Community

In Maldon, it was a friendly gathering in the Shire Gardens with flags flying and snags frying, all thanks to volunteers and the Maldon RSL ... In Castlemaine, Dja Dja Wurrung Elder Uncle Rick Nelson welcomed a packed Town Hall with a traditional ceremony on ... 26 January before Council CEO Darren Fuzzard spoke about the day’s theme of ‘Reflect, Respect, Celebrate’.

2026 saw another successful Allora Heritage Weekend. President Graeme McMillan said the committee was happy with the event. Crowd numbers were up even though the weather was very hot. More trucks and cars were on show this year...

While the WA Labor Minister for Fisheries announces the release of pink snapper fingerlings in Cockburn Sound south of Perth as part of their West Coast Demersal Recovery package, the Nationals WA continue to hold forums for fishers impacted by the demersal fishing ban and call for a parliamentary inquiry.

Daniel Puentes. Donald's venue for Australia Day was the pool; a welcome change, as the summer heat was no joke on the day. As the venue opened, people came and set up their chairs and prepared for a fantastic day at the pool. At 10 a.m., the emcee, Chloe Frank gathered everyone's attention for the singing of the national anthem and the reading of the pledge.

Michelle Daw. Environment Minister Lucy Hood has called a hastily arranged community forum at Corny Point this week, following growing criticism of the state government's handling of the harmful algal bloom affecting southern Yorke Peninsula ... Public frustration escalated over the weekend following reported comments by Premier Peter Malinauskas, who stated the algal bloom was "non-existent in most of the state" — remarks that have drawn strong backlash from affected coastal communities.

The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation has called on school communities to help identify and protect vulnerable children amid a growth in reports of forced marriage. According to the latest figures, reports of forced marriage into the ACCCE jumped almost 30 per cent last financial year...

Allan Japp's story is one of extraordinary dedication, quiet leadership and lifelong service to the people of Hay. For nearly 70 years, Allan has been a cornerstone of our town through his work in pharmacy, emergency services, sport and a wide range of community organisations.

Australia Day started early in Hindmarsh Shire on Monday 26 January 2026, commencing with a BBQ breakfast in Rainbow at 7:30am, followed by ceremonies in Jeparit, Dimboola, and Nhill ... Congratulations to the recipients of the Hindmarsh Shire Council Australia Day Awards held at the Nhill Memorial Community Centre on Monday due to the extreme weather conditions.

The town of Yass has had many lives. Today it is a market town, but also a dormitory suburb for Canberra’s younger public servants and a place of retirement for farmers and pastoralists who have handed their land on to the next generation. As a result, it is a pleasing mix of both young and old ... As the title suggests, this book describes the growth of Yass and charts some of its several aspects, from a frontier town surrounded by bushrangers to the gateway to the Murray River and the great grazing lands of western New South Wales and Victoria.

Liesl Pederson was starstruck when she went on stage to sing I am Australian at the Kyogle Australia Day ceremony at the KMI Hall. Liesl is well known at Kyogle events often singing the national anthem at the Kyogle Show and performing on Anzac Day.

The generosity of locals has been on display over the past week as truckloads of hay have been donated, stockpiled and delivered to fire-affected regions within Victoria.

When bushfires roared through Koolewong on December 6, Katie Greene's home was the only one left standing in a row of six houses. She has issued a stark reminder to other home owners to make sure their houses are bushfire safe.

Darling Downs Health has welcomed a record 61 medical interns this year, marking the largest intake since the program began ... Included in this diverse group is Dr Reuben Burrough, whose journey to medicine began in the paddocks of western New South Wales.

Ausnet repair crews have been acknowledged by the community for the rapid response in rebuilding the electricity network in the wake of the Walwa-River Road bushfire despite facing tough terrain, high temperatures and even lightning and hailstorms.

Brisbane-based, national produce rescue business Funky Food is calling on farmers across Queensland and northern NSW to let the Funky team save more fresh fruit and vegetables from going to waste, by partnering to redirect surplus and cosmetically imperfect produce directly to Australian households.

Colleen Krestensen. With the repeal of the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018 (NSW), the Australian Brumby Alliance and brumby rehoming organisations are deeply concerned that the NSW Government and NPWS will move to quickly slaughter the remaining brumbies by aerial culling or other lethal methods ... The ABA strongly believes that with the brumby population in Kosciuszko National Park now as low as 579 horses, and the perceived density problem addressed, there is time to review how the remaining horses are managed and to make animal welfare an imperative.

Leader of The Nationals WA Shane Love says if growing unrest to Labor’s demersal fishing bans is any indication, the Cook Labor Government has bitten off more than it can chew and badly underestimated the strength and unity of Western Australia’s fishing community ... "The fishing community is ropeable, and rightly so," Mr Love said.

On Friday 9 January, during a day with a Catastrophic Fire Rating, a grassfire started between 2 and 3pm at Fogartys Gap Road in Ravenswood and by 5pm it had crossed Calder Freeway. Emergency warnings to ‘Leave Immediately’ were issued at 7pm for Harcourt and areas to the east towards Sutton Grange. The fire burned through the Harcourt township and travelled up Mount Alexander/Leanganook.

Indigenous Cultural Fire Practitioners and Queensland farmers are working together to improve grazing landscapes using First Nations land management practices, including Cultural Burning - transforming the way food and agricultural systems work.

A major operation is underway in the Upper Murray and Tallangatta Valley to complete a 300km containment line to bring the Walwa-River Road fire under control … the blaze was started by a lightning strike in the Mt Lawson National Park 25kms west of Walwa on January 5th and has now burnt more than 105,000 hectares and the perimeter stretched around 420kms. To date, there have been nine confirmed house losses, 53 structures (sheds) destroyed and an estimated 10,000 hectares of HVP pine plantation and communication infrastructure at Mt Lawson have been burnt.

The Australian public is being called upon to unite and lend a helping hand to our farmers in need, as they battle the Victorian bushfire crisis - one of the worst in years ... In response to the crisis, Victorian Farmers’ Federation (VFF) - the state’s peak farmer advocacy body - has activated its Disaster Relief Fund...