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When the Anglican Church time capsule was cracked open, there was excitement in the air, and then dust, and then the first letter was drawn. It was addressed to the future children of Anthony Bradford ... Inside the year 2000-time capsule opened in Hay was a letter his grandfather, Jim Bradford Senior, had written to him back in 1972, a letter he’d completely forgotten about.

The Birchip community came together in a spirit of unity, reflection and celebration at the Ecumenical Christmas Carol Service held at the Birchip Public Hall ... Representatives and congregations from St Mary’s Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Uniting Church joined with community members of all ages ... In a powerful moment of solidarity, Robyn invited attendees to hold hands as a visible sign of unity and support for Jewish communities, both locally and around the world.

Graham Fischer. The victory of Omnia at Globe Derby Park ... justified owner Tara-Shae Linke's bold decision to pair her mare Consica with the American stallion Volstead...

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For its 250-year history, the United States has been the largest immigration centre in the world. As of 2024, the country was home to 52,375,047 immigrants ... The concentration of illegal immigrants in the agricultural sector in some states is so high that it raises the question, "Are authorities truly combating illegal immigration, or is illegal immigration officially encouraged as a supplement to legal immigration?"

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In September this year, Steve Posselt and Graeme Gibson set off from Ballina in a tinnie to travel upstream towards Kyogle ... The Tinnie Trip was part of the Riverfest and its aim was to highlight the state of the Richmond River.

NR Wildlife Hospital. Thankfully, not every patient journey begins in crisis. A crowd favourite on our socials this month, this little echidna came in bright eyed and alert, but a little too smelly for our liking!

Hopes that growth in tourism will lift Alice Springs out of its economic slump in 2026 look like wishful thinking. There are no major projects. There are still no accommodation facilities other than camping in the West MacDonnell National Park (2,568 km2), the jewels in our tourism crown, nor in the East Macs. Ross River is available only for special functions and Glen Helen is still closed.

International tourists have descended on WA in nation-leading numbers, with the State out-performing the rest of Australia for growth in overseas visitors. The latest visitor data has WA on track for full recovery to pre-pandemic international visitor numbers by the end of 2025, with the State achieving 99.5 per cent of 2019 numbers in the year ending September 2025.

In the Christmas instalment of No Drama Farmer, Fiona L Fox joins us to talk about koala numbers plus is England cheaper than Australia? (cost of living) it might be!

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Darlington Point’s War Memorial Swimming Pool has been given a stunning new look, with a vibrant mural completed just in time for Christmas. The eye-catching artwork celebrates the area’s unique landscape and biodiversity, bringing native birds, bees and local flora to life.

Six hi-tech monitoring buoys which will automatically detect future harmful algal blooms before they reach our shores are being deployed across South Australian waters. The state-of-the-art oceanographic moorings are equipped with specific sensors for early detection of key harmful algal bloom (HAB) species such as Karenia.

As this final newsletter of the year demonstrates, rural health does not pause for the festive season. While many Australians take a well-earned break, rural, regional and remote communities continue to carry extraordinary responsibility—for food production, harvest, emergency response, service delivery and the steady functioning of our economy and society.

Mallee residents are being encouraged to have their say informed by recent experiences on mining licence approvals in the electorate, after the Commonwealth Government opened a new consultation. Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster, shared her dismay that, yet again, mining-related consultation is occurring during the harvest and Christmas season, and that the horse had bolted on key projects within the electorate.

An intense and devastating storm hit Central Victoria on Saturday 13 December and cast a weird yellow light ... In Tarrengower, Anne-Maree McComb described the destruction: “It took out trees in a straight line over around 800 metres as well as the roof of our house, spreading debris over about 250 metres. We were watching two storm fronts colliding and a mini tornado circling in our back yard when our back verandah was ripped off, taking the whole roof of the house with it.”

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