Community

An event that promotes community support and resilience, especially for those affected by loss and hardship since the 2019-20 bushfires, will be held later this month ... One of the main speakers for the 2025 event is James Greenshields who was born in Corryong and raised south of Seymour. He is a former Australian Army Officer with 17 years of service including leading more than 100 soldiers in Iraq and navigating the profound personal challenges that followed.

A group of 25 regional banks and supporters have banded together to advocate to keep face-to-face branches open in regional towns. The organisations have formed the Regional Banking Investment Alliance (RBIA) and want essential bank branch services such as cash handling and fraud advice to be supported by a community service obligation (CSO) on the wider Australian banking sector to share the cost burden. 

The official opening of 24 new affordable dwellings in South Grafton earlier this month has given a number of Clarence Valley residents a much longed for place to call home ... a joint initiative by Anglicare North Coast and Northern Rivers Housing, the development is the biggest affordable housing delivery in the region so far in 2025.

In a compassionate reversal of a previous decision, the Naracoorte Lucindale Council has this time unanimously agreed to waive all cemetery fees for children up to the age of 10, excluding the cost of plaques. This motion, which had been rejected in May, received full support from elected members in the council meeting held on July 22.

More than $103,000 of community grants have been awarded to not-for profit and community groups across the Horsham, Yarriambiack and Hindmarsh Shires, under the Murra Warra Wind Farm Grants Fund ... The Murra Warra Wind Farm Community Grants program is administered by Wimmera Southern Mallee Development on behalf of Squadron Energy, with an independent selection committee ...

... this month’s topic is Amazing People ... The book fair itself is nestled between the CWA pop-up shop and Lowana, two long-established organisations run entirely by volunteers ... There are also people who make a career of volunteering and I recently met one such remarkable bloke. In his words he was heading out bush to earn a few dollars to support his real work – delivering books to people in the bush.

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.

In an incredible statewide result, the Donald Show has been officially crowned the Third Most Popular Agricultural Show in Victoria in the 2025 VAS Ltd People’s Choice Awards – and what a moment it is for Donald’s proud community!

Chris Byrne from Legacy Minerals was at the Lunatic Hotel to answer questions from the community about mining exploration in the Drake area. It was a casual meet and greet ... IndyNR.com wanted to ask Mr Byrne some questions about his company’s exploration of mineral licences.

The Australian Alpaca Association (AAA) is thrilled to announce the return of its most anticipated event, the Australian Alpaca National Show, proudly celebrating 35 years of alpaca excellence. Running from 8 to 10 August 2025 at the Prince of Wales Showgrounds in Bendigo, this iconic event is free and open to all.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has continued its assault on its community bank network, forcing the closure of 28 agencies run by community franchises. All the agencies are in regional Australia and 17 of the affected towns will be left with no banking services after the closures. Bendigo Bank made no mention that the agencies were all operated by the owners of community banks when making the announcement last week that it was “retiring” its agency network.

So, after more than a year without a resident police officer, Katamatite's single-member station is about to spring back to life. Detective Senior Constable Charles Ryall is trading his role with Cobram's Crime Investigation Unit for something entirely different – becoming Katamatite's first live-in police officer in about 12 months.

Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation has renewed calls as a matter of urgency for a new government approach to address high lead levels in Aboriginal children in far west New South Wales. The call comes after the Far West Local Health District released the latest report into lead levels in Broken Hill children.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has reacted with concern following recent comments from Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, warning that the State Government’s energy transition risks alienating the very communities it needs most.

The Barkly Regional Council today issued a strong call to action, urging the Northern Territory Government, Infrastructure Australia, and all stakeholders to reinstate Tennant Creek as a core component of the Territory Energy Link (TEL) corridor. The Council asserts that bypassing Tennant Creek risks squandering decades of strategic planning and undermining critical regional development.

Mount Alexander Shire Council (MASC) has been keeping play a priority; it has featured as a key agenda item at its recent council meeting and in the recently released budget. It comes as school starts back again, after a holiday period that saw local children and visitors looking for wintry activities in regional small towns.

The final days of the Maldon in Winter Festival and the school holidays resulted in some interesting sights around Maldon ... On Thursday 17 July, the mythical Knight in Shining Armour became a reality for participants in a drawing session with Greg Nash, who is a professional jouster from Kryall Castle (one of only two in Australia, guess where the other one works?).

The comments today from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) Acting CEO, Anthony Beven, are not only irresponsible, they are utterly absurd. To suggest that the Commonwealth should pull funding from the NT Police Force until a meeting takes place is reckless and inflammatory. These kinds of outbursts do nothing but create confusion and fear in remote communities who rely on police for safety and protection.

Towong Council workers have launched historic industrial action over what they consider an "unfair" pay offer and rising charges for residents. For the first time in the council's history, its workers have commenced are taking protected industrial action in response to a wage proposal that workers say fails both staff and the local community.