Life

I am not a fan of protests.  I really don’t see the point of marching up and down, blocking streets and shouting, especially when recently a TV reporter asked a group of young women the reason they were protesting and they really couldn’t give an answer. Even so, way back -  I did... just once...

There’s many elements that go into creating a good wine and it’s the winemaker’s job to blend them together to create the perfect drop.   WA’s Rosenthal Wines’ winemakers are themselves a special blend because they’re not just winemakers and business partners - they’re also best friends. Coby Ladwig and Luke Eckersley first met 25 years ago when they were at Uni.  

Kate Hill. The night is young, the wine is flowing and drifting out from the main stage of the Coonawarra Soldiers Memorial Hall is the sound of twelve singers belting out the classic Let’s Put the Rooster in the Stew. "We’re pretty rough and ready - definitely one of a kind," said Coonawarra Community Choir Leader and Joanna resident Anne Woodard, with a laugh.

Jenny Pollard. “Life is better in the garden”. How many gardeners would agree with that?! From the attendance at last Sunday’s North Central Garden Club’s (NCGC) Charlton Open Gardens Day, the lure of that precious space you call your own resonates with a lot of people!

To take a walk through the magnificent and wellkept garden of Gary and Dale Gwynne it is easy to see why they regularly pick up awards in the Warwick Horticultural Society’s Spring Garden Competition. This year their garden at 269 Hendon/ Goomburra Road Allora was awarded the Warwick Horticultural Society’s Shield for the best Large Home Garden…

Rev heads and interested motoring enthusiasts are welcome to visit Nathan’s Allora Barbershop to check out the motoring memorabilia on display for the next three weeks. Three local blokes have been gathering anything and everything to do with motoring over the years and now want to share their collection with other like-minded people.

Sean Cunningham. Coolamon man Andrew Veigel has returned with a swag of medals from one of Australia’s most inspirational sporting events. Veigel won six medals, representing NSW in four different sports, during this year’s 17th Australian Transplant Games ...

Cycling Without Age Kerang is seeking to expand its services to other nursing homes, but they require more volunteer cyclists to do so ... The TriBike, a trike bike, is electronically assisted, providing an effortless pedal for the cyclist and a safe and enjoyable ride for up to two passengers.

Hundreds of attendees admired the 107 vehicles on display at the Moulamein Car Club’s annual Show and Shine. Owners and their prized possessions had travelled from as far as Melton to be a part of the unique event that offers free attractions for the kids and live music courtesy of ‘Dementia’.

Madison Eastmond. Riverlanders, rosarians, and visitors can now ‘stop and smell the roses’ for the month of October, with celebrations for the 30th Rose and Garden Festival beginning this week. With the region now in bloom, the 2024 program will kick off on Friday with a number of popular returning components ... including the Renmark Institute floral display, the Festival Fair...

Sebastian Calderon. A local nursing home recently organised a week of arts, crafts, and creative activities aimed to put smiles on the faces of its residents. The Riverview Lutheran Rest Home in Loxton held a ‘show week’ with residents and visitors enjoying activities organised to boost the mood and happiness of everyone involved.

Hay’s Local Health Advisory Committee (LHAC) hosted a very well attended open day at Hay Multipurpose Service (MPS) ... More than 65 community members and service providers gathered on the lawns for morning tea, before tours of McFarland Wing were given by Acting Facility Manager Melissa O’Brien.

The Nhill Show is on tomorrow ... with action starting at 8:30 am and wrapping up at 9:00 pm with the magnificent fireworks display. From shearing competitions to the animal nursery and home industries, there’s plenty to keep everyone entertained throughout the day.

Angourie local and Australian surfing legend Monty Webber has lived a full and colourful life that he has documented in his Autobiography Is the Moon the Sun? – The Autobiography of a Time Rich Experience Junkie that will be officially launched at Yamba Cinema …

Aimee Pirie, who spent 14 years growing up in Yamba, recently completed the toughest challenge of her life, the Spartathlon in Greece, running the final 85km with a severely sprained ankle due to ‘inflammation from extensor tendinitis’, becoming the youngest Australian woman ever to finish. Described as the world’s most gruelling race, the 246km Spartathlon runs over rough tracks and muddy paths ...

Sarah Herrmann. Wallaroo will soon enter its fifth summer since a cruise ship docked at its jetty. The port town last hosted a cruise ship during the 2019-20 cruise season, not long before the Covid-19 pandemic began ... South Australia will host 119 cruise ship visits during the 2024-25 season, key stakeholders are advocating for the ships to return to the Copper Coast.

I see it every day and think of the woman who loved it. This poor little house is in our main street, it's been for sale for two years ... I see it and think how much the original person must have loved it.

Sarah Herrmann. More than 30 brave souls waded into the cold Wallaroo seawater at 6.45am last week as part of a national tour to raise awareness and money for mental health ... Australia-wide community movement and not-for-profit organisation Cold Nips completed its 71st of 100 sunrise dips at beaches across the country over 100 days.

In a remarkable show of solidarity, neighbourhood houses in the Buloke, Gannawarra, Mildura Rural City and Swan Hill Rural City councils added “Blue Trees” to their towns on World Mental Health Day ... in support of the Blue Tree Project. Incorporating “Blue Trees” into the Mallee landscape was a Mallee Neighbourhood House Network initiative…. to raise awareness and encourage people in the Mallee to have open and honest conversations about mental health.

...camping will be free at all 131 of Parks Victoria’s paid campgrounds from 1 December 2024 until 30 June 2025 – saving families $7.3 million in booking fees ... all campers have free access to every campground across the state – including the popular Tidal River in Wilson’s Promontory, where fees are currently $40.70 a night.

Dr Matt Hill (PhD, Music technology and composition) was a Dunoon identity for many years: a fixture of the Dunoon Football Club as a player and committee member, a member of the Dunoon Primary P&C and a music teacher at his home in James Street. He wrote a song about the Dunoon tornado which ripped through the village in 2007 ... He is a composer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

The Dunoon Run Club meets for social runs in the village of Dunoon ... Woody has unleashed his writing talent on a "Spotlight on a Runner" series of articles, starting with Bronwen who has been running for the last 4 years. At 61, Bronwen’s running journey has taken her from quiet village streets to the world’s most iconic marathon courses.