Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has comfortably retained his seat of New England in the 2025 Australian federal election, defeating six challengers and reaffirming his stronghold over the rural electorate. With all votes yet to be counted, Joyce secured a commanding lead with over 50% of the first preference vote ensuring an easy path to victory despite a slight swing against him. His nearest competitor, Labor’s Laura Hughes, finished a distant second. New England, a sprawling regional electorate covering key towns such as Tamworth, Armidale, and Glen Innes, has been held by Joyce since 2004 (except for a brief resignation period in…
The featured nations at this year’s Australian Celtic Festival are Brittany, Cornwall and Wales. These three nations share a bond of language. Breton, Cornish and Welsh are closely related, known collectively as the Brittonic languages. This sets them apart from Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, where the languages are classified as Goidelic, or Gaelic, languages. Wales, Cornwall and Brittany have more in common than their ancestral languages, however. Before the rise of the Roman Empire, most of Europe was occupied by Celtic peoples. When the Roman Empire collapsed at the beginning of the 5th century, the Celtic regions…
Six years ago Kristina Sanne, Director and Lead Teacher at Jacaranda Highland Dancers in Grafton, was approached by a few persuasive Glen Innes families keen to have highland dancing classes made available in Glen Innes for their children. Despite some initial misgivings about the logistics of expanding her dance studio, and the commute up the Gwydir, Kristina said yes. She now teaches at the Masonic Lodge Hall on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, once a fortnight. The studio continues to grow and currently there are 20 children and 2 adult students from a wide range of backgrounds, not just for…
Who are the Skinner Boyz? Brothers Nathan and Joel Skinner aka The Skinner Boyz are fast becoming musical sensations in their adopted hometown of Glen Innes, where their musical careers are taking off. Nathan, who is older, and Joel grew up on the coast, sharing a love of surfing and music. Taught the guitar largely by his father, Nathan’s early musical influences included finger picking from the 30s, old country blues and “just about every song from Mississippi John Hurt”. Joel was taught the guitar by his father and also Nathan. He used to love listening to Nathan playing his…
At the beginning of the year, Paul Wilson had a dream of opening a new venue in town. While he continued to push the thought away, it gave him no peace. He eventually caved, feeling that he would never know if it would work, if he didn’t give it a try. On Saturday 12th April, on World Record Store Day, and after a lot of hard work, Paul opened Listen at 3/120 Wentworth Street, Glen Innes (next to Charlie’s Chickens). Because he wants to be open when other stores aren’t, his hours will be Friday to Sunday from 5pm to…
With the Australian Celtic Festival kicking off this weekend, locals and visitors alike are on the lookout for the perfect Celtic-inspired outfit. For those wanting to dress the part while supporting a good cause, two Glen Innes non-profits are offering a treasure trove of tartan at budget-friendly prices. Out the Back Treasures, located behind Oasis Church at 70 Grey Street (opposite TAFE), is opening its doors today, Friday 2 May 2025, from 9am to 3pm. The shop boasts “ACRES of Tartans....Kilts, Skirts, Trousers, Caps, Scarves, Wraps, Jackets,” making it a one-stop shop for festival-goers wanting to embrace Celtic style. Meanwhile,…
Glen Innes motorists and residents are advised to plan ahead as several temporary road closures will be in place across the town for the 2025 Australian Celtic Festival, taking place from Friday 2 May to Sunday 4 May. The Glen Innes Severn Council has announced the following road closures to ensure the smooth running of festival events: Friday 2 May:Grey Street, between Bourke Street and Town Square, will be closed from 9:30am to approximately 1:45pm to accommodate the Festival Opening Ceremony. Saturday 3 May:Grey Street, from Lang Street to Meade Street, will be closed between 8:00am and 11:30am for the…
A $5 million overdraft facility taken out by Glen Innes Severn Council has drawn criticism from some councillors, who have raised concerns over transparency and compliance with local government procedures. At a council meeting on Thursday, 24 April, General Manager Bernard Smith defended the facility, which was extended by the National Australia Bank in 2024. Mr Smith said the overdraft had been established to manage cash flow while the Council awaited reimbursement for already completed and paid-for grant-funded projects. "Importantly, the facility hasn't been drawn down," Mr Smith told councillors during the meeting. Although Council already had an existing $200,000…
Significant upgrades to Glen Innes’ local CCTV infrastructure are set to commence soon, with Glen Innes Severn Council announcing plans to expand and modernise surveillance systems across the town centre and, for the first time, at ANZAC Park. Scheduled to begin between late May and early June, the project will see 16 new high-definition cameras installed on four streetlight poles located between the Bourke Street and Meade Street intersections—four cameras per pole—substantially increasing coverage throughout the central business district. Further improvements include the addition of 13 cameras around the perimeter of the Town Hall. The existing system within the building…
