NSW

This exhibition tells the story of mentorship, art and friendship between Margaret Olley (1923–2011) and Ben Quilty (b.1973), two of Australia’s most celebrated artists. At Home  is a sublime collection of recent still life paintings by Ben Quilty alongside still lifes and interiors by Margaret Olley, from the latter half of her extraordinary career.

There was nothing new or unexpected about the recently announced NSW Natural Resources Commission research on timber harvesting and koalas ... There’s nothing in the NRC report that actually deserves a tick. It’s a well-established historical and scientific fact that koalas are an irruptive species which responds positively to soft new growth ... Declining trees continuously resprout soft young growth until they eventually run out of resources. Koalas breed up in declining forests.

Scientists at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have uncovered a new type of Hendra virus in flying foxes, confirming the virus can be found across a broad region of the country. A paper detailing the findings has been published just days after the new genetic type (HeV-g2) was detected in a horse near Newcastle in New South Wales, the most southern case of Hendra yet recorded.  

Covid-19 restrictions in 2021 led to the cancellation of four Narrandera Shire flagship events which traditionally draw large crowds and boost the local economy ... Narrandera Shire’s Covid casualties were the Narrandera Show, the Good Old Days Festival at Barellan, Narrandera’s popular 50s and 60s rock n’ roll festival Rockin’ on East and Narrandera Garden Club’s Camellia Show, most of which were cancelled for the second consecutive year ... The Good Old Days Festival drew a record crowd of 7500 in 2019 and has grown into the Narrandera Shire’s biggest event valued at $1.8 million to the regional economy.

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.

Any person who is over 16 years of age and who is not fully vaccinated with the provisionally approved COVID-19 vaccine has been excluded from many NSW businesses this week. Despite our regional areas having limited to no COVID-19 cases and willing uptakes exceeding 80% in LGAs like Murray River Council, the state government pushed forward to rip the last shreds of medical sovereignty from people living in our supposed democracy. The mandates have turned friends into enforcers and loyal customers into the unclean, and in turn, the unwelcome.

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.

NSW is set to attract more than $80 billion of investment, drive deep decarbonisation and establish itself as an energy and economic superpower with the launch of the NSW Hydrogen Strategy ... Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said hydrogen was a huge opportunity for regional NSW. “We know that regional economies are diversifying, and the NSW government’s Hydrogen Strategy is bringing that to life,” Mr Toole said.

Timber NSW welcomes research conducted over three years released by the Natural Resource Commissioner and NSW Chief Scientist, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte who states that, “koala density was higher than anticipated in the surveyed forests and was not reduced by selective harvesting.” “This very significant finding totally vindicates the skilful ability of the forest managers to care for the land under their responsibility and protect koalas,” said Timber NSW CEO Maree McCaskill.

Research released into koala response to forestry has found that the nutritional quality of trees is critical for koala survival and selective harvesting did not have an adverse impact upon koala numbers on surveyed NSW north coast state forests ... These findings have emerged from a three-year research program independently overseen by the NSW Natural Resources Commission.

Emma Pritchard. The Church of the Holy Apostles in Copmanhurst is widely admired and loved by many, having served the Copmanhurst community and surrounding districts for more than a century. Strong family connections and lifelong memories have been formed, along with an intense interest in its history and preservation. And it has also generated plenty of interest in the property market.

Emma Pritchard. Keen to offer Clarence Valley youths an opportunity to participate in a fun-filled outdoor activity, and make a contribution to his community, Sonny Ingledew established Yamba Skate School 18 months ago, and the locally based business continues to experience a strong surge in popularity.

The Chris Waller stable has again conquered the $200,000 Carlton Dry Port Macquarie Cup following Our Intrigues decisive victory in the great race.