Hospitals throughout the Riverina and South West Slopes will get an injection of new blood this year as 85 nursing graduates prepare to join the staff ranks. One registered midwife and 52 registered nurses are set to start in the regional and rural hospitals this month, while a further 33 registered nurses will start in August 2020. In making the...

The NSW Government committed one billion dollars in early January for bushfire relief efforts, while the Australian Red Cross reports $127 million has been donated to aid recovery. But accessing funds for individuals who have lost a house to fire or suffered property damage is not always easy or immediate. I learned this first hand this week as I tried to help...

A group of ACT businesses is calling on other local business owners to join them in supporting the recovery of the South Coast economy by giving staff a day off to head to the coast. Devastated by the recent bushfires, coastal towns are enduring the after effects of a disastrous tourism season, with many business owners struggling to make ends...

After heavy rains earlier this week, there appears to be an abundance of water. But the combined effects of drought, fire and rain in the Bega Valley mean water quality in some areas is so poor, council is taking drastic steps to rectify it. "Extreme circumstances require extreme solutions and that is certainly the case with the work currently being done...

Dust off those boots, chuck on a 10-gallon hat, the flanny, a bit of bling and scoot over to Tumbarumba for one heck of a bronc 'n bull riding time at the Blaze of Glory Rodeo on February 21. It’s a case of be there or be square because this one-of-a-kind event has been organised in conjunction with Tumbafest to...

As teams took to the field on Saturday morning, the heavens had already opened up. The irony wasn’t lost on the Braidwood community impacted by the bushfires, nor those who had travelled from areas as far afield as Sydney’s northern beaches to take part in the day. The Braidwood Bushfire 7s, with over 40 teams competing, filled the void created...

Bewildered cows were bellowing into the eerie grey silence after losing all of the grass to eat beneath their feet. Around them, dead bloated black sheep and cattle littered the burned paddocks. Scattered around the small towns of Tumbarumba, Batlow and Adelong, farmhouse remnants settled beneath powder-soft ash. After five days without feed, the cows had grown so desperate they...

Today is the first birthday celebration of Tathra's much loved southern cassowaries Gorge and Adelaide at On The Perch Bird Park. But the celebration was tinged with sadness, as owner Steve Sass also announced the name of the animal park these two dinosaur birds will be moving to when the park closes its doors this Friday. Kyabram Fauna Park has been chosen...

Erica Dibden and her husband Nic run Tilba Real Dairy, deep in the green-hearted hills of Tilba, NSW. Erica, with her passion for nutrition and food provenance, has developed an intensive cheese-making workshop, which she runs in the kitchen of her farm's homestead, precisely where she taught herself these skills many years ago. As a wife and mother, Erica has...

"There's no colour," has been a common comment from residents after seeing their burnt properties. This week's rain should help introduce a bit of green back into the landscape but until then, Figtree Food Company at Mystery Bay is organising cuttings for fire-affected gardeners to replenish gardens on the South Coast.  "We are taking cuttings to restart gardens and give kids...

After a difficult and smoke-filled summer, Batemans Bay businesses opened their arms to visitors from the cruise ship Seabourn Encore which spent the day anchored off Batemans Bay on Tuesday. More than 500 passengers and crew started arriving on shore at the town jetty aboard four tenders from 8:30 am and had until 4:30 pm to explore the town and...

Dismayed by the cancellation of the February's annual Braidwood Race Day, some rugby enthusiasts from the Braidwood Redbacks decided to organise a fundraising weekend of Rugby 7s to buoy the town's spirits and boost the local economy. To say the idea took off is an understatement. This Saturday 44 teams will descend on Braidwood for the Bushfire 7s. Over 600...

Communities across Australia's fire zones have felt comfort from the presence of ADF personnel this summer. Their skills and sheer 'manpower' have been welcomed by many towns reeling from the impact of bushfires. On Tuesday, Australian Defence Force personnel packed up the distribution point at Mackay Park in Batemans Bay and came to Eurobodalla Shire Council with a presentation. "All Australian...