About Regional

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). Welcome to About Regional, a new place for the stories of South East NSW. Today’s conversation is with Michael Grab. Michael’s rock balancing art stops the world dead, and in the same way that breathing just happens, your mind automatically asks, "How the hell does he do that?" The gallery of photo and videos on his Gravity Glue website is extraordinary. Canadian born Michael has been on the Far South Coast of New South Wales over summer, bringing his brand of land art to Picnic Point and Goalen Head, a magic bit of coastline between Bermagui and Tathra. His work defies gravity, at least how the rest of us understand gravity, but Michael seems to have an ability to tap into and read this invisible earth force - something he describes as "gravity glue". How does he do it? You are about to find out! A shout out to those who support local story telling – Julie Rutherford Real Estate Bermagui, the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre, and

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) Show notes – Podcast 20 – when nan and pop have to be mum and dad About Regional is a new place for the stories of South East NSW. Podcast 20 features an extraordinary group of people who have just started meeting regularly to support each other through challenges and troubles that most would find impossible. This group of a dozen or more grandparents are raising their grandchildren and great grandchildren. The parents of these kids have deserted them for a range of reasons and these Grandparents – the parents of the parents are the safety net. Karen Thomas and Vanessa Bragg from PlayAbility in Bega have bought these families together. PlayAbility provide early intervention services for families who have young children with a disability or developmental delay. You are about to meet people that carry an interesting range of emotions - sadness and despair, mixed with joy, humour, and love. What stood out to me as I listened to these stories is tha

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). Some school holiday listening this time round. During Local Government Week recently, Eurobodalla Shire Council made space for the youth of the shire. Senior students from Carroll College and St Peter’s Anglican College at Broulee, and Batemans Bay High School were given time to address Council – including Mayor, Liz Innes and Deputy Mayor, Anthony Mayne. One of the Shire’s Federal MP’s was also taking notes – Member for Gilmore, Anne Sudmalis. Courtney Fryer from Carroll College, used the opportunity to advocate for young people living with physical and mental disability. Harrison O’Keefe from Batemans Bay High, made a great point around youth engagement –“show them what they are missing out on” and he has an idea to do just that. While Pippi Sparrius from St Peter’s presented some surprising stats around teenage pregnancy in the Eurobodalla. Keen to give the students a ‘real council meeting’ experience, Cr Innes was watching the clock, with C

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) In the depths of a Bega winter around 70 people turned out to the Bega Campus of the University of Wollongong to hear a local perspective of Feminism in the 21st Century. Local writers group Mnemosyne posed the question – ‘Is feminism still relevant?’ A lively discussion followed. Your host will introduce you to the panel and the meaning of Mnemosyne. The discussion doubled as the launch of a new local journal. The Kickstarter fundraising campaign runs until the end of September hoping to turn the journal into a reality. You are about to find out more. Your host is PhD student, Jodie Stewart who has just been awarded the Deen De Bortoli Award for Applied History from the History Council of NSW for her work and research around the Bundian Way, and ancient Aboriginal pathway linking the Far South Coast and the Snowy Mountains of NSW. Thanks to About Regional members, Tania Ward, Ingrid Mitchell, Deb Nave, and Scott Halfpenny for their suppo

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) Podcast 17, August 22 2017, show notes Gabrielle Powell is one of those familiar faces around Bega, but she has just had an experience that took her way beyond her Pedan Street base. For almost 11 years Gabrielle has been the manager of the town’s Women’s Resource Centre. With long service leave in her sails Gabrielle took off for Malawi in South East Africa, a country of 18 million people bordered by Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique. There are no banana lounges or pina coladas with this getaway, Gabrielle was there for two months as a mentor to an artist’s co-operative. A basket maker herself, Gabrielle had to put her art on the back seat, it was her management, admin, and leadership skills that were put to work with ‘People of the Sun’. I got talking to Gabrielle about this experience of a life time just a few days after she returned. Thank you to the About Regional members that made this podcast possible - investing in local stories. People l

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) About Regional – podcast 16, July 16 2017 Welcome to About Regional – a new place for the stories of South East NSW. This podcast is brought to you by Julie Rutherford Real Estate at Bermagui, Doug Reckord, Wendy Gorton and Shan Watts – thanks for your support. About Regional Memberships are now open and come packed with perks! Find out more at www.aboutregional.com.au Charly Thorn is the talk of the town, not only in her home town of Cooma but also on the other side of the world in Vancouver and Los Angeles. Charly is a young fashion designer, not long out of high school, learning her trade and so much more at Birdsnest Cooma. FashFest 2016 in Canberra was her big break and has led to a spot on the catwalk for Charly’s garments at Vancouver Fashion Week in less than 9 weeks. Cooma has been helping Charly raise the money she needs to get there. Since Charly and I spoke on a cold Cooma day, she has also been invited to show at LA Fashio

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). Show notes podcast 15 – Refugee Week in South East NSW Welcome to About Regional – a new place for the stories of South East NSW. Refugee Week is being marked around the region, the theme is a clever play on words borrowed from our national anthem - “With courage let us all combine.” The aim of the week is to celebrate the contribution refugees make to Australian society and to ultimately build a better understanding between different communities and bring about successful integration. A range of cultural, social and advocacy events are planned across the Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and Snowy Monaro in the coming days. At Cooma on Thursday (June 22) there is a film screening, “Constance on the Edge” between 5:30 and 7:30 at the Cooma Multicultural Centre on Mittagang Rd. ‘Constance on the Edge’ follows charismatic Constance, a mother of six, as she confronts her painful past in war torn Sudan, and risks everything in Australia so her family can t

Stream episodes on demand fro www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). About Regional – a new place for the stories of South East NSW… Long before Donald Trump turned America’s back on the Paris Agreement, Australian families decided that investing in solar energy for their homes and businesses made sense – Australia has the highest take up rate in the world. The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) have just been in the region, dropping in on towns where the take up of solar panels hasn’t been as great as it has been in other communities. Free community seminars were held in Queanbeyan, Cooma, Eden and Ulladulla under the banner of ‘Demystifying Solar Power’ OEH staff were on hand to answer questions and lead discussion – explaining the different options for businesses and households wanting to switch to solar and save money and save the planet. The Paris Agreement was part of the conversation, but it all happened before Trump quite, but I don’t think that would have changed a thing. Lisa Miller, is

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). Podcast 13 – Reusable water bottles for every high school student. Welcome to About Regional - new place for the stories of South East NSW. This week, one man takes on the garbage building in our oceans… Every high school student in the Bega Valley will soon have a reusable drink bottle, cutting the need for one use, light weight, disposable plastic water bottles. Over the last couple of months’ students at Eden Marine High School, and Lumen Christi Catholic College at Pambula have received a stainless steel drink bottle to refill at school taps and bubblers. Kids at Bega High School got there’s today (May 16), and Sapphire Coast Anglican Collage down the road will soon have theirs. It’s the initiative of Bega Valley philanthropist Peter Hannan. As someone who loves the ocean Peter says he felt compelled to act after hearing of the impact plastics are having on the world. Following last year’s Marine Science Forum, hosted by the Sapph

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) Podcast 12 – The Wanderer Replica Project, May 7 2017 Shownotes: Today the story of a bunch of people with history and salt water in their veins, people making progress on ambitious plans to build a replica of an 1830’s luxury sailing ship. Scottish born entrepreneur, Ben Boyd sailed the 25 metre Wanderer into Sydney in July 1842, he soon set sail for Twofold Bay at Eden on the NSW Far South Coast following four steamers crammed with supplies down the coast. Seeking his fortune, Boyd quickly established a network of pastoral properties spanning a landscape that took in the sea and the snow. He also took charge of coastal steamship operations linking the region with Sydney, Melbourne, and Tasmania, and was a player in Eden’s whaling industry. Part of his enterprise remains – the impressive Seahorse Inn. Construction started in 1843 using sandstone imported from Sydney and oak fixtures from England. Boyd’s Tower on the southern shores of Tw

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). Available via all good podcatcher apps including Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Podbean, audioBoom etc. Welcome to About Regional – a new place for the stories of South East NSW. The National Folk Festival in Canberra is underway and there is some what a South East take over happening with a bunch of artists from this side of the mountain performing. People like Heath Cullen, Kate Burke, Mike Martin, Sam Martin, Stonewave Taiko and the Djaadjawan Dancers are all taking centre stage. In the week’s leading up to the National, South East NSW provides a warm-up space to many of the performers booked to performer in Canberra. The Cobargo Folk Festival is one of those warm up events and always makes the most of the international artists who fly in for the National – it’s often the case that Cobargo is the first gig in an Australian tour for artists from the UK, Europe and America. Apart from the music, folkies enjoy a chat and

Stream eisodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). About Regional – podcast 10, March 30 2017. Welcome to About Regional – a new place for the stories of South East NSW. My partners for this week’s program are Light to Light Camps, who let you explore the track between Boyd’s Tower and Green Cape Lighthouse in style, check their website for more info. The Gang Gang Cockatoos have arrived in the bush around my place, a sure sign autumn is here. Mind you I was in Cooma this week and the trees in Centennial Park aren’t showing any signs of it. Given that we are about to tick over in to April, those leaves will soon be changing. Autumn is a theme that runs through our conversation today. In August 2013 many in the Bega community were outraged when Bega Valley Shire Council cut down a stand of mature Blue Gums in the town’s park. Council felt the risk of falling limbs was too great, and to be fair some in the community backed them. Littleton Gardens was levelled to make way for a new civic pr

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) Show notes, episode 9 Welcome to About Regional, a new place for the stories of South East NSW. My partners in this week’s podcast are Light to Light Camps – pristine beaches, great food, hot showers and comfy beds. This is your chance to explore the Wilderness Coast in style. More at www.lighttolightcamps.com.au Thanks to Jen, Arthur and Jake for your support. Today an interview that was a real surprise to me. I stuck a microphone in front of Andrew Weglarz at the NSW Corrective Services Museum at Cooma recently – with no real plan for the conversation. Andrew’s insight and intellect took hold and I was just a passenger. Andrew’s passion masks the fact that he is only new to the job and new to Australia. Andrew and the Museum hosted the launch of MoSE – The Museum of the South East, an online collection of significant artefacts from museums of the Bega Valley, Eurobodalla and Snowy Monaro. Feedback, story ideas and advertising enquir

Show notes – Ep 8 March 7th 2017 About Regional – a new place for the stories of South East NSW, in episode 8… *Show season in South East NSW is coming to an end with Cooma and Bemboka Show on March 11 and Bombala Show on March 18. Bega Show is the biggest in the region, 3 days and 3 nights in the middle of February. The sideshows are a big part of show time, but at the heart of any country show are the people, produce and animals that grow on this land. Tilba Dairy farmer Robyn Lucas and her son Charles claimed the prestigious supreme champion dairy cattle award at the Bega Show – the best of the best in the dairy ring. The win was bittersweet for Robyn, who after 15 years is being forced off her beloved Sherringham Farm through family circumstances. I spoke with Robyn just after her Bega Show win. Hope you enjoy the new snappier version of the program. Feedback, story ideas, and advertising enquiries are welcome - hello@aboutregional.com.au Cheers Ian Subscribe, rate and review About Regional at iT

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). About Regional – a new place for the stories of South East NSW, in episode 7… *Local Government across NSW is in limbo again as Gladys Berejiklian takes over from Mike Baird as Premier. A sense that they might be in trouble at the next election has the new look Government reviewing and reconsidering some its past decisions. Council amalgamations are at the top of the list. Here in South East NSW, the Snowy Monaro Regional Council has been operating since May 2016 – Bombala, Snowy River and Cooma-Monaro Shires weren’t forced to merge but not given much of choice either. Until elections are held one man is in charge, former Cooma Mayor Dean Lynch. He says the recent talk from Macquarie Street has been destabilising, and has complicated the process underway through the High Country. *Catalina’s Neville Baker is a breast cancer survivor. Recent numbers suggest there are about 120 men diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia every year. Neville’s d

Show notes – About Regional Episode 6, January 18 2017 About Regional – a new place for the stories of South East NSW, in episode 6… *The TV show River Cottage Australia has been moth balled, host Paul West gives us the inside story and speaks of his plans for the future. *Author Deb Hunt shares her amazing love story with a pilot from the Royal Flying Doctor Service, a man given up for dead in a horrific helicopter crash as a young fella that goes help lead this iconic organisation. *And one of the Anglican Churches newest priests, Merimbula’s Anthony Frost talks about his life of faith and the relevance of the Bible in 2017. Thanks for tuning in, feedback, story ideas and advertising enquiries to hello@aboutregional.com.au Cheers Ian Subscribe to About Regional at all good podcatcher apps including iTunes, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, audioBoom etc. For more visit Ian’s blog and website at www.aboutregional.com.au #Australia #NSW #Bega #Southeast #RiverCottage

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) and http://aboutregional.com.au/category/podcast/ Show notes – About Regional Episode 5, December 14 2016 About Regional – a new place for the people and stories of South East NSW. The last program for 2016: *The Funhouse crowdfunding campaign succeeds; Bega gets a youth and community centre in 2017! Read more HERE. *Dr Matthew Nott, the founder of Clean Energy for Eternity says households in the region need to rethink the way they use their rooftop solar panels. Read more HERE. *The Tour de France comes to the Snowy Mountains, some advice from a local personal trainer that will get you ready for round two of L’Etape Australia. *We chat to a hairdresser whose career has taken her around the world, including on tour with The Village People. Jo Greenwood is now keen to give young people in the region the same opportunities. *The Bega Valley’s Stonewave Taiko have been booked for their biggest gig yet. Feedback, story ideas and adve

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.aboutregional.com (both mobile friendly). Show notes, episode 4, WC November 21 2016 There’s a sea side feel to About Regional – the podcast, episode 4. Recorded at Guerrilla Bay, just south of Batemans Bay, the day and the water were warm, it’s starting to feel like summer holiday time! In this program: *Tathra’s Indi Wood chats to us from Fiji about his aid work at a Lautoka radio station. It’s a real twist on what you think Australian foreign aid looks like. Read more here… http://aboutregional.com.au/tathras-indi-wood-making-waves-in-fiji *Staying with foreign aid, you will meet the ‘Accidental Aid Worker’ Sue Liu. Just weeks after returning home from Sri Lanka in 2004, Sue watched as the people and the communities she had just left were hit hard. Her response changed the direction of her life. Her story is a good read for the summer holidays. http://accidentalaidworker.com.au/ *The Australian National Busking Championships are moving beyond their

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com and www.aboutregional.com.au Show notes for Episode 3 – November 6 2016 Thanks for tuning in for the About Regional Podcast – episode 3. In this week’s program: • A lesson in youth engagement from Cayce Hill from the Funhouse in Bega and a pitch for their Pozible campaign. They are chasing a year’s rent to expand on their dynamic program in 2017. Read more at www.aboutregional.com.au • A snap from a literary lunch at Bermagui featuring author Tim Elliott and his memoir ‘Farewell to the Father’, part of a joint effort during Mental Health Month by Candelo Books, Il Passaggio and About Regional • The morning after an exclusive 10 course truffle dinner, Executive Chef Patrick Reubinson from Stroudover Cottage at Bemboka speaks of his passion for truffles. • Last season’s capsicums brought back to life by Tanja Permaculturalist Kathleen McCann. Read more at www.aboutregional.com.au Feedback, story ideas and sponsorship to hello@aboutregional.com.au St

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com Subscribe, rate and review at audioBoom, Stitcher, Pocketcast (coming to iTunes soon). About Regional strives to capture the colour, wisdom, and issues of South East NSW, this time round... * Long time Eurobodalla Council watcher Keith Dance wants to change the way Local Government is elected in NSW. Having served two terms on Council and contested every election between 2000 and 2010, Keith believes the system encourages too many candidates to stand, which makes it impossible for voters to make an informed choice. Keith reckons part of the solution comes from Victoria. * The small Monaro town of Nimmitabel, south-east of Cooma is heading into summer with more water security than ever before. A new dam has just opened on the outskirts of town. Howard Charles and John Alcock are two of the fathers of the Lake Wallace Dam, both were keen to jump the fence and show me around. * The Archibald Prize has just wrapped up for another year at the Art Gallery of