NT

Fitness fans are in for a treat when the Redback MTB Stage Race and Run Larapinta Stage Race return to Central Australia this month. The mountain biking and running events will test the fitness and mettle of even the toughest competitors as they race against the stunning backdrop of the MacDonnell Ranges.

Water bombing, which is on stand-by around the clock in the Adelaide Hills during summer, “could have a role” in protecting Alice suburbs. Planned burning should be extended in The Centre’s national parks. And controlling buffel is critical for reducing the risk of fire around Alice Springs. That’s the view of Dr Rohan Fisher, CDU’s Northern Institute fire researcher. Instead what Alice Springs had over the weekend was a planned burn that got out of hand, started possibly at the wrong time, causing an inferno that destroyed 25,000 hectares, in and near the West MacDonnells National Park, and threatening the edge of the town.

NT Minister Chansey Paech has not responded to a question, put to him three times yesterday by the Alice Springs News, whether his government is buying the land of the former St Mary’s Children’s Village just south of The Gap ... This has caused distress to some former residents as well as concern over the future of the chapel on the site.

School of Sport Education NT won an Honourable mention award at the recent 2023 Defence NT/K Employer Support Awards held in Darwin. This is the second year in a row that School of Sport Education NT has been recognised for their support to Barkly Region Sport Education Coordinator Pam Dillon’s army reserve service, winning the public sector award category in 2022.

Pam Dillon. Twenty-one Tennant Creek Girl Guides enjoyed a great day on the waters of Lake Mary Anne last weekend. Girls ranging in ages from 5 to 14 years paddled around the lake and at times found paddling rather difficult with the windy conditions.

Out now!

“SUB blends the body, sound, objects and lighting to imagine a future world where humans have burrowed underground to live. “It is an incredible work for incredible times, speculating on the future of a world transforming before our eyes.”

The dusty outback town of Tennant Creek came alive with vibrant colours, captivating melodies, and infectious energy during the 2023 Desert Harmony Festival - Kunjuku, Anyinginyi Jangarlki Kapi Kaminya Palpuru (Respect, Identity and Healing).

Pet lovers in the Barkly can soon take up the offer to have their dogs or cats desexed for free as part of a blitz to curb roaming animals in the town. Running from 14-18 August, the desexing blitz will be free for residents who are on Centrelink benefits and find it hard to come up with the money for the procedure.

Out now!

Adrian Tomlinson. Fire is one of the terrible consequences of buffel, the invasive grass many call a weed, and which is declared as such in neighbouring South Australia ... Yet the NT Government seems to be responding to this emergency without great strategy, judging by answers given to Araluen’s independent MLA Robyn Lambley, who put questions in Parliament suggested by the Alice Springs News.

Nadia. Last term 17 students and six staff participated in a major excursion to Uluru and the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in the Far North of South Australia ... The group was lucky to experience some rarely seen events; waterfalls on Uluru and it shrouded in cloud and mist.

Haileybury Rendall School (HRS) has announced plans to bring the first private online school to the Northern Territory. The arrival of Haileybury Pangea will make HRS the only school in the Top End to offer day, boarding and online schooling. Haileybury Pangea will welcome its first students from across the Northern Territory to their virtual classrooms in 2024.

Kate Foran. Barkly Vet has been operating here in Tennant Creek for 10 years this year! One of the key goals of the business has always been to assist clients in the best animal welfare for their pets, despite this remote location. We are very proud of the degree to which we have grown the number of Aboriginal clients in the business.

The Tennant Creek Volunteer Bushfire Brigade will be well prepared for a night emergency thanks to the generous donation this week. The Tennant Creek Volunteer Association gifted the unit a generator and specialised emergency lights, valued at around $1500.

Out now!

The Chief Minister is clearly taking no account of the difference between the impact on the society of DV – which is horrendous but usually happens in a private space, and needs targeted measures – and the crime that happens mostly in public locations, much of it committed by children: its reporting in national media – factual and fabricated – has led to a drop in the town’s vital tourism business by about 50 per cent.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade has increased plant surveillance after a confirmed sample of the papaya mealybug was found in the Darwin region. The suspected Paracoccus marginatus was discovered after the Plant Biosecurity team received a call from a concerned resident in Parap last week, who identified a cluster of white coloured insects on their papaya plants.

Amendments proposed to the Police Legislation Further Amendment Bill 2023 will authorise police to use handheld scanners to detect, seize and destroy weapons being carried by individuals. Carrying a controlled weapon without reasonable excuse is an offence which carries a penalty of 12 months imprisonment, this term is double if the offence occurs at night time.

The Territory Labor Government is investing $2.2 million in the 2023/24 budget to establish a dedicated Fisheries Compliance Unit, comprising of one manager and eight officers, within the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade ... the unit’s core duties will include the monitoring of fishing activities in Territory waterways including catches of high-risk fish stock, such as black jew fish.

Government has decided to extend takeaway alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs. Evidence has shown alcohol-related emergency department presentations at Alice Springs Hospital have reduced by a third, and domestic violence has halved since the restrictions were introduced.