A fenced off area where a shade tree once stood. Mature pool shade trees not yet removed. WHEN the Gloucester Olympic pool reopened recently, pool patrons, particularly those with children, were upset to find that two mature shade trees near the pool had been cut down. The trees had provided shade to pool users for […]
WATER Night is on again in 2025 and households across the MidCoast are being encouraged to get involved in the awareness-raising event. Each year, Water Night asks Australians to turn off their taps between 5pm-10pm on Thursday 23 October to highlight just how regularly and mindlessly people reach for their taps, and in the process, […]
RESIDENTS are invited to take part in the online AusPlay survey, conducted by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), to help shape the future of outdoor spaces in our region. According to the latest AusPlay report (May 2025), Australians are moving away from traditional sports club activities. They are choosing to get active outdoors in parks, […]
Winners are grinners. Photo: supplied
THERE was excitement all round when Gloucester Public School’s boys’ hockey team won the NSW state hockey championship by defeating Oran Park Public school 3-1 in the final. The competition is sponsored by the NSW Primary Schools Sports Association (PSSA) with over 30 schools from all over the state taking part. Although Gloucester has won […]
The newly renovated Stroud Church.
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 […]
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 […]
Operation Locke 2.0 will run for two weeks with approximately 30 volunteers on the ground each week in seven-day rotations.
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 […]
Served by Jetstar’s Airbus A320, the new service will start on 2 December 2025. Photo: Jetstar.
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 […]
Axel with his proud mum Emma.
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 […]
The plan includes extra bus services across the Hunter. Photo: Transport for NSW.
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 […]
