Latest news with #Manjimup
West Australian
27-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Trailblazer in the treetops: Manjimup Scout Scarlett Lovkiss earns prestigious Scouts Medallion
A trailblazer in the treetops, a Manjimup scout has earned a top honour. Fifteen-year-old Manjimup Scout Group member Scarlett Lovkiss was awarded the prestigious Scouts Medallion earlier this month, the highest honour a scout can achieve. Awarded to only a few scouts each year, the Scout Medallion recognises exceptional commitment, leadership and personal development. Scarlett joined Manjimup Cub Scouts as a 10-year-old in 2020 earning a role as a patrol leader and unit leader in Cubs and Scouts during her time at the troop. To earn the medallion, she completed a wide range of challenges — from mastering bushcraft and camping skills, leading community initiatives and exploring her own special interests such as acting and sewing, Scout leader Adrian Wayne said one of the highlights in Scarlett's journey was independently planning and leading a three-day hike along a section of the Bibbulmun Track in the Southern Forests with a small group of scouts testing her navigation, leadership and survival skills. 'Scarlett showed incredible initiative and maturity in organising the hike,' Mr Wayne said. 'She took full responsibility for the planning, safety and wellbeing of her fellow scouts. It was a true demonstration of leadership in action.' Mr Wayne said in addition to her outdoor adventures, Scarlett completed community projects, a formal first aid course, a leadership development program and a personal reflection on her time in Scouts. 'She also pursued special interest projects in areas such as STEM innovation, environmental stewardship and creative arts,' he said. 'Scarlett's achievement is a testament to her commitment and the values we strive to instil in all our scouts. 'She's a fabulous role model for younger scouts and a proud representative of the Manjimup community.'
ABC News
23-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
The success of Bravo as Westerm Australia's most popular apple export could pave the way for more varieties
The success of a unique variety of West Australian apple that in three years has become the state's biggest apple export could see further varieties soon hit supermarket shelves. WA's unique Bravo apples, known as Soluna overseas, continue to gain popularity in international markets including the Middle East and Asia. The industry hopes to produce 50,000 tonnes of the apples annually by 2035 and more varieties are in the pipeline. In a state that prides itself on its big resources and agriculture sectors, what role can the humble apple play? If you ask the growers and researchers behind the Bravo apple, they'll list a magnitude of reasons to explain the need for innovation. Aesthetics and health benefits aside, it comes down to staying competitive in a global market, while adapting to climate change. "Every year farmers are really trying to figure out how am I going to manage the season," CEO of WA Farm Direct Jenny Mercer said. "This has given farmers the opportunity just to stay in the game. "Because this is bred here in Manjimup, it's naturally suited to the endemic condition of Australia. It doesn't make it any easier, but it gives us half a chance." Ms Mercer said when coupled with a consumer market that has become accustomed to new, exciting products — the standard, sometimes floury apple, just doesn't cut it. "We're always looking for better tasting, better growing, better eating varieties," Ms Mercer said. "That apple really represents decades of innovation." WA's advantage in the apple market is the Manjimup Horticulture Research Institute, which is home to the national apple breeding program. It was the birthplace of the Bravo and the iconic Pink Lady variety. "A lot of people in Western Australia don't know that fact, but in Manjimup we're really, very, very proud of it," chair of apple cooperative Fruit West, Ann Lyster, said. Pink Lady was exported from WA to the UK in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which provided a solid return to growers and lifted the Australian industry. But when international producers entered the market, Australia was priced out. Then came the Bravo apple, which was planted in commercial quantities in Manjimup a decade ago. In comparison to other global producers, what comes out of Manjimup is "tiny," but the popularity of the product appears to be thriving. "We're really punching above our weight. It's an amazing achievement," Ms Lyster said. Bravo apples were planted in commercial quantities in Manjimup eight years ago, and have been sold in Australian supermarkets for several seasons. In the latest development, Bravo apples have been juiced and sold as a drink to utilise the harvest and tap into a whole new market at home and abroad. The profitability of the Bravo internationally looks promising — in just three years the dollar value on sales to export markets has grown to $1.7 million per year. The Manjimup research station will introduce more varieties to the market in the near future. "In the breeding program, there's new apples definitely there, that show great promise," Ms Lyster said. "But they'll be a few years away yet."
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Eurovision 2025: Milkshake Man explains the meaning behind Australia's song
Australia's Go-Jo seems like every Eurovision trope rolled into one. From his sparkling blue lycra jumpsuits to his impressive hip gyrations, the bright, manic energy of the 'Milkshake Man' singer is infectious. But underneath the zesty, bold confidence, Australia's entrant is anything but a stereotype. Hailing from the tiny WA town of Manjimup (population 9,000), Marty Zambotto grew up off-grid, free to roam his family's remote farm. "I feel like I am quite an individual," Zambotto admits, "and I think that definitely came from my childhood." From days spent wandering nature with almost no access to TV or the internet to TikTok virality and now European fame, Zambotto's path to success hasn't been straightforward. We caught up with the 29-year-old as he struts his stuff for Basel's Eurovision fanatics, uncovering the surprising depth that lies beneath his raunchy silliness. Straight off the bat! So, the song actually has a really deep meaning. It's all about self-confidence and self-expression and feeling comfortable with who you are — being the loudest and proudest version of yourself. Like in the second verse: "The shake is not a drink it's a state of mind." It's this ability we have in all of us that just needs to be woken. 'Milkshake Man' is like an environment I built around that idea, through the chaotic-ness of the character. I don't even think the humour is intentional, it's just how it comes out. I'm quite a clumsy person and I'm quite a loud person, and people find it really funny, but it's actually who I am. I'm all for people laughing, not with me, but at me. I think any form of joy around the world is the best kind. Yes! I am actually. I'm into cartoon love. Like a lot of Snoopy — it might be how Snoopy feels when someone who he admires kisses his cheek, and then he kind of flutters off into the distance. ...What does sexual awakening mean? The way I grew up, all we had was magazines, and I'm pretty sure the only people that were on the front cover was like, Grant Denyer and Lee Lin Chin. So I never really thought about that stuff too much. I was gonna say it would be from saving somebody, but I would say I'd be saving many people. I'd save one person, maybe I get a scratch to the face, start bleeding, then I'd save someone else. Then I get a punch to the eye, it starts bleeding down my face. And then eventually I'd just, you know, find myself under a tree with a harmonica. [Laughs] Sorry, I dunno. That's the thing, we didn't have TV. Well, we did, but it was all powered by a generator and inverter, because we were off-grid, so we watched it probably once or twice a week for like an hour until the batteries died. So mostly we'd just be running around outside discovering and inventing things. I used to always find myself challenges with being barefoot. I remember once I ran on a gravel road for like, 10 kilometres and it was like: 'OK, I've accomplished this. Now it's time to go to a train track.' And then I would run on a train track barefoot, and that is hard. Have you ever seen a train track, like how sharp those rocks are? I need you to be more impressed here. My dad, being French, he followed it for a very long time. When I was about four, he had 'Waterloo' on a VHS by ABBA. And I remember watching glimpses of that when I was young. I always remember Bjorn's guitar; it was this star, speech-bubble thing like you see in action comic books where it's like: 'Pow! Kazoo!' As a kid, I was like: 'Woah, that's pretty cool.' I love the aesthetic of ABBA. The 70s and 80s are my favourite in terms of fashion, and I love the music too. Gosh, don't even get me started — I'm still inventing a time machine so I can try to go back. My eyes are very attracted to 70s and 80s clothing. I have a 70s suit collection that's my pride and joy. They're really rare, but I have a full denim one and it's a three piece; I have the vest as well as the pants, and they're flared at the bottom. And I risked it! I got it off eBay, and when you order clothes online, it's a gamble. But it came and it fit like a glove. Yeah, I think so. Getting deep, but I invented this subconscious thing when I was a kid, where I'm Marty, but then my thoughts, I call Wheat. And it's the two of us together, so I never feel alone. I was about eight or nine, and I loved Weet-Bix at the time, so I think that's why I called it Wheat. Sometimes, you know, he will say something naughty, like: 'You shouldn't leave today because you don't look too good.' And it's just like: 'Shut up, Wheat.' It's helped me in so many ways, and it eases my nerves. Even now, before I go onto stage, I will say to myself internally: 'This is something we dreamt of, Wheat.' It's such a beautiful thing, and I still use it every single day. It's one of the most empowering things that I've ever done, and it makes me feel like a kid still. Yeah! And the crowd excites me more than anything. Knowing that I can get on a stage and see people, know that people will smile and have fun, it makes me go a little too hard sometimes. Australia's Go-Jo will perform in Eurovision Semi-Final 2 on Friday, May 16 at 5am AEST, live on SBS and SBS On Demand. The Grand Final will broadcast on Sunday, May 18 at 5am AEST. Quotes have been altered slightly for clarity and brevity.
