Jodie O'Sullivan

1 week ago | region.com.au | Jodie O'Sullivan

Even by today’s standards, it was an unusual request for a funeral director. Judy Cole vividly recalls the man coming in to the funeral home to discuss a specific wish for his wife’s farewell. “He wanted a traditional church service but he didn’t want to use a coffin,” Judy says.

2 weeks ago | regionriverina.com.au | Jodie O'Sullivan

I have to confess, I’m an Australian Idol tragic. Each year the reality television singing series cranks up again and that’s Sunday and Monday evenings out for social interaction as my two young daughters and I sit glued to the couch, commentary and criticism at the ready. (Actually, if I’m being honest, it’s the same story with Chanel 9’s The Voice, so I guess you could say I’m more a singing show tragic; it could have something to do with my much-loved music teacher mum’s influence).

2 weeks ago | regionriverina.com.au | Jodie O'Sullivan

Culcairn schoolgirl Iilysh Retallick “stole the stage like a thief” on the first night of the Australian Idol grand finale, unleashing a sizzling performance with Aussie hard rock band Wolfmother. The check-out operator turned rock chick finished her bid for the Idol crown with a high-octane duet with Andrew Stockdale after first delivering a powerhouse performance of Boys in Town by the Divinyls on Sunday night (6 April).

3 weeks ago | regionriverina.com.au | Jodie O'Sullivan

Denise McMurtrie grew up knowing exactly where her food came from. “We’d watch the sheep being killed on our farm every week, the cows being milked every day … I grew up with a real understanding of how the insides of the animals worked,” she said. “That’s not normal for people now.”That disconnect between where our food is grown and where it’s consumed is one of the critical issues facing Australian agriculture today, the 72-year-old Wagga beef farmer said.

3 weeks ago | the-riotact.com | Jodie O'Sullivan

There’s a young man in Canberra’s Jigsaw Academy “who’s the funniest bloke you’ll ever meet”, Jigsaw trainer Tim Dent says. “He has cerebral palsy, is non-verbal, and super intelligent.”Assisted by the wonders of technology (through his iPad), the participant is “very expressive and demonstrative”. “He’s just full of joy, it’s rare he has a bad day and he’s always poking fun, but underneath all that you know he has a really great brain and wants to apply it,” Tim says.