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Liz Lawrence. The Sullivan name has been synonymous with Australian football in Narrandera for decades and now one of its favourite sons James Sullivan has been honoured for his commitment to the game as a teacher at St Francis de Sales Regional College. James, son of Barry and Debbie Sullivan of Narrandera, has been named as a NSW/ACT Secondary School Ambassador for the game in the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.

Tuesday Browell describes herself as a river guardian. “It’s a tricky disposition, one of whinging nana, or that of wishing she had superhero river powers” ... “Miles and miles of Paterson’s curse, looking like the lavender fields of France, are a beautiful, yet shameful reminder of how rampant invasive weeds are along the Murray River. The native species of understory are dissipated and scant.” The river is a special place, one worth protecting for future generations, ‘living art’ as Tuesday describes it.

Gabrielle Duykers. Long-standing Naracoorte doctor Alison Gazard will be retiring this week, following a 52-year career in medicine ... It was when she started undertaking locum work in rural areas that she realised her love for country life. "I found it far more satisfying than general practice in the city where you tended to just operate around prescriptions and referral forms. In the country you had to actually do things ‒ put in drips, resuscitate people, and do sutures."

Gingin shire’s Bob Kelly has received an international service award from Red Cross for his pragmatic and innovative approaches to improving the lives of vulnerable people affected by conflict, war and disasters ... Mr Kelly said there was a need for people with skills to give back and look after the most vulnerable. “The missions I’ve done have changed my outlook on life. I’ve got a different attitude towards a whole lot of things.’’

Kirstin Nicholson. Ali Bohn. Ernie O'Rourke from Leitchville has a strong connection to the Melbourne Football Club, playing for the Demons in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1945 to 1948. Ernie was part of two grand final teams in 1946 and 1948, both games against Essendon ... Ernie watched Saturday’s grand final match from his lounge room with his partner, Gwen, who is a long-time Footscray supporter.  

Gabrielle Duykers. A Zambian refugee camp seems an unlikely environment to foster an art career, but for one Mount Gambier man, that is where it all began. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sadiki Kamundele is a skilled sculptor and painter, who works in a variety of mediums.  

Geoff Helisma. It wasn’t too long ago, Dheran Young was kicking a football around a vacant lot in Young Street, Wooloweyah, along with a lot of other kids from the neighbourhood – on Saturday September 11, Mr Young, 33, was elected to the Northern Territory Government as the Member for Daly.

Patricia Gill. Psychologist Jackie Ormsby has been elected unopposed for the Kent/Nornalup Ward while eight candidates will vie for five vacant seats on the Denmark Shire Council. Five people have nominated for three vacant seats in the Scotsdale/Shadforth Ward including deputy shire president Mark Allen and sitting councillor, Jan Lewis. Businessman Nathan Devenport, WA College of Agriculture Denmark residential manager Kelli Gillies – a former deputy shire president – and wildlife conservation organisation director Clare Campbell have also nominated. ... A former ministerial policy adviser, Ms Ormsby was surprised to be elected unopposed.

Nancy Schmidt, who was fondly known as Aunty Nancy because she was such a lovely mumma to everyone, leaves a legacy of kindness and compassion, and a trail of goodwill. Nancy’s story began in the Central Desert, west of Alice Springs where she lived with her Aboriginal family until she was taken away by authorities and sent to the Bungalow in Alice Springs. When the Government handed over care of all Aboriginal children to missionaries, Nancy was transferred to the Methodist Mission on Goulburn Island and then on to Croker Island along with other children who were members of what has become the Stolen Generation.

Gabrielle Duykers. After relentlessly advocating on behalf of cross-border residents for more than a year, Apsley farmer Paula Gust is still fighting for the health and social wellbeing of her community. Mrs Gust, who has a farm straddling the SA/VIC border, began the Cross Border Call Out (CBCO) page in August 2020 ... She said she spends between 20 and 30 hours per week advocating for the cross-border community, taking time away from her own business.

Emma Pritchard. Twelve of the state’s most inspiring and motivational leaders of the future have been appointed to the 2021-2022 Youth Advisory Council. Among them, is 13-year-old Mae Carroll from Grafton ... Deeply passionate about social justice issues and the vital importance of support for mental health services in regional communities, Miss Carroll said recognising the opportunity to speak openly about topics close to her heart motivated her to apply again.

Former local and NRL Burleigh Bears prospect Shallin Fuller is set to join the Gold Coast Titans next year. Shallin is from Muli Muli, attended Woodenbong Central School and played for the Turkeys.

Illiam is a young Walmajarri Custodian. He describes the familial connection and spiritual sacredness of Martuwarra.

Red meat producers are featuring in a series of new videos, sharing their stories to inform consumers on how red meat is produced in Australia.

Deckhand Thomas Breeze has worked on an octopus fishing boat operating out of the Two Rocks marina for about nine months now. It is physically demanding work because even though the pots used to catch octopus are smaller than the ones used to catch western rock lobster they still weigh 30kg each.

Hear from the candidates for the upcoming Barkly Regional Council elections: Brian Coleman; Hal Ruger; Jeffrey McLaughlin; Dianne Stokes; Greg Marlow; Karan Hayward; Kelly White; and Catherine Grimley.

Ali Bohn. Tired of sitting in a mission brown office of cold, exposed brick, an axe-wielding statue that comes to life at night and partially chewed carpet (due to the castors on the swivel chairs, we didn’t have a plague of rats living in the office), The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper’s Lloyd Polkinghorne made the brave decision to do a full renovation of the office a couple of months ago.

"Out of every adversity lays the seed of equal or greater opportunity" ... "if you've got a passion for farming, grazing, cropping or whatever it is, just keep looking through your genetics and the way that you manage your farms and your businesses and your environments" : Dave Reilly

Geoff Helisma. When it comes to succeeding at sport, desire is a powerful motivator – and it often makes itself apparent during a human’s formative years. Grafton-born Olympian Ryan Maskelyne – one of only two swimmers who represented Papua New Guinea at the Olympic Games – first made his Olympics dream public at the 2009 Yamba Convent Beach to Main Beach Ocean Swim. “He told us he intended swimming for PNG at the Olympics,” his uncle, Eddy Durkan, says. “He was 11 and is now 22.”

Patty Mills for Prime Minister – that was the call on Saturday night as the star basketballer drained 42 points to lead the Boomers to their first ever Olympic medal. The Torres Strait Island product was amazing in all the big moments as he led Australia to a 107-93 win against Slovenia to pick up a much-deserved bronze medal. Bronze felt like “rose gold” to Mills.

Former Naracoorte High scholar Linda Cawley (nee Stanford) has written a children’s book called The Trick with Sticks. It is cleverly written in a Dr. Seuss style to help children and their parents with their child’s friendships. We all know how friendships can be tricky, so the book explores the bonds of friendship and how those bonds are formed.

Weipa product Tia-Clair Toomey has won a fifth CrossFit Games to etch her name into the record books. Toomey, who still has family living in Weipa, was an Olympic representative at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games in weightlifting and won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. But it is her performances in CrossFit – a huge competition in the United States and Europe – that have put her on the global map.