John Kats, 57, and his brother Roelie, 63, recently celebrated 40 years of service with Oakbank family company J & AG Johnston, largely making cordials.

John Kats, 57, and older brother Roelie, 63, began working for J & AG Johnston in 1972 and today every bottle of the traditional cordial made by the Oakbank family business is mixed, bottled, labelled and sometimes delivered by their hands.
Depending on the season the brothers produce about 4000 litres of cordial a week containing up to 1900kg of sugar.
In the past the pair would have to carry 30kg bags of sugar up stairs in the heritage-listed Johnston brewery building for manufacturing but now the sugar comes in 15kg bags … and they have the luxury of a goods elevator.
Making cordial is a job both brothers love although Roelie Kats admits that having to taste test every batch has put him off sweet drinks at home.

The post Brothers now the kings of cordial appeared first on The Courier News.

The post Expansion issues to be put to SA Government appeared first on The Courier News.

Mt Barker resident Joel Siviour, 19, has organised a youth music festival to be held at Mt Barker Oval in October.

The 19-year-old has organised Echo Festival, the Hills’ own regional youth music festival, after devoting his Year 12 research project to the region’s ability to host one.
The festival will be held at Mt Barker Oval on October 1 (Labour Day) and will feature SA indie acts including The Killgirls, The Shiny Brights, The Salvadors, Messrs and Mt Barker band Indiago.
Mr Siviour, a former Cornerstone College student, said creating the event was something he had “always wanted to do”.
“In my mind (music festivals) are the pinnacle of a fun weekend so I thought to have something like that in my hometown would be pretty amazing,” he said.

The post Festival a first step for Joel appeared first on The Courier News.

State Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond.

The Heysen MP admits she is unsure who is leaking damaging information and negative comments about her leadership but says she is confident she has the full support of her Shadow Ministers and backbenchers.
She acknowledged she was offered the recent Federal Senate vacancy created by the resignation of Mary Jo Fisher which would have cleared the way for a “bloodless coup”.
All Ms Redmond will reveal is that the Senate job was offered to her by someone outside the State Parliamentary system.
A tape recording of an argument during a Liberal debrief into the 2010 State election loss was also leaked and Riverland MP Tim Whetstone was quoted in The Australian last week saying she had his support “at the moment”.

The post Rat in the ranks appeared first on The Courier News.

The hotel in Balhannah in 1913. Today it is one of 17 being sold by renowned local company J & AG Johnston in a restructure of the business.

The company is also selling the Balhannah Junction Shopping Centre and a number of other retail and residential holdings.
Now on the market in the Hills are the Woodside, Balhannah, Meadows, Charleston and Gumeracha hotels, the District Hotel and Millers’ Arms in Nairne, the Rising Sun Hotel in Lobethal, the Totness Inn in Mt Pleasant, the Stanley Bridge Tavern at Verdun and the German Arms in Hahndorf.
The company is also selling the Bridge Hotel at Langhorne Creek, the Callington Hotel, the Pretoria and Mannum Hotels in Mannum, the Swan Reach Hotel and the Pier Hotel at Milang. Company director Chris Johnston declined to talk about the reasons behind the sell-off when contacted by The Courier this week, but in a statement company chairman Mark O’Leary said the decision was strategic with the business investing in other “ventures”.
“This was a momentous decision, not only for the shareholders, but also for other stakeholders, some of whom have been associated with the company for many years,” Mr O’Leary said.

The post Iconic Hills company pulls out of pubs appeared first on The Courier News.

Woodside Cheese Wrights owner Kris Lloyd has been instrumental in helping secure Australia’s first Artisan Cheese Making Academy for Adelaide.

It was a tedious and at times frustrating process that she supplemented with courses and skills workshops when she could access them and, eventually, overseas travel to learn from international experts.
“There’s nothing that addresses the needs of an artisan cheese maker in Australia,” she said.
“While there are some cheese making courses in Australia, predominantly they are targeted at the larger producers and this is a different kind of cheese making.”
It was through her own passion to learn more about the art that the Woodside Cheese Wrights owner has now brought training for small scale cheese producers to Adelaide in an Australian first.

The post Kris knows her craft appeared first on The Courier News.

Mt Barker Mayor Ann Ferguson and Nairne and District Residents’ Association president Simon Martin are urging Nairne residents to have their say on a draft plan for the town’s long-term future.

They have five weeks to tell the Mt Barker Council whether they support its Draft Nairne Township Master Plan, which will become the blueprint for its long-term expansion and development.
The Nairne and District Residents’ Association is urging locals to have their say on the draft and any changes they want made.
President Simon Martin said locals should seize the “once in a generation opportunity” to plan for the historic town’s future.
“We are on the brink of our town expanding by around 33% in population and that’s going to put enormous pressure on a whole lot of facilities and services,” he said.

The post Town prepares for growing pains appeared first on The Courier News.

Senior Constable Cathy Beer from Hills police processed 15 rifles in the first three days of the State gun amnesty last week.

Senior Constable Cathy Beer said most of the firearms or firearms pieces were “quite old”.
All of them will be sent to Adelaide to be destroyed.
The amnesty began last Wednesday, August 1, and will run until Wednesday, October 31.
It is aimed at the owners of guns that might be unregistered, illegal or unwanted, giving them the chance to hand in the firearms without fear of being fined, charged or penalised.

The post Police gun amnesty hits the target appeared first on The Courier News.

Pastor Eric Liebelt and MLC Kelly Vincent celebrate the opening of Hill View Lutheran Homes for the Disabled four decades after his sister Betty Sickle first voiced her vision for such a facility.

The $1.7m project to build a respite centre and independent living units was officially launched on the weekend and will soon open its doors to its new residents.
The Lehmann Court facility in Mt Barker will allow disabled people to live independently in three units, with a further two units for higher care clients who will receive onsite support.
The Hill View Lutheran Services to the Disabled site will also offer much-needed respite for Hills carers, with accommodation for six disabled people and trained support workers.
It has been built on land bequeathed by Betty Sickel, whose chronic diabetes from the age of 12 robbed her of her sight and later her legs.

The post Care vision a reality at last appeared first on The Courier News.

About 70 people attended the Stirling Old School Community Garden planning day to give their input into the garden design.

Stirling Old School Community Garden chairperson William Mansell said organisers were delighted with the turnout and the enthusiasm of local residents.
“The meeting has shown the time has come for a community garden in the Stirling area,” he said.
“People with property still want to connect with community.
“Sharing and learning together was a key point that came out of the planning day.

The post Community garden takes shape appeared first on The Courier News.