Samantha Goerling

Perth

Reporter at Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Reporter @abcnews.

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Articles

Noongar artist Denzel Coyne on how learning to carve wood helped him heal

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling

Denzel Coyne shows his young daughter how to throw a kylie, or boomerang, he made from jarrah wood. A descendent of a Stolen Generation survivor, the Noongar man with connections to Menang and Goreng Country started learning to make traditional Indigenous artefacts for the first time as an adult. Once he had begun, there was no looking back. On Menang Country in Albany, Western Australia, Coyne spends his days carving, sanding and polishing everything from shields to spears.
How artefacts help Denzel heal

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling |Louise Miolin

Noongar man Denzel Coyne's early life was filled with struggles no child should face. As an adult, he's healing by making wooden artefacts, using skills that have been in his culture for tens of thousands of years. It helps him stay focussed and connected to Menang and Goreng country in southern WA.
Trauma healing through cultural artefacts

4 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling

For some descendants of the Stolen Generation, reclaiming Indigenous cultural skills can be a powerful force for healing. On Menang country, in Albany, Western Australia, learning to make traditional artefacts has helped Noongar man Denzel Coyne turn his life around.
False killer whale stranding reported near Bremer Bay in southern WA with four believed to have died

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling |Rosemary Murphy

West Australian wildlife authorities are on their way to the state's southern coast following reports that seven false killer whales have been stranded. A spokesperson for Parks and Wildlife said it was believed they had stranded on House Beach, about 12 kilometres east of Bremer Bay and 540km south of Perth. It is believed the whales became stranded on Monday afternoon.
Search and rescue operation underway after man falls off cliff at Salmon Holes, near Albany

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling

A search is underway for a man in waters off Salmon Holes, 430km south of Perth and about 20 km from Albany, on Western Australia's southern coast. Police received a report about 1.30pm about an adult male who had lost his footing and fallen from the cliff at Salmon Holes. A drone was being used before the RAC rescue helicopter arrived to help with the search and rescue effort. It comes after a woman was winched to safety from the same National Park on Easter Sunday after falling down a gully.
Woman rescued after fall at Torndirrup National Park near Albany, WA

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling |Rosemary Murphy

A woman has been winched to safety after falling down a gully in Torndirrup National Park. She was on her way to a popular fishing spot with her children when she fell. The woman was retrieved by helicopter late on Monday and taken to hospital for treatment. A woman has been winched to safety and taken to hospital after suffering serious injuries at a national park on Western Australia's south coast.
One man's campaign to highlight devastating road toll ahead of Easter

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling

For the past five years, Allan Faulkner has made it his mission to help keep people safe on the roads. At the top of his driveway, on a busy highway near Albany in southern Western Australia, sits a homemade sign he updates every few days with the state's road toll. With 58 deaths already recorded on WA roads this year, up on last year's record total, it has been a frequent effort. Across the country, 301 people have died on the road, with 105 peopled killed in March alone.
Rose Gardens caravan park residents offered ex gratia offers ahead of eviction

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling

Residents at the Rose Gardens caravan park in Albany will be offered ex gratia payments by the buyer and seller during a "vacant possession" sale. Residents say they will still be significantly out of pocket and may have nowhere to go. Residents want the rules to be reviewed so long-stay tenants at caravan parks are better compensated for financial losses.
Public housing vacant and in disrepair in Pingelly while locals sleep rough

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling

Pingelly residents are appealing to the state government to fast-track repairs for social housing. They say a house has been vacant for years awaiting maintenance while members of the community are homeless. The Shire of Pingelly is calling for the state government to help with "substantial" headwork costs for new residential housing developments.
WA town of Gnowangerup loses its only supermarket in fire

Mar 27, 2025 | abc.net.au | Rosemary Murphy |Samantha Goerling

Residents in the Great Southern town of Gnowangerup, 350 kilometres south-east of Perth, have been left without a supermarket after a fire ripped through its local IGA. To get groceries, residents will have to make a 130km round trip to the next town of Katanning. Emergency services were called to the blaze on Wednesday afternoon. Crews were able to quickly contain the fire before it could spread to other buildings.