NSW

Anne Longworth bowed out as the final president of Bishop’s Lodge Management Committee last Wednesday when the final meeting took place after the last of Hay Shire Council’s Section 355 museum committees was dissolved. This reluctant step was taken at the request of the committee due to the chronic volunteer fatigue experienced in Hay over the last few years.

The largest enrolment of wool classing professionals in the state sat its final exam last week at Hay’s TAFE campus. Taught by one of Australia’s leading classers, Hay’s Kayla Garner, 14 students from Hay, Ivanhoe, Booroorban, Broken Hill, Adelong and Trangie were vigorously assessed.

Making every step count, close to 100 Clarence Valley residents joined members of the Iluka-Woombah Rotary Club on November 29 for a twilight walk to raise awareness of domestic and family violence and the devastating impact it has on communities around Australia. Organised as part of the global campaign 16 Days of Activism, an annual event aimed at eliminating violence against women and young girls while promoting respectful relationships, the initiative received an outpouring of support throughout the coastal village.

Volunteers of the Pelican Playhouse Committee are calling on the Clarence Valley community to assist them as they actively seek grant funding opportunities to restore and rebuild the iconic property in South Grafton. Following the devastating bushfires during 2019 and 2020, which impacted a number of theatre members, and the Covid-19 pandemic which forced the cancellation of several auditions and rehearsals, the Pelican Playhouse sustained significant structural damage during 2022 when devastating flooding occurred throughout Northern NSW.

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Love Lord Howe. Recently won Gold at the NSW Tourism Awards. Benny’s Fish Truck. Recently awarded second-best fish and chips on offer nation wide. Thornleigh Farm Marmalade. Recently won Gold at the Australian Marmalade Awards.

Vic Jurskis. No matter what the cost of the Great Koala National Park it’s a scam and NSW’s Environment Minister has real numbers which prove it. Unfortunately, the numbers will no longer be politically dangerous once the Park has been legislated and the renewable timber industry has been destroyed to appease the Greens.

Visiting photographers Brett Newmarch and Claire Greenwell, recently came across an unusual fish in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP) ... "After about 30 minutes, Brett came across an unusual looking fish hanging vertically in the water column. It was characterised by a silver body, approximately 6 cm in length, with spotted markings and appendages up to 40 cm long."

Greenpeace Australia Pacific recently visited Lord Howe Island as part of its work to protect the global ocean, where the organisation aims to protect 30 per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030. Greenpeace is seeking to do this by encouraging governments around the world to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty, to which Australia is a signatory.

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The NSW Fire Ant Program is launching Operation Five Valleys in the Kyogle region in an effort to prevent the spread of fire ants. The fire ant team will use specially trained detection dogs and human surveillance teams to monitor identified high-risk sites.

The Rural Applied Drug and Alcohol Research group (RADAR) will tackle the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse in Western NSW, which is higher than most other parts of NSW ... Core priorities of RADAR include addressing the specific, geographical issues those afflicted by substance misuse in western NSW often experience.

Australia  Post has lodged a draft notification with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), proposing an increase to the Basic Postage Rate (BPR) of $0.20 for small letters, from $1.50 to $1.70, and to the prices for ordinary large letters, delivered at the regular timetable – to take effect from July  2025.

The butchers at Metcalf Quality Meats in Evans Head, Tom Karry, Jacob Lane, Mark Simeoni, Riley Stothard, Nathan Scully and Wade Goldthorpe, grew moustaches to raise money for men’s mental health. Wade said the young fellas didn’t stand a chance in the moustache-growing race.

STUDIOCANAL has unveiled the first trailer for Kangaroo, a heartwarming family comedy filmed in the breathtaking Red Centre earlier this year ... The Northern Territory Government contributed $900,000 to the production through Screen Territory’s Production Attraction Incentive Program (PAIP), creating significant opportunities for the local community.

Emeritus Professor of Oncology at St Georges, University of London and Principal of The Institute for Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy (ICVI) Professor Angus Dalgleish didn’t mince his words this week in response to Australia’s response to Covid. “Why on earth did they do this?” said Professor Dalgleish in an interview on Sky this week.

Narrandera Shire Council has received the results from recent PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) testing in the local drinking water supply, offering assurances to residents that there is no cause for concern. The assurances follow recent complaints from residents about the colour of Narrandera water which is not a new occurrence in the town.

Narrandera High School student Tahlia Gilbert has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to Aboriginal education in NSW public schools at the 19th annual Nanga Mai Awards. Tahlia’s award was the outstanding all-rounder student of the year in NSW’s secondary education.

Griffith's stunning new mural on the nine-megalitre drinking water tank on Scenic Hill was officially launched recently. A small crowd of Griffith City Councillors and staff gathered to hear artist Heesco reveal the inspiration behind his stunning artwork, which skilfully weaves together the themes of water, multiculturalism, agriculture and manufacturing and Indigenous heritage.