During the 1990s, the number of abalone stock in some areas of NSW dropped to just 5% of their former populations due to disease from the protozoal parasite, Perkinsus. This, teamed with the ongoing issue of poaching or what John likes to refer to as ‘theft’, put enormous pressure on the abalone fishery, causing the commercial and recreational fishing regulations to be severely tightened, and in some cases, completely banned. As you would expect, most commercial abalone license holders, fought t

It’s early Spring, and the weather’s starting to warm up after a long Winter. But the swimming season is drawing to a close for the growing movement of winter swimming clubs. From the famous Bondi Icebergs and the Cronulla Polar Bears to the Freemantle Shivering Shags and the Ballina Titanics, these clubs are filled with brave souls who relish the chillier ocean temperatures. On the NSW far south coast, where the water's pretty cold even in the middle of summer, it's the Narooma Numn

Dilani Blundell, 32, and Nelun Fahey, 34, met when they were adopted from Sri Lanka by their Australian parents in the 1980s. The sisters were raised in regional NSW on a diet of meat and three veg – and footy on the box. NELUN: Dilani's birth certificate says she was four years old when she arrived in Australia. I remember seeing her at the airport – she was wearing this black velvet dress with long sleeves, and a pair of white knee-high socks that slid down to her ankles because she was so ti