There’s so much to celebrate about life in the Riverina. Catch up on some of 2024’s most popular stories, featuring creative types, adventurers and collectors, heritage and history.
14. Sam Kerr stars in the winner of the 2024 Bald Archy Prize
by Jarryd Rowley
Flippin Kerfection by Judy Nadin catches Sam Kerr in full flight. Photo: Chris Roe.
Flippin Kerfection, a piece by artist Judy Nadin that honours the iconic Sam Kerr celebration, has won the 2024 Bald Archy Prize.
Receiving the $10,000 prize, Nadin said she was over the moon to be named the 2024 winner.
13. The Roxy is ready to raise the curtain and put Leeton’s revamped theatre to the test
by Chris Roe
Volunteers have been working overtime to get the Roxy ready. Photo: Supplied.
The $11 million makeover of Leeton’s iconic 1930 art deco Roxy Theatre has been a long and troubled affair plagued by delays and setbacks, but the revamped facility is on track to open early next year.
Leeton Council has announced a jam-packed program of local productions as part of a soft launch to test the capabilities, facilities, and technical equipment at the Roxy.
12. Sweep success: Frances Terlich wins again in prestigious national photo contest
by Vanessa Hayden
Riverina photographer Frances Terlich’s image Next Generation, which was taken of her son James at her husband’s parents’ woolshed on their Henty farm, Iowna. Photo: Frances Terlich.
A captivating black-and-white photograph of a boy sweeping out a weathered woolshed, taken by Pleasant Hills’ Frances Terlich, has won the top prize at the 2024 People First Bank Photographic Awards.
The 39-year-old photographer, primary school teacher and farmer’s wife said she was surprised and thrilled to receive the Open Category award, which came with $15,000 in prizemoney.
11. ‘Never say never’: former Mr Squiggle presenter reckons kids’ TV is set for a puppet renaissance
by James Coleman
Rebecca Hetherington with Bill Steamshovel, Gus and Mr Squiggle. Photo: National Museum of Australia.
Remember Mr Squiggle? Rebecca Hetherington, the woman who pulled his strings for years, says puppetry is primed to make a comeback in an age of CGI.
10. Departing Griffith radio host on Pauline Hanson, the ABC, doing 500 podcasts and launching career ‘outside a dunny’
by Oliver Jacques
Matt Collins has done almost 500 radio podcasts. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Triple M Riverina MIA breakfast host Matt Collins broke the sad news last week that he’s leaving Griffith, after spicing up morning radio with a mix of breaking crime news, edgy commentary and ultra-local guests and content over the past year.
On his final day, the 44-year-old caught up with Region to explain how he launched his media career from “outside a dunny”, the dark side of the ABC, his surprising revelation on Pauline Hanson, his time in Griffith and his plans.
9. Thredbo’s new Alpine Coaster a Southern Hemisphere first
by Edwina Mason
Construction on the new Alpine Coaster at Thredbo Resort is well underway, with the new attraction set to open this winter. Photo: Thredbo Resort.
Construction is underway for the Southern Hemisphere’s first-ever year-round Alpine Coaster which is set to start operating at Thredbo Resort this winter.
The roller-coaster-style toboggan amusement attraction will wind 1.5 kilometres down through the resort’s alpine and sub-alpine vegetation zones from the top of Lovers Leap to the Valley Terminal precinct.
8. The story behind the Griffith water tank mural and its Mongolian-born artist
by Oliver Jacques
The water tank mural on Griffith’s Scenic Hill is Heesco’s latest creation. Photo: Griffith City Council.
Mongolian-born artist Heesco, 45, has spruced up the Riverina over the past seven years with his large-scale silo and water tank murals.
His latest creation is on the nine megalitre drinking water reservoir on Griffith’s Scenic Hill.
7. Hitting the (Silk) Road: Yoogali man gears up for epic motorbike trek from Italy to Japan via Middle East
by Oliver Jacques
Tommy Caragilo is about to embark on the bike trip of a lifetime. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Given recent world events, you’d be hard-pressed finding anyone in the Riverina planning travel across the Middle East and former Soviet republics.
Except Tommy Caragilo, a 38-year-old Yoogali resident and forklift mechanic, who is set to ride a motorbike from his native Italy through to Japan via countries we’ve been reading about in the news.
6. Luxury river cruising set to arrive in the Riverina with PS Australian Star launching in 2025
by Vanessa Hayden
Construction of the new PS Australian Star is underway and the vessel is expected to be launched on the Murray River in June 2025. Photo: Murray River Paddlesteamers.
Murray River Paddlesteamers will be putting the international spotlight on the Echuca Moama region when it launches its new $6.75 million luxury cruise vessel in June next year.
The PS Australian Star is set to redefine river cruising and will be the largest paddle steamer in the Southern Hemisphere at 35 metres long.
5. Five wonderful waterslides in the Riverina you can visit to beat the summer heat
by Oliver Jacques
Temora’s T-Town Twister waterslide has been a hit since 2020. Photo: Facebook.
Wagga and Griffith have well-equipped pools that are great for lap swimming, but the Riverina’s two biggest cities are waterslide deprived.
But did you know there are five smaller towns in the Riverina that have waterslides? They all operate with different times and costs and restrictions also vary. We’ve provided you with a handy guide of where and when you can go to beat the summer heat.
4. Debut novel by 75-year-old chronicles how banks’ devious scheme crippled farmers in 1980s
by Oliver Jacques
Gary Davis in Griffith promoting his new book. Photos: Oliver Jacques.
A 75-year-old author is touring the Riverina and South Coast to promote his debut novel – Pitt Street Bankers – a fictionalised account of how financial institutions crippled families with a foreign currency loan scheme in the 1980s.
Gary Davis grew up on a farm in Lismore before taking up his first job in the banking sector. He learned the tricks of the trade before becoming a solicitor and helping those who fell victim to sinister financial practices.
3. Feeling cold? You will after seeing these amazing pics from the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail
by Chris Roe
Sean Henry’s Seated Man is frozen in place after a solid snowfall. Photo: Chantelle Bruton.
The recent cold snap across NSW has brought some spectacular scenes to the Snowy Valleys where the Sculpture Trail has taken on a whole new shape.
Tumbarumba photographer Chantelle Bruton was up early to capture the blanket of snow that transformed the Bago State Forest into a winter wonderland on Tuesday (16 July).
2. A fluke find sends the Fords into a lifelong affair with Australian pottery
by Vanessa Hayden
Kerrie and Geoff Ford have spent nearly 30 years building an exceptional collection of Australian pottery which is permanently on display at their museum in Holbrook. Photo: Vanessa Hayden.
Got an old pot or jug in the back of your cupboard? It could be worth a fortune if you know what to look for. Kerrie and Geoff Ford have made a life out of it since a random find at a clearing sale in 1978 sent them down an unexpected rabbit hole and into a lifelong affair with pottery.
1. Wagga vocal teacher steals the show with a stunning performance on The Voice
by Chris Roe
Wagga’s Larissa Burak performed during the blind auditions for The Voice Australia. Photo: Channel 7.
Wagga musician Larissa Burak took centre stage on Channel 7’s The Voice Australia this week, stunning the crowd into silence with a haunting performance of Ave Maria.
The Ukrainian-born performer and teacher at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music accompanied herself on a traditional bandura.
Her superb operatic performance and the unique stringed instrument perplexed the judges during the blind audition, prompting Adam Lambert and a tearful LeAnne Rimes to turn their chairs.
Loading ...
