Headlines

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT As families begin gathering for early Christmas celebrations, the cousins who were not 18 last year are on show this time around. This was certainly the case at one family get-together in Betoota's Flight Path District over the weekend. Recently-adult uni student, Beau Meriton (18) has just returned from his first years of studying paramedics at The Diamantina College, which...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT "Fuck bro" he says. "Just pull over" This boys trip up the coast is barely a couple hours in, and backseat passenger Toby is already demanding they pull over to let him relieve himself. However, Toby's requests are widely ignored. In fact, they are actually a point of amusement for the rest of the car, who have unanimously decided that this...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT The Netflix TV series 'The Crown' - which has dramatised the reign of Elizabeth II from her ascension to the throne right through to the early 2000s - has this week finally released the four first episodes of season 6. As is the case with earlier seasons, the first episodes of season 6 reference real events — Diana's holiday...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT The absolute chaos of a pre-school-run household has been amplified this morning, as one local husband hides from his responsibilities and leaves his wife a man down. A twenty minute 'phone holiday' at 7:30 in the morning. And in the most cowardly fashion, he's done it on the ensuite toilet. A neutral zone where he realistically can't be interrupted by...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT 2nd-year electrical apprentice Alexei James (18) has today reached a crossroads in life. With a couple thousands bucks saved up, and the repayments on his second hand holden ute under control, the young fella is now at the point where he must decide whether he wants to experience independence, or if he wants his workmates and fellow motorists to...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT With Sydney growing into an unsustainable megatropolis, and more and more people commuting up to two hours each ways to work in the city, the argument for a speed rail network to Newcastle is as serious as it's ever been. The conversation around a bullet train has existed since the 1980s, with ambitious town planners pointing to Japan as...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT The Beatlemania of Taylor Swift continues in Australia this week, months before the American pop singer even arrives for her 'Eras' tour in late February. A new bundle of tickets for the Sydney show was released for sale at box office this morning at 10am, and newly available tickets to the Melbourne concerts will be on sale from 4pm...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT Last night's Betoota Downs Council meeting went just about as well as anyone would have expected, as the community continues to deal with an increasingly unhinged political landscape. The immediate issues facing the community, namely the dangerous black spots on the local highway and third-world rate of potholes on the suburban streets, were once pushed to the bottom of...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT In case you are still recovering from the 'Aboriginal Land Tax' or any number of other conspiracy theories that have been peddled throughout Australian politics, you might not be aware of the low-level debates surrounding town-planning. A 15-minute city is an urban planning concept where all amenities are available within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. But after the...

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT Pat McKlint (divorced, 54) has been heard slurring at the top of his voice as he stumbles towards the Racecourse fence for race 8, which he can only see on the big screen. What should have been a pleasant day out for this commercial real estate team, quickly turned ugly when McKlint went another $250 down on the punt...