State of the Nation | Saturday, March 18, 2017

► ILLAWARRA: Ryan Teasdale has been remembered as a carefree young boy as mourners rally in support of his family, particularly his brother. Ryan, 11, and his 13-year-old brother were boogie-boarding down the slippery slopes of Unanderra’s Riley Park on Thursday afternoon when tragedy struck. Read more

► ALBURY: Passengers on a Regional Express aircraft flying from Albury in NSW endured a nightmare flight after one of its propellers sheared off in mid-flight, forcing it to make an emergency landing at Sydney Airport. Read more

► BALLARAT: A Castlemaine grandmother has performed a circus act of kindness, delivering fresh fruit and Anzac biscuits to out-of-work performers and crew at Ballarat Showgrounds on Thursday. Read more

► MONTELLO: Montello Primary School united on Friday to send a strong message that bullying isn’t okay. Students and teachers used their bodies to spell out “Bullying no way!” on the school’s oval. Read more

► COOTAMUNDRA: Cootamundra is mourning the passing of Andrew ‘Jack’ Raleigh. He lost his battle on Thursday, March 16, following almost eight weeks in hospital. Read more

► KATHERINE: Next Wednesday will mark three quarters of a century since Katherine was bombed. Between 80 and 90 high explosive bombs were dropped on the, then much smaller, outback town by the Japanese as part of their seemingly unstoppable push south. Read more

► MT COTTON: Sirromet Winery wants to boost its major restaurant, entertainment and restaurant business by building 56 “glamping’’ tents to add wedding and tourist accommodation. Read more

► WINDSOR: Iconic Hawkesbury pub The Fitzroy Hotel has closed its doors after almost 165 years of trade, eight months after owners Jennie and Philip Young purchased the lease from previous long-term owners Rebecca and Troy Mifsud. Read more

► Australia is poised for widespread political instability as more than one in four voters flee the two-party system, political analysts say. Read more

► Each member of the ABC's audience has a gripe about the public broadcaster - including those who run it. Read more

► The Parliamentary Budget Office has costed a proposal that would kill stamp duty and replace it with land tax, saving home buyers up to $40,000 in Sydney and $55,000 in Melbourne, while delivering billions of dollars to fund schools and hospitals. Read more

What’s coming your way ...

►WASHINGTON: Fairly or not, presidents sometimes are cast in the shadow of their advisers - think George W Bush and Dick Cheney. So, as the Trump administration promises a triple-barreled Armageddon, by hacking into the budget, the bureaucracy and regulations, it's no surprise that some look past this president - to fix on his anarchic chief strategist Stephen Bannon. Read more.

►BALI: Australian Sara Connor could face more years behind bars over the death of a Bali police officer after prosecutors announced they would appeal her four year jail sentence. Read more

►INDONESIA: Notorious people smuggler "Captain Bram", who organised the asylum seekers' boat at the centre of the notorious 'cash for boat-turn-back' scandal in 2015, has been sentenced to six years' jail in an Indonesian prison. Read more

1793 – War of the First Coalition: Habsburg Austrians together with Dutch Republic troops repulsed a series of French assaults after bitter fighting in Neerwinden, present-day Belgium.

1834 - The Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced to transportation to Australia for swearing an illegal oath to join their friendly society in Dorset, England.

1915 – First World War: In one of the largest naval battles in the Gallipoli Campaign, the Ottoman Empire sank three Allied battleships and severely damaged three others.

1970 – United States postal workers began a two-week strike after Congress raised its own wages by 41% but raised the wages of postal workers by only 4%.

1985 – The first episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours (location pictured) was broadcast on the Seven Network, eventually becoming the longest-running drama in Australian television history.

He is Wagga’s oldest cricket groundsman and Mick Yarrington has no plans to hang up the boots. 

The 71-year-old dedicates 20 hours per week to maintaining the Wagga Cricket Ground and supporting his beloved sport. 

When Mr Yarrington – a life-long sportsman – realised he could no longer keep up with the game, he branched out to curating wickets. Read more