Life

When it came time to finally throw away her corporate wardrobe and city lifestyle in favour of pursuing her long-held dream of becoming a full time novelist, Sarah Hawthorn relocated to the sleepy village of Bundanoon in NSW’s Southern Highlands. Sarah's debut novel, A Voice in the Night, is a psychological thriller about a woman seeking answers after her lover who died 20 yeas earlier in the 9/11 attacks suddenly contacts her.

Here we are in the middle of a La Nina summer. On the east coast where we live the nights are warm but mild, and the days are hot and humid. As I opened my first beer of the evening – make that afternoon – I was inspired to put fingers to keyboard and tell my half dozen or so readers what I’m drinking.

Chris Oldfield. Lucindale will never run out of fire water again thanks to a group of local farmers, backed by Naracoorte businesses, Rotary and Lions Clubs. A tank of around 100,000 litres boasts a fully equipped bore, offering a permanent water supply to protect the area. It is just over a year since Lucindale ran out of water fighting the January 11, 2021, Blackford fire.

Alice Springs born Sally Balfour is well known around the Tennant Creek music circuit, playing at local venues and working with schools, just finishing an artist in residence with Tennant Creek Primary School ... Her debut album will be recorded in April with Dave Crowe from Sing Hum Studio and will feature a variety of songs.

Born and bred local Efsta Konidaris’ newest hobby has been taking the Barkly by storm! The keen mountain biking local is well known for her businesses Tennant Creek Emporium and Total Sports, and it was by chance on a ride she took a photo with her phone and the social media reception went viral.

A proposal for the health services to formally come together to create a new health service, supported by a comprehensive business case, has been endorsed by Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health Boards. In accordance with the Health Services Act, the proposal has been sent to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Minister for Health for consideration and for approval.

Brendan grew up at Trevenson Park horse stud in Baringhup, working with his dad ... Brendan has been a member of the CFA since he was 16-years-old and has been the Captain of the Baringhup CFA for the past 23 years, making Brendan the longest serving Baringhup Captain.

The wreck of a Japanese submarine destroyed during a dramatic battle with a Royal Australian Navy corvette 80 years ago today, can now be explored through a virtual reality dive into deep sea.

Scott Osmond has driven 499 winners during his 27-year career in the gig, and he hopes to bring up his 500th winner in the coming weeks. “It would be nice to bring it up,” Osmond said.

Kirstin Nicholson. “She’s not a lollipop cow, she mixes it with the others, but then she likes to get dressed up and get fancy and do well for us": Steven Hore, Elmar Holsteins.

Kendall Jennings. On a hot summer day at Barham’s Riverside Park, locals were treated to a world-class experience when former world and current Australian champion Jaydyn Coggins held a sport stacking demonstration and coaching session on Wednesday, January 5.

Nuvaxovidâ„¢ is the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to receive approval for provisional registration in Australia. Novavax, Inc. has announced TGA approval for provisional   registration of NVX-CoV2373, Novavax' COVID-19 vaccine (adjuvanted), for active immunization to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 18 years of age and older. The vaccine will be supplied to Australia under the brand name Nuvaxovidâ„¢.

Labor is calling for a common sense approach to current COVID-19 birthing restrictions in hospitals so the father, partner or a designated support person who tests negative on a RAT can be present for the entire labour and for the mother and baby’s stay in hospital.

Myall Lakes residents have been given their first look at the $100 million Stage 2 redevelopment of Manning Base Hospital with the master plan unveiled today. Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor said Stage 2 builds on the $40 million upgrade completed as part of Stage 1 in mid-2020.

Earlier this month, the Victorian Government cancelled elective surgery for tens of thousands of Victorians needing care. This happened because they have failed to organise the public health system in Victoria.  It is now in an aptly named Code Brown, burdened by excessive isolation rules.

Northern NSW Local Health District’s Lynne Weir said the hospital system was challenged because of the “increased activity resulting from the pandemic and the additional pressure of some staff being furloughed because they need to isolate.” The district has sufficient intensive care beds across its three major hospitals in Grafton, Lismore and Tweed with plans in place to surge staffing and ICU capacity if needed, Ms Weir said.

Sharon and Graham Collins live on an organic farm in the curve of the hills at Peacock Creek. Englishman Graham calls himself an accidental farmer, he’d never planned a life on the land. His wife Sharon grew up on a dairy farm in Cornwall in England and she described herself as a ‘”compassionate farmer”. They raise and sell English black pigs, have cattle, sell duck and chicken eggs and recently got some goats.

When Caroline Powell bought a 1949 house on a corner block in Evans Head, she had no idea what was hidden in the walls. Her brother Lyall Powell was renovating and as he pulled the stained plywood off the walls in the entry hall, he came across three panels of posters featuring films from the 40s and 50s.

Mildura Library is providing an alternative to relax and keep cool while enjoying a social evening by extending its opening hours on Thursdays as part of the Libraries After Dark program. Libraries After Dark is a state-wide initiative initially aimed at providing problem gamblers with alternative options and venues for socialising through extended evening opening hours at libraries.

Consumers are increasingly demanding proof of their seafood’s sustainability and they are turning to a range of seafood certifications, rating programs and indexes to inform their purchases. Globally, there is a growing number of initiatives to guide consumers. But they are not all created equal, nor do they measure and report on the same parameters.

A Midwifery Group Practice is up and running at the Weipa Hospital in preparation for the new birthing service due to open later this year. Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said three new midwives were already in place at Weipa, with recruitment under way for a fourth.

Now electric vehicles can cross the Nullarbor Plain thanks to BiØfil, a world-first EV fast charging system that is fully off-grid, self-contained and powered by used chip (vegetable) oil from roadhouse deep fryers. On Sunday 16 January 2022, BiØfil was installed at the Caiguna Roadhouse, approximately 370 km east of Norseman and 370 km west of the South Australian border, making it one of the most remote EV fast charging stations on the planet.