Latest news with #Goondiwindi
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Aboriginal group makes native title claim across six local government areas as residents lash out at secret land grab after learning about it in the newspaper
An Indigenous group have upset locals in a Queensland community over two native title claims totalling almost 8,000sq kilometres of land. The Bigambul people have submitted claims for 7,737sq km of land, which covers six local government areas surrounding Goondiwindi, a rural town on the border of Queensland and NSW. A claim has also been lodged for a 58ha parcel in Turallin, near Millmerran on the Darling Downs. This follows the controversial transfer of the town reserve in Toobeah to the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC) by the former state Labor government as freehold land last year. Residents have shared their concerns about the local claim including a group of Millmerran locals and former Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio. They say they're concerned about the impact the claims could have on the community and worry it could be divisive. Other concerns include the Turallin claim concerning a property already owned by the BNTAC. Millmerran resident Harvey Caldicott said locals felt they were being kept in the dark over the claims. The claim covers six local government areas surrounding Goondiwindi (pictured), a rural town on the border of Queensland and NSW 'What happened in Toobeah upset a lot of people and there are a few concerned people around here too,' he told The Courier Mail. 'There's no neighbourly contact with the Bigambul – we get nothing. You find out all this stuff in newspapers and hidden in documentation. 'There's no engagement whatsoever.' Gail Rielly, who is also a Millmerran resident, expressed her worry the native title claims would cause division among the local community. Mr Antonio said he doesn't believe Millmerran residents have any issue with the Indigenous community. He claimed native title claims can be 'very difficult' for the local community and hoped that would not be the case here. Newspaper ads displaying a July deadline for responding to the claims has added to local residents' concerns. A BNTAC spokeswoman said the Indigenous group 'welcomed open engagement' and was happy to discuss the claim with any concerned residents. Bigambul have an office in Goondiwindi and members of the community have been invited to reach out. The spokesperson said native title was not allowed over freehold land unless that land was owned or held in trust for Indigenous people, which is the case for the Turallin claim. 'There are several sites on the property which are significant to all Bigambul People, and since 2013 we have been using the property to pass on traditional knowledge to our young people,' she said. The Turallin property has been determined to be outside the area of the Bigambul native title. However, the spokesperson argued the anthropology of the property can be used as evidence to support it being a part of Bigambul traditional land. She said the larger 7,737sq km claim did not apply to freehold or leasehold land. This claim would cover the remaining parts of the McIntyre and Moonie River drainage basins which were not included in the original native title determination. The 210ha Toobeah reserve was transferred to the BNTAC last year under the Aboriginal Land Act. This act allows unallocated state land to be given to Indigenous groups as 'inalienable freehold', but it cannot be sold or mortgaged. Toobeah publican Michael Offerdahl fronted a campaign against the transfer and claimed it would result in 95 per cent of the town being given away. The Bigambul people said this was untrue and the reserve represented less than 1 per cent of the Toobeah district.
ABC News
24-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Bigambul elders caring for country through generational knowledge
Whether slapping mud pies on the banks of border rivers in south-west Queensland, or flattening out land with a toy steamroller made from a tin filled with dirt, Bigambul woman Leah Mann thought her childhood was all fun and games. Now an elder of her people, she realises those cherished moments were partaking in the ancient Aboriginal tradition of caring for country. "We had an old tobacco tin, our nana would put seeds in it, we would throw them down by the creek and that would grow food," Aunty Leah said. It is this multi-generational knowledge of the environment that the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, based in Goondiwindi, realised needed to be documented and shared in their new Caring for Country Plan. The traditional owners said the plan, released on Thursday, would guide the development of infrastructure projects across the region and lead to the ongoing protection, rehabilitation and restoration of country. Aunty Leah said they were also embracing new environmental protection methods to plan for the future. "We have a greenhouse, and we propagate all the seeds we have taken from our country. Those will be planted back where they used to grow," she said. "The waterways will look better because we'll add little things like mussels and some certain fish that will clean the waterways." Some strategies in the Caring for Country Plan have already seen success in the Goondiwindi area, including the use of fire to control invasive weeds. First Nations firefighter sector commander Jason Scott said they conducted cultural and mitigation burns to help control Harrisia cactus and the mother of millions succulent. "We conduct cool burns to boil the cactus, to get it back down to its root system," Mr Scott said. "Kangaroos will then eat that root system or farmers will put cows over the top. "With the mother of millions it's a toxic burn, so we have to be very careful and well-regulated with our breathing." Mr Scott said the Bigambul rangers carefully ensured no culturally significant sites were impacted. "The rangers do a replanting program on country to bring back some of the native trees that have been decimated due to over-logging and removal," he said. "We've got a lot of native trees coming back because in Australia our trees require fire to be able to propagate." The Caring for Country Plan took three years to develop and included input from the local community, industry and various government departments and representatives. Project director Jeremy Hall said they spent nine months building partnerships and collaborating with interested parties across the wider Goondiwindi area. "We use this as a very powerful tool when speaking to proponents coming on country, whether it's renewables or major infrastructure," Mr Hall said. "The first port of call is no harm. But if you're going to cause harm, take a balanced approach on how you will mitigate and not just offset it, but mitigate and care." Mr Hall said their objective was to foster support and understanding, connecting community and mob to country. "Bigambul is open for business … it's part of the nation-building initiatives," Mr Hall said. The Bigambul people, whose lands cover about 17,000 square kilometre of south-west Queensland, believe that a healthy country creates healthy people. Elder Regina Munn said it was their cultural obligation to keep the knowledge of the land and water intact for future generations. "When [the land] is dry, arid and scorched it's almost depressing," Aunty Regina said. "When the rain comes the earth is quenched, the rivers rise, the fish and birds are out. All of that combines to create a happy community. "It's not just about Bigambul land, it's about the land in general, and it's all the land in general that we have native title determination over."
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Aussie pub owner takes justice into his own hands after two thugs broke into his business - and something extraordinary happened
A barman and two thieving thugs have washed away their bad blood with a cold beer after the pair returned to the pub they had robbed earlier in the week. Caleb Dixon, 19, and his friend Dylan Cook broke into the Toobeah Hotel Motel near Goondiwindi, Queensland, around 12.50am on Tuesday, after breaking into another pub an hour earlier. They kicked in the back door, covered their faces with their shirts, and ransacked the beer and cigarette stock before smashing open the tills. About $6,000 was taken in total. But instead of calling the police, publican Michael Offerdahl and his right-hand man - known locally as 'Sheriff Dan' - chose an unexpected path: forgiveness. After Mr Offerdahl shared CCTV footage and a call for information on social media, both men returned to the pub separately, choosing to apologise to the man they had stolen from face-to-face. Remarkably, Mr Offerdahl invited each of them into the taproom and poured them a beer. He told Daily Mail Australia that he wanted to give them a chance to make amends. 'Hotels are meant for these kind of conversations out here in the bush. We were all kids once doing stupid things,' he said. He said 'forgiveness' was the rule of the bush. 'In Toobeah, we have no police, no security, so you have to get pretty good at managing people. 'I guess over time I have developed a more forgiving attitude towards things - if you can't forgive a couple of kids, I think you will have a bitter life.' Nineteen-year-old Dixon was the first to return on Wednesday and apologised over a cold lager. 'I had a few too many beers, honestly. It was random and it shouldn't have been done,' Mr Dixon said. 'It shouldn't have been done, let alone to a pub like this, to a town like this and to a good bloke like Michael. 'I intend and I will repay everything in full by this week, I'll have everything back for you and the cash too.' 'I've got a beautiful wife at home, I've got a family - it affects them more than yourself, if you do, love your family, don't be doing dumb s**t.' Earlier, Mr Offerdahl described the break-in as amateurish. 'They've just gone completely rogue. Even going through the footage, they don't actually look like they've done a lot of crime before,' he said. 'They dropped stuff on the floor and pick it up and put it back away, then tried to make it look like they sort of hadn't been there. 'Other than smashing the tills apart, the bastards even shut the door behind them.'
News.com.au
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘I gave it up, I didn't want to ride again': Jockey Ashley Morgan completes a comeback for the ages
When Ashley Morgan was riding at racing outposts like Mendooran, Binnaway and Goondiwindi seven years ago, winning the world's richest turf race, the $20 million The Everest, was only a pipe dream. 'I was riding at the picnics and it felt like Sydney racing was a millions miles away, it seemed so far out of reach it might as well have been on the moon,'' Morgan said. 'But I'm glad it happened that way. I had to start at the bottom and work my way up. 'So, it means a lot more to me when I look back on where I have come from. I appreciate it a lot more and I don't take it for granted.'' But from those humble beginnings, winning The Everest could become reality for Morgan in the spring when he rides brilliant unbeaten sprinter Private Harry in the rich Royal Randwick race – but more about that later. At the two-day Scone Cup Carnival which starts on Friday, Morgan goes back to where it all began. Morgan has five rides at the Friday meeting, most notably race favourite Know Thyself in the Listed $200,000 Scone Cup (1600). Then at the Scone Saturday stand-alone meeting, he has a full book of 10 rides including Captain Amelia in the Group 3 $250,000 Dark Jewel Classic (1400m). His mounts in Saturday's other four stakes races, all Listed $200,000 events, are Fullalove (Woodlands Stakes, 1100m), Satin Stiletto (Denise's Joy Stake s, 1100m), Caballus (Ortensia Stakes, 1100m) and Givemethebeatboys (Luskin Star Stakes, 1300m). Morgan's comeback story began unofficially at the Scone Cup meeting in 2018, albeit when he started work that day as a strapper. But two months later, he returned to the saddle, travelling all over NSW and even to Queensland, to compete at the picnics and country non-TAB race meetings. • 'I don't think it's something we should let pass': Kelly backs Rosehill sale Seven years later, Morgan is now rated among the nation's finest riders and is leading the NSW jockey premiership, a title he won last year. 'My target at the start of the season was to ride 100 winners, 10 in town and a stakes race,' Morgan said. 'But I've already ridden close to 100 winners, I've won three stakes races and my first Group 1, I've ridden 14 city winners and three $1 million-plus races. 'This has been an amazing season and it has surpassed all my expectations.'' Morgan has been exposed to the bright lights of racing's big league when riding the highly-fancied Private Harry to win both the $3 million The Sunlight and Group 1 $1 million The Galaxy this year – and handled the experience with ease. We're just wild about Harry!!! ðŸ˜� Private Harry gives @ndoyleracing and @AshMorgan6 their first G1 success in The Galaxy, and remains unbeaten! ðŸ'° @KBloodstockNSW | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 22, 2025 'I felt really comfortable in those situations, I've thrived off it really,'' he said. 'At the Magic Millions, I don't think it was pressure I was feeling, I was just really focused. 'It's been good I have been able to win those big races on 'Harry' (Private Harry) and on other horses, too. I felt I've handled those big race situations well. 'You want to be under that pressure, to be involved in those big races and taking it for what it is.'' Morgan's comeback story is remarkable. The Welsh-born jockey began his riding career in England and rode 71 winners including a Listed stakes success before he 'retired' from the sport, frustrated by a lack of opportunities and ongoing weight issues. 'I just felt it was never going to happen for me in racing,'' Morgan said. 'So, I gave it up – I didn't want to ride again.'' Morgan ended up working in real estate for 12 months before moving to London and joining a recruitment agency. He returned home to Wales for Christmas in 2017 where he had a 'light-bulb moment'. • High definition deal: Sky Racing, Foxtel renew partnership 'My granddad is mad about the races and we were watching them together when I thought I wouldn't mind getting back into this and having a go,'' he said. In was early 2018, Morgan, who was tipping the scales at 68kg at that time, left Wales and travelled to America chasing his dream. He rode trackwork there for a few months before deciding to try his luck in Australia. Morgan had to start his riding career from scratch, getting to know Australian racing via the picnic and non-TAB circuit. 'When I was riding at places like Mendooran, Binnaway and Goondiwindi, I really enjoyed it,'' he said. 'I didn't mind the travel and I was just excited to be back riding again. 'My weight was always a problem when I was in England, I lived in the sauna, but I've found it much easier to manage in Australia because I'm riding a lot more. 'I knew it was going to be a process but I always thought I could get to a decent level here.'' Morgan has made an inexorable rise through the riding ranks and in the 2024-25 season, he has made a seamless transition from competing primarily on the provincial and country circuit to being a regular at metropolitan meetings. The next phase of the jockey's career is to ride permanently in Sydney. 'I've purchased a house in Newcastle but I've been in Sydney a lot lately,'' he said. 'I might have to look at living in Sydney because I want to be there for trial mornings and if a trainer wants me to ride trackwork, I want to be there the next day rather than having to organise my week around it. 'I think that is probably the next logical step, I am lending that way to making the move.'' But Morgan will always make sure he is available when required to ride Private Harry, the Newcastle sprint sensation and $6 second favourite for The Everest in October. Private Harry takes out the Inaugural running of the TAB Sunlight! ðŸ'� @mmsnippets @SCTurfClub @ndoyleracing @AshMorgan6 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 4, 2025 Private Harry was the first horse selected for The Everest after racing and breeding giant Yulong, who own an Everest slot, purchased a 50 per cent share of the sprinter earlier this year. Unbeaten after five starts, Private Harry made a quantum leap from a maiden success to a Group 1 The Galaxy triumph in his debut race campaign. 'I went to see Private Harry a couple of weeks ago and he looks amazing,'' Morgan said. 'He only had 10 days off after winning on the Sunshine Coast in January so he did very well to achieve what he has in basically his first preparation, and I was always confident he would improve massively from having a good spell. 'He's already a big, strong horse but it looks like he has put on some weight during his spell and he could not look any better. 'He is back in light work on the water walker and it won't be too long before he returns to the stables to get ready for the spring.'' It was only seven years ago when Morgan was riding on the dusty bush tracks of the NSW picnic circuit but at Scone's two-day Cup Carnival on Friday and Saturday his form has commanded rides in all the features races. Then in October, Morgan has a date with destiny when he rides at Royal Randwick in the world's richest turf race. 'The Everest has gone through my mind a few times already – I'm daring to dream,'' Morgan said. â– â– â– â– â– Morgan to continue Scone love affair Morgan can continue his breakout season with more feature race success on the Australian racetrack where he has ridden more winners than any other – Scone. NSW's premiership-leading rider has a busy two days at the Scone carnival with 15 rides including $2.60 TAB Fixed Odds favourite Know Thyself in the Listed $200,000 Scone Cup (1600m) on Friday. Know Thyself, trained by Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich, has won four races in succession including The Coast at Gosford last Saturday when ridden by Morgan. 'I thought Know Thyself was really good last Saturday,'' Morgan said. 'I always try to ride the horse rather than the race and the track but at Gosford I felt I had to ride the track the way it was playing. 'He's very 'push-button' so I got him out of the barriers, put him on speed and he was very tough under pressure in the straight.'' Know Thyself makes it four on the trot and wins The Coast! ðŸ'¥ @AshMorgan6 | @Paulmessara | @LGavranich — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025 • Flying local Know Thyself sneaks into Scone Cup field It would be fitting if Morgan can win the Scone Cup because since resurrecting his riding career when he moved to Australia seven years ago, Morgan has ridden 650 winners including 54 on Scone racecourse. Morgan is enjoying a career-best season in 2024-25 where he leads the NSW jockey premiership with 89 wins, and has ridden four stakes winners including his first at Group 1 level on Private Harry in The Galaxy. The jockey has rides in all 10 races at the Scone Saturday stand-alone including Irish import Givemethebeatboys in the Listed $200,000 Luskin Star Stakes (1300m,). Givemethebeatboys, trained by Michael Freedman, was a Group 3 winner in Ireland and showed glimpses of that form when a close third to Mazu in the Hall Mark Stakes last start. Mazu makes it back-to-back TAB Hall Mark Stakes! ðŸ'� @PrideRacing | @jamieleekah07 | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 19, 2025 'I have been through his form and he ran really well last start,'' Morgan said. 'His effort that day suggests he should be very competitive in a race like this. 'He has good European form, he's improving with racing, and I thought he was a very good ride in the race.'' Morgan is also partnering Bjorn Baker's talented sprinter Caballus who is resuming in the Listed $200,000 Ortensia Stakes (1100m). Caballus was considered a possible The Everest contender at the start of the season but he failed to fire during spring and has since been gelded. Caballus resumes a winner for his new connections! @BBakerRacing @Darby_Racing @JoshuaParr8 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 20, 2024 Morgan gets his first ride on Caballus at Scone but has been a keen observer of the sprinter's recent barrier trials. 'I thought his trials have been great this time in,'' Morgan said. 'They have been riding him quietly and he has been launching at the line. 'He has always shown glimpse of being a very good horse during his career and this is a nice race for him.''
