Simon Wallace
Wagga Wagga, NSW
Simon grew up in the Riverina and is a producer, presenter and reporter for ABC Local.
Latest by Simon Wallace
How 92yo Bob Holder hangs on to the title of 'world's oldest competitive cowboy'
Bob Holder, also known as "the Cootamundra Cat", won his first event in 1945 when he was 14. Now 92, he rides in an arena that was named in his honour.
Contamination from a RAAF base was supposed to reach this city's water supply in the 2070s. It's already almost there
Chemical run-off from the Forest Hill RAAF base has been found just 650 metres from Wagga Wagga's water supply, despite recent studies by Defence claiming it would take at least 50 years to reach the bores.
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The largest asteroid crater ever found could be under a country town in southern NSW
Researchers say an asteroid impact crater up to 520 kilometres in diameter could lie under a the town of Deniliquin.
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Is it disrespectful to sell kava in supermarkets?
A critic says the commercialisation of the drug is potentially dangerous and culturally insensitive, but others say the "great alternative to alcohol" has never been hard to source in the west.
When this team of netballers travelled to Fiji, they didn't expect to deliberately leave their shoes behind
Young netballers from Junee in New South Wales are collecting sports uniforms for Fiji players after an eye-opening overseas carnival.
This fast-growing game is quirky, easy to play and the saviour for some sports clubs
By Conor Burke and Simon Wallace
A cross between tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball emerged out of the US in the 1960s and continues to go from strength to strength in Australia.
Teens helping to shoulder umpiring load in club sports, commission finds
More than one million people in Australia volunteer in sports as an official and almost 15 per cent are teenagers, according to the Australian Sports Commission.
Reports of price gouging as accommodation shortage threatens future of major events in regional NSW
"I didn't want to stay in a tent, so I cancelled," says one mum, who pulled the plug on a trip to Wagga Wagga this month, as large events stretch short stay options in regional centres.
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10 years after being shot at by the Stocco fugitives, this officer is being awarded for courage. But it's been tough
A decade after infamous fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco terrorised southern NSW and shot at Senior Constable Matthew Shaw, the memory of that day is seared in his mind.
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Bailey felt isolated and alone in his community, until he discovered wheelchair basketball
A teenager whose life was changed when he took up wheelchair basketball says he loves the physical and team-building aspects of the sport.
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Volunteers reliving military history by commemorating the slouch hat emu plume
Emu feathers were synonymous with the Australian armed forces effort during WW1 but they were first placed on a slouch hat in 1891, a fact some enthusiastic volunteers are keen to teach.
New Army recruits graduate as training centre marks 70 years
Australia's newest soldiers have marched out of Wagga Wagga's Kapooka training base under the proud gaze of the Governor-General.
'My god, I'm having a heart attack': Victorian quake felt hundreds of kilometres away
People spilled into the streets in southern NSW towns as tremors from the Mansfield earthquake rippled through the region.
Beloved '77 Holden Torana still missing despite pair of arrests
Worth in excess of $80,000, this classic Holden Torana is still missing after being stolen from Leeton in April. It was last seen in Liverpool.
Three Riverina athletes ready to race in the Tokyo Paralympics
Three athletes from the Riverina will compete in the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Ashley van Rijswijk from Tumut will start by swimming in the 100 meters Breaststroke SB14 event on Sunday.
No jab, no placement: Charles Sturt University mandates COVID jabs
From next year, all health students studying at Australia's largest regional university will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID to be allocated a training placement.
Silver medal for Wagga Wagga hockey player
A 10-hour round trip from a Hockey Australia training centre didn't stop Dylan Martin from becoming an Olympic medallist.
Andrew Hoy's mum still gets a thrill out of watching her son
Dorothy Hoy — who watched last night's historic performance from her home in regional NSW — says that, after eight Olympics, she still gets excited watching her son compete at the highest level.
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Riverina families ready to cheer on local Olympians about to compete in Tokyo
Riverina families will be on the edge of their seats over the next two weeks as these five local loved ones compete for Olympic gold in Tokyo.
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'For our people, water is sacred': First Nations people push for bigger say in managing supply
The campaign continues for Indigenous voices to be heard and for an increased role for First Nations people in the management of water operations in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Opposition pushes for council demerger reports to be made public
NSW Labor has moved to force the government to unseal hotly anticipated council demerger reports that have been under wraps since they were tabled in February.
Town 'got away with it this time' amid floods. A truckie wasn't so lucky
Ungarie 'got away with it this time' as floodwaters peak at low level — but a truck driver who bypassed road closure signs was not so lucky.
COVID vaccine rollout coming soon to regional Australians. Here's how it will work
Regional Australians will receive their vaccinations at the same time as metro counterparts when the expected nationwide rollout begins next month, according to the Rural Doctors Association.
Qantas delays new regional routes due to COVID uncertainty
Qantas says uncertainty around COVID-19 in Sydney and border restrictions will delay the start date of three new routes in regional NSW.
'You had to see it to believe it': Veteran recalls horrors of Hiroshima recovery
As people danced in the streets to celebrate the end of World War II, 18-year-old Ted Doss was sent to Japan to help clean-up after the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima, an experience that continues to haunts him.