Celebrating 110 years of Girl Guides in WA
By Rosemary Murphy, Ela Bristow, and Anna Cox

The uniforms and pledge may have had a revamp, but the learning, friendships and camping trips at Girl Guides are just as relevant for a new generation more than a century after the organisation first began.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-29/girl-guides-western-australia-celebrating-110-years/106001684

#CommunityOrganisations #RegionalCommunities #Volunteering #History #RosemaryMurphy #ElaBristow # #AnnaCox

Government backtracks on default speed limit
By Andrew Collins and Rosemary Murphy

The truck industry has welcomed a federal government decision to walk away from lowering speeds on unsigned roads, but road safety experts question the move.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-25/reduction-of-default-speed-limits-not-on-the-cards/106052562

#Transport #Roads #DriverEducation #AndrewCollins #RosemaryMurphy

School bus cancellations blindside parents and providers
By Andrew Collins, Chloe Henville, and Rosemary Murphy

The closure of four school bus routes next year has shocked parents and the bus route providers, who heard the news through the media.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-25/school-bus-route-cancellations-regional-wa/106017038

#PublicSchools #Transport #Buses #RegionalCommunities #AndrewCollins #ChloeHenville # #RosemaryMurphy

Foreign farm worker sentenced over second sexual assault
By Rosemary Murphy

A German farm worker has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a second sexual assault in regional Western Australia.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-20/german-farm-worker-sentenced-for-assault-on-second-woman/106022638

#Courts #Work #RosemaryMurphy

Dropping speed limits on unsigned roads 'nonsense', WA senator says
By Andrew Collins, Kate Forrester, and Rosemary Murphy

A Labor senator says it's "stupidity" for the federal government to propose a reduction to the default speed limit for unsigned roads.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-16/labor-senator-opposed-reducing-speed-limit-on-unsigned-roads/105997390

#RoadTransportIndustry #RegionalCommunities #Roads #AndrewCollins #KateForrester # #RosemaryMurphy

Gallery of tiny treasures joins global community
By Rosemary Murphy

A new tiny art gallery on WA's south coast adds to a growing global movement of community verge-side offerings that range from puzzles to seed exchange.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-09/tiny-art-gallery-albany-global-movement/105857528

#Art #RegionalCommunities #RegionalDevelopmentandPlanning #RosemaryMurphy

Bibbulmun Track record broken twice in one week
By Stan Shaw, Paul Cook, and Rosemary Murphy

Two men have smashed the record for completing one of the world's longest walking tracks in the fastest time, within days of each other.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-08/record-for-bibbulmun-track-broken-twice-in-a-week/105862894

#RecordsandAchievements #Hiking #MentalHealth #StanShaw #PaulCook # #RosemaryMurphy

Songbird heard for first time since 1890s in WA park
By Rosemary Murphy

The song of the noisy scrub-bird is being heard in WA's West Cape Howe National Park again, bringing joy to bird enthusiasts everywhere.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-07/noisy-scrub-birds-return-to-west-cape-howe-national-park/105856064

#Birds #Nature #Environment #RosemaryMurphy

Shutterbugs warned search for perfect shot is stressing out numbats
By Rosemary Murphy and Stan Shaw

Authorities say getting to close to numbats can make them anxious enough to abandon their young and are urging photographers to give the endangered animals their space.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-02/photographers-urged-to-maintain-distance-from-numbats-wa/105844130

#EndangeredandProtectedSpecies #Animals #NatureReserves #RosemaryMurphy #StanShaw

Retro gadgets stand test of time in an era of disposable tech
By Paul Cook, Andrew Collins, and Rosemary Murphy

Analogue TVs, cameras and film projectors are just some of the items with sentimental value people fix rather than replace — and unlike much of today's technology, they were made to be repaired.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-28/old-electrical-appliances-made-to-be-fixed-and-still-performing/105791190

#HomeAppliances #RegionalCommunities #HumanInterest #History #PaulCook #AndrewCollins # #RosemaryMurphy

Country teen's long-shot bid to get shearing at the Olympics
By Rosemary Murphy and Andrew Collins

We saw break dancing added to the Olympic program for the Paris Games, and now there is a push for shearing to be included for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-27/wa-teen-starts-petition-for-shearing-to-be-in-the-olympics/105721670

#SheepFarming #OlympicGames #HumanInterest #Sport #RosemaryMurphy #AndrewCollins

Girl, 12, killed in highway crash in southern WA
By Andrew Chounding, Rosemary Murphy, and Anna Cox

The fatal collision occurred hours after police urged motorists to drive cautiously ahead of the long weekend.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-26/girl-killed-in-great-southern-highyway-crash-wa/105821522

#RoadAccidentsandIncidents #AndrewChounding #RosemaryMurphy # #AnnaCox

Paddleboarder filming too close to whales in WA's south gets nudged
By Peter Barr and Rosemary Murphy

Drone footage shows a paddleboarder getting too close to film a southern right whale mother and calf, and nudged away, off Point Ann.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-23/paddleboarder-gets-too-close-to-whales-to-film-them/105801626

#Animals #PeterBarr #RosemaryMurphy

Man jailed for punching boy, threatening to use baby as human shield
By Rosemary Murphy

Details of the 49-year-old's violent outburst at a WA school were revealed during his sentencing.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-18/west-australian-man-jailed-for-punching-child-at-school/105790898

#Courts #JusticeSystem #RosemaryMurphy

WA councils 'frustrated' as parliament rejects law to stop cats roaming
By Jacqueline Lynch, Stan Shaw, and Rosemary Murphy

The WA parliament has intervened to stop a Perth council from bringing in fines for people who allow their cats to leave their properties.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-17/cat-confinement-laws-dismissed-perth-council-wa/105784434

#LocalGovernment #Cats #JacquelineLynch #StanShaw # #RosemaryMurphy

Woman on mobility scooter injured after being hit by van in Albany
By Rosemary Murphy and Andrew Chounding

The woman, aged in her 70s, was crossing a street when she was hit by the vehicle.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-10/woman-on-mobility-scooter-hit-by-van-albany-wa/105759192

#RoadAccidentsandIncidents #Police #RosemaryMurphy #AndrewChounding

WA resident loses almost $250,000 in cold call scam
By Rosemary Murphy

A cold caller claiming to be from the government convinced the victim to make bank transfers, ATM withdrawals and buy gift cards.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-01/albany-police-investigate-overseas-scam-victim-loses-250000/105637504

#ScamsandFraud #Police #RosemaryMurphy

WA resident loses almost $250,000 in cold call scam
By Rosemary Murphy

A cold caller claiming to be from the government convinced the victim to make bank transfers, ATM withdrawals and buy gift cards.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-01/albany-police-investigate-overseas-scam-victim-loses-250000/105637504

#ScamsandFraud #Police #RosemaryMurphy

Meat co-op fined $780k over PALM worker's death
By Rosemary Murphy

Western Australian Meat Marketing Co-operative are fined over the death of a Tongan worker who was pulled into moving machinery at its Katanning processing facility.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-27/wa-meat-marketing-co-operative-fined-palm-workers-death/105703816

#Courts #SheepFarming #RosemaryMurphy

Police want more powers to deal with WA's illegal tobacco industry
By Rosemary Murphy

Illicit tobacco is a national problem, but WA's top cop is concerned the state's weaker laws and penalties will make it attractive for organised crime.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-18/wa-authorities-want-more-powers-to-deal-with-illegal-tobacco/105651648

#Police #PublicHealth #Smoking #RosemaryMurphy