DEAR News Of The Area, I DROVE past the Anzac memorial recently. I noticed the local MidCoast Council outdoor staff working hard to ensure the grounds around the memorial and the memorial itself were looking their absolute best for Anzac Day, as they do every year. Often the community can be critical of local council […]
The long-period comet C/2025 R3 has returned after an absence of roughly 170,000 years.
A VISITOR from the deep past is about to grace Australian skies. For those willing to rise before dawn, it offers something close to time travel. The long-period comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) – last seen when humans were shaping stone tools and learning to master fire – has returned after an absence of roughly 170,000 […]
DEAR Jasminda, MY 70-year-old mother has expressed an interest in learning the electric guitar. How can I encourage her to try something more age-appropriate? Gerard H. Dear Gerard, Well, don’t you sound like a wet sock. And when I say wet sock, I mean one of those sports socks that ends up stuck behind the […]
I’M sure that none of us consider ourselves competent enough to negotiate the end of the present Middle East war between the USA-Israel and Iran, but they had top negotiators from Pakistan to take the middle ground for that purpose. The US claimed a deal has been agreed, saying they would stop hostilities immediately because […]
DEAR News Of The Area, Why is our local government area (LGA) struggling with declining services and infrastructure? Over my time on the Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Progress Association and as a local family, it has become increasingly clear that the pressures on the MidCoast Council are escalating. We see it every day – in […]
DEAR News Of The Area, IMMIGRATION is seen by some as our most important issue, not just now, but for some years. However there have been some rubbery figures tossed around recently. It’s not too difficult to find the facts. Following the closure of the Australian borders due to the pandemic, the Coalition in 2022/23 […]
THE long Easter weekend provided me with the opportunity to stay close to home and delivered down time for me to think about our world and where we are headed. Yes, I know that was a mistake and I’m still agonising over the fact that I should have found something more productive to do with […]
WE all know the story about the straw that broke the camel’s back. So, let us relate that issue to our present economic reality in Australia. The fuel supply and price per litre is our number one issue at present. We know that the war with Iran is now only four weeks old (at […]
WE are continuing to work with the NSW Reconstruction Authority to ensure the funds we have outlaid on emergency flood repairs are refunded. So far Council has spent $49 million on essential road works and have received only $12 million back. The longer this drags on the more potential impact it has on our cashflow […]
