Profile

If you’re aged between 3 and 60 and grew up in the district, chances are you were taught to swim by Geoff Dale. Geoff has celebrated 30 years of his Geoffswim program, which has seen him teach swimming and water safety to the youth of Cohuna since 1992. But his swimming teaching goes back much further – to 1967.

An emergency services leader and a passionate musician have taken out Gannawarra Shire Council’s 2023 Australia Day Awards. Kerang Fire Brigade captain Ramon Steel was named Gannawarra Shire Council’s Citizen of the Year, and Deaken Fawcett presented with Council’s Young Citizen of the Year Award.

Ali Bohn. Travelling three hours a day, five days a week for six years to attend secondary school in Echuca might seem more than a little daunting for many students, but for Harry Coughlan, he looks back on the last six years and feels that every minute of travel was worth it. The Koondrook local graduated from Echuca’s St Joseph’s College last year with a 95.3 ATAR score, affording him the opportunity to enrol and be accepted into his first course preference of bio medicine at the University of Melbourne.

Artist Donna Mitchell has been drawing and painting since the age of eight, with portraits her speciality. She now shares her knowledge and skills by conducting art classes for kids and adults ... "Since moving to Hendon in 2022, we have enjoyed the simpler lifestyle that comes with living in the country."

Chris Oldfield. In his capacity as a volunteer, Naracoorte’s Lachlan Haynes was recently elected as the Liberal Party of SA’s second vice-president. As part of that role, he hopes to help guide his political counterparts into Government at the next State election in 2026.

Emma Pritchard. Ruby Howell has her sights firmly set on a bright future. And the enthusiastic eight-year-old from Grafton is on track to achieve her dreams ... Ruby recently travelled overseas with her family to take part in the Competitive Off-Road Racing Series 2022 National Race Event at Carolina Adventure World in Winnsboro, South Carolina ...

Emma Pritchard. After helping to keep the Clarence Valley community safe for 20 years alongside his fellow crew members from South Grafton Fire and Rescue 307 Station, Graham Richards has been recognised for his selfless contributions and dedication to his role. On December 7, the local firefighter was proudly presented with the long service and good conduct medal by Zone Commander Greg Lewis.

Matt Blakers sees the seasons through a photographer's lens and each season has a unique signature that it scribes across the sea. Spring is playful, even flirtatious, and writes with a light hand.  The waves are smaller with a soft and inviting luminescence. Summer, by contrast, writes with a pen packed full of colour, casting hues from a palette of blues and golds. The falling lips of the waves are lighter, the sunsets are brighter and the water is warmer ... But it’s big waves that excite Matt the most ...

Chris Oldfield. The sweet smell of roses hangs in the air wherever you walk in the garden of internationally acclaimed hybridist George Thomson and his wife Linda. On the outskirts of Naracoorte, they live among hundreds of colourful roses – varieties which have taken decades to breed and grow.

Move over Boomers and Gen X - the Millenials have become a leading influence in the world of politics. Reflecting this generational change is the recent election of Mt Alexander Shire’s Mayor, Rosie Annear ... The greatest need in the Shire at present, according to Rosie, is for secure, safe housing.

Eighty-three year-old Narrandera woman Marjory Longford has set the record straight on the origin of an unusual 19th century meat smoker that has been preserved at Griffith’s Pioneer Park Museum ... The smoker is made from a hollow log cemented to the ground and connected to an underground tunnel three metres long, which leads to a firebox smoker ... it came from her grandmother’s farm near Bringagee Station.

Sean Cunningham. Narrandera boxer Jesse Riddell has made his debut in the ring following his selec­tion in an indigenous All Stars team taking on The Rest Of The World boxers in Sydney. Under the guidance of his trainer Troy Prior-Greedy, the 25-year-old unleashed his fists of fury, losing in a split decision, but has gained an invaluable insight into the sport.

Patricia Gill. The Denmark Environment Centre and long-standing member Geoff Evans were awarded last month for their commitment to WA’s environment ... Geoff tells how in 1994 he turned up to a meeting run by the late Alex Syme to save Denmark’s forests and was surprised to see 30 people gathered. Geoff looked around and said: “Where have you buggers been for the past 25 years?”

New GP with Ochre Medical Centre Cohuna, Dr Gilda Geranmayeh, is delighted to finally be here. Originally from Iran, Dr Geranmayeh spent four years of her childhood in Adelaide while her father completed a PhD in geochemistry and she has been keen to return ever since.

The Allora District was deeply affected by the passing of Lyn Wright on Tuesday 8th November. As well as being a good friend to many locals, Lyn put her heart into making Allora a better place ... One of Lyn’s biggest achievements was the 150 Years Allora celebration week, as President of the Historical Society.

After being honoured at the Allora Regional Sports Museum earlier this year, the accolades continue for Allora born and bred netballer Laura Geitz, who was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame recently ... "Drawn to netball by her older sister’s purple netball shoes, she stands an imposing 1.9m and is an extraordinary mix of athleticism and aura, competitiveness and charisma, grit and glamour. And she is one of Australia’s all-time greats": Queensland Sport.

Chris Oldfield. Humour, youth and a passion for rural and regional people were hallmarks of SA’s Shadow Cabinet who last week gathered in the clubrooms of the Naracoorte showgrounds. Member for MacKillop Nick McBride welcomed his Liberal colleagues and local constituents to the forum, which was part of an intense three-day tour of the region.

Prominent local lawyer Jason Goode, of local law firm Farrell Goode, has been named a finalist in the NSW Law Society’s prestigious Rural Practitioner of the Year award in recognition of his tireless support of this region. Mr Goode, who is joint president of the Riverina Law Society and a member of the society’s rural issues committee, has spent the past 30 years working to bring much-needed attention to the issues that are unique to this area.

Sheep farmer Suzanne Lewis has just published her first children’s book and had no further to look for something to write about than her own front paddock. “Queenie the Quad Lady” is the story of a remarkable ewe that captured Suzanne’s heart after giving birth to four lambs and successfully raising them all despite all the trials and tribulations a sheep can face.

Charles Jangala Inkamala was born 1968 in Ntaria (Hermannsburg) ... Charles lives in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and began painting with Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists in 2017. He paints significant cultural sites such as Rwetyepme (Mount Sonder) and Yapalpe (Glen Helen Gorge) in stylized detail.

What do you think will be the three issues uppermost in people’s minds when they cast their vote this election? ... What can you and your party offer the voter that other parties can’t?

At just 16 years of age Narrandera’s Xavier Beauchamp is a young talented up-and-coming professional rap artist from the Western Riverina who goes by Beacho2700 and whose original tracks are available through Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, Youtube and Sound Cloud. Beacho2700 is a combination of Xavier Beauchamp’s nickname and the postcode for Narrandera NSW where he comes from.