Life

Kirstin Nicholson interviews Shaniah Dye: "I thought, what better thing to do than start my own business where I can work with the animals that I love the most and be able to talk to people who have similar hobbies, instead of going out to a workplace where I didn’t feel I could relate to people at that time. That was pretty much how Blue Poppy Equines started, it was my new opening into the world. "

Kevin Dowd was on crutches at the time. He went towards the car as everyone else was fleeing. He wanted to help the man who was on fire inside the car.

Caitlin Vlahos is 25 years old and is in charge of maintenance at Riverina Stockfeeds in Casino. As a student at Casino High School her interest in learning a trade came from doing Industrial Arts with an inspiring teacher, Chris Simpson.

The first Ed Boyd knew of the Richmond Valley Council’s idea to turn five small parks into housing lots was when he read an article in the Independent at home on a Wednesday evening. He was stirred to action and immediately organised a public rally under the camphor laurel tree in Sunnyside Park on Sandilands St in Casino.

Geoff Helisma. It was just like any other day at Pippi Beach, Yamba, on Saturday February 27; the sun was shining, the waves were breaking and the wind was favourable ... as a shark swam among surfers for at least 20 minutes – and no one noticed or, if they did, they didn’t care.

Known best for her snake catching exploits, there’s more to Lauren Dibben than wrangling the odd reptile. For years she has been the go-to woman for removing snakes from the yards of Weipa residents. What many don’t know is that Lauren has two degrees, has more knowledge of the Western Cape ecosystem than most others and is now the owner of a medium-sized business with more than a dozen employees.

Inspired by the influential women in their lives, Marie Pitt and Florence Charger are now inspiring the next generation. The two chairs at Western Cape Communities Trust – Marie is the head of the main trust and Flo leads the coordinating committee – are out to pave a stronger future for Traditional Owners.

Ali Bohn. Part of the appeal of raising kids in the country is the freedom and wide-open spaces they get to enjoy in what (we hope) is an adventurous but safe environment. For these Cohuna brothers, a regular weekend means heading out to the farm with their dad, Dave Toohey, to do cattle work. They have lived and breathed farming since before they could walk, so at 9 and 10 respectively, Charlie and Hunter are "pros" at farming.

Casino artist and children's author Gwendolyn Gray was mowing when she received a call from State MP Chris Gulaptis ... At the official announcement last Wednesday, Mr Gulaptis said Gwendolyn had also donated artwork for auction for fundraising events, including the local bushfire appeal, and donated her time to schools and the community with teaching and lecturing of art.

Domestic violence survivor Lydia Gah will share her story with the women of Weipa on Sunday in what will be a thought-provoking luncheon.

At the Public Hall on 12, 13 and 14 March there will be an exhibition of our community portraits taken for the album Isolation open to everyone on the Island.

Kirstin Nicholson. This week we introduce you to Mark Bishop and Clancy Graham from Sunbury who, along with their four children, Isabella, Connor, Henry and Beau, aged four to ten, now call Cohuna home. Mark and Clancy purchased a house on the edge of Cohuna and moved in last month.

Mary took photos of the devastation and has collated the images into two books that are available at the Casino Library. The books are a chronicle of how the fire disrupted their lives. She photographed the twisted metal and remains of their home, the misshapen cutlery burned into a mass, the black sewing machine and the burnt-out cars Danny was fixing.

Regional Australia has a one in 100-year opportunity to set the agenda for what is needed to achieve a brighter and more prosperous future for the bush. This is the call to action in the National Farmers' Federation-led Regionalisation Agenda paper launched today.

Geoff Helisma. It was a particularly sad day for Brooms Head resident Steve Otton when he discovered an emu he had been following and photographing had been killed crossing Brooms Head Road at about 6pm on February 19 near Tailem Drive ... "On top of this, not one but three NPWS Emu warning signs have been yet again ripped from their stakes overnight ... After finding the signs down late Saturday I then spotted, with delight and horror, a pair of emus about to cross the road. I waved down this red car as to the action ahead as the pair of emus tip-toed across the road at the 'Emu Crossing' half way along the horror 100km overtaking straight."

Geoff Helisma. “Sama-Sama (Together) is a small event to convey to our community that during COVID-19, Sama-Sama we are strong and Sama-Sama we can see this difficult time through,” says Lower Clarence Multicultural Committee (LCMC) member Bobby McCaughey.

Expecting mothers from Weipa and the Western Cape will be able to give birth locally this time next year as work begins on the upgrade of Weipa Hospital. Around $8.86 million worth of upgrades are under way, or about to start, at the Weipa Hospital and scheduled for completion in the coming months.

Kirstin Nicholson. Former Cohuna Consolidated School pupil, Kathryn Wilson, has returned to the school she attended as a child, but this time in a teaching capacity.

Ahead of an event to encourage women to become councillors, we ask three current councillors about their experiences. Four of the nine Kyogle councillors are female. Richmond Valley Council has two out of seven.

The Civic Hall was once the pride and joy of Casino, and a major landmark built at an important time in the town's history, Richmond Valley mayor Robert Mustow said. Now the interior of the hall has been repainted and restored to its glory. Next the drab exterior of the 84-year-old Art Deco hall is to get a lift.

The Tackling Mosquitos Together campaign is a co-operative effort of seven councils located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales - Tweed Shire Council, Ballina Shire Council, Byron Shire Council, Kyogle Council, Clarence Valley Council, Richmond Valley Council, and Lismore City Council - supported by the Department of Local Government.

Emma Pritchard. “I just shared what I have in my head, which is do small things with great love,” Hayley Talbot said. “When we feel overwhelmed by the world, and it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed and disempowered and when I get like that, I just bring it all back down to doing small things with great love and there’s greatness in those moments.”