helena de reus

Rare heritage apple trees planted to beautify Owaka have been damaged and stolen, upsetting the group behind the project.

Painted wooden characters from the history of the Lawrence-Tuapeka area have appeared in Lawrence.

Police have praised the quick thinking of South Otago residents who helped nab an alleged thief in Milton.

An 18-year-old Milton man sparked an armed police callout after he was spotted outside his Union St home with a rifle yesterday afternoon.

Clutha Recreation Centre Inc has won top honours at the 2012 TrustPower Clutha District community awards, presented last night, in Balclutha.

The annual three-sport clash between the two South Island-based army reserve battalions in Dunedin on Saturday was all about unit pride ahead of their merger at the end of the year.

A tired Sam Richardson received a hero's welcome when he paddled a surf ski through the waves to reach Kaka Point yesterday afternoon.

Telford tutor Ken Payne has been named winner of the Clutha District Council by-election for the Balclutha ward.

The board of a new trust to promote Clutha's development has been announced. Three groups dedicated to the Clutha district's development - the Clutha District Development Board, Clutha Agricultural Development Board, and Enterprise Clutha - will merge to become the Clutha Development Trust (CDT) by next year.

Balancing rugby, athletics and school has not stopped Blue Mountain College pupil Gavin Stark from ranking among the country's best.

At 78, John Witchall knows his fair share about whitebaiting.

Mataura's future is uncertain after the township's biggest employer announced plans to shift its sheep processing from the Alliance Group's plant, affecting 325 jobs.

Grey skies failed to deter daffodil and steampunk enthusiasts at Wetherstons, near Lawrence, yesterday.

Uncertainty. The air reeks of it. As the crowd outside the Mataura Community Centre grows, so does the uncertainty.

Daffodils and steampunk are coming together in Lawrence tomorrow.

A children's picture book based on the story of the lions who escaped from the circus in Lawrence in 1978 will be launched tomorrow.

They're big and "beautiful" and they've been swarming over southern roads.