From the Mayor’s desk: Cr Claire Pontin
THAT time is upon us again. Christmas seems to sneak up on us a little quicker each year. As we approach the end of the year and families head off on holidays, I would just like to remind everyone to be safe, make sure you stop, revive, survive if you’re taking on a road trip […]
Letter to the Editor: Protect our incredible nature
DEAR News Of The Area, I WRITE regarding the story titled “The secret star maps of moths”, published in NOTA on 4 December 2025. After reading this delightfully written article I will now look at moths in a completely different way. Such tiny and very beautiful creatures that flutter almost silently into our homes. The […]
On the couch with Jasminda
DEAR Jasminda, MANY years ago, my husband and I bought a vertical burial plot with space for three people. My husband died years ago, we didn’t have any children, and I recently met another man. Do you think it would be okay if my new soul mate and I used the two remaining plot spaces […]
The Write Direction: Resurrection of REX
WITH the expectation of good news for regional and rural residents, I thought that I would look more deeply into the possible resurrection of REX Airlines. The federal government has been propping up the airline in order to ensure regional and remote communities remain serviced by viable aviation options. Their main action was to buy […]
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
DEAR Jasminda, FOR five years, I have been minding a friend’s dog (Minty) while they go on holidays. This is usually no problem; the dog and I get on very well. This time, though, I was left with instructions that Minty (who is 15) now eats breakfast at 4.30am and dinner at 3.00pm every day, […]
Stargazing: The secret star maps of moths
ON a moonless night, when the world goes quiet and even the gum trees seem to hold their breath, something small is commuting through the darkness. Not a drone. Not a late-night bird. Just a moth, humble, silent, and roughly the size of your thumb flying with the confidence of a seasoned pilot. Inside that […]
Kids Banned
The Write Direction: A saviour has arrived
BACK in February this year I wrote about our disappearing airlines, particularly the ones that serve regional and rural areas. The big boys are only interested in the high-volume capital city traffic which means that the lesser populated but important regional areas are at real risk of losing air services to the capital cities. My […]
The Police Station fig tree a century ago
OPINION: Local history just shed a branch
FOR many years I have been compiling a folder on the trees of the Tea Gardens area, with photographs I have collected and taken, recording their various stages of growth and researching their history. The loss of a huge branch from the Moreton Bay Fig outside the Police Station was sad news for us all, […]
