MEMBERS of the Paterson community gathered recently to celebrate the launch of the Paterson Hub & Harvest, a new community space designed to bring people together, build local connections, support volunteering, and strengthen community resilience. The launch was attended by representatives from across the region, including Dungog mayor Digby Rayward, Councillor Fred Patton, and Stephanie […]

YOUTH charity PCYC NSW has launched its end-of-financial-year tax appeal, urging Australians to support programs that help young people overcome barriers to employment. With youth unemployment among Australians aged 15 to 24 sitting at 10.1 percent, more than double the national unemployment rate, PCYC NSW says demand for its employability programs remains strong. The organisation […]

DRIVERS will pay 16 cents a litre more for petrol and diesel from July as battles over taxes on fuel open up on multiple fronts. Drivers will pay $10 more to fill a 65-litre tank of fuel when tax relief designed to combat surging fuel prices begins to wind back. The move comes after a […]

COFFS HARBOUR MP Gurmesh Singh has been elected as the new leader of the NSW Nationals, following the shock resignation of Dugald Saunders last week. It is the latest promotion for Mr Singh, a former macadamia and blueberry farmer from Woolgoolga, who was named Deputy Leader of the NSW National Party in June 2024. Mr […]

KOALA Azaliah and her joey Zali were hit by a car not long after 40 eucalyptus trees in their home were destroyed. Mother and baby recovered after intensive care at Northern Rivers Koala Hospital in Lismore, NSW, and were released back into the wild in October. But another joey, Guinevere, was not so fortunate, dying […]

THE Men’s Health Education Rural Health Van (MHERV) will visit Clarence Town next week. An initiative of Rotary, MHERV is a mobile home-style vehicle which travels throughout rural and regional NSW, providing free health checks for men for issues that are often ignored or overlooked, like high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol. […]

UNIVERSITY of Newcastle researcher Dr Aleona Swegen, a member of the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, is driving a breakthrough in fertility treatment. Dr Sewgan has secured $200,000 from the inaugural Newcastle Permanent Innovation Accelerator Program for her technology, SpermSafe. Dr Swegen created SpermSafe as a storage medium that improves survival […]

THE State and Federal Governments have announced a $50 million Housing Support Package to assist eligible homeowners, renters and primary producers impacted by recent severe flooding. Caravans and self-contained pod homes will be deployed for eligible flood-hit residents and primary producers whose homes were uninsured and uninhabitable so they can stay on their property during […]

IF you’ve ever needed a reason to step outside, tilt your head back, and marvel at the heavens, August is it. This month, the night sky becomes a stage for some of the most breathtaking celestial performances you’re likely to witness in years – and here in Australia, we have front-row seats. It all began […]

ARTISTS living in the Dungog, Muswellbrook, Singleton and Upper Hunter Shires can now enter this year’s Viola Bromley Art Prize. The Viola Bromley is a celebration of local art across the disciplines of painting, works on paper, sculpture and photography, with artists of all backgrounds and identities strongly encouraged to participate. Viola was part of […]