Life

A partnership between Forestry Corporation of NSW,  Pentarch Forestry and the Tumbarumba community has seen donated timber enhance facilities at Tumbarumba Carcoola Children’s Centre and Tumbarumba Public School. The partnership has seen renewable resources used to benefit children and the community, said Forestry Corporation’s Billie-Jo Brown.  

Chris Oldfield. The sweet smell of roses hangs in the air wherever you walk in the garden of internationally acclaimed hybridist George Thomson and his wife Linda. On the outskirts of Naracoorte, they live among hundreds of colourful roses – varieties which have taken decades to breed and grow.

Santa Claus has been flat out this year preparing to fill the Christmas orders from all the well-behaved children around the globe, and urgently enlisted the help of the Mayor of the Barkly when trouble arose. Thousands of dollars of presents for this year’s 88th annual Tennant Creek Christmas Tree event were at risk of not arriving for the event due to freight issues.

Move over Boomers and Gen X - the Millenials have become a leading influence in the world of politics. Reflecting this generational change is the recent election of Mt Alexander Shire’s Mayor, Rosie Annear ... The greatest need in the Shire at present, according to Rosie, is for secure, safe housing.

Author Leslie Scott never expected that a rumour about wild horses roaming on a mountain near her home would consume months of her life and result in such a deep connection between animal and human. Set in rural Victoria, Once Were Wild is an easy-to-read book that recounts the moment Leslie finds two brumbies amongst the rugged terrain of Mount Beckworth near the town of Clunes.

Since its inception, Toowoomba’s Christmas Wonderland has welcomed over one million visitors and has returned over $1.32 million back to the local community through its beneficiaries. This year is its 20th year of bringing the joy of Christmas to the young and young-at-heart across the Toowoomba region.

Eighty-three year-old Narrandera woman Marjory Longford has set the record straight on the origin of an unusual 19th century meat smoker that has been preserved at Griffith’s Pioneer Park Museum ... The smoker is made from a hollow log cemented to the ground and connected to an underground tunnel three metres long, which leads to a firebox smoker ... it came from her grandmother’s farm near Bringagee Station.

Sean Cunningham. Narrandera boxer Jesse Riddell has made his debut in the ring following his selec ­tion in an indigenous All Stars team taking on The Rest Of The World boxers in Sydney. Under the guidance of his trainer Troy Prior-Greedy, the 25-year-old unleashed his fists of fury, losing in a split decision, but has gained an invaluable insight into the sport.

Patricia Gill. The Denmark Environment Centre and long-standing member Geoff Evans were awarded last month for their commitment to WA’s environment ... Geoff tells how in 1994 he turned up to a meeting run by the late Alex Syme to save Denmark’s forests and was surprised to see 30 people gathered. Geoff looked around and said: “Where have you buggers been for the past 25 years?”

As the weather warms up and dissolved oxygen in the local rivers and creeks remain dangerously low, the community is leading the fish protection response. From old bedframes with dripper lines supplied with air compressors, to garden hoses circulating water, and even a paddleboat churning through $700 in fuel per week in an effort to provide an oxygenated refuge for native fish. The Murray Downs Marina dissolved oxygen went up above 5mg/L after four days with the Iron Dry paddle boat running.

New GP with Ochre Medical Centre Cohuna, Dr Gilda Geranmayeh, is delighted to finally be here. Originally from Iran, Dr Geranmayeh spent four years of her childhood in Adelaide while her father completed a PhD in geochemistry and she has been keen to return ever since.

Fraser Coast residents will now be able to opt for a natural burial at the new Nikenbah Natural Cemetery. A natural burial is a funeral that seeks to make as little impact upon the environment as possible and to return a body to the earth in as natural a way as possible.

The Allora District was deeply affected by the passing of Lyn Wright on Tuesday 8th November. As well as being a good friend to many locals, Lyn put her heart into making Allora a better place ... One of Lyn’s biggest achievements was the 150 Years Allora celebration week, as President of the Historical Society.

After being honoured at the Allora Regional Sports Museum earlier this year, the accolades continue for Allora born and bred netballer Laura Geitz, who was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame recently ... "Drawn to netball by her older sister’s purple netball shoes, she stands an imposing 1.9m and is an extraordinary mix of athleticism and aura, competitiveness and charisma, grit and glamour. And she is one of Australia’s all-time greats": Queensland Sport.

A Kindness Wall was revealed at the Casino Neighbourhood Centre. The wall provides clothes for the people who need them and was set up by Momentum Collective ... “With the perfect motto,  Leave one if you can. Take one if you need, the wall provides an opportunity for people who can help and a great way for people in need to have some essential items”: Fiona Miller, Momentum Collective.

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Sarah Martin. Seasoned sailors have warned of the importance of remote telecommunications and being prepared following a freak storm that left dozens of yachts damaged at Lizard Island. Watson’s Bay, a popular anchorage on the northern side of Lizard Island and home to some of the world’s most pristine reefs, had about 25 vessels anchored when a freak storm with winds over 100km/h burst in from the north.

Thousands of generations of shared history across Cape York and the Torres Strait has been formally recognised by the Federal Court of Australia. Celebrations were held on Thursday Island as Justice Debbie Mortimer announced the historic Native Title consent determination, which covers about 65,000 square kilometres of land and sea.

The first of December marks the start of summer, as well as onset of snake season. As temperatures rise, AMA (NSW) is warning residents to look out for venomous snakes and refresh your knowledge of snake bite first aid.

Chris Oldfield. Humour, youth and a passion for rural and regional people were hallmarks of SA’s Shadow Cabinet who last week gathered in the clubrooms of the Naracoorte showgrounds. Member for MacKillop Nick McBride welcomed his Liberal colleagues and local constituents to the forum, which was part of an intense three-day tour of the region.