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Articles by Bridie Tanner
Program: Premature Jacarandas Force Festival Date Change
Grafton’s Jacaranda Festival is moving — and it’s happening in both 2027 and 2028. Organisers are bringing the festival forward by a week in the hope of better matching the dates with the peak of the town’s famous purple blooms. But why do the jacarandas seem to be flowering earlier? And is Grafton experiencing a shift that’s happening around the world, with Japan’s famous cherry blossoms also blooming earlier?
Program: Why Hundreds Came For Woodenbong Yowie Gathering
Hundreds of people descended on Woodenbong over the weekend for the 2026 Yowie Gathering - dedicated to one of Australia’s most mysterious creatures. The crowd heard from people who say they’ve seen yowies or found evidence of them, while the local hall hosted short films and sold plenty of unusual merchandise including air fresheners shaped like yowie feet. Hit play to find out what brought people to the gathering and why they’re so fascinated by the yowie.
Grafton 12yo campaigns to refurbish beloved but degraded skate park
Haylee Blair, 12, has taken her campaign to fix her local skate park to local and state governments. On Thursday, Clarence Valley Council voted unanimously to support Haylee's cause. The council will receive a report by October detailing what is needed to fix the facility, the cost and the funding options. When 12-year-old Haylee Blair found a problem that needed fixing, she decided to take action.
Program: Witness describes Ballina boating tragedy as it unfolded
Tributes are flowing for Marine Rescue volunteers Frank Petsch and Bill Ewen, along with a third person who died in a boating disaster in Ballina on Monday night. But what was it like to be there as it unfolded? Darragh Hunt had been fishing by the wall as the sun went down. When he noticed something unusual, he spoke with other nearby fishers to check whether anyone had already contacted emergency services.
Program: Minyon Falls Rescue
Would you know what to do if someone injured themselves at a waterfall? A dramatic rescue took place over the weekend at Minyon Falls in Northern NSW. Thankfully, quick-thinking local teenagers - who had just learnt about these situations in PDHPE knew what to do. Bridie Tanner spoke with Lismore's Scarlett Southwell the friend of the girl who was airlifted out of the remote location, as well as Al McTear from Lismore Ambulance Station.
Meet Dave the Byron Wave Fighter
As his pseudonym suggests, "Dave The Byron Wave Fighter" sees ocean waves differently to most. He's started a social media page where he shows videos of himself punching, shoulder charging and body slamming waves around the NSW north coast. The reasons are simple. Sort of.
Australian retail giant enters the tiny house market - ABC listen
What does it mean when major retailers like Amazon, Ikea and now Bunnings are keen to start selling flat-pack DIY tiny homes? Is this the market responding to the housing crisis? Will we start to see more tiny home villages like the one approved in Boyanup, WA? President of the Australian Tiny House Association Danielle Lester spoke with Bridie Tanner on ABC North Coast.
National skate competition coming to Lismore - ABC listen
The new Lismore skate park has been popular, but now it will play host to the best in Australia. Rumours have been circulating about a big skate event coming to the Northern Rivers of NSW this year. Sam James, Owner of 36 Chambers skate shop in Lismore and 11 year skateboarder “Huddy” aka Hudson Walker spoke to Bridie Tanner on ABC North Coast to spill the tea. Hit play to find out more about the massive, multi-day skate competition coming to Lismore.
Boy escapes attempted abduction by man in balaclava in northern NSW
A principal has issued a warning to his school community after a man wearing gloves and a balaclava attempted to abduct a child from a bus stop in northern New South Wales. Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar principal Stuart Marquardt said the boy, aged about 12, had just stepped off a bus at the intersection of Ourimbah Road and Miles Street at Tweed Heads when a man tried to grab him on Tuesday afternoon.
Leaked council email angers Clarence Valley caravan owners facing eviction
A leaked email from a northern New South Wales council has caused outrage among a group of caravan owners facing eviction from four council-run parks. The Clarence Valley Council internal email included an AI-generatedillustration of a series of wrecking balls being ridden by smiling and cheering workers in hard hats smashing caravans. The email was leaked amid a battle between long-term tenants of council-run caravan parks in Brooms Head, Iluka, Minnie Water and Wooli.
Boydie Collyer, 92, hits his first hole-in-one on NSW golf course
A 92-year-old golfer is the talk of his town after hitting his first hole-in-one from more than 100 metres away at Casino Golf Course. Boydie Collyer hit the ball a whopping 117 metres. "It just felt good, when I hit it, it just felt good," he said. Local legend was created when Mr Collyer approached the 17th hole on Tuesday. "I said to one of the blokes, 'Oh you got on the green, I'm going to get closer than you,'" he said. Mr Collyer approached the ball then whacked it.
Mastering Liszt over the school holidays
When Malik decided he'd learn piano, he took possibly the hardest route imaginable, learning Franz Liszt's La Campanella over the school holidays. It'd be a baptism of fire that would open doors and change his life.
Aged-care fashion events lift residents' spirits with dress-ups fun
Sporting a hot pink blazer and pineapple sunglasses, Judy Ellison reckons colour is the key to fashion. The 89-year-old glamour queen, who once ran fashion events in Dubbo, is not prepared to hang up her hues just because she's now living in aged care. "You've got to work the colour," she said.
How much for a solar battery under Labor? - ABC listen
Thinking of getting a solar battery for your home solar system? Hit play to get an idea of how much will it cost and how long until it pays itself off using government discounts. Anthony Albanese spruiked 30% off household solar batteries as an election promise. Now Labor have been re-elected what do we know so far about this subsidy scheme?
Elite competitors flock to Sunshine Coast for World Bodysurfing Titles
For generations Australians have been flung into the ocean by a parent's hand and bodysurfed their first wave with nothing but instinct, but now that right of passage is becoming a serious sport. Point Cartwright Beach on Queensland's Sunshine Coast has just hosted the first World Bodysurfing Titles to be held in Australia, which saw 96 elite competitors from 15 countries riding waves across five local breaks.
Dancing under the disco shark
All over regional Australia, there are quirky pieces of animal themed art that communities are pretty proud of. In Tasmania, there's a town called Penguin where the bins are shaped like penguins. And in Byron Bay on the NSW north coast, there's a disco shark.
Bride says 'life is a cyclone' as wedding goes ahead in face of disaster
Charmaine Hatch never imagined getting hitched would involve so many hitches. But that was what happened when Tropical Cyclone Alfred became an unwanted guest at her wedding on the NSW north coast. The Narrabri woman had meticulously planned her Yamba wedding, arriving a week before their big day, only to see their plans crumble. One by one, accommodation providers began to cancel her wedding guests' reservations. Ms Hatch began to panic.
Couple makes major changes to wed in face of Tropical Cyclone Alfred
Charmaine Hatch never imagined getting hitched would involve so many hitches. But that was what happened when Tropical Cyclone Alfred became an unwanted guest at her wedding on the NSW north coast. The Narrabri woman had meticulously planned her Yamba wedding, arriving a week before their big day, only to see their plans crumble. One by one, accommodation providers began to cancel her wedding guests' reservations. Ms Hatch began to panic.
How to relieve pressure in your house during Cyclone Alfred - ABC listen
Should I tape my windows in a cyclone? Should I switch off my solar panels in a cyclone? Will my house shake in a cyclone? Press play to hear answers to hear a cyclone expert answer these questions and more. ABC's Bridie Tanner spoke with Dr Geoff Boughton, the chief engineer at the Cyclone Testing Station at James Cook University.
Teacher wears 'picture perfect' wedding dress sewn by year 8 students
Some people spend thousands of dollars to buy their dream wedding dress, while others might wear a family heirloom or repurpose a special outfit. But teacher Emma Wilson had her wedding dress made by students. Ms Wilson from northern NSW was engaged to her partner, Anna, but was having trouble finding the dress she wanted to start her married life in.
Women's rugby fundraising in the 1960s
In 1961, you didn't see many, if any, women playing rugby league. But in an effort to raise money for a local pool, ladies sewed footy shorts from tea towels in a mock game for the Lower Clarence Magpies in northern New South Wales. That game still has locals talking today.
For fun and fundraising: the story of the Lower Clarence Magpies 1961 Women's teams
In the 1960s you didn't see many, if any, women playing rugby league. But if you were in Maclean, NSW, you would have seen Beverley Thompson and her friends donning makeshift footy gear including tea towel shorts and taking part in the traditionally masculine game. Hit play to hear Bev tell Bridie Tanner of some of the shenanigans she and her teammates got up to, including putting the ref in a wheelbarrow and running him off the field!
Rugby Sevens bag an early Olympic win - ABC listen
Mum's taxi has paid off! Grafton-born Olympian Hayden Sargeant has done his family and his country proud in Paris. Our men's Rugby Sevens team defeated Samoa and Kenya in the first heat in front of 80,000 spectators. His mum Nikki Sargeant was screaming from the sidelines of the Stade de France. She spoke to Bridie Tanner on ABC North Coast from Café Oz in Paris. See the Rugby Sevens Olympic schedule here Aussie Aussie Aussie! Grafton, Surfers Paradise, Rugby 7, Summer Olympic Games
Divers pull off dramatic rescue of whale 'anchored to the ocean floor' at Iluka off NSW North Coast
A juvenile humpback whale was rescued after it was pinned to the ocean floor by a wire cable off the New South Wales coast for up to eight days. Heavy seas made the rescue mission perilous for trained divers. The whale is expected to continue its northerly migration, but it may not survive. Dangerous seas threatened to capsize a rescue boat that came to the aid of a humpback whale 'anchored to the ocean floor' off the New South Wales North Coast.
Byron Bay stripped of nudist beach after no alternative found for clothing-optional zone
In short: National Parks and Wildlife Service will shut down the clothing-optional area at Tyagarah Nature Reserve. It comes more than 25 years after Byron Shire Council approved the area. What's next? A resident says stopping nudists will require support from authorities. Beachgoers on the NSW far north coast who fancy a dip in their birthday suits have been stripped of a place to swim after it was announced a popular nudist beach will soon close.
Countdown to Lismore's 30th Lantern Parade
The Lantern Parade brings the whole community together on a cold winters night in June. Children's faces light up as they marvel at the puppet lanterns, which seem to come to life as they march down the CBD streets. Come with Bridie Tanner from ABC North Coast into the pre-festival hubbub at lantern HQ. Giggling high-schoolers get their work experience, long-time volunteers and employees pull together finishing touches and a young man from Crookwell keeps himself off the street.
What is on the back of this truck? - ABC listen
From Brisbane through Goondiwindi, Dubbo and finally to Canberra to be installed in the National Gallery of Australia. Transporting a piece of art this big is a first for the southern hemisphere. Probably, it's the longest trip that any such object has ever taken. Hit play to hear what the The Ouroboros represents and what the truckies reckon. Lindy Lee AM spoke to Bridie Tanner on ABC North Coast. Goondiwindi, Dubbo, Byron Bay, Brisbane, Canberra, Installation Art, Road Transport Industry
Old postcard from Tweed Heads reunites English woman with biological family in Australia
In short: An Australian postcard was the only clue for a UK woman searching for her birth father. Her partner reached out on the internet and found family connections What's next: Tiffany Sands now has a new Australian family that she hopes to see more often. Tiffany Sands had just one clue about her birth father's family — an old postcard sent from the far north coast of New South Wales, a long way from her hometown of Norwich, England.
When Dungeons and Dragons becomes therapeutic
For Lismore resident Kane, Dungeons and Dragons is 'the best game in the world'. Yet this epic adventure has a therapeutic benefit as well. Here's Bridie Tanner and Dominic Cansdale with more.
The world champion bodybuilder from Maclean, NSW - ABC listen
Even though she struggled with her confidence at the time, Beccy Pateman knew she wanted to compete after seeing her first bodybuilding show. Later that year she won her first show, Muscle Mania in the Gold Coast. The bodybuilder from Maclean, NSW has now won the Natural Olympia in the Professional Figure category AND the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation's world championship. Listen out for the the Aussie accents cheering her among the American crowd. Broadcast 3 hours ago
Garbage recycled into Christmas trees as NSW targets 30 per cent less plastic waste by 2025
When choosing a Christmas tree, the choice used to be simple: plastic or fresh. But with the growing sustainability movement, people are instead recycling rubbish and other objects to make Christmas trees. Everything from toilet rolls to rabbit traps are being turned into trees for the festive season. For the past two years, Alison Marr and Dorothy Wasson, from a craft centre in Tamworth, have organised a competition to make a recycled Christmas tree.
The Queen of Dirt a 'vehicle' for discussion
In the male-dominated industry of earthmoving, one truck stands out. The Queen of Dirt Kelly Young from Broadwater, NSW, is using her business to educate others about what it means to be transgender. She told Bridie Tanner on ABC North Coast she doesn't mind people asking questions.
Fisherman, 91, still hooked on craft of making lures as following grows
Necessity is the mother of invention, and in 1949 John Langley was in dire need of some fishing lures. Then aged 17, he was working for his grandfather feeding the pigs on the banks of the Richmond River, and the waterway was brimming with bass. He had with him his father's oldest and best two lures. "I didn't want to lose them because they were so old so I decided to try to make a lure," he said.
School formal outfits can cost hundreds, but Linh's just picked out this 'really cute' dress for free
The first written exam of the 2023 Higher School Certificate had ended less than an hour earlier, but it felt a world away from the room of year 12 students busily trying on shoes, suits and frocks. "[The exam] was, ooh, so stressful, but we got through it," Linh Le Do said. The contrast of the exam hall and fitting room was "bizarre, it was wonderful also".
NSW mayors from tourism hotspots eye Victoria's Airbnb, short-stay accommodation levy
A mayor from a holiday hotspot in New South Wales says the "balancing act" between tourism and housing supply should be carefully considered before a short-term rental levy is introduced for platforms like Airbnb and Stayz.
How do modern kids feel about Barbie? - ABC North Coast
How does the next generation feel about Barbie? Eleven year old Opi Checuti from Lismore, NSW has created this work responding to Barbie's perfection and influence on little girls. "We should embrace that everyone is different" says Opi. "Nobody get's out of bed looking as perfect as Barbie." Hit play to hear how kids are reacting to the hype of the upcoming Barbie movie.
Award-winning emu beanie set for display after success at Alice Springs festival
They do a great job keeping our heads warm and can lay claim to being a daggy fashion icon, but does the humble beanie belong in an art gallery? Key points: The piece was created for the Alice Springs Beanie Festival Called Emu Stole My Beanie, it won the acquisition award It is Meggan Jack's fourth attempt to create a wearable emu beanie Crochet creator and self-confessed "beanieologist" Meggan Jack, from Tyalgum on the New South Wales North Coast, would argue the answer is yes.
How woodchoppers become one with the axe - ABC North Coast
According to North Coast axeman Jack Livingstone, an axe head you can shave with and a pair of lucky blue undies. Step inside the world of competitive woodchopping on Breakfast with Bridie Tanner on ABC North Coast.
From Byron Bay to the seven seas, 20 years swim by for professional mermaid
"Have tail, will travel" could be the motto of Hannah Fraser, whose career as a professional mermaid has taken her around the world. A native of Ocean Shores in the Byron Shire on the New South Wales North Coast, Fraser took to the water with her tail 20 years ago and has not looked back. "I've lost track of the amount of countries and oceans I've visited," she said. "I have danced with tiger sharks 35 feet down, weighted with 10-12 pounds of weight at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas.
Jacaranda Festival allows 'queen' candidates to choose own titles - should others follow suit? Original
Country towns embrace their annual festivals and traditionally young women compete to be crowned queen of an event, but modern times are calling for diversity and inclusion — so does her majesty's title need to change?
Should first responders ignore swearing, obscenities and even racist statements? - ABC North Coast
They're not drunk, on drugs or psychotic, but people with Tourette Syndrome are often treated as such when they tic in front of police, doctors and other officials. Nineteen year old Sophie Hume had a traumatic experience at her local hospital, now she and her mother Katrina are on a mission for They are hoping first responders, law enforcement officers and health care workers, can be trained in what to do when confronting an individual with Tourette Syndrome.
John's quest for ultimate freedom on high seas
John Shaw got his pilot licence straight out of high school, but he hated the red tape of flying. When he jumped on a tuna fishing boat, one season turned into seven and a lifelong love of the sea. Story by Bridie Tanner and Zachary Bruce. Posted 7h ago7 hours agoMon 1 May 2023 at 2:00pm, updated 6m ago6 minutes agoMon 1 May 2023 at 9:42pm
Partial blind but born to drive
At only eight-years-old Ruby Howell has a need for speed. The young buggy driver is taking out podium wins in competitions in the US, despite being legally blind in one eye. Story by Bridie Tanner, additional production by Jessica Hinchliffe. Posted 8h ago8 hours agoThu 20 Apr 2023 at 2:00pm, updated 32m ago32 minutes agoThu 20 Apr 2023 at 9:34pm Grafton, Family, Sport, Disabilities
Ruby's parents were told she'd never drive a car. At age eight, she's an off-road racing star
Ruby Howell is eight years old, partially blind, and drives like racing legend The Stig from Top Gear. Key points: Ruby Howell is making a name for herself in the US off-road racing world Born with Persistent Fetal Vasculature (PFV), the eight-year-old is blind in her left eye Her dad wants to see Australia's racing age limits changed so she can race her buggies in her home country Her mum, Emily Howell, said Ruby had been driving four-wheeled vehicles from an extraordinarily young age.
How the cheeky boy from Pottsville became the first Indigenous Home & Away star - ABC North Coast
Kyle Shilling says 'cheeky is probably an understatement' when describing his personality growing up in the coastal village of Pottsville, NSW. Now he's making a difference in the lives of the people of Summer Bay, even old Alf. Kyle plays 'Mali Hudson' the aussie soap's first role for an Indigenous actor.
Raptor expert Melanie Barsony uses imping to save birds of prey with broken feathers
Melanie Barsony has spent years honing her skills in the art of imping to give birds of prey a better chance of survival.
Best & Worst public toilets in the Northern Rivers
Why aren't public toilets taken seriously in Australia? Ballina local Katherine Webber is a world leading expert in public toilets. She explains how these necessary amenities could and should be better. Hit play to hear the best and worst public toilets in the Northern Rivers. Broadcast 11h ago11 hours agoWed 22 Feb 2023 at 7:35pm Ballina, Community and Society, Urban Development and Planning
Personal trainer drives 1,500km to give his car to Lismore flood victim and 'pays it forward'
A 36-year-old Melbourne man has decided to pay it forward and give his car to a stranger whose northern New South Wales home was hit by floodwaters last year.
Rejection of the status-quo keeps punk alive in the Northern Rivers - ABC North Coast
Punk has a 50 year history in Australia, as documented by filmaker Jennifer Ross in AGE of Rage: The Australian Punk Revolution. In the Northern Rivers, punk lives on thanks to Ryan Mudge, life-long punk fan, drummer and music promoter with 'In the Fastlane records'. They spoke with Bridie Tanner on Breakfast. Broadcast 7h ago7 hours agoThu 19 Jan 2023 at 7:35pm Murwillumbah, Bangalow, Rock, History
Complaints to ombudsman as Northern Rivers residents sent power bills for flood-damaged properties with no power
The Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW says it has received dozens of complaints about power bills issued for unoccupied flood-affected homes and businesses on the state's Far North Coast.
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