Latest news with #Dempster
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Call for urgent financial assistance to save Lower Hunter vegetable grower
Ten years ago, Matt Dennis was faced with a field of flood-damaged pumpkins, and he contemplated ploughing them back into the ground. Who was going to buy a muddy pumpkin? Along came Amorelle Dempster and Slow Food Hunter Valley, which had plans to save and sell the muddy pumpkins through a market in Maitland. That decision led to the eventual establishment of Maitland's Slow Food Earth Markets - an outlet that the Dennis family from Nebo Farm, East Maitland, have supported since it began. This week, on Thursday the muddy pumpkins return to the Earth Market as flooding last month has again taken a toll on Nebo Farm. Ms Dempster visited the farm this week and said 20 tonnes of pumpkins will be ploughed back into the ground, but five tonnes were above the water level and are now ready to market. "It's devastating that so much of Nebo's crops have been lost in the latest flood event. It was the floods ten years ago that started our drive to establish a growers' market in Maitland, and now, should the Dennis family say enough is enough, what will happen to our Earth Market, as they are the last commercial grower in the Lower Hunter," she said. "We need to protect growers like the Dennis family. Fresh and local produce is simply so critical, not only for food security but also for the supply of high-quality produce. "Quality produce means better food and a healthier community." To help save the farm's vegetable production, Ms Dempster said the NSW Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, should declare a Natural Disaster Category D for the region. Such a declaration would invoke an exceptional circumstances assistance beyond Categories A, B and C, usually considered once the impact of the disaster has been assessed and specific recovery gaps identified. Category D assistance is requested from the states and requires agreement from the Prime Minister. This would ordinarily be grants, but may include loans. A Category B declaration was made on 21/05/2025. Ms Dempster said the farmers needed urgent financial assistance to replant and buy seedlings. "The floods have wiped out their crops and their seedlings. Tens of thousands lost - so they need the government to act immediately," she said. Highlighting the difficulties of growing vegetables only a couple of years after the Varroa mite arrived, and all the local bees were destroyed, fertilising the pumpkin plants became another challenge for the family. As soon as the government allowed bees back in the district, 20 hives arrived at Nebo Farm, and they had been doing a fantastic job fertilising the pumpkins and other plants, Ms Dempster said. So this Thursday at the Earth Markets at the Levee - pumpkins are top of the buying list. Ten years ago, Matt Dennis was faced with a field of flood-damaged pumpkins, and he contemplated ploughing them back into the ground. Who was going to buy a muddy pumpkin? Along came Amorelle Dempster and Slow Food Hunter Valley, which had plans to save and sell the muddy pumpkins through a market in Maitland. That decision led to the eventual establishment of Maitland's Slow Food Earth Markets - an outlet that the Dennis family from Nebo Farm, East Maitland, have supported since it began. This week, on Thursday the muddy pumpkins return to the Earth Market as flooding last month has again taken a toll on Nebo Farm. Ms Dempster visited the farm this week and said 20 tonnes of pumpkins will be ploughed back into the ground, but five tonnes were above the water level and are now ready to market. "It's devastating that so much of Nebo's crops have been lost in the latest flood event. It was the floods ten years ago that started our drive to establish a growers' market in Maitland, and now, should the Dennis family say enough is enough, what will happen to our Earth Market, as they are the last commercial grower in the Lower Hunter," she said. "We need to protect growers like the Dennis family. Fresh and local produce is simply so critical, not only for food security but also for the supply of high-quality produce. "Quality produce means better food and a healthier community." To help save the farm's vegetable production, Ms Dempster said the NSW Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, should declare a Natural Disaster Category D for the region. Such a declaration would invoke an exceptional circumstances assistance beyond Categories A, B and C, usually considered once the impact of the disaster has been assessed and specific recovery gaps identified. Category D assistance is requested from the states and requires agreement from the Prime Minister. This would ordinarily be grants, but may include loans. A Category B declaration was made on 21/05/2025. Ms Dempster said the farmers needed urgent financial assistance to replant and buy seedlings. "The floods have wiped out their crops and their seedlings. Tens of thousands lost - so they need the government to act immediately," she said. Highlighting the difficulties of growing vegetables only a couple of years after the Varroa mite arrived, and all the local bees were destroyed, fertilising the pumpkin plants became another challenge for the family. As soon as the government allowed bees back in the district, 20 hives arrived at Nebo Farm, and they had been doing a fantastic job fertilising the pumpkins and other plants, Ms Dempster said. So this Thursday at the Earth Markets at the Levee - pumpkins are top of the buying list. Ten years ago, Matt Dennis was faced with a field of flood-damaged pumpkins, and he contemplated ploughing them back into the ground. Who was going to buy a muddy pumpkin? Along came Amorelle Dempster and Slow Food Hunter Valley, which had plans to save and sell the muddy pumpkins through a market in Maitland. That decision led to the eventual establishment of Maitland's Slow Food Earth Markets - an outlet that the Dennis family from Nebo Farm, East Maitland, have supported since it began. This week, on Thursday the muddy pumpkins return to the Earth Market as flooding last month has again taken a toll on Nebo Farm. Ms Dempster visited the farm this week and said 20 tonnes of pumpkins will be ploughed back into the ground, but five tonnes were above the water level and are now ready to market. "It's devastating that so much of Nebo's crops have been lost in the latest flood event. It was the floods ten years ago that started our drive to establish a growers' market in Maitland, and now, should the Dennis family say enough is enough, what will happen to our Earth Market, as they are the last commercial grower in the Lower Hunter," she said. "We need to protect growers like the Dennis family. Fresh and local produce is simply so critical, not only for food security but also for the supply of high-quality produce. "Quality produce means better food and a healthier community." To help save the farm's vegetable production, Ms Dempster said the NSW Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, should declare a Natural Disaster Category D for the region. Such a declaration would invoke an exceptional circumstances assistance beyond Categories A, B and C, usually considered once the impact of the disaster has been assessed and specific recovery gaps identified. Category D assistance is requested from the states and requires agreement from the Prime Minister. This would ordinarily be grants, but may include loans. A Category B declaration was made on 21/05/2025. Ms Dempster said the farmers needed urgent financial assistance to replant and buy seedlings. "The floods have wiped out their crops and their seedlings. Tens of thousands lost - so they need the government to act immediately," she said. Highlighting the difficulties of growing vegetables only a couple of years after the Varroa mite arrived, and all the local bees were destroyed, fertilising the pumpkin plants became another challenge for the family. As soon as the government allowed bees back in the district, 20 hives arrived at Nebo Farm, and they had been doing a fantastic job fertilising the pumpkins and other plants, Ms Dempster said. So this Thursday at the Earth Markets at the Levee - pumpkins are top of the buying list. Ten years ago, Matt Dennis was faced with a field of flood-damaged pumpkins, and he contemplated ploughing them back into the ground. Who was going to buy a muddy pumpkin? Along came Amorelle Dempster and Slow Food Hunter Valley, which had plans to save and sell the muddy pumpkins through a market in Maitland. That decision led to the eventual establishment of Maitland's Slow Food Earth Markets - an outlet that the Dennis family from Nebo Farm, East Maitland, have supported since it began. This week, on Thursday the muddy pumpkins return to the Earth Market as flooding last month has again taken a toll on Nebo Farm. Ms Dempster visited the farm this week and said 20 tonnes of pumpkins will be ploughed back into the ground, but five tonnes were above the water level and are now ready to market. "It's devastating that so much of Nebo's crops have been lost in the latest flood event. It was the floods ten years ago that started our drive to establish a growers' market in Maitland, and now, should the Dennis family say enough is enough, what will happen to our Earth Market, as they are the last commercial grower in the Lower Hunter," she said. "We need to protect growers like the Dennis family. Fresh and local produce is simply so critical, not only for food security but also for the supply of high-quality produce. "Quality produce means better food and a healthier community." To help save the farm's vegetable production, Ms Dempster said the NSW Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, should declare a Natural Disaster Category D for the region. Such a declaration would invoke an exceptional circumstances assistance beyond Categories A, B and C, usually considered once the impact of the disaster has been assessed and specific recovery gaps identified. Category D assistance is requested from the states and requires agreement from the Prime Minister. This would ordinarily be grants, but may include loans. A Category B declaration was made on 21/05/2025. Ms Dempster said the farmers needed urgent financial assistance to replant and buy seedlings. "The floods have wiped out their crops and their seedlings. Tens of thousands lost - so they need the government to act immediately," she said. Highlighting the difficulties of growing vegetables only a couple of years after the Varroa mite arrived, and all the local bees were destroyed, fertilising the pumpkin plants became another challenge for the family. As soon as the government allowed bees back in the district, 20 hives arrived at Nebo Farm, and they had been doing a fantastic job fertilising the pumpkins and other plants, Ms Dempster said. So this Thursday at the Earth Markets at the Levee - pumpkins are top of the buying list.
Glasgow Times
24-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow woman caught smuggling cocaine into Barlinnie
Sarah Dempster went to the East End jail on the afternoon of December 29, 2022 to visit William Dempster. During the visit, a prison officer's attention was drawn to the table where they were sitting because the pair were moving suspiciously and looking around the room. Employees monitoring CCTV saw the 37-year-old woman take an item from her clothes and pass it to the inmate. A worker went to the table and the prisoner was taken for a body search. 0.7g of cocaine was found on him, worth £20-50, along with white tablets later identified as Buprenorphine. The visitor was arrested. READ NEXT: Wounded man threw hot chocolate at attacker after being slashed with knife Ms Dempster appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this week after she pleaded guilty to taking the substances into the prison. Her lawyer explained: "These are quite clearly very serious offences, she accepts that. "She was married to Mr Dempster and he was imprisoned at Barlinnie. "She has Bipolar Disorder and she said her mental health was particularly poor at that time. "Threats were made to her and her husband. She does not remember collecting the packets but she knows it was not a good decision." Sheriff Jonathan Guy replied: "It's a very serious offence. "Taking drugs into prison puts them into the system. The court has to take it seriously. The sentence needs to signal society's disapproval." Ms Dempster was sentenced to one year of supervision and tagged for eight months, forcing her to stay at home between 9am and 6am each day.
CBC
02-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Minister 'extremely frustrated' over PUB rejection of diesel generating station in southern Labrador
Labrador Affairs Minister Lisa Dempster is voicing her frustrations after the province's Public Utilities Board rejected a proposed diesel power generating station in southern Labrador — saying the provincial government might need to intervene. On Monday the PUB rejected an application made by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to build a $110.9 million regional diesel generating station and interconnection in southern Labrador. "I am so, quite frankly, fed up. Out of patience," Dempster told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning on Wednesday. She says the rejected plan hits close to home. Dempster lived near Charlottetown's diesel-powered generating plant, which burned down in 2019. The towns in the area now rely on mobile generation. "I cannot believe that instead of opening up a new plant, giving residents reliable power, that [Monday] we came to a full stop again. I'm extremely frustrated," Dempster said. The proposed plant, which would have operated in Port Hope Simpson, would power and interconnect six communities in the region. It also would have replaced several existing small diesel plants. Dempster said N.L. Hydro and the PUB need to get to a table to talk and get beyond the impasse. She says she's also frustrated that, more than a year ago, N.L. Hydro submitted thousands of pages of documents for the PUB to review on the proposed generating station, but the rejection only just now happened. Green energy The PUB's decision noted it had a lot more commentary from the public than usual, and that people wanted environmentally responsible solutions. Dempster understands where those concerns are coming from. She was recently named the minister of Environment and Climate Change during a cabinet shuffle over the summer. Still, she said, the region needs a reliable source of power, pointing to the area's volunteer firefighters who feel the pressure when power outages happen. She says outages occur four times more than on the Avalon Peninsula. "I believe we've got to look to get reliable power back in a community that's been on mobile units, a temporary fix, for almost six years," she said. In the meantime, Dempster says she has spoken with N.L. Hydro president Jennifer Williams, but a meeting she requested with the PUB was rejected. "We cannot continue to be at this impasse for an indefinite period of time," she said. NunatuKavut 'pleased' But Todd Russell, president of the NunatuKavut community council, wrote in a statement on Wednesday that he welcomes the PUB's decision, pointing to a section that says N.L. Hydro should satisfy its duty to consult with the NCC. "We are pleased that the PUB recognizes N.L. Hydro's responsibilities stemming from Canada's Constitution and as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," wrote Russell. The NCC claims to represent about 6,000 self-identifying Inuit in southern Labrador, including Dempster. The NCC isn't recognized as Inuit by any other federally recognized, rights-holding Inuit collective, including the Nunatsiavut government in northern Labrador and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami — the national organization representing Inuit across Canada — who both say the group is a settler organization.
BBC News
19-02-2025
- BBC News
Bristol homeless charity loses multiple computers in raid
A homeless charity said having laptops and other computers stolen in a break-in has left staff "devastated".Bristol Outreach Services for the Homeless (BOSH) said the thieves struck on Tuesday night at its HQ on Bond Street in the city centre. Founder Julie Dempster said: "We are a small independent charity, and this has had a huge impact on us & our clients."Two new touchscreen desktop computers and six laptops were taken in the raid. she added. The charity supports homeless people with clothing, food and referral a statement to the BBC, Ms Dempster said the raid was a "massive disappointment".She said she arrived at the centre to open it just before 07:00 GMT and found they centre had been broken Dempster said: "All [the computers] were for the clients use, for job searches, to log in to the welfare benefits, keep in contact with family."Avon and Somerset Police said: "We were called at 7.23 GMT on Tuesday morning to reports of a burglary in Bond Street in the Broadmead area of incident is believed to have taken place at about 23.30 the previous night and enquiries to identify the person responsible are ongoing."The force has asked anyone with information about the raid to get in touch.
