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Geoff Helisma. Prue Leggoe was awarded her Order of Australia Medal on January 26, 2019, for her work in the advancement of women’s rights, support and empowerment, and her service to community job-readiness initiatives. Now residing in Maclean, Ms Leggoe (formerly Sibree) was the Liberal member for Kew in Victoria from 1981 to 1986.

The milko is back — the clinking of glass bottles, the layer of cream at the top of the milk — harks back to a time long gone. Dairy farmer Shane Hickey delivers fresh bottled milk straight from his Jersey cows to homes around Kyogle ... Shane said bypassing the supermarkets meant people could connect to a farmer who “farmed in a way that was ethical and sustainable”.

“Policing can’t just be about responding to crime,” says Senior Sergeant Warren Flegg. “It’s about having a connection to the community and encouraging strong behaviours, especially with the younger generation.” ... “It’s on every community member to do their bit to stop domestic and family violence,” he said.

Kendall Jennings. Jaydyn Coggins is a former student from Barham Primary School. The school had cups and that is where Jaydyn first tried sport stacking. At this moment the world changed for Jaydyn, his family moved to Adelaide after he completed year one. Then, at nine years old, Jaydyn rediscovered the sport on YouTube, but it would also be the start of an obsession with sport stacking. With the support of his family, at 15, Jaydyn quickly became the fastest cup stacker in Australia, with a dream to travel overseas to the World Sport Stacking Championships. As a young man with Autism, Jaydyn has had his hurdles to overcome throughout the years and so, when he found a sport that he not only loved, but excelled in, there was no turning back.

Geoff Helisma. There’s a sign on the outside wall of the Bak’d Hot Bread (formerly Yamba Street Bakery) announcing that it accepts Bitcoin; the Independent spoke with proprietor Will Trevithick about the cryptocurrency, which was last week valued at $74,500 AUD. The bitcoin.org website asks on its FAQ page, Is Bitcoin really used by people? The answer is yes and, while it’s an apparent rarity among on-street shops, one Yamba business accepts the digital currency.

Emma Pritchard. Her eyes sparkle and her lovely smile widens with excitement as Dr Dinara Markhabullina speaks about her love for Australia and how her childhood dream was to live and work in this beautiful country, to be able to experience its climate and lifestyle, and be a part of its amazing diversity.

Michelle Elvy is happy to bring a little bit of boring to her newly created role as she looks to put her stamp on Rio Tinto in Weipa. The new general manager of bauxite, replacing the GM roles at Weipa and Gove, says that safety and stability will be pillars of her leadership.

In his studio at Eden Creek, Brett Hamlyn turns “chords into a fully mastered product”. The producer spent 15 years touring with bands and now at Deva Studios, he helps musicians develop their songs. “He’s the best,” singer songwriter Wendy Ford said. “He has a great sense of melody.”

Geoff Helisma. Yamba Surf Life Saving Club member Kalani Ives says her “main goal is to paddle across the Molokai Channel and win that” ... Kalani has already racked up a numerous outstanding results competing in the Nippers – and at the 2021 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, held at Swansea on March 6 and 7, she won the U17 Iron Woman, came third in the U17 Female Board Race and fourth in the U17 Female Single Ski.

Kirstin Nicholson interviews Shaniah Dye: "I thought, what better thing to do than start my own business where I can work with the animals that I love the most and be able to talk to people who have similar hobbies, instead of going out to a workplace where I didn’t feel I could relate to people at that time. That was pretty much how Blue Poppy Equines started, it was my new opening into the world. "

Caitlin Vlahos is 25 years old and is in charge of maintenance at Riverina Stockfeeds in Casino. As a student at Casino High School her interest in learning a trade came from doing Industrial Arts with an inspiring teacher, Chris Simpson.

Known best for her snake catching exploits, there’s more to Lauren Dibben than wrangling the odd reptile. For years she has been the go-to woman for removing snakes from the yards of Weipa residents. What many don’t know is that Lauren has two degrees, has more knowledge of the Western Cape ecosystem than most others and is now the owner of a medium-sized business with more than a dozen employees.

Inspired by the influential women in their lives, Marie Pitt and Florence Charger are now inspiring the next generation. The two chairs at Western Cape Communities Trust – Marie is the head of the main trust and Flo leads the coordinating committee – are out to pave a stronger future for Traditional Owners.

Kirstin Nicholson. This week we introduce you to Mark Bishop and Clancy Graham from Sunbury who, along with their four children, Isabella, Connor, Henry and Beau, aged four to ten, now call Cohuna home. Mark and Clancy purchased a house on the edge of Cohuna and moved in last month.