Category: Newcastle News

City of Newcastle reaffirmed its long-held commitment to declaring the city a Nuclear Free Zone, raising the Hunter Peace Group and International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) flags in Civic Park in recognition of Hiroshima Day.
Observed each year on 6 August, 2021 marks the 76th anniversary of the devastating bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by US forces.

In support of ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, the flags were flown alongside the Australian and Aboriginal flags to mark the historic anniversary.
It followed a Lord Mayoral Minute supported by City of Newcastle councillors in June, acknowledging the City’s long-standing history with local, national and international peace movements, dating back to 29 June 1982 when the City first declared Newcastle a Nuclear Free Zone under Lord Mayor Joy Cummings AM, and resolving to establish with Hunter Peace Group a dedicated Newcastle Peace Park at Tighes Hill Reserve, adjacent to Islington Park.
Peace parks exist in many cities across the country, including Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra, and more locally at Cessnock and Tanilba Bay.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the City of Newcastle was proud to support these efforts as a progressive city.
“The City of Newcastle has a long and proud history of activism against nuclear weapons, particularly as a city with a large working port,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Former Newcastle Lord Mayor Joy Cummings was a passionate advocate for the peace movement, inspiring strong community support and joining with Hunter Peace Group, trade unionists and activists to hold demonstrations on the importance of nuclear disarmament and protecting Newcastle as a Nuclear Free City and port.
“I am honoured to uphold that mission today on behalf of the City, in which there is no place for nuclear weapons in modern society.”
Hunter Peace Group Secretary Lynda Forbes said the group was pleased to continue this important work with the City of Newcastle.
“While ever there is nuclear testing being conducted across the globe, Hunter Peace Group believes it is important to continue to commemorate the anniversaries of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to draw public attention to the threat that nuclear weapons pose to communities throughout the world,” Ms Forbes said.
“Despite City of Newcastle supporting the United Nations’ Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2019, and advocating to the Federal Government in 2020, Australia is yet to sign and ratify the treaty, which came into force in January this year.
“I’d like to thank Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, the City of Newcastle and the broader community for their continued advocacy and support for Hunter Peace Group and ICAN.”

An Illawarra man has been charged with fraud after allegedly claiming he had COVID-19 to avoid going to work.
About 4.15am on Monday (2 August 2021), the 23-year-old allegedly sent a text message to his employer, stating he had contracted COVID-19 and was unable to go to work in Newcastle.
His co-workers were stood down and self-isolated while awaiting their test results, and several locations near his place of employment required deep cleaning.
Later that day, the man allegedly sent another text to his employer advising his second test returned a negative result.
Subsequent inquiries confirmed the man never received a positive test result.
The matter was referred to the NSW Police Force, with officers attached to Wollongong Police District commencing an investigation.
About 1pm yesterday (Thursday 5 August 2021), the man attended Wollongong Police Station, where he was arrested and charged with conveying false information that a person or property is in danger.
The West Wollongong man was granted bail to appear at Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday 14 September 2021.

City of Newcastle has partnered with Hunter Ageing Alliance to better integrate age-friendly actions such as accessibility improvements and community connections into forward planning.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said exploring ways for Newcastle to adapt to an ageing population is an important focus for City of Newcastle as it plans for the next decade given one quarter of locals will soon be over 65 years of age.
“An age-friendly city and community enables people at all stages of life to actively participate in community activities and treats everyone with respect,” Cr Nelmes said.
“By working with Hunter Ageing Alliance, we can develop ways to increase community participation for our older residents as well as exploring ways to increase affordable age-friendly housing, employment, training and education opportunities.
“As Newcastle’s population ages, it’s vital we make planning decisions to increase accessibility in our city and to create a place where it is easy for our elderly members to stay connected to others.”
Cr Nelmes said that the work with Hunter Ageing Alliance coincided with community consultation on a new ‘Social Strategy’ which would identify and propose actions to address barriers to social inclusion and make Newcastle a more liveable and connected city.
“Beyond health, welfare and economic issues, we are prioritising social engagement, life-long learning, connectedness and community development for our ageing citizens.
“By collaborating with industry partners, other government departments, not-for-profit organisations and our community, we share in a common goal to prioritise and plan inclusive responses affecting our community and provide a platform for further policy advocacy.”

Many of City of Newcastle’s publicly facing facilities will be closed to the public from today in line with the seven-day lockdown announced by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian for areas of the Hunter, including the Newcastle local government area.
The following City of Newcastle facilities are closed:

• Blackbutt Reserve (other than bush trails for essential exercise)
• City of Newcastle libraries including the return shoots
• City Administration Centre at 12 Stewart Avenue including the customer service centre and the digital library
• City Hall
• Civic Theatre and Civic Digest
• Community centres and halls
• Fort Scratchley
• Newcastle Art Gallery
• Newcastle Museum
• Tighes Hill Animal Facility
• Visitor Information Centre

Essential services including kerbside waste collection and patrols of beaches, ocean baths and public areas by City of Newcastle lifeguards and rangers will continue, while Beresfield Childcare Centre will remain open.
City of Newcastle staff will continue to undertake essential construction and maintenance services in a COVID-19 safe manner and in accordance with relevant Public Health Orders.
Summerhill Waste Management Centre is closed for domestic customers but will remain open for essential commercial waste services and kerbside collections.
Swimming centres remain closed across Newcastle in line with the seasonal schedule.
City of Newcastle will continue to provide customer service via telephone and online web chat between 8.30am and 4pm Monday to Friday.
We encourage our community to follow the Public Health Order and the Stay at Home restrictions.
For information regarding the lockdown or Public Health Orders visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/COVID-19
Information regarding individuals or businesses who are or may be contravening the current NSW Health Order should be reported to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

It’s welcomed almost 1.5 million visitors, won 20 state and national awards, displayed 71 exhibitions and held thousands of special events – but after a decade at Honeysuckle there’s still more to discover at Newcastle Museum.
Today marks the 10^th anniversary since the Museum opened its doors at Honeysuckle after transforming the former Railway Workshops into a state-of-the-art cultural facility.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Newcastle Museum is one of the jewels in the city’s cultural crown.
“Newcastle Museum plays a key role in the rich diversity of experiences that help attract visitors to our city,” Cr Nelmes said.
“The award-winning Museum is on the cutting edge of contemporary museum practice and has been nationally recognised for its innovative exhibitions, which create insightful and immersive ways to interpret and preserve our city’s fascinating history.
“Upgrading and expanding this critical facility through its move to Honeysuckle saw the Museum become a cornerstone of the wider Civic cultural precinct.
“I’m proud to see how much it has achieved during the past 10 years and I can’t wait to experience what else it has in store during the next decade and beyond.”

Newcastle Museum Director Julie Baird said it had been amazing to see the transformation both within the Museum’s Heritage-listed buildings and in the surrounding landscape over the years.
“The Museum’s transformation will continue following the mass planting of various native tree species in four sections of Museum Park yesterday as part of the Museum’s Living Labels project, Ms Baird said.
“The trees and shrubs planted relate directly to objects within the Museum’s collection and offer a new way to interpret and understand Newcastle’s geography and history, providing a living connection between the natural landscape and the stories of our past.
“We plan to celebrate the Museum’s significant milestone with activities across the next 12 months, kicking off with a 10th anniversary exhibition showcasing specially commissioned works by much-loved local artist Trevor Dickinson, whose colourful, larger-than-life murals including the Newcastle Museum Photowall have formed such an intrinsic part of the Museum and its surrounds.
“Newcastle Museum is a celebration of our city and we are a significant element of the lives and identity of Newcastle’s people.
“Newcastle Museum is committed to telling the stories of both ordinary and extraordinary Novocastrians through our collections, exhibitions, and audience engagement – this is who we are, where we’ve come from and where we’re going.
“This facility plays a major role in Newcastle, not just as a tourist attraction but as an inclusive and accessible space that educates, entertains and benefits the community in so many ways.”
Among those who have benefitted from the Museum since it moved to Honeysuckle is 10-year-old Sebastian Skrynnik, whose parents immigrated to Newcastle from Russia and have been taking him to the Museum since he was a baby.
“We’ve shared a lot of great memories inside these walls,” Sebastian said.
“It’s where I came a few times a week as we couldn’t afford to go to preschool or playgroups – but the museum gave me a place that had everything I needed. I remember playing here with so many different kids, exploring and learning.
“My parents came to Australia to give me a better life, and what they found for us was a new family and a community that’s part of my life now.”
The Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Current exhibitions include the self-curated The Castanet Club: an exhibition you can dance to! and a travelling exhibition from the Monash Gallery of Art showcasing the work of John Gollings, Australia’s pre-eminent photographer of the built environment. Coincidentally, Gollings was commissioned to photograph the Museum when it was first opened at Honeysuckle.
Newcastle Museum Fast Facts

• Newcastle Museum was established in 1988 in the restored former Castlemaine Brewery in Newcastle West as a major Bicentennial project.
• It temporarily closed in 2008 to allow for its shift to the former Honeysuckle Railways Workshops, which were the original preferred site for the Museum.
• The relocation involved the major refurbishment of the three existing Heritage-listed railway buildings. The Locomotive Boiler Shop is now home to Supernova, the New Erecting Shop is home to Fire and Earth, and the Blacksmith’s and Wheel Shop now house enclosed exhibition spaces and the theatrette. A new Link Building was constructed to form a connection between these spaces and contains the main public foyer and orientation spaces.
• The Museum re-opened on 4 August 2011. In the first six months it welcomed 100,000 visitors through the doors to explore the innovative and interactive new displays including the drama of the Fire and Earth show, which interprets the excitement, colour and noise of the steel making process and remains the Museum’s most popular permanent exhibit today.
• In the past 10 years, Newcastle Museum has welcomed 1,423,972 visitors, accepted 2,615 object donations, won 20 state and national awards including the 2021 Museums and Galleries National Award and displayed 71 exhibitions across a diverse range of topic areas.
• The Museum welcomed its one millionth visitor to the Honeysuckle site in October 2017.

A man will face court today after an alleged armed robbery attempt in the state’s Hunter Region.
About 4pm yesterday (Tuesday 3 August 2021), police responded to a report of an attempted armed robbery at a convenience store in Anderson Drive, Tarro.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended, secured a crime scene and commenced an investigation.
Police were informed by the 42-year-old male shop owner that a man allegedly entered the store with a large knife demanding cash and cigarettes. The owner challenged the man who fled the store without any property. No injuries were sustained to the shop owner.
About 6.50pm a 21-year-old man attended Maitland Police Station where he was arrested.
The man was charged with one count of attempted robbery armed with offensive weapon.
He was bail refused to appear in Maitland Local Court later today (Wednesday 4 August 2021).

Homicide Squad detectives have charged a man with murder following an investigation into the fatal shooting of another man at Newcastle last month.
About 12.45pm on Thursday 22 July 2021, emergency services were called to a unit at Darby St, Cooks Hill, following reports of shots fired.
Upon arrival, police located a 40-year-old man inside the unit with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died at the scene.
The man has been formally identified as Wesley ‘Wes’ Prentice from Rutherford.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District commenced inquiries, before detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad took carriage of the investigation under Strike Force Hibbard.
Following extensive investigations, Homicide Squad detectives , with assistance from officers from Newcastle City Police District, Tactical Operations Regional Support (TORS), Police Negotiators, Mid North Coast Police District and the Dog Unit, arrested a 35-year-old man near a caravan park at Bonny Hills about 5.45pm on Sunday (1 August 2021).
During a search of the man’s belonging, officers located a loaded firearm and cash. They were seized for forensic examination.
He was taken to Port Macquarie Police Station, where he was charged with murder, possess loaded firearm in public place, possess shortened firearm (not pistol) without authority and possess unregistered firearm in public place.
The Woodrising man was refused bail and appeared at Wauchope Local Court on Monday (2 August 2021), where he was formally refused bail to appear at Port Macquarie Local Court today (Wednesday August 2021).
As part of ongoing inquiries, Strike Force Hibbard detectives executed two search warrants at Bonny Hills and Windale.
During the searches, number of items were seized by police for forensic examination.
Investigations are continuing.

A former youth worker has been charged with historic sex offences across the state’s Hunter Region dating back to the 1990s.
In November 2020, detectives from Lake Macquarie Police District established Strike Force Eiraban to investigate allegations of alleged child sexual offences against two teenage boys between 1990 and 2004 in Muswellbrook and Gateshead.
Following extensive inquiries, a 71-year-old man attended Belmont Police Station where he was arrested about 7.40am yesterday (Thursday 29 July 2021).
He was charged with 15 offences, including:

• Sex assault (Cat 4) incite indecent act under 16 and under authority;
• sexual intercourse with person 10 or over and under 16 years (x3);
• sexual intercourse with person 10 and under 16 years (x3);
• sexual intercourse with person 14 or over and under 16 years (x2);
• aggravated indecent assault – victim under authority of offender; and
• supply prohibited drug (x5)

Police will allege in court that the Marks Point man formerly worked as a youth worker in the region.
He appeared at Belmont Local Court, where he was formally bail refused to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Friday 30 July 2021).
Investigations under Strike Force Eiraban are ongoing.

A man will appear in court today charged over an alleged aggravated break and enter and sexual assault in Newcastle.
About 3.20pm on Thursday (29 July 2021), a 20-year-old woman was inside her bedroom at a home on Turana Parade, North Lambton, when an unknown man, armed with a knife, entered the room and threatened her.
She attempted to yell out and alert neighbours before it’s alleged the man grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.
A short time later, the man fled on foot and the woman sought assistance from other residents, who notified police.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District established a crime scene and commenced an investigation under Strike Force Oorin, with assistance from the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad.
Following extensive inquiries, strike force investigators arrested a 20-year-old man, not known to the woman, at a home on Faulkner Crescent, North Lambton, just after 4pm yesterday (Friday 30 July 2021).
Shortly after, a search warrant was executed at the home where police seized a number of items relevant to the investigation.
The man was taken to Newcastle Police Station and charged with four counts of aggravated sex assault-threat to inflict actual bodily harm victim with weapon, break and enter indictable offence (not steal/damage), robbery armed with offensive weapon, sexually touch another person without consent, and reckless wounding.
He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Bail Court today (Saturday 31 July 2021).

City of Newcastle is continuing to support a multi-agency approach to community safety in the Hamilton area to ensure people who are vulnerable get access to important services.
More than $30,000 in Rapid Response Grants have been distributed to six community service providers and faith organisations to bolster the support being provided for people experiencing homelessness or food insecurity.
This includes funding for the following initiatives:

• Hunter Homeless Connect – boost its program offering food and clothing vouchers
• Grainery Food Bank – make non-perishables and fresh vegetables available at the food bank, increase the quantities of single-serve frozen meals already available, provide one-on-one assistance for those in need to access support services and financial counselling, and extend the opening hours of the service
• Hamilton Seven Day Adventist Food Pantry and Meal Service – increase the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables and non-perishable products, extend emergency food relief, trial extended operating hours to include Friday mornings, and explore a weekly pop-up at a local community centre
• Hamilton Uniting Church – provide access to community and emergency food support through the ‘Shoebox Project’, which includes boxes of basic food and sanitary items
• Reach Homeless Services – implement a ‘breakfast pack’ program for those in need, distributed at the Suspension Café in Beaumont Street Islington.
• Establish a new partnership with the Hamilton Men’s Shed and the Hamilton BIA to trial a new community pantry service in Hamilton for a period of six months, which is expected to be operating in late 2021.

City of Newcastle is supporting a multi-agency approach along with stakeholders including NSW Police and the Department of Community and Justice Assertive Outreach (AO) regarding vulnerable people and community safety issues at Hamilton Train Station Park.
As part of the multi-agency operation, AO staff have regularly visited the park since Police commenced regular patrols, which has led to four people being housed. NSW Police has increased visibility in the area to prevent and address anti-social behaviour.
CN is responsible for safely managing the use of public land on behalf of our community. CN will continue working with those providing outreach in Hamilton Train Station Park to support the safety of vulnerable people and the broader community.