NSW

Farmers, community members and potential investors gathered at cluBarham this week to learn more about an exciting opportunity for the region.  Attendees listened to how the growing, processing and value-adding of industrial hemp could provide great opportunities to producers, in employment and provide a boost to the local economy.  

The annual Easter Rotary of Kerang Art Show took place over the long weekend ... The Gannawarra Shire Acquisition Award went to Jan Lawler for her oil/acrylic painting of a kingfisher.

The Kerang Turf Club held its annual Easter race meeting on a sunny Saturday afternoon, which provided perfect racing conditions ... The story of the winning jockey, Christopher Pang, is an inspiring one that encompasses Australian traditional values of never giving up on your dreams.

The expansion of one of the Clarence Valley’s largest timber factories, Big River Group is a huge boost to the local economy and sets the bar high in supplying the sustainable manufacturing of high-quality specialist technical timber products across the State. The upgrade includes the installation of state-of-the-art machinery that will substantially increase Big River’s output enabling them to supply an unprecedented volume of timber products.

A mandatory code of conduct is urgently needed to protect chicken meat farmers from market power abuse at the hands of processors, an industry report has found ... “The message from poultry farmers was clear: there is little to no choice in processors, growing contract terms are unfair, and there is a deliberate undermining of collective bargaining efforts within the supply chain”: NSW Farmers Poultry Meat Manager David Banham.

The Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) has welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement of a new Inquiry into Community Safety in Regional and Rural Communities, and urges community members to have their say. The CMA’s call for an inquiry came to address the dangerous increase in crime in regional and rural areas across the state.

Competition was tough among the hundreds of rodders at this year’s Rod Run, with a record number of entrants and over 500 cars at Sunday’s Show and Shine. The competition was made up of old and new entrants with cars of all makes, models and colours competing  for five prize categories - Top Rod, Top Kruiser, Top Ride, Young Rodder and Top Kustom.

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As part of the weir project Water Infrastructure contracted to an archaeological consulting firm to conduct excavations on a number of sites that may fall with the footprint of the weir and construction zones ... Wilcannia Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Barkindji Native Title Group were consulted and a number of members received training on how to sift the soil from the holes...

Coming back from Newcastle a couple of weeks ago we passed him somewhere between Nyngan and Cobar. Just poking along, and we thought, another person with time on their hands to cycle, not drive ... Mic Whitty’s story is not the usual push bike rider's adventure story ... he hatched a plan to cycle and follow his grandfather's footsteps around the Western Front in France.

Clarence Valley Council will make a submission to a NSW Government inquiry looking to impose a levy on councils with dams calling for the idea to be scrapped, as it is another means of shifting costs onto councils ... Mayor Peter Johnstone said a previous attempt by the NSW Government to impose a levy on councils with dams failed.

What is it about Australian politics that causes a wave of frustration, tinged with resignation and - perhaps more commonly - an eye roll, a sigh and shrug. “It is what it is.” ... For those wanting to avoid the hysteria on social media soapboxes, the left or right leaning opinions of whichever media outlet is screening at the time or arguments that could fracture a family for years, what options are there? Enter the Voices movement.

Hay and Carrathool Shire Councils are joining forces to develop a 10-year roadmap outlining practical actions councils, business, industries and communities can take to diversify their economies. This includes building economic, social, cultural and environmental resilience.

Roz Jones. Lawrence Historical Society presents ‘A Century of Country Wedding Dresses’ as part of the April Plunge Festival. Visitors can expect to be delighted with an array of beautiful wedding dresses, from the past 100 years.

The plight of Yamba residents whose homes are shaking and cracking from excavators moving and trucks carrying fill into floodplain development sites will be broadcast to a national audience following a visit by A Current Affair last Wednesday … greeted the reporter and camera crew ... in Park Avenue, Yamba, displaying “Stop The Fill” signs, while chanting “Stop The Fill, Don’t Drown Our Town.”

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Pia Funch & Trina Shepherd. Congratulation to Love Lord Howe for winning Gold at the Australian Tourism Awards! ... The  Destination North Coast Board (DNC) visited Lord Howe Island ... for the first time to hold their annual Board meeting and to meet and discuss tourism with local businesses and stakeholders.