NAIDOC Week 2024 was observed at Hay Public School last week, with art, dance and traditional foods.

Here from organiser Tara Dixon, chair of Hay Local Aboriginal Land Council and our junior correspondent Heath Thomson.

The Riverine Grazier team chose last week’s Hatfield Happenings event to announce a new digital masthead.

The Back Country Bulletin will be available in September, and will be a fully digital free news app and website.

The app will be available for both Apple and Android smart phone users.

The Back Country Bulletin will share news and alerts in real time, and will cover the communities within Hay, Balranald, Carrathool and Central Darling shires.

“The 27-year-old man found dead in dense bushland near the river at Uardry, Mihai-Robert Salajanu, has been on the mind of many in the district of late. 

“In our little outback bubble, misadventure and catastrophe pierce the surface of our consciousness for a short time but are quickly forgotten. 

“When taking a dive into the person Mihai was, understanding, empathy and a small feeling of connection begin to rise to the surface. “

Read Kimberly Grabhams delve beyond the headlines.

Australia’s largest off-grid poultry farm has commenced operations near Goolgowi.

Operated by Agright, a commercial poultry grower in Australia and New Zealand, the 40 shed operation ‘Meriki’ claims to be saving more than 1690 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

"Sustainability is at the forefront of our business model,” Agright owner Daniel Bryant said.

To celebrate the centenary of Carrathool, 40-years-ago a time capsule was filled and sealed, to be opened on July 24, 2024.

Johlee Masters opened the time capsule, discovering a variety of items left for people to find four decades later. 

Amongst the aged treasures were a can of coke, a tin of malt, a box of Billy tea, many editions of The Riverine Grazier, other newspapers, and many letters to people. 

The Riverine Grazier’s Kimberly Grabham was there.

Hay’s Lurleen Hook was a child prodigy in the diving world in the mid-1930s, winnng gold at the 1938 British Empire Games.

Read all about her achievements in this fascinating biography.

Independent Member for Murray Helen Dalton has secured $2 million for Motor Neurone Disease research from the Minns Government, after tirelessly campaigning on the issue for many years.

“The people of Murray continue to live under constant threat of MND, most likely caused by blue green algae in our lakes and rivers,” Mrs Dalton said.

“For too long, governments have ignored this shocking health problem, so I am glad the Minns Government has chosen to listen to the people whose lives are been affected by the threat of MND.”

It is believed Murrumbidgee Council has launched an investigation into the alleged fuel spill at Gundaline Station, which was revealed in an exclusive report in The Riverine Grazier.

Anne Lyons, Murrumbidgee Council’s Media and Communications Officer responded to enquiries for updates, following the NSW Environmental Protection Authority stating local Councils are the regulatory agencies for such incidents, under the Act.

“We are unable to comment on the matter while it is under investigation,” Ms Lyons said, prompting assumption an investigation is underway.

Students from St Mary's Primary School and Hay Public School, together with their Year 10 mentors from Hay War Memorial High School have just spent the last six months immersed in another successful program to highlight the plight of our local and elusive, native bird, the Plains-wanderer.

The Plains-wanderer is an extremely endangered species that inhabits the vast Hay Plains. At only around 15cm tall and almost flightless, the Plains-wanderer is vulnerable to many predators such as birds of prey, foxes and cats.

Murray Crayfish have been returned to a secret location in the Edward River, thanks to the efforts of Moulamein local Ian ‘China’ Gibson and daughter Bec.

The crays were rescued during the blackwater events of the 2022 floods.

Hay CWA Casserole days have been the catalyst for fun, laughter and catching up.

The third casserole day last Thursday was another raging success. Read Kimberly Grabham’s story on how piping hot casseroles became the catalyst to bring community together.

Toyota is bidding farewell to one of the iconic symbols of the wide brown outback – the V8 Landcruiser.

Often the butt of well-meaning ribbing thanks to the over accessorising of the popular ute, the announcement by Toyota will end an era of motoring across rural Australia.

Final production of the V8 Wagon, Troop Carrier, and WorkMate and GX pick-ups will take place in September with vehicles expected to be in customer hands late this year or early next year.

Saltbush's drought-tolerant qualities make it the ideal fodder for sheep and cattle to graze on during feed gaps when there's little else available.

Recognising an opportunity to improve shrub systems, CSIRO worked to select and develop a special variety for farmers to use as a supplementary feed. It’s called Anameka Saltbush.

Independent Member for Murray, Helen Dalton (above) has responded to The Riverine Grazier’s story last week regarding reports of a fuel spill at a district property.

“The allegations are incredibly serious and must not be swept under the carpet,” Mrs Dalton said.

"We cannot have a situation where foreign-owned agricultural enterprises act as if Australian laws do not apply to them.”

Reports have emerged that 11,800 litres of diesel fuel spilled at Gundaline Station, east of Hay, and was drained into a main irrigation channel. Management company Customised Farm Management (CFM) denied the report, which was delivered to The Riverine Grazier, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), SafeWork NSW and NSW Fisheries.

Future surplus water will be traded by Hay Shire Council with revenue to be returned to Council’s Water fund for further water projects.

A Sale (Trade) of Water policy was unanimously adopted by Council at its recent monthly meeting in a bid to generate additional revenue for the Water Fund as well as improve the efficiency of water usage.

General Manager, David Webb said as a local water utility, Council was permitted to engage in temporary trade of town water allocation with Ministerial approval.

“In addition, Council is permitted to supply water beyond its area of operations, provided it does not impact on the supply to users in the Shire,” Mr Webb said.

Hay locals are future-proofing their careers by upskilling in priority industries with TAFE NSW, including in the booming wool classing industry.

It comes as TAFE NSW wool classing enrolments surge statewide, with the wool industry confronting an ongoing skills shortage.

Former McDonald’s manager Ms Browne, 22, moved to Hay from country Victoria to pursue her dream of working in the wool industry. After completing the Certificate IV in Wool Classing at TAFE NSW Hay in 2022, she immediately gained employment with Willshear Hay.

“I’ve just fallen in love with the industry and to be able to study my course fee-free took a lot of the pressure off,” Ms Browne said.

The Albanese Government has launched a water ownership program for First Nations peoples in the Murray-Darling Basin, delivering on an election commitment.

Jamie and Ian Woods from Hay have been appointed to the interim governance body has been set up so that water entitlements can be purchased, before a permanent body is established. Both men are of the Nari Nari nation.

Under the Aboriginal Water Entitlements Program, the government has made $100 million available to buy water in the Basin, with First Nations representatives to determine how that money is spent.

Allegations of a deliberate cover up of an environmental disaster has arrived at the doorstep of The Riverine Grazier.

The report was delivered by mail early in June, and alleges a cover up of a fish kill event at Gundaline Station in late 2022, but farm managers deny any wrong-doing.

NSW agencies and local council say they were unaware of the incident.

Country Press Australia’s Andrew Schreyer recently addressed the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society and called for Meta to be held to account for its recent actions and treatment of news publishers.

Read Mr Schreyer’s opinion piece.

Australian bush poet and writer Joseph Furphy spent much of his time living and working Hay, NSW, writing his literary novel ‘Such is Life’