Plus brewery blues and bright ideas. Welcome to Galah Weekly, our newsy newsletter keeping you up to date with regional headlines that matter, plus other delightful things from life beyond the city. By Anna Rogan, who is delighted that Galah Weekly has been shortlisted for Newsletter of the Year.
An impressive number of guns – close to 20,000 – have been voluntarily surrendered at WA police stations since the state government’s gun buy-back program launched in March. So far, 1852 handguns, 4825 shotguns and 12,753 rifles have been surrendered. Licensed gun owners have until the end of this month to cash-in, with up to $1000 for each firearm on offer.
Wait, remind me why the WA government is buying back guns? The state is rolling out a raft of gun law reforms to reduce the number of unnecessary firearms in the interests of public safety. As well as buying back guns, the WA government has rewritten its 50-year-old Firearms Act to give the state the toughest gun laws in the country.
Notable reforms include mandatory health assessments for gun owners, compulsory training for prospective licence holders, and the removal of firearms from gun owners who are the subject of family and domestic violence complaints. WA will also become the only state in Australia to limit the number of firearms an individual can own.
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A promised ban on new fracking projects in Qld's Channel Country, first introduced in 2014, has become official. The ban on new gas exploration in the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin came into effect this month. The ban applies to "petroleum resource activity" and ensures no new unconventional gas and oil extraction – known as fracking – can be developed. The move has been welcomed by traditional owners and farmers, while the energy industry says it threatens future gas supply.
More than 15,000 red fire ant infestations have been detected across southern Qld in the past year, according to new data released by Fire Ant Eradication. The figures have prompted renewed calls to suppress and eradicate the pest.
Elsewhere in Qld’s war against invasive ants, communities are finding new ways to tackle the rise of the yellow crazy ant, including using emerging technology such as purpose-built drones and DNA analysis.
Meanwhile, biosecurity experts are concerned about the risk posed by the “nearly impossible to monitor” northern Australian biosecurity border. They say Australia’s biosecurity threat levels will increase with the migration of wild birds in spring and authorities are urging people to report any sick animals they encounter.
Australia’s largest Indigenous gathering and high-level political discussion place, the Garma Festival, was held in remote north-east Arnhem Land last weekend. It was the first festival since the Voice referendum and with the latest Closing the Gap data showing just five of 19 targets are on track for 2031, there was plenty to discuss.
The agenda included Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s election commitment to set up a Truth and Justice Commission, known as Makarrata. At Garma it appeared that the PM was backing away from Makarrata. But the newly appointed Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, has since confirmed that the federal government would hold firm on its commitment.
Meanwhile, NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy used his speech at Garma to apologise to the Indigenous people of his jurisdiction and condemn the past policies of removing Indigenous children from their families. “Removals caused intergenerational trauma, loss of language, loss of cultural knowledge, loss of connections to land and waters, and loss of authority structures. These impacts play a critical role in what causes disengagement, antisocial behaviour, offending and violence today,” he said.
Billson's Brewery in the Victorian town of Beechworth, maker of the popular Portello soft drink, has been placed in voluntary administration. Its owners cited "mistakes" relating to systems and processes in the business. "The brewery has stood proud for over 150 years and has undoubtedly faced many other perilous times," the owners wrote in a statement. "We will do everything possible to work through this so Billson’s can emerge more resilient as a business and ready to take on another century." The historic Billson’s Brewery will remain open to the public for now, and the supply of Billson's drinks to bottle shops and pubs across the country will continue.
Galahs on the ground had a lot to say about daylight saving this week after we called for opinions. Some called it “unnatural and idiotic”; others waxed lyrical, saying it’s a “joy and saviour of mental health and wellbeing”. Lots of people, among them golfers, gardeners and city dwellers, said they didn’t like getting up in the dark but most agreed the extra sun in the evenings was quite nice.
As we continue to debate the merits of trading an hour of sun in the morning for an hour at night, spare a thought for people who live with precious little sunshine year-round. The clever residents of the Norwegian town of Rjukan have come up with a literal bright idea to lift their spirits. Located in a valley overshadowed by mountains, they spend six months of the year in darkness. In 2013 they built a series of giant mirrors that reflect sunlight directly into the town’s main square.
Your newsy newsletter, Galah Weekly, has been shortlisted as a finalist for Newsletter of the Year in the Mumbrella Publish Awards. It has been named alongside newsletters from the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and Galah team favourite The Squiz. It’s a genuine pleasure to bring you this newsletter each week and to work alongside Helen, Lyndsie, Annabelle, Katie, Michelle, and Emma to do so. Teamwork makes the dream work.
Galahs in and around Byron Bay today can catch editor-in-chief Annabelle Hickson at Byron Writers Festival. She’s chairing the “voices of regional Australia” panel featuring journalist and author Madelaine Dickie and musician and memoirist Jim Moginie. Find them in the Lilly Pilly marquee at 3.15pm.
Jeremy Valentine and partner Grant Francis have created an eclectic garden around an old stone house and once dilapidated dairy-farm buildings in the harsh climes north of Daylesford, in central Victoria. Their 10-year garden restoration has seen them encounter all manner of trials and tribulations. Valentine is heading interstate to join friend and fellow gardener Mickey Robertson and guests at a special event at Robertson’s Glenmore House at Glenmore, NSW. Hear about Valentine’s garden journey and join a long lunch on Friday 27 September. Read more.
Calling amateur sewers. As part of Sydney Craft Week, artist Julie Paterson is inviting anyone and everyone to contribute to a collaborative artwork in memory of the mass fish kills on the Baaka-Darling River. The Menindee Memorial Loop is a long swathe of fabric covered in thousands of tiny crosses hand-stitched by people in the community, each one representing a fish killed when too much water is taken from the river system. Paterson says the artwork is about creating hope and shows how small acts can create larger change. The completed loop will be displayed as part of The River, Our Mother (Baaka Ngamaka'Inana) exhibit at Gallery 76 in Sydney on 31 August-21 October. Read more.
At $100,000, this annual acquisitive prize for Australian landscape art is said to be the richest in the world. Selected from 35 finalists, 28-year-old Tasmanian artist Zoe Grey won this year’s prize for The Shape of Rock. It draws on the rugged landscape of Marrawah, a remote coastal community on the island’s north-west edge, where Grey grew up. The prize is presented by Hadley’s Orient Hotel in Hobart, where all finalist works will be shown until 25 August. Read more.
Interview by Emma Hearnes.
WA roots artist Alexia Parenzee is known for her soulful and captivating sound. It’s a big year for the Mid-West artist. Her debut EP, Retrospect, is playing on your radio now, plus she embarks on a debut tour later this month, including a performance at Blues at Bridgetown in November.
What's the best part of touring?
I absolutely love being able to explore regional WA as part of this tour. There is something so special about regional communities. We’ve been blown away by how warm, generous and down-to-earth the people are. Everyone we’ve met has been up for a chat and keen to connect. Country hospitality is next level.
What music is on rotation in the tour van?
I often play recommendations from my partner. He’s a bass player and music buff, so there are some whacky ones, from Jaco Pastorius bass solos, ZZ Top’s iconic album Tejas, and anything from Tom Misch or Emma Donovan & The Putbacks.
What was your process for writing Blue, the single that appears on your new album?
Blue is a song about feeling connected to where you live and finding peace in where you are right now. It took a few months to write – I was processing my life and coming to terms with feeling settled where I live. Having moved a lot as a young person, living in four countries before I turned 21, feeling grounded is really important to me.
In WA’s Mid-West region (my home), we’re lucky to enjoy amazing turquoise waters and rich, red earth. This visual really inspired the track to take flight and, if you listen closely, you can hear and even feel this imagery in the song.
Editor’s note: Blue is a semifinalist in Listen Up Music’s 2024 Australian Songwriting Prize.
The regional Victorian town of Camperdown, population 3000, sits 19th in the Paris Olympics medal tally, with more medals than entire countries. Two locals have triumphed: Grace Brown won gold in the women’s cycling time trial; and Penny Smith won bronze in the women’s trap shooting.
Camperdown’s impressive athletic record extends beyond the current Olympics. The town, 190km west of Melbourne, can also claim former Olympians Clyde Sefton, Kevin Bradshaw and Bill Roycroft; AFL stars Sam Welsh, Easton Wood and Scott Lucas; and current AFL coach Ken Hinkley.
In other Olympic news, a Galah favourite – 14-year-old Cairns skateboarder Arisa Trew – became the youngest Australian to win an Olympic gold medal. “Everybody who's watching, I hope they get inspired by everyone who skated today and who skates tomorrow and just like, want them to try skateboarding and try something new and just have a challenge,” said Trew.
We’d love to hear about the news, events and people that should be making the headlines in the Galah Weekly newsy. Share what’s new(s) in your neck of the woods with us at newsie@galahpress.com
