Police are appealing for public assistance to find a man reported missing from the Griffith area.Israel Metcalfe, aged 22, was last seen travelling on Tabbita Road, Carrathool, Tuesday October 15, during the evening.When Israel could not be contacted or located, he was reported missing to officers attached to Riverina Police District who commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.Police and family have concerns for Israel’s welfare due to him acting out of character.Israel is described as being of African appearance with a medium build, about 178cm tall, with black short hair, unshaven face, and brown eyes.He was last seen wearing an orange high visibility work top, blue pants and work boots.Israel was last seen driving in a white 2006 Toyota Hilux dual cab utility with a steal tray and a black bull bar and the NSW registration FJS15P.Israel is known to frequent the Griffith area.Anyone who may have seen or who have information about Israel’s whereabouts are urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.Pictured is Israel Israel Metcalfe, aged 22, was last seen travelling on Tabbita Road, Carrathool, Tuesday October 15. Image: NSW Police.Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

Chocolate aficionados may need to buckle up, with prices of the silky goodness expected to rise, due to a continuing cocoa catastrophe. The cost of the little magic bean which is a key ingredient in our beloved sweet reached a record peak in April. A report has suggested the climbing prices will hit customers by early next year.Rhiannon Druce, whose family runs an organic chocolate factory in Junee, NSW, said the industry has been bracing for the impacts of the crisis.She said the business had increased its prices a little, and would have to reassess those amounts in the new year."We do want people to be aware of the price rise of the raw ingredients in general, but to not worry too much about it impacting their Christmas," she told ABC News.Experts say the chocolate calamity was triggered by manufacture problems in West Africa, the origin of 70 per cent of the world's cocoa. The big problems are plant disease, farmers leaving the industry and trees aging and therefore producing less product. The price of cocoa has started to decrease, but we aren’t out of the woods yet as consumers.The big guns of the chocolate making world lock in buying prices set as far back as 18 months ago.This means while there is a delay between the big boys paying the higher price and it showing on your shopping docket, but it will get there. Although the Junee Chocolate Factory attains its cocoa from the Dominican Republic and Vanuatu, Ms Druce told ABC News the decreased supply from Africa was having flow-on impacts."We never thought it would touch the organic side as much as it has," she said.Cocoa is not the only component rising in cost, with sugar values also high for well over a year.Ms Druce said every part of creating chocolate is now more costly as a result. "There's a lot of products that are just on the rise in general," she said.

BREAKING: Daryl Jardine from Hillston has been elected Mayor of the Carrathool Shire, at the first meeting of the new council, held October 15.Bev Furner from Ward B, from the Goolgowi area, had been elected Deputy Mayor.

Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville Published by Text Publishing, April 2024.Sarah Catherine of Currabubula, better known as Dolly, did not grow up in a time meant for her.Born in the late 1800’s with a 21st century mind, Dolly was not a woman who endeavoured to be played as a man’s pawn or settle into life as a wed woman with little right of her own to land, money, business or education.Dolly grew up in rural New South Wales in a poor farming family.Little to no money, it was expected that Dolly would marry for stability and learn quickly how to be a good wife, mother and maintain a household.Bert wasn’t her first choice. In fact, he was her parents' choice and not one made out of love. Bert showed strength over a set of shearing shears and had a twinkle in his eye that kept all those in conversation engaged with him, captivated almost. Down the line, Dolly finds out this twinkle is more of a curse than an attraction.One thing Dolly can admire about Bert is that he’s a fellow who isn’t afraid of a woman, or his wife, driving business decisions, financial ventures or risks. This leads Dolly, Bert and their three children to buying, living and managing numerous pubs and boarding houses throughout New South Wales.There are times of gushing financial profit, infidelity, and relationship tension, and there is also the extremely unexpected Great Depression.Kate’s fictional recount of her Grandmother explores and digs deep into the intergenerational distance between the women in her family, and the impact that this had on Kate’s own childhood. This novel and many more are the reason why Kate Grenvillie is one of Australia’s most well-known and cherished authors.Find more book reviews from Mel on www.melreviewsherbooks.com

Parts of Central Darling Shire are suffering a power emergency which could last up to 20 days. Wilcannia, White Cliffs and Menindee are isolated without power and the Telstra mobile coverage is a major incident with limited or non-existent phone coverage. Fuel supplies are affected, particularly with the need to power generators. The local Emergency Management Committee has been meeting since the situation occurred to ensure any issues are quickly identified to protect the wellbeing of residents. Issues identified so far surround access to communications, fuel supplies and food security due to refrigeration systems not working. The Local Emergency Management Committee brings together organisations including Police, RFS, SES, Heath, Education, Transport, Welfare Services, Aboriginal Affairs, NSW Reconstruction Authority, WaterNSW, Essential Water, National Parks and Wildlife and Regional NSW. Organisations are being briefed with the latest information about the situation and sharing ideas and resources to assist where they can. At this stage organisations are working on a number of issues including sourcing additional communications devices to provide service, sourcing additional generators, resolving a fuel issue with service station pumps not working, planning for potential food security problems, monitoring information regarding schools and whether they will stay open, and clarifying the situation with aviation fuel at airports.With communities still without power there are locations available for residents to charge their mobile phones. Residents in Menindee, White Cliffs and Wilcannia can charge their mobile phones at the following locations: Menindee SES from midday, White Cliffs SES, White Cliffs Hotel (also residents can talk to Matt and Sarah about available freezer space), Wilcannia Council Chambers, and Wilcannia Golf Club after 1pm daily. People can talk to the SES about small generators for essential services up to 5KVA ONLY.

TAFE NSW Hay has helped a former florist raised in suburban Bathurst make an unlikely career pivot to wool classing, as the spring shearing season hits full swing.Rebecca Owen, 35, was trained at TAFE NSW as a florist and an aged care assistant-in-nursing in her 20s, before falling in love with the wool industry and moving to Hay.After taking a job as a roustabout in local sheds five years ago, Ms Owen this year turned to TAFE NSW Hay to take her career to the next level, enrolling in a Certificate IV in Wool Classing.It comes as demand surges for wool classers nationally as the shearing and lamb marking season ramps up.Hay is at the centre of what is regarded as one of the best Merino wool-growing regions in Australia, with 26 studs found on the Riverine Plains.“From the moment I stepped inside a wool shed, I’ve loved the idea of a career in wool,” Ms Owen (pictured above) said. “The energy, drive, ambition and physical side of the job is just addictive.”Ms Owen is currently working as wool handler for Willshear in Hay and hopes to use the practical skills and experience learned in her wool classing course to progress her career.“I want to eventually work as a wool classer but the course is giving me better skills and a deeper understanding of my current role as a wool handler,” she said. “My TAFE NSW wool classing teacher Kayla is a wonderful teacher and I truly believe if you learn from the best, you become the best.”Ms Owen is one of a growing number of “townies” – people from a non-rural background – turning to TAFE NSW to help them retrain to a career in ag.NSW Farmers workplace relations chair Chris Stillard said new data showing more students from non-farming backgrounds were studying agriculture at TAFE NSW was a positive for the industry.“TAFE NSW will play an important role in helping the industry have a skilled pipeline of workers into the future,” he said.Certificate IV in Wool Classing graduates can register with the Australian Wool Exchange to receive an Australian classer registration, allowing them to work as registered classes in shearing sheds across Australia.TAFE NSW Hay wool classing teacher Kayla Garner, who was crowned Australian National Wool Handling Champion in 2013 and has nearly 20 years of experience as a wool classer, said TAFE NSW graduates in the industry were in high demand.“The overwhelming majority of our wool graduates walk straight into jobs and the industry offers a great lifestyle and opportunity to earn good money,” Ms Garner said.Ms Garner said graduates typically found work as wool classers or wool brokers, assessing the quality of fleece or estimating its value and on-selling it.

At last week's parliament, Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton paid tribute to Narrabri’s Ian and Wanda Dunnet, who have recently retired after selling their family heirloom, The Narrabri Courier and its associated papers. It is the first time in 104 years that The Courier has had a change in ownership which is an incredible achievement in this day and age."Rural newspapers have been dealt a shocking blow by corporate takeovers, but our locally owned papers are in safe hands. It's people like the Dunnets, Lucie Peart from the Gilgandra Weekly and Lee O'Connor from the Coonamble Times who understand the importance of local journalism and are committed to their communities." says Coulton"I thank the Dunnets for what they've done in 104 years, and I wish the new owners, Mark and Susie Slack-Smith, all the best with their endeavours to keep local journalism alive and thriving."Photo: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton pictured paying tribute to Ian and Wanda Dunnet from Narrabri in Parliament last week.

A Victorian man wanted on sexual assault offences was arrested on a warrant in Hay on Friday and remains in custody.The man is charged with sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10.It is alleged the offence occurred in Victoria.Bail was refused when the accused appeared via audio visual link before Griffith Local Court on Saturday.The matter has been listed for further mention (committal) on December 5 at Griffith.

Reminder that 3G services will be shut down from the 28th October. It is important to check that your devices will not be impacted by this to ensure yours and your families safety.Devices that may be impacted may include: phones, smartwatches, tablets, in-home personal emergency alarms, EFTPOS terminals and fire and security alarms.You can check if your mobile phone will be impacted by texting ‘3’ to the number ‘3498’. For all other devices, contact your service provider. For more information about the 3G closure, visit: https://www.3gclosure.com.auFor additional assistance, contact your service provider.

Head down to the Hay Services Club car park. Foodbank are distributing free fresh fruit, vegetables and free vaccinations for COVID and flu, and offering free health checks until 12.30 p.m.

Community views are being sought for the Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan. Central Darling Shire Council has engaged consultants to undertake the Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan which will focus on the townships of Wilcannia, Menindee, Ivanhoe, Tilpa and Sunset Strip. The Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan aims to build community resilience towards flooding through informing better planning of development, improving emergency management procedures and increasing community awareness of the existing flood risk. The outcomes of the Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan will assist Council in refining strategic plans for mitigating and managing the effects of existing flood risk (associated with existing development on flood prone land), future flood risk (associated with any new development on flood prone land) and continuing flood risk (the risk remaining in both existing and future development areas after floodplain risk management measures are implemented). The Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan will build on the results of the recently completed Darling River Flood Mapping Study, which defined the nature of flooding on the Darling River where it runs through the local government area. Above: The flood study area.The hydraulic model that was developed as part of the Darling River Flood Mapping Study will be updated as part of the present study to include details of the December 2022 flood, after which time it will be used to define the nature of flooding on the Darling River floodplain for a wide range of design flood events. The Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan is being undertaken by Council with funding assistance from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Council has established a Flood Risk Management Committee which is comprised of relevant council members, state government agencies and community representatives. Have Your Say on Flood Risk Management An important step in the preparation of the Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan is the gathering of information on historic flood behaviour and an appraisal of what flood related issues are important to the community. The attached questionnaire has been provided to residents and businesses to assist the Consultant in gathering this important information. All information provided will remain confidential and for use in this study only. Community consultation closes on Friday 29 November 2024. A questionnaire to provide your feedback is available from Council offices or can be downloaded from the Council's website.

The Riverine Grazier has made a decision to not publish images of children under the age of 13 online, in a move aimed to protect local kids.At the invitation of the NSW Government and representing Country Press NSW, Grazier manager Krista Schade attended the Social Media Summit in Sydney last week.The summit was a joint initiative of the NSW and South Australian governments and brought together national and international experts in reducing harms to young people caused by the pressures of social media expectations and cyber bullying. “The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant spoke of the hazards of sharing images of children online, on open pages, which prompted Tertia and I to reconsider how our newspaper handles images of young children,” Ms Schade said.“Going forward we will publish images of kids in print, as always, but will not share them on our social media accounts or in our free-to-read stories online.“It’s a small step, but we think it is an important one,” editor Tertia Butcher said.“There has already been an incident involving a local family and images of their child being used to extort money, and we want to ensure we don’t put anyone in that situation.”The Riverine Grazier also has plans to workshop a concise yet comprehensive photography policy for the company, after seeking input from the team at the Grazier and the eSafety Commissioner.“We will continue to cover all our communities events and capture as many local faces as possible but we will keep photos of children for our print products only,” Ms Schade said.“With the rise of AI and online predators we will change how we manage or website, digital newsletter and social media pages.”

A Private Members Bill put forward by Member for Murray Helen Dalton was passed into law last night (Tuesday).Ms Dalton says the The Water Management Amendment (Water Access License Register Reform) Bill 2024 will stop money-laundering and end the secret buying up of Australian water by overseas buyers.“The water register that this Bill creates will mean that we will now finally know who is buying and selling water in New South Wales,” Helen said“For too long, it’s been too easy for criminals to launder the proceeds of crime by buying and selling water that should be used for farming,” Helen said.“And at the same time, we have had anonymous foreign buyers purchasing NSW water for reason they are not required to explain."Ms Dalton thanked the Water Minister, Rose Jackson, for helping turn this Private Members Bill into law.“I note in her speech Rose called me “tenacious" and “determined. I think that may be a polite way of saying I can be in a pain in the you know what when I’m fighting for things I think are important.”“Rose may have a point. But ultimately, I will always do whatever it takes to get proper water reform for our State.”

BY KIMBERLY GRABHAM Guides recently enjoyed a trip to Flip Out in Wagga, to have a great time bouncing on the many trampolines and sliding on the big slide.Sweet little faces were shining, the children marvelled at the countryside on the three-hour bus ride to Wagga. They chatted amongst themselves, wondered where they were, and one remarked they thought they were in Canada. On arrival at Flip Out, they all listened to Guides leader, Shirley Hajeck as she instructed them on what to do.They waited patiently while Shirley sorted out admissions, and then disappeared onto the trampolines with fervour.Watching them have fun was like watching little balls in a pinball machine; they were rocketing around. Flying down the slide, all having a marvellous time.They then clambered back into their seats, tired but happy.There were minimal issues, and with a busload of young children, that is a feat in itself. Hay Guides Unit is largely the last man standing in the district, and even surrounding districts. Units in places such as Junee, Leeton and more have closed, and others are perilously close to shutting down.Shirley Hajeck devotes far more than the two hours a week for Guides meetings to keep Hay Guides alive. Countless hours of preparation, research, fundraising, trips away on the weekend, and more. She does this without fuss, need for accolades or thanks. She is always there. That pillar of the community people just know has always been there.She is so invested in our town’s children and their livelihoods, and knows what a great facilitation of fundamentals Guides is as she was one herself, up until the age when she took over as leader.So often people extol the virtues of sport; the mateship, good values, respect and many other benefits, all of which are highly valid. Guides teaches the future young women of our community what some might consider old fashioned values and skills. From baking, craft and games, being in the outdoors, and volunteering and contributing to their community.Entering submissions into the show, and the value of these age-old institutions and traditions.Skills you just cannot go past when it comes to shaping a child, experiences and knowledge which writes on the slate of who they are as they grow.Learning how to sit and listen to instruction, to be a part of something bigger, teamwork, and interacting in a setting with others, independent of parents.It would be so wonderful to see families reaching up and out to match Shirley’s passion, and get behind this wonderful opportunity we are still lucky enough to have, the Guides.

A man faced court, charged over an alleged shooting in Hillston.In October 2024, Strike Force Bettles was formed to investigate the circumstances around the shooting.Officers of the Murrumbidgee Police District came to the Burns Street, Hillston home, 2.30am, September 20.Police were told one male and two females were in the home when three people allegedly entered the home, one armed.The 46-year-old male resident was allegedly shot in the abdomen before the intruders left.The man was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to Griffith Hospital. He was airlifted to a major metropolitan hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.On Monday October 14, a 22-year-old old was arrested at a hospital in Edward Street, Wagga Wagga.He was transported to Wagga Wagga Police Station and charged with special aggravated break and enter and commit serious indictable offence; inflict grievous bodily harm, shoot with intent to murder and knowingly direct activities of criminal group.The man appeared in Wagga Wagga Local Court October 15, and was formally refused bail to reappear in Griffith Local Court on December 12.Investigations under Strike Force Bettles are continuing.

A trough extending from southern QLD to northwest Vic is generating areas of severe thunderstorms over western NSW in a moist and unstable airmass. Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Nyngan, Lake Cargelligo and Hillston.

For the first time under the Labour Government, applications are now open for Round 4 of the Regional Airports Program, with up to $7.5 million in funding available for regional airports to undertake essential works to improve aviation safety, access and transition to net zero emissions.The Regional Airports program was originally established and funded by The former Coalition Government."The Dubbo, Broken Hill, Narrabri, Narromine and Gilgandra airports have each received funding under the first three rounds of this program, so I’m hopeful that the Parkes electorate will also be successful in this latest round." says Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton.Further information, including grant guidelines, eligibility requirements and the application process, is available at: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/regional-airports-program-round-4

The Caravan Park in White Cliffs, owned by Central Darling Shire, has recruited a new Caretaker. The popular tourist destination offers a total of 46 caravan sites (25 powered sites, 20 unpowered and 1 cabin).The new caretaker is already making improvements with a new online booking site that has been launched. this will limit cash handling and reduce the amount of extended hours the caretaker will need to be on site. It is also expected that travellers will benefit from the convenience of online booking as they can plan ahead of their arrival. Further details can be found on Council’s website including a link to the online booking system. Further information is available via the link. https://www.centraldarling.nsw.gov.au/Tourism/White-Cliffs/White-Cliffs-Caravan-ParkVisitors can come to explore the great outdoors, hear about opal mining and underground living, and more.The free Central Darling Heritage Trail driving tours are also popular. White Cliffs Hotel is another destination standout – named the AHA NSW Best Bush Pub in 2023.

Talking to June and Ken Spinks is one of the most fabulous perks of the job. Funny, knowledgeable and savvy, the pair put people generations younger to shame.Spinks feels much akin to Sphinx, as I have been trying to pin the lovely couple down for a while, for a conversation. “The elusive Spinks,” June quips with a smile. The couple married in 1956. Ken was always situated in the district, but June “is a blow in,” as Ken likes to say. Originating from Apollo Bay in Victoria, June moved to Balranald at the age of 13. “My sister gained employment at the pharmacy, and I often thought the pharmacy was a matrimonial bureau in disguise, because it was not long after many female employees began working there, that they went off to get married,” June said with a laugh. When June arrived in Balranald, it was quite common for students to have an after-school job. “Days of operation in the town in business days were slightly different. Shops had a Wednesday half holiday, with Saturday being a full shopping day. That allowed country people to come in and have a full day shopping, and go to the pictures Saturday night, which was one of the great social occasions. “Any balls and dances were held on a Friday night.” “And the shearers ball was held in September because Yanga, the big station had a lot of shearers there,” Ken added. “It was another way of incorporating them into the town. “They put the ball on at the end of the shearing and the proceeds went to the local hospital. “Common after school jobs for children were delivering groceries to customers,” June continued. “The shopkeeper would go around to clients and take their orders in the morning, and then take the order back to the store and pack it up. “Once the boys were finished school, they would get on the grocery bikes and take them to customers, a same day service,” she said with a laugh. And so, June was lucky enough to get an after-school job at the chemist. “Once she transitioned into secondary school, she travelled to Hay for her schooling. “I still worked over the Christmas period at the chemist, then travelled away to attend teachers’ college, then came back. “After that, when I got a teaching appointment at Balranald I decided not to work elsewhere. Chemist, Mr Purtin, came to see me before Christmas and asked if I would work over the Christmas period. Because he had been so good in the past to me, I had decided to help him out then. And that is when Ken came into the shop.” Ken worked on farms all of his life. His father had a soldier settlement block on the lower edge of the flood plain. At the age of six, the family came into town and rented a house, so that the children could attend school, in 1936. “I saw the last run of the steamboats on the Murrumbidgee, the last commercial boat,” Ken recalled. When he came home from school, Ken worked for his father. If there was nothing to do on his father’s farm, he was working for other farmers, and eventually learnt shearing, at the age of 17. “I wouldn’t exactly say I enjoyed shearing, but I had a profession, and that meant something. “Another man and I worked a two-stand shearing plant and carried it around. People would say to him, “Oh you got Spinksy with you,” and I would say, “Yes because I could lift the plant up on the old Bedford truck,” he said, and laughingly agreed he was the muscles of the operation. “It was a good learning curve.” After his father passed away, Ken took control of the property and developed it. “It was an 8000-acre property on the end of the flood plain, and was only considered to have a hundred to two hundred sheep capacity,” Ken said. Once the young couple were married, settled on the farm and had children, Ken ventured into cropping.Fighting erosion has always been close to Ken Spinks’ heart, and is the topic of his latest book. ‘Australia on the Move – soil erosion’ was launched on Australia Day. “It covers drought and soil erosion in South Australia, Queensland border, Victoria and New South Wales,” Ken told me at the time. “At the particular times that the book covers, erosion was prominent.” “My farming time is featured in the book because of the soil erosion. "There are some magnificent photos in there that you would not believe,” Ken says. “You would have never seen a black-out dust storm?” He queried, me replying with a chuckle that the time, around 1943, would have been some 40 years before my birth. “Some of the pictures came from Ken’s scrap books, as he was always cutting and pasting, accumulating quite a collection of things of interest. A lot to do with farming, which was naturally a keen interest,” June said. “Those particular storms, a storm within a storm and relatively low to the ground, with the sky above a serene summer sky,” Ken continued. “1943 was a bad time for them, and occasionally you could not see your hand in front of you. Like a mine with the lights out, completely black. “It was sand not dust. When I described them to people, they thought I was fabricating. Droughty conditions and extremely hot weather for a number of days, would create the perfect conditions. “The system travels in one direction and comes in on itself in an anticlockwise circulation. Chooks went to bed at 3pm. This is why that book had to be written, so it was on record.” “A significant factor in erosion was overstocking, rabbits and Dillon bushes. When the wind blows the sand off the bare ground into the bushes, the bushes grow up through it, therefore the more sand it accumulates the higher it gets,” June added. “Tonnes and tonnes disappeared and landed in New Zealand and Mt Cooke,” Ken continued. “We don’t see black-outs today. Soil erosion was not considered to be a big problem, until it began to be recognised in the 70s, and they solved the problem to a certain extent, but now they are using methods that have been used in other countries since the 40s to solve erosion. “VIC and SA followed suit after NSW decades later, but there was no coordination between states. “Some states did their separate research, meaning that valid research was essentially done, where there was no need if the states had joined forces on the issue.” Ken is the author, June the much-valued editor. They make a dynamic team. June forayed into the world of computers to keep in touch with family, who are all scattered around. She enthusiastically enjoys email, because you can get an answer straight away, and send and receive pictures. June and Ken are very proud of their town and facilities, including the gallery. They have one of Prowsie’s artworks on the wall, an artist from Mildura who has recently enjoyed an exhibition at Balranald Art Gallery. June in particular has a great admiration for his work, and how he breathes life into the animal’s eyes. The integrity and dedication to recording the facts that they have is truly admirable. “Better to record a story accurately, than to fluff it up for other reasons. Ronald Ryan attempted to rob the bank in Balranald but he did not rob the bank. “The local paper at the time was trying to say that he did, but we were living in Balranald town at the time, and knew that it was not true.” June and Ken have three children Beverley, the eldest, lives in in Italy. Married and retired, Beverley went there, learnt the language, and worked in a commercial bank as secretary. She then moved over to working at Rentokil, in the products department. She loves photography and travelling. They did not have children, and still enjoy a happy, busy lifestyle. “It is a common mistake as people get older, they stop being busy,” June said. “They often have no purpose, or solely placing their purpose in their children or work, and then when that stops, they don’t have a purpose.” One of their sons lives in Victoria. He worked for 24 years at the Immigration Museum in Melbourne. “He was a lighting technician, and when the main museum exhibited ‘A Day in the Life of Pompei’, he was instrumental in setting up the exhibit, packing it up to ship to New Zealand, and then returning to bring it back to Australia when the NZ exhibit finished. "He set up many exhibitions, and is retired now.” Their other son resides in Wagga, and owns an olive grove. He and his wife run this, and a factory. They did the marketing, developed the whole business and enjoy having busloads of people for tours and functions. Ken and June’s dedication to their work, and the mantle they have taken up as historical recorders is something that deserves admiration. Ken says there is quite a bit around Balranald that needs reporting, so he will make a third edition. “The problem with writing is that you don’t make any money, in fact it costs money, the second edition lays around too long, and the mice eat it. We are reluctant to commit to a third edition but it needs to be done,” Ken said. When asked his opinion on windfarms, he is enthusiastic. “They could not be better. I am all for natural generation of electricity. People in Victoria who complain about the noise and sight are normally down in the valley that can’t have them, and the ones up the top are making nice money. “The noise does not hurt anyone. "People listen to TV, they get in their car, turn up the music and yet are complaining about wind farm noise. Makes you wonder. “We have to have natural electricity because of the situation happening with the use of coal, I am not a complete green, but an environmentalist. “We have to learn to share the world with other creatures living in it, mankind has changed a lot of things, and not for the good,” June added. “Krakatoa (one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded history) created an atomic winter. The Northern Hemisphere had to recover, and it did. “Atomic bombs are something that nothing will recover from quickly. I was very critical of the fact that the Australian Prime Minister at the time, and other government officials encouraged them to set off bombs at Maralinga, especially with Balranald and Ivanhoe being in the complete easterly direction of the site. “They closed the school in Ivanhoe six times because of the dust coming over. “They let off six bombs, but also held 50 atomic experiments. “There would have been all that dust and radioactivity collected in people’s rainwater tanks, and they would have been drinking that water. “A lot of people tend not to investigate things for themselves, and they just believe anything a person in higher authority says,” June added. “They do not do the research for themselves, so people are confused, they need to check it out themselves.” Another issue close to June and Ken’s hearts is water. “The water in the Murrumbidgee is toxic in Balranald. “There are poisons in it, blue green algae, and toxicity. A filtration system cannot get poisons and chemicals out of water. “The only way to do that is to boil and distil it, and they haven’t got a distiller. “Instead, chemicals are being put into the water that are toxic to drink, and that is not helpful. People are buying huge amounts of plastic water bottles to drink, and it should not have to be that way. “But the water here has been toxic, killing fish, big cod dying in Wakool. “I have written letters to three politicians, and heard no reply. “My proposal was about putting rain water tanks in, with people buying bottled water over 12 months, that money would pay for a tank and pump but they do not see it like that. “Even a grant system, half the price to get one, benefits Council by not having to supply toxic filtered water. “With our climate, both droughts and flooding rains, waters and rivers get so used. “It makes sense for people to capture it and have it, rain is a renewable source of water. “Also, with filters that can go on tanks, and gutter guards, it makes sense. There needs to be more common sense coming in how to store and create water. “We are connected to filtered water, but do not pay, because we do not use it,” Ken added. “Our house uses rain water, and the garden raw water. “Another chemical they use in the water, fluoride, is a poison which harms June’s skin.” When the couple lived on the farm, their water supply came from the lake to the dam, and into the house. June remembers when toothpaste with fluoride first came out, it had an S6 poison label on it, which disappeared later. In her research, June discovered the Therapeutic Goods Administration, (TGA), the place that is supposed to make things safe, decided that toothpaste is cosmetic, and removed the label. However, the contents remain the same. “Back in the day, I believed what they said, and used the fluoridated toothpaste, and came out in mouth and gum ulcers. “I thought my diet was at fault, so I went to the dentist. I told him I am getting numerous mouth and gum ulcers, huge, and had never had them before. He noted that some other people he had treated were having the same issues, and recommended a different brand of toothpaste, which coincidentally was fluoridated. He, nor I, thought about fluoride at the time. “However, this other brand did not have fluoride, and this was over 50 years ago. I have never had another mouth ulcer since.”Ken and June have been actively campaigning on the negative impacts of fluoride in water. “My advice to anyone would be to try to find a toothpaste that has baking soda, not fluoride,” June said. “Baking soda is an alkaline, and it is acids in your mouth that create the decay. So, an alkaline will neutralise. Never let children have it, they swallow it. People need to think for themselves and learn the facts, look up the safety data sheet on things, and find out. “People have been told certain things by authorities, and think they are to be believed. And you get nowhere with politicians, Barnaby Joyce walked out on me. Egotistical.” “They don’t listen to people and they are supposed to listen, and do not check up on things and just have advisors to tell them things, and they blindly believe them,” Ken added. “Fluoridation is not a water treatment process,” June continued. “That is out of the Australian Water Guidelines Chapter 8. Chapter six states there is an absence of human testing, sensitivities are unknown, and interaction when mixed with other chemicals is unknown. All of those unknowns and they still went and put it in the water. Put in, ostensibly, to prevent tooth decay. That falls under the category of a medication. “Our constitution states that in regards to medical services and treatments, there is eleven words in brackets, ‘but not so as to authorise any level of civil conscription’. “In other words, the individual must give consent. “Nobody was asked, they just did this. Nobody was told it was a poison, that it is not a water treatment chemical, told nothing.” “We are getting our message through and it is recorded,” Ken laughed. When asked if flooding in the area will reach dire levels, Ken is certain in his response: “Haven’t got here yet, I do not think we are going to see what they reckon it is. We haven’t seen a flood here yet.” In 1956, the couple were on an island from June until Christmas eve. Six months isolated. The only way to get to town was by corrugated tin boat with no buoyancy, travelling more than five miles over fairly deep water. “The only buoyancy we had was a blown-up car tube. Had we had a spill nobody would have known where we were. The country is so flat, that when it floods and water gets amongst the trees, all you can see is trees and water. You don’t have high points,” June said. “The trip in was reasonably quick, there were no outboard motors, someone gave us one of those APCO propellor things, that used to heat up. We had to tip water on it to cool it down, and if that did not go, we would use the oars,” Ken said. “A few hours getting in town, and it took five hours to get home. That was because the boat would have a 44-gallon drum of petrol in it, and was loaded up with bread, mail and supplies for us and everyone else on the island.” “There was not much leeway between the top of the boat and the top of the water,” June laughed. “You could not buy a boat or a motor, and I was expecting a baby at the time. Four families out there, and two pregnant women. The other lady had to be taken in partway through her pregnancy to be sent to Melbourne. This was on the Nimmie-Caira floodplain.” The stark differences in weather and climate, and repercussions of these are not forgotten by the couple. “Not long after and then I was able to walk across the dry river bed of the Murrumbidgee, and did not get my boots wet. It will be again, after this flood. “The water will be bought, sold by the government, as soon as it is a dry time. It will be taken outside of the river,” Ken said. “I was on the Water Advisory in the 70s to the 90s. “A friend and another member had a plane, and we used to go up to meetings at Leeton and Griffith cap in hand, begging them to release a bit of water to fill the floodplain. We were paying for water and were not getting it. “We did not have licences back then; farmers on the floodplain were paying for water on an acreage basis. “Then the water was diminishing coming out of Maude weir, to such an extent something had to be done. “That was when the environment was altered in this dry area, so the water could be spread out over it, and used.” “It was successful; farmers spent a lot of money on it. They all worked together, for the benefit of everyone, which was a unique arrangement; all had a common interest,” June added. “Construction was there and the method of water delivery was agreed upon, it worked very well. The only thing that made it come to an end was that there was no water coming from above to supply it when it should have been.” “There was more water outside the river than was what was in it. These blokes were pumping it out, above storage dams were where the water was stored, so there was a lot of them being built up further north, along NSW, and along the flood plain too as storage. There was no metering of how much water could be taken, there were no proper rules regarding all of this. And I also think too that there should have not been privatisation of a lot of this water system, it is an essential for life.” They are unrelenting and emphatic on these issues. “There should be one Government Authority on that, and there should be no purchasing from overseas companies for the benefit of a stock exchange item, it should not be. “It is there for the use of the people within that country, not as a moneymaking thing for those overseas. “Murray Darling Basin, that is a joke! It has reached the stage they cannot remedy that in any way as it has been twisted around so much, and there has been so much money invested in the water by overseas interests. “As soon as water flows behind the catchments someone owns it and they assuredly are not Australian. These big corporates, Canadians, Americans, and yes Chinese and Japanese, whoever, they somehow own all our water, it is ours not theirs. And when it falls it is being held by catchments that have been put up by us. Taxpayers’ money. Wrong. Murray Darling Basin caters to and makes decisions for the big end of town. I can’t see what they can do to fix it now, other than to cancel all licenses, and start again. The job to be in, in that case, would be the legal profession.” They conclude the conversation with a cheeky and humorous aside that they will say nothing more, as at the end of the day I am a journalist with a recorder rolling. Delicious smells of lunch wafting in the background, I mournfully decline a lovely invitation as I am due at my next appointment, when all I would like to do is talk to them all day.