A student on one of the first general boat licence training courses. Photo: Marine Rescue NSW. The course training vessel, a TX 10. Photo: Marine Rescue NSW. MARINE Rescue NSW has taken its boating education program to the water for the first time, with Marine Rescue Lemon Tree Passage and Hawkesbury now delivering the practical […]
First place in 2025: Sleeping on Cloud 9, by Kiana Waters. Photo: NFF. Runners-up, 2025: Harvest 25, by Jack Mckibbin. Photo: NFF. 2nd place in 2025: First Load at First Light, by Connor Smith. Photo: NFF. Runners-up: Threads of Gold, by Kellie Craft. Photo: NFF. Runners-up: We Grow Together, by Arlie Becker. Photo: NFF. THE […]
MARINE Rescue Lemon Tree Passage volunteer David Aselford was surprised to hear his name called at the Hunter Volunteer of the Year Awards at NEX in Newcastle on Tuesday, 20 October. The former unit commander was named the 2026 Hunter Emergency Volunteer of the Year. Fellow member Lisa Lodding also received the Hunter Adult Volunteer […]
An original photo of the ‘Old Bastard’; the Pindimar Bundabah Bushfire Brigade’s first truck. A photo of the station’s new Tatra fire truck. A photo of the Honour Board, held at the Pindimar shed. Helmut PANHUBERCurrent PresidentPindimar Tea Gardens RFS Brigade THE now Pindimar Tea Gardens Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigade came into being with […]
One of the biggest challenges during a whale rescue is keeping sight of the entangled animal so rescue teams can reach it. Photo: ORRCA.
A WHALE caught in ropes can be clearly visible one moment and gone beneath the water the next. For ORRCA volunteers watching through binoculars from the beach, finding it again is far from easy. Now the Port Stephens and Newcastle pod is asking the community to help buy a drone so volunteers can better track […]
Leah Veksins is calling for a safer intersection where the Pacific Highway meets the Bucketts Way and Medowie Road. Photo: Althea Guinsberg. The intersection of Medowie Road and the Bucketts Way, where residents are calling for improved safety measures. Photo: Althea Guinsberg. CLOSE to 7,000 signatures have been collected in a renewed push to improve […]
Flying foxes are vital pollinators in Australia. Photo: WIRES.
A MASS starvation event is killing flying foxes across large tracts of NSW. Residents across the state are taking to social media to report uncharacteristic daytime behaviour and close suburban encounters with the flying mammals as they desperately search for food and water. The Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) recently shared news of […]
Gloucester Pool is one of three that will open for shorter hours this swimming season. Photo: MidCoast Council.
THIS summer’s outdoor swimming season will be extended until 24 April next year, following community calls over the past two years for pools to remain open longer. MidCoast councillors voted in favour of a trial extension to Saturday, 24 April 2027. All of the LGA’s outdoor pools will remain open during the April school holidays, […]
Member for Lyne Alison Penfold believes the Coalition’s new migration plan meets regional needs while managing demands on housing, infrastructure and services.
THE Coalition’s Australia-First Migration Plan would reduce pressure on housing and essential services while protecting the workforce needs of regional communities, according to Federal Member for Lyne Alison Penfold. Penfold said the policy recognises that Australia needs both a sustainable level of migration and targeted arrangements to help regional employers fill genuine shortages. “Lyne residents […]
Transgrid's bushfire prevention helicopter patrols. Photo: Supplied.
WITH much of Australia bracing for heightened bushfire danger this summer and authorities calling for early preparations for the season ahead, Transgrid has completed its bushfire prevention throughout NSW. Transgrid’s transmission network spans 12,200km and its prevention work included extensive surveys, inspections and preventative maintenance. About half of Transgrid’s annual maintenance expenditure is directed to […]
