Health

Balranald Shire moving forward with key projects and community initiatives. Mayor Louie Zaffina has been keeping busy since taking office, with significant progress on several fronts across the Balranald Shire. From major infrastructure projects to community health initiatives, Council is delivering on multiple priorities while actively seeking solutions to regional challenges.

The boy who left Hay all those years ago has travelled further than most people could imagine - not just geographically, but through depths of human experience that would break many people ... At 80 metres below the surface, hand-feeding apex predators with a failing heart, he's found something that eluded him for decades; peace.

Last Week The Allora Homestead was presented with a syringe driver by Rod Kelly on behalf of the Belinda McGowan Foundation. Syringe drivers are small battery-powered pumps that deliver a steady flow of medication through a small tube just under the skin.

Allora is set to take a major step toward a more walkable and connected future, with Southern Downs Regional Council securing $20,000 in funding to develop a walking network plan that will support healthier, more active lifestyles in the community.

Pilton's Darling Downs Zoo made national headlines last Sunday following an attack by a lion that saw a woman lose her arm. In a statement posted on social media later that day, the zoo said that at approximately 8.30am the woman, aged in her 50s, was watching keepers working in the carnivore precinct.

The adverse effects of Covid vaccines and concerns about how the process was administrated by the government were heard at a community meeting at Maclean on Sunday ... Ms O’Hearn said close to 100 people attended the meeting at the former Maclean RSL Club to hear a presentation from former Barrister, prominent anti-vaccination advocate, Julian Gillespie and discuss their experiences.

Michelle Daw. An 84-year-old Sydneysider has taken on the Walk the Yorke trail unassisted and completed all 500 kilometres in just 29 days, including seven rest days. Don Andrews started in Port Wakefield on June 4 and walked along the eastern and western coasts of Yorke Peninsula via all 10 stages of the trail to arrive in Moonta Bay on July 2.

Keeping busy and avoiding alcohol might be among the keys to a St Arnaud man’s longevity. Kevin Allen turned 100 on Thursday, June 19, celebrating with a few cups of his favourite black tea ... Mr Allen now enjoys being outside in his garden, which is immaculate, and still cuts his own firewood.

Recently, a group of keen locals; Emma Dickinson, Ashley Dickinson, Jo Ussing, Graeme Ussing, Craig Deckert, and Mikala Deckert, as team DUDs, participated in the Great Aussie Hike. The Hike is an extremely challenging two-day, 100-kilometre adventure through Daylesford & Wombat State Forest.

Sarah Herrmann. Amid a state government review of regional public transport, a Stansbury resident has shared her travel challenges following two surgeries ... Cheryl Waldron, 68 ... made the trip using Care In Motion's health bus, a not-for-profit transport service ... "I caught it from Stansbury at 6.10 in the morning and got home at 6.30 at night."

Joanna Tucker. Residents in Yorketown and Minlaton have raised concerns about long wait times for blood tests. Stephanie Parsons, of Minlaton, said that, although she did not often need a blood test, she thought the delays others regularly faced were bizarre.

Paul Beltz. The green pick available on swampy land or dried up billabongs and dams may seem a boon for producers during drought and difficult seasonal conditions. However, it’s important to check for toxic weeds and plants in swampy areas ... Toxic plants that might be found in these areas include dock, soursob, fat hen, lesser loosestrife and swamp grass.

After careful consideration of what the NSW Government Budget 2025/26 means for rural, regional and remote Councils, the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) sees a reactionary budget that is fiscally responsible in a time when investment in the regions is needed ... “Overall, not a lot for the CMA in the 2025-26 NSW Budget to be excited about. However, we continue to advocate for equity for rural, regional and remote communities in the State.”

Dorothy McQueen and Noelene Fuller were 17 year old nurses when they worked at the maternity hospital on Campbell Road, Kyogle in 1959. “I couldn’t count how many babies I’ve delivered,” Ms Fuller said ... Ms Fuller was speaking about the 100th birthday of Kyogle Hospital celebration...

The Minns Government has handed down the NSW State Budget. Here is what is on the cards for communities living in the Back Country... $12.0 million Broken Hill Hospital Emergency Department Upgrade ... Continuing $24.8 million for the Wilcannia Weir Refurbishment Project ...

Eliza Pike. Perinatal depression and anxiety (PNDA) affects up to one in five mothers and one in ten fathers across Australia – and for the seven million people living in rural and remote communities, these challenges are often intensified by barriers to mental health care ... With Gidget Foundation Australia seeing a 132 per cent increase in clients accessing perinatal mental health counselling since 2020, access to timely, specialist care has never been more important.

The new $250 million Griffith Base Hospital is set to open its doors to visitors, patients and staff from today Thursday 26 June 2025. Final preparations are under way for the opening of the new hospital, which will provide state-of-the-art healthcare services to people in Griffith and surrounding communities.

The Crisafulli Government’s 2025-26 Budget lays the foundation for the fresh start Queenslanders voted for, addressing Labor’s youth crime, health, housing and cost of living crises. The Budget focuses on making Queensland safer, delivering a place to call home for more Queenslanders, driving down cost of living pressures for families…

Sarah Herrmann. "If I can help them to learn from my mistakes, I'm winning." Those were the words of crash survivor Daniel Woolley, who shared his story with Yorke Peninsula high schoolers as part of a risk education program last week. It was the first time the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program had been delivered in the region.

There is much discussion, usually futile, about the social aspects of law and order. Here is a look at the flood of public funds unleashed by an individual's action.