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Charity

$550,000 machine saving more lives

Patients arriving at Naracoorte Hospital from vehicle crashes, farm accidents and sports injuries will no longer be always sent away for further high tech, detailed computer tomography scans ... A scanner installed 7.5 years ago – which saved hundreds of lives – has now been replaced with a $550,000 new, faster, high-tech one. And not one cent of government funding was involved.

Team Spirit award for local race team

Nhill-based Kermit Racing team recently completed their first event for 2023 at Winton Raceway, near Benalla ... Twenty-two cars finished the event, from 34 starters, with Kermit Racing finishing 17th overall and 8th in class.

Hands & Hearts repairing 100 homes in 10 days –  doing what the government won’t

A project led by locals aims to raise $50million to help flooded communities. The project was born out of the frustration over the lack of funding to rebuild homes after the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation released flood maps that showed priority areas that excluded most of the damaged homes.

Lighting the way to celebrate 100 years

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.

Cuppas and companionship tackle cancer: Charlton’s Biggest Morning Tea

Jenny Pollard. With the cold weather relegated to the outdoors, Charlton residents and businesses declared their support for cancer research, raising $926 at last Wednesday’s “Biggest Morning Tea”, hosted by CWA Branch, Cabbaritta, and held in the warm confines of the Charlton Lions Lodge.

In the pink at Breast Comp Ever

Emma Perrier’s aunt in Brisbane died from breast cancer four years ago, spurring Emma to create a sporting event to raise money for breast cancer awareness. On Sunday, June 25 at Main Beach in Evans Head, Emma was surrounded by a sea of pink at the Breast Comp Ever, a female surf competition.

Kangaroo Art Trail comes to life

The Maldon in Winter festival kicks off tonight (Friday 23 June) with the long-awaited for Kangaroo Art Trail coming to life! Twenty-four life-sized kangaroos lovingly decorated by an array of local artists and community groups are creatively displayed in shop windows along Main & High Streets in Maldon throughout the festival.

Gina Rinehart announced as Rural Aid patron

“Having grown up on stations which I loved very much, stations and farms have and always will be close to my heart. Rural Aid is an organisation that ‘stands with our mates in the bush’ during their hard times, and it does get tough in the bush, with floods, fires and severe drought, in addition to the usual dangers of snakes, spiders and in some northern areas, crocodiles too,” Mrs Rinehart said.

Beanies may be a life changer

This is the ninth consecutive year of the FightMND movement, and for this year, for teacher Kim Griffiths and the Year 12 Donald High School girls, it’s personal. Tony Goode was a vital part of the heart of the school. For this year, as it was last year, the funds raised from the FightMND beanies and socks will be in honour of him.  

Community is driving force behind village’s new bus

Hoorah! Rappville has a community bus ... The 2019 bushfires destroyed 23 properties; the pub was saved from flames twice. Residents had to rebuild, recover and find ways to move forward after the disaster. Dave and the other members of the Rappville Social Club had to decide how best to use the donations coming in from “all over Australia”.

Berghofer Foundation makes significant donation to RFDS

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) has announced that the Chair of the Berghofer Foundation, Toowoomba’s Clive Berghofer, has made a generous donation to help deliver its vital services across Queensland. RFDS (Queensland Section) Chair, Russell Postle, said Mr Berghofer’s gift of $10 million is a characteristically generous offering from someone who has a strong track record of health- related charity donations.

Act of kindness times 50 restores flooded prize winning garden

Fifty pairs of helping hands restored the McCormacks’ prize winning garden at Swan Bay. In 2018, Jenny and Jim McCormack won the North Coast Champion Garden. In 2022, that garden was under water with only the tops of the tallest trees poking out of the floodwaters.

The Good Coat Drive initiative – we want your coats!

Community Bank Maldon & District is partnering with The Good Op Shop in Castlemaine and Haven; Home Safe (the regional housing support service in Bendigo) to run The Good Coat Drive throughout May and June. We are inviting the public to donate their old but good-condition coats to The Good Coat Drive so that those sleeping rough or struggling to keep warm this winter will have a little bit of extra help.

Funding crisis

Not-for-profit aged care facilities in the region are in a funding crisis. Revealing this to The [Naracoorte Community] News, CEO of Naracoorte’s Longridge Aged Care, Mary-Ann Koerner, said this was the most pressing issue facing the state and federal governments, needing immediate solutions. Ms Koerner said the issue was even over and above health in general, with facilities full to capacity, a lack of staff to look after the elderly, and improper state funding.

Hitting the right note

Are your dreams of becoming the next Jimi Hendrix tucked away in a cupboard collecting dust?  One man’s vision, along with his supporting wife, amazing connections and generous donors is changing the lives of people across the world through an initiative called Noteworthy.    

Headstones lead to A Bend in the River

When journalist Samantha Elley saw the Woodburn cemetery for the first time, it was from a distance ... Sam said she is a taphophile – a lover of cemeteries. She has been writing family history stories for more than 30 years ... The book –  A Bend in the River  – took five years.  

Happy 60th Toowoomba West Lions

The International Charter was presented to the initial twenty-two foundation members at Lennons Hotel on Saturday night, April 6 1963. Lions Club Toowoomba West member Merv Symons said Lionism is not a religion but a way of life, offering a great sensation from within – the love of service to the community.

First Summit for Nhill Leos

Nhill Leo Club members, along with their mentors, attended their first Victorian Leo Summit on Sunday 26th March, which was held at the University of Melbourne Shepparton Campus and hosted by the Lions Club of Shepparton ... The majority of Leos’ Clubs in attendance comprised youth older than Nhills’ Leos, however, it was soon evident that the Nhill crew could hold their own amongst them.

Giant scrabble showdown

Castlemaine is set to become the Scrabble capital of the world, thanks to the Giant Scrabble Battle event which took place during the Castlemaine Fringe Festival. This year marked the 30th year of the festival, and the Scrabble Battle is quickly becoming one of the most popular events on the bill.

Stomp success as students bust a move

330 primary school students participated in the successful hip hop dance program run by Stomp Dance Company after a $9,000 donation by cluBarham ... The program included the Cohuna, Kerang and Koondrook schools after Cohuna Consolidated School teacher Michelle Howard saw a need to bring students, families and the community back together in a fun and interactive way...

The festival sure to open a can of bookworms

Are you looking for a novel idea this Easter? How about hunting for a literary gem among more than 200,000 offerings at Lifeline Bookfest Sunshine Coast at Nambour Showgrounds. Division 10 Councillor David Law said a massive range of bargain books would be on sale at the four-day event from Friday, April 7, to Monday, April 10, being held from 9am to 4pm each day.  

Kangaroo art project

Here’s a heads-up for an imaginative art installation being presented by Maldon Inc. Twelve 1.5 metre high kangaroos, along with some joeys, will be showcased in shop windows during the 2023 Maldon In Winter Festival, which will be running from 23 June to 9 July.

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