A single mother and six of her children have been left devastated after their Montumana home went up in flames on last Thursday.
The Tasmania Fire Service could not pinpoint what caused the fire, but were able to narrow down the area to the bathroom and the laundry, near a bedroom.
Rachael Hamill arrived home from a school pickup to find the house ablaze. She joins Brian Carlton this morning to tell him about the fire, and says all they could do is stand there and watch it burn.
Firefighters also went above and beyond to save a very special item for Rachael's two older sons.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up for Rachael and her family. If you would like to donate, click here. If you would like to donate any household items to Rachael, please get in touch with us via Facebook or our website.
The Living City Waterfront Plan is a ‘change for the better’, according to Devonport City Council Mayor, Annette Rockliff.
The development application for the plan was approved at a special council meeting on Monday afternoon, but there have been vocal opponents of the plan in the community.
Mayor Rockliff speaks with Brian Carlton this morning about some of the concerns surrounding the plans, including the removal of trees from Roundhouse Park and concerns that there will be a loss of public land.
Hydro Tasmania has announced this morning $30 million for a feasibility study to determine what is the best place for pumped hydro developments in Tasmania.
The three potential locations are Lake Cethana near Sheffield, Lake Rowallan near Cradle Mountain, or the Tribute Power Station near Tullah. Whichever area is chosen will play a major part in helping Tasmania become the Battery of the Nation.
Minister for Energy, Guy Barnett, speaks with Brian Carlton this morning about this announcement, and where the Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects are at.
They also discuss the push for a Victoria Cross medal for Teddy Sheean, which Minister Barnett was successful in gaining a merit based review for the award.
Former Senator Jacqui Lambie joins Brian Carlton in the studio for her usual Tuesday chat – but not before a run-in with the police on the way!
In a comprehensive discussion, Jacqui discusses Steve Martin’s Senate fate, Justine Keay’s citizenship, the arson at Tasmazia, the federal codeine upscheduling scheme and JLN policies – including their recently released education policy.
Devonport is opening itself up to new events and tourism opportunities as it undergoes a radical transformation with its Living City project.
Mayor of Devonport City Council, Annette Rockliff, speaks to Brian Carlton this morning about some of the ongoing projects around the city, and how the community can have a say on the council’s next budget.
They also discuss Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, and the role of the Federal Government to dictate the day they should be held on.
The Mt Roland Cableway project is one step closer to becoming a reality, with approval from the State Government granted today for the use of Crown Land.
This is one small step of the process to getting a cableway and adventure precinct underway on Mt Roland, but will now allow the proponents to put some actual details around the plans, rather than just having concepts.
Justin Carman, Director of Mt Roland Cableway, speaks to Brian Carlton this morning about what this means for the project and what the next step is.
Free Range Friday encourages anybody to call in for the day, but it's not often the first cab off the rank is the Prime Minister!
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is in Stanley this morning, after spending the night in Smithton. He announces that the North-West will be one of nine regions in Australia to benefit from a Job Ready Generation Package, which will come in the form of agricultural skills.
The Prime Minster also speaks with Brian Carlton about My Health Record, which he compared to Apple's cloud system.
Devonport and Launceston Airports could join forces to present one united bid for the Qantas Pilot Academy, according Senator Steve Martin.
Over 40 regional cities around Australia have put in bids for the training school, which would see an influx of pilots to the chosen city. All airports in Tasmania have shown an interest in the academy, but the two most prominent bids come from Devonport and Launceston.
Senator Martin discusses the newly released criteria with Brian Carlton, and says that a need to create two separate pilot schools (one beginner, one advanced) could see a united front from Devonport and Launceston.
Over 100 people turned up for a meeting about the Mt Roland Cableway on Tuesday night – likely a record for a community meeting in Sheffield, according to Mt Roland Cableway Director and Project Lead, Justin Carmen.
Local residents turned up to learn more about the proposed cableway and adventure precinct, and put ‘ghost stories’ to bed.
Mr Carmen joins Brian Carlton this morning, and says that the vibe at the meeting was overwhelmingly positive.
King Island Mayor, Duncan McFie, says that perhaps Regional Express Airlines (REX) is taking a leaf out of the Donald Trump playbook.
There is an ongoing stoush between the King Island Council and REX, ever since the council decided to increase landing and passenger charges for the airline. This is because the King Island airport is currently operating at a loss of $500,000 a year, which is being paid by the King Island community.
The latest in the stoush is that REX have cut four flights between the island and Melbourne. Mayor McFie tells Brian Carlton that these cancellations could be due to several mitigating factors, but the timing is coincidental.
Image: By Nemrac2 at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain.
Three North-West Tasmanians have made national news across the country for a ‘Mad Monday’ costume.
The three men from the Penguin Football Club have been pictured in ‘blackface’, dressed as Serena and Venus Williams alongside Sydney Swans player Aliir Aliir.
The picture has caused outrage around the nation, with some people appalled at what they believe is racism and cultural appropriation. However others believe that this was just a fun dress up costume and nothing more.
Tasmania Talks listeners call in to speak to Brian Carlton this morning about their thoughts on the blackface incident.
This week, it was revealed that an outbreak of influenza at North-West Coast nursing homes had killed a number of patients.
This includes six patients at Strathdevon Aged Care Facility.
Janice Tongs’ mother, Trixie, was one of the six victims of the deadly influenza. She speaks with Brian Carlton about her mother's illness, and the care she received in her final hours.
She may hail from Tasmania, but Gina Timms lives and breathes the Tamworth lifestyle, and is devastated by the current drought facing farmers in NSW and QLD.
Desperate to do something to help, Gina has organised a concert on the NW Coast for the end of August. Her hope is to raise $11,000 and send two trucks full of hay over to NSW and QLD.
Gina joins Brian Carlton this morning to talk about her plan to help out these struggling farmers.
Brett Whiteley has delivered his last pitch to Tasmania Talks Braddon listeners before the by-election, saying that unless you vote Liberal, all votes will end up going to Labor opponent Justine Keay.
Mr Whiteley joins Brian Carlton in the studio to discuss the by-election campaign, and some of the key topics like jobs, business confidence, and roads funding.
With the future of the Launceston Show in doubt, one Meander Valley Alderman has come up with an interesting proposal: move the Launceston Show public holiday to AGFEST instead.
Alderman Bob Richardson believes that the people have voted with their feet that AGFEST is the place to be, rather than the agricultural shows. He also states that Circular Head Council have made the decision to move their show public holiday to AGFEST, and wishes to follow suit.
Brian Carlton talks to Alderman Richardson about the proposal, and the process they would need to go through to make this happen.
A North-West Coast woman has pleaded for a stolen puppy to be returned to his family.
Patch was stolen from a farm in Takone last weekend, and being only 13 weeks old, is still drinking milk from his mum and is not immunised.
Patch's father is blind, yet he ran after the vehicle who stole his son. The old cattle dog returned the next day after searching all night, with the pads on his paws raw from running.
Brian Carlton talks to owner of Patch, Lisa, who says that the thieves didn't just steal a puppy - they broke a dogs heart.
One of Ulverstone’s most beloved businesses went up in flames yesterday.
A fire broke out at Pedro’s Fish Takeaway shop just after 4pm, and is believed to have started due to an electrical fault.
Firefighters were successful in saving the restaurant half of the building, but the takeaway half has been destroyed.
Owner of Pedro’s Fish Takeaway, Rod White, had just arrived in Queensland for a holiday when he heard the news of the fire. He talks with Brian Carlton about what happened and the tremendous community support.
Pedro’s hopes that the restaurant will be open tomorrow.
A hero in the rescue of a girl at Devonport Bluff yesterday says he just hopes that his actions were able to make a difference.
A 15 year old Devonport girl is currently in a critical condition at the Royal Hobart Hospital after a swim at the Devonport Bluff went wrong yesterday.
Hobart man Anthony King was in the area at the time for a business meeting, but upon realising there was an issue, he ran to the bluff, jumped into the surf and swam to the girl in an attempt to save her.
His actions could very well have saved her life.
Listen as Anthony tells the incredible story to Brian Carlton below.
Brian also talks to Vice-President of the Devonport Surf Life Saving Club, Luke Emmett, who helped in the rescue. He warns people to be careful and aware of water safety this summer.
Earlier, Brian spoke to Senior Sergeant Russell Judges from Tasmania Police about the incident.
Bluff image: By Gary Houston (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons.
