News

By all reports, the Gidgegannup Show held on Saturday 30 October was a roaring sucess with over 6,000 patrons attending the one day event.

An unbelievable discovery unfolded in the Barkly on Tuesday after one of the most endangered species in Australia - the Bilby - was found near Bootu Creek Mine. Tennant Creek's Barkly Vet Practice was contacted by a woman from the mine who came across a mother Bilby’s body, and held onto it until Central Land Council Rangers came to pick it up. In the mother’s pouch was a baby.

Tennant Creek Girl Guides celebrated its 80th birthday on Saturday morning with an Open Day at the Showgrounds. Everyone was welcome to come along and see some of the history of Guides in Tennant Creek, and also to get a look at what the girls get to do under the careful guidance of their leaders, not to mention the special treat of being able to take a ride in the Bushfires vehicle courtesy of Keven Stout.

There have been two fashion parades, one at Panacea Estate, with items from Trés Doux Trés Beau, featuring beautiful clothing from the Duchess of Walmer. The other involved Beaton’s Stores and Poppy’s of Maldon displaying their gorgeous clothing at the Maldon Neighbourhood Centre to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation as part of the ‘Paint the Town Pink’ fundraiser.

Nancy Whittaker. On 13 and 14 November, several local ceramic artists are participating in the annual Australian Ceramics Open Studios. They include Tracey Koolen, Andrea Ebsworth, Felicity Ceramics and Angie Robinson ... I recently met up with Ellen Hansa, the longest serving local potter in the area. She told me about how there used to be four local potters 50 years ago, who made a living entirely by selling their utilitarian pottery, such as mugs, bowls and plates for every day use.

Emerging green energy powerhouse  Sweetman Renewables Ltd  has announced an expansion of its three business divisions after the recent closure of multiple deals, putting it centre stage of the green energy revolution. After a successful pre-IPO raising, the NSW company is expanding its three business divisions of hydrogen production, biomass supply and high-quality timber products.

A new study  has found that Alnus trees in agroforestry systems significantly contribute to capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Researchers discovered that the fast-growing Alnus tree, common in most Rwandan households, capture substantial amounts of carbon in aboveground biomass—live or dead matter from trees—with amounts varying depending on the age and elevation of the tree.

Prominent publican Arthur Laundy and his son Stuart have paid $38 million for the large-scale Bayview Hotel on the Brisbane Waters harbourfront on the Central Coast, marking their first acquisition together.

The freehold interest in the Barham Hotel in regional New South Wales has sold off-market, as the country's pub market refuses to fall out of investor favour.

Narrandera Landcare has blasted Narrandera Shire Council for axing the lattice railway bridge project which attracted widespread community support. The proposal to convert the State-listed heritage bridge to a pedestrian bridge for cyclists and walkers ... was the subject of a DA ... The Council worked with Narrandera Landcare over six years to develop the project and then, in a surprise about turn, rejected the DA on a 5-2 majority vote.

The first Murray cod eggs of the season were collected from nesting boxes in the broodstock ponds at DPI’s Narrandera Fisheries Centre. The nesting boxes were put into the ponds in late August with hatchery staff checking for eggs from late September.

Narrandera Carpheads stalwart Brodie Perram is anticipating his side can give the Ardlethan/Barellan cricket competition a shake as they prepare for their round one bout against Kamarah ... Perram himself is a tough bowler to come up against. He is aiming for 20 to 25 wickets for the season, a goal he says is consistent with his past performances.

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.

The Bill to amend the Public Health and Wellbeing Act has drawn fire from expert legal minds and politicians. The Bill would allow Premier Andrews alone, the ability to declare a pandemic empowering the Minister of Health effectively unlimited power to rule the state by decree, for an indefinite period, and without effective judicial or parliamentary oversight ... Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, said democracy has already gone out the window in Victoria, with Daniel Andrews ‘drunk on power’ and determined to entrench himself in a position where not just the parliament itself is at risk, but the individual liberties of every Victorian.

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.

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