News

About Regional is taking a step forward, much sooner than I had anticipated. I’ve got that funny sick/excited feeling, but am pushing through it. I am very proud to announce a partnership with 'Raisin – Regional Science and Innovation.' Raisin is the baby of Candelo’s Kate Burke, yes singer and instrumentalist Kate Burke. Who knew a heart for science was keeping...

Flicking off the lights at work on a Friday afternoon is one of life's simple pleasures. Perhaps only rivaled by turning off the lawn mower on a warm summer's day, and having the kids in bed asleep - finally! Staff in Peter Hendy's Bega Electorate Office switched off the lights on Friday July 1 after a long grueling Federal Election...

The face of Local Government across regional towns in NSW will be decided this September. Although communities going through a council merger process will have to wait until September 2017. The ballot is a chance to shape your local Council for the next four years, with extra work and support being put in place to encourage a diverse mix of candidates...

The colour and distinctiveness of the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens is matched only by the people who got it going and the people who keep it going today. Those people, the Friends of the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens are celebrating 30 years of service in 2016. In keeping with the bottom up way the Gardens have been developed, any celebration...

A regional voice from New South Wales has stepped forward in the final week of the Federal Election campaign, trying to bring clarity to one of the most toxic policy issues of our time. Kate Burke from the small village of Candelo in the Bega Valley, has form when it comes to Australia's treatment of refugees. In September of 2015,...

I love preferential voting. In a similar way to how I loved John Farnham through those "Whisperering Jack" and "Age of Reason" years. It's true, those pieces of vinyl are collecting dust these days but not my passion for numbering one to nine. As July 2 approaches I skipped with glee as I discovered the "How to Vote" cards of...

Wearing a t-shirt that said "Ask your teacher to take you outside" and accompanied by the sound of frogs enjoying recent rain,  the host of ABC TV's Gardening Australia has given some radical advice to the voters of Eden-Monaro. Costa Georgiadis didn't come to Bermagui with the intent of influencing voters in the July 2 Federal Election, but at his...

The sea-foam that has enveloped the New South Wales coastline these past few days can seem irresistible. Running through it you wish for some sort of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" moment, hoping to discover that the ocean has churned itself into marshmallow. Laughing and carrying on with the kids and dog, you soon find yourself in the middle of...

I love that regional New South Wales is said to be the setting of Bill Shorten's epiphany and has perhaps helped turn the 2016 Federal Election into a contest. In Michael Gordon's article in Saturday's (May 28 2016) Sydney Morning Herald, "Faction man becomes the running man" the author and his subject - Bill Shorten, detail "a moment of clarity" on...

Many will find it hard to imagine Bega's Fletchers Fotographics without Robert Hayson and Christine Murphy inside. With the business now in new hands it is only a matter of days before that becomes a reality. The sale opens new opportunities for the pair, some of which may or may not surprise and also offers a chance to reflect on...

After championing the importance of innovation in the future of regional communities on the ABC’s Q&A program last month, Ed Husic is coming to the Bega Valley today (April 29) to add his weight to Regional Innovation Week. As the Federal Opposition’s spokesperson on Start-up’s and innovation, Mr Husic has made it clear that regional areas offer great potential. “I...

The challenges around the flying-fox camp at Batemans Bay continue to deepen with Eurobodalla Shire Council accepting the problem has grown too big and residents increasingly distressed. Calls for a dispersal program to break up the camp and move the protected species on have reached State and Federal Parliament with the Environment Minister at both levels consulted. The scientist and...

A great opportunity in mid-May with the Austswim teacher program coming to Pambula. Instead of having to travel to Sydney or Melbourne which is normally the case, locals will be able to complete the two day course at the Sapphire Aquatic Centre and become a qualified swim teacher. Leanne Webb, Aquatic Facilities Coordinator with Bega Valley Shire Council says "This...

Australia’s first Regional Innovation Week is grabbing hold of the future - seeding jobs, businesses and lives for the years to come. A number of key events between April 27 and May 3 will build a case and highlight what’s possible from a community of motivated professionals supporting each other to build this region’s capacity and infrastructure. From a base of innovation...

Fresh from their time in the spotlight in episode one of season four of River Cottage Australia this week, a one of a kind Bega Valley winery is preparing to step into a future that is rich in the values of its past. Rescue helicopter pilot Euan McKenzie and retired soldier Carlin Stanford put their first vines in the ground...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0mGMvaJ4YA Daniel Champagne is on the road right now, perhaps back stage mustering the energy for another explosive performance with his constant traveling companion - the guitar. Playing 110 gigs across Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, USA and Canada, his roots in regional New South Wales are a long way-a-way, but only on a map never in Daniel's...