The newly-renovated Stroud Church. The newly-renovated Stroud Church. FORMER ABC weather presenter Graham Creed and his partner Bridgit English have given one of Stroud’s most treasured landmarks a new lease on life, transforming the 1887-built St James Presbyterian Church into a striking blend of heritage and contemporary design. The couple purchased the deconsecrated church two […]
NSW Women over 50invited to join free program for active living
WOMEN across NSW are being invited to take part in a major government-funded health initiative designed to support active, independent ageing. The program, Active Women over 50, is led by Professor Anne Tiedemann from the University of Sydney and supported by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund. It will provide free, tailored support to […]
MP to highlight funding needs ahead of budget
LYNE’S Federal MP has announced her intention to provide a pre-Budget submission to the Federal Government’s Treasury Department to highlight community and infrastructure funding needs across the electorate. Alison Penfold MP said pre-budget submissions offer an opportunity to highlight local priorities for funding consideration in the 2026-27 federal budget. “The Albanese Government needs to hear […]
The loss of forest canopy has long been claimed to increase the risk of flooding – but actually proving the direct link has proven difficult since the impact of other factors such as changing climate are hard to exclude. Photo: NSW SES.
Deforestation can cause eight-fold increase in flood event risk, says report
THE chance of large-scale flooding in a specific catchment area can increase by as much as 700 percent if widespread deforestation has occurred. That is the finding of a new paper by academics who analysed decades of flooding data from regions in Australia which frequently suffer forest fires. The loss of forest canopy has long […]
Seasonal flights to Tasmania launched from Newcastle
DIRECT seasonal flights will launch between Newcastle and Hobart, connecting the two cities for the first time. Served by Jetstar’s Airbus A320, the new service will start on 2 December 2025 and run three times a week – every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – until 21 April 2026. The seasonal flights will return each summer […]
Planning Minister Paul Scully says the NSW government is supporting housing growth in the regions. Photo: Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS.
Infrastructure ‘key’ offers to unlock regional housing
SOME regional Australians may get a reprieve from the housing crisis as councils are offered interest relief to build more drains, roads, and other infrastructure. Though many parts of regional Australia have ample residential land, it often isn’t ready for development due to a lack of funding and planning for critical infrastructure, a 2024 national […]
Residents invited to help shape how roads and streets are managed in NSW
TRANSPORT for NSW is leading a “once-in-a-generation” review of the Roads Act 1993 and is seeking input from councils, community members, peak bodies and industry experts about how the legislation should be reformed. “The aim is to create a more modern, flexible and easy-to-use law that can help enable NSW Government initiatives such as housing […]
SES and RFS joint training keeps volunteers’ skills sharp
The car’s roof safely peeled down, with sharp edges protected against accidental contact. Photo: Thomas O’Keefe. SES and RFS volunteers safely extract the ‘casualty’ from the well-lit wreck. Photo: Thomas O’Keefe. SES Deputy Commander Greg Snape demonstrates how to safely shatter side-window glass using a special SES tool. Photo: Thomas O’Keefe. One of the many […]
Strategic vision to improve public transport across the Hunter
The plan includes extra bus services across the Hunter. Photo: Transport for NSW. The area covered by the Hunter Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan. THE Hunter needs more public transport. That’s the key takeaway from the NSW Government’s just-released Hunter Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan, which sets out 49 short and medium-term actions across public […]
Practice in Community: Investing in artists working in regional Australia
REGIONAL Arts Australia is launching a “transformative” new funding initiative with $2.4 million dollars in support from Minderoo Foundation. The program offers multi-year grants of $160,000 to support independent artists living and working in regional communities across Australia. “Practice in Community” will deliver two funding rounds for independent artists working in Community Arts and Cultural […]
