Life

Four new registered nurses have joined the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service as part of a Queensland-first program to attract people from the city to the country. The nurses are part of the Rural Generalist Registered Nurse Program workforce initiative.

Imagine being a talented, horse-loving teen stuck in the middle of a war. Instead of dreaming about representing your country at the Olympic Games, you are helping your family set your horses free in the hope they will survive the bombing. The one thing about horse lovers worldwide is they stick together ...

The Sunshine Coast citizen science program is growing, and council is calling on our community for their ideas. Citizen science is when people volunteer their time to partner with researchers to increase scientific knowledge and collect data about their natural environment.

The NSW Government and NRMA charging network has enabled more than 13 million zero emission kilometres – or the distance to the moon and back more than 30 times – of electric vehicle (EV) travel across the state. The impressive milestone was reached as the network continues to expand, with new chargers along the Mitchell Highway at Nyngan and Bourke and out to Brewarrina along the Kamilaroi Highway.

...Several years ago local identity Greg Jordan (AKA Wheelie) competed and won the team World 8 Ball Championship in England ... This week Wheelie was notified he will be inducted into the World 8 Ball Hall of Fame ... Once the initial excitement wore off and reality set in, he realised that getting there was just not going to be financially possible.

Kate Foran ... did you know that there are also purple poppies? These are worn to recognise the service of animals to our Australian Defence Force ... Most of the animals who served alongside our soldiers, whether officially in service, or casually in trench mateship, ended up losing their lives in both World Wars ... Lest we forget.

Last Friday, Tennis Victoria, Buldau Yioohgen (Anglicare’s Indigenous Youth Leadership Academy) and the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Community hosted Culture on Court in Castlemaine - an event that mixed culture with tennis plus plenty of fun in a culturally safe environment. Participants improved their tennis skills and experienced cultural activities.

Ben Evans settled on his 2,600-acre Mellool farm just two months ago ... His entire property, bar six acres, is underwater ... Daniel Monk, has never seen floodwater inundate the area as widely or as quickly ... Marcus and his wife, Bree, have 90 per cent of their 4,000ha farm inundated at Mallan ... “I have never seen so much water ever,” said Ken Spence.

Sarah Donnelley's book Big Things Grow has been called a love song to a small country town but it is also a love song to the profession of teaching ... Sarah's beautifully written memoir recounts key events of her four fulfilling years working in what was a complex and challenging environment.

Patricia Gill. Denmark's first St Ayles Skiff headed through the channel at the Rivermouth on Saturday marking the end of the 10-month community project to build the boat. Organiser David Cliff reflected on the project, quoting Ratty telling Mole in Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s novel, Wind in the Willows: “Believe me my young friend there is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much fun as simply messing about in boats”.

Serena Kirby. The Denmark Surf Club season has officially started and the first day on the beach was held in cold and windy conditions ... “No disrespect to the other clubs but this is the best surf club I’ve been a member of because it’s just like one big family”: Sam Williams.

Major flooding of the Murrumbidgee River at Narrandera has led to the evacuation of residents in 14 households south of town. Warnings for major flooding are still in place. Narrandera Shire Council Deputy General Manager Infrastructure Shane Wilson said ... the volume of water flowing through the river in a 24-hour period was 130,000 Ml megalitres which equated to 130,000 Olympic swimming pools as against the normal flow rate of 40 megalitres. SES volunteers are keeping a close watch on water levels and checking on residents in low lying areas.

Rodney Stevens. Growing up as the son of a policeman, Craig Stalker almost followed in his father’s footsteps, but his decision to join Ambulance NSW as a paramedic saw him serve for 41 years around the state, culminating this week after 36 years stationed at Maclean ... Over four decades Mr Stalker said he attended hundreds of fatalities and serious crashes including the horrific Cowper bus crash in 1989.

Emma Pritchard. There may be a few new faces and a name change on the horizon as the business continues to grow, but Celtic Coastal Hearing is proud to remain a family owned and independent practice, dedicated to providing the highest level of quality patient care while upholding the same values and principles it has been delivering to the Clarence Valley community throughout the past 10 years.

Campaspe Shire Council would like to reassure the community that the mosquito monitoring program is continuing right across the shire, treating breeding sites, and trapping insects. Acting Director Community, Mr Andrew Fletcher said the program, jointly funded by the State Government and Council, usually operates across the summer season, from around November to March, however did not stop at the start of 2022 due to the presence of the Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV).

The Scenic Rim's reputation as a leading destination for food tourism was reaffirmed at the 2022 Queensland Tourism Awards on the Gold Coast. Winning a silver award for Excellence in Food Tourism, the region has added to this year's accolades after being named as Best in Travel 2022 by the Lonely Planet guide and the Scenic Rim's Tamborine Mountain taking the title of Top Tourism Town in Queensland in June.  

A proud Gamilaroi man who recently started his own native grains business is partnering with a research team from the University of Sydney to share knowledge, revitalise country and help grow the emerging native grains industry. Les Knox, who owns and operates Garaah Gundal, will this summer lead a harvest collaboration with local farmers as part of a project to modernise Indigenous native grain processing and produce flour from the region’s traditional grain varieties.

Four tourism operators across the Northern Territory are creating new evening experiences for visitors, to enhance their attractions and encourage more tourists to visit the NT ... “These new evening experiences enhance our tourism offerings in the NT, which in turn helps to generate positive reviews and attract more visitors to explore our regions"; Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Nicole Manison

Following the opening, the Tarrangower Times published the Hospital’s rules. The first rule required the Hospital to provide medical and surgical aid to poor persons ‘irrespective of their creed, country or colour’, and for casualties. It went on however to say that any person found able to afford medical aid would be liable for all expenses incurred for their treatment.