NSW

Sam Farraway MLC NSW: “The Southern Feeder Road upgrades are vital for the Orange community and with some stages already completed we are seeing the benefits, not only in road safety but in time efficiency and connectivity.” Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said the funding for new and upgraded infrastructure was the result of upfront strategic planning and the investment of developer contributions.

The Bells Line of Road, which provides the alternative route over the Blue Mountains to the Central West from Sydney, will be closed indefinitely due to landslides caused by the recent heavy rains. This is a timely reminder of the many years of inaction on building the long overdue Bells Line Expressway ... One of the last roles held by the the recently departed former Leader of the National Party in NSW, Ian Armstrong, was as Chairman of the Bells Line Expressway Action Group. As Mr. Armstrong said in 2010 - "the road was built for a previous age".

With the support of the CEF Gwydir Learning Region, Louisa has recently made the big move to Sydney to study her dream course, a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Media and Communications at Macquarie University.

Despite years of warnings, public protests, approaches to Ministers and Members of Parliament, and, in particular, the vocal opposition of the very active Community Action for Windsor Bridge (CAWB) group, Roads & Maritime Services in NSW insisted on building the new Windsor Bridge across the Hawkesbury River in exactly the wrong location.

The NSW Government has provided another $50 million in relief to the State’s farmers who are still feeling the effects of drought by waiving Local Land Services (LLS) rates for the third year, Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall announced today.

After hosting their largest exhibition on record, the 2020 Archibald Prize Regional Tour, the team at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre is jumping straight into the next big exhibition, Sidney Nolan's iconic Ned Kelly series.

Join us for this one-off event weekend where some of the Port Macquarie-Hastings region’s most talented creatives are opening their studios and workshops to the public, many for the very first time. Meet the artists and gain unique insight into their creative process. View first-hand the techniques and processes of a diverse range of artistic pursuits from painting, drawing, sculpture, glass, pottery, ceramics, jewellery, metalwork, textiles and more. Some works will be available for purchase direct from the artist.

From headland to hinterland, the Central Coast boasts a vibrant community of makers and creators. A selection of works from outstanding local ‘Makers and Creators’ will be featured across April as part of the inaugural creative activation Blank Canvas Central Coast.

In his studio at Eden Creek, Brett Hamlyn turns “chords into a fully mastered product”. The producer spent 15 years touring with bands and now at Deva Studios, he helps musicians develop their songs. “He’s the best,” singer songwriter Wendy Ford said. “He has a great sense of melody.”

Last week Kyogle mayor Danielle Mulholland said she couldn’t hold onto the news any longer or she would burst when the announcement was made that Kyogle Council would receive $40.3 million in state funding to replace 84 bridges.

Kirstin Nicholson. Organisers of Sunday’s AWMA Water Control Solutions 28th Cohuna Bridge to Bridge are thrilled with the day. Cooler weather presented ideal conditions for entrants who competed in seven running and cycling events from as early as 8am ... Entrants travelled from across Victoria and New South Wales to participate, with many staying overnight and injecting cash into local businesses. With events catering for all ages and abilities, participants ranged from serious runners and cyclists to those out for a leisurely Sunday walk, with many ex-locals returning for the event.

The Wakool Show was back with a fantastic flurry of fun, food, music and entertainment. This year’s show was rolled into one action packed evening and the community support was fantastic with families coming from Wakool, Moulamein, Koondrook-Barham and Deniliquin.

Nicholas Rupolo. Narrandera-born GWS Giant Matt Flynn is set for an AFL debut this week after recovering from a devastating ACL injury last year. The Giants host St Kilda on Sunday with Flynn to take to the paddock in what is a dream come true after 12 years in the making.

Narrandera’s century old police station has been branded as outdated and the community’s plea for a new station will be on the NSW Police Minister’s desk this week. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has heeded the call from Narrandera Shire Council and is due to speak with Minster for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott.

Geoff Helisma. Yamba Surf Life Saving Club member Kalani Ives says her “main goal is to paddle across the Molokai Channel and win that” ... Kalani has already racked up a numerous outstanding results competing in the Nippers – and at the 2021 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, held at Swansea on March 6 and 7, she won the U17 Iron Woman, came third in the U17 Female Board Race and fourth in the U17 Female Single Ski.

Geoff Helisma. “It is my intention to provide RDA Northern Rivers with a copy of the Clarence Valley Regional Economic Development Strategy [2018 – 2022],” Clarence Valley mayor, Jim Simmons: wrote in his minute, “which identifies [CVC’s] ‘Engines of Growth’ as being tourism, agriculture (beef cattle, blueberries, macadamias and sugar cane), aquaculture, forestry, logging, sawmilling, marine manufacturing and logistics. I see our focus being on growing these ‘Engines of Growth’, along with improving our digital connectivity within the area, to capitalise on the state government’s recent decision to decentralise the public sector workforce to regional areas"

Emma Pritchard. There is a lot of admiration for the unique piece of equipment Grafton Fire and Rescue 306 Station Captain Garry Reardon holds proudly. The impressive state-of-the-art remote piloted aircraft system (RPAS), more commonly referred to as a drone, is the latest addition to Grafton Fire Station and will assist in the protection of the Clarence Valley community and help keep the dedicated team members who make that possible, safe as well.

Rod Fuller. Following a deluge of rain over the past few days and the promise of further heavy downpours on race day, Racing NSW Stewards had little alternative but to cancel the race meeting scheduled for Port Macquarie on Friday where the Lisa Sheppard trained Racketeering had been scheduled to run.