Community

A story of intrigue, creativity and adventure is emerging out of the Hilltops Region, and its managing to capture the imaginations of children of all ages. As hard as it is to believe that something as simple as a rock could inspire innovation, indeed smooth, rounded palm-sized pebbles have become the currency of choice for kids in the region and...

Clean Up Australia Day is this Sunday (7 March) where the focus in Canberra and the region will be on removing the increased plastic waste created as a direct outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. Clean Up Australia Day's annual rubbish report found plastic waste increased compared to last year while further research indicated a plethora of plastic in 2021. The findings...

The Live Life Get Active program will be offered across the Eurobodalla Shire, with cross-training, boxing and yoga classes to be held in parks at Batehaven and Narooma on the NSW South Coast. The program is the brainchild of Amanda King, who, seven years ago, invited former Olympian Jane Flemming to help launch and grow entry-level classes for people looking to...

The letters of a solider who served on World War II's Western Front and Eastern Front, that were written to his family back home, demonstrated such love he had for his wife and daughters that a Bega Valley author was inspired to publish them in a book. Greg Bartlett, from Tura Beach on the NSW South Coast, has released his...

At the end of a maddening week, as husband and wife, Richard Glover and Debra Oswald, shake off the three-hour drive from Sydney, they pause for a moment and marvel at the fact their Wombeyan Caves weekender is still standing. The slightly sloping, very rocky bush block was purchased by the well-known ABC Radio presenter, the creator of the television...

Snowy Monaro Regional Council Mayor Peter Beer said digital technology has changed lives for the better, referring to the Snap Send Solve app that was first introduced in Australia in 2010. Local residents in the region reported more than 150 incidents in 2020 using the app, flagging everything from potholes to illegal dumping directly to council. “Since promoting the app...

Not long after Cobargo's May Blacka was awarded an OAM, she raised $1655 through the sale of cakes and flowers to present to BlazeAid for the work they have done for her region. Earlier this year, Ms Blacka was recognised for her service to Cobargo with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), presented in the 2021 Australia Day...

In a shocking incident in September 2020, a 16-year-old boy was charged with murder after an 18-year-old man was stabbed at a skatepark in Weston in Canberra. Police allege the incident happened after several young people made threats to each other online earlier that evening, which escalated to a point that they agreed to meet to fight. Officers were called to a...

A youth hub in Yass that provides young people with a safe space to hang out with qualified youth workers, counsellors and friends for a couple of hours is "a step in the right direction", according to a local councillor and mum. The Hangout will be open to 12-to-17-year-olds and operate at Zac's Place, a community building on the town's...

Bega Valley's Christine Welsh has been recognised at a state level for her work supporting the community, however she wants to share the accolades around. Christine, who is the co-founder of Sapphire Community Projects (SCP), along with her husband, Peter Buggy, has been named as a finalist in the 2021 NSW Regional Woman of the Year Awards, which shine a light...

Narooma School of Arts has applied for a $7.28 million grant from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund to build the Narooma Arts and Community Centre (NACC). School of Arts vice-president Jenny Hain said the grant would cover design, site works, construction and fit-out, and contingencies. “The NACC’s design and amenity has been extensively thought through during the past 10...

Yass Valley Council’s new director of infrastructure and assets, James Dugdell, has vowed to roll up his sleeves on the dirty, smelly problem plaguing the region's town centre. Residents of Yass have poured brown drinking water, which often smells like chlorine, from their taps for the past 17 years and their patience is wearing thin. Yet it seems if anyone...

If the past 12 months have taught bushfire-impacted communities one thing, it's that the capacity for rebirth in nature is immense. So there is much celebration in the western foothills of the Snowy Mountains as news comes of the successful propagation of young seedlings from Bago State Forest's popular Sugar Pine Walk plantation, which was destroyed during the Dunns Road...