Life

It is rare for someone under the age of 12 to get shingles while people over the age of 50 are most at risk, according to the WA Department of Health. The department said shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox and is a common health condition in older people.

Bundaberg burnout driver Scott Abdy was just three years old when doctors told his parents he would never ride a bike, and yet, here he is decades later, gearing up to return to the Rare Spares and Repco Rockynats 06 burnout pad with precision, power, and an unmistakable passion for skids. 

And! We give you your weeks farming weather thanks to the BOM and your country news with Fiona L Fox from ARR.News.

For many households in Southern Downs and across Queensland, Garage Sale Trail conducted last year was a chance to clear out cupboards, make some extra cash and give pre-loved items a second life. Over two-weekends in November 2025, locals sold more than 11,972 items, generating $107,631 for households, community groups and charities, while also diverting items out of landfill.

If you're still keen to lend a hand to help fire-affected folks in Harcourt, it's not too late and the volunteers of BlazeAid want you to know that you'd be welcome aboard. The TT wandered up to the former school camp at Derby Hill to chat and find out how it all works.

Patricia Gill. Registered nurse Yvette Caruso found joy in two, month-long stints aboard Mercy hospital ships offering African people life-changing surgery and medicine ... Over January, Yvette joined the surgical team aboard the Global Mercy berthed at Freetown in the west African nation, Sierra Leone.

Quill. Community spirit was alive and well at Marnoo on Sunday, February 22, as farmers and friends affected by mining and the renewable energy push came together in support and to share their stories – it was standing room only at the Marnoo Cricket Ground ... Across Victoria Alliance (AVA) has united 27 allied groups across the whole of Australia in the fight against the mining and renewables projects throughout the regions.

Claims that Corryong Health will struggle to meet its immediate financial commitments have been refuted by board chairman, Ian Cesa. Liberal Member for Berwick, Brad Battin, alleged last Thursday that several hospitals in the North East including Corryong are operating with little cash on hand.

Madison Eastmond. A Renmark business has become a major sponsor of the reinstated 2026 Riverland Rose and Garden Festival after pledging of upwards of $5000 in support for the event. Locally owned business, Harvey Norman Renmark, has become one of the first major sponsors of the upcoming Riverland Rose and Garden Festival.

Madison Eastmond. A Renmark local has stepped up to lead the Riverland Rose and Garden Festival Committee, with her decision and recent community volunteer efforts saving the regional event for 2026 ... “It’s such an important event to the community and local businesses, and I am just delighted to be working with the fantastic Riverland Rose and Garden Festival Committee to once again bring the festival to the Riverland”: Vicki Dunhill.

Michelle Daw. Moonta's beloved heritage attractions have been shut down for five weeks and its many local volunteers say they are banned from entering the premises. This follows a shock decision by the head office of the National Trust of South Australia to disband its Moonta branch and assume full management responsibility for the Moonta Mines State Heritage Precinct...

NSW Farmers says plans to pollute rural and regional communities with Sydney’s rubbish should be immediately rejected. The proposed Parkes Incinerator would burn 700,000 tonnes of Sydney's red-bin rubbish each year if approved, and NSW Farmers Vice President Rebecca Reardon said it was totally unacceptable to force any regional community to be the dumping ground for Sydney waste if they did not agree.

Rural Aid has released its 2026 Farm Recovery Event (FRE) program, delivering practical, hands-on support to farming communities impacted by floods, fires, cyclones and ongoing drought. These week-long events bring together volunteers from across the country to help restore damaged farm infrastructure, improve productivity and support the wellbeing of farming families doing it tough.

Having taken the matter to the Victorian Parliament, Member for Western Victoria Region, Bev McArthur, is demanding answers over the federal government's plan to permanently close 68 defence locations across the nation - including the historic Fort Queenscliff … Mrs McArthur joined around 200 residents at a community rally organised by Senator Sarah Henderson, opposing the federal government’s plan to sell this nationally significant heritage site.

“People in my classes often say, ‘Oh my God this tastes amazing’ and I have to remind them that it tastes so good because they made it and they made it with the right intention. If you put love into your food, you're going to put love into your body.”

Flinders Shire Council is proud to announce that the 2026 Hughenden Festival of Outback Skies has received a major funding boost ... to support a landmark Festival Finale performance featuring the Townsville Great Barrier Reef Orchestra performing alongside internationally renowned didgeridoo virtuoso and composer William Barton.

The Sunshine Coast-based LifeFlight aeromedical crew yesterday winched a man from Mt Coolum to hospital in the first of back-to-back missions. The LifeFlight helicopter was tasked by Retrieval Services Queensland at 11.25am to a walking track on the mountain.

When Mathilde Enevoldsen left Denmark to work for LifeFlight, it was minus 15 degrees and snowing. Now, she’s landed smack bang in the middle of a sweltering Australian summer, ready to help North Queensland communities as one of LifeFlight’s newest critical care doctors.

Here’s some good news about Bonalbo’s 100th Show — it’s on. The show committee is pleased to inform competitors, exhibitors and sponsors that the Bonalbo Showgrounds are no longer under restrictions as an adjoining holding for cattle tick ... Remember the date — Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18.

For years, residents of Wilcannia and Menindee say they have been living with the consequences of a government mapping error they had no part in creating. A one-metre inaccuracy in state-provided flood mapping has incorrectly placed large sections of both towns inside flood-prone zones, with consequences that have quietly devastated the ability of ordinary people to insure their homes and develop their land.

Ted Egan's stories and songs ranged from the poignant, such as The Drover’s Boy, to the larrikan: There are some bloody good drinkers, in the Northern Territory ... Greg Egan was speaking ... at the state memorial celebrating the life of his father Ted Egan who, apart from being a nationally celebrated singer, was an author, academic and athlete.