Local shearing sheds are again echoing to the scuttling sound of hooves on boards, whirr of the electric gear and clank of presses – a far cry from the days of the sheds echoing to the click of the blades (hand shears) as the shearer took the full length of the blade for the cut and the ‘knockers’ met. The record for a day’s blade shearing is 321 merinos in seven hours 40 minutes by Jackie Howe at ‘Alice Downs’, Blackall in Queensland in 1892. However, in 1907 Deepwater local gun shearer John Edward Dean shore 274 sheep in a…
Squirrelled away in everyday corners of Australia, people pen stories to intrigue, to uplift or to edify. It’s no different in the New England area of New South Wales. Once a month, the High Country Writers, a group of avid authors come together in Deepwater to inspire and encourage each other’s writing efforts. High Country Writers have taken the plunge from writing to producing a printed result by publishing a book of eclectic micro-stories. Their recent collective work, Diving Into Deep Water, has been published by High Country Books and will be officially launched on July 19th at the Makers…
On May 15, 1937, The Glen Innes Examiner ran this report from the Inspector and Organiser of the Bush Nursing Association: "...Nine miles from Deepwater lies the township of Stannum, tin mining being the main industry. "This part does well when water is plentiful, and the price of tin is high, otherwise the men are out of work with all its serious consequences. "The police patrols of Deepwater and Torrington each have over 1,000 people without a medical officer or even a trained nurse. So Stannum makes a good centre [for a Bush Nursing Hospital] for these districts, nine miles…
The High Country Writers group is an informal gathering of wordsmiths who started meeting at The Makers Shed in Glen Innes. Now, the results of their labour are set to be launched by a new publishing imprint. The group initially started meeting in mid-2019 at the original Makers Shed, a small corrugated-iron shop at the southern end of the high street of Glen Innes. In 2024, the group moved with the business to a century-old former butcher shop on the New England Highway at Deepwater, at the heart of the traditional lands of the Ngarrabul people. Participants from Glen Innes,…
Glen Innes Severn Council will consider a revised Special Rate Variation (SRV) proposal at its meeting on 19 June. The revised recommendation follows a six-week community engagement process, “Shaping Tomorrow”, which closed on 6 June 2025. Financial Pressures Prompt Action The Council has reported significant financial pressure in its General Fund, forecasting an average annual operating deficit of $4.7 million from 2025/26 without a rate increase. To help address this, Council has implemented a series of savings measures, identifying more than $600,000 in efficiencies, reducing staff recruitment, and deferring some projects. Additional business improvement measures worth $65,000 annually for five…
Glen Innes Severn Council is proposing an expansion of its Access Bus service in a bid to improve transport options for older residents living in the villages of Deepwater, Emmaville, Glencoe and Red Range. Currently operated through Council’s Life Choices – Support Services (LC-SS) program under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), the Access Bus provides eligible residents in Glen Innes with regular transport to essential services and community activities. Feedback from recent community engagement, including the 2024 Glen Innes Severn Council Aged Care and Disability Community Consultation Feedback Report and discussions facilitated through Transport for NSW forums, identified limited…
Polymath (n): a person of wide knowledge or learning, from the Greek. This term and its definition certainly applies to local resident, Michael Burge. Michael is a journalist, author, publisher and artist who lives at Deepwater. He also holds a design diploma from NIDA. And he runs a popular book club and writer’s group in Deepwater, publishes books, does the publicity for his own work and has a strong online presence. Lots of fingers, in lots of pies. In late 2019, Michael published his debut novel, Tank Water. It’s sequel, Dirt Trap will be released in November. These novels explore…
The official 2025 National NAIDOC Week poster has been unveiled, featuring a striking digital artwork titled Ancestral Lines. The piece was created by Jeremy Morgan Worrall, a proud Ngarbal/Gomeroi man from Emmaville and Deepwater in northern New South Wales, with family ties to the Wright, Connor and Marlow families. Worrall’s artwork pays tribute to the cultural strength, wisdom, and care handed down through generations — from his Ancestors Lucy, Enoch and Nonie Wright, to his Nanna Audrie and mother Vanessa. Set beneath swirling clouds and moonlit skies in Tenterfield, the piece portrays the next generation gathered around a fire, symbolising…
If you’re looking for an exciting new venue to establish your latest innovative business, look no further than the NRMA building in Deepwater. The building is in a prominent position and poised to grab the attention of passers-by. The owner of the Top Pub (otherwise known as The Deepwater Hotel to those who aren’t in the know) in Deepwater, Stu O’Neill purchased the NRMA building next to the pub two years ago, but has only recently been given access to it. For many years it operated as a motor cycle workshop. His plan is to paint and zoosh the building…
