Life

Northern Rivers' musicians and artists are invited to put their talents and imagination to the test in a new initiative set to deliver a lot of fun and some truly original works ... Northern Rivers Conservatorium’s Resident Creative Artist, Sean O’Boyle AM said he wanted to create an annual event that tapped into the wealth of artistic talent in the Northern Rivers and inspired creativity. “The Iron Creative will encourage ingenuity, originality, innovation, teamwork and artistry,” he said.

Tourists wanting a unique Cape York experience are in for a treat this year following the launch of Heartland Helicopters in Weipa. Local pilot Bevan Duke has added a four-seater Robinson R44 to the fleet, which will allow him to offer scenic heli-fishing tours and scenic flights.

Catherine Grimley. You may see a few teal ribbons being worn during April, and the reason for that is Sexual Assault Awareness month, now in its 20th year, and just as topical as it has ever been. Tennant Creek Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) kicked the month off at the Hospital with a BBQ, cake and conversations that will hopefully carry on beyond this month.

Marnie Sutton received the Remote Worker for Communities award in the female category of the 2021 National Indigenous and Alcohol Conference recently. The award recognises the unique challenges facing workers in remote locations and making an important commitment to contributing to reducing the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over at least five years.

Kirstin Nicholson. Cohuna has lost another of its bank branches with the closure of the ANZ Bank on March 19. It is the third bank branch to close its doors in recent years, following in the footsteps of the Commonwealth Bank and Bendigo Bank. The NAB is the only bank branch still operating in the district. Staff from the branch have been relocated to neighbouring towns or have taken packages.

Nicholas Rupolo. Narrandera’s first major COVID-Safe event has passed with flying colours and organisers deeming the 2021 Easter Rod Run as a spectacular weekend. Organiser Steve Alldrick has applauded visitors and rodders for supporting the 36th annual Narrandera Rod Run and helping the local community and its businesses thrive. The event was boosted by the State Government’s announcement that outdoor restrictions had been lifted.

Chocolate eggs rained from the skies at Casino Airport on the weekend. Tyson and Kevin Dodd, who have a property at Dyraaba and live in Sydney, organised the event with NSW Aeromodellers. There were 120 aircraft and owners travelled from Queensland and Victoria to be at the Richmond Valley Casino Airport Fly In ... NSW Aeromodellers saw the fly in as a test run for a much bigger event in 2023.

Emma Pritchard. Let it bee known, Grafton couple Ken and Carol Faulkner are extremely passionate about the Clarence Valley’s native bees, and they are dedicated to educating their community, particularly children, about the important roles these humble flying insects play in the environment and how we can all help to keep their population buzzing.

Geoff Helisma. Prue Leggoe was awarded her Order of Australia Medal on January 26, 2019, for her work in the advancement of women’s rights, support and empowerment, and her service to community job-readiness initiatives. Now residing in Maclean, Ms Leggoe (formerly Sibree) was the Liberal member for Kew in Victoria from 1981 to 1986.

Emma Pritchard. The unmistakable sounds of the bagpipes and drums which filled the air above Maclean during the Easter long weekend, signalled the triumphant return of one of the Clarence Valley’s most characteristic, culturally significant and popular local events. After being cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and faced with the possibility of history repeating itself this year, the 116th Maclean Highland Gathering went ahead as planned on April 2 and 3.

Bendigo and region is Australia’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, so this is the perfect way to highlight all we have to offer and help people design the perfect day trip or weekend away.

Kirstin Nicholson. “Everyone has their own role and responsibility. The three events are all different technicalities where you’ve all got to gel together and work as a team, but there’s also a bit of speed put in. Between first and third place sometimes there’s not even one second,” explained Brigade captain, Matthew Trigg. Matthew cannot speak highly enough of the team and it is clear he is impressed with their effort and achievement. “The crew works really well together. We haven’t had much training, and it shows you their dedication. When we get down there, we make every minute count.”

Stunned fishermen have had a close encounter with what they described as a ‘Sand Slug’. Once thought to be a tale of folklore, the mythical creature rose to public awareness after a Sand Slug was reported to have caused the blocking of the Barmah Choke.

The milko is back — the clinking of glass bottles, the layer of cream at the top of the milk — harks back to a time long gone. Dairy farmer Shane Hickey delivers fresh bottled milk straight from his Jersey cows to homes around Kyogle ... Shane said bypassing the supermarkets meant people could connect to a farmer who “farmed in a way that was ethical and sustainable”.

They had been planning to construct a lake out the back of the Rappville Pub. But publicans Lisa Rosenbaum and Col Foyster didn’t expect the deluge last week to leave a body of water so vast it lapped at the steps of the back veranda as Rappville faced flooding ... Through it all they kept serving drinks at the bar. Dave Newby came to the pub in a tractor to get through the floodwaters, she said.

Ed Rourke. Recently, after several attempts to repair the keel on “Albatross” it was, sadly, decided to bring the boat ashore!

The vaccination rollout across the remote reaches of the Torres Strait has been made easier thanks to the generosity of Skytrans. The airline has committed to supporting the vaccination rollout by transporting vaccines and supplies for free across the region to all locations serviced by the airline on Cape York and the Torres Strait.

“Policing can’t just be about responding to crime,” says Senior Sergeant Warren Flegg. “It’s about having a connection to the community and encouraging strong behaviours, especially with the younger generation.” ... “It’s on every community member to do their bit to stop domestic and family violence,” he said.

A Tasmanian athletics icon is helping to grow a love of sport among Barkly school students. Jocelyn (Millar) Cubit, an Upper Primary Teacher at Epenarra School, south-east of Tennant Creek, boasts an impressive athletics resume, having represented Australia at three successive Commonwealth Games ... Still the holder of several Tasmanian athletics records, Jo is now devoted to inspiring remote school students.

The star-gazing project at Mallanganee Lookout is exciting and ambitious. With expansive views across the Richmond Range, Mallanganee National Park and Hogarth Range Nature Reserve, the under-used lookout has the potential to attract thousands of visitors of the star-gazing kind.

The 1959 All Saints Church in Old Bonalbo is preparing to hold its final service. Jill Gorry said she felt sad about the church going. “But we’re not left without a church, there is one in Bonalbo,” she said. The Anglican church will be deconsecrated on April 13 by Bishop Murray from Grafton.

Kendall Jennings. Jaydyn Coggins is a former student from Barham Primary School. The school had cups and that is where Jaydyn first tried sport stacking. At this moment the world changed for Jaydyn, his family moved to Adelaide after he completed year one. Then, at nine years old, Jaydyn rediscovered the sport on YouTube, but it would also be the start of an obsession with sport stacking. With the support of his family, at 15, Jaydyn quickly became the fastest cup stacker in Australia, with a dream to travel overseas to the World Sport Stacking Championships. As a young man with Autism, Jaydyn has had his hurdles to overcome throughout the years and so, when he found a sport that he not only loved, but excelled in, there was no turning back.