User Profile

23 Jul 2025

Rifleman shot an award contender

A photo of a rifleman – the smallest bird in NZ – by a Mt Barker photographer has been named a finalist for the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Award. Bernie Shore took the photo, which is a finalist in the Animals in...

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23 Jul 2025

Council to trial outreach library service

A pilot program that will deliver a small-scale library outreach service to a township outside of Mt Barker is being funded through a $10,000 investment by the local council. The Library Pilot Program will take the form of a “flexible...

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23 Jul 2025

Council doing the ‘heavy lifting’

A Mt Barker councillor is calling for investment in the town’s arterial road network, fearing that key routes such as Adelaide Road are “nearing capacity”. At a meeting last Monday, Cr Rebecca Hewett, pictured, spearheaded a request that...

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16 Jul 2025

Car parks lost under hotel and entertainment plan

Developing a 100-room, four-star hotel and entertainment complex proposed by Wallis Entertainment would result in the net loss of 37 car parks, according to a development application submitted to the Mt Barker Council. A section of the existing...

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16 Jul 2025

Cool photo wins award

Mt Barker Courier journalist Scott Murphy’s photo of a young farmer keeping cool amid a heatwave has been recognised in the 2025 Australia Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ) awards. The photo of 14-year-old Oscar Kowald in a tub at his...

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02 Jul 2025

Community

Event brings home car crash consequences

The Mt Barker community is being invited to participate in an “eye-opening” session about driver safety, presented by a firefighter and a road crash survivor. SA MFS station officer Doug MacDonald-Taylor, who has seen the devastation car crashes...

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02 Jul 2025

Wetland weed spread stopped

Mt Barker Council staff have stopped a declared weed from spreading in the Laratinga Wetlands, after two Italian buckthorn saplings were dumped in the area. The weeds, along with a small pile of garden waste, were dumped near a path on June 10 and...

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02 Jul 2025

Battery plan to go ahead despite fire fear

The construction of a 4.95 megawatt battery energy storage system at Meadows will go ahead despite being located in an area of high bushfire risk without an emergency management plan. The Mt Barker Council approved the development at a Council...

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25 Jun 2025

Sleepless nights reap rewards

Like many, Will Godward is captivated by what he sees when he gazes up at the night sky. For more than 20 years, the St Ives astrophotographer has endured frigid nights in his tent to capture the stars in various locations around the State. His...

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25 Jun 2025

Culture issues: councillors concede issues within council

Some Mt Barker councillors have conceded that there are issues within the council, while others have defended its culture, claiming it has improved under Mayor David Leach. Weeks after the resignation of former Councillor Narelle Hardingham, who...

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18 Jun 2025

Funding plea as debt set to soar

The Mt Barker Council is calling for the State Government to help fund critical wastewater infrastructure, as its debt is predicted to balloon to $255m in 2028. Of that debt, $168m will be generated by the delivery of the Laratinga Water Recovery...

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18 Jun 2025

Thousands to increase library shelving, but funding still lags

The Mt Barker Council plans to spend $80,000 on new shelving to expand the local library collection and bring it closer to industry standard. The funding is in the council’s draft 2025/26 Annual Business Plan, which also includes a $10,000 spend...

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