Life

Sebastian Calderon. A local country music artist will embark on a world-wide journey through the United States and Europe, after being nominated for more than 19 industry awards. Loxton's Christine Clifford has continued to showcase the Riverland's country music heritage, being named a finalist in numerous categories at three major international awards…

Sebastian Calderon. A Loxton-born news presenter has been awarded one of the most important journalism accolades in Australia, for his work on the true-crime podcast 'Just Married: The Anthea Bradshaw Mystery'. 9News Adelaide's Ben Avery has been named the Journalist of the Year at the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance 2025 South Australian Media Awards.

Police officer Ashley Sterchow, from Hay Police Station, stars in the most recent social media campaign of Country Change. Country Change is a project of Riverina RDA (Regional Development Australia).

We're cousins Jonas and Olive, and together with Clint, our dad/uncle, we're travelling to Fiji in December with the Wanderers Australia Under 14's Hockey team. We'll be playing a series of test matches against the Fiji National Under 14 team on tour....a first for a team from Australia...

Nhill's Mervyn Schneider – fondly known as Merv – marked an extraordinary milestone last week, celebrating his 100th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and well-wishers. A celebration was held at the Nhill Bowling Club on Saturday, with more than 150 people in attendance.

The first group of new Ambulance Victoria (AV) recruits for 2025/26 are hitting the road to help meet rising winter demand. AV Chief Executive Officer Jordan Emery today welcomed 59 new graduate ambulance paramedics who are starting their careers with AV.

A minimum of two Town Hall meetings a year will be held in the upper and lower Clarence Valley after a motion to introduce the concept was carried in a split vote at the July Council meeting ... Cr Yager said the motion was aimed at holding a forum for open dialogue and community connection.

The Grafton Chamber of Commerce welcomed 200 guests to the Grafton District Golf Club on July 19 when they hosted the 2025 Clarence Valley Business Awards ... “You are awarded in public for what you practice in private,” Hayley Talbot said to the finalists in acknowledgement of the “many late nights and overflowing inboxes” many business owners and their teams experience on a weekly basis, describing their commitment to their professionalism as being encoded in the DNA of their businesses.

Wandering around the Wilcannia cemetery, you would have seen the unique mosaic headstones. Colourful and creative, they give special tribute to our loved ones who have passed away. It takes care and time to make each headstone, and the work continues on with Uncle Steven (Stevie) Harris.

We're proud to announce Marnpi Festival, a significant First Nations-led arts and community festival co-designed by Badger Bates and Slag Heap Projects with Anthony Hayward and Nancy Bates, in partnership with The Old Vic Gallery Studio and Premier Automotive Tyres.

The Centre for Population’s analysis of the National, state and territory population, December 2024; National, state and territory population, September 2024; Regional Population, 2023–24 is now available on the Centre for Population website.

Birchip P-12 School is setting a powerful example for how rural schools can successfully prepare their students for life beyond the classroom, with a growing focus on career pathways, hands-on opportunities, and direct links with tertiary institutions.

It’s 23 years since Woodenbong has had a rodeo. Renai Pearce and John O’Reilly changed that by putting on a rodeo at Woodenbong Showground yesterday, Saturday, July 20.

It’s Millie Trustum’s 14th birthday on Saturday, July 26. After being cancer-free for six years, Millie has been diagnosed with an incurable high grade glioma ... Millie’s parents Erica and Kevin said they weren’t sure what to get her for her birthday.

Farmsafe Australia ... launched its 2025 National Farm Safety Week campaign, centred around the theme “Second Chances – Who Knows How Many You’ll Get?” with a national call to action: if you’ve had a near miss on farm, don’t just move on; learn from it, share it safely, and use it to protect those around you.

INEOS Automotive has announced a new partnership with independent charity, Rural Aid, that is set to bolster the organisation’s critical support capability in regional Australia ... Through the partnership, INEOS will offer financial assistance and provide a fleet of nine (9) of its Quartermaster utes to Rural Aid’s counsellors and disaster support personnel...

It’s here again! After another year of dedicated planning and hard work, the Flower and Garden Committee has once again delivered an engaging and educational event. With generous support from sponsors, key speakers, and community partners, the committee continues to grow the event’s impact and appeal each year.

Battle-ground engagement raged in Charlton last weekend, but it was more bonhomie than bloodshed as the 5th Mallee Melee unfolded at the Charlton RSL Clubrooms … the miniature wargaming weekend – likened by one participant to "chess on steroids" – saw visitors from Berwick, Nunawading and the Mornington Peninsula gear up for a weekend of the Napoleonic "General d’ Armee 2 Campaign Game".

For the next ten days visitors can absorb the magic of Bridal Wear, worn by well known Allora ladies, and now on show at the Allora Historical Museum. Visitors will be amazed by the skills of the dressmaker, Mrs Masters (mother of Keith Masters) who created these three stylish outfits for the wedding.

Birchip’s long-running steel fabrication business, Mallee Steel, has entered a new chapter, with former apprentice Blair Hogan taking over the business from inaugural and long-serving owner Robert "Cozo" Cozens. Blair said, "Customers won’t notice any major changes to how Mallee Steel operates. It’s still Mallee Steel, running the same as always; same name, same quality work".

As the housing crisis hits our community hard, the appeal of the Tiny Home on Wheels (THOW) has risen. The My Home Network Tiny Homes On Wheels working group have developed a confidential survey ... to improve appropriate uptake of THOW as affordable housing in our Shire and elsewhere.