Steve Parkin with his Alice in Wonderland-themed falcon for the Mystery Box Rally
GLOUCESTER’S Steve Parkin is on a mission to raise over $20,000 with his Alice in Wonderland-themed Ford Falcon in this year’s Mystery Box Rally. The event, a five-day return trip from Broken Hill on a mystery route, combines adventure and fun with raising critical funds for the Cancer Council. Over 300 people are expected to […]
The damaged softfall will be replaced at Billabong Park.
THE Gloucester community will soon see the restoration of the Billabong Park playground, with work beginning on 24 March to replace the damaged softfall, a key feature of the playground, which was affected by the 2021 floods. The replacement of the softfall is funded under the Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Package (CLIRP), as part of […]
Gloucester School of Arts.
WHEN driving through country towns across Australia, you often encounter buildings with “School of Arts” inscribed on their façades. Historian Joan Beddoe notes that the first Australian School of Arts was established in Sydney in 1833. It provided library facilities and hosted activities such as lectures, debates, and essay writing, as long as the topics […]
MURDERS have spiked in Australia’s most populous state, driven by multiple-victim homicides including a shopping centre massacre in which six people were killed. A total of 85 people were murdered in NSW in 2024, up from 56 in the previous year and the highest toll since 2014, the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reports. […]
The agricultural sector is facing a mental health crisis.
A COALITION of rural organisations has called for immediate action to address the mental health crisis in agriculture. More than 30 rural and healthcare organisations launched a joint statement to address the crisis this week. Ahead of a federal budget and election, the group is calling on the Government to make an immediate investment of […]
A Red imported fire ant raft. Photo: Invasive Species Council.
THE state’s peak farming group has welcomed a fresh crackdown on biosecurity controls in the wake of ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred. On Friday NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty announced measures to keep Red Imported Fire Ants out, with a temporary ban on soil and hay coming into the state from infested areas in southeast Queensland. “We’ve […]
The late Joe and Nancy Smith. Photo: supplied.
GLOUCESTER born and bred Allan “Joe” Smith was a talented second rower with the Gloucester Rugby League team that won the premiership in 1958. Even after he had hung up his boots, Joe attended most matches as a trained first aider and founded the local mixed touch football competition. Rugby league was not Joe’s only […]
An artist’s impression of the XPT replacement. Photo: TfNSW.
XPT TRAIN services to and from Gloucester are to be significantly disrupted for at least 12 months from mid-March. Presently, Gloucester has three services each way, but the NSW Government has announced that one of these is to be by coach. For some time, the NSW Government has been promising that the aged XPT trains […]
Young Gloucester Pony Club members.
THE Gloucester Pony Club has a rich history within the local community, spanning over 50 years developing horsemanship skills in young riders. “Pony Club members learn basic riding skills, safety around horses, and the importance of caring for their horses,” said Sally Maslen, the Pony Club Secretary. Sally’s involvement with the Gloucester Pony Club began […]
Gloucester Olympic Pool. Photo: MidCoast Council.
FOUR days each week, Susan Moore joins about 20 to 25 other women, some aged over 80, for a free aerobics class in the Gloucester Olympic Swimming Pool. Swimming is known to be an excellent way to keep fit, particularly as people age. However, the pool is scheduled to close for the season on 6 […]
