Plains Producer | The Star Of The North

Ian continues serving

Long-time SAAS volunteer, Ian Pay ASM, has been appointed Presiding Member of the SA Ambulance Service Volunteer Health Advisory Committee (SAASVHAC). Currently a crew member in Snowtown, Ian has been an SAAS volunteer since 2000, with stints as volunteer team leader, peer support officer and regional educator. Read the full story in our online […]

BCCC unveils grand expansion

ABOUT 200 past and present friends and families linked to the Balaklava Community Children’s Centre helped mark the 60th onsite anniversary on Saturday evening. It was also the official opening of the centre’s expansion, which was completed throughout 2018, accommodating increases in child care capacity from 29 to 50, kindy from 30 to 40, with […]

Friendships rekindled at Mallala reunion

The 65th Mallala and Districts Reunion was held in perfect weather on Sunday at St Helen’s Park, Prospect. There were 83 past and present residents, who enjoyed a great afternoon catching up with friends and old neighbours over a shared afternoon tea, with a further 50 apologies received for the day. • Pictured: A 1960 school […]

Put your papers out for Clare Rotary!

Well you’ve read your paper, now what? Apart from a packing aid or the odd paper mache project with your kids, don’t let your old newspapers go to waste or landfill. Clare Rotary members, actively recycling local newspapers since 1966, tour the streets of Clare every six weeks to collect any old newspapers residents put […]

Royal society comes to Burra Gallery

Burra Regional Art Gallery is hosting a Royal South Australian Society of Arts exhibition from February 14 to March 17, which will be the 10th portrait exhibition shown in the gallery since 2009. The exhibition features a “marvellous group of very varied and very proficient talented portrait artists from South Australia,” artist Philip David, who […]

Longbottom one of Spalding’s stars

SPALDING’S Darren Longbottom was awarded the town’s Community Service Award at its Australia Day function late last month. Darren is heavily involved in the BSR Football and Netball Club, where he is a life member following an on field career of more than 450 senior games. • Pictured: Darren Longbottom, pictured with son, Zac, following a […]

Matt tackles two track troubles

TWO troublesome areas of the Balaklava Racing Club track have been successfully repaired ahead of the club’s first meet of the year on February 24. The club missed two scheduled meets following the Balaklava Cup in September last year due to concerns about the track condition. • Pictured: Balaklava Racing Club curator, Matt Hall, and dog, […]

Wirrabara warmed with reserve funding

Federal Member for Grey Rowan Ramsey received a warm welcome when he was in Wirrabara recently to announce funding of $113,148 to the Wirrabara Sporting Reserve as part of the second $30 million round of the Federal Government’s Community Sport Infrastructure Program. Wirrabara Tennis Club secretary, Hayley Trott, who drove the grant application, was delighted […]

Action packed speedway

The meeting was action packed at Murray Bridge Speedway on February 2, with the V6 feature race, the Des James Memorial, not disappointing fans. In its 13th year, a small but fierce assembly, including Kym Simon and the newly crowned Melissa Crouch, thrilled spectators. • Pictured: Driver #71 Brett Ireland, hit the wall at Murray […]

Land dwellers’ dinghy dash success

They might live a long way from the Murray River, but two Mid North teams managed to take out line honours in the Riverland’s famous 39th Dinghy Derby at Renmark on the weekend. Jamestown’s Andrew Schultz and Joel Porter took out the 30 horse power standard class Renmark Club Dash For Cash on Friday evening […]

Emilie gives the ‘all clear’ in women’s football

CLARE ex-pat, Emilie Hill has been selected as one of the three official Australian Football League Womens (AFLW) goal umpires to wave the flags at all four Adelaide Crows women’s team over the 2019 season. Being selected in October 2018 by national selectors, Emilie will be umpiring two games at Norwood Oval, one game at […]

Cher Waters – Australia’s ‘Players player’

Burra’s Cheryllee Waters toured Ireland and England during January with the Australian invitational U18 AFL team and was voted ‘Players Player’ of the tour. Cher was one of 24 footballers from across Australia who ventured across the globe for the inaugural AFL Junior Girls International Rules Tour playing seven games over the 20-day tour. Two […]

Big Broughton Bridge rebuild

Transporting construction materials and agricultural goods from the Spalding area, north of Adelaide, to destinations all over South Australia and the Northern Territory will now be safer and easier thanks to the recently completed replacement of the Broughton Valley Road Bridge at Broughton River Valley. Federal Member for Grey, Rowan Ramsey, said the new bridge’s […]

New drought assistance tool launched

An online resource for farmers in drought is set to continue and Federal Member for Grey Rowan Ramsey has welcomed the news. “Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has just announced FarmHub, an online resource enabling farmers to have a single and straightforward place to find out what drought assistance is available to them,” Mr Ramsey said. […]

Wash-out at Mount Cuthbert

Balaklava local, Tom Lloyd, has been doing the FIFO (fly in fly out) thing for a few years now. At present, he is working at the Mt Cuthbert copper mine in north Queensland about 140km from Cloncurry. Lately it’s been a damn hot place to work. This all changed about the middle of last week […]

New board for Murray Darling

The full board of the Murray Darling Association met last week as part of a three-day meeting of local government leaders from across the Murray Darling Basin. Included in the program was a briefing from the acting chair of the Murray Darling Basin authority Ms Joanna Hewitt AO and CEO Phillip Glyde on current conditions […]

Hopeful for 2019

Hello and happy new year to everyone, and another season is quickly approaching. Last year was very much a year that was sporadic at best, and extremely dry at worst. The months it did rain were few and far between, with the dry front half of the year not seeing much improvement in the second […]

$20 million for hard hit Murray–Darling Basin communities

The Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program was launched last Thursday, providing up to $20 million over four years to support Murray-Darling Basin communities most impacted by water recovery. Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud said the funding is to help create sustainable long-term jobs in communities where water recovery has hit hard. […]

Love flitters for Barry and Margaret

Barry and Margaret Flitter of Lewiston met 51 years ago at the tender age of 17, married the following year in 1969, and quietly celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary last Friday, February 8, with a quiet dinner with family and friends. Fortunate and lucky are two words Barry uses often when describing his life so […]

World ticket giveaway for you!

To celebrate its opening night for the Fringe, Hats at Auburn is bringing you its ‘Hats World Music Concert’ on Saturday night. The show, at Hats Courthouse, will feature an exciting line up of music from around the world, including Farhan Shah & SufiOz performing high energy Pakistani/Indian songs, Zuhir Naji Arabic Ensemble, and Alex […]

Arty Audrey’s floral festivities

Local Clare lady, and talented floral artist, Audrey Alcorn, had a double reason to celebrate January 1 – New Year’s Day and her 90th birthday! She had a couple of celebrations with family and friends, including one with her floral art class at Balaklava. The class meets three of four times a year at the […]

Valleys Lifestyle Centre award nomination

FITNESS Australia, the national peak industry association, has announced The Valleys Lifestyle Centre in Clare, as a ‘Council/Licensed Fitness Centre of the Year’ Finalist in the 2019 Australian Fitness Awards. CEO of Fitness Australia, Barrie Elvish, said the Australian Fitness Awards provide a fantastic opportunity for businesses and individuals to be acknowledged for their contribution […]

A year in their own Patch

FEBRUARY 2018, Cathy, Daryl, Monique and Jason jumped into the deep end and did something crazy! They left Aldinga and the Adelaide Hills and moved to Clare where they knew barely anyone, and bought a business they knew very little about – the old BJ’s Fruit Barrow. Read the full story in our online […]

Louise named new Editor

It’s official – Louise Michael is the new Editor of the Plains Producer newspaper. Managing director, Andrew Manuel welcomes Louise to the role, although she has been acting Editor since October last year. “Louise is only the fifth editor in the past 35 years since the Manuel family took over the Plains Producer in 1983 […]

Showing loyalty to Clare traders

Clare traders have taken steps to revitalise their business community through customer loyalty. The #ShopLocalClare movement began late last year with a Facebook page which traders could join and use to promote their business offerings. Read the full story in our online edition: http://plainsproducer.realviewdigital.com

CVWGA’s two new members

Clare Valley Wine and Grape Association has appointed two new independent board members, adding a deliberate focus on growing wine tourism and strengthening the region’s underlying commercial engagements. CVWGA chairman, Stuart McNab, said the appointments of tourism executive, Tori Somerville, and commercial lawyer, Bianca Jennings, followed a deliberate search for specific skills to complement the […]

Hay exporters shuffle their decks

DRY conditions have driven employment restructures at hay exporters, Balco and Gilmac, both major employers in the Balaklava area. Balco reduced staff levels by seven positions at the start of December, while Gilmac dropped a shift but relocated staff to other sites, both on the back of well-below expected hay supply. Read the full […]

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