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“When I got Penny, it was just after my third operation on my leg. I was sad and frustrated, but she gave me the motivation to start living my dream. I couldn't wait to get off my crutches and start riding again. Penny was being trained to be an Olympic dressage horse, but she sustained a leg injury that she meant could no longer be an elite athlete. After a rest, she is sound and can be ridden, so she is like me now": Travis Newman, 13, cancer survivor and scholarship recipient.

Annabel Harz’s new book, 'Journey into the Shadow and Sunshine', is being launched at the Book Wolf on Friday 26 November at 6pm ... Her art and poetry are a blend of works from adolescent through to adulthood and are a powerful portrayal of the depths of depression and despair that many are able to relate to.

Kirstin Nicholson. As the Cohuna Golf Club prepares for the Stuart Appleby Pro-Am next week, we talked with home grown hero, Stuart Appleby, about his journey from local Cohuna lad to household name and international golfing legend. It was when his parents took up golf that Stuart Appleby was introduced to the game. As a 14-year-old, he played cricket and football, but it was golf that caught his eye and stole his heart.

‘There are so many stories to tell of my life, and sometimes I think they are not of importance, but they are, because often it is the little details that are the most important. I still remember every detail. [Like] Oodnadatta Country – I can still see it, in my mind’s eye, exactly as it was back in my time. The Country still calls me back to where I was born, a very exposed and stony land, but I still love it. That’s where my spirit is’: Kanakiya Myra Ah Chee.

Christopher Creek and Deborah Benson have have owned and run the Eaglehawk Motel since January 2013. They have now secured a buyer for the motel after having it on the market for the past three to four years ... Chris is excited to settle down in Maldon and is hoping to spend his time completing a revised edition of Rich Vein, to try and include more of the First Nations’ account.  

Geoff Helisma. Clarence Valley environmental defenders John and Pat Edwards were inducted into the  Allen Strom Hall of Fame  at the Nature Conservation Council’s NSW Environment Awards ... “Individuals for this award have been actively involved in the conservation movement for many years, have made a constant and invaluable contribution to the environment and have displayed qualities of integrity, reliability and commitment.”

The first thing Sophie Matterson does at a new camp spot, after she has unloaded the packs from her five camels, is to put the billy on and make a cup of tea. In April last year, the 33 year old Brisbane woman set off on a camel trek from Shark Bay in Western Australia. On Sunday night she was bedding down at the Bonalbo Showground in the chicken shed.

When Mic Eales sits at the potter’s wheel, he forgets the world. “When I throw, I switch off, it’s like a meditation,” Mic said. In his vast tin shed studio overlooking a lagoon and green hills, Mic loses himself in his art ... This month, he will share his joyful space when people are invited to visit the Mallanganee studio as part of the Australian Ceramics Association open days across the country.

A massive cyclone swell on Sydney’s beaches claims a big wave surfer, leaving his long-term partner without a body to mourn. His four adult godchildren from far and wide gather for the reading of his will. A mystery girl from Tasmania joins them Down the coast, a man is pulled from the water and abandoned to his fate with a head injury and amnesia ... The debut novel by Coffs Coast local, Michel Vimal du Monteil, himself a surfer and former SES volunteer.

This time last year, Athol Ryan was in hospital with severe facial injuries after an innocuous incident while preparing to gallop a horse at Mount Garnet ... “When you’ve got a horse like Macipenko it keeps you going,” he said of the horse that has now won four races this year. While seven winners might not seem like a lot, it’s not bad considering Ryan only has a few horses in work at any one time and has to travel more than 300km one-way for just about every race meeting.

Dylan started bowling about 11 years ago when he was at his local club, Moulamein Bowls Club. He decided to have a go with his Grandfather’s bowls and next thing you know he was playing pennant.

Kirstin Nicholson. Dr Megan Belot is the new president of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA). Locals will know Dr Belot through her previous role as a GP at the Cohuna Clinic, and her current roles as a GP anaesthetist at Cohuna Hospital, GP at Northern District Community Health (NDCH) Medical Clinic in Kerang and a GP anaesthetist and Visiting Medical Officer at Echuca Hospital.

Geoff Wakeman is not against the principles of environmental watering. He does, however, have a huge problem with the way it is being used in the Gunbower Forest/National Park, particularly around Cohuna ... As a geologist, his interest was piqued when he came across some commentary surrounding the Barmah Choke, which prompted him to take a closer look at what was happening out in the Gunbower Forest. It was then he became alarmed.

On interviewing Gary I realised he isn’t, in technical terms, a resident of Maldon. However, I think given Gary has given each of us advice on coughs and colds, sores and nappy rash for quite a few years, we can make an exception. Gary bought the pharmacy on April Fools’ Day in 2009. He found out about the sale of the pharmacy through his networks and came up to have a look during the Folk Festival in 2008.

For 17 years Robert Hackett has checked the skies. His interest in all things weather related is a hobby. Living in the Kyogle area for many years, Robert has been caught in some dramatic situations while updating weather warnings out in the field. “As storms gets closer, you see and feel the energy of Mother Nature,” Robert said.

Kendall Jennings. In a ride that changed a young man’s career, Jye McNeil won the 2020 Melbourne Cup in his debut in the big race. However, the events he looked forward to with the Kerang Turf Club would go ahead without him on Thursday, October 14 due to COVID-19 restrictions ... In the fastest Melbourne Cup since Media Puzzle in 2002, Twilight Payment ran the cup in 3:17.34. In his inaugural Melbourne Cup ride, Jye McNeil from Myall won the great race in front of no crowd, a first in the cup’s history.

Kirstin Nicholson. Tynan. Remember that name. It’s a name you are going to see a lot of in the future. Tynan Dove is a 16-year-old from Cohuna who is set to make a name for himself in the world of rapping. He appears to be an ordinary teenager, studying Year 10 at Cohuna Secondary College and doing what other district teenagers do. Tynan is, however, an aspiring artist who is building a reputation as a renowned melodic rap artist.

The question – can you imagine a world without seeds? inspired Afterlee artist Jenny Kitchener’s latest solo exhibition. Jenny’s   new exhibition Seed   highlights the important role bees, birds and other pollinating insects play in seed production.

Emma Pritchard. Cohen Daly has continued to inspire everyone, including the Clarence Valley community, with his courage as he bravely fought cancer ... just a few weeks ago, Cohen and his family finally received the news they had been longing and praying for.

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."