Latest news with #EyrePeninsula
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Identity of reality television murder accused revealed
The identity of a former Beauty and the Geek contestant charged with murder has been revealed after a court lifted a suppression order. In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday, Magistrate Ben Sale revoked the order that prevented the name and image of reality TV contestant Tamika Sueann-Rose Chesser from being published. Chesser, 34, was arrested on June 19 after the body of Julian Daniel Story was found at the couple's home at Port Lincoln, on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. She was charged with murdering Mr Story between June 16 and 19, disposing of human remains to pervert the course of justice and assaulting a police officer. Chesser, who appeared in court via video link on Friday, was refused bail when she first appeared last week and is being held under a mental health detention order. Mr Sale lifted the suppression order, which had also prevented the publication of Mr Story's name, the alleged circumstances of his death and the investigation. Chesser will reappear at a committal hearing in December. Police found Mr Story's body after firefighters were called to the Flinders Highway property to investigate reports of a blaze. After Chesser's arrest, SA Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said there were a lot of unanswered questions in the investigation and it was a complex crime scene "so it will take some time to understand the exact nature of what's occurred". In 2010, Chesser finished second in the second series of the reality TV show Beauty and the Geek, in which "beauties" and "geeks" seek love and a cash prize. Her Instagram profile says she is a model and actress.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Adelaide Lions clubs donate $100k to SA farmers battling drought
When Malcolm Schluter heard about South Australian farmers struggling to feed their sheep, he thought there was something he could do to help. Communities on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula have been particularly hard hit by the record-breaking drought due to their heavy reliance on sheep in a marginal cropping area. Mr Schluter, the secretary of Glenside Lions club in Adelaide, has been following the plight of farmers in places such as Streaky Bay, Ceduna and Cummins. The club raised $30,000 for west coast farmers, which was then matched by the neighbouring Lions Club in Richmond. The Lions Foundation then got involved and took the total to $100,000. "We know very little about farming, but the sentiment about South Australian farmers is strong in the city and I don't think people … should underestimate that," Glenside's incoming president Steve Ryan said. "[Farmers] may think we are in a different world – and we are – but people genuinely admire farmers. After consulting with Streaky Bay farmer Suzie Kenny, the clubs decided to buy pellets for sheep feed and put on a community event for those doing it tough. "We know it doesn't bring rain, but I think the sentiment is just as important," Mr Ryan said. The Farmers Community Connect event was led by Mrs Kenny, the founder of the Save Our Sheep campaign, which raises awareness about the plight of farmers. It was supported by the Rapid Relief team, local organisations and drought relief funds from the SA government. "Cashflow is really tight and I just really wanted to create a free event … there was no need for digging into anyone's pockets," Ms Kenny said. "It is an emotional time — there is happiness, but there is also sadness and people are so genuinely appreciative that we can come together and just relax." Poochera farmer Rebecca Gosling went along to pick up sheep feed and to socialise with two of her children. "It does mean a lot — it shows that there are some people listening and there is a lot of care out there," she said. "We are just about to run out of hay, so it's just a bit of a load off and coming here there has been no stress, with the volunteers helping to load it and strap it down … it's wonderful." Streaky Bay farmer Phil Wheaton said most farmers were not inclined to seek assistance. "Most of us don't take handouts and have never had to take handouts or ask for things, but to see all this done for us … the volunteers are a great mob of people who have all come here to help us put a smile on our face," he said. "Drought is a funny thing — it sneaks up on you and you start off with plan A, plan B and then, truth be told, a lot of us are now on plan F. "We are trying to work our way through it and we are looking after our ewes … but it's been really hard and I understand why so many young ones have got out of livestock." Cummins Mill owner Bill Butterfield said it had been a busy few weeks producing the feed purchased by the Lions clubs. "It has been pretty hectic, but my team worked many hours and on the weekend to get it all made and the support from everyone has been fantastic," he said. Mick Dunn from the Rapid Relief Team said farmers were used to doing everything for themselves and that it was satisfying to be able to lend a hand. "It never gets old for us and a lot of our team have travelled a long way, and they wouldn't miss it for anything because it is such a rewarding experience," he said. "The farmers are resilient, but they do deserve a bit more."
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Beauty & The Geek star, 34, pictured ‘topless in wedding veil' in strange stunt days before arrest over partner's murder
A BEAUTY & The Geek star was reportedly pictured standing half-naked in a wedding veil just days before she was arrested over her partner's murder. The TV star, 34, is said to have performed the bizarre stunt just days before police found a corpse when responding to a small fire at the couple's shared property in Port Lincoln, Australia. 5 5 Local cops immediately arrested the reality star in South Australia's Eyre Peninsula after finding the man's body at the blazing house. The Beauty & The Geek contestant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with murder shortly after she was taken into custody on Thursday. It is understood she had moved in with the man just a few months prior to the shocking alleged murder. Eerie footage has now surfaced reportedly showing the accused killer standing topless at the Port Lincoln war memorial while wearing a white wedding dress-style veil. The creepy video showed the woman standing motionless and silent at the Garden of Remembrance while holding what appeared to be a sharp object. A horrified bystander recorded the strange ordeal after noticing the TV show contestant's haunting behaviour, 7News reported. Neighbour Jody Miller told the outlet he was one of the first people on scene attempting to put out the fire - while unaware that there was a corpse inside. He said: 'It's devastating. 'This doesn't happen in a small town like Port Lincoln.' He added that he had seen the woman before and told how she was in a relationship with the alleged victim. Argentina's Lucy Letby' in court after murdering 5 newborns & trying to kill 8 more in chillingly similar case to UK's baby killer "She seemed normal, she was good," he explained. Details of the case cannot be revealed for legal reasons, but cops said the burned up home is a complicated scene. Authorities continue to gather evidence from within the pad, and police are still piecing together the woman's movements before the man's death. Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said on Friday that a cause of death had not yet been determined. And he said that the dead man's family had not yet been notified. He said: "There is a range of things at the scene that need to be worked through. "It is a very complex scene." The woman is expected to return to court in December. 5 5 She was once a contestant on reality show Beauty and the Geek, according to The Courier Mail. The social experiment programme brings together attractive women with nerdy men in a mansion. Another contestant who won the show in 2021 posted online to clarify with those speculating that she was in no way connected to the case. Kiera Johnstone said on social media about the man's death: "Although no names have been released, for reasons beyond my understanding, there has been speculation online suggesting that I am involved. "Let me be absolutely clear: I am not involved in any way. I have not been charged with a crime." She added: "As this has nothing to do with me, this will be the only time I speak on the matter. "Thank you to those who reached out with kindness and common sense."
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Activists concerned as SA government offers South East for gas exploration
The South Australian government has offered land for onshore gas exploration in a move that has angered activists in a key agricultural region. The government is offering exploration licenses for the Otway Basin in the state's South East and Polda Basin on the Eyre Peninsula. SA Energy and Mining Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the Cooper Basin and parts of the state's west also had the potential for gas extraction. "We're very keen to try and exploit that as much as we possibly can to try and put downwards pressure on prices and back up our renewable-generation fleet," he said. But the potential for exploration on the Otway Basin is a cause of concern for activists in the South East, where a 10-year moratorium on fracking will be in place until 2028. Limestone Coast Protection Alliance chair Angus Ralton, who was part of the initial opposition to fracking, said he was "disappointed" in the direction the government was heading. "The climate crisis is only accelerating and governments need to be moving away from fossil fuel," he said. The acreage releases come as the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) projects a shortfall in gas supply for south-east Australia from 2029. Mr Koutsantonis said renewables were sufficient "90 per cent of the time, even 95 per cent", but gas peaking plants were still needed as back-up. "Gas is an important fuel for firming our renewable resources by having reliable gas-fired generators," he said. "The more gas you have in the system, the more industry you have and the more prices drop in the National Electricity Market. "[The south-east is] an area with existing infrastructure, so it'd be cheaper to restart. "It's got distribution with the SEA Gas pipeline, which gets us to the Victorian market and the South Australian market, so there's lots going for it." Australian company Beach Energy mothballed its Katnook processing plant near Penola in 2022. "While no decisions have been made regarding the South East, Beach holds tenure close to significant infrastructure in the region and the delivery of local gas to market aligns with Beach's vision to become Australia's leading supplier of domestic gas," a Beach spokesperson said. Mr Koutsantonis said SA farmers were struggling financially in the midst of a drought and that reducing energy prices by increasing gas supply was a way to provide relief. "The drought's having a real-life impact, especially on farming communities, and a lot of people rely on industry," he said. Ken Baldwin from the Australian National University said the shortfall required action by the government to secure supply. "This could come through a number of means — by increasing the amount of gas that is produced in the district, reduce the amount of demand in the region … or to implement a gas reservation policy," he said. "As we move forward and decarbonise the economy we need to really be focusing on reducing the demand in the first instance and, if all else fails, increase the amount of supply to match the diminishing gas reserves by finding new sources of gas." Professor Baldwin said there were very few industries that could not switch to electrical forms of energy supply. "That's a very small fraction of the total demand," he said. Mr Ralton said the alliance planned to raise its concerns with the state government. "We would urge the government to reconsider their position … and not take this any further," he said. Department for Energy and Mining chief executive Paul Martyn said staff had "extensively engaged" with the community. "We've, I think, got a very good understanding of the community's views," he said. "We will expect any company that's undertaking exploration in the area to thoroughly engage with the community and to meet the highest standards." Mr Koutsantonis said community sentiment was taken into account. "Those activists didn't want fracking, so there'll be no fracking in the South East," he said. "They argued you can extract gas conventionally — this is exactly what that is." Mr Koutsantonis said the government considered fracking in the region to be "finished as a concept". "We have no plans to allow fracking in the South East," he said.
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
SA councils call for financial relief as rural debt mountain grows
Crippling debt is growing by the day for drought-stricken South Australian farms with local councils pleading for state government intervention in the form of rate relief. Despite recent rains, the past three years of poor rain have seen farmers continue to borrow to cover their overheads. After 90 per cent of his crops failed last year, Appila farmer Andrew Zanker, in South Australia's Mid North, said he was reliant on loans to pay bills. "Everything that we pay [for bills] at the moment increases our debt month by month," he said. By the end of the year, Mr Zanker expects he will be overdrawn by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Dean Johnson, Kimba mayor and president of the Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association (EPLGA), said providing council hardship relief was difficult because local governments were already "battling" sustainability issues. "We want to support our primary producers as much as we can, but we've still got to provide the services that they need to keep their communities growing," he said. According to the Essential Services Commission of South Australia, the District Council of Tumby Bay and the Flinders Ranges Council are unsustainable or projected to remain unsustainable. Despite the findings, Flinders Ranges Council Mayor Ken Anderson said it was trying to alleviate as much financial pressure as possible. "Our focus is on trying to make savings in these hard times, across the board for everybody," he said. Mr Anderson said that, although the budget had not been finalised, his council was hoping to limit its rate rise to below 4 per cent. Both the EPLGA and Flinders Alliance of Councils have called on the state government to provide further and more targeted support to assist councils and primary producers. In a letter to Premier Peter Malinauskas, the Flinders Alliance called for a 12-month waiver of state government-imposed levies and taxes, such as the landscape levy and emergency services levy. The alliance has also requested that the state government subsidise rates for affected local governments. "For those councils with primary producers that can demonstrate financial hardship resulting in the inability to pay rates, the state government [should] 'spot' councils for the rates that cannot be paid," the letter read. The request echoed similar calls from the EPLGA that said in a letter to the government that councils were "bearing the cost" of certain hardship measures, such as deferring rate obligations. "These additional financial pressures further strain council resources, which are limited," it said. Streaky Bay farmer Dion Trezona said deferred or delayed payments still represented a bill for landholders and impacted councils' cash flow. "Especially for your prime production land holders, those rates should just be picked up by the state government just to give us a hand … and not have another bill come through your household," he said. Minister for Primary Industries Clare Scriven said the government was open to the idea, but it would mean one of the 20 different streams of grant funding available under the $73-million support package would have to be cut. "We developed that with primary producers, with peak bodies and with regional stakeholders," Ms Scriven said. "It was based on the feedback that we were hearing about what was needed by farmers and by regional communities. "It's not clear to me where anyone thinks that should be cut to be able to fund this, so I guess that's something that would need to be clarified."
