The Nation

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact The large regional centre formally known as Wagga Wagga has graduated from it's former definition to one of 'regional city' after confirming four new coronavirus cases. COVID-19 has, for the most part, affected only large metropolitan areas such as Melbourne, Sydney and the other capital cities. And since the land around Wagga Wagga was forcefully stolen...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Sydney has once again been left in Melbourne's dust as the Victorian capital enters further lockdown measures this week which are the harshest seen to date. Not to be outdone by Melbourne yet again, Sydneysiders from all walks of life flocked to the most famous beach in the country over the weekend to make sure...

EFFIE BATEMAN | BRISBANE | CONTACT Local bloke Lachlan Kirkwood has today decided he’s ready to get his feelings hurt, after sitting at the top of the stairs to eavesdrop on his family. Given that they were talking in hushed whispers, it should have been evident to Lachlan that the chances of them singing his praises weren't very high. But as he walks up the stairs...

EFFIE BATEMAN | BRISBANE | CONTACT Sipping from a cup of blistering hot coffee, local dad Steven Myers peers out his window and mentally maps out his plans for the yard. To anyone watching, it would appear as though Steven is deeply lost in thought, pondering the futile existence of life. But in reality, he’s not 100% sure how he feels about the placement of...

FRANKIE DeGROOT | Local News | Contact In a worrying indication of the state of the economy, Australia’s major banks have today admitted they are only prepared to loan money to those who don’t need to borrow it. Under the scheme, loans will only be offered to customers who have not asked for one, whilst those who do request a loan will be automatically denied.     Already...

FRANKIE DeGROOT | Local News | Contact A proud Western Sydney Bogan has been stripped of his credentials after inadvertently discarding a broken washing machine; without first removing the drum to use as a fire pit. “Geez, do I feel like a dickhead or what” asked amateur motorcycle mechanic Rod Sumpf. “The washing machine packed it in, so I found another one for fifty bucks...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Now that another explosion of coronavirus cases in Queensland is all but inevitable, according to the Courier-Mail, staff at one of Betoota's largest aged care facilities are being told to source their own PPE as there's not enough to go round. In addition, staff at Acacia Gardens are being told to 'just be grateful that...

WENDELL HUSSEY | Cadet | CONTACT In some breaking news from the nation's capital, the Federal Government has made it's yearly promise to do more than just talking about doing better on the Close The Gap scheme. Speaking yesterday at Parliament House, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the commitment to make a commitment to do something on the scheme that has failed to meet...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Tommy 'Diglet' Klein has announced the sale of his 6-bedroom Betoota Grove mansion this morning, setting a new record for Lakeside Circuit. The hammer fell this morning at $7.5m, which was nearly a million dollars higher than the former Big Brother contestant's reserve. Diglet shot to local fame in 2003 when he was the first contestant...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Youngsters sitting on the banks of the Diamantina River in downtown Betoota this afternoon are enjoying a wide range of activities. Some are playing ping pong on the concrete table tennis tables built by the council late last year. Others are crowded around a chess game beside the Remienko Bridge. Each time the oversized chess...