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CELEBRATED Mildura artist and Aboriginal historian Maree Clarke delivered the keynote address to the European Museums of World Culture forum in Stockholm, Sweden, last week. The talk, based on her visionary research, collecting and subsequent art shows around the world, … Continue reading →

SHE may be living in Buronga now, but Rosie Jardine is truly a citizen of the world. Born in America, raised in Australia, she has travelled to many of the ‘suburbs’ of our global village, including some very out-of-the-way places. … Continue reading →

THE Irymple Rotary Club will host its annual fund-raising event on Saturday, February 18, with the night to take on a Las Vegas theme. Mildura residents are encouraged to dress up in their best and most outrageous Vegas-themed outfits for … Continue reading →

By VINNIE RODI THE Mildura Lifesaving Club is on a mission to recruit more volunteers, with the call going out to all those interested in becoming lifesavers to “join up.” In a rebuilding phase following last year’s widespread flooding – … Continue reading →

MILDURA one day, Melbourne the next, then a visit to Papua Guinea…there’s no set itinerary for Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler…the world is his playground. But because of his background, and travel business success, people sit up and take notice … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE GROWING up on a fruit block on the NSW side of Sunraysia, Jodie Alderton admits she spent more time with the farm animals than she did with humans. She would sit for hours in a world of … Continue reading →

THE Mallee Accommodation Support Program’s successful Kokoda Youth Mentoring Program will enter another year in 2012, with the call going out this week for interested mentors to register their interest. This year will mark the sixth time the program has … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE WELL, it would have to be a fair sort of an outback trip…and priced to suit…after all, as big Laurie Kalms indicates in his advertising, accommodation is at the pub he owned for years, trips are now … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE A 22-year-old guitar-playing English psychologist with a love of travel is Miss Sunraysia Backpacker, 2012. Bournemouth-born Chloe Ellen won the title against a quality field of striking young internationals at the inaugural competition organised by the Setts … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE SPECIALIST medical teams at the Royal Melbourne Hospital tried day after day, without success, to rouse Mildura’s Leon Brackenridge from an induced coma. Flown by air ambulance from Mildura to Melbourne, followed by a helicopter airlift to … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE WHEN Queensland-born David Gofton was 17, and about to enter university to study psychology, a close mate died, and David started hearing voices. It seemed to him that his dead friend’s spirit had come to him, asking … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD I CAN’T recall ever having met two more passionate people. Jurgen and Rosi Lenz’s admiration for cacti, and succulents too for that matter, would be hard to better… and so too would be their passion for life. … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE WHEN Briony Lynch left Australia late last year for a six-week Lions youth exchange trip to the United States, it was well into our summer, and the mercury was hovering between 30-40 degrees. Less than a day … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE MILDURA technology consultant Lane Appleby, 22, celebrated the end of a self-imposed alcohol-free month of October with a quick beer at the Gateway Hotel on Melbourne Cup Day…and is about $20,000 better off as a result. Lane … Continue reading →

THE best of the best of Sunraysia’s premier wines don’t even rate a mention among leading wines in the 2012 edition of the Age-Sydney Morning Herald Good Wine Guide. Wine writer Nick Stock, described in a public relations blurb as … Continue reading →

AUSTRALIAN-born film-maker and author Alison Thompson was working in New York when two of the four planes hijacked by terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre. She was one of the first volunteers at the scene, arriving … Continue reading →

IT’S been 23 years since Kyrstie Barcak left Mildura, but she has kept in touch with family and friends as often as possible, by way of return trips home, regular phone contact, text messages – and the social media phenomena … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE ALI Oguzkaya was 18, and a recently-arrived Turkish immigrant working on the Sunraysia fruit block of two brothers, Charlie and Tony Tabag, when he was introduced to their 13-year-old sister Ferah. For Ali, it was love at … Continue reading →

By VINNIE RODI YOU can’t help but develop a liking for Coomealla resident Les Collingburn. An optimistic man by nature, Les, 64, is determined to live life to the fullest despite battling a debilitating condition. Well-known for his warm and … Continue reading →

CHRISTMAS represents many things for many different people. For some it’s a time for religion and prayer, while for others it’s all about good food, good wine and good company. Christmas is also an opportunity to give something back to … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE BEING diagnosed with breast cancer – followed by five years of intensive chemotherapy treatment – sent a lot of thoughts and mixed emotions running through the mind of Mildura mother of two Lesley Battle, 61. With hubby … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD HER stark white paint stands out a treat from the greens, greys, blues and browns of Wentworth’s riverine environs, but at the same time she fits in wonderfully well. Sunraysia’s newest commercial river cruiser – the Wentworth … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD YOU can’t miss it. It’s bright orange, has a wicked set of mag wheels and could be described as the ‘sweetest set of wheels in town!’ Mildura Chocolate Company’s new, state-of-the-art mobile retail outlet has provoked plenty … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD CHRISTMAS is a time to celebrate all that is good in our lives, and to spare a thought for those less fortunate than ourselves. It is a time of love and giving, of peace and family, and … Continue reading →

By DANNY O’NEILL I HAD discovered that Bill Golding, one of the more popular teachers at Mildura High School when I was a student there in the early 1960s, was living in Portland. I was looking forward to catching up … Continue reading →

By SUE POOLE SOME people coast through life, waiting for that elusive event that they imagine will come their way and change their lives forever. But Mildura’s Nicola Moras isn’t one of them. Nicola is one of those people who … Continue reading →

By BEN PISCIONERI MADEC staff are embracing the Christmas spirit in a special way this year in support of families affected by a rare congenital condition. Jacqui Boeder and her husband went through every new parents’ worst nightmare at the … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE AFTER a near lifetime of work in the fields of education, municipal service, water board, city planning and regional development, former Robinvale, Red Cliffs and Mildura resident Eddie Warhurst could be excused for sitting back and taking … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD KEEN Irymple gardener Eric Sutton had no way of knowing his recent open garden  would be so spectacularly successful. Staged as a fund-raiser for Sunraysia Cancer Resources – guiding people with cancer, their carers and family to … Continue reading →

Alan Erskine continues the Fishers success story THERE are some in the community who might think the Fishers supermarket chain is a ‘rags to riches’ story. But it’s far from that, as Part One of our Fishers Centenary Special revealed … Continue reading →

BLOOD is sacred in the Turkish faith…a lot of it has been spilled throughout the country’s rich history…and that was behind a decision last week by Sunraysia’s Turkish community to donate blood as another unique way of celebrating Turkish Independence … Continue reading →

FORMER Sunraysia journalist and 2011 Walkley Awards nominee Ben Knight will share his experiences working as a foreign correspondent in the war-torn Middle East at Mallee Family Care’s annual general meeting later this month. Ben, who started his career with … Continue reading →

By BEN PISCIONERI Forty-five Australian Workers Union members employed by Sunbeam Foods’ processing arm took industrial action for the second time in four days this week, stopping work for four hours on Tuesday. The first stop-work action took place last … Continue reading →

By VINNIE RODI FORMER Red Cliffs resident, and current Australian volleyball representative and Australian Institute of Sport athlete, Brad Mason, still can’t believe his luck. An 18-year-old with a huge future in his chosen sport, Brad experienced one of the … Continue reading →

SUPPORT is growing for a Sunraysia multi-cultural festival being planned by Nichols Point Cricket Club for early next year. The celebrations, under the banner ‘A Day on The Islands,’ will have special significance for some of our newest residents, the … Continue reading →

THE Pilot Car driven by Mildura’s Justin Briers was leading the road convoy of police and semi-trailers with its 125-tonne load on the Stuart Highway outside Port Augusta in South Australia when the car towing a trailer approached. The convoy … Continue reading →

By Alan Erskine THE Mildura Weekly will celebrate its first five years in the publishing business next month,  coinciding with a move this week to bigger, better and more high-profile premises. We’ve come a long way since that very first … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD THAT’S the great thing about art, you can literally find it anywhere. Unlike the days of old, it is no longer hidden away… in a private collection or stuffy gallery. In fact, art can now be found … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE ONE of Frank Turton’s two kids told his Dad one day that when he left school, he intended going on to university to study psychology. When Frank asked him why, his son replied; “Dad, I just want … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD THEY take support for breast cancer awareness and research seriously out Dareton way, and the evidence of that will have motorists doing a double-take! They take it so seriously that the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club is now … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE AT LAST…a dining table that doesn’t wobble! Mildura’s Kim Law has introduced the latest concept in self-levelling table legs to Sunraysia restaurants and cafes, after trialling the patented concept at the Coffee Town Cafe, commonly known as … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD KEEN Mildura naturalist Roger Lonsdale can’t remember when the Murray Sunset National Park looked so good. Certainly not during the past decade, he says. The bushland in the park is alive with activity and growth at the … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE MATURE-AGE Mildura people are taking to the high seas for the holiday of a life-time, taking advantage of some spectacular off-peak bargains to set sail on some of the most luxurious cruise ships in the world. And … Continue reading →

By BEN PISCIONERI THIS week’s closure of mouse-baiting stations in Victoria and New South Wales couldn’t have come at a worse time for Mallee grain farmers. The stations were closed by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority after they … Continue reading →

By BEN PISCIONERI V8 Supercar star Craig Lowndes was in Mildura this week finalising preparations for his Australasian Safari defence later this month. Lowndes, who is better known for his exploits on bitumen with three V8 Supercar championships and five … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE THE tall teenager stares right into the camera, unsmiling…a little nervous if anything, but standing ramrod straight, tall and proud, holding a suitcase filled with his meagre belongings, alongside loved ones who are about to bid him … Continue reading →

COUNTRY folk singer Ted Egan is well known here in Sunraysia. He has visited and performed here many times, most recently for last year’s Mildura Country Music Festival. He had a sister who lived here for many years, and Ted … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD SPRING is here, and for the resilient folk out Cardross way that means the event dubbed the ‘greatest little show in Sunraysia’ is just around the corner. This year’s 10th Cardross Spring Show is being seen as … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE IT was just another near-perfect weekend in the Mildura winter of 1979, and well over 100 police, other emergency service personnel, friends and supporters had turned out for a traditional charity fund-raising Sunraysia police golf day out … Continue reading →

GERMAN-born Klaus Menzel has cycled around Australia, sailed a yacht around the Top End, walked across much of the Australian outback, and completed several Murray and Darling River epics by punt, raft and paddleboat. But the affable 63-year-old self-proclaimed ‘Aussie … Continue reading →

MILDURA’S Wesley Methodist Church is one of the most recognisable buildings along Deakin Avenue, with its striking Romanesque Revival architecture. It also has close ties to Mildura’s history, built by the Methodist Church as a celebration of the city’s 25th … Continue reading →

by BEN PISCIONERI THE head of Australia’s peak dried fruit industry body, Dried Fruits Australia, believes the decision by Mildura’s newest fruit processor to abolish ‘dark’ and ‘light’ fruit quality classifications will suit the industry’s new ‘wonder Sultana’ – the … Continue reading →

By  GRANT MAYNARD THIS is one rare bike. And old too. How rare? Well on a scale of one to 10, one being common, it’s definitely a 10. As for old, well this gem, in all its motoring splendour, rolled … Continue reading →

By ALAN ERSKINE A WORLD War Two Naval de-commissioning pennant from the record-breaking mine-sweeper corvette HMAS Mildura has been handed over to the City of Mildura as a permanent keepsake. The City was also gifted the corvette’s traditional White Ensign, … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD THE smiles on the kids faces said it all. The Variety Club Bash visit  would be recalled as the highlight of their school year. But, if truth be told, it had a similar effect on the ‘bashers’ … Continue reading →

By BEN PISCIONERI NEW laws in Victoria cracking down on restricted dog breeds, including American Pitbulls, aren’t the best solution to prevent dog attacks according to experts in Sunraysia. The laws, which have been described as a knee-jerk reaction by … Continue reading →

By BEN PISCIONERI SUNRAYSIA residents are being asked if there are too many different speed zones on the district’s roads. The Victorian Government announced this week it would call for community input as part of a review of speed limits, … Continue reading →

THE sprightly 81-year-old has a remarkably clear memory, reeling off facts and figures about people, places and events connected to the building industry, Murray River history, outback mining, major sporting events, farming…and a host of other interesting topics from the … Continue reading →

By GRANT MAYNARD Arguably a contender for a top three place on the Mildura Weekly’s unofficial ‘Sunraysia’s favourite family events’ list, this year’s 126th annual Wentworth Show promises another two days of good, old-fashioned country hospitality and entertainment. The show … Continue reading →

By BEN PISCIONERI DESPITE all the bad that happens in the world, every so often something happens to renew your faith in humanity, even if it’s something small. One of those events happened to Sunraysia resident Julie McKenna recently. To … Continue reading →

By BEN PISCIONERI MAYORS from both sides of the Murray River, medical professionals and politicians were on hand for the official opening of Tristar Medical Group’s new Ontario clinic yesterday. Tristar has provided a massive boost to GP numbers since … Continue reading →

FRESH, wholesome Sunraysia-grown fruit and vegetables delivered to your door with a smile. Does it get any better? The couple behind the fledgling Sunraysia Produce home delivery service don’t think so. In fact, they’re banking on it! “We started sourcing … Continue reading →

FISHERS IGA supermarket chain owner Alan Fisher is set to embark on one of the biggest developments in Irymple’s history. Mr Fisher plans to build his latest supermarket, a handful of retail stores and 50 townhouses at the intersection of … Continue reading →

BERNARD the 800 kilogram Bull is probably wondering what all the fuss is about. Since a plea went out from the Birchip Cropping Group earlier this week for someone to rescue the 800 kilogram beast from a small island that’s … Continue reading →

THE flash flood caught them napping… literally, and the morning light revealed the loss of several personal items and their supply of coffee. But that self-same unexpected flood also proved to be a blessing, providing enough water under their canoe … Continue reading →

FIRST came the publication, ‘A Vision Realised’ launched in 1988 to record the history of Underbool, Torrita, Linga and Boinka. Now the Underbool Centenary Book Committee is working on another one, this time to coincide with the 100th anniversary celebrations … Continue reading →