News archive
This is an archive containing every news story ever posted on the BDT website. If you’re looking for a specific article, try the search box at the top right hand side of this page. Otherwise you can just browse the archive by selecting a year and month below.
April, 2021
COVID continues to impact Silver City cinema
Originally published: Saturday, 17th April, 2021
With uncertainty in the film industry, the Silver City Cinema may be shutting its doors.
The Silver City Cinema’s Ashton Wren addresed rumours that had been circulating in the city that they will close at the end of the month.
He said while that they won’t be shutting shop completely, they may have to look at closing down for a time.
“We’re not getting any films, all releases have been pushed back, so we may have to shut our doors for a little while.”
During COVID, the cinema did screen old films, but Ashton said it wasn’t lucrative to do it again.
“It’s not worth screening old films,” he said.
“Currently, we have Peter Rabbit and Godzilla screening and they are doing ok.
“But the film companies have said we won’t be getting any movies now until August.”
Ashton said the uncertainty of it all made it really difficult to run a business.
“The film companies could ring up tomorrow and say we have some movies we’re sending out.
“Or they can give you nothing.
“We were supposed to have Top Gun 2 in July but that’s been pushed back to November.”
He said the situation in America with COVID has really impacted the film industry.
“We were supposed to be getting good movies in May but Disney and Paramount have said no, because America haven’t got their act together.
“They’ve also said no kids movies will be released in June or July - so there will be no movies for the kids during the school holidays.
Silver City Cinema is another business that has been affected by the discontinuation of Jobkeeper, with Ashton admitting that the loss of the subsidy made it hard to financially plan.
“It’s not cheap to run a cinema, it’s actually cheaper to close.
“The film companies continue to raise prices.
“I can’t sugar coat it, everyone in my family has other jobs.”
Ashton said they will review what they are doing at the end of the month.
He added that it was disappointing as they’ve just got the Dine and Discover vouchers working.
“We had to wait 10 weeks to get that approved and people really appreciated having somewhere to go to utilise that.”
And despite the difficulties, he was appreciative of the continuing community support.
“They always get around us.
“But it’s just a very hard situation.”
Before COVID, the Silver City Cinema had been looking to undertake a number of renovations to create a modern facility with two theatres and potential for more film screenings.
Wiz hits 200
Originally published: Saturday, 17th April, 2021
The man they call ‘Wizza’, best known on field for his goal sense and forward pressure, will line up for his 200th league game this weekend for the Bulldogs.
Anthony Henderson, has five A Grade premierships to his name, holds the North Broken Hill Football Club’s leading goal kicker record and now add a 200 game milestone to his list of accolades.
Henderson said he was under the impression that this game was scheduled to fall next weekend, therefore he was caught slightly off guard when it came a week early.
“I don’t know how I really feel about it, it’s good to get there — definitely good to get there,” he said.
“It’s a bit overwhelming, I’m a bit nervous, a lot of different emotions.
“I was more prepared for it next week, it definitely sprung on me. I’ve known that next week was going to be my 200th for a bit of a period of time so it never has phased me being a milestone game.
“I’m proud to get to it but feeling nervous now that it’s here a week earlier.”
When asked about his achievements, Henderson was quick to acknowledge the team success he has been a part of over the years.
The five premierships he said are his biggest achievement.
As well as in 2019 when he overtook the NFC’s all-time leading goal kicker tally, “that’s pretty special to me, kicking goals definitely gives me a lot of confidence as well”.
Henderson has grown up playing for the Bulldogs and a majority of his senior games have been played in the blue and white, he holds the club near to his heart.
“Just the mates you get from growing up there, all the mates you get you know, the memories you make, the friends you make, it’s all pretty special and it’s like a second family I guess,” he said.
There were a few stand out players Henderson has enjoyed playing with throughout his 200 games.
“Definitely my current coach (Brett Johnson); he’s probably the number one.
“It does mean a lot to have him coach now, it was hard when he retired and now he’s back around and even playing.
“He’s also a confidence booster for me. He’s always brought me into the game when I’m not in it.
“He’s smart and knowledgeable.”
“And, of course, you’ve got Codie (Howard) and Jayden (Kelly) — there’s been some pretty good players. There’s too many to name.”
Henderson aims to improve his match fitness throughout the 2021 season and hopes to possibly reach the 500 goal mark, from which he’s not too far away from.
“I’d like to, at some stage maybe. I think I’m getting a bit too old and I’m definitely not a hundred percent fit — I know that — and there’s a long way to go there.”
He believes that the club has a good dynamic of junior and senior players at the moment.
“We’ve got a good mix, there’s a lot of good juniors that are pretty skilful and they bring a lot of electricity to us,” he said.
“And I suppose there’s a group of us that are getting a bit older and the juniors give us a boost, which is good to have again. It’s going to be interesting coming to the end of the season.
“I’d just like to thank everyone that’s helped me along the way. I couldn’t get there without anyone really, outside and inside of footy.”
Art reflecting life
Originally published: Saturday, 17th April, 2021
Highly politicised, with public and stakeholder positions often dramatically polarised, indigenous issues are never far off the radar.
And it is a public space where the waters are constantly muddied by shifting social attitudes, loud voices and deaf ears.
It is little wonder then that questions surrounding validity and appropriation within indigenous art circles are also subject to strong opinions, with indigenous iconography fiercely protected by cultural gatekeepers both black and white.
Throw into that mix an apparently white, red-headed indigenous woman and you are adding a layer of complexity to an already highly nuanced world, a world that local indigenous artist Krystal Evans took some time to find her place in.
“The fact that it is so political, that put me off initially.
“I just didn’t feel like fighting that battle, particularly as a very white-looking woman. A part of me felt like I didn’t deserve it or that I couldn’t own it.”
But with all four of her grandparents full-blooded aboriginals, she is without question a Barkandji woman.
And although she spent most of her childhood and subsequently her adult life living away, the family would regularly come “home” for holidays, times she remembers as uncomplicated “fun, sun filled days spent with family.”
But her feelings toward the area she calls home became more complex as she entered adulthood.
“When I started coming back here and seeing family as a woman, I always felt very sad when I left and I didn’t really know how to place that.
“I used to cry in the car on the drive away and I wasn’t sure why.”
Prejudice was unfortunately part of the confusion.
Her father, also a white-looking red head, was fiercely proud of his indigenous heritage, never making a secret of the fact that he was a Barkandji man.
“We never hid the fact that we were a Koori family.”
And so despite the white looks, racist taunts were part of her childhood, and the prejudice went both ways.
“I’ve had some of my cousins say to me ‘why tick the box? You look white, why wouldn’t you just live your life as a white person?”
All of which meant that it took time for Krystal to come to terms with her own story.
“A few years ago I realised I wanted to be out here.
“I began to understand that the landscape is a very big thing for me.
“I love it artistically but I guess I didn’t always know that it was more than the way it looked.
“It’s only relatively recently that I began to realise just how connected I felt.”
That same awakening occurred within her creative practice, a practice that appropriates a variety of indigenous identifying markers and blends them with elements of her own lived experience. An approach that hasn’t been without controversy.
“I had an aboriginal artist tell me once I shouldn’t use dots and I had no right to use them.
“And I know that’s very controversial and people do think very strongly and protectively about their unique styles. They see it as a way to keep their culture whole.”
Hardly surprising, given that for many, indigenous culture can appear to be slipping away.
But for Krystal, there’s always been a natural progression of appropriation and evolution in all things and art is no different. And she sees the work she creates as a part of that evolution.
“There was a big colonial interruption and so things are obviously different.
“There are people on both sides that believe that at some point in history
aboriginal art should have just stopped
and stayed where it was but I don’t agree entirely with that.”
And the work Krystal has on display at the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery is a personal reflection on the evolution of the story of our First Nations people that has been undeniably altered since 1788.
A collage of indigenous iconography that is feminine, feminist and layered, much like the woman herself. A work she refers to as “Part of my creation story”, a story that is constantly evolving.
The work of Krystal Evans is part of Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards on show at The Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery until April 25.
Lenton stars in game 100
Originally published: Wednesday, 14th April, 2021
Alexis Lenton joined an elite group of locals last Friday night when she player her 100th game of Women’s football.
Seeing the Artist’s way
Originally published: Wednesday, 14th April, 2021
Local artist and Broken Hill Art Exchange co-founder Susan Thomas will present the second of a series of free workshops at the RFDS Wellbeing Place this weekend and she hopes it will be successful after last weekend’s positive response.
Outback Woodstock booms
Originally published: Wednesday, 14th April, 2021
“9,000 attendees and 340 dogs” are booked in for the biggest event ever staged in Outback NSW, the inaugural, Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash, according to founder, Greg Donovan.
Professionals visit Broken Hill
Originally published: Saturday, 10th April, 2021
A group of seven professionals travelled to the region recently to learn about businesses and the economy.
Kelly joins 200 club
Originally published: Saturday, 10th April, 2021
Star of the local league, Jayden Kelly will add a 200-game milestone for the Bulldogs to his list of accolades from a stellar career so far.
Tourism surge
Originally published: Saturday, 10th April, 2021
Anyone who thought that last October’s tourism tsunami was a flash in the pan had better think again. The Easter weekend combined with school holidays and of course the Heritage Festival gave Broken Hill a strong sense of what tourism in a post lockdown COVID world is going to look like, and it’s subtly different from anything the city has experienced in the past.
Clisby enters the 2021 SANFL season full of optimism
Originally published: Friday, 2nd April, 2021
Now 31, and one of the senior
pro’s in the North Adelaide side,
Mitch Clisby is keen to reach the
pinnacle again in 2021, a second
SANFL premiership to go with his
2018 triumph.
“My preparation for this campaign
has been good,” Clisby told
the Barrier Truth.
“I have no injury issues and
am feeling fit, ready for another
campaign.
“Because of the later finish to the
2020, we’ve had a shorter pre-season
and we’re well-managed by the
fitness staff at Prospect.
“I’d like to get my 150-game
milestone for the Roosters ticked
off this year.”
Clisby first debuted back in 2010
under five-time Central District
premiership player Daniel Healy
when he was in charge.
They played Woodville West
Torrens at Prospect and has currently
played 138 league games
across two stints
His first year at the Roosters
was back in 2008, the year he
played NSW state underage football,
participating in a handful of
North Under 19s games under the
tutelage of Stephen Keam.
“Josh Francou played an important
role and was critical in my
development as a footballer in his
time coaching North,” Clisby continued.
“He helped me get drafted, giving
me a license to play with flair
out of defence.”
In 2012, North Adelaide were
preliminary finalists, losing to
West Adelaide. However, the silver
lining was that Clisby was collected
by Melbourne in the rookie
draft, with selection number 19.
He began his AFL tenure, on the
day Neil Craig took over the reins
at the Demons coach mid-season,
playing his first game at the MCG
against St Kilda.
“After my time at Melbourne
finished, I received several offers
and was given plenty of options,
but I was always coming back to
Prospect,” Clisby explained.
“In 2015 Ken McGregor was
our senior coach at North Adelaide
and Michael Handby took over
mid-season.
“The arrival of Josh Carr in
2016 was massive and gave our
club a new direction.
“While we didn’t get a lot of
wins on the board initially, you
could see the group was building.
“Playing AFL was a dream come
true, but being a member of the
Roosters SANFL flag winning
side in 2018 was the pinnacle.
“We were around the mark again
last year, but finished as bridesmaids.”
Clisby, another of the West
Broken Hill Robins to get to the
highest level in our national football
code, is a teacher at Nailsworth
High School looking after year-six
students.
It is a bit of a juggle to balance
his work, sport and personal life –
Mitch and his partner, Sarah, have
identical twin girls, Isla and Billie
that are now seven-months old.
In the season opener on Good
Friday, Clisby and North Adelaide
travel out to the Ponderosa and
take on Central District.
This is one of four SANFL
league games scheduled on Good
Friday, along with South playing
Adelaide at Flinders University
Stadium, Noarlunga; Woodville
West Torrens versus Sturt at Oval
Avenue, where another Silver City
export Kobe Mutch is expected to
debut for the Eagles and Glenelg
taking on West at the Bays.
The night before the SANFL
season launches with traditional
rivals Port Adelaide playing
Norwood at The Parade.
Big Race hits the Silver City
Originally published: Friday, 2nd April, 2021
The Amazing Race Australia has been
a favourite TV show of mine.
Since it began earlier this year, my family
and I have barely missed an episode.
But last week it got even better as the
twenty-second leg of the race was undertaken
in our home of Broken Hill.
The final four teams travelled to Broken
Hill from Dubbo to complete a series of
challenges in Sturt Park to Silverton.
It was ‘The Super Sikhs’ Jaskirat and
Anurag, ‘The Gold Coast Girls’ Ashleigh
and Amanda, ‘The Geek and the Princess’
Aleshia and Chris and ‘The Cowboys’
Brendon and Jackson.
I personally like to refer to Jackson as
‘Jezza’ because I think he looks eerily similar
to Jeremy Cameron the footballer.
Beau Ryan, the host of The Amazing Race
Australia opened the episode by stating that
Broken Hill is the unofficial home of the
New South Wales outback - which I wasn’t
aware that we are known as that.
The team’s first appearance in the Silver
City saw them racing from the airport, hailing
a taxi and asking for the quickest route
to the Palace Hotel - little do they know it
takes five minutes from one side of town to
the other, how much quicker do they want?
They were instructed to find the big heel
at the Palace for the direction for their first
challenge, they had to roam the streets of
town figuring out the street names based off
of the elements of the periodic table to then
head to an intersection, collect a chemical
compound from each one for a final concoction
at the big ant.
I personally would have no clue where the
big ant is and I’ve lived here for all 22 years
of my life.
While I know our streets are named after
minerals I’m no science whiz so I wouldn’t
be able to match them to elements of the
periodic table.
However, when the teams were running
around town searching for streets or asking
for directions I spotted the BDT building
and my car in the background.
Teams then had to find the Junction Mine,
where one teammate was required to balance
a seesaw with a teammate on one end
and fill a metal drum with dirt and rocks to
match their weight on the other.
During this Amanda said “In the wind
storm with all the dust” and all I could do
was laugh at the fact that her city girl was
showing and she didn’t know what a dust
storm was.
Next up was the journey to Silverton,
specifically John Dynon’s Galley where
they had to count all 107 bicycle and tricycle
wheels within a marked area for their next
clue which directed them to the Silverton
Hotel where they were greeted by Shelita
Buffet - one of Broken Hill’s resident drag
queens.
Shelita served them a disgusting looking
liquid which each contestant had to drink
from a long high-heeled boot aka a ‘shoey’
before they could collect their final clue.
I have no idea what they were drinking but
I guarantee that Peter and Patsy don’t serve
it on tap.
For the final leg of the Broken Hill
challenges teams raced to the Mad Max 2
Museum to find Beau at the pitstop and
secure a place in the top three.
Three of my favourite teams have made
it to the final three and battle for a place in
the grand final in Tuesday night’s episode
in Sydney.
You can stream the Broken Hill episode
on 10Play for free and tune in on Channel 10
on Sunday night (March 28) from 7.30pm
for the grand finale of The Amazing Race
Australia, and I’m sure it will be one to
remember.
