Gloucester Preschool teachers and educators highlighting pay rate discrimination.
THOUSANDS of early childhood educators, including at Gloucester, wore pink to highlight the “Start Strong, Pay Fair” campaign on Wednesday 18 March, calling for urgent government action to address what has been described as a deepening workforce crisis in the sector. Rallies and community events were held, with educators, parents and advocates arguing that those […]
BUILDERS say they are under pressure from a ‘triple threat’ caused by spiking fuel prices. Matthew Pollock, Executive Director of Master Builders NSW, said builders are increasingly feeling pressure from fuel price rises from a triple pain point perspective. The cost of keeping diesel-fuelled commercial vehicles and equipment operating and getting to site. Rising transport […]
NSW PARENTS are embracing a new wave of contemporary baby names, with eight fresh entries joining the state’s Top 100 in 2025. Newly released data from the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages shows a growing preference for names that feel meaningful and distinctive. Boys’ names saw particularly strong movement, with Fletcher making the […]
DEAR Jasminda, How do we cope when there is so much chaos in the world? It feels as though every new day brings a worse news story than the day before. Georgia D. Dear Georgia, There is no point denying that the world feels as though it is in a massive state of flux at […]
Image a world without a moon.
IMAGINE a world where the Moon never showed up for its nightly shift. No silver spotlight draped across oceans, no quiet companion hanging above late-night thinkers. Just a blazing Sun clocking out each evening and leaving us with… a blackout. Romantic? Not exactly. Mysterious? Maybe – but mostly inconvenient. Let’s start at the beach. Without […]
Previous races show there are no limits to the imagination when it comes to billy carts. Photo: Rotary Club of Dungog. Previous races show there are no limits to the imagination when it comes to billy carts. Photo: Rotary Club of Dungog. IT’S time to check and re-check the brakes on that old billy cart […]
Interest in keeping pigs is growing among small landholders in the Hunter region.
WITH growing interest in paddock-to-plate food production and increasing discussion about meat processing options for small producers, Hunter Local Land Services (LLS) is hosting a practical pig owners field day. The field day, to be held at Whittingham on 31 March, will bring together District Veterinarians from Hunter LLS to share practical advice on pig […]
Volunteers at work regeneration the riverbank at Abbotts Flat. Photos: courtesy of Sam Bean.
Volunteers at work regeneration the riverbank at Abbotts Flat. Photos: courtesy of Sam Bean. Volunteers at work regeneration the riverbank at Abbotts Flat. Photos: courtesy of Sam Bean. COMMUNITY members are banding together to keep the banks of the Williams River in tip-top shape. Sustaining the Williams Valley is a volunteer-driven community group working to […]
WELL-RESPECTED community stalwart Owen Nicholson, the secretary of the Dungog Show for almost 25 years, has died in a tragic traffic accident. The 84-year-old was struck by a vehicle on Flat Road, Largs on 19 March, with emergency services responding to reports of a crash at around 12:20pm. NSW Ambulance paramedics commenced CPR when they […]
DEAR News Of The Area, OWEN Nicholson was a man who rarely, if ever, said “no.” His response was more likely to be, “We can do that – not a worry.” That simple phrase captured the spirit of a man whose unwavering dedication, tireless commitment, and generous contribution to the Dungog district inspired everyone who […]
