About Albert McKnight

The sight of gang gang cockatoos is a joy for wildlife lovers and bushwalkers - hearing their creaking call overhead makes you look upwards to try and snag a glimpse of the flame-red feathers of the male birds. But sadly, sights like this are becoming much less common. It's estimated that in the last 21 years, the population of gang...

Three people have been arrested in Canberra over a hit and run at Nimmitabel that left a police officer so badly injured he may never walk again. NSW Police had been pursuing a stolen car on the Monaro Highway on 30 August 2021 before its driver got out and entered an Audi sedan, which then hit the policeman. ACT Policing arrested...

Did you know Bega used to have nine pubs? For residents and visitors to the NSW South Coast town, this little-known gem of the past is one of many facts and stories they can learn with the launch of guided walking tours along its main street. A walking tour of Carp Street in Bega that focuses on local history has...

The efforts of Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC) to work with its community as it moved through the long journey of bushfire recovery has achieved national recognition. The 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires decimated the region. There are still 143 clients of council's recovery support service living in temporary accommodation on their fire-impacted properties. But council's efforts to help residents has...

Several goats had to be put down after they were allegedly illegally shot and injured at a rural property on the Monaro. NSW Police allege a 67-year-old man from Sydney used a rifle to shoot at a herd of domestic goats at the Colinton property, near Bredbo, and injured several of the animals on 28 September. Six goats had to be...

Rugby league star David Boyle has gone full circle, reopening the same small town butchery where he started his apprenticeship after the store had been damaged by bushfires. He is serving customers again at Bennys Butchery in Cobargo, about 18 months after the 2019-2020 bushfires destroyed parts of the town and region. While the flames devastated the town's main street...

The move towards a greener, healthier planet continues with Eurobodalla Shire Council offering discounted sustainable takeaway food packaging for businesses. According to the federal government, 3.5 million tonnes of plastics were used in Australia in the 2018-19 financial year and only 11.5 per cent of these were recycled or recovered. While the amount of plastic being recovered has steadily been increasing...

A Queanbeyan woman who breached COVID-19 laws has been fined $5000 for leaving her home after being ordered to self-isolate. NSW Police stopped a Mazda CX-5 as it travelled east on Uriarra Road, in Queanbeyan, at about 1:00 pm on Sunday, 3 October, 2021. Officers spoke with the 27-year-old driver and learned she had been directed to self-isolate and was...

An ongoing campaign to clean up Bega Valley's streets has been launched, with local identity and 'superhuman' Dane Waites at the forefront. Bega Valley Shire Council Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick said the 'Give Dane a Clean Run' campaign was devised by Bournda Environmental Education Centre and Bega Tathra Safe Ride, and is fronted by an inspiring local member of the community....

While some species of prickly pear may seem like they would make an attractive pot plant, once in the natural environment the cactus can create impenetrable spikey walls and cost millions to control. A statewide campaign is urging people to be on the lookout for the sale or trade of the prohibited plant, which has bristles and spines that can cause...

A project to make an ocean pool inclusive for people of all abilities has finished and the water can now be accessed by those with mobility impairments - just in time for summer. Construction of the accessibility ramp into Bruce Steer Pool in Bermagui was recently completed, the final part of a project at the pool that included new public...

When the bushfires struck, award-winning Merimbula pharmacist Linda Badewitz-Dodd provided emergency support to the town while her own home was under threat. She and Canberra intern pharmacist Erin Cooper have been announced as winners in the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) Viatris Excellence Awards 2021. Ms Badewitz-Dodd took out the prestigious Pharmacist of the Year Award while Ms Cooper won the Intern Pharmacist of...

A documentary shines a light on the impact Captain James Cook's arrival in Australia had and continues to have on First Nations people on the NSW South Coast, 250 years after he sailed past the shores. "Yuin people were the first to see the ship sailing up the coast, so we had a lot of different stories about the Endeavour,"...

A new Timber Optimisation Hub has been approved to be built near Eden and while it has been hailed as an "exciting" development for the region, its critics believe it contrasts with efforts to combat climate change The development application was approved by Bega Valley Shire Council on Tuesday (14 September) with only three councillors voting against the proposal. Councillor...

NSW Police have recovered seven more heavy vehicle trailers and a prime mover as part of an investigation that was sparked when livestock trailers were stolen from Cooma earlier in 2021. The two trailers disappeared from a property on Saleyards Road in Cooma in July and 29-year-old Canberra man Glen John Smith was arrested when they were found on the...

A popular Far South Coast fitness and wellbeing event will not go ahead in October, but don't despair as it has not been cancelled - merely rescheduled to later in the year. ReBoot in Bermagui will be held on 4 and 5 December 2021 so participants can hopefully launch themselves out of COVID-19 lockdown blues and into summer. Committee spokesperson...