A man will appear in court today charged after police located a firearm during a vehicle stop near Newcastle yesterday.
About 4.15pm (Sunday 11 December 2022), officers from Newcastle City Police District conducting proactive patrols of the Merewether area stopped a Subaru Impreza on Wilton Street.
Officers spoke with the driver, a 27-year-old man, before checks revealed he was disqualified from driving.
The man was arrested, and officers conducted a search locating a .9mm pistol, ammunition, folding knife, methylamphetamine and cash.
The items were seized and will undergo forensic examination.
The man was taken to Newcastle Police Station and charged with possess unregistered unauthorised pistol in public place, acquire pistol subject to firearms prohibition order, acquire ammunition subject to prohibition order, supply prohibited drug, possess prohibited drug, drive motor vehicle during disqualification period, carry cutting weapon upon apprehension.
He was also charged with affray relating to an incident earlier this year in May.
The man was refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local court today (Monday 12 December 2022).
New diving boards funded via a grant from the NSW Government are the latest upgrade at Lambton Swimming Centre, with recent investment at the swim centre by City of Newcastle nearing $1 million.
The new diving boards add to a raft of recent improvements at the pool, with more than $800,000 going towards projects like replacing the 120-metre-long waterslide, upgrading the water play area, and replacing the Olympic swimming pool’s diving blocks.
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the latest upgrade reflected the facility’s important ongoing role as Newcastle’s aquatic hub.
“As we come into summer the crowds are building at Lambton Swimming Centre, with people coming to cool off, relax with their families, exercise or play sport,” Cr Clausen said.
“Lambton Swimming Centre sees almost 185,000 visitors per year and is home to sporting clubs including Hunter United Diving Academy which uses the diving boards for their regular training and competitions.
“City of Newcastle works closely with organisations across the city like Hunter United Diving Academy to upgrade facilities to cater for our growing sporting community, with Lambton’s new diving boards the latest example of this positive collaboration.
“We’re committed to maintaining and investing in Lambton Swimming Centre to ensure our community has continued access to high quality sporting and leisure opportunities for active living and social connection.”
More than $800,000 has been invested in Lambton Swimming Centre despite the impact of the pandemic on our public pools, with the popular facility used for everything from learn to swim programs to elite-level water polo.
Cr Clausen said the next upgrade to Lambton pool was the installation of temporary seating facilities to support the upcoming busy swimming carnival season while planning is underway to replace the permanent grandstand at a cost expected to exceed $1 million.
“With Lambton’s 60-year-old grandstand set for a full replacement once the pool closes for winter City of Newcastle is installing eight temporary seating facilities that will accommodate 320 people so students and families can cheer on swimmers at the upcoming swimming carnivals. The temporary facilities will also cater for pool visitors seeking a place to relax.”
Development approval for the temporary seating was granted on Friday, with installation to commence next month.
The replacement of Lambton Swimming Centre’s permanent grandstand is expected to commence when the pool closes for winter in 2023.
Other recent onsite improvements include safety upgrades, increased shade, painting, and new lane ropes, while design has started for a more efficient heating system.
A man has been charged following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman outside a Newcastle hotel last month.
About 11.50pm on Friday 25 November 2022, emergency services were called to a licensed premises on Darby Street, Newcastle, following reports a woman had been sexually assaulted by a man.
A crime scene was established by officers attached to Newcastle City Police District and forensically examined.
Detectives have since established Strike Force Molyneaux to further investigate the circumstances of the incident.
Following extensive inquiries by detectives from Newcastle City Police District and the Sex Crimes Squad from the State Crime Command, officers executed a search warrant at a house in Merewether Heights earlier today (Saturday 10 December 2022) and arrested a 19-year-old man.
He was taken to Newcastle Police Station where he was charged with aggravated sexual assault – inflict actual bodily harm and intentionally choke person without consent.
The man was refused bail to appear in Newcastle Local Court on Sunday 11 December 2022.
City of Newcastle is calling for tenders to complete the design of a key link in the city’s iconic coastal walkway.
The project will transform the section of Bathers Way between Strzelecki Lookout and South Newcastle Beach, creating a more accessible shared path through the heritage-listed King Edward Park.
It will include renewal of King Edward Park’s amenities building and will seek to improve the connection between the lawn around the iconic Victorian rotunda, and the popular sunken Garside Gardens, which are known for their colourful flower displays each Spring.
A key feature of the project is the construction of an Indigenous art installation, which will educate path users on the Aboriginal significance of the site, while more comfortable viewing areas with shade and seating will enhance the overall visitor experience.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Bathers Way is a jewel among the city’s coastal assets, offering a variety of recreational opportunities.
“The Bathers Way is a flagship project of our coastal revitalisation program, delivering an upgraded shared pathway that links our iconic beaches of Merewether, Dixon Park, Bar Beach, Newcastle and Nobbys,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Once all stages are complete, Bathers Way will be a drawcard destination for tourists and locals, offering a continuous path perfect for those who want to walk, run or ride along the 6km-long route, or make use of the viewing platforms and seating options to stop and enjoy the spectacular scenery off our coastline.”
Through the current tender process, City of Newcastle will appoint a suitably qualified principal design consultant to build upon an existing concept layout for the King Edward Park section of Bathers Way.
The resulting design will widen and illuminate the current shared path to encourage safer and higher patronage at all times of the day.
Cr Nelmes said community consultation would inform the future design process.
“While King Edward Park is one of the city’s most popular open spaces, it is also revered for its unique Aboriginal and European heritage,” Cr Nelmes said.
“As such, the successful tender must carefully balance those two considerations to deliver a well resolved design that can be appreciated and utilised by all members of our community.”
Tenders will close on 24 January 2023, with concept designs expected to be completed mid next year.
City of Newcastle (CN) has become the first organisation in the Hunter to embrace a mobile phone app that empowers people with vision impairment to navigate new spaces.
Implemented as part of CN’s commitment to improving access at its cultural facilities, BindiMaps is a wayfinding/interpretive app that provides an audio ‘map’ of a building that can help people with low or no vision better navigate their way around.
The technology was successfully trialled at Newcastle Museum in 2021 and has now been rolled out to several other CN sites including Museum Park, Civic Theatre, City Hall, and Newcastle Library.
BindiMaps utilises a network of Bluetooth beacons, a mapping and route guidance system and smartphone sensors to describe to the user where they are, what’s around them, and the best way to get to their chosen destination.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the technology provides a more user-friendly experience for people with vision impairment visiting our cultural facilities by making unfamiliar spaces easier and more efficient to navigate.
“The implementation of BindiMaps is part of our commitment to ensuring Newcastle is a liveable, sustainable and inclusive global city for all who live, visit or work here,” Cr Nelmes said.
Councillor Margaret Wood, co-chair of the Access Inclusion Advisory Committee, said it was pleasing to see positive outcomes from the Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) 2022-2026.
“Improving accessibility at our cultural facilities is one of the actions of our DIAP, which outlines how we can further enhance access and inclusion for the entire community,” Cr Wood said.
“The BindiMaps program will augment our plan to improve building access and accessibility features, and to provide more accessible and inclusive programming.”
Director Museum Archive Libraries and Learning Julie Baird said BindiMaps had boosted efforts to make Newcastle Museum an accessible, vibrant, and inclusive centre for everyone.
“We launched BindiMaps just before a Sea, Space & Beyond exhibition, which featured artworks created by the blind, low vision and sighted communities, and there was a huge upswing in satisfaction rates,” Ms Baird said.
“BindiMaps enabled us to practically support improvements in other areas and we found it was the icing on the cake to help make vision impaired visitors more comfortable within the space and meet their needs.
“The response has been so positive that it’s provided new opportunities to reach audiences who perhaps thought we weren’t available or suitable for them.”
Civic Theatre will take audiences on an emotional rollercoaster next year with a diverse line-up of theatre, dance, music and comedy set to grace the stage in 2023.
With performances that will have you rolling in the aisles with laughter one moment and reaching for tissues the next, the new subscription season offers plenty of memorable moments.
Families will giggle along together with Roald Dahl’s revoltingly-funny classic The Twits reimagined on stage, whilst David Walliams’ award–winning book Mr Stink comes to life in a twisted and hilariously smelly tale.
The 2023 Season will also see the return of the hugely popular Sydney and Melbourne Comedy Festivals, whilst local theatre company Tantrum Youth Arts will explore a young family’s grief in Good Mourning, scheduled during City of Newcastle’s New Annual festival.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Civic Theatre’s 2023 Season has been carefully curated to bring a stellar line-up of live performances to Newcastle for audiences to enjoy.
“Newcastle’s historic 93-year-old theatre is gearing up to wow audiences in 2023 with the launch of Civic Theatre’s new subscription season,” Cr Nelmes said.
“The Civic Theatre team has curated this season to bring live performances to Newcastle that may not have necessarily planned to tour here in 2023 as part of their national touring circuit, allowing us to present a wide variety of hand-picked shows with something for everyone.
“It’s the perfect time to purchase a 2023 live performance as a Christmas gift or a gift for yourself, with a range of exclusive subscriber benefits available. The season is packaged to make subscriptions affordable and available to as many in our community as possible.”
With the purchase of three shows or more in one transaction, theatregoers immediately become a Civic Theatre subscriber and enjoy exclusive benefits including free parking, discounted tickets, access to the best seats and discounted pre-show drinks in the foyer.
Civic Theatre Manager Leonie Wallace said the 2023 program includes both local and national touring productions and covers many genres and styles offering memorable moments that will appeal to audiences of all ages.
“The true story of four young siblings and their father’s cancer diagnosis is explored in Good Mourning by local Newcastle playwriter Sonia Dodd, whilst Australian author Colleen McCullough’s book Tim will be brought to life on stage by Christine Dunstan Productions as they delve into love, loss and acceptance,” Ms Wallace said.
“HIT Productions’ The Sunshine Club will shower you in joy with its uplifting message and Sydney Dance Company’s, Ascent, tempers contemporary classical dance with futuristic experimentation in three innovative works.
“The Wharf Revue’s satirical Looking for Albanese together with the rambunctious Sydney and Melbourne Comedy Festival roadshows are guaranteed to deliver the laughs.”
Civic Theatre’s Subscription Season 2023 goes on sale to the general public today, following a special presale for current subscribers.
Visit Civic Theatre Newcastle’s website to view the full 2023 Season program and to purchase tickets.
The lifeboat involved in one of the most dramatic rescues in Newcastle’s maritime history will be preserved for future generations as part of a project being carried out by Newcastle Museum.
The first stage of the conservation work, which will see damaged timbers in the vessel’s bow replaced by a skilled local shipwright, will get underway next year after Newcastle Museum was awarded more than $6500 through the Federal Government’s Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme.
Newcastle Museum Manager Collections and Community Partnerships, David Hampton, said the Victoria is a central and significant artifact from Newcastle’s maritime history used between 1897 and 1946 to enact some of our harbour’s most daring rescue missions.
“Newcastle Museum plays an important role in interpreting and preserving our city’s fascinating history and telling local stories,” Mr Hampton said.
“For almost half a century, the Victoria and its brave crew contested the turbulent waters in what was at the time one of the most dangerous harbours in the world to come to the aid of ships off Newcastle’s coast.
“This included the dramatic rescue of 32 men on board the stricken French sailing ship Adolphe, which ran aground on the harbour’s notorious Oyster Bank sand shoals in September 1904.
“Despite the huge swells, the heavily laden rescue vessel carried 47 people to safety including the lifeboat’s own crew, who were hailed as heroes and rewarded with a purse of sovereigns from the Consul-General for France, who made a special visit to Newcastle to thank them.”
The Victoria’s final mission occurred on 23 July 1921 when the lifeboat crew battled gale-force conditions in Stockton Bight for 15 hours to rescue crewmen from the struggling steamer CENTURY.
Although the crew stayed on-call for many years after this event, the Victoria never again went to sea. The Lifeboat Service was disbanded in 1946.
The historic vessel has formed part of various heritage collections since being officially retired from service and was among several significant objects from the Newcastle Maritime Museum Society Collection transferred into the care of Newcastle Museum earlier this year.
Future conservation plans for the lifeboat include the construction of a new stillage (support structure), repainting and restoration works that will allow the vessel to form part of a future public display at the Museum.
A woman will appear in court today charged in relation to an alleged murder at Stockton last year.
About 7.45am today (Tuesday 6 December 2022), Homicide Squad detectives and officers attached to the Newcastle City Police District executed a search warrant at a home on Stone Street, Stockton.
A 23-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and was taken to Newcastle Police Station where she was charged with conceal serious indictable offence.
Strike Force Childowla was formed by detectives from State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad to investigate the death of Graham Cameron, then aged 54, after his body was found in his Stockton home on 26 July 2021.
A man, also aged 23, remains in custody charged with Mr Cameron’s murder.
The woman has been refused bail and will appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Tuesday 6 December 2022).
Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a missing man from the Maitland area.
Andrew Fernando, aged 55, was last seen in Coonamble at about 6.20pm on Monday (5 December 2022).
When he could not be contacted by friends and family, officers attached to the Port Stephens-Hunter Police District were notified and immediately commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.
Police and family hold concerns for Andrew’s welfare.
Andrew is described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 180cm to 190cm tall of medium build.
He was last seen wearing a white shirt with horizontal black stripes, black cargo style shorts and black thongs.
Andrew is known to frequent the Maitland, Coonamble, Sydney and the North Coast.
Inquiries reveal that he may be driving a white Toyota Fortuna, with registration DBQ14A.
Anyone with information into Andrew’s whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Greater support will be extended to victims of domestic violence as City of Newcastle (CN) doubles leave provisions for affected employees under its proposed new Enterprise Agreement (EA) 2023.
Up to 20 days of paid leave will be accessible to employees in domestic violence situations to take the necessary steps to find safety for themselves and their families, along with a raft of other leave provisions and enhancements offering greater flexibility.
Returned service people will be honoured by being granted paid leave to attend Remembrance Day and ANZAC Day with their fellow comrades, whilst apprentices and trainees will be given a leg-up with 100 per cent of their tool allowance covered.
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said in-principle agreement had been reached in relation to the Enterprise Agreement 2023 with many enhanced provisions available that provide greater support and flexibility for employees and their families, whilst meeting the City’s financial sustainability objectives.
“City of Newcastle is pleased to provide industry leading benefits and employment conditions to our employees that reflect our organisation’s commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity,” Mr Bath said.
“Together with the unions and delegates, we’ve made key improvements that address what our employees told us is important to them in a 2021 survey.
“As one of the first councils in NSW to lead the way in domestic violence leave provisions back in 2018, we remain committed to providing ongoing support to staff that are victims or survivors and stand in agreement with the United Nation’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.”
USU Official Luke Hutchinson hailed the success of negotiations for City of Newcastle employees.
“The USU is proud of this agreement that reaffirms our long-standing history of delivering improved pay and conditions for our members at the City of Newcastle,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“This agreement provides improved workplace conditions that will enable optimum services for our community and delivers industry-leading and socially progressive conditions such as access to cultural leave, miscarriage leave, improved parental leave, and improved family and domestic violence leave.
“This agreement challenges the rest of the Local Government sector to embrace the progressive elements of the agreement. And provides our members some instant relief to address the current inflation crisis impacting workers across our communities.
“USU members have unanimously supported this agreement proposal. It is a testament that both parties can achieve a great outcome for the workers, Council, and the community.”
The Enterprise Agreement 2023 will be submitted to the Industrial Relations Commission for ratification in mid-December 2022, and is proposed to commence from the 1st pay period after 1 January 2023.
At this point in time, casual Civic Theatre employees will also transfer over from the Live Theatre and Concert Award to the new Enterprise Agreement 2023.
