Local news for local people
General and miscellaneous articles - Page 3
There are miscellaneous stories in the archives.
Things that don't fit anywhere else.
 | Challenges in renewable rollout more complex and deeper than ever There's a bit of talk around town about renewable energy projects. The Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner's (AEIC) 2025 Annual Report has been tabled in the Australian Parliament, highlighting the Office's work supporting communities, industry and governments. |
'A study showed...' isn't enough Someone I care greatly about has an advanced case of Parkinson's disease so it was interesting to see reports this week in social media and the main stream media about a breakthrough cure for the complaint. What was actually being reported wasn't a cure, it was early research which showed promise in reducing the symptoms and managing the condition better but the word in the headlines that grabbed all attention was "cure". Note that anyone finding a cure for Parkinson's would cause all other nominations for that year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to be withdrawn because coming a very distant second would be a waste of time. I've been around and writing about science for long enough to see the rad flags waving wildly whenever I see the word "cure" in a headline, so this timely article from The Conversation caught my attention. |  |
 | Can I get a free flu shot? And will it cover 'super K'? Your influenza vaccine questions answered This is a follow up to last week's article about flu vaccination. This piece from The Conversation tells you how to go about getting your shot, what the options are and what to worry (or not worry) about. (My shot was Fluad. I had absolutely no reaction.) |
Victoria Pass I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that Victoria Pass is still closed and the initial estimate (guess?) of a three months closure is looking very optimistic and unlikely as one month has already passed. The good news (actually "not so bad news") is that there will be a meeting of engineers, road builders and other experts on April 23 to consider where to go from here. Transport for NSW have a web page where you can follow progress - Great Western Highway Road Closure at Victoria Pass. The latest media releases are: |  |
 | When is the best time to get your flu shot? 2 infectious diseases experts explain Influenza kills about 3,500 Australians every year. In the year up to June 2025, 1,340 people died on the country's roads, so flu is a bigger killer. It's not "just a bad cold", it's a serious illness. The annual flu season is already here so it's time to make sure your vaccination is up to date (the vaccine changes yearly to accommodate expected changes in the particular virus strains that might be encountered). You can get your shot at Oberon Medical Centre or Oberon Pharmacy, but whichever you choose, just do it. And yes, I've had my shot, as I do every year. This article from The Conversation gives you the facts. |
Fake news on everything from whales to wind farms: Australia is flooded with climate misinformation The Australian Senate has just released the report of a Senate inquiry into the misinformation, disinformation and outright nonsense coming from the opponents of renewable energy, some of it generated by "artificial intelligence" bots and much of it paid for by secretive organisations. This article from The Conversation analyses the findings. There is also a link there to the full Senate report and another analysis published in the Sydney Morning Herald. |  |
Some thoughts about Oberon's weather
March 12, 2026 in General News
Local weather here is really a mystery.
 | I'm a drowning prevention researcher - my kid's school swimming carnival shocked me It's swimming carnival season at all the schools around Oberon. This article from The Conversation looks at what kids are learning and what they should be learning. The author is a Co-founder of the UNSW Beach Safety Research Group so she is someone who should be listened to. |
It's what cricketers call "A Century" They said it wouldn't last. They said it couldn't be done. They said all sorts of things. But they were wrong. This is the 100th edition of Oberon Matters and over 650 articles of local interest have been published since the site went live on February 1, 2024. The number of readers has been constantly increasing and in some months almost all the population of Oberon has a look at something. As Paul Kelly sang (in a different context) "from little things big things grow", and Oberon Matters intends to keep growing and featuring the "local news for local people". Thank you to all the people who come here every week, who send nice emails and say complimentary things when met around town. You make the effort all worthwhile. The staff here are very excited and are having a cake for morning tea. |  |
Moron Alert!
February 26, 2026 in General News
On Saturday, February 21, the first function was held at the new Oberon Sports Complex. It was a Welcome Day for the Oberon Tigers junior players. As the kids there were "juniors", almost all of them would have been of primary school age.
There was a man there wearing a baseball cap with some Australian flags and the words "Fit in or F*** Off". The hat did not have asterisks. Have I mentioned that this was an event for young children? He obviously didn't feel the need to fit in to the social rules about how you behave near young kids.
Would he object to being called a moron? Well, there's that old cliché about caps and how they fit.
