Qld

As the granddaughter of Australia’s first Aboriginal bishop and the niece of an award-winning fashion designer, Sara Fagan set her bar high from an early age. “I’ve always wanted to be a surgeon,” says the  Medical Program  student. “I've also got an unfinished paramedicine degree that I want to complete, but that's a future problem!”

A trial will soon begin to see if a technique never before seen on the Sunshine Coast could be used to help replenish Maroochydore Beach ... It involves importing sand from Moreton Bay and placing it in the water, about 300m off the beach. Waves, currents and tides will then deposit the sand onto our beaches providing an additional buffer against future storms and coastal erosion.

As Queensland celebrates World Teacher’s Day ... the University of Southern Queensland is demonstrating its commitment to shaping the next generation of leaders in rural and remote classrooms. In 2021 92 per cent of USQ graduates in the School of Education Alternative Context Project chose to start their career in classrooms outside of metropolitan areas ... Taylah Hoffman travelled to Quilpie for one of several placements ...

Cambooya para athletes Kyrna and Tomas Crump have come home from the Queensland school athletics championships in Brisbane with bags full of medals ... Without putting too much pressure on the pair, the next Paralympics, in Paris, are less than two years away.

Farmers in the Darling Downs have had to contend with four floods in six months from November 2021 to May 2022 while elsewhere in Queensland and northern New South Wales the damage has been widespread and devastating. Following flooding down south in recent weeks, Rural Aid’s team of counsellors are conducting welfare checks on Rural Aid’s registered farmers.

Out now!

Previously it’s been hit by Covid and heavy rain but the popular Weekend still survives. Already plans are underway for the 2023 Allora Heritage Weekend to be held on 28th and 29th January. Visitors come from all over to enjoy a weekend in Allora and spend time browsing around the old machinery, vintage cars, trucks and bikes at the Showgrounds.

These amazing images were taken by Allora’s Photography Group when visiting Girraween National Park. Members of the Group joined other Wildflower Walkers and were led by knowledgeable guides from the Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium.

A local lizard lover has been keeping a watchful eye on a lounge of Cunningham Skinks in Muir Street at Allora. These lizards will remain safe from any harm as they disappear in a flash if danger comes close. So look but don’t try to touch!

Out now!

Sarah Martin. As the dust settles on the inaugural Arthur Beetson Foundation Future Immortals Tour, which saw a cohort of rugby league legends spend a long weekend in Kowanyama, the excited superstars are already asking when they can return to community. Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council chief executive officer Kevin Bell, a passionate rugby league fan, said the positive outcomes from the event were already being felt.

A bare base sitting on the outskirts of Weipa will come to life next year as Australian and American troops descend on the Cape as part of a major training exercise. RAAF Base Scherger will be a central location for Talisman Sabre, a biennial exercise that brings the Australian and United States armed forces together, along with other allied nations.

Samuel Davis. A growing regional centre can double in population, easing Cape York’s housing burden while creating new business opportunities, Cook Shire mayor Peter Scott says ... Among the suggestions raised at the event, Cr Scott proposed changes to zoning laws that would allow for more medium density developments to be built in places like Cooktown.

Out now!

It was a joyful, heartfelt gathering at Woodfordia on Saturday night. Around 300 organisers, producers, staff, committee, volunteers and friends launched our programme for the festival this year. It felt like a new beginning.

Ahead of National Barramundi Day, Queensland fishers, restaurateurs and pro-Aussie politicians are imploring the Palaszczuk Labor Government to lead the way on Country-of-Original-Labelling (CoOL) labelling laws. A bill currently before the Queensland Parliament, known as the Food (Labelling of Seafood) Amendment Bill 2021, will go to a vote next Tuesday 25 October.

The crowds poured into Cambooya State School on Sunday to celebrate the school's 140th birthday. “We couldn’t have asked for a better day,” Claire Fogarty, President of the Cambooya State School P&C Association, said. “The weather was perfect, the numbers exceeded our expectations and the atmosphere was just brilliant."

Out now!

Shadow Minister for Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald has warned the Federal Government to cut the “bull” and not the national cattle herd ahead of signing up to an international methane reduction agreement ... Senator McDonald warned that any move against cattle and sheep herds would be met with fierce resistance, especially from Northern Australia’s $1.35 billion live cattle export sector which supplies much-needed beef to South East Asian countries ... Senator McDonald said attacks on methane emissions ignored the contributions made by herbivorous and ruminant feral animals.

The down-to-earth style of Matthew Denny - indeed the Denny family - was to the fore on Friday night when members of the community gathered to applaud the success of one of Allora’s greatest sporting achievers ... Speaking about his gold medal performance at the Bermingham Commonwealth Games, Denny said he was very relaxed. “I was having fun - I compete at my best when I’m having fun,” he said.

Out now!