A man has been charged over the alleged assault of a woman in Nyngan yesterday morning.Police have been told a 25-year-old man entered the front yard of a home on Cuthundril Street, Nyngan at about 11.45am on Saturday 18 February 2023. When the man was asked to leave by the occupant of the home, he allegedly became aggressive and punched a 54-year-old woman in the face, causing her to fall to the ground.It has been alleged that he continued to punch and kick the woman before leaving the location.NSW Ambulance paramedics were called and the woman was treated at the scene for facial injuries.Officers attached to Central North Police District were notified and commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.Following inquiries, they arrested a 25-year-old man at a home on Wambiana Street, Nyngan at about 4.45pm yesterday afternoon.He was taken to Nyngan Police Station where he was charged with grievous bodily harm by unlawful act, assault police officer in execution of duty and intimidate police officer in execution of duty.He was refused bail to appear before Dubbo Local Court today (Sunday 19 February 2023).

Free lunch, free coffee and free hay bales will be on offer to flood-affected farmers in Condobolin as part of another great initiative of the Rapid Relief Team.  Arriving on Friday 10 March to gift A-grade hay bales, farmers will have the opportunity to connect with locals and support services over a free BBQ lunch and barista coffee for another Farmers Community Connect Event in Condobolin.  The support of the Rapid Relief Team has been felt by Condobolin residents for many years, after the delivery of over 2000 hay bales onboard a convoy of road trains from Western Australia arrived in the drought-ravaged town in 2018.  Ever since, the Rapid Relief Team have been working tirelessly to bring relief to drought and flood affected farmers across the country through their Farmers Community Connect Events.  “Farmers have done it tough over the past few years as they’ve battled through a long-standing drought, bushfires and now to the other end of the extreme, floods,” said RRT Operations Manager, Mick Dunn.  “We know that it can take some time to fully recover from the effects of these disasters, so that’s why we’re not only providing financial support, but emotional support by offering a feel-good day out for the farmers." On the day, farmers will  have the opportunity to access local support services, including mental health support, rural financial counselling and veterinary support. “Times like these really demonstrate the importance of staying connected,” said Mr Dunn. “We’ve found in these shared, friendly community environments farmers feel more comfortable to talk to different providers of support services or learn about some of the offers on hand.” The hay bales have been purchased by the RRT from Victoria, and have been tested for quality.  “The hay bales are feed-tested, A-grade hay which we will begin distributing to registered farmers from 7:00 in the morning,” said Mr Dunn. Donated hay bales are feed-tested, A-grade hay bales. Perhaps the most anticipated part of the day, however, are the RRT signature burgers, says Mr Dunn.  “RRT burgers have a little bit of fame about them so we’re going to be doing a bacon and egg breakfast burger until 9:00am and then we’ll switch over to our signature burger,” he said.  All members of the community are invited to attend the event at the Condobolin Showgrounds. We  To receive a free hay bale donation, farmers simply need to register their interest here. Registrations close Monday 03 March 2023. Approved applicants will need to arrange pick up of the hay from Condobolin Showgrounds on Friday 10 March 2023.

An upcoming government white paper on the long term directions for growth and innovation in the aviation industry asks questions about the role of airports in supporting regional economies. This importance of airports to regional areas is something Narromine Shire Council Mayor, Craig Davies, is passionate about. "While we don't have commercial flights, the Narromine Airport is used extensively for private flights, agricultural aircraft and gliding, among other things," he said. "It is an essential part of our local economy and community by bringing in business people and visitors to the area and allowing them to save travel time." Gliding enthusiasts have frequented the airport since the 1940's and the Narromine Gliding Club recently held the NSW State Gliding Championships. The World Gliding Championships will take place in the town in December this year "Gliding is one more use for the airport," Mr Davies said. "The favourable weather is an attraction for people and Narromine is considered one of the world's best soaring site. This brings in visitors and supports our economy." Mr Davies said Infrastructure also helps supports plane enthusiasts to live in the region. Residents of the Sky Park Residential Estate which adjoins the airport enjoy an unrestricted aerodrome, no landing fees, and a taxiway direct to the airport."We have a very proud history in aviation in Narromine," Mr Davies said. "It's all captured in the Aviation Museum which is wonderful, thanks largely to Narromine local, Peter Kierath who recently received an OAM for his service to the local community" Flying at Narromine started as early as 1919. Australia ‘s oldest regional aero club, which is still active, was formed there ten years later. World War II veterans knew Narromine for the Tiger Moths of No.5 Elementary Flying Training School, the start of what was for many, such as Rawdon Middleton VC, an epic career in military flying.In regards to the government's white paper, Mr Davies said that the tyranny of distance meant local airports were imperative to local communities such as Narromine."The airport very much supports our region's economy and many business sectors as well as being used for RFDS flights. It is a huge part of our community."Individuals and organisations are able to make a submission on any aspect of the terms of reference before 10 March 2023. Further public consultations will occur on the Green Paper, to be released later this year. For the full terms of reference, further information on the Aviation White Paper, or to make a submission, visit: https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/aviation/aviation-white-paper.

A ground-breaking program involving retired greyhounds is being described as a 'win-win' for police officers and the pooches themselves. Serving and retired members of the Australian Federal Police (AFPA) will soon have access to greyhounds as companion animals to help deal with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). "The head of Greyhounds Australia is a former police officer," Michael Cowley from Greyhound Racing NSW explained. "The Police Association was approached to see if they were interested in priority access to greyhounds as companion animals for serving and retired members and they were very keen." Greyhounds Australia Chairman, Robert Vellar, is that former police officer, and knows both the therapeutic benefit of greyhounds as pets and the comfort they can bring those suffering anxiety disorders. He fully understands the mental strain of working on the front line and being exposed on a daily basis to harrowing and traumatic events, which can ultimately lead to officers suffering from PTSD.“The aim is to facilitate the perfect partnership involving the welfare of these beautiful greyhounds, and the welfare of first responders," Mr Vellar said. “As a former police officer, I fully understand the trauma that police face in their daily workloads. Our experience has been that by adopting a greyhound as a loyal, forever companion, it will assist in the management of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." AFPA President, Alex Caruana said the psycho-social benefits of pet ownership, and support animal in particular, for people living with PTSD is significant. “Police Association members are at a significantly increased risk of acquiring mental health injuries, and also of those injuries developing into PTSD," he said."The typically busy operational work life of our members, coupled with socially-isolating shifts and on-call rosters, means that they often find it exceedingly difficult to switch off and decompress after traumatic incidents. "Highly-trained and decorated police association members invariably become broken and insular through no fault of their own," Mr Caruana said. The program is still in its infancy, but has already had successful adoptions with one former officer saying her greyhound helped significantly with her PTSD struggles. Retired athlete and well known dog trainer, Steve Austin will retain the animals with police officers able to apply for a dog in the near future. AFPA members will be given priority access to adopt greyhounds through Greyhounds as Pets NSW. “Greyhounds are loyal, loving and low maintenance and we say if you want a great mate, adopt a greyhound,” Mr Vellar said. 

This Sunday 19 February will mark the one-year anniversary of the horrific truck crash that occurred on the outskirts of Brewarrina, taking the lives of two drivers.On Sunday 12 February the family and friends of one of the men, Trevor Hourigan, attended a memorial event at the crash site on the Kamilaroi Highway just west of Brewarrina.The community came out in support of the family including Brewarrina Shire Council Mayor Vivian Slacksmith, General Manager David Kirby, the first responders from the day and many locals.Local Elders Mary Waites, Eva Boney and Loreen Coffey offered the Welcome to Country and a prayer.At the end of the service, they were presented with a tree to be planted in Trevor’s honour near the crash site.The day was organized by two fellow truckies and good mates of Trevor, Graham and Rob.Rob Vickery designed and paid for the monument in memory of Trevor while Graham spoke to the Western Plains App about organizing the day and how he felt it went.“I was proud and honoured to do it as Trev was a top bloke and a mate," said Graham. "Trev was the first person to say g’day when I started [at the company] three years ago.”“The day was fantastic everything came together nicely - best of all was having the Elders present. I would just like to thank everyone involved from the bottom of my heart."Trevor Hourigan's mates unveil his memorial.The biggest impact of a tragedy is always to the family members.Sharon Hourigan bravely shared an emotional speech about her husband with her children standing beside her.Afterwards, Sharon described how she felt about the event and the memorial.“The memorial was so beautiful it was a fitting tribute to Trev our hearts were full of pride," she said. "Afterwards we felt so much love from all that were there, everyone made us feel so welcome.""If this had to happen at all I know the community of Brewarrina did the very best that they could for my hubby."I left Brewarrina feeling at peace knowing a part of him will always be there and I have taken the rest with me.""All his mates called him the gentleman of the highway but to me and his family, he was the best… Nothing was a problem for him, he was one of the good ones," Mrs Hourigan said."He loved a beer; he was going to retire at the end of the year (2022) and we were going to travel in our caravan."He had seen all of Australia and he was going to show me. Simply he was My love my life my everything.”

“The beginning of sorrows, when there shall be much lamentation; the beginning of famine, when many shall perish; the beginning of wars, when the powers shall be terrified; the beginning of calamities, when all shall tremble.”  It’s a quote from the bible used by Stacey Train to explain the “horror of the last days”.This was what Stacey Train began in her final eight minute statement she recorded and posted on YouTube after she, Gareth and Nathaniel shot Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, and neighbour Alan Dare at their property in the Western Downs on December 12 last year.It was recorded before the trio's own lives came to an end.   After an intensive investigation, Queensland police say the deadly shooting in the rural community of Wieambilla was a "religiously motivated terrorist attack" and that the trio responsible were influenced by an extremist Christian belief systemQueensland Deputy Commissioner Tracey Linford said police had been investigating Stacey Train's diary, as well as the trio's texts, social media postings and 190 interviews. Linford said the trio saw police "as monsters and demons".  In the a collation of videos made by the Trains in the lead-up and after the attack viewed by the Western Plains App, we can confirm Trains made references to “spiritual war”, “idolatrous ideology”, “ false religion”, “the beast system” and indeed to police officers as “demons”.Gareth and Stacey Train on their wedding day. Source: Channel Nine/Ron Train.In other parts of the video the Trains make threats make specific police officers (not the police officers killed) about a week out from the shootings.Around the same time they posted a video of still images of an axe and a knife with the entire song of “Stand by Me” playing in the background.Bishop Mark Calder who leads the Anglican Church in Central and Western NSW told the Western Plains App the Trains beliefs “were a complete and utter distortion of Christian beliefs, teachings, laws and the message of Jesus”.“The fundamental teaching of the bible is that God loves us and that we must not kill,” he said.Premillennial Beliefs Linked to Violence"What we've been able to glean from that information is that the Train family members subscribe to what we would call a broad Christian fundamentalist belief system, known as premillennialism," Linford said yesterday (Thursday 16 February).Josh Roose, an Associate Professor of Politics and expert on far-right and religious extremism at Deakin University told the ABC that 'premillennialism' … "is a Christian belief that in effect, the world is so corrupt, so evil, so beyond repair that at some point, in the near future, we're facing the implosion of the world effectively … an apocalyptic event and that Jesus will return to Earth."Independent Dr Gerard Gill independent researcher wrote about the Wiembiella shootings on Global Network on Extremism & Technology said that “Millenarian movements have shown a propensity towards violence.""The implications of this rest as much, or more, on perceived rather than actual danger. The murders in Wieambilla are a clear example of this, wherein the perpetrator’s view of the police as “devils and demons” appears to have determined their lethal response to the approach of investigating officers”.He also added that the Trains videos and material posted online showed they had much in common with the Freedom Movement “ a movement borne out of anti-vaccine protest but growing to become more all-encompassing and conspiracist in nature."Nathaniel and Gareth’s Train rather Ron ran his own Baptist Ministry Toowoomba. He has publicly condemned the shootings. The front cover of Ron Train’s book. Image: BooktopiaRon Train’s book “Without Absolutes, God Is Not God: An Anthology of Reflections” reveals he had a very different conception to the God as it was preached by the Trains in their videos.“God is immanent, transcendent and eternal. Without fierce, visceral belief there is nothing. God’s love does not ebb and flow like human love. He sees God as loving, forgiving, merciful as well as all-powerful” he writes.Attack “directed” at policeEarlier this week, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess told a Senate Committee that terror attack in Australia is likely to be committed by an individual, or small number of extremists, rather than groups.He said "religiously motivated" extremism now accounts for 70 per cent of the spy agency's anti-terror workload, up from roughly 50 per cent in 2021. Nathaniel Train was a Principal at Walgett Community College Primary School up until 2021. Image: Facebook“We don't believe this attack was random or spontaneous," Deputy Police Commissioner Linford said on Thursday.She said Police did find camouflaged hiding places at the property as well as barriers such logs and dirt mounds, six firearms, three bow and arrows, a number of knives, CCTV, radios, mirrors on trees, and a trap door under the house - apparently designed for escape.A major investigation into the incident remains ongoing on behalf of the State Coroner.

Aboriginal youth in Lightning Ridge will be given a new voice thanks to state government funding through the 2023 Regional Youth Radio Program.Auspiced through Outback Arts, the $23000 grant will offer local young people training in podcast creation and production in a project called "Youth at the Edge".Spokesperson for The Edge Fest, a local group of volunteers who work with young people in Lightning Ridge is Rebel Black who has worked as a volunteer in creative spaces for 23 years."Currently we have what is basically a small tin shed turned into a performance space where we have run some open mike sessions," Ms Black said.The small shed on private property is known as the Tin Camp Studio and plays a great role in the community, Ms Black said, especially as the nearest recording studio was 360kilometres away in Dubbo."In March, we are retro-fitting the studio to make it a more useful recording area. The funding we have received will help activate the space as we can buy equipment specifically for podcasting and also music," she said."We will hold open mike nights from April to September where community members can come and use the space. We even offer a prize for the people's choice performer."Ms Black said an important part of the "Youth on the Edge" project was involving local youth to be part of the planning phase of the podcast initiative so they can drive the outcomes of the project."Over three school terms, we will train people in podcast production and will promote the outcomes as much as possible. The topic of the podcast is totally up to the individual."Ms Black said The Edge Fest is a group of local people from all different backgrounds who share a passion for creative arts and cultural participation."We want to activate the voice of young people in Lightning Ridge," she said. "And bring local young people skills that are relevant to contemporary society."The project will involve around 20 young people aged from 16 - 21. A local music teacher has also agreed to take part and share his skills."We will engage local facilitators and aim to have an open performance space where people can come and record podcasts, play music and even read poetry," Ms Black said.On 10 March, The Edge Fest has a free community event planned to celebrate the end of summer and the start of a new season in the Ridge. This is just one of several proposed future events."We want to make Tin Camp Studio a great space for community," Ms Black said. "Anyone wanting to be involved in the podcast project can get in touch with us through Outback Arts." 

“We have had some people tell us that they are considering leaving their property and starting again somewhere else,” said David Galloway Executive Officer from the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS).Speaking to the Western Plains App, Galloway said people in the region had endured multiple natural disasters leaving some of them so emotionally exhausted they were considering leaving the region and/or farming.“I think the impact on mental health and well-being was particularly hard on those who then went straight into harvest,” he told the Western Plains App. “Then of course there is their financial position. We have calculated that the average cost to a farmer from the floods is in excess of a million.”Picture: NSW NationalsGalloway told the Western Plains App it would normally take a “number of years” for a primary producer to recover from a financial loss of that magnitude.“The roads and the infrastructure in your region have taken all absolute pounding. The roads in particular in the Central West are proving an ongoing problem," he said. "So we know there are properties were the water has receded but that trucks cannot get into the property because the roads are in such poor condition and that is having flow on effects”.CEO of Central West Farming Systems, Condobolin-based Diana Fear told the Western Plains App it's not just road problems that are hampering flood recovering but a shortage of materials and labour too.“Nearly everyone I talk to who has flood damage is struggling to get tradespeople and labour of all sorts to fix the damage," she said."Even in good times it's difficult to find contractors across the region. There so many of us with fences that still need repairing as well as levy banks and channels. "This is all presenting very big challenges. It will take at least another six months before people can fix their properties”.Diana Fear. Image: Central West Farming Systems.Fear explained that water still hadn’t receded on many properties and that one solution that must be looked at as soon as possible is raising dam walls.She the Government funding provided is much appreciated, but a lot of it wont even touch the sides.Galloway praised both Governments in quickly setting up grants schemes and also banks in providing temporary excess to farmers who have experienced natural disasters.He said 9,000 primary producers across NSW have been effected by floods in the past 12 months.The NSW state government is projecting that the damage could be more than $400 million state-wide.“It will be interesting to see what happens and how we move forward with this” Fear told the Western Plains App.

First house prices dropped in the cities, then in the "lifestyle change" bigger regions and now here – according to a new report by property research firm Corelogic."Since peaking in June 2022, house values across the central west have fallen by -5.3%, taking values just 0.6% higher over the year to January," Corelogic Economist Kaitlyn Ezzy told the Western Plains App."The sharp reduction in borrowing capacity driven by nine consecutive rate rises, coupled with high inflation and low consumer confidence, has put downward pressure on demand, wiping the equivalent of approximately -$32,500 off central west’s median house value".But these reductions are all relative explains Ezzy telling us "It’s important to remember the current decline comes after record-breaking growth over the pandemic period, with values still 45.6% higher than they were at the onset of COVID in March 2020".Many regional markets across the nation are now seeing house prices drop.Twelve of the 25 regional areas across Australia analysed by property data firm Corelogic had a drop in houses prices between November 2022 through to January this year. This is a significant change; 21 of the same 25 had property price increases in the 12 months to October 2022.A home for sale in Gilgandra. Image: Allhomes.com.auCoreLogic Head of Research Eliza Owen said the country’s most popular lifestyle markets had been hardest hit by softer market conditions and rate increases.However, the Central West - which includes western plains towns like Gilgandra, Narromine, Coonabarabran and Condobolin - was not quite so hard hit.There were 4,487 dwelling sales across the Central West from November 2022 through a January - 23.7% lower than the same two months one year ago, and 4.7% below the five year average for the region.Over the past three months, Central West houses in the upper price range values dropped by 3.6%. Lower price range houses increased in value 8.8%. The median house price value in our region is now $579,714. A house for sale in the Central West now sits on the market for average for 54 days compared to 32 days this time last year, and vendors now offer slightly higher discounts off the sale price.Based on sales from the past two months, Gilgandra has a median house value of $179,000 – this declined 2.6% compared the prior 12 month period of sales. While Narromine had a median house value of $293,999, rising 4.4% from the previous year."The current downwards trends seen across the Central West are fairly in line with the declines seen across the border market, with the more expensive capitals and regional markets leading the downturn, before filtering into the more affordable regional markets," Ms Ezzy told the Western Plains App. "The peak-to-trough falls are fairly in line with other more affordable regional NSW house markets, including the Murray(-4.1%), the Capital Region (-7.2%) and the Mid North Coast (-7.6%)". Kaitlyn Ezzy. Image: Corelogic.Looking further afield, NSW’s New England and north west and the Riverina reported gains of 11.5% and 10.1%, respectively.The upmarket coastal and hinterland Richmond-Tweed region in NSW recorded the biggest drop in values in all regional areas Australia wide.“This was the region where values skyrocketed, with houses increasing more than 50% during COVID, taking the median house value to more than $1.1 million. Since then much has changed with borders reopening, outbound travel returning, workers returning to the office not to mention the overlay of nine rate rises. It’s been a swift and significant shift," Ms Owed said

A bush fire that broke out Saturday afternoon 11 February on a property 25km west of Hermidale on the Barrier Highway has been contained, authorities have now confirmed.  “It is all but out now,’ said acting Zone Manager of the North-West Rural Fire Brigade, David Nicholson. “Landowners have been putting grader breaks around it to make it secure so it’s very well contained and is going to stay that way,” he advised.  The blaze burned through 342 hectares of private property, coming perilously close to a farm house.  “It did come close to threatening a farm house and I believe the cause was farming practice; I believe they were raking up sticks,” said Mr Nicholson. With hot, windy days forecasted for Hermidale and surrounds through this week and into the weekend, Mr Nicholson is urging landholders, in particular, to be on high alert.The fireground at Hermidale. IMAGE: North West RFS “Keep an eye on the weather because we are getting some hot windy days towards this weekend so just be careful when using machinery in paddocks to make sure you don’t start a fire,” he said.  “If someone does start a fire, however, ring triple 000 and report it to them immediately.”Ten firefighting units from Nyngan and surrounding brigades were called on to bring the Hermidale fire under control. Mr Nicholson also advised that burning permits will be suspended while ever the fire danger rating is high or above.   

Bob Kelly had some grand plans for sheep farming when he bought 6000 hectares of land north west of Walgett a few years ago, but now he says “the whole property is on the verge of completely stuffed”.Mr Kelly’s holdings are now almost entirely covered in Hudson Pear. He says there are vast areas of his property so filled with the wide, six and seven foot high cactus plants that you can't even walk through it. Almost none of it can be used for grazing.He acknowledges that the cochineal bug will take a few more years to work, but says so far it hasn't made any difference to the weed. Mr Kelly also says any suggestions by Castlereagh Macquarie County Council (CMCC) that he is being supplied with the chemicals needed to kill the plant for free are incorrect.“A few years ago we were given some free chemicals, but it didn’t go far,” he told the Western Plains App. “After that it was all left to us to pay”.Kelly told the Western Plains App he simply cannot afford the quantity of chemicals needed to stop the spread of his plant at his property. “You can spend $1200 per drum which will give you 6000 litres and I can tell you know that will hardly put a dint in it. We just can't afford to get the property properly sprayed”. Cumborah (45 kilometres north-west of Walgett) farmer John 'Slacky' Slack-Smith told the Western Plains App Hudson Pear has also been expanding across his property and he does not believe he can stop it without help from government authorities. He says the CMCC supplied him with around “four gallons” of the chemicals and dye needed to kill the plant about 12 months ago but this was not enough to stop the plant from spreading.“Some of these plants seem to be getting twice as a large in a matter of months, then you get little bits fall off and another one grows and then another one, and then that’s it, game over,” he told the Western Plains App.“I own 5,000 acres and I spend about half my working day fighting Hudson Pear”.Image: NSW GovernmentMr Slack-Smith told the Western Plains App the price of the chemicals was “prohibitive”.“CMCC come out here and tell me I have to spray it, but they don't give me any help or resources to do so," he said."I find it insulting that men who sit in air-conditioned offices can come here and tell me I have to do something about a problem I don't have the resources to deal with, no single farmer or landowner has the resources to deal with because the costs of spraying or removing it are just too high,” Mr Slacky said.Bob Kelly told the Western Plains App there needs to be funded full-time workers who dedicate all their time to spraying the plant not just on council land like CMCC does, but to killing the plant on private property too.Image: NSW GovernmentLast week, we reported that officials had told this publication that landowners are supplied with the chemicals needed to Hudson Pear by Local Land Services (LLS). However, emails obtained by the Western Plains App confirm that they have no free chemicals currently available to landowners and the chemical doesn't appear to have been available for at least a number of months.The response to a landowner request for chemicals by a senior staff member at CMCC dated 22 August 2022 says "That programme that LLS and CMCC were distributing for LLS...This programme ended some time ago, all chemical had been allocated and as far as I know will not be running again. Sorry I cannot assist with this".Meanwhile, John Slacky says he thinks the army should be sent in to help stop the spread of the plant and to do so as a part of 15-20 year plan to completely eradicate it“If someone doesn't do something about it, this plant is going to spread all over NSW”. Cochineal Bug "Not Always Working" The Western Plains App has been told that the spread of the Cochineal Bug had been restricted by the wetter and more humid weather of the past two years as the bug prefers hotter, drier weather to breed.However, Lightning Ridge Opal Reserve Manager Dave Sullivan said that he had inspected the breeding facility set up by the CMCC and that there was simply not enough breeding tubs being used to indicate sufficient breeding was occurring."It's not just that" he said "the problem is how the bug spreads. "If you have one manifestation of Hudson Pear 50 metres away from the next, the bug cant travel that far, so it can only ever be completely effective. That's why landowners need to spray and why need to be given spray because the bug alone is not the answer". Sullivan also alleged he has visited sites such as the shown above where there had been attempts to release the bug, only to find that the bug had died, that no Hudson Pear had in turn being destroyed and that Hudson Pear had actually expanded in some places where the bug had been released. 

After years without adequate public transport, a new bus service is set to grace the streets of Bourke from 27 February. The new pre-booked bus service to support residents moving throughout the town was announced by Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, who said  the bus service would provide an on-demand style transport service for travel within Bourke, to North Bourke, Alice Edwards Village and Bourke Airport. “This is a win for this community that have been seeking better public transport options that is consistent, reliable, affordable and accessible,” said Mr Farraway. “This new on-demand service will ensure that access to local shopping, social activities, important medical appointments, sporting engagements and employment is achievable and affordable for all. “This service can also link with NSW TrainLink coaches to Dubbo, and to Bourke Airport where there’s a three-day-a-week return flight to Dubbo,” he said.  The announcement was well-received by the Bourke community, who have been long crying out for an accessible transport. “Better transport is a necessity due to the harsh contrast of weather conditions all year round, health conditions in the population, the ageing population and distances,” said Bourke Shire Council Mayor Barry Hollman. “Having the opportunity to use a safe, reliable mode of transport at an affordable price will increase participation at social, educational and sporting events by the simple fact those events are more accessible. “This new bus service will have positive outcomes for the residents and community of Bourke,” he said.  Bourke resident Jodie Dickson said it had been eye opening when she moved from the Central Coast 14 months ago to see just how many people in Bourke don’t have cars to get to appointments or pick up supplies. “Bourke is very remote. I work in the local pharmacy and there are services to pick up scripts - but not for everybody. The community here is quite disadvantaged, especially the elderly,” Mrs Dickson said. “There are a lot of people who don’t have a car in Bourke, lots of people ride bikes or walk in the 42-degree heat. So this is a fantastic transport initiative,” she said.  The new bus service will start on Monday 27 February and run from 8.00am to 7.30pm on Monday through to Friday, and 9.00am to 2.00pm on Saturday.  Fares start from only $1.15 for concession card holders and children under 5 travel free when accompanied by a parent or carer. The service is being funded by a $161,720 grant through Transport for NSW’s Transport Access Regional Partnerships (TARP) grant program in response to community feedback. It will run as a 12-month trial until February 2024, with the option of extending the program.  

oads in Narromine severely damaged by continuous rain and then floodings need a significant cash injection to ensure surrounding communities economies don't “falter” according to the town’s mayor.In response to a significant new funding promise by the state Liberal and National Government Mayor Craig Davies told the Western Plains App that many of these roads had been hit repeatedly by water damage they needed to be completely “remade from scratch”.“We have over 1490 kilometres of roads in our region, half of them are bitumen, half are not. Many roads are really just close to ruin” he said “We need betterment schemes right across the shire to ensure these roads can withstand another onslaught of inclement weather”.“The total cost of repairing all the damage to our roads would be somewhere in the order of at least $50 million” he said. Davies was speaking to the Western Plains App in response to the NSW Government’s announcement of $1 billion it said in a statement would be used to “upgrade the roads communities use every day, fast-track freight and rebuild transport infrastructure after disaster”.“This is a state-building initiative that will drive safety and drive productivity, ensuring people and products get where they need to – and that when disaster strikes, communities and supply chains remain connected,” Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole. Late last month the Western Plains App reported on how a recent NRMA report showed Coonamble, Walgett, Bourke and Brewarrina all had significant road infrastructure backlogs after years of funding shortfall prior to the floods.The NRMA's "Fix Our Broken Roads: NSW Infrastructure" report also said Gilgandra and Narromine shires have serious infrastructure backlogs A spokesperson from the NRMA told the Western Plains App the total infrastructure funding shortfall was $1.9 billion before the floods and they are currently in the process of calculating what the new figure would be. The spokesperson told the Western Plains App the shortfall would be now be over $2 billion Mayor of Gilgandra Shire, Doug Batten told the Western Plains App the total cost of fixing road damage from the floods in his region "was between eight and 20 million dollars".There's potholes and there's potholes... This road in the Coonamble Shire is among many needing more than a patch. IMAGE: Coonamble TimesThe Government have said if re-elected they will fund:A $400 million injection for Fixing Local Roads to help regional councils continue their work to repair, maintain and seal the roads their communities use every day.$300 million for the establishment of a new Fast Tracking Freight program to tackle freight pinch points on the road and rail network, better connect road and rail with key and emerging freight hubs and increase the capacity and reliability of the network.$300 million for a Build Back Better program to invest in more resilient state, regional and local road and transport infrastructure across regional NSW. The NRMA spokesperson told the Western Plains App “Every cent counts, so this is another welcome announcement. "This money is really important to councils for the work they have to do get their roads back to where they need to be after the pummeling they have received”.Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said “Betterment isn’t a last minute thought bubble or cash splash...International studies have shown for every $1 spent on mitigation, you save $10 in recovery”.Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Road Jenny Aitchison told the Western Plains App what she is hearing from the community is they want a fully planned road repair strategy, not the piecemeal approach being offered by the Government.Mayor Craig Davies. Picture: Narromine council.Mayor Davies said he was pleased the government was making significant investment after the “paltry” funding of the Local Roads Pothole Repair Program round that saw $50 million, the amount he says is needed just to fix the roads in his shire, divided between 94 councils“I am actually very thrilled that state and federal governments have committed to increase funding for regional roads” because he said “our economies falter without proper road infrastructure”.However he added that roads in metropolitan Sydney, particularly western Sydney still received a disproportionate amount of state road funding given they had not grapple with flood damage or ongoing infrastructure like many rural areas across the state.  

The stars have aligned for the Warren Chamber Music Festival who are thrilled to announce Katie Noonan and the Australian Vocal Ensemble will present "Tumbling Like Stars' at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Church in Warren on 23 March.    Following on from a successful 2022 with performances in the community, the festival's Artistic Director Francis Evans is excited to roll out the 2023 program, and is really thrilled to have successfully booked world renowned vocalist Katie Noonan and the Australian Vocal Ensemble for the region.   "Our organisation’s mission is to facilitate world-class concerts to the hardworking, curious, interested, and creative people of the Warren Shire and the wider region,” said Mrs. Evans.   “We believe our events deliver spectacular and unique experiences to audiences by creating an atmosphere which fosters inspiration and education."   A highlight of the visit will be a choral workshop for the community choir and a performance.  With over twenty years of experience and a five-time Aria award-winning artist Katie Noonan has more than proven herself as a top shelf performer.She is described as one of Australia’s most hardworking, versatile and prolific artists, not to mention being named one of the greatest Australian singers of all time by the Herald Sun.   Katie has produced 21 albums with platinum record sales seven times and 28 Aria award nominations, no mean feat.  ABOVE: Katie Noonan  In 2002 Katie first came to the nation’s attention as frontwoman of Indie Rock Band 'George'. The debut album made number one in the Aria Charts and ultimately won the ARIA award for breakthrough Album that year.   Katie has performed by invitation for members of the British and Danish Royal families, and His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama. Taking on the role of music director for the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games in 2018, performing to more than a billion viewers worldwide.   The daughter of a journalist and an opera singer her list of credits is endless, and she is well known for her collaborations not only with musicians, but writers, poets, and dancers.   In 2021, Katie was voted in the Top 50 Jazz Artists of all time by ABC Classic Voters and was the Only Australian woman in the ARIA Top Ten Jazz & Blues albums of 2021, also winning the 2021 AIR Best Independent Jazz Album for her 20th Studio album ‘The Sweetest Taboo’.  Katie’s recent creation is AVÉ (Australian Vocal Ensemble), a world class vocal quartet combining herself and three of Australia’s finest vocalists and internationally renowned artists — Tenor Andrew Goodwin (Sydney), Mezzo-Soprano Fiona Campbell (Perth) and Bass Baritone Andrew O’Connor ( Sydney). AVÉ is an elite chamber ensemble of International excellence, but also one that is warm and welcoming to all.  'The human voice is used to tell the stories of our time and place, and Australian Vocal Ensemble seeks to encourage our audiences to use their voice.'  AVÉ are embarking on recording their debut album and their first national tour this year. They have already commissioned more than 40 new works from Australian composers and continue to champion Australian stories and sounds whilst engaging with First Nation artists and language. Their new album ‘Tumbling like Stars’ features 12 settings of the words of poet laureate David Malouf.   The Warren community is passionate about their music and launched a community choir on Thursday 2 February welcoming adult singers from 16 years onwards. Their aim? To enjoy singing, friendship, and performance opportunities!   On Sunday 5 March the community will hold an art exhibition entitled 'ARTSONG' - an art exhibition celebrating regional artists. Musicians and artists exploring shared practise by expressing visuals and sounds which create meaning for themselves and others.  "This will be a lovely event", according to Director Mrs. Evans, "Shared grazing platters will be circulating, drinks available for purchase from the bar and a stunning selection of chamber music will be performed."  To top off the calendar the group will also headline act the Goldner String Quartet at their major biannual Festival later in the year.  "We are so looking forward to these events in our community in 2023," said Mrs. Evans. 

Homicide Squad detectives are continuing investigations into the suspicious death of a man on a property near Nyngan last month.Police and emergency services were called to a home on Gilgai Road, Miandetta, about 25km from Nyngan, after concerns were raised for the welfare of the resident.At about 7.45am on Wednesday 25 January 2023 officers from Central North Police District attended and located the body of a man inside the property.He has since been formally identified as 59-year-old Joel Carter.A crime scene was established and has since been examined by specialist forensic officers.A post-mortem examination determined Mr Carter died from significant head trauma.Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad, assisted by the Central North Police District, have established Strike Force Namadgi to investigate the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.As investigations continue, strike force detectives are appealing for members of the community who have information which may assist with their ongoing inquiries to come forward.Anyone with information that may assist Strike Force Namadgi investigators 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.PLEASE NOTE: At the family’s request, NSW Police Media will not be providing an image of the man

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate Andrew DOOLAN wanted on an outstanding warrant for an alleged break and enter and stealing offence. Andrew, aged 26, is wanted by virtue of an outstanding warrant. Andrew is described as being 180cm tall, thin build with brown hair.Andrew is known to frequent the Bourke, Dubbo and Walgett areas.As police continue to conduct inquiries into Andrew’s whereabouts, they are urging anyone who may have information to contact Bourke Police Station on 68700899 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information is treated in strict confidence.The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

In July 2022, NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders announced the state would join a national traceability effort for the movement of sheep and goats in Australia. The impetus for this national biosecurity plan was an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Indonesia and was followed with a $20.1 million Federal Government announcement of funding. At that time Victoria was the only state to mandate the use of electronic identification (eID) ear tags in sheep and goats. Now, under the National Livestock Identification System, sheep and farmed goats born after January 1, 2025 will require an eID tag before leaving a property, and from January 1, 2027 all farmed sheep and goats will require an eID tag. According to NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin, 80 per cent of NSW sheep and goat producers were not using eID at present, meaning there would need to be significant state and federal financial assistance to assist in the transition. Mr Martin said that sum the government had promised was nowhere near enough as it had to be shared between all states and territories. “There will potentially be less than $10 million from the Commonwealth to support NSW producers, and Commonwealth funds are dependent on a NSW Government co-contribute, so our state will also need to make a substantial investment,” Mr Martin said. “Farmers are rightly becoming increasingly concerned about the costs associated with implementing eID for sheep and goats, following Minister Saunders’ mandating of the traceability system last year,” Mr Martin said. “While the NSW Government’s timeline is public, it remains unknown what financial support will be made available to farmers so they can implement eID as they are now required to do. “We asked farmers how much this will cost them and what training, education and support they need, and it’s clear both levels of government will need to open their wallets.” Farmer Billy Porter of Carinda said he has run Merino sheep all his life but the introduction of compulsory eID tags is one reason he may look to sell them. With a current holding of 2400 sheep, the costs to adhere to the eID timeline will be an issue.  "At the moment a tag costs around 40 cents," Mr Porter said. "The new tags will cost over $4 each, not to mention the extra gear required. It adds up to quite a big cost." Mr Porter is sceptical of the scheme as when he had cattle with eID's, he was aware of many being "lost through the system"."Its not foolproof," he said. "With sheep, they get in among the trees and will lose the tags a lot more easily than cattle do. I'm not computer orientated and it will be hard to adjust to." Mr Porter said most farmers he knows are not happy with the compulsory tagging requirements."I'm against it," he said. "I think most people are. It's going to be a huge headache."Mr Porter said the difficult in finding shearers was also a big industry issue."We can't find them anywhere, " he said. "Between that and the tags, I'm considering getting rid of my sheep." Non electronic ID tags will be a thing of the past for sheep by January 2025.   

Recycling is a "lost opportunity" across our region with a service only being conducted in some parts of the region according to the Alliance of Western Councils.As a new parliamentary review pushes for new recycling innovation across the state and government investment in the sector continues to escalate, local councils are left wondering what options will be available to smaller more remote communities."Recycling is only partially in place in some places," a spokesperson for the Alliance of Western Councils told the Western Plains App."Kerb-side collection is only in Cobar at present. The problem as it stands it that it is not commercially viable to recycle most material because of the costs of taking it down to the eastern seaboard". Picture: NSW Government. The spokesperson person said that there needed to some fresh-thinking in the way we recycle. It is hoped innovation in recycling and reuse will be fast-tracked as the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has supported all 22 recommendations made in an independent review of the current resource recovery framework. The review, led by former Victorian EPA head Dr Cathy Wilkinson found that the “The EPA should seek to work with relevant agencies across government to develop a resource recovery innovation pathway to support the development, demonstration and assessment of new and innovative technology and processes”.  It further suggested that “This could include consideration of approaches across the environment protection and environmental planning legislation”. Wilkinson’s report tasked The EPA with investigating a pathway to enable an “end-of-waste” outcome for suitable common, low risk recovered materials.  While also recommending “A scientific expert external to the EPA should review and provide advice on the NSW approach to management of asbestos contaminants in waste and recovered materials”. The report said that more needed to be done to ensure a circular economy - an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way NSW EPA CEO Tony Chappel welcomed the recommendations. “Our industry should have access to the best technologies and systems to drive circularity and best practice waste management and we will work with other government agencies to find pathways to do this" he said. “In 2020-21, more than 22 million tonnes of waste was generated in NSW and about two-thirds of this was recovered or recycled within the state – while we are making progress there is more work to do and we’re supporting industry to be trail blazers." Chappel also specifically said the EPA was investigating a pathway to enable an "end of waste" outcome for suitable common, low-risk recovered materials. Stakeholders Criticise Current Framework A large number of submissions to the inquiry said that the current framework is holding back the ability of NSW to shift to this circular economy. Stakeholders said there was a problem with the definition of waste and in particular there needed to be an emphasis on resources. The spokesperson for the Alliance of Western Councils said that councils in the region could only really start to look at shift towards recycling if it was seen as commercially viable or if subsidies were provided to counter the transportation costs.

After having their floodplain harvesting regulations disallowed by parliament four times, the NSW Government has once again introduced regulations to legalise and licence floodplain harvesting this month.The Nature Conservation Council claims that these regulations will “choke the floodplains of NSW Murray-Darling Basin, diverting environmentally critical flood waters and rainfall runoff into private dams”.But the regulations have the support of the NSW Irrigators Council.The regulations would legalise the floodplain harvesting irrigation already occurring throughout the Western Plains. There are divided opinions on whether the current floodplain harvesting is legal and whether or not allowing floodplain harvesting would be in breach of existing water laws. The Government had previously attempted to bring in almost identical regulations with its amendments to the Water Management (General) Regulation 2018 in 2020, 2021 and 2022 but all were disallowed by parliament’s Upper House – in particular by the Labor and the Greens.Kevin Anderson Image: NSW ParliamentIn a statement to the Western Plains App state Minister for Lands and Water and Nationals MP Kevin Andersen said “When it comes to managing water in NSW my view is healthy rivers, healthy farms and healthy communities."The NSW Government remains committed to implementing vital floodplain harvesting reform so we can meet our legislative obligations, strengthen protections for the environment and downstream communities and provide clarity for all water users and the regulator”.However, Nature Conservation Council (NCC) Chief Executive Officer Jacqui Mumford says these regulations will mean more water not less is used for floodplain harvesting.“It’s clear that the Perrottet Government is under the spell of big corporate irrigators. Why else would it ignore the fact that this disastrous regulation has been disallowed in the Upper House more than any other piece of legislation?”Mumford described the newly gazetted ruled as “legislating obscenely generous rules” for irrigators that were “locking in the rapid downward spiral of the iconic Darling-Baaka River and our internationally recognised wetlands.“These rules allow accounts to accrue to 500% of the licence volumes. The approach is completely unsustainable."Like the NCC, the Labor opposition say they also support floodplain harvest licencing - just not the Governments model.Image: Justin Field MLC.“The way the NSW Government has gone about licensing floodplain harvesting just has not been fair, ” Rose Jackson, Shadow Minister for Water, Housing and Homelessness told the Western Plains App.“This plan leads too many towns at risk of simply not having water for their towns and for the environment”.Jackson said the Government’s targets for returning water to lakes and rivers was simply too low.Minister Andersen refuted these claims.“Licencing floodplain harvesting will benefit water users, downstream communities, and the environment, with up to 100 billion litres of water to be returned to the floodplains in the northern river valleys each year," he said.Claire Miller CEO from the NSW irrigators council told the Western Plains App that “claims that regulation gifts more water to irrigators are just wrong." "Farmers have already been using this water with unlimited access. Regulation means they lose up to a third of their current access.” Miller reiterated the Government’s figure saying the Government's plans would see “100 billion litres per year” returned to floodplains, rivers and creeks.Greens MP Cate Faehrmann says introducing the regulations so close to an election, after four previous disallowances, "shows complete and utter contempt for the voters of NSW".“The National Party has effectively hamstrung the will of the parliament by introducing these regulations now knowing that we will have no opportunity to vote on them until well after the election," she said. “After each disallowance, I've called on the Water Minister to sit down and negotiate with the community instead of trying to shove the same laws down their throats again, but each time he’s done exactly that.  “We all want to see floodplain harvesting licensed, metered and measured, but it needs to be ecologically sustainable and within existing legal limits,” Cate Faehrmann said.