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ABC News
05-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Broken Hill teen launches business welding signs for properties
Not many 18-year-olds can boast a practical skill set to match the likes of Annabelle Smith, who comes from a sheep station in the far west of NSW. Among her talents are welding, butchering, horse riding and shearing. "I was about 12 or 13, maybe a little bit older when dad first started teaching me how to weld and use things in the shed," Ms Smith said. "Dad's always been pretty creative and done a lot of signs for here and our other [property]." Annabelle's father, Terry Smith, made a lot of the signs at Scarsdale Station. ( ABC Broken Hill: Katherine Spackman ) Ms Smith further honed her welding skills while undertaking high school at Yanco Agricultural College. Since then, she has been approached to do work and subsequently started her own side business. Annabelle Smith welds station signs for the outback. ( ABC Broken Hill: Katherine Spackman ) "I did one as a present for some friends who let me come to their place for work experience and after that people started ringing me and asking," she said. Ms Smith said she always had one or two orders on the go. She said stations liked to have a custom-made sign to show their uniqueness. "It's just something different and [at] lots of places you drive past, there's a big sign on the driveway, like the name of station and a bit of a logo or a cow's head or something," Ms Smith said. Annabelle Smith welded the sign for Copago Salt. ( Supplied ) She has used sheep faces and Sturt's desert peas as decorative elements in signs, which she said was the hardest part of the design. Ms Smith said welding 15-20 letters usually took her a full day or two, but larger jobs could take longer. "I just did a big one for a station and it took me a couple of weeks because it was huge and it was a lot of work," she said. Free rein to explore Ms Smith said growing up on a remote sheep station was the best upbringing. "We used to go down to the creek and build cubby houses and stuff in the creek and just do whatever we wanted," she said. "I got a little pony for my third birthday and he bit and kicked and generally acted like a pony. Since then I have been riding. Annabelle Smith takes part in a gymkhana. ( Supplied: Jane Smith ) " We were mustering from when we were big enough to ride motorbikes and not getting in the way. " However, she said safety was always a concern. "We had to slow down around the house and the cars and the motorbikes and all that," she said. "I wasn't allowed to use anything in the shed when dad was away. "But we were mostly given free rein as long as we weren't silly and we didn't hurt the animals or upset or crash any vehicles or anything." Family affair Ms Smith said her family's long involvement with a rural agricultural event sparked her interest in studying event management at university, which she began this year. Her father, Terry Smith, is the vice president of Agfair, a two-day biennial event held at Broken Hill Racecourse. Agfair is held in Broken Hill. ( Supplied: Martin Hogan ) "I love Agfair," Ms Smith said. "Dad's been on the committee for years and always involved with helping everyone before and after, and I always hated going back to school or back home afterwards." Ms Smiith said she was on stage helping butcher and educator, Alison Meagher, demonstrate how to break up meat. Annabelle Smith, right, helps Alison Meagher at Agfair last year. ( ABC Broken Hill: Katherine Spackman ) She said her interest in butchering started after she did a week of work experience at a Broken Hill butcher shop. "I went home and I was like, 'Dad, I really love this. Like, it's actually really good'," she said. ABC Rural RoundUp newsletter Stories from farms and country towns across Australia, delivered each Friday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
01-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Wild Deserts project releases bilbies, bandicoots, quolls thought locally extinct for decades
Crawling out of small wooden boxes into the crisp, clear outback air, dozens of golden bandicoots scurry off into their new home. The previous night, handfuls of western quolls and greater bilbies were introduced into the "Wild Training Zone", having been previously extinct in the region. The first steps of freedom for a greater bilby. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) It is part of the Wild Deserts project, operating several hours' drive north of Broken Hill in far west NSW. The native species will now live in a 100-square-kilometre area alongside a small and controlled number of feral cats. According to principal ecologist Rebecca West, it was about teaching the animals how to adapt to predators. "We are training them for the wild because we have cats in the landscape right across Australia," Dr West said. " We're not going to fence in the whole of Australia to protect our threatened species from them, and so this is a way to achieve that co-existence. " One of about 100 golden bandicoots released into the Wild Training Zone. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) Born and bred inside fenced-off areas free of feral pests, there are now three of the project's seven locally extinct native species roaming beyond the enclosure. It was an exciting milestone for Dr West, who has been a part of this project for around eight years. "We're really testing the edge of conservation in terms of getting these threatened species back into these landscapes," she said. "We hope to see that next generation have those predator smarts and they're able to survive even better and breed the next generation in the presence of these feral predators." Project leader Richard Kingsford said it was part of the "holy grail" of conservation. "We know if we can get [feral pests] down to low enough numbers, then we've got a real chance for some of these animals making a bit of a comeback," Professor Kingsford said. Wild Deserts staff will continue to monitor and track the tagged animals. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) 'Ecosystem engineers' Dr West said the re-integration of bandicoots, bilbies, and quolls was expected to have a large and positive impact on the entire ecosystem. The crest-tailed mulgara is another species being bred in the protected fenced-off area. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) "Where we have these species, we see healthier environments," she said. "We get more nutrient mixing, we get higher rates of seedling germination, things like grass growth because they're turning over the nutrients, capturing seeds, capturing water with their little digging pits. " So you start to see that whole ecosystem revive. " A baby burrowing bettong. One of these animals can shift up to 3 tonnes of soil in a year. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) Professor Kingsford described the native species as "ecosystem engineers". "They're sort of reshaping that landscape," he said. For Dr West, years of hard work have all led to this point. "This is genuine excitement for me … it's the reason that I came to the Wild Deserts project," she said. "It's the next step for reintroduction biology or trying to improve the ability to get these species to be here for future generations to enjoy." The project, which is a collaboration between the University of New South Wales, the state government, Ecological Horizons, and Taronga Zoo, will continue to breed all seven species behind fenced-off areas away from predators. "Wild Deserts is a fantastic example of how working in partnership leads to really big outcomes," Dr West said. The western quoll is part of the program. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) ABC Broken Hill — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Friday Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- ABC News
Diesel 4WDs remain essential in outback amid lack of EV grunt, infrastructure
New South Wales livestock and property agent Troy Hartman knows firsthand how essential a four-wheel drive is on outback stations, particularly when it rains. "If you had 10 millimetres [and] you jump in an old two-wheel drive, you'd probably slip all over the road and slide off it and get stuck," he said. Farmers and graziers also rely on four-wheel drives to cart tools, motorbikes, fuel, hay and supplies. Mr Hartman said hybrid or electric vehicles did not tend to come up in the national conversation about reducing carbon emissions because there were limited options. Four-wheel drives are a must in tough outback conditions. ( ABC Broken Hill: Katherine Spackman ) "There's a few electric vehicles in town, I've noticed, but to have them out on a property — no doubt one day it will happen, but it's a little bit too early," he said. He believed some hybrid vehicles could appeal to farmers. "It was interesting to see the ad on TV [for a hybrid ute], where the farmer was in the paddock and he pulled up to do a bit of work on a strainer post on a gateway and he actually hooked up his electric welder to the vehicle to fix up a gate hinge, which I thought it was an interesting option," Mr Hartman said. Outback hybrid sales strong Broken Hill Motor Company general manager Liam Aitken said station workers tended to purchase Mazda BT50s or Toyota HiLuxes and LandCruisers. "You're not going to see certain vehicles make a hybrid or a EV option because it's not going to be suitable to be able to tow that load, carry that load, travel that distance, or travel that type of terrain," he said. Mr Aitken said hybrids accounted for about 40 per cent of business sales last year and that one EV was sold. Liam Aitken says people in rural areas need to be looked after. ( ABC Broken Hill: Katherine Spackman ) Toyota hybrids accounted for 51 per cent of national sales. Mr Aitken supported the federal government's national vehicle emission scheme, which is due to come into place in July 2025, but said there needed to be a multi-pathway response. The Coalition has promised to axe the vehicle efficiency standard if it wins the election. "We are a big country and we need to make sure we look after our people in the rural areas," Mr Aitken said. 'Going to be very hard' Broken Hill mechanic Matthew Gerrs believed charging infrastructure was the main thing holding back the transition to EVs. "I think, probably, your biggest con would be your range reliability," he said. "A lot of those farmers, they want to jump in a car and do 1,200 to 1,400 kilometres. "It's going to be very hard to do that — obviously limited infrastructure, with a lack of charging stations … and then, obviously, the time that it takes to charge them." Matthew Gerrs says four-wheel drive services make up the bulk of his work. ( ABC Broken Hill: Katherine Spackman ) Mr Gerrs's business employs 26 people in the workshop and on mine sites. They mostly service four-wheel drives. Mr Gerrs said station owners often held onto a vehicle until it reached 300-400,000km. He has put his staff through an introductory course on safety in EV, but doubts it will come in handy anytime soon. "I don't think that we'll see a lot of them through independent workshops for a long time," he said. Infrastructure rollout woes In Far West NSW, the NRMA has charging stations in Wilcannia and Broken Hill, but there are no plans to install more in other towns. A NRMA spokesperson said it cost about $600,000 to build a charging site, but that was dependent on the "location and availability of energy". "This figure could increase by a third or more depending on what is needed to solve those challenges at a local site," he said. The NRMA's Broken Hill charging station opened in 2022. ( ABC Broken Hill: Jonathon Poulson ) Over the border in South Australia, the RAA has rolled out charging stations over the 500km between Broken Hill and Adelaide. In 2023, it "Unfortunately, Yunta has been removed from the scope of the network due to challenges associated with getting sufficient power to the site," head of EV charging Andrew Howard said. "The RAA charge network now spans 143 sites, with over 550 plugs across the state — more than the original network scope — giving EV drivers more confidence to travel around regional SA than ever before." ABC Rural RoundUp newsletter Stories from farms and country towns across Australia, delivered each Friday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
24-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
High-grade silver, lead and zinc found at Pinnacles Mine near Broken Hill
A partnership between a Broken Hill family and an Australian mining company is attempting to re-inject life into an old mine. Recent sampling has shown mineral deposits 15 kilometres outside Broken Hill that could potentially support a new open cut or underground development. Drilling results released last month from the 140-year-old Pinnacles Mine showed high grade deposits of silver, lead and zinc close to the surface. Coolabah Metals — soon to be renamed Broken Hill Mines Limited after becoming publicly listed — took 27 samples to be lab tested to determine the levels of metal in the soil. Drilling samples were showcased to analysts and potential investors last month. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) Independent testing Pinnacles Mine has been privately owned by Craig Williams and his family since 1952. Last year, Broken Hill Mines and the Williams family entered into a 70/30 profit share agreement. Broken Hill Mines head of corporate sustainability Shane Goodwin said before the agreement, not all of the material from the mine was tested independently. "The minute we get results back from the lab now, because we are going to be publicly listed, that material must be released to the public," he said. "So that work involves doing quality assurance and quality control on the drilling that the Williams family has done at Pinnacles to date, sending [material] off to a lab, patiently awaiting results from the lab, and then being able to publish these exciting results. "What this data indicates to us is that there is an opportunity for us to do further drilling and so get a better understanding of the possibilities out at Pinnacles and to expand that resource going forward." Patrick Walta is the chairperson of Broken Hill Mines. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) Strong mining potential Resources analyst Gavin Wendt said the results showed the mineralisation was close enough to the surface to be extracted at a "very cheap, low cost". "That's the fundamental positive in it all," he said. " The grades are very, very good, so when you put mineralisation that's near the surface, is fairly consistent, and is also of good grade, that ticks all of the boxes that you want in terms of commerciality. " Mr Wendt believes there will be a lot of re-investment in exploration, which has been the key thing missing at Pinnacles until now. "We don't really know how big this thing [the ore deposit] is going to get and how long it might continue as a fully functioning mine," he said. "I think we're only scraping the surface, literally, so it will be very exciting for the company to get their teeth into some serious exploration work."
ABC News
21-04-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Amber Bryant runs 500km from Adelaide to Broken Hill for endometriosis
While things did not go according to plan, runner Amber Bryant has made it through her mission — completing more than 500 kilometres. Ms Bryant pushed through shin splints, chemical burns from tape, countless blisters, a trip to the hospital and more than a few tears "[My] body has definitely never been this sore," she said. The 28-year-old, who can barely get out of bed some days due to her endometriosis, ran to raise awareness of the disease which impacts one in seven women. Temperatures in the 30s forced Ms Bryant to do much of her road running at night. "It left us with only a seven-hour window to run in and all of those hours were in the dark," she said. Amber Bryant battled 30 degree temperatures throughout her run. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) Ms Bryant was hospitalised on day four with dehydration and had a badly infected toenail, along with several other injuries, but carried on. But after one too many near misses with road trains along the Barrier Highway, she decided to change plans. "It was too close for my liking for sure," she said. Instead, she opted to complete much of the last 170km on a treadmill, which she said provided a whole new challenge. "The yellow wall at the pool YMCA and I are good friends at the moment," Ms Bryant joked. Friends and family greeted Amber and Heath Bryant in Broken Hill. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) Throughout it all, Ms Bryant's husband Heath Bryant was by her side almost every step of the way acting as support crew, physiotherapist, coach and occasional running partner. "He is everything to me and every time I got sad, he was right there … I owe everything to him," she said, wiping away tears. Despite some anxious moments, Mr Bryant said he always knew she had the drive and passion to get through. "Even though [her body] is a bit worse for wear, her getting through is obviously a testament to her heart and mind," he said. Understanding endometriosis Throughout the run, Ms Bryant drew upon the messages of support from friends, family and strangers. Her goal was to increase awareness and raise money for Endometriosis Australia — a disease she has struggled with since she was 16, but was only diagnosed with in April 2023. "I gave up on myself for a long time … I just felt so invalidated," she said. " I dreaded going to the doctors because I thought that they felt like I was making it up. " Messages from supporters helped Amber Bryant through her run. ( ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde ) While one in seven women have endometriosis, it can still be difficult to accurately diagnose without surgery. It is something staff at the University of Adelaide are hoping to change. "We don't at this stage have a non-invasive technique which will diagnose everyone's endo," clinical sonographer Alison Deslandes said. Ms Deslandes said their research was focused on creating tools to help health care professionals improve their ultrasound skills to better diagnose endometriosis. Alison Deslandes is part of a group of researchers trying to better understand endometriosis. ( ABC News: Carl Saville ) By improving the ability of clinicians to identify the disease, people like Ms Bryant will not have to wait a decade for a diagnosis. "We're really hoping to expand some of that non-invasive diagnosis through not just imaging to diagnose the higher-stage disease but using some tech tools and AI to diagnose some of the lower-stage disease as well," Ms Deslandes said. For Ms Bryant and her badly mangled feet, the nine-day run was about starting conversations, one step at a time. "I've had message from girls with similar symptoms ... that is really the whole goal of the entire run," she said. ABC Broken Hill — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Friday Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
