NSW

Emma Pritchard. Grafton Fire Station is among 30 across the state outlined in a proposal by Fire and Rescue NSW to be temporarily taken offline in the event of staff shortages ... If implemented, Grafton Fire and Rescue 306 Station Deputy Captain Chris Rumpf said the proposal could jeopardise the safety of residents who rely on the service.

Wayne Culph. A warm Spring-day and a fresh sea breeze were the perfect backdrop for the first races of the new season at the Big River Sailing Club. Keen to take advantage of the recent easing of restrictions, a fleet of 22 boats assembled to contest Heats 1 and 2 of the Handicap Series.

A nationwide operation has been launched aiming to bolster the supply of local workers to help deliver this year’s bumper grains harvest and relieve pressure on farming communities. Retired and former ADF servicemen and women are being motivated and mobilised under Operation Grain Harvest Assist, to answer the call-up and work on grain farms stationed throughout Australia.

With bumper crops on the horizon for much of the state, Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall has today urged landholders to be on the lookout for locust activity this spring and report any sightings immediately.

The nominees for the prestigious 2020/21 Australian Racehorse of the Year awards have been announced by Racing NSW.

From Broken Hill to Inverell, Corrective Services NSW staff across the state have been whittling, welding and painting blue trees in the name of mental health awareness ... Staff and inmates have been involved in creating their distinctive blue trees – from murals and collages to welded sculptures and painted tree trunks.

New artwork and informative signage has been revealed at Robert Dixon Park at Kingscliff to draw attention to the rare Glossy black-cockatoo. The Glossy black-cockatoo, also affectionately known as Glossies, is listed as vulnerable in NSW. The Tweed is lucky enough to be home to both the Glossy black-cockatoo and the Yellow-tailed black-cockatoo however, there isn’t enough reliable data to confirm Glossy black-cockatoo numbers.

Macquarie has sold its 105,000 hectare Lawson Grains portfolio for more than half a billion dollars to Sydney-based New Forests and Canada’s Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo). The portfolio comprises more than 70 assets – or 10 aggregations – across Western Australia and New South Wales that Macquarie Agriculture had collected since the fund’s launch in 2012.

A flood is coming. The forecast flow downstream of Yarrawonga is estimated to reach 50–60,000 megalitres per day (split between Tuppal and Bullatale Creeks and the Murray River) and the Goulburn has had minor flooding, with flows of 21,000 megalitres a day ... Our food producers now face what is an allocation drought during a flood event.

Kirstin Nicholson. Fondly known as ‘The Village’, the Respect Cohuna Village is the retirement home of 45 of the district’s elderly residents. Don’t let the terms ‘elderly’ or ‘retirement’ put you off, their lifestyle is by no means sedentary. The village is a hive of activity with visiting family and friends, health professionals and volunteers who attend to treat, entertain, care for the residents and enhance their life. That was until COVID-19 came on the scene.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has increased daily releases from Hume Dam to 31GL to manage airspace. The flow rate will keep Murray River levels similar to what they have been in the past few days – a little above channel capacity but well below minor flood level at Albury. The release rate is likely to change in response to changing conditions in the catchment.

Lismore City Council recently accepted a tender to design and construct a $600,000 ‘Solar Carpark’ in the Council-owned Clyde Campbell carpark. The infrastructure includes the installation an architectural ‘butterfly-shaped’ awning, clad with photo-voltaic solar panels and covering 40 carparks. It also includes the installation of two EV fast chargers, making them Lismore’s first.

As the state prepares for the anticipated relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions over the coming months, the release today of the 2021 NSW Coastal Safety Report by Surf Life Saving NSW has highlighted the need for hyper-vigilance on our beaches, with a spike in coastal visitation expected following large-scale lockdowns.

Roz Knights is so excited she can’t keep stop smiling as an old aviation building on Bloore St is being transformed into the new Kyogle Community Food Pantry ... "This is my way – through the Lions Club and my Christian beliefs – to give back to people,” Roz said. “In the past I’ve been helped by so many people.” For a moment, Roz’s eyes fill with tears and then she smiles again as she looks up at the grey building and gushes about the local philanthropist who offered the site at a “phenomenally low rent”, she said.

Claire Rankin. Coraki Hotel publican Ron Macdonald has been forced to sell his tap beer as takeaway because of the lockdown ... Lockdowns both this year and last have forced Mr Macdonald to sell his tap beer at a cut price, because brewers reject opened kegs.