Life

Emma Pritchard. The Clarence Valley Independent hit the streets last week and asked members of the public to share their thoughts after the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) revealed Grafton Base Hospital (GBH) had no on-site obstetrician, or available locums to cover shortages, and subsequently, expectant and birthing mothers were being referred to Lismore Base Hospital and Coffs Harbour Health Campus.

Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and local hero Matthew Denny never forgets his home town of Allora. During an interview on Channel 7 Matthew said “Hello to everyone back in Allora. Thank you Allora for supporting me” and to John - “Dad we got it done, Mate!” During one interview he made reference to the Welcome Home Parade after Tokyo when he came 4th so maybe this time Allora will be given a public holiday?

So what has this to do with Allora? The answer - El Caballo is the name of a brand new shop opened by Karren and Jeff Hoare in Herbert Street. Karren comes from a Rodeo family and always wanted to have her own Western Clothing store.

The report on the floods is in and it is a riveting and sobering read. With 21 findings and 37 recommendations, the NSW Legislative Council Select Committee has tackled the government’s response to the floods, the operations of the SES and the difficulties of getting grants from Resilience NSW.

Rodney Stevens. The sporting talent of Yamba was on show on the international stage over the weekend with former Buccaneer’s junior Jed Holloway earning his first Wallabies cap, plus Cameron Pilley and cousin Donna Lobban playing for bronze in the mixed doubles squash.

Samuel Davis. A desperate 67-hour search to find an elderly Aurukun man has ended with a family member discovering him “stuck in the mud” in a nearby swamp ... Burt Wikmunea's disappearance prompted around 40 volunteers and SES members to assist police in finding Mr Wikmunea across four days.

This story is about the impossible challenge of feeding a growing world population while staying true to net zero emissions targets ... Something strange happened in June this year when two of the world's most bullish emissions reduction advocates, Germany and Britain, panicked at the huge spike in grain prices and called for temporary waivers on biofuels mandates to combat soaring food prices.

Vanilla is an emerging rural industry in Australia with huge potential. There is one major roadblock which is preventing the spice from really taking off. The orchid relies on hand-pollination and it’s labour intensive. Julie Sosso has a plan to change this.

A woman who helped save the life of her friend on a remote Cape York cattle station has been crowned the 2022 RFDS Local Hero Award winner for the Cairns region ... With Coen more than an hour’s drive away, and the nearest hospital at Weipa unable to be accessed due to flooding, Emma used the defibrillator machine on the property and performed CPR for an hour to help Peter bring his wife back to life.

Mapoon will this month get its long-awaited primary health care centre, designed in consultation with the community and operated by Apunipima Cape York Health Council ... Mapoon resident and primary health care centre manager Debra Jia said she was excited about the opening and having the modern and spacious new facility to service the needs of her community.

The Territory’s iconic Barunga Festival is set to take place from 12-14 August, with thousands of attendees from across the Territory and Australia set to descend upon the remote community for the three-day cultural extravaganza.

The designs of the new $260 million state-of-the-art Eurobodalla Regional Hospital have been unveiled, showcasing an overall increase in bed capacity and significantly expanded health service. Minister for Health Brad Hazzard said the new hospital will provide more services than are currently available at the Moruya and Batemans Bay hospitals combined.

For one night only - Sunday 28 August - the Whyalla Left Hand Club will come to life, hosting visiting and local music acts as part of the Festival of Small Halls Winter Tour.

An excessive lemon crop in my mate’s mini orchard in Maleny provided a windfall for me recently as I visited him. He was a Chef, and like me, hated waste and so unloaded bags of the lemons and other citrus onto me. I scooped them up with gusto. As to their uses?

It’s not often that locals get the chance to rub shoulders with footballing legends, but this is what happened when ex-Geelong players Matthew Scarlett and Darren Milburn came to MFNC training last Thursday night.   They were generous with their time and gave sound advice to both junior and senior footballers. Both defenders, Matthew and Darren were outstanding players at a time when Geelong was one of the best teams in the competition.

On the corner of Allans Road and High Street is a little library that is crammed full of books waiting to be read.   It’s the brainchild of local residents Doug and Glenda, who created it just before the pandemic arrived. During Covid, when the Athenaeum Library and the Castlemaine Library were closed, Doug’s and Glenda’s library was many a reader’s salvation.

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.