MORE than half of the families supported through The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program are struggling to afford the basics their children need for school, as cost-of-living pressures continue to stretch household budgets. The national children’s education charity’s latest Family Pulse Survey found 53.1 per cent of respondents said it had been hard or […]
CEO of Regional Australia Bank, David Heine. Photo: Supplied.
REGIONAL Australians place great value on their local face to face bank branches as employers and providers of community infrastructure, according to a new survey. The Regional Banking Investment Alliance (RBIA) survey: Regional Banking Insights, found 97 per cent of respondents rated local bank employment as essential or important, and 95 per cent said the […]
NEW regulations aimed at reducing the harms associated with misuse of the substance often used as a recreational party drug referred to as “nangs”, or nitrous oxide, are now in effect. A NSW Government public awareness campaign has also commenced to increase community awareness of the harms of nitrous oxide misuse, and ensure retailers and […]
FOR Rod Zemanek, sealing the remaining gravel section of The Branch Lane could do more than make the weekly drive easier. The long-time resident believes it could give drivers another option for reaching the Pacific Highway, easing pressure on the Twelve Mile intersection at The Bucketts Way. Mr Zemanek, 84, has lived in the area […]
BUCKETTS Radio, Gloucester’s local community radio station, has been looking for ways to engage its membership. Lorna Tomkinson, Bucketts Radio newsletter editor, decided a crossword competition might be the answer. “I wanted to engage the membership and the community,” Tomkinson told News Of The Area. Avon Valley Meats sponsors the quarterly newsletter, and Sally Whatmore […]
WITH few wrinkles, always neatly dressed, and with a bounce in her step, few people would guess Gloucester’s Audrey Gerrard turns 93 this month. Gerrard has practised and taught yoga for many years and still exercises daily to keep her body supple, while her passion for quilting has kept her mind active and clear. She […]
COMMUTERS and other users of Gloucester railway station may notice maintenance or improvement work being carried out between mid-November and mid-December. NOTA has previously reported on the much-delayed plans by the NSW Government to replace the existing XPT trains which service Gloucester, although no date has been announced for the introduction of the replacement fleet, […]
FEW calendar events are as controversial as Halloween, which takes place on 31 October each year. It provides retail outlets with another themed merchandising opportunity, while for children and others who enjoy a party, it’s a chance to dress up and have some goulishly sweet fun. Here, opponents often ridicule Halloween as another commercialised American […]
The new SES headquarters is located on Gloucester Street in Stroud, near Allen Park, and brings volunteers, vehicles and equipment together in one central location. Photo: Supplied by MidCoast Council.
STROUD SES volunteers have a new home following the official opening of their $2.1 million headquarters on Saturday, 17 October. The new headquarters is located on Gloucester Street, near Allen Park, bringing volunteers, vehicles and equipment together in one central location. The new facility is around three times the size of the former building in […]
First place in 2025: Sleeping on Cloud 9, by Kiana Waters. Photo: NFF. 2nd place in 2025: First Load at First Light, by Connor Smith. Photo: NFF. Runners-up, 2025: Harvest 25, by Jack Mckibbin. Photo: NFF. Runners-up: Threads of Gold, by Kellie Craft. Photo: NFF. Runners-up: We Grow Together, by Arlie Becker. Photo: NFF. THE […]
