User Profile

Charmayne Allison

I moved to Northern Victoria from sunny Brisbane two years ago for my first job at the Kyabram Free Press, eventually transferring to the Riverine Herald where I am now the politics, health, council and indigenous affairs reporter. My greatest passions are feature writing and multimedia journalism - from videos to podcasts. The first question most people ask when they meet me is "Why move here?" But it's been a no-brainer. While I'll never get used to Victorian winters (you have to wear long sleeves?!), I've quickly fallen in love with all this region has to offer.

The spectre of child abuse: Bryan Pickthall’s story

THE eyes of our elderly hold a thousand stories. Stories of love and loss, of battles won and dreams never realised. For many, they also conceal secrets. Some buried so deep beneath decades of pain, shame and guilt they seem impossible to unearth.

Charmayne Allison

On course for a bright future

CUMMERAGUNJA’S Peter Atkinson and his son Peter have the same spark of joy in their eyes. Standing with an arm slung around the other’s shoulder, their grins stretch from ear to ear. And for anyone who knows this father and son’s journey...

Charmayne Allison

Everybody is a winner in latest program

A TRAINING program equipping indigenous jobseekers and helping local industry meet the region’s booming infrastructure demands has come to Cummeragunja. The Civil Construction and Plant Operation Project, which launched in 2017 through a Work for...

Charmayne Allison

Renewable energy helps Laurie to keep things cool

BLISTERING summer temperatures mean an increased risk of blackouts in Echuca and beyond, with Victoria in greatest danger of losing power in coming months. Worst case scenario, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said up to 1.3 million...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the silence

AS A policewoman and detective for 27 years, Burnewang’s Narelle Fraser willingly waded, day after day, through the sewers of Victoria’s underbelly. Working in the rape squad, child exploitation squad, sex crime squad, missing persons and...

Charmayne Allison

Riverine Herald

Journalist, detective and champion of the forgotten

CURIOSITY and persistence – that’s what true journalists are made of. Without those two vital ingredients coursing through the veins of countless correspondents across the globe, even more corruption and injustice would reign supreme. It may...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Ryan Grace

As part of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. After attempting to take his own life in 2012, Kyabram’s Ryan Grace began a gradual journey towards healing which has ultimately led him to...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Narelle Fraser

As part of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. Burnewang’s Narelle Fraser loved every minute of her 27 years as a detective with Victoria Police, until a horric paedophilia case left her...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Chris Roberts

As part of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. Experiencing abuse in the army and a bitter divorce, Rochester’s Chris Roberts saw no option but to end his life. Until a phone call from a friend...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Molly Bruns

As part of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. Anxiety has played a key role in Molly Bruns’ life since she was 12 years old. And while she’s learnt how to handle it, she encourages others to...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Sharnee McCoy

As part of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. After battling – and defeating – aggressive stage three breast cancer, Sharnee McCoy found herself in a mental health hole as she adjusted to...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Wendy McNish

As part of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. After her beloved husband Ray took his own life in 2016, Wendy McNish began a long journey towards hope and healing. This is her story. Produced by...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Stephen Hawken

As part of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. Although he’s seen his fair share of hardship, Bamawm dairy farmer Stephen Hawken said it was the suffering of countless farmers around him which...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Paul Harrison

As part of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. After attending a traumatising crash scene while in the CFA, Kotta’s Paul Harrison was thrown into the dark world of post-traumatic stress. If it...

Charmayne Allison

Breaking the Silence: Sarah Vickers

AS PART of Mental Health Week, nine locals from Echuca-Moama and surrounds will share their stories. After the birth of her daughter Jazmyn, Echuca’s Sarah Vickers was plagued by post-natal depression, battling feelings of shame and inadequacy as...

Charmayne Allison

The Murray keeps one man’s life rolling along

FOR Echuca’s Peter Phillips, the Murray is so much more than a river. It has been a haven, a healer, and is – and always will be – home. Through the highs and lows of his childhood and teen years, its smooth surface was a refuge, a quick...

Charmayne Allison

Rick Wilcock: Secret Men’s Business

These days the topic of men’s mental health can still be taboo. But CHARMAYNE ALLISON found the best counsellor for some men isn’t actually a counsellor at all – he’s a mate who can lend an ear over a beer. RICK Wilcock is a sort of mate –...

Charmayne Allison

Pyramid Hill aged care home closes doors

THE Respect Aged Care Facility in Pyramid Hill has announced it will close its doors at the end of the year. The local aged care home currently houses 16 residents and employs 30 part-time staff members. While the official close date is November 30...

Charmayne Allison