April 23, 2026
Margery Phair’s lifetime of community service Simeon Beckett SC, Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Margery’s granddaughter Alison Phair and Margery in Canberra.
Community

Margery Phair’s lifetime of community service

Margery Phair volunteering as a Guide leader. Simeon Beckett SC, Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Margery’s granddaughter Alison Phair and Margery in Canberra. MARGERY Phair has lived a life dedicated to community service. Born in 1936, she turns 90 on 23 April. Since the age of eleven Margery has enjoyed a long association with the Guiding movement […]

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EXPLAINER: Comet returns after roughly 170,000 years The long-period comet C/2025 R3 has returned after an absence of roughly 170,000 years.
Local News

EXPLAINER: Comet returns after roughly 170,000 years

A VISITOR from the deep past is about to grace Australian skies. For those willing to rise before dawn, it offers something close to time travel. The long-period comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) – last seen when humans were shaping stone tools and learning to master fire – has returned after an absence of roughly 170,000 […]

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Second charity bookshop break-in in 18 months The bookshop is well supported in general by locals and visitors.
Community

Second charity bookshop break-in in 18 months

WHEN Ronda Teece and her team turned up on 26 March to open up the Gloucester Charities bookshop, they were greeted with a shock. The store had suffered significant vandalism, with two doors, drawers, cupboards and a filing cabinet badly damaged. A laptop was stolen, as were cash and gift cards intended for distribution to […]

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Trains returning but no firm timeline on Regional Rail fleet
Regional

Trains returning but no firm timeline on Regional Rail fleet

WHILE trains between Sydney and Grafton resume next week, a date has yet to be set for the introduction of the long-awaited XPT replacement fleet. “A timeline for the new Regional Rail fleet’s entry into service on the North Coast line will be confirmed once the trains have progressed through testing and the relevant verifications […]

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Clubs raise $70k for farmers
Local News

Clubs raise $70k for farmers

THIRTEEN regional clubs have collectively raised more than $70,000 to support farmers impacted by the devastating floods of May last year. Member for Port Macquarie Robert Dwyer said the fundraising effort brought together clubs from across the region with the support of Clubs NSW. “[It] highlighted the strong community spirit and commitment to supporting those […]

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Buckett’s Radio recording Gloucester’s past
Local News

Buckett’s Radio recording Gloucester’s past

BUCKETTS Radio is Gloucester’s local radio station, broadcasting a rich mix of music and community content produced entirely by its dedicated volunteer announcers. According to Tim Carroll, one of the hosts of “The Old Mates Radio Show”, the station is “jumping with some exceptional input from the dedicated group of volunteers”. One such project, “Stories […]

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Liberals’ migration plan ‘strange’, from ‘another time’ Angus Taylor is being accused of trying to replicate One Nation's anti-immigration stance. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS.
Regional

Liberals’ migration plan ‘strange’, from ‘another time’

THE coalition’s hardline migration plan has been lashed as divisive and Australia’s multicultural communities say they are tired of being dehumanised by all sides of politics.  Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has unveiled a plan to boot migrants from the nation if they do not exhibit “Australian values”, shut the door on some asylum seekers and […]

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Sydney to Grafton XPT service to resume this month The XPT trains have been painted to reflect their history.
Government

Sydney to Grafton XPT service to resume this month

The XPT trains have been painted to reflect their history. The XPT trains have been painted to reflect their history. THE Sydney to Grafton XPT train service is set to return from 28 April, after a year of coach replacements during fleet upgrades. Sydney to Grafton train services – travelling through the Central Coast, Hunter […]

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