The newest stories across general, sport, community, and business coverage.
Picnic Racing
JOURNEYMAN jockey Paul Zerafa is on the road again, and heads to Wean picnic races today with five strong rides. The 1200km round-trip from his base at Kembla Grange to Wean racecourse, nestled on the Manilla Road about 30km east of Boggabri, is one of Zerafa’s shorter drives. In recent weeks, he’s travelled more than [...]
Rising Sun 2025
THE life of Maria Anna Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang and a musical prodigy in her own right, is a musical-true-crime story exploring the lost talent of Mozart’s sister who disappeared from the history books. Mozart’s Sister, from director-producer Madeleine Hetherton-Miau in collaboration with producer Rebecca Barry, delves into how Maria Anna Mozart was [...]
Northern Tablelands
Bingara’s annual orange-picking ceremony and Orange Festival was a huge success with thousands of people visiting the town for the events. The orange trees were planted along Finch Street in memory of the town’s fallen soldiers and each tree is a unique living war memorial. The orange-picking ceremony began in 1960 while the festival came [...]
Rural Health
AN Independent Review into Wee Waa health services instigated by Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, has uncovered previous leadership and operational failings within Hunter New England Health, while also making recommendations to return the Health Service to 24-hour operations. On May 8, 2023, staff shortages led to Wee Waa Health Service’s emergency department operating hours [...]
Police News
A brother and sister, aged 13 and 12, will face court after allegedly stealing a vehicle in Inverell on Thursday. Just after midday yesterday, police were told a vehicle had allegedly been stolen from an automotive business in Vivian Street, Inverell. Officers attached to New England Police District attended and sighted the vehicle a short [...]
Agriculture
AUSTRALIA’s red meat industry exported record volumes of beef and mutton in the 2024-2025 financial year. According to Meat & Livestock Australia, total beef and veal exports for the financial year reached 1.4 million tonnes, the highest annual volume ever. Mutton exports also hit a new record at 256,104 tonnes. Lamb exports totalled 363,109 tonnes, [...]
Regional Employment
TAMWORTH Regional Council has opened its annual apprenticeship and traineeship intake for 2025. The program provides a unique way for people to gain qualifications while earning a wage and receiving on-the-job training across a broad range of council services and facilities. People and Culture operations manager, Natasha Beer said the program reflects Council’s focus on [...]
Regional News
THE new Tamworth Mental Health Unit will have a distinctive local identity, featuring artworks by nine artists who have strong connections to the north-west and New England regions, including three from Armidale and one from Inverell. Artists were chosen from 30 high-quality entries in response to a public expression of interest, showcasing the creative talent [...]
Moree Plains
MOREE Plains Shire Council has announced three local events will receive funding boosts from the Event Partnership Fund for the 2024-25 financial year. The events will share $20,000 to help bring some amazing experiences to the Moree Plains. Moree Plains Shire mayor Susannah Pearse said the Event Partnership Fund supports new and growing events that [...]
Parkes Electorate
MEMBER for Parkes Jamie Chaffey this week met in Dubbo with concerned NDIS providers to discuss changes to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26. The roundtable discussion was hosted by Marathon Health and included providers and occupational therapists who had contacted Mr Chaffey directly with their concerns with NDIS changes brought in by [...]
