Life

Be sure to take a tour of Allora and check out all the impressive Christmas lighting displays.

Many essential service providers, including the government, are “abandoning” rural towns like Naracoorte in South Australia … We asked Naracoorte Lucindale Council mayor Patrick Ross, Minister for Regional Development Clare Scriven, Shadow Minister for Regional South Australia Nicola Centofanti, and Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin why our towns are losing essential service providers and what needs to be done to help our frustrated communities.

On Saturday, January 11, Watchem Church will have its proverbial roof lifted by the musical stylings of Taylor Sheridan and Brooke Taylor. Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. start at the “old church on the hill” and is bound to be an impressive night of country music for all.

Maldon Kids Club Christmas Concert was absolute pandemonium, according to the coordinator of the event, Reverend Darcy Vaughan. The usually unflappable Rev. Darcy was challenged in every direction; the play featured 25 kids and a pony ... And what is the story with the robot, you ask?

A large gathering of community members appreciated the late change in venue for Carols on Sunday, December 14; and organisers were grateful to the Buloke Shire for providing the alternate location ... A two-hour program was prepared for the community, with Jane and Kieran Lamos leading the audience with “Aussie Jingle Bells” to get everyone started.

The group of riders known as Maldon Cycling has raised funds to purchase a trishaw for the residents of Mountview Nursing Home at Maldon Hospital, who are enjoying the opportunity to view the local neighbourhood at cycling pace … The residents, who simply nominate to have a ride and take turns each Thursday afternoon, are loving the trishaw.

Why do we call this the Silly Season? Partly because the title gives us permission to let go a little and relax after a busy, bustling and stressful year. We might get silly with indulgences, parties and gifts at Christmas … but a little bit of thoughtfulness goes a long way, too. Caring interactions with each other, quality time and gratitude; these are all part of a successful festive season.

Serena Kirby. A career as a commercial deep-sea diver is not for the faint hearted but it’s been Jason Thornton’s profession for nearly two decades. Jason works for companies that supply divers to the oil and gas industry for the construction and maintenance of underwater pipelines. He says the job is far from glamorous.

Three St Francis De Sales Regional College students were presented with NSWCCC Blue Awards for excellence in school sport at the annual CSNSW Sports Awards ceremony in Sydney. Evie Henley (Australian Rules), Darcy Mimmo (Australian Rules) and Timeeka Coleman (Basketball) were recognised for excelling in their chosen school sport pathway in 2024.

Narrandera is said to be losing patients to adjoining towns for medical services due to a problem in recruiting doctors to the town. The Narrandera Shire Council has now stepped in to help overcome the problem by endorsing the actions of its Mayor Neville Kschenka in offering a recruitment incentive of $35,000 to the Medical Centre to cover the cost of subsidised rental of a suitable dwelling and enrolment fee for the next phase of doctor training.

Healthcare workers in the Murrumbidgee region are set to benefit from key worker accommodation, with new units at two hospital sites now complete. The modern accommodation units in Narrandera (pictured) and Finley have been installed on-site, with final touches being made to ensure the units are ready for the first residents to move in early next year.

Three years after double bypass surgery Greg from Swan Hill is hitting the road in his rebuilt Fergie tractor and homebuilt caravan. “I’ve been on the road for three days, I went from Swan Hill to Fish Point, then to Murrabit, and last night stopped about six kilometres out of Koondrook.” said Greg.

I am a co-founder and Chair of a business (My Word) that enables families to capture the life stories of their loved elders. Storytelling is the oldest and most accurate way to pass on history and wisdom. To know where you have come from is to know who you are ... The elderly, with decades of life behind them, offer unique insights into what it means to lead effectively and meaningfully.

You have been up since 5 am, you have slaved in the kitchen since the sun came up, you have handed out presents and broken up squabbles between the kids, you have eaten enough to feed a small village, twice, you have smiled and entertained more than Hugh Jackman and now you have come to your favourite part of Christmas Day – bedtime!

A new grant is set to enable a Riverland tourism business showcase the region’s environmental sites to increased numbers of visitors ... Canoe the Riverland operator Brenton Carle said the grant would enable the purchase of a 12-seater pontoon boat to conduct tours with larger groups.

Allan Japp is the first, and possible the only recipient in Hay to receive the Honorary Bearer Medal, some 47 years after he completed his last trip behind the wheel of an ambulance. Allan become an Honorary Ambulance Officer (Honorary Bearer as they were known then) in August 1963. His first case was taking a patient from Hay Hospital to the Royal Melbourne Hospital – a round trip of 917 kilometres which took just under 12 hours to complete.

Have a heart and be a volunteer. "A community without volunteers, is a community without a heart." Those were the words of NSW Governor, The Honourable Margaret Beazley when she visited Yamba earlier this year. Ms Beazley expressed her serious concern about the decline in volunteers in communities across NSW and organisations across the Clarence Valley are feeling the pressure from the lack of people stepping up to help their communities.

The annual Boxing Day DMD Nhill Cup is set to take place once again and the scene is set for it to be one of the biggest yet. The Nhill & District Racing Club have catered for everyone with Col Williams who will keep everyone entertained off the track.

Jenny Pollard. A half century of international support was celebrated by the Charlton Action for World Development (AWD) Group last Friday night with the milestone occasion also bringing a bitter-sweet end to the small, but passionate entourage ... Including former guest speakers, foundation members and many supporters, the evening was a testament to the desire to create tangible benefits and build understanding about places and people whose lives, cultures and situations were so different to the Charlton locale.

Chibo Mertineit ... The protestival was longer, bigger and better and there was a large contingent of Northern Rivers residents who joined, organised and facilitated ... Overall, there were 7000 people over eight days, 33 volunteer teams with over 1000 volunteers doing 4500 shifts, cooking 20,000 meals and having 130 spokespersons (delegate of your group) representing 2000 people and meeting twice a day for decision making. It was just huge, and there was such a positive and friendly atmosphere at this drug-free event.

Victoria Mathew reckons her name should be Mrs Christmas. She really loves Christmas – the mother of six children and grandmother to six started making Christmas decorations when she had her first child. “Christmas is my passion,” Victoria said. “I love everything about Christmas. It’s when I shine brightest.”