Year in Review Part 2: What stories gripped Midwest Times readers the most in the second half of 2023

The serious, the tragic, the quirky and the heart-warming — a kaleidoscope of stories kept Midwest Times readers informed and captivated in the second half of 2023. UP, UP AND AWAY After consistent calls for more competition in the local air market, a new player took to the skies in the middle of 2023. Nexus Airlines’ inaugural flight from Geraldton took off on July 10, offering direct routes to Perth and the North West, marking the first new regional airline in WA in two decades. CLANCY THE MIRACLE DOG Clancy the blue heeler sparked headlines when he went missing after his owner Jane Errey had a car crash and was left seriously injured near Coral Bay in July, prompting locals and strangers to help in the search. The dog was found after a week missing in bush and was finally reunited with Ms Errey in September after her release from hospital. WHAT ON EARTH IS IT? It was a mystery object discovered washed up on a Green Head beach on July 16 that left people scratching their heads. That is until the Australian Space Agency confirmed the barnacle-covered cylinder was part of an Indian rocket. Locals called for the object to be displayed in Green Head as a tourist attraction, but its future remains up in the air while still being stored locally. POLITICAL INTRIGUE The issue of depleted regional representation was a hot political issue in 2023, and continues to be in the lead-up to the 2025 State election. Firstly, redrawn electoral boundaries will merge the North West Central and Moore electorates into a single seat called Mid West at the next poll. That issue was a driving factor behind the Nationals’ North West Central MP Merome Beard’s shock defection to the Liberals in late October. HALF-TONNE DRUG HAUL Kalbarri was at the centre of a national drug bust in August, which saw 560kg of cocaine seized, and three men from Queensland charged. Authorities allege they were part of a transnational syndicate importing drugs into WA by sea and that the drugs had been collected from the water after being dropped from a bulk carrier. More people were charged later in the year. BOARDWALK BLUES Calls mounted over the year for the State Government to fund the repairs of an iconic boardwalk located in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, following cyclone damage more than two years ago. The popular jetty offering a view of rare stromatolite formations at Hamelin Pool, 100km south-east of Denham was damaged by Seroja in April 2021 and remains closed to the public. The Opposition has called for action, while the government says the boardwalk should be replaced, rather than repaired. MINGENEW MAGIC One of the biggest field days in WA celebrated its 40th birthday in style this year. The Mingenew Midwest Expo marked the special occasion by returning to its usual two-day format in August, with exhibits and activities at the town’s main oval bigger and better than ever. Among the events were fashion parades, the Young Farmers Challenge, the much-loved tractor pull, guest speakers, working dog competition, cooking demonstrations, and much more. PIPPA’S GRAND FINAL There were no local teams or players in the big game, but the Mid West still had Pippa McTaggart. Winning the hearts of the footy-loving nation, eight-year-old Pippa and her younger brother Blake were part of the national Auskick squad selected to play at the MCG on grand final day. Pippa was chosen to be the skipper, was mentored by AFL legend Joel Selwood, met her hero Luke Shuey, watched the grand final with her family and then presented Collingwood skipper Darcy Moore with his premiership medal. Talk about living a dream. REFERENDUM FALLOUT It was the divisive issue that had gripped the nation for months leading up to the October 14 referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. In the end, the No campaign emerged victorious across the country. In the electorate of Durack, 72 per cent of voters rejected the Voice to Parliament. Former State MP and Yamatji woman Carol Martin said people had been “hoodwinked” by the No campaign and if they had fully informed themselves ahead of voting, the outcome would have been different. CERVANTES SHOCK It started out as a bizarre mystery with the quiet fishing town of Cervantes at the centre: a burnt out car, a body found inside, another car driven into the water and a naked man found acting erratically on a vessel. The events which occurred in and near Cervantes in late September led police to charge 19-year-old Benjamin Jack McLaughlin with murdering 38-year-old John Matta. It is alleged Mr Matta had stopped to help Mr McLaughlin after he crashed his car. FARM FATALITY Farm safety was an ongoing issue in WA, with one of the tragic examples being the death of 22-year-old farm worker Emma Varis in October. Ms Varis was killed when the quad bike she was riding to muster cattle rolled on a property in the shire of Dandaragan. Family and friends remembered her as a “beautiful and bubby” young woman taken far too soon. COMMUNITY UNITED A community rallied together after the sudden death of Eradu farmer Darryl “Jack” Colin Burton. Dozens of locals came together to harvest the crops of the beloved farmer, helping his family who had been left behind. A huge line-up of 16 headers, 12 chaser bins and 16 trucks with plenty of volunteers all came to finish the harvest across the 1200ha for the Burton family farm. TEEN MUM CRISIS Tough liquor restrictions introduced earlier in the year had reportedly led to a drop in crime in Carnarvon, but when Minister Reece Whitby visited the town in November local officials and elders raised another alarming issue — a shocking surge in the number of teen pregnancies. Eleven local 14-year-old girls had given birth over the past year, with girls as young as 12 getting pregnant. Town leaders and the Opposition reiterated their calls for a 24/7 “safe space” for at-risk youth. FIERCE FIRE FIGHT Career and volunteer firefighters worked tirelessly to save homes from destruction as a blaze escalated into an out of control emergency in the shires of Chapman Valley and Northampton in early December. The fire came within metres of homes but the immediate response from emergency services managed to save about 14 properties.