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By Nasik Swami: Many essential service providers, including the government, are “abandoning” rural towns like Naracoorte in South Australia. Many regional towns in the South East are losing—or have already lost—essential services such as banking, postal, Medicare, Centrelink, resident health specialists, TAFE and other tertiary education providers, telecommunications, along with many others. And now, it’s the face-to-face police services. Many providers are operating on reduced hours or have gone completely online. With connectivity and reliable internet service being a big challenge both in regional towns and throughout rural areas, many people, including seniors and those without reliable phone and internet, have no alternative to face-to-face service. As a result, many of our citizens are being referred to metropolitan centres to access these critical services requiring round trips of two to eight hours of travel. But what is the reason for this “pandemic”? Why are our regional towns becoming unattractive, and […]

In a Galilee far, far away…. The Sunrise Christian School Naracoorte held its 2024 Christmas musical at the Town Hall last week. The musical, an interplanetary exploration to discover the Glory of God throughout the universe, and beyond, focused on showcasing the true meaning of Christmas.

By Nasik Swami: Country towns like Naracoorte are facing “postcode discrimination” when it comes to accessing mental health services and resources. That’s the view of SA Shadow Minister for Regional Health Services, Penny Pratt, who has attacked the State government for turning a blind eye to the Limestone Coast region and failing to understand the plight of families in need of mental health services. In an interview with The News, Ms Pratt referenced a damning report into rural mental health services in South Australia. It revealed that when it comes to getting access to a regional psychologist, we were worse off than people in Mongolia. And this is not stopping there, she claimed. Ms Pratt said the devastating effects of drought, crippling power prices, cost of living pressures, unreliable internet services, and increased health costs for visiting a GP or a specialist were continuously mounting emotional pressures on many families […]

By Nasik Swami: Twenty-seven years and 2.2 million boxes later, Sharon Drabsch has called it a day. Shaz, as her colleagues call her, ends her 27-year career as a box maker at the MiniJumbuk in Naracoorte at the end of this month. The 46-year-old with special abilities is not only a box maker but also a beacon of hope to those with special needs in the community. “I did it. You can do it—just go for it,” she shared, smiling during an interview with The News. Shaz’s contribution to the wool industry has been labelled as “remarkable” by her colleagues. A rough estimate by MiniJumbuk on the number of boxes Shaz had made over her 27 years at the factory averages 78,000 per year, around the 2.2 million mark over 27 years. “Each box has three passes of tape to construct, this equates to 6.6 million passes, and at an […]

By Nasik Swami: Is it necessary for our local councils to exclude the public from meetings under the confidentiality provisions, and what impact is this having on transparency? Recently, The News has observed how councils interpret the confidentiality provisions of the Local Government Act 1999 (SA) (LG Act). On occasions, some councils have listed about three matters in their public agenda under a heading “Confidential Items” or “Matters the CEO Recommends be Considered in Confidence”. This newspaper questioned Naracoorte Lucindale Council mayor, Patrick Ross, and the Minister for Local Government, Joe Szakacs, if going into confidence was a “fair and transparent process” and what message this sends to the ratepayers who attend these public meetings. Mr Ross said the question of going into confidence on various matters was always on his mind. He said the Act (LG Act) was clear and gave clear advice on the issue, and the CEO, […]

By Nasik Swami: “I will be doing things differently because I am different.” That’s the words of Cr Abigail Goodman, the Naracoorte Lucindale Council’s newly elected deputy mayor. Cr Goodman was elected to the position last week at the council’s November 26 meeting. She takes over the role from Cr Monique Crossling, who held the position for the last two years. Cr Crossling was elected as presiding member of the council’s Strategic Assets and Planning (SAP) committee, taking over from Cr Damien Ross. Cr Goodman and Cr Crossling were both nominated for the role of deputy mayor, and Cr Goodman was elected 6 votes to 4 votes in a show of hands. She will serve in the role for the remainder of this council’s term—another two years. In an interview with The News, Cr Goodman acknowledged the work Cr Crossling had done during her term as deputy mayor. “I acknowledge […]

By Nasik Swami: Lucindale hosted a Twenty20 cricket match at the Cricket Club in honour of police officer, Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig on November 17. Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig was killed in the line of duty at Senior, outside Bordertown last year. According to SAPOL, the club hosted the event, beginning with a brief ceremony acknowledging Jason’s service, sacrifice and his deep connection to the Lucindale community. This was followed by an address from Inspector William Humphris, on behalf of the Limestone Coast Local Service Area, and a presentation by Cops for Kids charity of the inaugural Jason Doig community scholarship grant, SAPOL said in a statement. Following the presentations, both sides competed in a Twenty20 format cricket match. The event was attended and well-supported by the local community, police and members of Jason’s family. The Lucindale Cricket Club came away with the win and were awarded the Memorial Shield, […]