News

A ceremonial turning of the sod last week marked a start on construction of a new undercover performance and dining area for the Guyra Lamb and Potato FestivalFunding for the project has come from a $130,000 grant from the NSW Government. The permane...

A large crowd is expected to farewell Guyra’s oldest citizen Ted Mulligan, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 104. A funeral service will be held at St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church on Monday May 17th, commencing at 2pm.Ted lived in...

Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, has congratulated three groups in New England who have each been approved for a grant under the Federal Government’s Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program.“Guyra Garden Club will receiv...

Come and meet your local firefighters and learn about home fire safety at the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Open Day on Saturday, May 15th.  Guyra Fire Station will be hosting an event between 10.00am a...

Work has begun on a $1.3 million upgrade project on the New England Highway near Tubbamurra Road. The project will widen the existing road shoulder, install and improve drainage and visibility. New safety barriers will also be added to reduce the sev...

It’s hard to believe we are already in Week 4 of Term Two. Bald Blair Public School students returned to school on Tuesday 20th April very excited to start the new school term.We have lots of learning activities planned throughout the term, wit...

Armidale Regional Council, as part of its Climate Emergency Program, has funded Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA) to again offer workshops on how to save household energy. SLA is a community volunteer organisation founded a dozen years ago to build c...

During April and May 2021, Southern New England Landcare and Sustainable Living Armidale coordinated three interactive pilot workshops for rural residential landholders in the Guyra & Black Mountain, Dumaresq & Invergowrie and Kelly’s P...

The sight of a chainsaw being taken to precious trees in the Wattle Ridge Indigenous Protected Area of Northern NSW for a housing project would normally create protest, but Indigenous Rangers, backed by Morrison Government funding are providing shelt...

This week, Guyra Family Day Care educators and children came together to celebrate National Family Day Care week, with a Teddy Bear's Picnic and play morning. The children brought along their favourite teddies for the celebration and cake cutting. "N...

One of the men who brought tomatoes to Guyra, Melbourne businessman and philanthropist Frank Costa, has died at the age of 83. Mr Costa and his brother Adrian took over the family fruit and vegetable business in 1958, growing Costa Group into a ...

RecreationaL fishers will be lured to try their luck catching one of 1,200 tagged Rainbow trout released into waterways across the region, as the State Government continues to roll out a major fish re-stocking and monitoring program, Minister for Agr...

Community feedback wanted for draft Koala Management Strategy From tomorrow, the community will have the opportunity to give feedback on Council’s draft Koala Management Strategy, with the document set to go on public exhibition for 2...

On Friday April 16th, the Lions Club of Guyra and members of the Masonic Lodge of Guyra officially handed over the Podiatry chair to Kolora Hostel. The chair, stool and light valued at $4750 was purchased in 2019 and was jointly funded and donated by...

Guyra Farmer’s and Craft Market will celebrate their first birthday on Saturday June 5th. The market at the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame in Guyra had humble beginnings with only three stalls when it opened during the height of the COVID lockd...

Autumn colour provided a spectacular backdrop for this year’s Anzac Day commemorations in Guyra. The day commenced with the traditional Dawn Service, followed by a 9am service at the Guyra MPS and then on to the main commemoration march and ser...

The Guyra CBD Upgrade has entered the next stage with work commencing this week on the section between Nincoola and Mackenzie Street. Proposed works involve the excavation and reconstruction of the existing road pavement which is expected to take abo...

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has helped Guyra Polocrosse Club get back in saddle after a two-year forced hiatus, announcing a $5,000 State Government grant to purchase new equipment and encourage local participation. Mr Marshall made the anno...

Following the success of last week’s production of ‘Shootin’ Sadie’, the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame is preparing to host two more events in May. The Fiori Musicali Chamber Choir will be performing in Guyra on May 22nd, wit...

On the weekend of the 10th and 11th April, Lockyer Rogers generously hosted the Australian Utility Stock Dog Society Inc. ‘Challenge’ at his property, ‘Stratton’. As well as letting the Society use his grounds, he also kindly ...

Land managers across the Northern Tablelands Local Land Services region have been invited to apply for long-term access to a number of Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs).Helen Ward, from the Northern Tablelands Local Land Services T...

Steve Mepham has seen a lot of changes and experienced some challenging and demanding times during his time working with the NSW Rural Fire Service. Last week he handed in his badge for the last time, retiring as New England Zone Manager following 20...

Armidale Regional Council has entered a new era of waste services, with a new waste services guide delivered to residents. Armidale Regional Council’s General Manager James Roncon says the new guide will give residents more clarity when using o...

Armidale Regional Council has recently changed the way penalty infringement notices are issued in a bid to increase consistency and remove customer confusion. All penalty infringement notices will now be served by Revenue NSW in an electronic or hard...

Local industry in Guyra is set to benefit from a $520,018 boost to its NBN network and telecommunication services funded by the Federal Coalition Government’s Regional Connectivity Program (RCP).Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said the new...

A new rebate scheme is now available which will help tens of thousands of small businesses, sole traders, farmers and not-for-profits cover costs they pay to their local council and State Government. The $1,500 rebate is available for small businesse...

The weekend saw the Lions Form It Up at Kolora. A small group of Lions constructed the forms for a garden shed. The shed will be built once the building arrives.If you would like to help or are considering joining The Lions, join the Lions ...

Guyra Volunteer Rescue Association is about to commence our bi-annual round of recruitment for VRA members to join our organisation here in Guyra.The NSW VRA has over 50 Rescue Squads all over NSW serving their communities in General Land Rescue with...

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has handed over the keys to a brand new $380,000 Category 1 tanker to members of Tingha NSW Rural Fire Service Brigade.The tanker replaces the former Tingha appliance which was significantly damaged in a rollover ...

The Hub at Guyra is a community based Advocacy & Support, and an Information & Referral service. They provide support to anyone that has a need in the community to access services and support and can refer on to other services if need be. Whe...

The Guyra saleyards is home to one of the largest Black Cottonwood Poplars (Populus balsamifera) in Australia. The tree, which is believed to be around 110 years old, recently came to the attention of Derek McIntosh who maintains the Australian Natio...

The Guyra Men’s Shed has finished the move to their new premises and have begun the massive task of setting up so they can reopen. They have relocated to the shed which had previously been used by the Guyra SES at the rear of the old Guyra Cour...

If you attended Bald Blair Public School in the last 100 years, you and your family, along with current/former staff and the community, are welcome to the join in the Centenary Celebrations being held on Saturday, 30th October, 2021. This picturesque...

Armidale Regional Council is hosting free live music events in Armidale and Guyra to celebrate Youth Week, an annual celebration of young people throughout Australia.Local artists Charlie Fittler and Mad Proppa Deadly DJ are amongst the line-up featu...

More than 41,000 Australian men die each year from preventable disease, and because high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol generally have no apparent symptoms until it is too late, it has never been more important for men to get a health check...

The rural communities of Guyra and Armidale vehemently opposed the forced amalgamation of Guyra Shire Council and Armidale Dumaresq Council brought about by the NSW State Governments’ Fit for the Future process which was meant to reform Local G...

Rural lifestyle landholders were among those most affected by the 2017-2021 drought, and it’s likely many have already put in place some very clever changes that will help them cope with future climate related events, whether they be droughts, ...

The 2021 Guyra Cup meeting on March 28th was well-supported by local businesses who sponsored the seven-event race meet. Following the cancellation of last year’s event due to COVID, the return of the event saw a great day of racing with good w...

Last Tuesday the Tour de Cure Signature Tour passed through the Guyra area, enroute from Armidale to Glen Innes on day five of the event. The Tour de Cure ride took place from March 26th to April 1st 2021, bringing together people from all corners of...

Armidale Regional Council has been issued two penalty notices by the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) for unlawfully taking water between December 2019 and February 2020. The fines totalling $3000 were issued to the council on March 10.The r...

The Hub at Guyra has a number of rooms available for use by the wider community following their recent renovations. Centre Manager Sarah Hunt said that they have already welcomed new users at the centre and believe the facilities would benefit many m...

The Guyra Branch of Can Assist will be holding a fundraising auction at the Royal Hotel on Friday April 16th. Up for grabs will be a unique piece created by Wal Irvine for the Farm Waste to Art competition at the Guyra Show.The aptly titled “Th...

A homegrown night of Wild West-inspired theatre created by Nundle-based artist Natasha Soonchild is set to tour the small halls of the New England North West from late April, including a stop at the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame in Guyra. The perfor...

The Australian Poetry Hall of Fame in Guyra has just celebrated its first anniversary. It was March 24th, 2020 that James Warren arrived in Guyra with a dream to establish the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame in the former Arcadia Theatre. Twelve month...

Armidale Regional Council is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from groups or individuals living in the Guyra area who would be interested in assisting a local artist in developing a mural design for the toilet block in Bradley Street. At last m...

CWA State President, Stephanie Stanhope toured the Northern Tablelands area last week, stopping off at Guyra on (a very wet) Tuesday afternoon and evening. Stephanie met with the members of CWA Day Branch for afternoon tea and then with members of th...

Gym junkies and those looking to improve their fitness can now enjoy a wider range of services, with new local owners taking over at King’s Gym.Dominik and Leigh Bush, with their partners Bronte and Annisa, have rebranded as Peak Fitness Guyra ...

The Guyra Garden Club has received a $10,000 grant from the Fire Fight Australia Fund through the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal – Strengthening Rural Communities grant program.With these funds the Guyra Garden Club will plant a serv...

Armidale Regional Council will donate 40 bales of hay to neighbouring regions affected by devastating floods, to help the farming communities suffering the loss and damage of silage and winter stocks.A motion put forward by Councillor Galletly to pro...

NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) New England Zone celebrated the official handover of two new fire trucks on Sunday as well as recognising long serving members.NSW RFS Deputy Commissioner Peter McKechnie joined State member for Northern Tablelands, A...

The region’s keen readers and wordsmiths are being invited to participate in the Sydney Writers’ Festival, with the event set to be streamed to the Guyra L.T. Starr Memorial Library and the Armidale War Memorial Library and. Streamed stra...

The Ben Lomond Community are assessing damage this morning following flash flooding which impacted the War Memorial Hall yesterday (Tuesday March 23rd.) Don Stride from the Hall committee said that Ben Lomond recorded around 189mm over three days. O...

From midnight tonight the Armidale region will be moving out of water restrictionsinto permanent conservation after experiencing significant rainfall overnight whichhas resulted in full and overflowing dams.In the last week the upper reaches of the c...

Armidale Regional Council Mayor Ian Tiley joined UNE’s Vice Chancellor Brigid Heywood on Monday to officially open the new UNE Study Hub building in Guyra. The new facility, which replaces the previous ageing building, will ensure that resident...

Members from the Northern Tablelands Group of the Country Women’s Association came together in Guyra on Tuesday, March 9th to take part in The Land Cookery and Handicraft contest. They also took part in a group meeting to discuss areas of conce...

The Guyra Preschool and Long Daycare has secured two rounds of NSW Government funding to go towards purchasing interactive smartboards and outdoor play equipment. Armidale Regional Council General Manager James Roncon said the projects will greatly e...

Local dining and tourism businesses are being urged to register to participate in the State Government’s Dine & Discover NSW program. Local residents are now able to apply for $100 worth of vouchers which can be used in participating busine...

To help people affected by the severe storms and flooding across New South Wales, generous Australians are encouraged to donate money, items, skills and services online at GIVIT.org.au. In partnership with the NSW Government, GIVIT is managing donati...

A push for the formation of a new council area, based in Guyra, is a now a distinct possibility according to the Rural Council for Rural People group.Spokesperson Rob Lenehan said this week that MP Adam Marshall is now publicly backing a move from th...

John Crosby from Glencoe made a Cobb & Co Coach which was the winner of the Farm Waste to Art section at the Guyra Show. He donated it to be auctioned with proceeds going to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. It was purchased by the Hope Family for $...

The Guyra Railway Station is looking a little fresher after a team of painters completed a new paint job on the buildings. The building was last painted in 2007, so was in need of an update.The work was undertaken by MACC Painting from Tamworth, who ...

Cattle and sheep are the backbone of the New England farming enterprises, however, where would they be without working stock dogs?Stock handlers, who depend on dogs for their livelihood, face the constant challenge of finding pups that will grow and ...

Residents of the Armidale region are being reminded to save the date for the 2021 Local Government elections. On Saturday September 4, 2021, the community will be required to vote for eleven new Councillors to represent the region over a three year t...

A scholarship worth $10,000 is now open for local students in the Guyra, Armidale, Glen Innes and Inverell region, who are starting their university education in horticulture or agriculture.The Costa Tomatoes New England Tertiary Scholarship is offer...

Guyra Central School student Cordelia Lloyd joined students from places as far as Streaky Bay in SA, Alstonville in northern NSW, and Yanakie in Victoria, as one of 18 rural and remote young Australians who travelled to Canberra to meet with Federal ...

The Lions Club of Guyra hosted the Youth of the Year Quest club level at their meeting of 17th February 2021 at the Guyra Bowling and Recreation Club. Two contestants entered late last year, however due to COVID restrictions the event was delayed. Th...

Armidale Regional Council has been successful in securing $1.037 million of funding from the Australian Government to conduct gravel re-sheeting and bitumen sealing on twelve local roads.The Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Stage 2 fun...

A deposit of the financial kind has flushed its way into the Guyra Showground bank account, with Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announcing a $781,668 State Government grant to construct two new amenities blocks, with modern accessible toilets a...

A free telehealth counselling service is now available for people living in rural areas, or for those wishing to seek help from home. Kimberley Squires, Community Engagement Coordinator, Lifeline Direct said that it has been a particularly difficult ...

The Australian Government is encouraging residents in the New England to get ready for their COVID-19 vaccination by linking their digital government services, particularly their myGov and Medicare accounts. The call to link digital services follows ...

Restrictions on the use of mobile phones at Guyra Central School have had a positive effect in both the classroom and in the playground. The school implemented the use of Yondr pouches in Term 4 of 2020 as part of a new phone policy at the school.Eac...

Black Mountain Railway Station recently played host to 20 RV vans and caravans from the Campervan Motor Home Club the “New Endlanders”. Each year the club returns to Black Mountain to enjoy the unique atmosphere of camping at a Northern T...

An extensive review of the 2020/21 budget by senior management at Armidale Regional Council has resulted in a net improvement to Council’s General Fund result of $2.1 million.A second quarter (Q2) budget review presented at the Council meeting ...

A Guyra family is counting the cost after a devastating storm passed through on Thursday, February 25th. Described as like a tornado, the storm hit hard at Moredun Ponds Fish Farm, around 45km from Guyra in the Tenterden area. Moredun Ponds has ...

Born and bred in Guyra, Sara Rushton did not imagine the opportunities that would come when she started work at the Costa Tomato Glasshouses.Sara worked for more than 13 years in Guyra, before taking an opportunity to move to the Costa Berry farm in ...

Amos Vale Herefords has gone back to back winning Supreme Exhibits of Guyra Show in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020 they won with a bull and this year it was a heifer that got the win. Amazingly, they were both out of the same cow.Amos Vale has congratul...

Motorists on the New England Highway will soon enjoy a smoother and safer journey when travelling north of Guyra, with work beginning on a $1.3 million safety and drainage upgrade.The project, being delivered under the NSW Government’s Safer Ro...

Armidale Regional Council has taken a critical step in securing the region’s town water supply after it adopted its updated Drought Management Plan at the February 24 Council Meeting.Armidale Regional Council General Manager James Roncon said t...

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has used a speech on the floor of State Parliament to highlight the need for Armidale Regional Council to expedite planning work for the raising of the Malpas Dam wall, to more than double its capacity.Mr Marshall...

Primary Student Representative CouncilK-6 Captains; Rose Kliendienst and Will HuttonBack: Principal Mrs Michelle Nicholson, Karleah Alefosio, Liam Hutton, Stevie McElroy, Shelby Heagney, Levi Vanderwolf, Aidan Brown Middle: William Vidler, Summer Tib...

The Guyra Show Society recognised the significant contribution of former Head Cattle Steward Ron Looker and wife Maureen at this year’s Show.They were presented with a Certificate and given Life membership of the Show Society in front of the cr...

Speaking at the official opening of the 113th Guyra Show, President Richard Post said that the past two years have seen the challenges of drought, bushfires and a global pandemic threaten the event in a way not seen except during two world wars.&ldqu...

A presentation of Life Membership was made to long serving committee member, Dorothy Lockyer at this year’s Guyra Show. President Richard Post said that no-one could be more deserving of the honour and that the Show would not be what it is with...

The annual Guyra Lamb Show and Sale was held last Wednesday at the Guyra Saleyards. A big crowd was on hand to see the winners announced. There was a large increase in numbers with 5,200 lambs penned. Picking a winner was not an easy task for Judge L...

Local government elections are due to be held on September 4 this year and speculation is starting around possible candidates.Last week the focus was on the current Mayor of Armidale Regional Council Dr Ian Tiley. An article in the Clarence Valley In...

I am pleased to see that membership of the Guyra and District Chamber of Commerce has grown by nearly 30% since our October AGM. Meetings have been well attended despite COVID restrictions. During this time the Chamber applied for a grant to have our...

The 3-6 students from Black Mountain Public School enjoyed a great day at the Small Schools Swimming Carnival held at the Guyra Swimming Pool last Thursday. They supported their fellow students and cheered them on as they participated in their age ra...

Three weeks after applications for the Regional Seniors Travel Card opened for the second consecutive year, the popular initiative has had more than 3,300 claims from seniors across the Northern Tablelands.The Regional Seniors Travel Card is a $250 p...

New figures released last week have revealed that rural land values have risen across the region.There was an overall increase of 11.2 percent, with figures varying depending on the local government area.While rural land values increased moderately i...

Regional Australia Bank Chairman Graham Orlich has announced the retirement of ‘dynamic’ CEO Kevin Dupé. Mr Orlich said that Kevin’s period as CEO has spanned over two decades starting in 2001.“The New England Credit Un...

Preparations for the 2021 Guyra Show are well in hand and organisers are hoping the community will get behind the event. Show Society President Richard Post said that they have planned some excellent family entertainment this year and he hopes the co...

Last Friday St Mary of the Angels held their annual Swimming Carnival. Our students had a wonderful day, swimming competitively, cheering on their friends and enjoying the spirit of the day. Congratulations to our Age Champions and Runner’s Up ...

There has been a changing of the guard at Guyra’s Neighbourhood Centre (The Hub), with Sarah Hunt taking over as Centre Manager. Sarah steps in to the position vacated by Chris Hietbrink who retired at the end of January after spending 8 years ...

What a pleasure it is to be back and working with such dedicated teachers, smiling children and caring and committed parents. St Mary of the Angels, is a special place to be! It is a community of love focused on supporting one another. It is a place ...

Armidale Regional Council is faced with making some tough decisions in the coming weeks around the future of early childhood education in Guyra.  At a time when they are seeking to find an extra $3.5m to allow construction of a new purpose-built...

Armidale Regional Council has deferred a decision on the final design for a proposed mural which was commissioned as part of the CBD upgrade. A report to the January 27th meeting of council outlined a summary of the submissions received in response t...

Residents in the New England are being encouraged to nominate local people, professionals and volunteers, who have displayed extraordinary service and achievement during the COVID-19 response and recovery, for an Australian national honour. Member fo...

Eligible businesses across the region are being encouraged to register and participate in the State Government’s new major economic stimulus program, Dine & Discover NSW. The program will provide hip pocket relief by offering every NSW resi...

In what has been heralded as an ‘historic day in local policing’ the region’s first-ever permanent NSW Police Dog Unit officially has commenced work.In 2018, Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall initiated a campaign to have ...

Noreen Williams and Graham Williamson have shared Guyra’s top award at this year’s Australia Day ceremony. Noreen and Graham are both standout members of the local community and were announced as joint winners of Citizen of the Year on Tu...

The level of disability and emergency access at Guyra Community Hall will be ‘ramped up’ thanks to a $62,833 State Government grant to install three new concrete ramps into the building. The new ramps will replace the existing ones, which...

Joseph Stanley and Tayla Mitchell recently took part in the National Youth Science Program. Both Tayla and Joseph were financially endorsed by the Rotary Club of Guyra to assist them in attending this program. This week they tell us about their exper...

The CWA Art Show, which attracted 96 entries from around the New England region, was once again a great success. Both opening session were booked out and organisers reported a steady of visitors over five days with good sales. The winner of the Peopl...

What is the name and nature of your business?I run a speech pathology practice called Highland Speech Pathology. Speech pathology is much broader than you’d think but also more niche - it’s not just lisps! As a ‘speechie’, I w...

The Family Fun Day held on January 16th was a smashing success. The event was organised by the Guyra Local Health Committee who would like to thank the community members who came out on the beautiful sunny day and enjoyed every aspect of the event.Th...

The Guyra Rural Fire Brigade had a get together in early November for their members. Paul Jarett was presented with his 10 years long service Medal by RFS Group Officer Robert Martin and Zone Manager Steve MephamBrigade members where also presented w...

Official Australia Day celebrations in Guyra this year will be scaled back due to current COVID-19 restrictions. Instead of the usual awards dinner, winners will be announced at an outdoor ceremony in front of the Guyra council offices on Tuesday, Ja...

If you are missing your yearly fix of lamb and potato there will be a chance to catch up on some of the usual festivities this Saturday January 23rd. The Lamb and Potato Festival committee were forced to cancel the annual 12 day festival due to COVID...

Armidale Regional Council is applying for a grant from the NSW Government to remediate the old Guyra Landfill on Everett Street.A public meeting was held on January 12, 2021, to inform residents of the planned works, and why the rehabilitation of the...

The Super Spuds are taking Guyra global thanks to a new book about rugby league.An American athlete and a Welsh wheelchair rugby league player are completing a children’s book called ‘The ABCs of Rugby League’ and have selected club...