Nelligen has been a humble start for self-taught farmer Jess O'Shea whose dream is to replicate Moruya's SAGE Market in Batemans Bay. Jess started growing veggies at her mum’s old farm in Termeil and needed somewhere to sell them, but couldn't make it down to Moruya every week so she decided to start her own market. "SAGE have a really...

The plug has been pulled on the live streaming of public addresses to Eurobodalla Shire Council amid cries of cover-ups, lack of transparency, and a winding back of democracy and free speech. Defending the move, Mayor Liz Innes says she is hoping the change will allow for a deeper more balanced presentation of Council issues and meeting agenda items. "My...

Brimful of ideas, Tony Holland is about to meet 50 architectural students and staff from the University of Canberra visiting Harden. The chief operations manager for Harden Regional Development Corporation, Mr Holland says an architect designing the new Harden Country Club has invited the students to a briefing session. They are working with a local developer on a new residential...

Sian Watson is that rare bird – a young artist who can sell and exhibit as much work as she makes. Since graduating in 2015 Watson has exhibited work in Canberra, Montana, Murrumbateman, New York, Ontario, Queanbeyan, Sydney, Washington and Yass. Her latest show Future Fables is at Tuggeranong Arts Centre until 29 June. She went to school and university in...

The high cold country around Bigga breeds special characteristics into its hardy denizens, among them super soft merino wool and resilient, dedicated wool growers. And, quite a crop of talented Rugby League players too. One of the district's greats, superfine woolgrower Trevor Picker, is being mourned by his neighbours and the wider community after his sudden death in a multi-car...

Tathra's hardest day has been captured by its youngest residents in big, bold words, ideas and colours. Students of Tathra Public School have launched a book that pulls together the day bushfire swept into their community and the days that have followed. "We were looking at ways to have our children reflect on what happened in March without putting them...

The twilight hours of June 11 have been witness to the death of a man following a single vehicle crash in the Bega Valley. Police report that at about 2.40 pm, a Mazda Tribute was travelling north on Bermagui-Tathra Road at Wapengo, when it left the road and collided with trees. The driver and sole occupant, a 76-year-old man, was...

With dry weather persisting in the South East, Forestry Corporation of NSW, National Parks NSW and the Rural Fire Service have been conducting hazard reduction burns across the region as the winter window arrives. Forestry Corporation alone is responsible for preventing and managing fires in two million hectares of state forests across New South Wales. Now a new tool has...

When she was a school girl in the historic city of Bologna in Italy’s north, a lonely patch of grass fired the imagination of Ilaria Catizone. Between her house and the bus stop, the grass seemed a lush oasis wedged among the paving and porticoes. “For some reason, I had this fantasy that it would be great to put a...

Have you ever contemplated the long drive home after a social event and decided it wasn't worth heading out? Two new, local driving services are helping to fill a need for flexible private transport in our region, Sober Bob's in Batemans Bay and Bega Taxi and Booking Service in the Bega Valley are here to get you to those parties...

Despite the region's pitches being frozen, cricket is a talking point again thanks to the One Day World Cup being played in the UK. Clubs and councils are being urged to think about the local seasons ahead and apply for $2 million in grants to help their cricket community. Member for Monaro John Barilaro is encouraging fans to take advantage...

Some women enjoy skinning a dead, four-legged, long-whiskered rat. Natalie Delaney-John has skinned plenty of rats and other dead animals. “Skinning is surprisingly beautiful and relaxing,” she says. The host of sold-out taxidermy workshops in rural NSW, Natalie and fellow creative artists connect women and men to other like-minded people by teaching them unusual skills. Soon they will help people...

Eleven people from the Eurobodalla and Bega Valley "whose actions have set them apart and enriched our community across a broad range of professional, public and community service sectors" have been recognised on the Queen's Birthday Honours List. "In their daily lives, these admirable people demonstrate those values that we as a nation hold dear—compassion, civility, dedication, courage, kindness, tolerance,...

Where would we be without the NSW Rural Fire Service? Ever at the ready for times of crisis, the RFS is a service that enables the continued security of our lives in rural areas. Last week, more than 490 years of volunteer service to the RFS was recognised in the Lake George Zone. NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM joined...

Although platypus, our beloved and elusive monotreme, are listed as near-threatened, Victorian Platypus Conservancy biologist Geoff Williams says that if you've been near a creek or river lately, chances are you've been standing next to a platypus and didn't know it. "There are platypus in all the rivers around you - the Bega river, the Bombala river," Geoff says, "it's...

According to the Red Cross, Australia has one of the lowest rates in the world for first aid training, with less than five per cent of people trained in how to handle a medical emergency. This week there is an opportunity to turn that around for Southern NSW. TAFE NSW is offering an industry-leading short course in first aid on Thursday,...