Life

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.

You will most likely know Alexander McCall Smith as the ingenious and inexhaustible author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series or any number of his more than 80 other titles, but it was art that brought McCall Smith to Maldon last weekend. The cherished Cascade Gallery is currently showing the work of the entrancing and prolific artist Robert Maclaurin ... McCall Smith is an avid admirer - but they were yet to meet.

Childcare users in regional Queensland have waited more than 12 months to access services, according to a new study released by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI). The RAI Childcare Study ... focused on accessibility, availability, affordability and quality of childcare and its impact on workforce participation, liveability, population attraction and retention of staff in the Maranoa and Western Downs regions...

The recently released Toowoomba Region Growth Plan shows Westbrook is anticipated to grow by more than 4,800 people by 2051, taking the total population to just over 9,200 ... The Toowoomba Region Growth Plan, presented to Toowoomba Regional Council last week, is intended to act as the long-term population and employment growth strategy for the Region to 2051.

Professional dog breeder Kay Humphry has started 2023 on a high. Kay headed to Rochester with her precious cargo of three Golden Retrievers, Bonnie, Adel and Regina, to the first Rochester Show in three years – held off from two years of Covid-19 and the recent flood event.

“I just like to depict life,” said artist Brian Williams as we discussed his upcoming Cohuna art exhibition ... From landscapes to seascapes, Brian’s work captures the beauty of the Australian environment, the animals and people.

John Williams. Bread has historically been intrinsically woven and responsible for large parts of how civilisations and cultures have grown and is relied on as a fundamental foodstuff. So, you don’t mess with bread. However, in Nhill during the amalgamation of two bakeries in 1967, there seemed to be a crisis that could have led to Nhillites "eating cake".

For more than a year, Tabulam has not had an SES unit. Member numbers dwindled during the covid pandemic because the SES policy at the time was that all members had to be vaccinated.

Alyssa Walker. Of those nine, according to the findings of the ongoing Royal Commission, at least one of them is a veteran. "They tell us to look for the warning signs," Charlton RSL head, Bill Freeman, says; "but there are no signs." And how can there be signs, really, when the people themselves feel lost? As it can be with all major turning points in life, with surety and sense of self shaken, there can come danger.

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.

Tweed Shire Council, with partners Social Futures and Boosting the Local Care Workforce Program, are inviting Commonwealth Home Support Program providers to attend a free educational forum ahead of major changes to the in-home aged care sector next year. Strategy In The Face Of Change – Community Aged Care Forum will inform the sector of changes coming into effect in July 2024.

A clever project that makes it easier for people of all abilities to get out and enjoy the Sunshine Coast way of life, is being expanded ... “The project provides a clear solution for those with disabilities to plan and map their routes and is a comfort to travellers and visitors to our region with mobility issues in identifying where they can get to with ease": Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson.

Dr Simon Quilty. Today,  National Close the Gap Day, while there is a lot of focus on alcohol, crime and violence in communities such as Alice Springs, it is the long-term, underlying issues that are the real problem here. We are definitely experiencing difficulty in attracting, retaining and housing health professionals right across the NT, addressing this issue in isolation of the greater social disparity only makes the problem worse.

Catherine Grimley. For those who do not know, the canteen runs a daily meal program which supplies students with breakfast, recess and lunch each day. The menu is on a three-week rotation and almost everything is made in the canteen by Merrin and her three wonderful assistants.

Emergency services were in high demand over the weekend with multiple fire brigades attending to two grass fires in the Baringhup/Tarrengower area, and a car accident in Maldon. The first was a grass fire in Greenhill Bridge Road on Saturday 11 March where fire burned through grass and bullrushes.

Titilua Ikenasio. Active Farmers in Coleambally held their second ‘Active Games’ event over the weekend. The event garnered 180 participants from Coleambally and other areas where Active Farmers’ regular classes run including Wagga, Griffith, Sydney and Bridgewater (Vic).

Alesha Millard. If you’ve been fortunate enough to meet six-year-old Huxley Hall, then you’d agree he probably had you won over within the first 5 seconds from his sweet, cuddly and perpetually grinning smile ... It was a whirlwind first few weeks adapting to life with a beautiful newborn, pending heart surgery and learning all about Down syndrome and how life was going to change.

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.

Last weekend, around three hundred Rotarians gathered in Yamba for the annual District 9640 Conference, a Rotary calendar highlight .. More than 30 Awards were presented by District Governor Karen Thomas to clubs for projects that support causes across the Northern Rivers...