount State School since the 1940s.

Sean Cunningham. The One Nation bandwagon continued to roll on with a landslide victory for Narrandera local David Farley in last Saturday's Farrer By-Election. On the back of One Nation's rise during the recent SA elections, the seat of Farrer became the party's latest conquest as voters chose to abandon the Liberals and Nationals and place their faith in Mr Farley.

Central Coast renters aged 55-69 are facing a bleak future, according to a recent survey conducted by not-for-profit housing provider Home in Place ... The findings highlight how exposed people are when they reach retirement age without owning a home in a system that assumes they will.

The May Budget delivered by Treasurer Jim Chalmers has elicited criticism, and some praise, from many quarters, as illustrated by the following statements from the National Party, Beyond Zero Emissions, National Farmers' Federation and the NFF Horticulture Council, National Seniors Australia, Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, TasFarmers, Grain Producers Australia and NSW Farmers.

Eight months after the death of 46-year-old Naracoorte man Cody Williams, his family says they are still searching for answers - and demanding accountability so no other family experiences the same heartbreak. In a confronting and deeply personal letter to The [Naracoorte] News, local resident Donna Armoogum details the final days of her brother’s life...

Madison Eastmond. A Riverland out of school hours care (OSHC) program has recently celebrated one year of success. The Monash Primary and Preschool OSHC program has now been offering their service to the local community for over a year, with the initiative recording double the numbers of enrolments during the last school-holiday period since they opened their doors.

More than 500,000 Australian children were placed into institutional or out-of-home care during the last century, with many experiencing neglect, abuse and a loss of identity that continues to shape their lives today. Often referred to as Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers, this cohort includes Stolen Generations, former child migrants, and former Wards of the State, including more than 400,000 non-Indigenous children.

More than 2,700 delegates including 730 travel buyers from 32 countries have converged in Adelaide this week for the nation’s largest ever tourism tradeshow - the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE26). Attendees have been meeting with 1,400 Australian industry representatives from more than 700 tourism organisations at the vibrant event held in the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Residents are invited to take part in an upcoming Fire Wise Planting Bus Tour Workshop, designed to provide practical tips on landscaping in fire-prone areas. The workshop is one of four initiatives being delivered by Council in partnership with community organisations, funded through the Victorian Government’s Safer Together Program – Strengthening Local Government Partnerships.