Category: Newcastle News

City of Newcastle is set to transport readers beyond the page and into the minds of their favourite writers with a packed summer program of free author talks. 

The events are part of Newcastle Libraries’ annual Your Summer Stories and Summer Reading Challenge, which aims to foster the joy of reading among Novocastrians of all ages. 

Now in its fifth year, the program includes an essential summer reading list with 10 carefully curated titles, alongside a swathe of lively literary activities to keep bookworms entertained. 

Director Museum Archive Libraries and Learning Julie Baird said City of Newcastle was committed to ensuring its libraries were vibrant hubs for borrowers, visitors and event attendees.  

“Our libraries play a pivotal role in the local community, with more than 130,000 library members across Newcastle,” Ms Baird said. 

“Aside from holding the largest collection in the state, we also deliver thousands of events and programs each year that help foster rich cultural, social and educational opportunities for almost 30,000 incredibly engaged visitors. 

“This summer, we’re bringing some of Australia’s biggest names in literature to Newcastle with a lively lineup of author events as part of our Your Summer Stories campaign, where they will share insights on their latest releases, discuss their craft, and answer audience questions.  

“We’ll also celebrate the joy of reading with special events for book lovers, including festive gatherings for book clubs to connect and celebrate, and a summer reading challenge for our younger readers to keep them entertained during the holidays.” 

Best-selling Australian author Pip Drysdale will officially launch the Your Summer Stories events at Newcastle Library tonight as she shares insights into her latest thriller, The Close-Up. 

Hot on her heels will be former Home and Away favourite and author Judy Nunn, who will visit Wallsend Library this Friday, 15 November to share her secrets of being one of Australia’s most successful storytellers.  

Hayley Scrivenor, Darcy Tindale, Mitch Jennings, Emma Grey, Samantha Wills and Jim Haynes will complete the line-up of high-profile writers on their way to Newcastle. 

Newcastle’s youngest readers will also be encouraged to join in the fun, with a Summer Reading Challenge running from 1 December to 31 January with great prizes on offer including a $200 book voucher for the most engaged school. 

Open to children aged 5 to13 years, participants can read anything from picture books to comics and digital magazines, tracking their progress with a reading tracker bookmark. The challenge is designed to inspire a love of reading while maintaining literacy skills. 

For more information about all the events, visit https://newcastlelibraries.com.au/experience/what-s-on/your-summer-stories-2024-25

City of Newcastle is giving the community a chance to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of Novocastrians as part of the 2025 Citizen of the Year Awards.

Nominations are now open for the annual accolade, which honours locals who have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact in the community during the past 12 months.

Individuals and groups can be nominated across various categories including Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year, Community Group of the Year and Freeman of the City.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge encouraged members of the public to take advantage of the easy online process to nominate someone who deserves to be recognised for their achievements and contribution to the community.

“The Citizen of the Year Awards provide us with a unique opportunity to acknowledge people in our community who have shown remarkable dedication and resilience,” Cr Kerridge said.

“These awards allow us to celebrate their contribution to Newcastle’s spirit and wellbeing, from tireless volunteers and inspiring leaders to young advocates and dedicated community groups.”

In 2024, the Citizen of the Year title was awarded to Professor Nathan Bartlett for his pioneering research into respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.

Professor Bartlett reflected on receiving the award for his innovative work, which has significantly contributed to improving health outcomes both locally and globally.

“I was honoured to receive the Citizen of the Year award on behalf of my dedicated research team and everyone who has supported our work,” Professor Bartlett said.

“It was humbling to join the ranks of such remarkable Novocastrians who have come before me, and I look forward to seeing the next Citizen of the Year continue this legacy of community contribution.”

Previous recipients have also included Olivia Hughes, who received Young Citizen of the Year for her exceptional volunteer work and charitable fundraising. Senior Citizen of the Year went to Professor Julie Byles, a health advocate and influential researcher on women and older Australians.

LIVEfree Project was recognised as the Community Group of the Year for their work in promoting wellbeing through community programs like Thrive Dental and Shine Bright.

Deputy Lord Mayor Callum Pull encouraged the community to nominate a friend, neighbour or colleague who they want to acknowledge.

”Novocastrians are known for being good-willed and I encourage everyone to nominate someone who truly embodies that spirit,” Cr Pull said.

“This award is about formally recognising those among us who make a meaningful difference, often without the daily recognition they deserve.”

Nominations for the 2025 awards are now open and can be submitted online via the City of Newcastle website. Hardcopy forms are available at the City of Newcastle’s City Administration Centre. The deadline for nominations is 5pm, Friday 6 December 2024.

Award recipients will be selected by a panel including the Lord Mayor, CEO, Councillors, and previous award winners, and announced at a ceremony in January.

For more information or to submit a nomination, visit https://newcastle.nsw.gov.au/citizenoftheyear. 

The Albanese Government is delivering on its promise to strengthen Medicare for the Hunter with a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (Medicare UCC) to give better access to high quality and fully bulk billed health care.

From late November, the Medicare UCC will open its doors with the Charlestown Medical and Dental Centre selected to operate the clinic, following an expressions of interest process led by the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network.

Located at 316 Charlestown Road, the Charlestown Medicare UCC will provide care for urgent, but not life-threatening conditions, such as cuts, infections, and sprains. The clinic will be open extended hours, seven days a week.

The clinic will ease pressure on the John Hunter Hospital, with more than 35 per cent of visits to the hospital in 2022–23 for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.

There have been almost 140,000 presentations to the 20 existing Medicare UCCs in New South Wales since the first clinics opened in the state in July 2023.

Almost a third of these visits were on a weekend, and 20 per cent were after 5pm on a weekday.

Minister Butler:

“The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen Medicare and make it easier for people to see a doctor.

“People living in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie will be able to get the care they need from doctors and nurses without having to wait at the John Hunter.

“The Charlestown Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will make a significant difference to the local community, by providing high quality, accessible care outside of normal GP hours without having to reach for your wallet.”

Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon MP:

 “I am proud to be part of a Labor Government that is working hard to address healthcare gaps in our region.

“We’ve already restored GP Access After Hours at the John Hunter Hospital to its full operational hours, and reopened the clinic at the Calvary Mater Hospital.

“We are now opening a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Charlestown, so that Novocastrians will have even more access to free, quality primary healthcare, where the only card you need is your Medicare card.”

Live Music in Newcastle is receiving funding of $67,000 to keep local music fans singing and dancing.

The funding is being delivered to West Best Bloc Fest through the Australian Government’s Revive Live program, to assist with artist fees, sound and lighting costs for their 2025 event.

Organisers just successfully staged their third iteration of the event month, which attracted over 100 musical artists to 12 stages across 19 venues in Newcastle West.

Revive Live is helping live music venues and festivals to continue to operate under tough conditions, with grants supporting live music in regional, remote and metropolitan areas across the country that reflect a diverse range of genres, organisations and audiences.

Through Revive Live, the Australian Government is providing grants of $7.7 million in total to 110 organisations, including 61 festival-based activities and 49 live music venues. Established in the 2024-25 Budget, Revive Live aligns with the Government’s National Cultural Policy, Revive, which recognises the Australian music sector as a vibrant part of our arts and cultural landscape.

The program is providing critical support to the sector, with grants helping recipients to adapt to market pressures and improve the sustainability of their operations as well as improving accessibility at live music venues or festivals so that more people with disability can participate as a performer, arts worker, or audience member.

More information about Revive Live including successful applicants can be found here.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke:

“The funding would help ensure the West Best Bloc Fest can continue to entertain live music fans in Newcastle.

“Live music venues and festivals are the lifeblood of our local music scene, and I want to ensure they remain a place for homegrown artists to perform.

“Revive Live is alleviating some of the additional costs facing our industry right now and will help them to be more sustainable into the future.”

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon:

“This funding is a huge win for Novocastrians and for our live music industry.

“We know that investing in live music makes sense. It’s a key part of our cultural identity and economic prosperity.

“Live music has long been a part of our DNA, and this funding will ensure West Best Bloc Fest continues that long tradition.”

West Best Bloc Fest founder Dylan Oakes:

“Our dream is to see Newcastle become an internationally recognised musical city.

“We’re constantly blown away by the quality of local artists, over 200 of whom applied for this year’s festival.

“West Best Bloc Fest is here long term to grow and put a spotlight on our local scene.”

City of Newcastle is attending the State Heritage Register Committee today to discuss the nomination to list Newcastle Ocean Baths on the State Heritage Register.   

City of Newcastle staff and our consultant heritage architect have been invited to present to the State Heritage Register Committee.  

The Newcastle Ocean Baths are currently protected as a heritage item of local significance in the Newcastle Local Environmental Plan 2012. 

We look forward to discussing the heritage significance of this site and its proposed inclusion on the State Heritage Register under the Heritage Act 1977.  

The Audit Office of NSW has given both City of Newcastle’s financial statements and its Roads to Recovery Grant Program its formal tick of approval for the past twelve months.

All councils in NSW undergo an annual financial audit that involves approximately three months of site visits, interviews with key staff, and access to any and all documents requested. Newcastle, largely due to the size of its budget, is audited by the Audit Office of NSW.

The process ensures that financial statements are free from errors or omissions and are prepared in line with accounting standards and legal obligations.

The 2023/24 financial year audit confirmed that City of Newcastle demonstrated responsible financial management, timely and transparent reporting, and effective collaboration with the audit team on key areas such as judgement, estimation, and asset valuation.

The audit found no matters of high or extreme risk, no fraudulent material misstatements, and no deficiencies in City of Newcastle’s reporting processes.

The audit also validated City of Newcastle’s valuations of infrastructure, property, plant, and equipment (IPPE), noting increases across several categories, including roads, buildings, stormwater drainage, and heritage collections. The fair value assessments followed appropriate methodologies and did not identify any issues.

Additionally, the audit confirmed there were no cybersecurity risks that could compromise the integrity of City of Newcastle’s financial statements.

CEO Jeremy Bath said the audit outcome highlights City of Newcastle’s capacity to consistently provide strong financial management while continuing to deliver essential services and infrastructure for our community.

“The audit found no significant risks, fraud, or issues with our reporting processes,” Mr Bath said.

“It confirmed City of Newcastle is managing finances responsibly and providing clear and timely information while working effectively with auditors on important areas like asset valuations.

“These results reflect City of Newcastle’s commitment to strong governance and responsible financial management.

“I’d like to thank the entire team at City of Newcastle for their ongoing dedication to transparency and good governance.”

The final audit opinion will be presented to the Council and public with the audited financial statements on 26 November 2024.

About 6.15am today (5 November 2024), emergency services were called to The Long Bridge, High Street, Maitland, after a white Toyota Hilux utility and a motorcycle collided.

The rider – a 58-year-old man – was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being airlifted to a John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition.

Officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District arrested the alleged driver of the utility – a 16-year-old male – near the scene.

He was conveyed to Maitland Hospital under police guard for injuries, as well as mandatory testing.

Initial inquiries indicate the utility was stolen from Pelaw Main overnight.

A crime scene has been established and officers from Crash Investigation Unit (CIU) will commence an investigation into the incident.

Both vehicles were seized to be forensically examined.

City of Newcastle has commenced work on road improvements needed to pave the way for two significant dual lane upgrades in the growing western corridor.

Five intersections in Wallsend will be improved as part of these road works, which will support traffic flow and increase safety before and during the upcoming road widening project on Longworth Avenue and Minmi Road.

This follows the recent construction of a new roundabout at the intersection of Newcastle Road and Cowper Street. The commencement of the additional intersection works is another key milestone in the delivery of the western corridor road improvement project, along with the construction tender for the main works, which will be presented at the November ordinary council meeting. 

Detailed designs have been completed for the upgrades at Longworth Avenue and the stretch of Minmi Road from the Summerhill Road roundabout to Maryland Drive. 

The project will widen the roads to deliver two lanes of traffic in each direction, which will reduce congestion along these notorious traffic bottlenecks. 

City of Newcastle Executive Director City Infrastructure Clint Thomson said the community had shown its support for the work throughout an extensive consultation process.

“Designing and delivering a multiyear project of this scale is complex and takes careful planning to improve the experience for road users as we continue to cater for ongoing population growth,” Mr Thomson said.

“We have worked with the local community throughout this project and have listened to their feedback on what is a critical link in our road network, which connects the growing suburbs of Wallsend, Maryland, Fletcher and Minmi to Newcastle and the wider region.

“In advance of the main construction works, our crews will be delivering upgrades to smaller intersections in the surrounding area to ease congestion, reduce bottlenecks, and increase safety for road users during and after this major road project.”

The first stage of these associated works was completed last month with the installation of a new single lane roundabout at Cowper Street and Newcastle Road, Wallsend. 

Further work will be carried out over the coming months to upgrade intersections at Cowper Street, Cameron Street, Douglas Street, Stapleton Street, Nash Street and Tillie Street, ahead of the main construction project, which is scheduled to commence at Longworth Avenue in 2025.

For more information visit our project page.

An underutilised section of National Park will be transformed into open green space with shaded picnic tables, public amenities and additional trees under a proposal by City of Newcastle.

Community members are being invited to provide feedback on a draft plan for the space, which sits at the northwest corner of Newcastle’s largest recreational reserve.

The proposed improvements will open up the space for passive recreation opportunities with new grassed areas, shaded seating and bubblers, as well as bike racks, public toilet amenities, additional trees and a footpath through the park connecting Smith Street to Parry Street and the adjacent basketball courts.

A disused building on the site known as Wal Young House, which has been vacant for many years and is no longer fit for use, will be removed as part of the project before the land is remediated and re-turfed.

City of Newcastle Executive Manager Community and Recreation Lynn Duffy said this is an opportunity to activate an area in one of the city’s largest and oldest sport and recreation precincts.

“National Park is an essential green space in the heart of the city that is valued by the community for passive and active recreation,” Ms Duffy said. 

“The remediation of the Wal Young House site will provide safe public access to the northwest corner of National Park, opening up this area for informal activities while delivering new amenities to enhance the community’s use of the surrounding park and sporting facilities.

“The proposed upgrades will be a valuable addition to what is already on offer in the park precinct and create a safer, more welcoming environment in the heart of our city.”

The demolition of the disused building, scheduled to commence this month, will also provide opportunity for a separate future project to improve traffic management and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists at the intersection of National Park and Parry streets. 

To view the Draft Landscape and Park Improvement Plan and complete the online survey visit haveyoursay.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/national-park-improvements by 5pm on 2 December.

The Rufo family and City of Newcastle regret to inform you of the passing of former councillor Andrea Rufo.

Mr Rufo will be dearly missed by his wife Sandie and his four daughters Jessica, Giordana, Candace and Kaitlin. 

Mr Rufo served tirelessly as a Councillor for nine years. He was first elected to council as a Ward 3 Councillor in 2012, served as deputy lord mayor in 2014 and 2015, and was re-elected in 2017. 

Ahead of the 2021 election Mr Rufo announced he would be retiring from public life, referring to his service as an elected representative as one of his life’s greatest honours.

Mrs Sandie Rufo says her husband has left a lasting legacy of love for his family and for the people of a city he cared so much about. 

City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said he last spoke to Andrea on 9 October, where true to form, he had a positive outlook and fighting spirit.   

Details of the celebration of Andrea Rufo’s life will be shared by his family.