Life

“I was really interested in wood fired kilns so I needed space and wood - lots of it.   WA’s Great Southern region was the ideal place and I was drawn to the area’s beautiful landscape. I was, and still am,   inspired by it and I believe the energy of the landscape permeates through me and comes out in what I create”: Jonathon Hook.

A leader has a responsibility to role model a resilient mindset to overcome difficult times. Nothing goes to plan. Especially living in regional Australia there are always challenges ... Optimistic people are more resilient than pessimistic people. As Henry Ford famously quoted: “If you think you can - you are absolutely right! …. If you think you cannot – you are absolutely right!”

We know just how important the local pharmacy is in rural and regional Australia. They’re a critical part of the fabric of a community and are often the first place we turn for health advice. That’s why the Government is supporting rural and regional pharmacies, as we ensure that every single dollar that the Government saves with 60-day prescriptions is reinvested straight back into community pharmacy.

Pharmacies in regional, rural and remote Australia (known as areas 2 to 7 under the Modified Monash classification method) with average script volumes equalling dispensing income of under $1 million in the 12 months to 1 April 2023, will be eligible to receive a new Regional Pharmacy Transition Allowance (RPTA) ... The new allowance is  in addition to  the doubling of the budget for the Regional Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA), which came into effect on 1 July.

WA Telestroke is expanding its hours to become a 24-hour, seven day a week service for clinicians caring for patients with acute stroke symptoms. Western Australian stroke specialists are now available as the first point of contact to assist emergency clinicians in the diagnosis, assessment and disposition of acute stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) patients across the State.

Kate Foran. Barkly Vet has been operating here in Tennant Creek for 10 years this year! One of the key goals of the business has always been to assist clients in the best animal welfare for their pets, despite this remote location. We are very proud of the degree to which we have grown the number of Aboriginal clients in the business.

Mary-Ann Koerner. The local volunteers of the Naracoorte “Meals on Wheels” branch have again supported Longridge ... This time they have purchased two extra-large, 13-inch iPad’s for our residents to use, and needless to say, since their arrival, they have hardly been turned off!

The Tennant Creek Volunteer Bushfire Brigade will be well prepared for a night emergency thanks to the generous donation this week. The Tennant Creek Volunteer Association gifted the unit a generator and specialised emergency lights, valued at around $1500.

Last week, Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services Shannon Fentiman officially opened the $3.1 million Drayton Ambulance Station... It will service the area of Drayton, Wyreema, Cambooya, Westbrook, Preston and south-west Toowoomba.

With Year 12 students soon to begin their university applications, we thought we’d take a look at the success of one of Kerang’s former students, Glenn Thomas ... is a graphic designer in Melbourne, and he shared his graphic design journey with us, proving that kids from the country can chase and realise their dreams.

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, released on 26 July 2023, shows food inflation slowing in the June quarter. Rabobank senior food retail analyst Michael Harvey said “Food inflation is at 1.6 per cent for March to June (unchanged from the last quarter), and 7.5 per cent year-on-year – slowing down from last quarter at 8 per cent”.

Last week the community of Nhill was surprised to find the Nhill Railway Station fenced off and out of bounds to the community, without any consultation, after being deemed unsafe for public use by the Australian Rail Track Corporation. Local resident Margaret Millington said it was a sad situation and that "Sadly, the Nhill station is now inaccessible to passengers wishing to travel on the Overland.

For four decades, the Speed Lions Club has been responsible for bringing the Mallee’s largest agricultural event to fruition each year. It’s no mean feat for the dedicated group of 26 volunteers, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to organise the two-day event, showcasing the latest in agricultural machinery and technology.

2023 marks 61 years since the arrival of the Australian Army Training team in South Vietnam on the 3 August 1962 and 51 years since the withdrawal of combat troops in 1972. During the Vietnam War 523 Australians gave their life for their country ... the Warwick and district Vietnam Veterans will honour Lionel James Baxter at the Warwick Cemetery in a Service of Remembrance.

Peter Hibberd. To be inducted into Racing Victoria’s jockey program is a dream for many aspiring jockeys. To win at your first race ride and join a very elite club, that is something else. Last Friday at the Donald racing centre all these dreams were realised when 25-year-old apprentice jockey Sarah Field won her first race at her first ride on the aptly-named Field Of Flutes.

Will Hunter. Rural medicine has received a boost as regional Australia continues to face a severe shortage of general practitioners and healthcare staff. The federal government has allocated $114.2 million over four years to permanently increase the number of Commonwealth-supported placements available to rurally trained university students.

Caravan and camping holidays are on the rise despite economic uncertainty ... Figures for the March quarter showed a strong surge in travel numbers with people embarking on 4.5 million trips (up 24 per cent) and 18 million nights (up 22 per cent) spent caravanning and camping.

In November last year, Kerry Ochtman said to his boss Pat Harley – “That’d be a good place for a nursery.” ... Kerry is thrilled that the new Harley Mitre 10 Garden Centre has loads of room for compost, potting soil, pots, weed control, garden screens and of course – plants.

From the dance studio to the great outdoors, ballerina Ms Valerie Tereshchenko has proven it’s never too late to try something new. Studying, performing and mastering the art of ballet for 25 years, the Ukraine-born ballerina took on a new challenge by studying a  Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management  with the help of  Charles Sturt University’s online study options.

The Casino United Hospital Auxiliary is finishing up after 120 years of supporting the hospital. Founded in 1903, the Auxiliary raised funds to buy hospital items and medical equipment for the Casino and District Memorial Hospital ... The Auxiliary has had to close because of a lack of numbers.

The George the Farmer story began in 2012 when founder Simone Kain was trawling the internet looking for farming books and apps for her farm-obsessed son George ... "I quickly discovered there wasn't a human farming character globally who was telling sequential stories about life on the land for children, let alone a modern Aussie farmer telling real, relatable yarns," she said.

The Victorian Government’s recent decision to cancel the Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria once again demonstrates two things. Firstly, for a leader to be trusted, any up front promises and subsequent actions and lived experiences must align. Secondly, regional Australians must be able to adapt quickly to the incompetent decisions governments make. This is often and many.