Life

This Christmas, Naracoorte father and leukemia survivor Remo Herron has one heartfelt wish: that people give a gift that truly matters — a gift that helps save lives and keeps families together when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

Madison Eastmond. Crowds of Riverlanders lined the main street of Barmera for the annual Christmas pageant and firework display ... the community gathering providing another successful showing of local festive cheer and spirit despite the weekend heatwave.

More than 70 community members gathered at a meeting in Charlton this week to discuss the current temporary closure of the Charlton Shire Hall due to the potential friable asbestos identified in the decorative brickwork wall cavities in June ... Laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of Amosite asbestos within cavities ...

I’m certainly no fisherwoman but when my elderly neighbour, Jim, offered to take me out on the inlet to go fishing I keenly accepted. Jim hadn’t told me what to bring so I borrowed the full range of fishing gear from friends so I’d be properly prepared. I had rods and reels, bait and burley and my gear quickly cluttered up the bottom of the boat. Jim by contrast had only a hand line and bucket and told me his bait was “still breathing” ...

The Nationals WA have called for urgent action after widespread power outages left more than 24,000 homes and businesses across the Mid West and Geraldton without electricity today [14 December 2025] on a day where temperatures exceeded 35 degrees in parts of the region.

Last week marked the International Day of People with Disability ... so it was fitting to consider how the design of a humble pedestrian crossing can make a difference to safety and accessibility.

Gus van Hart. A young angler has landed the catch of a lifetime off the Cohuna pier, reeling in a metre-plus Murray cod that has kids around town asking him how to fish. Personal trainer Jye Hill, who recently turned 20, was only a few minutes into a session at the popular Cohuna spot when his rod suddenly came to life.

Family members and friends of some of the victims of the Koolewong fires have started gofundme appeals to help them get back on their feet ... Elyse, her boyfriend, her mother, her one-year-old son and their greyhound luckily escaped the flames but have lost their home and every belonging inside it.

The community is still reeling after a devastating bushfire destroyed 16 homes and damaged a further nine at Koolewong on Saturday, December 6 ... News of the fire first broke at around 1pm on Saturday at which time four homes had been lost, with reports of more homes destroyed surfacing during the afternoon and early evening...

Narrandera Shire Council is excited to announce that the community is one step closer to safer, more reliable water, with $908,000 in funding from the Albanese Government to develop a full business case for a new, state-of-the-art Narrandera Water Treatment Plant.

Mat Dalby. A Department of Water and Environmental Regulation report, Wilson Inlet (Nullaki) – Condition of the Estuary 2025, was tabled at the Wilson Inlet Community Science Forum ... Department officials presented the report which assesses the main drivers of estuary health that includes rainfall, river flows, catchment condition, nutrient inputs and sandbar dynamics, as well as the estuary's water quality and seagrass pastures.

Five years after establishing a community-driven food system in the Upper Murray, the Acres & Acres Co-op paused operations at its retail outlet ... to review the business. Following a trial period, Acres and Acres is now operating under a new model and a new board ... "The new model has already allowed us to reduce the price of many products in-store as our markups are very low.

Andrew George. On Tuesday 18th November, the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) facilitated the first of four meetings of the Community Reference Group (CRG) for Disaster Adaptation Planning (DAP) for the Northern Rivers (NR). This is a positive step for democratic, community participation in disaster preparedness and adaptation in collaboration with the RA. It is also a sliver of hope for deliberative democracy for the region.

Madison Eastmond. A record total of donations has been counted from last weekend's Toy and Tucker Run, with the annual drive ensuring a brighter Christmas for Riverland families ... Using the annual December ride to collect toys, non-perishable foods, and cash donations for the Riverland Christmas Appeal, the Ulysses Club Mallee Branch's 23rd Riverland Toy and Tucker Run raised $7937 last Sunday for locals in-need.

It has stood in place since the 1870s, but the significance of the Stone Pine that towers over the Apex Park in Church Street has now been immortalised. A research project, headed by Hay Landcare member Sally Ware, has unearthed the history and probable provenance of the tree.

When Shayne Sutherland and his partner Courtney Ann started Surf Camp Down Under, they had the goal of becoming the best surf school in Australia, and on Saturday night their ambitions were realised. Surf Camp Down Under was awarded the Surf School of the Year award at the 2025 Australian Surfing Awards...

A sea of red Santa hats on the beach is a common Christmas Day sight in Australia, and a new study pinpoints the exact beaches near you that almost guarantee perfect beachside weather conditions this December 25th 2025.

Jenny Pollard. A new vision for Charlton's Christmas decorations has been realised thanks to the innovation and inspiration of a small group named "Community Spark". The volunteer-led team, comprising many "newcomers" to town, has created the impetus for refreshing and renewing the main street décor, along with encouraging local involvement in boosting the festive signature of the township.

The Gannawarra’s newest community meeting and digital connectivity space is officially open for business. More than 100 people gathered at Kerang’s Sir John Gorton Library this morning for the official opening of The Glasshouse.

Like every parent watching their adult kids edge toward the real estate market, I look at the numbers with growing alarm. In 25 years, Perth house prices have jumped from roughly $200,000 to close to $900,000 — a three-to-fivefold increase — while wages have barely doubled from $50,000 to $100,000. That’s not a generational squeeze; it’s a structural impossibility.