Life

This year’s Desert Harmony Festival has been hailed a success with more than 3,000 people passing through the gates over the Picnic Day long weekend. The Barkly Regional Arts’ event featured 27 performances, an extensive workshop series and an art fair over four days in Tennant Creek, the annual festival provided an opportunity to celebrate and showcase talented creatives from the Barkly region alongside some special guest performances.

Chris Oldfield. One of Naracoorte’s greatest sporting champions Jessica Stenson, nee Trengrove, has helped inspire mothers around the world by winning gold in the women's marathon at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. The triple medallist won bronze in Glasgow, 2014 Commonwealth Games, and bronze at the Gold Coast 2018 games.

Excellent reviews from tourists have resulted in a big tick for the Mount Isa Underground Hospital and Museum. The city’s top tourist attraction was picked for the Best of Queensland Experiences Program, which should lead to greater exposure through Tourism and Events Queensland.

Illegally cleared native vegetation is being restored along the Wilson Inlet foreshore. Locally-sourced plant material from the inlet foreshore is being used to restore the natural vegetation along the water’s edge which has been cleared without permits. The Shire of Denmark is collaborating with Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee in the project.

Serena Kirby. Denmark newcomer Emma Dellar is playing a game which is not for the faint-hearted, American football, or gridiron, against the world’s best in Finland. Emma, 37, is one of the 45-strong squad making up the Australian women’s team competing in the 2022 International Federation of American Football World Championships held over July and August in Finland.

Narrandera Landcare had a rewarding National Tree Day planting morning at The Wetlands on Sunday when more than 40 volunteers helped plant the seedlings the group's volunteers started propagating late last year ... Over 600 seedlings were planted on the morning, adding to the 150 local schools had already planted this year.

Ali Bohn. I do not need to remind you how cold it has been lately ... The thing I love most about winter is the comforting aroma of soups and casseroles bubbling away on the stove, and home-baked treats fresh from the oven ... Meals and lunchbox treats, and sometimes extras to deliver to family members.

A captivating memoir about a woman's passion to save the wild brumbies who mysteriously appeared on the rugged landscape of the Mount Beckworth State Forest.

The perfect storm. This is the name of the life of Ukrainian farmers now. Because of the war, automobile fuel is becoming more expensive, agricultural machinery is being destroyed. Inventories, warehouses and crops in the fields are being destroyed. The war has made it more difficult to transport and sell crops. Farmers die during the fighting actions.

Catholic schools across Queensland celebrated their community spirit during Education Week - the theme being Communities of Faith, Hope and Love. The official launch was held at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Toowooomba ... Allora’s St Patrick’s School was represented by the Principal Keith Blaikie and students Douglas E., Mili W. and Maggie P.

It’s most likely you know about Casino’s unofficial town crier Brenda Armfield. And you definitely would have heard her voice. Brenda’s spruiking of the town she loves was recognised when she was named Local Tourism Hero for her support of Richmond Valley events and tourism.

Emma Pritchard. After celebrating his 100th birthday earlier this year, Clarence Valley resident and World War II veteran George Smith enjoyed another distinguished occasion on July 29 when he was presented with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) commemorative memento to honour him as an RAAF centenarian. Born in Strathblane, Tasmania, on March 1, 1922, Mr Smith grew up on his family’s dairy farm and joined the RAAF as an 18-year-old following the outbreak of WWII.

Rex has announced record high passenger numbers and revenue across both its domestic and regional networks in the first month of the Financial Year 2023 (FY2023). On the domestic front, July’s pre-audited base passenger revenue was at $13.6m, almost double that of the monthly average of the prior three months at $6.87m.

Samuel Davis. Cold beer and refreshments can be savoured in Lockhart River again after the community’s new social club finally opened its doors to patrons ... The club, which opened its doors on Friday night, operates under a Restricted Liquor Permit that aims to provide a safe space to socialise and drink responsibly ... In a community with high unemployment, Cr Butcher said the social club provided more than just a gathering place.

In recent years, main streets and town centres have faced many challenges to their survival. First, shopping centres, then online and finally, COVID. Now they’re faced with worker shortages and price increases. However, in comparison to metro main streets, regional precincts have done it even tougher with a smaller population to call on for support and drops in tourism. It is for this reason Mainstreet Australia are bringing their one-day conference, normally held in Melbourne, to regional Victoria also – and you can attend!

With foot and mouth disease on Australia’s borders livestock owners and producers in the Wanneroo and Gingin areas need to be on guard as do farm workers returning from holidays who may have been in contact with susceptible animals while travelling ... “If there has been contact, consider requesting the worker isolate from livestock for seven days and ensure appropriate border declarations have been made to ensure all footwear, clothing and equipment is free of mud, animal manure and mucus to minimise the risk of introducing a disease,’’: DPIRD chief veterinary officer Michelle Rodan.

A small central Queensland state school now has a secure drinking water supply, after six years of dry taps and plastic bottles. Australia’s most trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, has facilitated the installation of a SOURCE Hydropanel array at Valkyrie State School and believes that this technology could help facilitate drinking water security for other struggling schools.

We Al-li is providing culturally informed-trauma integrated workshops in Tennant Creek and is planning to visit communities across the Barkly. The programs, which are free and open to all community members, are for health, sharing culture and regenerating the spirit.

Welshman’s Reef resident, and experienced yoga teacher, Amy Sonsie, opened Take a Breath Wellness Studio at the beginning of 2022. Amy offers a range of well-being services to people who are feeling overwhelmed and need valuable skills to help in times of stress, mental illness, and anxiety.

On Saturday 10 September Maldon’s CFA Captain, Sean McCubbin, and 600 other firefighters and emergency services personnel will be climbing the 28 floors of Crown Metropol Hotel to raise funds for mental health. Participants will be wearing 25kgs of turnout gear and breathing apparatus as they climb the steps for the ninth annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, which aims to break down the stigma around mental health, and be a leader in the emergency services community in the mental health space.

The Retired Railway Employees Association celebrated 100 years last week, with a visit to Maldon on the Victorian Goldfields Railway ... The group meets monthly and has regular social outings, but this year it was considered appropriate to celebrate the past 100 years by travelling on a steam train.

Alice Melita. After 11 years of service to Cloncurry and the surrounding district, Dr Leonie Fromberg has decided it’s time to trade stunning desert sunsets for beautiful ocean sunrises as she moves from the North West to the Cassowary Coast ... Dr Fromberg said working in remote areas often meant long hours and high stress, which meant the personal life suffered. “The flip side of that is the depth of knowledge and skill a doctor can develop out here,” she told North West Weekly.