Category: Newcastle News

City of Newcastle’s flagship cultural festival is making a song and dance about its opening weekend by hosting a range of unique performances at iconic venues.

City Hall will be centre stage tonight when renowned First Nations singer Mitch Tambo officially kicks off proceedings with the First Night Street Party, blending traditional Aboriginal sounds and language with contemporary beats and production, supported by Tower Divas and local duo, Chain Daisy.

At Honeysuckle Marina, one of Australia’s leading voices in hip hop, Gomeroi artist Kobie Dee, will headline Friday Night Sounds at Newcastle Art Gallery’s Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House, supported by Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl singer/songwriter, Maanyung. 

For a shorter stay on the dancefloor, Wheeler Place has Ten Minute Dance Parties, created by multi-art performer Joseph O’Farrell (JOF), where people of all ages will attempt world records, dance-off competitions and dedications – but only for ten minutes.

New Annual Senior Producer and Curator Adrian Burnett with JOF (Joseph O’Farrell) inside a 10 Minute Dance Party at Wheeler Place.Senior Producer and Curator Adrian Burnett said the fourth edition of New Annual is an incredible mix of immersive dance, music, circus, visual art and theatre.

“This year we’re featuring local and nationally renowned artists who’ll be delivering free, ticketed and family-friendly events, offering something for everyone during the school holidays,” Mr Burnett said.

“We already have a range of things to see and do including a collaborative timber sculpture workshop at the historic Soap Factory arts space with local furniture makers Jonathan Everett and Hannah Cheetham.

“There’s also Khaled Sabsabi’s self-titled exhibition at The Lock Up and Belongings at the Watt Space Gallery, an immersive installation that shares stories of six refugees who took asylum in Newcastle.”

The Civic Theatre will be a hive of activity during the opening weekend of New Annual, starting with the internationally renowned Dancenorth Australia’s performance of Wayfinder.

Dancenorth Australia has teamed up with three-time Grammy nominated Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote and sound artist Byron J. Scullin to create a show complete with physical exuberance, sonic resonance, and collective exhilaration.

On Saturday night at Newcastle City Hall you can contemplate your place in the universe as world music favourites MZAZA bring you The Birth and Death of Stars, a surreal voyage exploring what links us to one another and the world around us.

The show takes audiences into a fusion of music, history and culture with mesmerizing vocals in three languages, electrifying live music and innovative collage animation.

Also on Saturday night, home grown talent will celebrate the power of art, culture, and community connection when the Newcastle Youth Orchestra delivers Rising from the Ashes: An Orchestral Suite at the University of Newcastle’s Conservatorium of Music.

This unique program includes two brand new never-performed works by upcoming local composer Jacob Cummins, alongside a mix of four other new and well-loved pieces.

As part of City of Newcastle’s UpStage program, the Civic Theatre’s Playhouse will host Romeo & Juliet: A Reimagining tonight and Saturday, delivering a bold and explorative reimagining of Shakespeare’s timeless classic.

For a more interactive theatre experience Tantrum Youth Arts have developed WonderCity, which is part game, part performance and part wayfinding adventure, weaving through the CBD among some of Newcastle’s most iconic cultural institutions and landmarks. 

WonderCity invites you to step into a version of Newcastle as imagined by young people, embarking on a journey to uncover surprising realities, alternate perspectives and imagined futures of our city.

New Annual’s opening weekend will also incorporate The Big Picture Fest 2024, featuring six new large-scale murals, with festival goers able to watch acclaimed street artists painting in real time.

New Annual runs from today until 6 October. Visit https://newannual.com/ for the full program.

The First Night Street Party is supported by the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program.

A man has been charged after a woman was located deceased in the Hunter Valley.

About 6.10pm yesterday (Friday 27 September 2024) emergency services were called to a property on Coulson Road, Pokolbin, following reports of a concern for welfare.

Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District attended and located a 46-year-old woman with significant injuries.

She was treated at the scene but could not be revived.

A crime scene was established, and detectives from Hunter Valley Police District commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death, under Strike Force Stockport.

A 47-year-old man was arrested at the property and taken to Cessnock Police Station where he was charged with murder (DV).

He was refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court today (Saturday 28 September 2024).

Police have arrested a man after a woman was located deceased in the Hunter Valley region.

About 6.10pm Friday (27 September 2024) emergency services were called to a property on Coulson Road, Pokolbin, following reports of a concern for welfare.

Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District attended and located a woman with significant injuries.

She was treated at the scene but could not be revived.

The woman is yet to be formally identified, however is believed to be aged in her 40s.

A crime scene has been established, and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death has commenced.

A 47-year-old man was arrested at the property and has been taken to Cessnock Police Station.

Inquiries are ongoing.

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a man missing from the upper Hunter region.

Dale Charlesworth, aged 32, was last seen riding his black Harley Davidson bike, number plate GSZ59, on Thomas Mitchell Drive, Muswellbrook about 9.25am on Wednesday 25 September 2024.

When he could not be located or contacted, officers attached to Hunter Valley Police Area Command were notified and commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.

Police and family hold concerns for his welfare.

Dale is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 170cm tall, of medium build and brown hair in a mullet hairstyle.

He was last seen wearing a hi-vis orange work shirt, black helmet, black jeans, black jacket and tanned work boots.

Police believe he may have been Gunnedah, Tenterfield and Warwick in Queensland.

Anyone with information into his whereabouts is urged to call Muswellbrook Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A man and a woman have been charged following a shooting near Newcastle yesterday. 

About 5.30pm yesterday (Thursday 26 September 2024), officers attached to Lake Macquarie Police District were called to O’Donnelltown Road, West Wallsend, following reports of a shooting.

Police arrived to find a man, who was located in bushland, had been shot in both legs.

NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the 39-year-old at the scene, before he was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.

Officers were told, the 39-year-old had allegedly met a 26-year-old man at the location – both men are known to each other – with the 26-year-old driving off before police arrived.

Police established a crime scene and commenced investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

A short time later, two men, aged 23 and 33, were arrested at Seaham Street, Holmesville.

They were taken to Belmont Police Station and questioned, before later being released.

About 7:15pm, the 26-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman attended Toronto Police Station.

They were arrested and the man was charged with discharge firearm etc intend cause grievous bodily harm and possess loaded firearm public place.

The woman was charged with being an accessory after the fact to discharge firearm etc intend cause grievous bodily harm.

Both were refused bail to appear before Toronto Local Court today (Friday 27 September 2024).

Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

City of Newcastle is giving Novocastrians the chance to become part of the performance and immerse themselves in this year’s New Annual experience.

Fifteen local dancers took part in a masterclass today, learning new skills with members of the internationally renowned Dancenorth Australia ensemble.

New Annual Senior Producer and Curator Adrian Burnett and Dancenorth’s Associate Artistic Director Amber Haines with members of the Dancenorth Australia ensemble and local dancers at the professional development workshop.The professional development workshop was held in the lead-up to New Annual, which officially kicks off on Friday with 10 days of art, culture and creativity.

New Annual Senior Producer and Curator Adrian Burnett said the immersive program is packed with opportunities to get involved in City of Newcastle’s flagship cultural event.

“Last year Dancenorth blew us away with their performance of Noise, which involved 60 local drummers coming together to accompany their dancers in a powerful, unified performance,” Mr Burnett said.

“This experience became a catalyst when curating this year’s program to build on the aspects of community engagement and participation.

“It is fantastic to once again collaborate with Dancenorth, who delivered today’s professional masterclass and an additional workshop with young up-and-coming dance students, ahead of their official New Annual performance of Wayfinder at the Civic Theatre this weekend.

“I’m also looking forward to seeing Novocastrians join in with a range of other of performances and events, from sharing their stories of hope, power and resilience through Truth to Power Café and Belongings, to becoming truly hands-on through the Scrub Club at artist Megan Cope’s Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House.

“By incorporating a range of fun, interactive opportunities into New Annual, we ensure our community becomes engaged and invested in the program, which encourages them to explore more of what the festival has to offer.”

Dancenorth’s Associate Artistic Director Amber Haines said the dance experiences offered as part of New Annual presented an opportunity for dancers to dive deeper into the richly textured world of Wayfinder.

“Wayfinder is all about reminding people about our capacity for connection, joy and optimism,” Ms Haines said.

“Our dance experiences in Newcastle invited dancers to experience that love and positivity in a more physical way.

“While we hope engaging with dancers will encourage them to come and see our show, it’s also a beautiful way to connect with the communities we visit.

“Dancing and moving with others helps us deepen connection, broaden expression, strengthen communities and bask in the sense of wellness and positivity that can be very easy to overlook in the hustle of everyday life.”

New Annual will run from 27 September to 6 October, offering a vibrant mix of dance, music, circus, visual art and theatre. Visit https://newannual.com/ for more details about the full program. Dancenorth Australia will perform their groundbreaking production, Wayfinder, at the Civic Theatre on Friday 27 September, with tickets on sale now.

We are carrying out emergency repair works on the rock bag structure at the northern end of Barrie Crescent, Stockton, as weather conditions allow.

During the repair works there may be periods of disruption, as well as noise from machinery on site.

We will keep the community informed on progress of this work.

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a man missing from the state’s north-west.

Dale Charlesworth, aged 32 was last seen leaving a commercial premises in Thomas Mitchell Drive, Muswellbrook at 9:30am on Wednesday (25 September 2024)

When he could not be located or contacted, officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District were notified and commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.

Police and family hold concerns for his welfare due to a medical condition.

Dale is described as Caucasian appearance, large build, light brown hair (mullet style) and unshaven.

He has a tattoo on his right hand.

He was last seen wearing a high-vis shirt.

Anyone with information into his whereabouts is urged to call Cessnock Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Nine adults will face court following an unauthorised protest near Newcastle.

About 10am today (Wednesday 25 September 2024), police were called to a rail corridor near Maitland Road, Sandgate after reports of an unauthorised protest.

Officers attached to Newcastle City Police District attended and arrested four men – aged 24, 48, 60 and 69 – and five women – aged 18, 20, 23, 42 and 66.

They were taken to Newcastle Police Station and were all charged with cause obstruction to railway locomotive or rolling stock, enter enclosed non-agricultural lands with a serious safety risk, and enter enclosed land not prescribed premises without a lawful excuse.

All nine were refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court on Thursday 26 September 2024.

Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) residents in the surrounding areas of Newcastle can now access more tailored, timely healthcare in the comfort of their place of residence, thanks to a new Residential Aged Care (RAC) In-reach team which is now seeing patients.

​The geriatric urgent care service will help ease pressure on local emergency departments by responding urgently to the medical and physical health needs of older people in RACFs for non-life-threatening conditions.

Care will be provided within the RACFs by a multidisciplinary team of nurse practitioners, registered nurses, geriatricians, career medical officers and physiotherapists.

Patients are referred to the geriatric urgent care service through an established Aged Care Emergency (ACE) line. RACF calls will be answered by the RAC-In reach team intake registered nurse who will utilise decision support tools to determine the appropriate level of care for the patient. This may include telephone and videocall assessment or an on-site visit from the team.

The service is open from 8am to 4pm, seven days a week, and care provided by the In-Reach team is at no cost to the patient.

The In-reach team will cover the areas for John Hunter, Belmont, Cavalry Mater, Tomaree and Manning hospitals is being rolled out in a staged approach and is expected to be operating in all 65 RACFs in the region by 12 November 2024.

The Newcastle Residential Aged Care-In-reach forms part of the NSW Government’s $124 million commitment over two years to deliver 25 Urgent Care Services in NSW by mid-2025.

Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park:

“This Urgent Care Service will be enabling residents to receive high quality, expert care without leaving their familiar environment, providing a better patient experience and easing pressure on the region’s busy hospitals.

“I am so pleased to see innovative models of care like this one being introduced to support patients to receive care in the most appropriate setting.”

Minister for the Hunter, Yasmin Catley:

“This service will ensure aged care residents receive quality, accessible and timely medical care right where they live.

“Urgent care clinics help take pressure off our Emergency Departments and local GPs.

“Everyone deserves accessible healthcare and only the NSW Labor Government is delivering this.”

Member for Port Stephens, Kate Washington:

“The new Urgent Care Service team will deliver personalised healthcare directly to Port Stephens residents living in aged care facilities, ensuring they receive timely treatment without having to visit a hospital.

“This is a win-win for our community, improving access to urgent healthcare for our older residents and reducing pressure on Tomaree Community Hospital.”

Member for Newcastle, Tim Crakanthorp:

“It’s so important to support Newcastle’s elderly community and this initiative will do just that. Providing the appropriate care and assistance within a familiar environment.

“We all know the pressures on our busy hospitals and this initiative will go a long way to reduce those pressures.”

Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery:

“This will be a great program that will ensure a better-quality patient experience for aged care residents in their familiar settings while taking pressure off our public hospitals.”

Executive Director Operations, Hunter New England Local Health District Susan Heyman:

“We thank the NSW Government for their support in delivering this new service that will be rolled out for our aged care communities.

“Our talented and experienced clinicians will help provide immediate assistance to determine the right level of care required.”