The newly renovated Stroud Church. The newly renovated Stroud Church. FORMER ABC weather presenter Graham Creed and his partner Bridgit English have given one of Stroud’s most treasured landmarks a new lease on life, transforming the 1887-built St James Presbyterian Church into a striking blend of heritage and contemporary design. The couple purchased the deconsecrated […]
MP to highlight funding needs ahead of budget
LYNE’S Federal MP has announced her intention to provide a pre-Budget submission to the Federal Government’s Treasury Department to highlight community and infrastructure funding needs across the electorate. Alison Penfold MP said pre-budget submissions offer an opportunity to highlight local priorities for funding consideration in the 2026-27 federal budget. “The Albanese Government needs to hear […]

Disaster Relief Australia team returns to region for flood recovery work
DISASTER Relief Australia volunteers returned to the region last week to provide further assistance to flood affected communities. The veteran-led organisation is helping residents continue to rebuild after devastating floods in May this year. More than 500 volunteers deployed for several weeks in June and July at the request of the NSW Government. They will […]
Seasonal flights to Tasmania launched from Newcastle
DIRECT seasonal flights will launch between Newcastle and Hobart, connecting the two cities for the first time. Served by Jetstar’s Airbus A320, the new service will start on 2 December 2025 and run three times a week – every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – until 21 April 2026. The seasonal flights will return each summer […]
Gloucester’s Axel Zimmerman-Davison placed in Australia’s top two percent in spelling bee competition
TEN-YEAR-OLD Axel Zimmerman-Davison is unmistakably an Einstein lookalike with his untamed shock of blonde hair. The pair may also have brains in common, with Axel recently placed in Australia’s top two percent in the ICAS Assessment for Spelling Bee. The test is a series of voluntary academic challenges designed to test students’ thinking and celebrate […]
Strategic vision set to boost public transport in the Hunter
The plan includes extra bus services across the Hunter. Photo: Transport for NSW. The area covered by the Hunter Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan. THE Hunter needs more public transport. That’s the key takeaway from the NSW Government’s just-released Hunter Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan, which sets out 49 short and medium-term actions across public […]
Add your voice to the CWA’s annual women’s survey
COST-OF-LIVING pressures and the impact on access to basic needs like health services is one of the key issues emerging from the Country Women’s Association (CWA) of NSW Annual Women’s Survey. The survey is now in its second year and is currently open to all women in communities across the state. “Last year’s survey really […]

Farm fire vehicle scheme launched after series of trials
FARMERS and rural landholders can now register to use Farm Firefighting Vehicles (FFVs) to respond to emergency bushfires near their property. On Wednesday the NSW Government launched a conditional registration scheme to enable typically unregistered FFVs to be used legally and under the protection of insurance. FFVs are commonly small trucks, utes or trailers with […]
Six injured in Davis Creek rollover
SIX people were injured in a buggy rollover at Davis Creek west of Barrington Tops on Sunday. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was among a large contingent of emergency services called to the site, on a farm near Aberdeen, around 2pm on 5 October. A woman aged in her sixties had suffered arm injuries and was […]
Koala monitoring to begin at Bootawa Dam
MIDCOAST Council is assessing the health of the koala population within the Bootawa Dam area with key research partners including the Koala Health Hub at the School of Veterinary Science of The University of Sydney. Starting this spring, qualified wildlife handlers will catch, collar and tag koalas in a bid to understand the following points: […]