Simon Royal
Simon Royal specialises in South Australian current affairs stories. He previously hosted the South Australian edition of 7.30 on Friday nights and is a is a former state politics reporter, radio current affairs reporter and national overnight radio host. Follow Simon on Twitter: @SimonRoyal1
Adelaide factory chooses shutdowns over high spot power prices
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A big wool processing firm in Adelaide is shutting down at times because spot power prices hit $13,000, compared with $10 at times of low demand.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, industry, electricity-energy-and-utilities, rural, salisbury-5108, sa, china, adelaide-5000
Coffin demand as sure as death and taxes, but size is a different matter
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Seeking a career unaffected by recession, John Peddar became a coffin maker — more than 20 years on he is finding Australians' final resting places are changing to meet their increasing size and unique tastes.
Topics: death, offbeat, community-and-society, work, sa, adelaide-5000
Adelaide student goes from Afghanistan danger to academic accolades
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Ali Wahidi arrived in Australia from Afghanistan without a word of English, but at 17 he has graduated from his Adelaide secondary school as dux by winning the academic prizes in each of his subjects.
Topics: human-interest, education, refugees, immigration, community-and-society, elizabeth-5112, adelaide-5000, sa, australia, afghanistan
Nine-to-five workday should change during heatwaves: health official
Posted
Workplaces need to adapt to climate change, a public health official warns, saying nine-to-five workdays and 38-hour weeks might not be the best option during heatwaves.
Topics: climate-change, environment, university-and-further-education, work, community-and-society, weather, adelaide-5000, sa
Floods boost bird populations across the country
Posted
A profound environmental "silver lining" is winding its way down the country's river systems, all thanks to this year's devastating floods.
Topics: birds, animal-science, science-and-technology, renmark-5341, birdsville-4482, bedourie-4829, forbes-2871, winton-4735, vic, charlton-3525, kyalite-2734, goondiwindi-4390, st-george-4487, bathurst-2795, collarenebri-2833, qld, cunnamulla-4490, nsw, menindee-2879, sa
Halloween has a place in Australia, pumpkin-carving expat says
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Halloween is here, delighting small children and chocoholics, while dismaying those who see it as a further Americanisation of Australia.
Topics: community-and-multicultural-festivals, community-and-society, adelaide-5000, sa
Holden's history chronicled at State Library of SA
Posted
A full 140 metres of shelf space dedicated to archives on Australia's car manufacturer Holden, including old adverts through to government policy, can be found at the State Library of South Australia.
Topics: library-museum-and-gallery, arts-and-entertainment, manufacturing, states-and-territories, adelaide-5000, sa, geelong-3220, vic
Drones used to hunt and destroy mosquito populations
Posted
There is a certain irony in using drones to fight the annoying buzz and bite of the mosquitoes but that is what Adelaide researchers are doing.
Topics: health, research-organisations, research, adelaide-5000, adelaide-university-5005, sa
The beginning of the end for Holden in Australia Analysis
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Today, local production of the Holden Cruze ceases, but it's not the end of Australian-made Holdens just yet, writes ABC reporter Simon Royal.
Topics: manufacturing, industry, states-and-territories, government-and-politics, adelaide-5000, sa, australia
Holden Cruze production ceases at Adelaide plant, 270 jobs to go
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Local production of Holden's small car, the Cruze, winds up at the Elizabeth plant in Adelaide's north, with up to 270 jobs to go over the next few months.
Topics: automotive, manufacturing, states-and-territories, unemployment, community-and-society, elizabeth-5112, adelaide-5000, sa
Vietnam War entertainer finally returns soldier's dog tags
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When Adelaide entertainer Bev Harrell went to entertain the troops in Vietnam, little did she know it would lead her on a mission that would take almost 50 years to complete.
Topics: history, community-and-society, veterans, adelaide-5000, sa, australia, vietnam
Vietnam War mystery solved with few clues about Corporal Powell
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Finding Corporal Powell should have been easy, but tracking down the man who handed his dog tags to an Australian singer in 1967 took almost 50 years, writes Simon Royal.
Topics: history, community-and-society, adelaide-5000, sa, melbourne-3000, australia
Volunteers plant 7,000 poppies to honour Battle of Pozieres fallen
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Volunteers gather at Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens in the Adelaide Hills to plant poppies remembering Australian soldiers killed during the Battle of Pozieres.
Topics: world-war-1, history, community-and-society, gardening, lifestyle-and-leisure, crafers-5152, adelaide-5000, sa
More to US-Australian space relationship than The Dish
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Although a big fan of the film which popularised the Parkes Radio Telescope story, Ambassador John Berry wants Australians to know more about their country's modern-day contributions to space.
Topics: australia, parkes-2870, canberra-2600
'I screamed, I shouted, I passed out': Female genital mutilation victim speaks out
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Khadija Gbla remembers being held down as a nine-year-old while an old woman with a knife performed an unspeakable act and mutilated her genitals.
Topics: refugees, immigration, community-and-society, womens-health, health, women, religion-and-beliefs, australia
Dirty work: The up side of being a chimney sweep
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Being a chimney sweep sounds like an old-world profession, but about a dozen are working in Adelaide to ensure romantic wood fires do not turn deadly.
Topics: work, community-and-society, adelaide-5000, sa
Quiet hour tones down shopping's sensory overload
Posted
Some people are born to shop but for people with sensory overload, the noise, light and even smells in the supermarket can be too overwhelming.
Topics: autism-spectrum-disorder, diseases-and-disorders, health, community-and-society, adelaide-5000, sa
Satellite launch to mark Australia's return to space
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The first Australian satellite built in almost 20 years will collect more data during its first day in space than has been collected in history to date — and it's all been done on a shoe-string budget.
Topics: science-and-technology, astronomy-space, space-exploration, research, adelaide-university-5005, adelaide-5000, sa
Program helping Adelaide's unemployed to end after funding cut
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Shutting down a business that runs Work for the Dole schemes in Adelaide's north and does not make a profit just does not make sense, a welfare agency says.
Topics: welfare, community-and-society, davoren-park-5113, adelaide-5000, sa
Analysis: Moving heaven and hell to save SA from jobs crisis Analysis
Posted
South Australia needs jobs and fast to ease its unemployment crisis but is Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis' "God's work" budget enough?
Topics: states-and-territories, government-and-politics, budget, sa
Small business looks back at last year's SA budget initiatives Analysis
Posted
Budgets are about managing the economy and massaging the government's message but in South Australia there are some hidden "nasty" truths, writes Simon Royal.
Topics: states-and-territories, government-and-politics, business-economics-and-finance, small-business, sa
Three-legged working dog refuses to retire
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Scotty has all the qualities farmers value in a sheep dog: loyal, hard-working and steady around stock — remarkably steady in fact, given he only has three legs.
Topics: animal-welfare, animals, human-interest, farm-labour, rural, community-and-society, port-lincoln-5606, sa
Adelaide family learns to cope with rare disorder
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An Adelaide family who waited more than 30 years for their daughter's illness to be diagnosed finally has an answer - a neurodegenerative disease called BPAN, and there are just 100 known cases worldwide.
Topics: diseases-and-disorders, disabilities, health, community-and-society, adelaide-5000, sa
Navy searches for answers to identify unknown sailor from HMAS Sydney
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The Navy calls on families of sailors lost aboard HMAS Sydney to consider genetic testing, so one of the country's great maritime mysteries can be solved — the identity of the unknown sailor from the ship.
Topics: history, community-and-society, world-war-2, research, science-and-technology, adelaide-5000, sydney-2000, perth-6000, sa, wa, nsw
Port Augusta again facing jobs crisis, as power stations shut
Posted
Port Augusta's coal-fired power stations are now permanently idle but it is not the first time the South Australian regional city has faced challenging times.
Topics: activism-and-lobbying, government-and-politics, solar-energy, alternative-energy, work, community-and-society, port-augusta-5700, whyalla-5600, port-pirie-5540, sa
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