Category: Newcastle News

A man has been charged following an investigation into an alleged sexual assault in Newcastle last week.
About 11.30pm last Friday (10 December 2021), a 23-year-old woman was walking to her car on Maitland Road, Islington, when a man approached her from behind.
Police will allege in court the man sexually assaulted the woman before a passer-by intervened and chased him onto Maitland Road, Beaumont Street and Fern Street.
Officers attached to Newcastle City Police District were notified and commenced an investigation into the incident.
Following inquiries, police arrested a 47-year-old man at a workplace at Sandgate about 8am today (Monday 13 December 2021).
He was taken to Newcastle Police Station and charged with aggravated sex assault inflict actual bodily harm on victim.
The Windale man was refused bail to appear in Newcastle Local Court tomorrow (Tuesday 14 December 2021).

Iconic artworks from Newcastle Art Gallery’s collection will provide interactive night-time attractions to liven up underutilised public spaces across the city.
The works will be displayed on 15 illuminated light boxes, which also include interactive elements and an augmented reality feature to provide information about the art.
The first set of five light boxes are now operational in Kuwami Place on Hunter Street, with additional installations to be delivered at Market Street and in Pacific Park early next year.
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said local talent, innovation and creativity is behind City of Newcastle’s Night Spaces Project, which will enhance local public spaces at night for the betterment of the community.
“The purpose-built interactive light boxes are an innovative solution to activating underutilised spaces throughout our city at night,” Cr Clausen said.
“Utilising cutting-edge interactive smart city technology, City of Newcastle partnered with the University of Newcastle and a local industrial design business to create these bespoke light boxes, which offer a new way for the community to interact with Newcastle Art Gallery’s nationally significant collection while also helping to illuminate and attract people to these locations at night.”
The light boxes have been built locally using durable sustainable products and are solar powered, with an internal battery to illuminate the artworks and drive the sensor-based lighting features. Augmented reality displays designed for each artwork adds a further layer of digital interactivity. The light boxes are designed to be relocatable for use at other sites or major events.
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said the light boxes will share the Gallery’s vast collection with new audiences, with different displays curated for each location.
“The works of art selected for Kuwami Place, for example, explore the genre of portraiture from the Gallery’s collection,” Ms Morton said.
“Iconic images include Portrait of a Strapper by William Dobell, portraits of Margaret Olley in her Church Street terrace and Rupert Bunny’s emotive portrait of muse and wife Jeanne.
“Some works make a comment on social issues to engage those interacting with the light boxes, whilst other works depict a simple interaction between the artist and the subject in the picture.”
The Night Spaces Project has been jointly funded by City of Newcastle and the Department of Communities and Justice, as part of the NSW Government’s Community Safety Fund.

Police are investigating following a two-vehicle fatal crash in the Hunter region today.
About 10am (Saturday 11 December 2021), emergency services were called to the Golden Highway at Wyoming Road, Cassilis – about 30km south west of Merriwa – following reports a Hyundai SUV travelling west and a Toyota Landcruiser travelling east had collided.
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the female driver and sole occupant of the Hyundai, but she died at the scene.
The driver and sole occupant of the Landcruiser, a 63-year-old man, has been airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.
Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District attended and established a crime scene, which will be forensically examined.
As inquiries into the incident continue, police are appealing for anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.

The Local Government elections may be over, but there’s another ballot looming for Novocastrians this month when the latest exhibition opens at Newcastle Museum.
Visitors will be asked to cast their vote for the most compelling candidates as part of the Great Baby Dinosaur Show, a paleontological peek back in time presented in the tradition of an agricultural show.

The ticketed, family-friendly exhibition showcases a range of animatronic dinosaurs including pterosaurs, triceratops and velociraptors, which Newcastle Cr Carol Duncan said will deliver a much-needed dose of fun and frivolity this summer.
“Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the experience of the Great Baby Dinosaur Show, hearing the life-like dinosaurs roar and watching them move while carefully considering their vote for the ‘Best in Show’,” Cr Duncan said.
“The Museum’s staff have had fun preparing for this exhibition and taking on the role of judges for this giant baby competition, awarding ribbons for everything from the ‘Best Roar’ and ‘Coolest Spikes’ to the ‘Most Colourful Scales’, but now we need your help to decide who will take out the top prize, with the winner to be announced when the show finishes up on 12 March, 2022.”

Newcastle Museum Director Julie Baird said the Museum was excited to put this special dinosaur show together for the summer school holiday period.
“Dinosaur-themed exhibitions are always very popular with the community, and especially our younger residents, which is why our Museum staff were excited to be involved in curating this show,” Ms Baird said.
“While they’re here, visitors can also check out our other summer exhibition, Oh yeah, I forgot about that: A decade of change seen through the eyes of Mr Trevor Dickinson, Artist, which features more than 20 works by the much-loved Newcastle artist.”
The Great Baby Dinosaur Show opens to the public on 11 December 2021 and will remain on show until 12 March 2022, with tickets available now via the Newcastle Museum website.
A range of dinosaur products made by local producers are also on sale at the Visitor Information Centre so families can take home their own locally-generated souvenir of the exhibition.

A café and community facility at Newcastle’s favourite nature reserve and an improved cycling link between the University of Newcastle and the city centre have received almost $1.2 million from the NSW Government.
Close to $900,000 has been allocated for a new community facility for Blackbutt Reserve, with City of Newcastle committed to funding an adjoining café. An additional $300,000 has been provided for the installation of traffic signals on Maud Street in Waratah, as part of the broader University to City Centre cycleway project.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes welcomed the Resources for Regions funding for these important projects, which will provide a range of benefits for the community.
“This week’s funding announcement will enable City of Newcastle to continue to deliver improvements at our city’s much-loved Blackbutt Reserve, through the construction of a purpose-built café and community facility,” Cr Nelmes said.
“As the green heart of our city, Blackbutt Reserve welcomes countless locals and visitors each year who take advantage of the picturesque walking trails, unique wildlife exhibits and family-friendly playgrounds.
“The café and community facility, which are currently in initial planning stages and will come to fruition within the next few years, will further enhance the visitor experience and complement the existing native animal exhibits and recreation areas.
“The ground floor café will include visitor information, indoor and outdoor dining areas, with the potential to be commercially leased. A new multi-function community education space will sit above the café with the capability to deliver environmental education and small events.
“The new building will be designed to suit the unique environment at Blackbutt’s Carnley Avenue Reserve and will replace the existing kiosk, which was installed as a temporary facility.
“When I was first elected to represent Ward 3 in 2008, there was a proposal to remove the staff, animals and animal shelters from Blackbutt Reserve, and to subdivide and sell off land around the Reserve for residential development. These proposals reflected the poor financial position of the Council at the time.
“Working with the Blackbutt Support Group and local community, I fought against these proposals, which were ultimately overturned. Together with the community, I led the development of a Masterplan that prioritised funding of $9 million over 10 years.
“As Lord Mayor, I’ve ensured the City’s financial sustainability to allow us to continue to provide great public services like Blackbutt. I made sure that Blackbutt had the Priority Project status it deserved and have focused the City’s resources to continue to improve and upgrade Blackbutt with new playgrounds at both Carnley Avenue and Richley Reserve, new boardwalks, a new animal arena, new amenities and disability access. Now we will add a cafe and community facility.”
Cr Nelmes said the University to City Centre cycleway project will improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists travelling between the University of Newcastle’s Callaghan Campus and the city, on a key route identified under the City’s Cycling Plan.
“We’ve also secured funding for new traffic signals to be installed on Maud Street, which will significantly improve safety and enhance connection from the suburbs through to the city,” Cr Nelmes said.
“City of Newcastle is committed to ensuring Newcastle is a cycling and pedestrian-friendly city, and the University to City Centre cycleway will provide another crucial link in our cycleway network.”
The two City of Newcastle projects are among 15 projects to share in $5.6 million in funding under round eight of the Resources for Regions program, which aims to support mining-impacted communities in regional NSW by providing economic opportunities, improved amenity and positive social outcomes.

An ongoing program of sand nourishment will be the best way to provide a buffer for the coastline and beach amenity at Stockton according to a City of Newcastle evaluation, which considered a range of options for long term coastal management.
City of Newcastle presented the outcomes of the Evaluation Report to the Stockton Community Liaison Group at a community meeting in Stockton this morning, finding that following an initial mass sand nourishment effort, regular top ups will be more cost effective and efficient than structures like an artificial headland.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the evaluation process was extensive and considered performance, environmental and social factors and included a cost benefit analysis.
“Four feasible coastal management options including an artificial reef, an artificial headland, sand back passing, and maintenance sand nourishment were assessed, and mass sand nourishment supported by annual sand nourishment top ups is considered the best solution for Stockton,” Cr Nelmes said.
“The evaluation appraisal included both economic and non-economic factors to determine which scheme would best support our vision to provide an erosion buffer to Stockton, return recreational beach amenity and the sense of identity that the beach provides to the local community.
“The process included a cost-benefit analysis that demonstrated that the greatest economic value resulting from the proposed coastal management scheme is the value of improved beach amenity, which is a value that extends beyond Stockton residents to the people of Newcastle and NSW.”
With several NSW Government Agencies owning land along the northern section of the Stockton coastline, City of Newcastle is continuing to work with these stakeholders to ensure the proposed solution meets their needs.
“Support from affected agency landholders is critical to the successful implementation of the preferred solution as well as a mandatory requirement of the Coastal Management Act 2016,” Cr Nelmes said.
The community had input into the evaluation of the schemes via a survey completed earlier this year and Chair of the Stockton Community Liaison Group, Barbara Whitcher, said she believes there is broad support for ongoing sand nourishment at Stockton Beach.
“This information confirms the need for sand to be continually replenished on Stockton Beach, which we’ve known for some time, but it also prioritises this scheme over other options like an artificial headland or artificial reef to provide the buffer our coastline needs,” Ms Whitcher said.
“Some people in the community would have preferred an artificial reef or artificial headland. However, the economic benefit analysis confirms that sand nourishment is the most cost-effective scheme and is less intrusive on the environment.
“Now we want to see the preferred sand nourishment management scheme implemented as soon as possible.”
City of Newcastle consultants also presented the Community Liaison Group with results of a Coastal Inundation Report, which identifies and maps the present and future coastal inundation hazard at Stockton from tides, surge and dynamic, wave-driven water levels that lead to over wash and overtopping of coastal barriers.
The findings further highlight the need to implement the mass sand nourishment strategy, outlined in the Stockton Coastal Management Program 2020, which will mitigate this risk within the medium term.
City of Newcastle’s next step is to progress discussions about funding the coastal management scheme with the State Government, which established the Deputy Premier’s Stockton Beach Taskforce to provide advice and recommendations on issues including sand sourcing and to seek priority capital and operational funding.
In addition to managing the Stockton coastline, the newly formed Newcastle Coastal Management Working Group will consider coastal management of the entire 14 kilometres of coastline in the Newcastle local government area as well as the Hunter Estuary as Coastal Management Programs for these areas are developed in 2022-23.
Work completed by City of Newcastle over the past 12-18 months to progress coastal management at Stockton since the certification of the Stockton Coastal Management Program includes:

• Sand Movement Study
• Coastal Inundation Assessment
• Love Our Coast Community Survey – capturing beach visitation data
• Feasibility Assessment into coastal management options for the Extended CMP area
• Workshops on the four complementary management scheme options with Stockton Community Liaison Group, NSW Government Agencies, Worimi and a month-long community survey capturing broad community feedback on the four options
• Evaluation Report drafted
• Grant Applications – harbour investigations and to support the development of the extended CMP
• Investigation of harbour-based sand sources commenced
• Consultation with Port of Newcastle and relevant government agencies to confirm Stockton as the primary beneficial reuse location of suitable sand within the renewal of the Sea Dumping Permit for maintenance dredging within the harbour
• Review of Offshore Sand Assessment Report
• Advice on planning pathway offshore sand extraction and placement
• Formed and held first meeting of the Newcastle Coastal Management Working Group
• Ongoing implementation of the CMP 2020 actions including rockbags, dune works, sand scraping and renewal of accessways.

A man will face court today charged over a series of alleged armed robberies at Newcastle overnight.
About 5.50pm yesterday (Wednesday 8 December 2021), a 26-year-old man was seated in his stationary vehicle on Beaumont Street, Hamilton, when another man opened the driver’s side door and demanded he get out.
It will be alleged the man grabbed the driver and pulled him from the car, before a brief struggle ensued and he stabbed the driver in the chest with a scalpel.
The driver was able to grab the keys from the ignition before the man fled the scene on foot, heading south along Beaumont Street.
A short time later, the man allegedly entered a chemist on the same street before demanding cash from an employee and stealing drinks.
The man then walked towards the intersection of Tudor and Beaumont Streets, where he opened the passenger side door of a white Ford Kuga – which was stationary at traffic lights – and allegedly threatened the driver – a 33-year-old woman – with a scalpel.
The woman – who had two young children in the vehicle – circled the block before the man attempted to undo one of the child’s restraints.
The woman pulled over and removed the children from the car, before the man stole the vehicle and drove away.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District were notified of all three incidents and commenced extensive searches and inquiries in the nearby area.
About 7pm, officers attached to Hunter Region Enforcement Squad (RES) observed a white Ford Kuga on Darby Street at Cooks Hill.
Police activated their warning lights and sirens, however the driver failed to stop as directed and a pursuit was initiated.
The pursuit continued through Merewether, before the car was stopped at Flowerdale Avenue.
The driver – a 39-year-old Queensland man – was arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of robbery armed with an offensive weapon, aggravated robbery with wounding/grievous bodily harm, and police pursuit – not stop – drive at speed.
He was refused bail and is due to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Thursday 9 December 2021).

Police are appealing for assistance to locate a man missing from the Hunter region, last seen in the Hamilton area.
Colin Whittaker, aged 58, was last seen on Beaumont Street, Hamilton about 9:50pm on Sunday 21 November 2021.
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District were notified later that day and commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.
Police and family members hold concerns for his welfare due to a medical condition.
Colin also hasn’t made contact with family since November and hasn’t used his bank account, he also does not have a mobile phone.
He is described as being of Caucasian appearance, between 180cm to 185cm tall, with a slim build, grey hair and green eyes. He was last seen wearing white/cream coloured jacket, light coloured pants and a dark beanie.
He is known to frequent areas of Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and Ourimbah, he is also known to use the public transport network and other public facilities. He had previously mentioned that he intended to travel to Queensland, however he has no means to travel there.
Anyone who may have seen Colin or that may know of his whereabouts is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The landmark Richmond Vale Rail Trail project has reached an important approval milestone, with future work set to rejuvenate the historic rail line as a new regional shared path for the community and visitors.
The Development Application (DA) for the design and construction of Newcastle’s section of the Richmond Vale Rail Trail was approved yesterday by the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel.

Approximately 13 kilometres of the path located within the Newcastle Local Government Area was approved. Two kilometres of the trail that goes through the Hunter Wetlands National Park will undergo further assessment in the new year.
City of Newcastle’s Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said this approval represents a major step forward for what will be a regionally significant recreational and tourism attraction that will rival the popular Fernleigh Track
“The project will offer a great active choice for locals and visitors, passing through old railway tunnels and over bridges, amongst wildlife habitats and linking to the Hunter Wetlands Centre,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Significant work went into preparing this DA and I want to congratulate everyone who played their part. This is an important milestone and I’m excited and very optimistic about the future of the Richmond Vale Rail Trail.”
City of Newcastle’s section is part of the overall regional proposal between City of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Cessnock City Councils for a 32-kilometre cycling and walking track along the former Richmond Vale rail line between Kurri Kurri and Hexham, along the former Chichester to Newcastle water pipeline between Shortland and Tarro, and through the Hunter Wetlands National Park.
The shared pathway will provide a link between Kurri Kurri, Tarro, Minmi and Shortland and it would mean users could avoid travelling on the Pacific Motorway, Hunter Expressway or New England Highway.
City of Newcastle will seek approval of the two-kilometre section through the Hunter Wetlands National Park next year to ultimately move this project towards construction, as funding permits.
To find out more about the project visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/works

Police are reappealing for public assistance as they continue to investigate the whereabouts of missing Lake Macquarie man, Patrick Thaidy, one year after his disappearance.
Patrick Thaidy, aged 60, was last seen at his home on Delasala Drive in Macquarie Hills about 12am on Sunday 6 December 2020.
Further inquiries have confirmed Patrick was later sighted along Macquarie Road at Cardiff about 9.25am and again on Bayview Street, Warners Bay, around 10.45am that same day (Sunday 6 December 2020).
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District commenced an investigation into his whereabouts; however, despite extensive searches and inquiries into his movements since then, Mr Thaidy remains missing.
Police and family members hold grave concerns for his welfare due to medical conditions.
Today (Tuesday 7 December 2021), officers attached to Police Rescue will conduct further aerial searching utilising a drone and ground searching in bushland and scrub off Bayview Street, Warners Bay.
As inquiries continue, anyone who may have seen or heard from Patrick or may have any information which could assist investigators is urged to contact Belmont Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.