Personnel from No. 3 Control and Reporting Unit from RAAF Base Williamtown will operate from Old Bar Heritage Airstrip, NSW, in support of Air Force training activities from February to April 2022.
The community can expect to see Air Force uniformed personnel operating trucks, antennas and a radar from the airstrip.
Air Force equipment and vehicles will be surrounded by fencing to ensure the safety of the public and no military aircraft will be operating from Old Bar airfield throughout the activity.
The Australian Defence Force is unable to provide media access or further information, including specific timings, regarding this training in order to protect operational tactics, techniques and procedures.
If any opportunities arise for media in the future, they will be notified.
Air Force appreciates the support of the community during these crucial training activities and is committed to ensuring every effort is made to minimise impact to local residents.
Islington Park has been re-opened to the public this morning following clearance by independent assessors yesterday.
The park been closed since 2 March due to contamination generated by the recent fire at the Wickham wool stores. Multiple specialist asbestos crews were deployed last week to clean the park. These crews removed fragments of asbestos containing materials (ACM) from grassed areas, gardens, the sporting oval, the carpark, bike paths, the playground, skate bowl and around the amenities building.
High traffic areas such as footpaths and the playground were also cleaned with HEPA (high efficiency particulate arrestance) vacuums.
Following the clean-up, an independent Licenced Asbestos Assessor inspected all areas of the park and found no visible asbestos remaining, allowing for a clearance certificate to be issued on Sunday 13 March.
Air monitoring was undertaken during the clean up and also as part of the clearance inspection – with all results coming back clear of airborne asbestos fibres.
It is important to remember that as with other areas that have been cleaned and given clearance, it is possible for the occasional fragment to be introduced into the area from vehicles or falling from trees. Further findings of fragments should be reported to the EPA’s environment line on 131 555 so that the area can be listed for inspection and re-cleaning if necessary.
Now that clearance has been issued, City of Newcastle will plan for the safe resumption of services such as mowing and ongoing park maintenance.
Waratah Park has also been inspected and cleaned and is open to the public.
The Hunter Valley community is celebrating first-class health care close to home, with the official opening of the NSW Government’s $470 million new Maitland Hospital.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard, joined by Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin, today marked the milestone for the new hospital, which has seen significantly enhanced and expanded health services.
“The NSW Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in our State has access to the very best healthcare possible closer to home,” Mr Hazzard said.
“This incredible facility delivers a range of new and expanded services and has substantial capacity to expand in the future, ensuring the health needs of the community continue to be met.”
Minister for Regional Health and Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said today’s official opening marks an historic milestone for the community.
“The NSW Government’s $470 million investment is delivering the latest treatment and diagnostic services, including some that weren’t previously available,” Mrs Taylor said.
“This hospital sets a new standard for healthcare in the region, featuring more beds and treatment spaces, increased maternity services and a sensory room for mental health patients – a first of its kind in NSW.”
Mr Martin said cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and immune therapies, are available locally for the first time with a dedicated 12-chair oncology treatment centre so patients no longer need to travel to Muswellbrook or Newcastle.
“Projects like this also boost economic growth, with almost 5,000 new jobs created as part of the hospital development, including work for 58 previously unemployed locals through the Maitland Connectivity Centre,” Mr Martin said.
The new Maitland Hospital includes:
Capacity to offer up to 80% increase in beds (additional 150) and more treatment spaces
New 12-chair oncology treatment centre
New ‘hot floor’ dedicated to critical care, combining theatres, intensive care, close observation unit, birthing, neonatal special care nursery and a cardiac catheterisation lab
New maternity and birthing space, including six individual birthing rooms, each with a birthing bath (additional five baths)
12-bed paediatric unit with an additional four beds for day surgery, testing and observation
A sensory room for mental health patients
Two dedicated endoscopy procedure rooms
New rooftop helipad to facilitate faster transfers for critical patients
Mr Hazzard said despite the extraordinary impact of a one-in-100 year pandemic, the new Maitland Hospital was delivered on time and on budget.
“The challenges of COVID-19 have not just been limited to our frontline health workers but to workers ensuring the planned pipeline of $10.8 billion worth of health infrastructure projects continues uninterrupted through to 2024-25.”
“The Hunter should be enormously proud of those tradespeople who worked shoulder to shoulder with developers and the Government through COVID to deliver this magnificent hospital on time and on budget for patients, staff and the local community.”
Since 2011, the government has delivered more than 170 hospitals and health facilities across NSW, with more than 110 currently underway – of those, more than 70 are in rural and regional areas.
City of Newcastle (CN) will invite expressions of interest for the collection and processing of its recyclable waste as it continues to plan towards the construction of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at Summerhill Waste Management Facility.
Recycling from Newcastle residents’ yellow-lid bins is currently collected by Solo Waste Pty Ltd and taken to the Summerhill site before being transferred to iQ Renew’s processing facility on the Central Coast.
With both contracts due to expire in November, CN will open an EOI for the services on 12 March ahead of a selective tender process mid-year. The EOI includes a range of options for CN to consider for the processing of recyclables at the Summerhill Waste Management Facility.
CN is conscious about the need to cater for additional growth in the recyclables markets into the future and the EOI will ensure all processing options are given due consideration.
CN is seeking to ensure facilitation, development and support of the local circular economy along with the maximising economic benefit from recyclable materials. The EOI seeks to provide options to consider the processing of recyclable waste from not only the Newcastle community but from across the Hunter and also includes a separable portion allocated to the design, construction and operation of a new MRF facility at Summerhill as well as kerbside recycling services to process the yellow bin.
The project received a $5 million boost from the Federal and NSW Governments in August last year and CN has prepared concept designs in conjunction with site master planning to ensure the optimal location of the facility alongside other waste diversion projects, such as the organics facility. The MRF is planned to be scalable, designed in a manner which allows for flexibility to cater to changes in the way we recycle, and the growth in recycling efforts.
City of Newcastle is committed to increasing our capabilities for the recycling and reuse of waste products under its new Sustainable Waste Strategy, which is currently being drafted, with the Summerhill Waste Management Facility to play a key role in the region’s move towards a circular economy and its ability to address future NSW and Federal government targets on waste diversion and recycling.
The Sustainable Waste Strategy focusses on increased diversion, circular economy and co-location of waste assets in the Summerhill precinct, localising the supply chain, reducing transport costs, but also ensuring the site offers a place to process recyclables after the current recycling contracts almost failed in 2020, resulting in Council having to step in and vary the recyclables processing arrangements.
Construction of the MRF, in addition to the planned advanced organics recycling facility, would allow Newcastle’s red, yellow and green-bin domestic waste to be processed at the one location.
Due to an Australian Defence Force (ADF) exercise there will be an increase in personnel and aircraft operating from RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales. The exercise will be conducted over land, sea and air throughout March 2022.
The public can expect low-flying aircraft, and increased movement of military personnel and vehicles within the area. Night flying will be conducted between 21 and 25 March, concluding no later than 10:15pm each day.
Training exercises such as this help ensure the ADF remains in a ready state of preparedness to protect Australia and its national interests.
The ADF is unable to provide media access or further information, including specific timings, regarding this training in order to protect operational tactics, techniques and procedures.
City of Newcastle (CN) has implemented safety precautions in preparation for another weather event forecast to impact the Newcastle coastline this week.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for gale force winds, heavy rainfall, and large and powerful surf conditions which may pose a risk to Newcastle’s coastline.
An abnormally high tide and powerful surf conditions impacted all city beaches last week with Stockton Beach suffering further erosion. Large amounts of debris were washed onto Stockton Beach making the area unsafe and forcing the temporary closure of all accessways to the southern end of the beach. A current list of beach accessway closures at Stockton Beach can be viewed here.
CN will continue to monitor its coastal facilities and assets along the Newcastle coastline including areas in Stockton which may be further impacted by coastal erosion this week. Coastal erosion can change beach conditions dramatically and quickly, making them unstable.
With public safety and CN staff safety a key priority, CN will assess the situation at Stockton Beach after this week’s weather event before determining the best approach to commence clearing the beach.
City of Newcastle reminds the community to follow safety warnings, to abide by all road and beach closures and to drive safely in the forecast hazardous weather conditions.
To stay up to date on weather warnings visit the Bureau of Meteorology at www.bom.gov.au and for information about any emergencies visit the State Emergency Service at www.ses.nsw.gov.au or phone 13 25 00.
Last night saw three aspiring young local chefs’ cook their way one step closer to London in the preliminary finals of the Brett Graham Scholarship.
The Hunter Culinary Association, in conjunction with TAFE NSW, host this prestigious annual event, now in its 18th year. Six preliminary finalists cooked for their chance to work under leading Australian chef Brett Graham in his highly acclaimed London based restaurant – The Ledbury. The Brett Graham Scholarship now in its 18th year, aims to recognise and nurture one of the Hunter Region’s most talented young chefs.
Ultimately three young Apprentices will now proceed to the final cook off – Ian Tintero of The George Tavern, Jahri Etteridge from Yellowtail, and Jayden Dann from EXP Restaurant (pictured left to right above). Contestants will all vie for the $10,000 career kick start on Tuesday 15th March. This will assist in covering airfares and accommodation in London, and is sponsored by both the Hunter Culinary Association and TAFE NSW.
Previous winners of the Brett Graham Scholarship have included Troy Rhoades Brown of Muse, Garreth Robbs of Bistro Molines, Chris Thornton of Restaurant Mason, George Mirosevich of the Signal Box, and Josh Gregory of Muse Kitchen.
Judges Tracey Amos from TAFE, Hunter & Coastal Lifestyle Publisher, Cornelia Schultz and leading local Chef Shayne Mansfield of The Flotilla fame, all recognised the talent of this years competing Apprentices.
Gus Maher, Chair of Hunter Culinary Association, said his belief was that the competition was particularly close – “The Judges all said that each Apprentice brought a broad range of skills and creativity, and whilst all six finalists were very worthy, their choice of the final three was unanimous.”
Joining them on the Judging Panel for next weeks final will be Andy Wright – long time, well known Hunter Valley Chef, co-founder of The Hunter Culinary Association and now Proprietor of Pokolbin Catering Co with his wife, Janet.
The Hunter Culinary Association is a not-for-profit organisation, led by industry professionals, offering a suite of scholarships and awards that support aspiring young chefs, apprentices and front of house professionals.
As a region, the Hunter offers a culinary destination featuring diverse and abundant dining experiences ranging from quality cafes to hatted restaurants, which proudly showcase passionate and talented industry professionals, regionally sourced produce and award-winning wines from the Hunter Valley’s highly regarded wineries.
A proposed major refurbishment of Newcastle’s No.1 Sportsground grandstand will transform the facility into a modern venue able to cater for the needs of local, regional and elite-level sporting fixtures.
City of Newcastle has applied for a $5 million grant from the NSW Government to complete the project, which will increase the footprint of the existing grandstand with a two-storey addition at the rear of the building to provide upgraded amenities for players, officials and spectators.
The construction is the second stage of the overall redevelopment of No.1 Sportsground, which began with a major upgrade of the playing facilities, lighting and seating capacity.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said a refurbished grandstand would be the icing on the cake to attract first class cricket and AFL matches to Newcastle’s premier inner-city sportsground.
“With the first stage of the redevelopment approaching its end, City of Newcastle is turning its attention to the design and funding arrangements for the next phase, which will deliver premium-level facilities that will not only benefit local users but allow Newcastle to attract even more major sporting events to the city,” Cr Nelmes said.
“City of Newcastle are committed to the future of this facility and the wider National Park recreational precinct.
“We have already invested more than $7 million into the redevelopment of No.1 Sportsground and have recently submitted a $5 million grant application to the Multi-Sport Facility Fund through the NSW Government to complete the works.
“If successful, that funding will allow us to deliver the regional sporting facility our community deserves, which is capable of hosting elite level AFL and cricket matches.”
Chair of City of Newcastle’s Infrastructure Advisory Committee Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz said the concept designs included a range of benefits for both spectators and players.
“Concept designs prepared for City of Newcastle with input from both Cricket NSW and AFL NSW/ACT illustrate our grand plans for this site, with the ground floor featuring new universal player facilities, dedicated spaces for team doctors and medical staff and upgraded rooms for match officials,” Cr Winney-Baartz said
“The building’s new second storey will provide a panoramic view over the sportsground, with floor-to-ceiling windows running the entire length of a multipurpose community function room and team viewing areas, while commercial kitchen facilities will open up a range of opportunities never previously available at this venue.
“Upgraded public toilets will also improve the amenity for spectators, complementing the extended concrete bleacher seating constructed during the first phase of the redevelopment, which has almost doubled the ground’s current seated capacity.”
While wetter than average La Niña weather conditions and supply chain issues brought about by COVID-19 have extended the stage one construction phase, work is now nearing completion with sporting teams expected to be back on the pitch following a final growing-in period for the turf.
The staged works include increasing the size of the playing field to achieve the minimum standard required for a first grade AFL match, constructing seven new cricket wickets and re-building the entire playing surface with a new sub-soil irrigation and drainage system.
The installation of six new 40 metre light poles has upgraded the lighting to 750 lux, with increased electrical conduit to allow for a further increase in lux level if required for televised night-time fixtures. New sight screens, player dug-out benches and oval fencing will also improve the playing experience.
The project will position the region to attract sporting fixtures such as trial Big Bash League and trial AFL fixtures.
No.1 Sportsground History
No.1 Sportsground sits within the 20-hectare National Park, one of Newcastle’s largest and oldest sportsgrounds and open space reserves.
National Park Sports Ground, as it was originally known, was designed by city engineer JF Shine in 1921.
Its original two-storey timber grandstand was completed in October 1921 and could accommodate between 200 and 300 people, with dressing rooms, stores and locker rooms in the lower level.
The sportsground was officially opened on 16 September 1922, with City of Newcastle changing its name two years later to Newcastle Sports Ground.
In 1989 the Newcastle Earthquake caused major structural damage to the original timber grandstand, which resulted in it being almost completely reconstructed with concrete stands, which remain today. This was the last significant upgrade to take place at the ground.
