Life

Nhills Lucy Stephan, daughter of Mandy and Gus Stephan, will appear at the upcoming Olympians to be held in Paris for her 3rd Olympic appearance to compete in the Women’s Eight team. In 2021, Nhill’s Lucy Stephan won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and became the first Nhill Olympian and gold medal and put Nhill on the map.

Hugh Schuitemaker. A well-known Riverlander who has overseen the expansion of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in the region is set to retire from his senior role. Current RFDS Riverland Support Group president Alan Eckermann will retire from the position at the end of this month.

Clive Wilson. As a small community, Lord Howe Island has had individuals or families who have made outstanding contributions to the wellbeing of the Island. Charlie Thomas Retmock and his wife, formerly Amelia Dignam, and their family have played a great part in the wellbeing of this community.

This special edition of “Sparks from the Past” – is written in appreciation of Jim Whistler, founder of The [Lord Howe Island] Signal ... Sally looked through every [Lord Howe Island] Signal in the LHI Historical Society collection - all 1157 of them! ... Her high regard for Jim, and extensive use of the Signal for research purposes, clearly illustrate the contribution both have made to our precious Island archives.

Jenni and Trevor Campbell. On our way home from our holiday in Northern New South Wales, we called in to meet Chris Fussell, the sculptor who is making Donald’s giant kookaburra ... Chris has our kookaburra well on the way and hopes to be able to bring it to Donald in the spring.

As reported in the previous issue of the [Buloke] “Times”, Donald’s Jacob Donnellon had a big weekend ahead of him. After having been selected as a state finalist in the 2024 Junior Rural Ambassador program, he was headed to Kaniva for the VAS deciding round ... Say congratulations to the 2024 Victorian Junior Rural Ambassador champion!

Rabobank’s Rabo Community Fund has partnered with the ‘edu-tainment’ brand ‘George the Farmer’ for the third year to help educate children about where their food and fibre comes from in a fun and engaging way during this year’s National Book Week – August 17 to 23.

Metronet has released maps showing the preferred access to the three stations on the Yanchep rail line. A Metronet spokeswoman said preferred access to Yanchep station was along Marmion Ave and then via a new road called Botanical Blvd leading to parking facilities.

When Steve Sun set off from Casino in his Sunseeker 4WD in  October 2021, his mission was to see as much of Australia before he lost his sight. Steve had a brain tumour and needed an operation. Doctors told him the op would save his life but it would leave him blind.

God was so unfair to pigs when he made them so tasty... they are as intelligent as any dog, make great companions, and if only roast crackling wasn’t so delicious, they might have a far happier life. Nigel did ... Nigel was a little black piglet that arrived in a little box, a gift from my father supposedly to be fattened up and dispatched for Christmas dinner.

What is SCOPE all about? SCOPE is an all Australian women’s community service club. Any women over the age of 18 from all walks of life make up the membership. Scope stands for Service Community Involvement Opportunity Education ... Members from New South Wales and Queensland attended the National Conference of Scope Club of Australia Inc held recently at Allora.

What’s the future of our community-owned aged care facility, Longridge Aged Care (LAC)? LAC is facing financial pressures due to the increased cost of business and is struggling to retain a stable workforce ... has written to the Naracoorte Lucindale Council to come to its rescue so it can continue to provide the best care for its residents.

This week, we shine a spotlight on Lorraine Gibson Napaljari, who has chosen to assist others in unconventional yet deeply impactful ways. Lorraine, a Stolen Generation member, made a life-altering decision four years ago ... the pursuit closest to her heart is supporting Elders in navigating the challenges of daily life.

The recent frosty mornings in our area might inspire us to cosy up inside by a fire or with a loved one, but university studies have found that Australians have colder houses than people in similar climates around the world. Experts from RMIT commented last week about the phenomenon in which Australians have lower standards for warmth in their homes, leading to health risks.

The local pub at Greenmount, which sports the unusual name Get Chopped, threw its hat into the ring to help raise funds for the Toowoomba Hospice during this year’s Hang Ya Boss Out To Dry event. Publican Brendon Quirey volunteered to be hoisted skywards and became part of a highly successful event for 2024.

Bev McGuinness. Three centenaries were celebrated this month marking Denmark’s Group Settlements, a scheme established to bring English families to WA to farm. Apart from opening up land to agriculture, Group Settlements aimed to increase the population.

Serena Kirby. Statistics reveal that one-in six people over 65 will experience elder abuse and it’s more prevalent in remote areas and country towns ... Christine said elder abuse was not just physical violence or sexual abuse but included coercive control, psychological abuse, neglect, financial abuse and socially isolating someone.

Narrandera's Rockin’ on East Festival has unfortunately been discontinued following the sudden disbandment of its organising committee. The festival has been attracting visitors from far and wide to Narrandera during the October long weekend since its inception a little over nine years ago ... Ultimately, it was decided that the festival could not proceed.

Last Sunday at the Horsham Sunnyside Bowling Club the Horsham Sports and Community Club distributed funds to the successful sporting clubs and community organizations from their annual sponsorship program .This year there were 85 clubs and organizations from around the Wimmera area to share in the funds distribution of $135,000.00 and that included eight local Nhill and Kaniva district clubs and/or committees.

Almost $15 million will be allocated towards the $263.8 million Grafton Base Hospital (GBH) redevelopment over the next 12 months after NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey handed down the NSW State Budget for 2024-25 last week. Member for Clarence Richie Williamson said the Budget papers "lock in the redevelopment with $14.7 million in the coming financial year, and $222.2 million over the next four years."

Hugh Schuitemaker. Progressing the quality of medical care in the Riverland has been a career-long goal for a local doctor who is set to retire. Renmark-based GP David Rosenthal will today retire after 50 years of practising medicine in the community.

Western Australia's first non-stop seasonal service between Singapore and Broome launched today, marking the first international route to fly directly into regional WA since the State's borders reopened ... Jetstar Asia's seasonal service will bring almost 6,500 inbound seats to Broome in its first year and reduce travel time between the two destinations by over five hours.