NSW

NSW coastal farmers and landholders can currently store 10 per cent of the rain that falls on their properties, yet they will soon be able to better drought-proof their properties as the NSW Government increases their harvestable right to 30 per cent. Minister for Water, Property and Housing Melinda Pavey said these changes would improve water security for property owners and assist with reducing bushfire risk for coastal towns.

Geoff Helisma. Debate about the Clarence Catchment Alliance’s (CCA) petition calling for the cessation of mineral mining and exploration in the Clarence River catchment took place in the NSW Legislative Assembly on Thursday October 14 ... The petition was lodged by  Lismore MP Janelle Saffin (Labor) ... Speaking against the petition was  Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis (Nationals).  

Emma Pritchard. From sundown until 10:30pm between October 21 and 24, one of Grafton’s most popular recreational areas lit up the exuberance of Clarence Valley residents and visitors to the region, with a dazzling display of lights, colour, and natural beauty.   Created as an additional attraction during the 2021 Jacaranda Festival, the blossoming jacaranda trees in See Park were stylishly illuminated to showcase their exquisite purple radiance, allowing them to be admired during the day and night.

Wayne Culph. In what could only be described as near perfect conditions, sailors at the Big River Sailing Club enjoyed a memorable day on the water last  Saturday. A moderate sea breeze, a run out tide, the absence of storms, and some closely fought racing were all the ingredients that kept the smiles on the 20 skippers that contested the two races of the Handicap Series.

After settling at the rear of the field and spotting the leaders many lengths down the back straight, Dalgarno stormed down the outside section of the straight to score a stunning win in the Stephen Cook Memorial Handicap at Port Macquarie ... On a day recognising three fine local racing personalities in the shape of Athol Platt, Col Foster and Stephen Cook, it was wonderful to see a famous set of colours pass the post in first place when Louise Day drove Lucky Sham to victory in race five.

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, and the Premier of Queensland and Minister for the Olympics, the Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, have signed an Intergovernmental Agreement for the provision of state services to Norfolk Island, marking the beginning of an enduring partnership for the delivery of essential services to one of Australia’s most remote communities.  

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.

NSW Murray, Victorian Murray and Goulburn have both hit 100% allocations. The news is a welcome relief to farmers. Despite the increase in allocation, water prices remain firm. Victorian Resource Manager, Dr Mark Bailey, said, “The sustained flows into the Murray system have provided enough resource to repay all of the borrowed Barmah-Millewa Forest environmental water allocation and announce the 100% allocation.  

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 Australian Mohair Marketing Organisation’s (AMMO) auction at Narrandera last Friday achieved exceptionally high prices against a slightly downward trend in South Africa. There was a 100 per cent clearance and another Australian record average price of $34.65 /kg which was $4.60 higher than the previous best auction average.

Narrandera’s second supermarket, IGA Narrandera +Liquor opened for business in August with a minimum of fanfare due to Covid-related restrictions but they are now forging ahead with plans to expand services and products ... “The town will see a white delivery van with IGA logo on the streets of Narrandera soon ... We also aim to go live with our online shopping portal ..." : Harry Ajwani.

What better place to taste test fake meat than in the Beef Capital of Casino? Dale Paget and Pete Rogers were filming a segment for Channel 10’s  The Project  to be screened on television. “We wanted to see what people on the front line of the meat industry thought,” Dale said.

Shearing an alpaca is like shearing a sheep. Surely. Watching shearer James Dixon at Big Sky Alpaca farm proved otherwise. The alpaca is not held vertical between the shearer’s legs like a sheep ... Then there is the long neck of the alpaca that could easily injure if the alpaca thrashes around and this is secured with two weights. And the noise – oh my!

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. The 2021 Jacaranda Festival has been postponed for five weeks due to community concerns amidst Grafton’s rising Covid-19 case numbers ... "we were also expecting no restrictions on who could attend, but the double-vax rule has since meant many who haven’t been fully vaccinated won’t be able to. Moving the festival back five weeks will alleviate both of these issues and enable us to keep its tradition very much alive:” Jacaranda Festival Manager, Mark Blackadder

Emma Pritchard. Fuelled by his inspiration to provide the local community with affordable and reliable public transport, Mark Ruthven decided to put his business plan into first gear, and two years later, his investment is continuing along the road to success ... “Rabbit Ride-Share works along a similar line to Uber, but unlike Uber where customers use an app, they contact our call centre in town, talk to an operator, tell them where they are and where they need to go, they’re quoted an exact fare and one of our vehicles is immediately dispatched.”

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.