Category: Newcastle News

There’s no luggage required to enjoy a trip through the rural, remote and regional heart of Australia thanks to the latest exhibition at Newcastle Museum.

A Portrait of Australia: Stories through the lens of Australian Geographic celebrates the remarkable ordinary Australians with some of the best portrait images captured by the renowned magazine during the past three decades.

The stunning series of large format photographs will transport audiences across Australia, from the bush to the outback and up and down the coast, as they showcase the country’s diverse environments and the people who call them home.

While Novocastrians will be all too familiar with sights of rugged coastlines set against the deep blue ocean stretching as far as the eye can see, the exhibition provides a window into other Australian landscapes, allowing audiences to experience everything from the achingly vast emptiness of the Birdsville Track to the jostling movement of a sheep muster near Nyngan.

Australian Geographic is the country’s leading geographical magazine. For more than 33 years it has been reporting on Australia’s natural landscapes, its wildlife and its people, especially those who live in rural, regional and remote areas.

A Portrait of Australia: Stories through the lens of Australian Geographic is on display at Newcastle Museum until June 19 and entry to the exhibition is free.

Newcastle Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

A union-backed community protest movement that helped stop Blackbutt Reserve being cut in two by a new highway in the 1970s is being celebrated in an exhibition at Newcastle Library.

Power to the People, 50+ Years of Union and Community Green Ban Action celebrates the 50^th anniversary of the “green ban” movement, which effectively saw union members refuse to work on construction projects that were deemed environmentally or socially undesirable.

Green bans were conceived by Builders Labourers’ Federation (BLF) NSW secretary Jack Mundey and were instigated at the request of, and in support of, residents’ groups.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the exhibition showcases an important time in history through the story of Jack Mundey and the green ban movement, and local Newcastle strike action to save Blackbutt Reserve and protect historic houses in the East End.

“Historical green bans demonstrate the value and impact that Newcastle’s communities can have when their passion and drive to protect our city’s rich natural and build environment is mobilised,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Power to the People 50+ years of Union and Community Green Ban Action explores green bans to save Blackbutt Reserve and Newcastle’s East End, both initiated by the BLF, Newcastle Trades Hall Council and over 25 community groups in the 1970s, which protected two extremely important features of Newcastle.

“Newcastle green bans were born in parallel with the Sydney bans from 1971 onwards, and the legacy of the movement cannot be underestimated as it led a shift towards ensuring heritage and conservation were central to planning and policy.”

While many of the green bans in the early 1970s were focussed on Sydney, the protest movement also made its way to Newcastle through the Newcastle Trades Hall Council.

In one of the most significant instances locally, a green ban was enforced to help community groups stop a NSW Government plan to bulldoze more than 15 acres of Blackbutt Reserve for a 1.2 km section of Highway 23.

The road, which was being built to link the Sydney-Newcastle Expressway near Windale to the Pacific Highway at Sandgate, would have also effectively separated an additional 40 hectares of land from the main Blackbutt Reserve site.

Power to the People, 50+ years of Union and Community Green Ban Action has been curated by Newcastle Libraries in partnership with Cross Arts Projects, University of Newcastle and Newcastle Trades Hall Council.

The exhibition draws on archival material preserved in collections held by Newcastle Libraries, the University of Newcastle, the Hunter Living Histories, and Newcastle Trades Hall and presents an eclectic mix of stories that depict community uprising over unequal planning, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island heritage, social housing justice, heritage buildings, land rights and conservation.

It will be on display at Newcastle Libraries’ Lovett Gallery in Laman Street, Newcastle until Thursday, 14 April.

The Bureau of Meteorology has advised that a low offshore from the Mid North Coast continues to move towards the central New South Wales coast today. This system is currently weakening and will continue to weaken into the evening. A severe weather warning remains in place for gale force winds, heavy rainfall, damaging surf and an abnormally high tide for the NSW Coast, which may pose risks to Newcastle’s coastline.

City of Newcastle has implemented safety precautions in preparation of the east coast low forecast for this week.

Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for swimming, surfing and rock fishing at all beaches and at Newcastle and Merewether Ocean Baths during this period.

City of Newcastle has prepared and is monitoring its coastal facilities and assets along the Newcastle coastline including areas in Stockton which may be further impacted by coastal erosion. Please be aware that coastal erosion can change beach conditions dramatically and quickly.

City of Newcastle asks the community to follow safety warnings, to abide by all road closures and to drive safely in the forecast hazardous weather conditions. The high tide and large swell have forced the closure of a number of beach accessways at Stockton Beach. A current list of closures can be viewed here.

To stay up to date on weather warnings visit the Bureau of Meteorology 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.

Newcastle’s rich cultural scene is set to be reinvigorated with almost 70 live performances being delivered across 18 venues during the next two months with support from City of Newcastle.

The newly-opened Newcastle Comedy Club will join venues across the city showcasing the talents of local performers as COVID-19 restrictions ease, encouraging more people to get out and about to experience the thrill of a live show and support the local industry.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle is committed to reactivating Newcastle and creating new opportunities for live performances through the Locally Made and Played funding program, as part of support for the COVID-19-disrupted performing arts industry.

“Few industries have been harder hit by the economic impact of the pandemic than the performing arts and hospitality sectors,” Cr Nelmes said.

“With the NSW Government easing COVID-19 restrictions, now is the perfect time to incentivise our city’s venues to host live performances as people start to return with a renewed confidence.

“Due to the current uncertainty for many venues relating to higher COVID-19 case numbers, we have extended the performance timeframe to include April, affording the venues greater flexibility to navigate these challenges.”

Following two successful funding rounds in 2021, the criteria for Locally Made and Played has been broadened to allow a wider variety of venues and performance types including live comedy and micro-theatre.

Venues were invited to apply for up to $1500 to host the live performances, with the funds used to support individual performers and artists at $300 per performance.

Chair of City of Newcastle’s Community and Culture Advisory Committee, Cr Carol Duncan said Newcastle’s embattled live music and cultural scene is set to rebound with the support of the Locally Made and Played grants.

“Live performances funded by the Locally Made and Played grant will apply to performances that take place between 2 March and 30 April 2022, to coincide with the easing of restrictions,” Cr Duncan said.

“The funding will not only provide a boost to local venues financially hit as a result of COVID-19 but will also help support our home-grown talent right here in Newcastle.”

Newcastle Comedy Club part-owner Allan Brady said the New York-style venue is the first dedicated comedy club to open its doors in Newcastle and comes at a critical time.

“Novocastrians are craving a good time at the moment and live comedy is the perfect antidote to beating the COVID-19 blues,” Mr Brady said.

“Many local comics and performing artists are relying on venues like ours to remain open to invite them to perform, so the funding comes at a critical time for our industry and performers livelihoods.”

The Locally Made and Played grant program forms part of City of Newcastle’s COVID-19 Community Economic Resilience Program.

Visit City of Newcastle’s What’s ON page for more event information.

Firefighters and police remain at the scene of a major building fire near the Newcastle CBD.

About 2.35pm yesterday (Tuesday 1 March 2022), emergency services were called to a storage facility on Annie Street, Wickham, after reports of a large building fire.

Upon arrival, more than 100 firefighters from Fire and Rescue NSW spent several hours battling the blaze within two buildings.

As of today (Wednesday 2 March 2022), the fire has been contained, however it’s estimated fire crews could be at the site for a number of days continuing to extinguish hot spots.

Officers from Newcastle City Police District and the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command attended and established an exclusion zone, with residents and businesses from several neighbouring streets evacuated as a precaution.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Public Works Advisory and a licensed asbestos assessor are on-site to investigate the potential risk of asbestos. Air monitoring will be implemented in the area to provide the community with assurance.

Residents from Robert Street are now permitted to return to their homes, with police, Fire and Rescue NSW HAZMAT crews and EPA officers currently assessing and cleaning Milford Street – with the intention residents should be able to return to their homes this evening.

A key control mechanism for asbestos is to dampen the material and the rain has assisted this process. Damp asbestos materials release far fewer asbestos fibres into the air. The community should stay away from any suspected asbestos material.

The EPA are interested in reports from the community in relation to potential asbestos from the fire and encourage the public to report any suspected asbestos they may encounter in the area to EPA’s Environment Line on 131 555 or at info@epa.nsw.gov.au.

A public meeting and information session for affected residents and businesses will be held tonight (Wednesday 2 March 2022) at 7pm at the Goodlife Church in Albert Street, Wickham.

Detectives have established Strike Force Lynette to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire. Anyone with information which may assist investigators is urged to come forward.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for gale force winds, heavy rainfall, damaging surf and an abnormally high tide for the NSW Coast, which may pose risks to Newcastle’s coastline.

City of Newcastle has implemented safety precautions ahead of an east coast low forecast to build today and tomorrow.

The low-pressure system is expected to linger off the coast on Tuesday and Wednesday with potential for heavy rain, strong winds and large waves.

Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for swimming, surfing and rock fishing at all beaches and at Newcastle and Mereweather Ocean Baths during this period.

City of Newcastle will prepare and monitor its coastal facilities and assets along the Newcastle coastline including areas in Stockton which may be further impacted by coastal erosion. Please be aware that coastal erosion can change beach conditions dramatically and quickly.

City of Newcastle asks the community to follow safety warnings, to abide by all road closures and to drive safely in the forecast hazardous weather conditions.

To stay up to date on weather warnings visit the Bureau of Meteorology 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.

A $3.7 million upgrade of Blackbutt Village on Orchardtown Road is set to commence next month, delivering a safer, more attractive place to shop for New Lambton residents.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said after previously engaging with the community on their ideas for this popular area, it will be wonderful to see this long-awaited upgrade get underway.

“Early in this project the community highlighted concerns about safety, and in particular safety when crossing the busy Orchardtown Road,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Our team have been busy developing a design that both improves safety and encourages pedestrians and cyclists to the area, as well as making it a safer place to park your car and visit the local shops.”

The upgrade will include an off-road shared pedestrian and cycle path, a new pedestrian crossing, improved footpath connections to Blackbutt Reserve, as well as introduction of a 40km per hour High Pedestrian Activity Area.

Ward 3 Councillor and Chair of the Infrastructure Advisory Committee, Peta Winney-Baartz said the upgrade will see the entire public domain of the popular local centre renewed for the local community and visitors, with a focus on place activation and improving public spaces to further promote local businesses.

“Wider footpaths and new plazas will improve outdoor dining and promote activation of the area, while its look and feel will be improved with renewed drainage, kerbs, gutters, road surfaces, footpaths, lighting, street furniture, tree planting and landscaping,” Cr Winney-Baartz said.

“As a part of our ongoing engagement with the community, we will also invite local residents and businesses to let us know their ideas for the best use and activation ideas for the new public open spaces later in the year.”

Traffic and Transport Manager Ryan Tranter said that City of Newcastle will continue to involve the community and local businesses in discussions about the introduction of timed parking in the local area.

“Parking safety and turnover issues have been strongly identified throughout community consultation to date, and we’ll continue to speak with local businesses and residents to ensure ease of access to the upgraded Local Centre for locals, customers and visitors,” Mr Tranter said.

“We hope that through the improvements we are delivering, the community will enjoy even greater connections in this area and benefit from its links to our expanded pedestrian and cycleway network.”

Following a workshop with business owners in the area, the broader community will be invited to provide feedback on options for timed parking in the coming months.

Construction is estimated to be complete by early 2024. The upgrade has been supported with a $591,677 grant from the NSW Government under Round Seven of the Resources for Regions program.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the NSW Government’s Resources for Regions funding is stimulating local economies and supporting the ongoing prosperity of mining towns.

“This project represents the NSW Government’s commitment to providing continued support to mining reliant towns,” Mr Toole said.

“Projects like the Blackbutt Village upgrades will go a long way to help revitalising this area in Newcastle and provide long term benefits for this great mining community.”

The project being delivered as part of City of Newcastle’s Local Centres program and follows similar upgrades at Carrington, Beresfield, Joslin Street in Kotara, Llewellyn Street in Merewether, James Street Plaza in Hamilton, and the upgrades currently under construction in Stockton and Shortland.

An initiative to combat social isolation amongst the city’s elderly population caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been dished up today thanks to funds provided by City of Newcastle.

NovaCare’s Scone Time encourages elderly community members, their carers, companions and family members to re-connect over morning tea, with the first event held today in Merewether.

Thirty elderly Newcastle residents came together for the unique social event funded under City of Newcastle’s expanded Community and Economic Resilience Package, which aims to support vulnerable communities through the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said initiatives like Scone Time are so important as we continue to feel the impact of COVID-19 and look towards recovering from the pandemic.

“The last two years have presented challenges for everyone, but these are heightened amongst our elderly population,” Cr Nelmes said

“Providing seniors with safe and supported opportunities to seek meaningful social connection will improve the wellbeing of our community.”

City of Newcastle Director Strategy and Engagement Kathleen Hyland said continued support of the community will benefit the city’s most vulnerable residents.

“When the pandemic was declared in 2020, we moved quickly to deliver social, economic and well-being outcomes that would support our community,” said Ms Hyland.

“As the effects of COVID-19 continued to impact our community with social and economic disruption, we extended our $5.5 million community and economic resilience package to provide additional support with a targeted program including assistance for local charities and the most vulnerable in our community.”

NovaCare Chief Executive Officer Joseph McCarthy said City of Newcastle’s support will allow the initiative to be rolled out across a number of locations in Newcastle, with up to 20 events to be held this year.

“The pandemic has caused social isolation amongst older people, some of whom are now feeling lonely and hesitant to re-enter activities” Mr McCarthy said.

“City of Newcastle’s support will enable NovaCare to provide social re-connection to local seniors in a supported environment where they can share homemade scones, their thoughts and feelings, amongst great company.”

The free events are open to anyone over the age of 65, their carers and family members. Bookings can be made by contacting NovaCare.

Northern Settlement Services has also received funding under City of Newcastle’s Community and Economic Resilience Package. The grant will be used for a social and recreational program for vulnerable cultural and linguistically diverse populations.

To find out more about how we’re responding to COVID-19 visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/covid-19

About 5.20am today (Sunday 27 February 2022), emergency services were called to the Golden Highway, Cassilis, in the Upper Hunter, after reports two trucks were involved in a head-on collision.

The male driver of one of the trucks died at the scene and is yet to be formally identified.

Officers from The Hunter Valley Police District established a crime scene, which will be examined by specialist forensic police. 

An investigation into the crash is underway and a report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.

The Highway is closed in both directions.

Motorists are urged to avoid the area as delays are expected.

Novocastrians are invited to share their expertise to help shape the future of the city and identify opportunities that will benefit the city.

City of Newcastle (CN) has opened expressions of interest for a limited number of community representative positions on six of its advisory committees, which provide advice and guidance to the elected Council and CN on matters of strategic significance.

Strategic advisory committees are a key action implemented as a part of CN’s Open and Transparent Governance Strategy, which was adopted in 2017.

New members of the City’s advisory committees will join existing community members and CN staff to continue to help shape key policies and initiatives across the Newcastle Local Government Area.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the volunteer representatives on the committees play an important role in helping CN progress the shared vision of the Community Strategic Plan.

“We’re looking for individuals from all walks of life, including those with experience in or a passion for areas including urban planning, arts, heritage, innovation, smart infrastructure, the environment and transport, as well as champions for access and inclusion and advocates for Indigenous issues,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Community members with lived experience or expertise in these areas are an invaluable resource whose perspective or skills can help identify challenges and opportunities for our city and provide guidance during the development of key strategies designed to make Newcastle a better place to live, work in and visit.

“With a new Community Strategic Plan, Newcastle 2040, expected to be finalised later this year following the current period of public exhibition, we will have a new shared vision for Newcastle and will look to these advisory committees for guidance as we put this plan into action.”

Membership of the committees includes up to three Councillors, the Lord Mayor, stakeholders and up to three community representatives.

Councillor Margaret Wood previously served on the Access Inclusion Advisory Committee as a community member and will now act as co-chairperson following her election to Council in December.

“As a community member of the previous committee, I found that it was a great opportunity to contribute to change,” Cr Wood said.

“I felt that the diverse perspectives of committee members added a lot of value to the City’s work implementing the first Disability Inclusion Action Plan and in developing the new Action Plan.

“I encourage people with lived experience of disability to apply to become involved with the Access Inclusion Advisory Committee.”

The following committees have casual vacancies for community representatives:

Access Inclusion Advisory Committee

Assists with the implementation of CN’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan and provides guidance on disability inclusion in Newcastle.

Community and Culture Advisory Committee

To provide guidance on the development of strategies, and identification of challenges and opportunities, in relation to cultural planning, arts and cultural opportunities, community pride and local identity, and community involvement which encourages a sense of belonging within the LGA.

Liveable Cities Advisory Committee

Provides guidance on urban planning, heritage, safety, affordable housing and healthy and connected urban systems within the local government area.

Infrastructure Advisory Committee

Provides guidance on built and natural facilities and systems within the local government area, including coastal revitalisation programs, environmental matters, transport, traffic and parking, cycleways delivery and floodplain management.

Strategy and Innovation Advisory Committee

Provides guidance on the development, refinement and implementation of strategies, and identification of challenges and opportunities, in relation to the economic development and diversification of Newcastle as destination leading in innovative technologies, climate action, smart infrastructure, high value investment, and major events and tourism.

Guraki Advisory Committee

Provides guidance on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues and gives life to Councillor’s commitment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of City of Newcastle.

Expressions of Interest to join the advisory committees can be submitted until 20 March. Further information on the process and eligibility criteria can be found online at www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/projects/city-of-newcastle-advisory-committees