Life

On Sunday the inaugural Lebner family bake-off was held in memory of family matriarch and renowned cook, Enid Lebner. This year’s challenge was one of Enid’s favourite recipes and a diverse field of entrants lined up for the hotly contested Yo-Yo Classic trophy.

Lockhart female shearer Nicki Guttler continues to make a name for herself in the male-dominated field of shearing ... Nicki started off shearing in the Open competition as the only female competing and surprised even herself by coming sixteenth out of 35 leaving quite a few seasoned Open shearers in her wake.

Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) is once again under the spotlight as the Barham Hospital had been left with no doctors after the contractual arrangement with Ochre Health ran out on November 30 ... Having the multimillion-dollar facility sitting idle due to a bureaucratic standoff has greatly frustrated local doctors and distressed patients seeking treatment.

Congratulations to The Allora Community Circle for organising a wonderful Bush Christmas again this year. With the support of local sponsors and business houses as well as the community involvement Allora turned on a memorable event including the official lighting of the Community Christmas Tree ... It was an amazing experience as the kids flocked to see and touch a real live reindeer.

“The Salvos have played an important part in the Kaniva community for a long time, so it is sad to see them leaving. From the fellowship the church offered to the much-loved Op Shop and the many times they provided outreach and help, often completely unheralded, their departure will undoubtedly leave a hole in the community”: Tim Meyer, West Wimmera Mayor.

It’s been a decade long journey lifting thousands of kilos in the gym and last month Maclean bodybuilder Beccy Pateman achieved her dream when she was crowned overall winner of the Professional Figure category in the Natural Olympia contest, plus overall winner of the Professional Fit Body category at the WNBF World Championships.

Wallaro Hospital should be reclassified to reflect its status as the major hospital in the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network area. That is one of the specific requests in the petition led by Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis calling for better health services in the electorate, which was signed by 10,688 people and presented to the South Australian Parliament in November.

Make Christmas memorable and creative by spending time crafting, dining out, decorating, giving and having fun with your friends and neighbours this December at the Birchip Neighbourhood House.

As the summer arrives, CFA, with RSPCA Victoria, is reminding Victorians to consider their pets and livestock in their bushfire survival plan.  While families should always put their own safety ahead of their pets in an emergency, it is important to have bedding, food, and water ready to go for them should a fire cause concern.

Sixty nurses from the UK and Ireland have been recruited to work in the Northern Rivers ... Indian national Kavitha Mathew will work at Kyogle Multi-Purpose Service ... “I’m very happy to work in Kyogle,” Kavitha said.

After years of neglect, the glory days of Babinda’s historic nursing quarters have been returned with a new lease of life, transforming the Art Deco beauty into a popular guesthouse in the heart of nature’s playground ... In carrying on her mother’s tradition of bringing old buildings back to life, Maggie Perpetua Nelson’s daughter, Kim Marsden, undertook the considered renovation of Babinda Quarters, reimagining it into a fresh iteration oozing creativity, character, and a good dose of quirk.

A Swap Meet is all about contradictions. Jewels amid the junk, gems in the garbage, riches in the rubbish and, of course, treasures in the trash. It always comes as a surprise to note the huge number of stalls and the amazing variety of goods on offer: it just seems to go on and on.

They would come from Queensland to Tasmania and all parts in between. Some would come ‘just over the hill there’ from a place called Perth. And as anticipated, in they came for the 35th Truck Show held last weekend at the Campbells Creek Sports Ground.

United by grief, leaders of 26 community groups gathered last Monday at the Lucindale Police Station. Their highly respected police officer Brevet Sgt Jason Doig had gone to a job 120 kms away, and never returned.

Kate Foran. Students at Epenarra School, 200 kms from Tennant Creek, are learning more than just maths and English ... Barkly Vet Practice visited the Communities last month ... Dog numbers have been reduced through the desexing program with students monitoring a spreadsheet to keep the statistics and data.

It was a memorable occasion last Friday when local food pantry provider, Corryong FoodShare Services, offically opened its new premises in Harris Street. The honours were carried out by Member for Indi, Helen Haines, and the French Ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault.

Hilltop provides motel style accommodation, at a heavily subsidised cost, to regional cancer patients undergoing treatment at the adjacent Cancer Centre and also their carers if required .. The Cancer Centre was expected to be treating 250 patients a week but this figure has already risen to 350 people.

Micah Campbell, an 11 year old Narrandera Public School captain with a love for leading and serving his school community and a passion and enthusiasm for life and people, has mounted a campaign to make Christmas brighter in his town and overseas.

The Lighting the Way Ambassadors, selected for their genuine affinity with the Flying Doctor, work within their region to advocate for improved health and wellbeing outcomes for rural and remote Queenslanders ... Established in 1943, the Charleville Base services a waiting room of more than 622,000 square kilometres, connecting the residents of the South-West Queensland region to leading, and often lifesaving, health services.

I often get asked by leaders how to have a difficult conversation. My answer is always the same. Don’t have one! Have a normal conversation. A difficult conversation should be treated as a normal conversation. That is, they are conducted respectfully, empathetically, with good intent, and safely ... Key is not to have a difficult conversation when either party is angry. No one can listen when they are angry.

The future of residential aged care in Ardrossan is in doubt as the local hospital tackles challenges which forced it to close its accident and emergency, and acute care ... "We also reluctantly realised our ability to provide sustainable aged care was doubtful and it was unlikely any other private provider would be interested in taking over these services": Ardrossan Community Hospital chairperson Margaret Tomsen.

South Australians living in rural and regional areas will now be eligible for financial support to travel to specialist Prosthetic and Orthotic clinics for health appointments, under an expansion of the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme ... To qualify for this service, people must attend either a public or private hospital or outpatient clinic...