► WARRNAMBOOL: Hundreds of people took part in the annual Tower Hill Challenge in ideal conditions on Saturday.

Koroit Football Netball Club president Maurice Molan said about 500 adults and 100 children took part. Full story here.

► PENGUIN: It was a great day to cast a line at Hiscutt Park, Penguin on Saturday for the annual ladies’ fishing day.

Event coordinator Sheryl Thompson, from the North-West Fisheries Association said the event was well supported by the public, with 80 women registering on the day. Read on.

► MOUNT ISA: The always popular Mount Isa Christmas races took place on Saturday. Read more.

► BENDIGO: It is meant to be a time of celebration, family and new beginnings. But this year, as it does every year, Christmas will bring trauma and heartbreak for some. 

Over more than four decades of service in the police force, Sergeant Mark Holloway has seen more tragedy during the festive season than most. Read more.

► CLARE: Communities are being urged by the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) to make sure they are up to date with the latest fire danger and fire ban listings heading into the weekend, with fears of an increased risk on Sunday. Full story here.

► HUNTER: The search is on for an historic Antarctic workboat that was last seen in the Hunter Region.

Antarctic veteran David Dodd, who is secretary of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions Club, said the workboat was built as the Macpherson Robertson, and was used in the Antarctic from 1956 to 1978, when she was sold and renamed Porpoise. Find out more.

► WOLLONGONG: Motorcycle rider Ric Stalenberg summed up the spirit of Wollongong’s annual Bikers Toy Run, saying it helps children in need “escape their world” even if only for a few minutes.

Saturday was the Figtree resident’s first Wollongong charity run, though he’s participated for over a decade in Adelaide before moving into the Illawarra two years ago. Read more.

► BELLINGEN: Perhaps it is for the best – Shire locals can keep the best spots for ourselves, but either way the Seaboard missed out on being named in a list of Australia’s top 20 beaches. 

The shires to either side, Shelly Beach at Nambucca and Moonee Beach in Coffs Harbour were named in the list. Full story here.

► PORT MACQUARIE: If it’s December in Port Macquarie you can bank on two things – touch football’s jewel in the crown, the State Cup. 

The action continued at the NSW Touch Football Association’s State Cup competition in Port Macquarie. Read on.

► MINCHINBURY: A man has been charged after he allegedly broke into a car yard and set the premises alight in Minchinbury on Saturday morning.

About 7.30am on Saturday, police were called to a car yard on Carlisle Avenue, after a number of vehicles and an office were allegedly damaged. Read on.

National news

► The horrific head-on collision between a motorbike and a car that killed two men at Lane Cove in the early hours of Saturday morning was caught on CCTV. Read more.

► Northern Territory police are searching for a man believed to have left an outback rest stop about 10 minutes before a French tourist was stabbed to death in front of his terrified wife. Read on.

► The age of entitlement for Australia's jet-setting diplomats could soon be coming to an end.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has secretly ordered a review of the generous allowances and entitlements paid to federal government employees when they're on overseas postings, Fairfax Media can reveal. Read on.

► Properties granted to World War II veterans are among 150,000 hectares of farmland in northern Queensland that the Defence Department has earmarked for acquisition to allow Singaporean soldiers more room to train on Australian soil. Read more.

► NSW Cricket has completed the domestic one-day competition double for 2016/17.

The NSW Breakers secured a crushing nine-wicket win over Queensland in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) final on Saturday at Allan Border Field. Full story here.

International news

► SYRIA: Khaled al-Asaad was brought to the main square in a black van and beheaded before a small crowd. His body was then strung up from an ancient Roman column in the Syrian city of Palmyra, where he had worked for more than 50 years as head of antiquities.

His head was placed on the ground between his feet, his dark-framed glasses still in place. Read more.

► INDONESIA: Eight Indonesians were arrested for allegedly attempting treason, part of an "evil conspiracy" to overthrow the government, ahead of another massive rally on Friday morning calling for Jakarta's governor to be jailed for blasphemy. 

Among those arrested before the rally was Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, the sister of former Indonesian president Megawati. Read more.

1881: The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.

1931: "Frankenstein" opens at Mayfair

1964: Ian Chappell makes his Test cricket debut for Australia against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

When Dave Perryman first picked up a pair of scissors as a 14-year-old, you still paid for your haircut in pounds and shillings.

Fifty-six years on, Dave is calling it a day and has passed his business on to local barber Shane Northam.

“I haven’t had more than 10 days holiday in 56 years,” Dave said. “So it's going to be an adjustment.” Read Dave’s story here.