Get the appGun owners on the North Coast will have to wait months to surrender firearms under the NSW National Gun Buyback. Grafton is the only North Coast station opening from November 2. Lismore, Ballina and Tweed Heads stations start on February 8, 2027. The limit of 10 guns per licence holder is still a draft proposal, with exemptions under consideration. Walk-ins are not accepted, and surrenders require a booking through the Gun Safe portal.
Readers across northern New South Wales reported overnight rainfall totals from rain gauges, with Wiangaree recording 32mm and Bean Creek north of Bonalbo recording 30mm. Mt Lindesay Road between Legume and Woodenbong is closed in both directions. The Bureau of Meteorology says more rain is possible tonight, with up to 30mm, and a further 0 to 5mm is possible on Tuesday, with showers and a chance of afternoon thunderstorms inland.
Emergency crews have rescued Hayden Wilde, 29, who was lost near a property on Mudflat Road at Drake. He was found on Sunday, October 25, after going missing the day before. An RFS helicopter, assisted by police, SES and the Casino VRA Rescue Squad, carried out the search. Helitak 203 located Mr Wilde on its final pass before returning to Coffs Harbour ahead of storms, and winched him to safety. Paramedics checked his medical condition.
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Get the appAn 81-year-old woman was taken to Lismore Base Hospital after her car left the Bruxner Highway and crashed at Drake on Friday, October 23. Passing drivers spotted the car on its side off an embankment at about 9.30am and helped the driver out. Paramedics checked her at the scene, and she was taken to hospital by ambulance as a precaution. Fire and Rescue and RFS units, including those from Tabulam and Frasers Cutting, assisted at the site. A Casino VRA Rescue Squad was called but turned back once the driver was reported to be no longer trapped.
Store cattle sales at the Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange in Casino totalled $2,145,203.50 on Friday, 9 October 2026. Steers led the market, with 804 head across 216 lots generating $1,077,877.18 and peaking at 638.2c/kg. Heifers sold for an average of 446.7c/kg, while 128 cows with calves averaged $2,056.72 per head. Three bulls sold per head averaged $3,333.33, with the highest reaching $3,500.
This week's quiz, set by John James Maloney, is built around bridges. Questions cover the Grafton Bridge over the Clarence River, the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Other questions ask about the song Bridge over Troubled Water, the film The Bridge over the River Kwai and the actor Lloyd Bridges. A bonus question asks where stolen Christmas meat from a Casino butcher shop was found. The answer is under Missingham Bridge in Ballina.
Cattle numbers at the NRLX in Casino on Wednesday, October 21, fell to 850 head, down 196 from the previous week. Most classes of cattle were fewer. Restocker weaner steers sold from 500c to 736c per kilogram, with medium weights averaging 598c/kg. Processors were keen to buy cows, pushing prices about 20c/kg higher, with heavy 4 score cows ranging from 392c to 425c/kg.
Cattle sales at the Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange in Casino topped $1 million on Wednesday, 7 October 2026. Steers achieved the highest price per kilogram, peaking at 658.2 cents. Official figures show 801 cattle sold by weight across 398 lots, generating $1,023,467.82. Cows produced the largest category turnover at $364,929.60, while steers generated $292,278.86. Three heifers were also sold on a per-head basis.
Two men have been refused bail after police allege a 71-year-old woman was pushed to the ground and robbed outside a licensed premises in Casino. The attack allegedly happened on Jabiru Lane at about 10.45pm on Wednesday, 14 October. Paramedics treated the woman at the scene for grazing and bruising. Police arrested two men, aged 21 and 31, at a home on McDougal Street on Friday, 16 October. Laine Toohey, 21, and Tyrone Williams, 31, have been charged with aggravated robbery and robbery in company. Williams also faces domestic violence charges.
Dick Beattie, known as Dick, has died aged 94. He spent 35 years in education, including as principal of Casino High School, before retiring in 1989. Dick and his wife Leila were active in community life for more than 30 years. He was a life member of Apex and the Casino Lions Club, and in 2003 received a Melvin Jones Fellowship. He was named Richmond Valley Citizen of the Year in 2009. Funeral details are yet to be announced.
Richmond Valley Council has recommended 11 projects for heritage grants totalling $25,090 from its 2026 program. The largest is the restoration of the front facade of an art deco building at 83 Walker Street, Casino, estimated to cost $133,000. It has been recommended for a grant of $11,500, above the usual cap of $2000, under the council's adopted framework. Other recommended projects are in Casino, Coraki and Woodburn. Councillors will vote on the list at the council meeting at Casino Chambers at 6pm on Tuesday, October 20.
Coles has installed a wheel-locking system on its trolleys at its Casino store in mid-September. The system stops trolleys at a boundary set by the supermarket. Casino residents had long asked for the measure. Two years ago, Ben West said he and a friend had collected more than 60 shopping trolleys from the Richmond River since 2014, many of them from Coles. A Coles spokesperson said the company regularly reviews its trolley management and considers local feedback. Coles did not explain why it decided to fit the system at this time.
Two men have been charged with aggravated robbery after a 71-year-old woman was pushed to the ground and her handbag stolen outside a licensed premises in Casino. Police were called to Jabiru Lane at 10.45pm on Wednesday, October 14. The woman suffered grazes and bruising and was treated by paramedics. Police arrested a 31-year-old and a 21-year-old at a home in McDougal Street on Friday, October 16. Both men were refused bail and appeared in court on Saturday, October 17.
Casino VRA Rescue Squad was called to a Casino property at 6.30pm on Thursday, October 15, to help a man whose wedding ring was stuck on his swollen finger. The ring, believed to be tungsten or titanium, could not be removed by usual methods. Rescue operators used specialist tools to break the ring and take it off. The man was checked afterwards and given the all clear. The squad said precision, timing and patience can matter more than big tools in some jobs.
The 50th Rockhampton Brangus Sale saw 202 of 218 bulls sell, with an average of $15,347 and a 93 per cent clearance rate. The top price of $110,000 was paid by Paul and Catherine Mackenzie of Arizona, Dingo, for Gunnadoo Park Quickstep, a bull bred by Jeff Parker of Gunnadoo Park, Manilla, NSW. The Mackenzies plan to use the bull to breed future sires for their commercial operation. Buyers came from across Queensland and into NSW, with Westmoor Pastoral Co of Injune taking the largest order of 10 bulls.
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Get the appPolice are appealing for help to find Wally Drew, 27, who is wanted on outstanding warrants for car theft and police pursuit offences. Richmond Police District describes him as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in appearance, about 165cm tall, of thin build, with long curly black hair and brown eyes. He is known to frequent the Casino area. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Richmond Police District or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Almost 75,000 HSC students sat their English exam today, the first of 123 exams running over the next four weeks. The final exam, physics, is on November 5, and results will be released on December 16. Education Minister Prue Car urged students to rest well and give their best effort. NSW Education Standards Authority chief executive Paul Martin said the written exam period is one of the largest public exam operations in the southern hemisphere.
Police are investigating after a 53-year-old man was found dead on a rural property at Drake, about an hour west of Casino, on the NSW Far North Coast. Emergency services were called about 11.30pm on Saturday. Bystanders tried to revive him before police and paramedics took over, but he could not be saved. Police believe the man, from Nimbin, was among a group attending a bush doof at the property. A crime scene has been established and investigations are ongoing.
A 22-year-old man was rushed to Lismore Base Hospital after his Holden ute collided with a tree on Barker Street, Casino, at 2am Sunday. Emergency crews attended the scene, where paramedics stabilised the driver before transport. His condition was listed as serious but stable. The incident occurred as Sewing Basket inaugurated its first regional store in Casino. Police confirmed the crash details but did not disclose further information.
The Sewing Basket has opened its first shop outside Sydney in Casino, on the New South Wales north coast. Achieve chief executive Jo-Anne Hewitt cut the opening ribbon. Achieve is a not-for-profit disability support provider that came to the Northern Rivers in 2016. Hewitt said the shop aims to be a community space, with workshops and guest artists planned for next year. The shop is at The Chambers, 98 Walker Street, and accepts donations.