Community

A Garden Party celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Queensland Country Women’s Association (QCWA) at "Marinya", the former home of Mrs Ruth Fairfax, the founding president of the organisation, drew a large crowd of branch members from a wide area along with local and visiting dignitaries.

The Narrandera District Community Radio Spirit FM hosted a wonderful community celebration at the Narrandera Golf Club and Function Centre ... to celebrate its 18th year of broadcasting in 2023 ... Spokesperson for Spirit FM, Sue Ruffles commented that the organisation of the party provided an opportunity to delve into some history of the station which has not previously been captured.

Local residents are encouraged to come along to Echuca Library this Saturday for the annual Echuca Moama Discovery Day. The event will showcase over 50 groups from Echuca Moama and surrounds, ranging from local service and sporting clubs, to singing, art, craft, history groups and many other community organisations.

A huge crowd of members, friends and invited guests attended the celebrations at the historic homstead, Marinya, Cambooya on Saturday. Marinya was the home of founding president Ruth Fairfax who hosted meetings and garden parties for the QCWA.

A wide-ranging program of activities is planned to engage young people across the Toowoomba Region for Queensland Youth Week 2023. Held from 11 to 17 April, Queensland Youth Week is an annual celebration of young people aged 12–25, and an opportunity to recognise the positive contributions they make across our Region.

Last week, Harmony celebrations all over Australia reminded us that everyone is different, everyone belongs and we all bring something unique to our communities.

The Newstead Community Garden began in 2009   and has evolved into a peaceful and joyful venture for keen and eager gardeners ... The garden produces fruit and vegetables, which are used by the members, and the excess is dried, used for chutneys, fed to the chooks and/or donated to community groups.

The Paddock Run flood initiative, which was driven by the Buloke community, has been nominated for the Disaster Preparedness category in the 2023 National Awards for Local Government ... Council partnered with over 45 food businesses and grain receival sites across the shire to deliver flood support and assistance information to the paddock, truck, tractor, harvester, ute etc., using a less conventional, but more practical delivery method – via their stomachs.

Act Belong Commit Darkan Sheepfest is now more than a sheep and wool show. The event is a testament to the cultural and economic value that a show can provide to a community and town.

The Lions Club of Clarence – Environmental are launching a cat campaign designed to protect the extraordinary biodiversity of the valley and allow cat owners to enjoy their pets and keep them safe ... “The campaign is designed to make people aware of what their cats are doing when they are out of their home, and it’s feral cats as well as domestic cats”: President Barbara Linley.

West Wimmera Health Service recently released new Community Health and Wellbeing Profiles, providing the first detailed snapshots of the health, wellbeing and liveability of nine towns across the Wimmera and southern Mallee ... "The exciting thing about this project is that we now, for the first time, have access to solid benchmarking data, which means from this year forward, we will be able to track the health and wellbeing of these small communities over time": Health Promotion Manager, Dorothy McLaren.

The markets are back in their home at Coronation Park, eager to bring the community back together to create the famous iconic event. Held on the second Sunday of the month since 1976, the market is renowned for its colour and atmosphere.

The long awaited Kurrajong Facility in East Street Narrandera officially opened its doors at a ceremony led by Kurrajong Executive Officer Ray Carroll from Wagga last Thursday ... This new building provides a modern environment to support Kurrajong’s lifestyle choices services and includes a spacious kitchen designed for group cooking programs and specific spaces for living skill training and activities.

A vibrant and decorative space has been created in Grafton’s Market Square as part of Clarence Valley Council’s (CVC) Rediscover Grafton project ... Between 6-11pm each night, attendees are welcome to bring their picnic blankets and deck chairs into Market Square and lie or sit below a pair of entwined trees, and engage with the extraordinary experience.

Bouncing back from the flood-enforced cancellation last October, Charlton's "OK Motels" Festival was back with a bigger and better impact as visitors soaked up the relaxed country lifestyle last weekend. With the focus firmly set on “community” and the town presenting an array of add-on activities, there was a tangible feeling of homecoming, as friendships were rekindled, new ones made, and former attendees introducing newcomers to what could viewed as a “lifestyle” event.

The Barkly Aboriginal Alliance, a self-governing body which gives a voice to all Indigenous people in the Barkly, is looking for new members to join them. The Alliance seeks to create a better future for all communities in the region with their vision being that "Homelands and Communities in the Barkly are self-determining and thriving".

Barkly Regional Council’s community area managers were in Tennant Creek this week for a two-day training and information conference. Council Area and Department Managers from Ali Curung, Alpurrurulam, Alparra and Elliott met with Tennant Creek managers, department heads and new and existing staff to talk about what’s happening in their communities and receive updates what’s happening at the Tennant Creek head office.

An innovative project will be launched next week to identify economic opportunities for development in the Upper Murray. Led by Dr Juliette Milbank, ‘The Future of the Upper Murray’ will cover an area on both sides of the Murray River ... It seeks to develop strategic and innovative long-term projects that take advantage of local regional strengths.

Large happy crowds turned out for Australia Day at both Naracoorte and Lucindale last week to celebrate local award winners, welcome new Australians citizens and participate in an Australian citizenship affirmation ... Mayor Patrick Ross read a statement from the Federal Member for Barker, Tony Pasin, then introduced guest speaker, Robertson Street Daily Market proprietor, Didar Ali ... “I came to Australia because I ran away from war."

Local people and organisations were recognised for their community service at breakfast ceremonies in towns across the Towong Shire on Australia Day ... The joint Citizens of the Year are former Corryong pharmacists, Catherine and Stewart Ross, who have had a long involvement in community affairs ... Local cafè owner, Stuart Spratt, was presented with a Special Recognition award ... Community Group of the Year award went to the supporters and committee members of the Corryong & District Memorial Hall and the RSL Hall ...

Inspirational community contributions celebrated. Well known Narrandera Shire resident Rex Evans was rewarded for his generous and ongoing contribution to Narrandera shire communities over many years with the 2023 Citizen of the Year Award ... "our town wouldn’t be what is without volunteers": Senior Citizen of the Year, Beverly Hughes.