Salamander Bay, 4 September. Photo: Bea. On the way to Johnson’s Beach, 18 September. Photo: Judy. Mt Sugarloaf Cliff Top Walk, 25 September. Photo: Judy. THE local Thursday Walkers ventured out on a delightful series of Spring walks during September. The first Thursday was blessed with mostly sunshine and a slight breeze as the group […]
Nature at the doorstep: how to bring biodiversity to your yard
IT is often said that there are many benefits associated with spending time in nature. “Increasingly, being in nature is recognised as being important,” explains Mat Bell, Senior Ecologist with MidCoast Council. “Contact with nature benefits human health and well-being by reducing stress, improving mental health, enhancing physical health, and improving cognitive function, like concentration […]

Surf Club receives multiple grants to keep community safe
SLSC President Rebecca Curtis, VP and Grants Co-Ordinator Jackie Bower, Lyne Federal MP Alison Penfold, and club educator Debbie Booth with the new first aid equipment. Photo: Thomas O’Keefe. Alison Penfold tried out the new state-of-the-art CPR mannequins. Photo: Thomas O’Keefe. TGHNSLSC members with Port Stephens state MP Kate Washington and the […]

Tea Gardens gains new medical centre and doctors
NEW medical services have become available to Myall Coast residents, with the opening of the Tea Gardens GP Medical Centre. Just over a month since the grand opening, founder and clinical supervisor Dr M. Mohammed said he is very happy to be back. Dr Mohammed practiced in Hawks Nest between 2019-23, arriving just in time […]

North Arm Cove local walks for suicide prevention
Biljana with friend and supporter Tammy on the long road into North Arm Cove. Photo: Thomas O’Keefe. Biljana’s late daughter Iskra also volunteered for Lifeline. Photo: B. Soleil. BILJANA Soleil has supported Lifeline’s suicide prevention program by undertaking the “Out Of The Shadows’ trek in North Arm Cove. The Walk was first conceived as a […]

Hunter researcher develops breakthrough IVF technology
UNIVERSITY of Newcastle researcher Dr Aleona Swegen, a member of the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, is driving a breakthrough in fertility treatment. Dr Sewgan has secured $200,000 from the inaugural Newcastle Permanent Innovation Accelerator Program for her technology, SpermSafe. Dr Swegen created SpermSafe as a storage medium that improves survival […]
Drainage reserve smothered by thick azolla bloom
The azolla mat moves in the wind, giving stark contrast to the areas it covers. Photo: Thomas O’Keefe. Waterbirds like this local black swan seem to eat the azolla, but it may carry pollutants harmful to them. Photo: Thomas O’Keefe. The most affected area is a drainage reserve designed to capture run-off from the nearby […]
Hunter hospitals rolling-out safe staffing in EDs
TWENTY-SEVEN more hospitals across NSW are rolling-out safe staffing levels in their emergency departments. In the broader Hunter region these include Manning Base Hospital, Maitland Hospital and John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. This brings to 40 the number of hospitals across the state that have started operating with safe staffing levels as a result of […]
Appeal to find missing man Scott Hayden
THE family of Tinonee resident Scott Hayden is pleading for the public’s help to help locate the missing 46-year-old. Scott was last seen on the evening of 30 May in his car on Thunderbolts Way, Tibbuc. The vehicle was found abandoned the following day, parked on the side of the road near Tibbuc Road. The […]
Progress Association cleans up public facilities in Tea Gardens
Unseemly graffiti was painstakingly removed from inside the public toilets. This mural was defaced and has since been rejuvenated. The men’s room door is solid and impenetrable again. MEMBERS of the Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Progress Association (HNTGPA) have dug in to keep their area beautiful and liveable, attacking several projects of late in collaboration […]