Regional coverage
Top Dog Awards
WHEN it comes to stopping biosecurity threats at the border, some of Australia’s most effective frontline defenders walk on four legs. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has named detector dog Ghost as its Top Dog for 2025, recognising an exceptional year of service protecting Australia from exotic pests and diseases. The Top Dog [...]
Regional News
ARMIDALE Regional Council has started public consultation as part of the preliminary works being undertaken on the New England Rail Trail Framework following the project’s endorsement at the October 2025 council meeting. The New England Rail Trail proposal aims to revitalise the disused Great Northern Rail corridor between Armidale and Glen Innes, transforming it into [...]
Regional News
MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan welcomed further funding to extend the operation of BackTrack’s successful Night Crew program in Armidale. The Night Crew program sees youth workers active on Armidale streets between 8pm and 7am three nights per week to engage young people at risk. It was initially trialled in early 2025 after BackTrack [...]
Regional News
THE new Namoi Gwydir Fire Control Centre in Narrabri is nearing completion, marking a major step forward in strengthening emergency response capability in the state’s north-west. The $13.1 million facility will provide the Rural Fire Service with a modern, purpose-built base to support operations into the future. The project delivers on recommendations from the 2019-2020 [...]
World’s Greatest Shave
SPENDING Easter at hometown Mungindi with family and friends was a little bit different this year for Tayla Frahm – she turned up at the bordertown with flowing locks, but went home to Queensland with a new, quite shiny look. Tayla now lives at the Gold Coast with partner Paris and returned to Mungindi earlier [...]
Rodeo Action
EMERGING bull-riding stars, 13-year-old Kassedy Carlon from Bundarra, 10-year-old Chase Berry from Gunnedah and 16-year-old Liam Birks from Tamworth have been selected to represent New South Wales for the 2026 Professional Bull Riders Australia Monster Energy Origin Series’ junior teams. Junior riders will compete at all three Origin events in Newcastle, Brisbane and Sydney, with [...]
Local Government
LOCAL Government NSW warns the Fair Work Commission’s Road Transport Contractual Chain Order will impose significant new costs on councils, with flow-on impacts for communities across New South Wales. LGNSW vice-president Khal Asfour said the order would add further strain to councils already under intense financial pressure. “Councils are working hard to protect essential services [...]
Our Community
MOREE Lions Club last week launched an important program in Moree, with students at Moree Public School and Moree Christian School undergoing free eye and vision tests as part of the Lions Australia Eye Health Program. The comprehensive vision screening program for children aged three years and older was developed in the United States 26 [...]
Be The Hope
THE Salvation Army in the New England north-west is calling on locals to dig deep and get involved in the Red Shield Appeal this year, raising vital funds to support those in the region who are doing it tough. Salvation Army external communications manager for NSW, Major Bruce Harmer, said Australia’s largest and longest-running door-knock [...]
Bush Banking
AN alliance of regional banks, small businesses and community supporters are calling for an urgent fix to the ongoing desertion of essential bank branch services across regional Australia – a situation that has blown a $1 billion-a-year hole in regional investment, and cost nearly 4000 local jobs in just nine years. Current band-aid measures like [...]
