Maldonites are Maldon’s biggest asset
Mark Blythe. This Sunday will see another Maldon Swap Meet held at the Maldon Racecourse Reserve; the resurgence of events post COVID speaks volumes for the resilience and dedication of Maldon’s army of organisers and volunteers. A lot of rural and regional towns are very busy trying to pick up the pieces of their event industries after the wilderness years of COVID, but Maldon has managed to keep all of their events ticking over during the last two years, in one form or another, even if they were just on life support.
Free tickets for Northern Rivers Conservatorium visiting artists program
The Northern Rivers Conservatorium Executive Director Anita Bellman is thrilled to announce that there will be free tickets for all flood-affected members of our community to attend the Northern Rivers Conservatorium (NRC) 2022 Visiting Artist program, made possible with the support of its friends at Musica Viva and Southern Cross University.
Byron Bay wildlife sanctuary
A new and exciting chapter has begun for the iconic Macadamia Castle located in the Byron Bay Hinterland, with the recent purchase by not-for-profit organisation Wildlife Recovery Australia (WRA). WRA is a joint venture between Odonata Foundation and Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital. WRA has been working for some months on the smooth transition from the locally known and loved Macadamia Castle to The Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Milestone reached by Healthy Kids bus stop
The award-winning developmental screening program Healthy Kids Bus Stop makes regular visits to Murrumbidgee Local Health District and last week reached a major milestone, with the 1000th child screened in the District since visits began in 2015. The Healthy Kids Bus Stop aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children aged three to five years living in rural and remote communities through early detection of lifestyle risk factors, delayed development and/or illness.
Is rural sport on death’s door?
Kendall Jennings. Unfortunately, my mind always takes a wander; I tend to overthink things and get stuck in my head. Hello, mental illness. One thing that has been on my mind recently is the decline in participation in community sport ... Over the past 12 months, I have realised that local football is not like it was 20 years ago.
Clarence Valley comes together to Close the Gap
Emma Pritchard. Communities from across the region, including more than 900 local school students, came together at the Maclean Showground on June 2 to attend the Clarence Valley Close the Gap Day 2022, and spread the message of the importance of embracing and achieving equality in the health, education, justice and employment aspects of First Nations people.
The Winsome Soup Kitchen, a vision of hope at Lismore
John O'Donnell. After a walk along the Wilson River and Leycester Creek near their junction at Lismore, I called into the Winsome Hotel, thinking there might be a drink on hand, as it was close to lunchtime and there was no signage on the hotel indicating any changes in management. No luck with any drinks, but I met Mieke Bell and she generously donated her time showing my wife and I what was happening on the ground floor after the floods.
Four galaxies just got closer with observatory funding
The observatory at Mallanganee Lookout will be built out of metal and concrete and will be semi-enclosed, providing the perfect vantage to the views across the Richmond Ranges to the Border Ranges and Wollumbin during the day and the stars overhead at night ... will be positioned on the precise latitude where the centre of the Milky Way crosses directly overhead every day.
I’ll be happy to sit down and listen
The new CEO of Cook Shire will stand out in a crowd and says ratepayers should feel comfortable approaching him about council matters if they feel the urge to do so. The seven-foot Brian Joiner will leave his position as the CEO of the Shire of Menzies in Western Australia and make the move to Cooktown in August.
Comment: Cape needs Loop road
Off-road adventuring has been the backbone of the Cape York tourism industry for decades, yet has somehow survived with the bare minimum amount of support. It has been people power that has kept the 4WD market ticking over – often individuals who have cleared tracks or built makeshift bridges through remote parts of the Peninsula. However, there is a real fear among locals that we could lose the adventure tourism market.
Tambo Valley Cup picture gallery
A great day was had by all at Swifts Creek, Tambo Valley, Victoria on Sunday 17 April to watch the running of a full card of races, including, for horses, the Tambo Valley Cup, won by 'Flying Basil' and, for humans of all ages, foot races.
25,000 seedlings donated to support koala habitat tree planting programs
Forestry Corporation of NSW has delivered 25,000 koala food tree seedlings to the Friends of the Koala’s Lismore nursery to support north coast koala conservation groups’ efforts to establish habitat on private land. With wet weather rife across the region, all involved were relieved that the nursery site remained dry enough to receive the bulk seedling delivery in support of Friends of the Koala’s and Bangalow Koalas’ planting programs.
Volunteering for love
Josie Emery. ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a country town in possession of an event, must be in want of volunteers,’ so said Jane Austen ... in 1812 ... And 210 years later, Clif Edwards and Valentina Tansley are discovering the same universal truth as they work towards the unfolding of Maldon In Winter and Goldfields Gothic during June and July 2022.
Wellbeing coach a good fit for farmers
Serena Kirby. Fitness and wellbeing coach, Louise O’Neill, has been named as the WA winner of the 2022 AgriFutures rural women’s award ... Her new business model involves one-on-one coaching and live online group ï¬tness workouts conducted with clients via zoom and telephone.
Arts project ‘weaving country whole’
Reclaim the Void: weaving country whole is a collaboration between Vivienne Robertson and the Leonora-based Ngalia Heritage Research Council (Aboriginal Corporation) ... Vivienne ... asked: "What is your deepest pain?" One of the Aunties replied: ”Those gaping mining holes left all over our country”.
New Mexican restaurant shares the Taco Love as six new shops open in town
There is good news for lovers of Mexican food. Taco Love Bros restaurant has moved from Lismore to Casino. Chef Dylan Morris and partner Sappho Rose had already planned the move well before the floods hit in late February ... Six new shops have come to Casino including Lismore Watchmakers ...
$4m aged care project opens
Gabrielle Duykers. Ten new places are available at Stirling Lodge Aged Care after a much needed expansion was officially completed last week. Located at Keith and District Hospital, the lodge recently underwent a $4.5 million renovation project, funded by a $2.6 million commitment from the Federal Government, a $1 million donation from an anonymous donor, and other donations from members of the community.
Positives from adversity
Wayne Hawthorne. Rodger Todd’s family farms, 13km apart, were both burnt out in the “Poolaijelo fire” of New Year Eve ... The fire started in SA, 200m from the Vic border.... When the fire hit border lane, it exploded in 3.3m high Phalaris... Further east, ‘Nataparra’ lost all 1500 acres.
More Australians can’t meet basic living expenses
Research conducted by The Salvation Army has highlighted that the most vulnerable in our society are struggling to make ends meet, with 84% of those surveyed finding it a challenge to meet basic living expenses, including housing, utilities, food and health care in the past 12 months ... After paying for housing costs, many households were left with little disposable income – respondents in paid employment were left with just $29 a day to live on after paying for housing, and those on government support payments were left with only $22 a day.
Sobrane Simcock – the colourful life of a synesthete
Broome artist Sobrane Simcock, is well known for her brightly coloured, joy-filled paintings and her well-stocked gallery is filled with her eye-catching work. Her artwork also appears in large-scale murals adorning hundreds of walls, watertanks and streetscapes around Australia. But there’s one colourful talent Sobrane usually keeps to herself. Sobrane is a synesthete; one of those rare people with the perceptual phenomenon known as synesthesia.
Lovell: Code Yellow reinforces Labor inaction on new Mildura Hospital funding.
The Liberal member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell says last week’s code yellow call at Mildura Base Public Hospital proves the dire need for a new hospital in the town ... The code yellow was called because both the hospital and the emergency department had reached full capacity and wait times for patients exceeded twelve hours.
