Newcastle News – Page 326

Carrington upgrade hailed in park celebration

City of Newcastle and the local community have celebrated the revitalisation of Carrington following a $3 million upgrade of its local centre.
Dramatic infrastructure improvements – to roads, pathways and parking – along Young Street and the addition of street trees, bike racks and bins will be followed by the installation of a smart bus shelter that will provide free Wi-Fi coverage.
The local centre overhaul was marked by the City staff and locals in Jubilee Park this morning.

The Lord Mayor opening the upgraded Carrington Local Town Centre with the help of City staff, locals and students
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(L-R) Laila Michelini, 6, and sister Allegra Michelini, 8, perform at this morning’s open day
“I’m proud to say that after more than 12 months of construction, Young Street is looking brand new and has been future proofed with new drainage and infrastructure to improve the amenity of the Carrington Local Centre,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“The City continues to deliver on our vision for city-wide urban renewal, setting the direction for growth and revitalisation.
“We want our city’s local centres to reflect a sense of place and local character, and I’m particularly pleased with finishing touches like the stone inlays celebrating Carrington’s heritage.
“Planning for this project included extensive community consultation on all aspects of the upgrades, including the choice of Brushbox and Tuckeroo street trees and the provision of more designated on street car parking.”
“We have also chosen best practise drainage solutions tailored to the area, including permeable paving and rain gardens.”

Max Weinhold, 3, enjoying the jumping castle at Jubilee Park, Carrington

Patrick Burgess, Sarah Horan and Chris Martin take a stroll across the revitalised Young Street
The City consulted with locals to hear their ideas and ensure their feedback was incorporated into the public domain plan for the area.
The Young St Carrington renewal project included:
• Drainage renewal
• Permeable paving to improve stormwater capacity
• Water sensitive urban design
• New site appropriate street trees
• Pedestrian-friendly street design
• Existing street furniture retained where possible, and new bike racks and bins
• New kerb, gutter and footpath
• Renewed road surface
• Road and pedestrian lighting upgrade
• Improved pedestrian crossings at both ends

Evocative snaps mark 30 years since quake

A doctor tending a man seriously wounded on Beaumont Street and a Council worker whose composure amid great adversity belied her young age feature among stirring images in a Newcaste Museum exhibition commemorating the 1989 earthquake.
The Earthquake Then and Now and Again Exhibition, curated in partnership with local designers Headjam, reflects on the 1989 natural disaster that claimed 13 lives and tested the resolve of so many Novocastrians.
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Dr Garry Warner, 39 when disaster struck, was snapped by the Newcastle Herald that fateful December morning with two other men, desperately awaiting an ambulance, as they cared for a man hurt by the collapsed Kent Hotel awning visible in the background.
“I raced to Beaumont but the whole street was full of a cloud of dust which made everything difficult to see,” the Cardiologist recalls of his reaction from his Hamilton medical rooms, in a caption to a 2014 photo of himself and one of 25 newspaper pics.
“I saw the destruction and my medical training just clicked in. I was providing first aid to the injured man in the photograph who was struck by a piece of The Kent Hotel awning.”
City of Newcastle worker Melissa Dial, a 29-year-old special projects officer at the time, has only realised her own mettle in the decades since she spent two continuous months on the phone dealing with the quake’s aftermath.
She appears on one of those calls in a photograph flanked by policemen not long after the 5.5-degree tremor.
“When I look at this photo, I immediately feel stress and pressure,” she says of the then-and-now exhibit pic.
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“At first we had a lot of phone calls about missing people … then the calls started to be about demolitions and building work … slowly the calls changed to people who were trying to cope with the trauma and stress of what had happened.
“I didn’t think about it at the time but I was pretty young to be coping with the stress.”
The exhibition, which gained national media attention when first held in 2014, marks the beginning of commemorations across the city for the quake’s 30th anniversary.
“This is a very personal exhibition with members of our city sharing their stories,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“The 1989 Earthquake was a defining moment for our city – it shaped us as a resilient but caring city.”
Photo credit: Luke Kellett from Headjam

Ecosuburbia event for smart, liveable sustainable city

Laman Street behind Civic Park will come to life with eco-market stalls, a local food swap and a range of activities to get kids thinking about sustainability when Newcastle Library hosts the Ecosuburbia Fair Share event tomorrow, Saturday 22 June.
City of Newcastle is collaborating with Permaculture Hunter and Purple Pear Farm to showcase the fair and host an “Aussie Street” City Hall talk by permaculture co-originator David Holmgren tomorrow.
Author of RetroSuburbia, the downshifter’s guide to a resilient future, Holmgren espouses a way of life aligned with the City of Newcastle’s strategy to create a smart, liveable and sustainable global city.
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“Our community collaborating to host the father of an internationally recognised social and environmental movement illustrates Newcastle’s commitment to living smarter and more sustainably,” Manager Libraries and Learning Suzie Gately said.
“His Aussie Street talk cleverly brings RetroSuburbia’s ideas into our everyday lives, using 100-plus photos and water-coloured illustrations and practical concepts from his exciting new book. Come along to be part of Holmgren’s remarkably insightful, thought-provoking vision for a resilient and sustainable future.”
Tickets for the Retrosuburbia ‘Aussie Street’ talk with David Holmgren sold out within 48 hours.
The Ecosuburbia Fair Share event from 10am is proudly delivered in collaboration with Newcastle Libraries, Hunter Permaculture and Purple Pear Farm. It will also host Slow Food Hunter Valley Soup Kitchen and live music by Newcastle Folk.
Ecosuburbia is part of the City’s embrace if the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 10 Reduced Inequalities, which are now part of the Newcastle 2030 Community Strategic Plan.

Whale of a day set to mark nautical showpiece

Nature lovers should mark Sunday week down in their diaries for a whale of a double date.
This year, the City’s Whale Tales lecture at Bar Beach falls on the same day as an annual tally of humpback whales.

The Whale Tales talks by Marine Naturalist Jeannie Lawson celebrate the gentle giants by canvassing their song, lifecycle and migration.
“On the day there are four sessions to choose from,” the City’s Program Development Coordinator – Environment Karenne Jurd said.
“At each session you will have the opportunity to ask Jeannie your best whale questions and hold part of a whale skeleton while watching the passing humpback parade.”
An estimated 30,000 humpback whales will swim north to Queensland breeding grounds this season in a nautical migration that’s been growing every year; so much so the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) needs help counting the whales.

Participants at last year’s Whale Tale Lecture at Bar Beach

Newcastle’s Bathers Way coastal pathway offers great vantage point for ORRCA’s 19th one-day census, which last year saw 2,065 whales spotted, up from 233 in 2002.
For more information about Whale Tales please call Angus Weingott on 4974 2622 or email aweingott@ncc.nsw.gov.au.
For more information about Humpback Whale Census Day visit http://www.orrca.org.au/
Whale Tales
Sunday 30^th June – 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm
Bar Beach Lookout
Cost: Free

Serious road crash near Singleton

Police are advising motorists that the New England Highway, south of Singleton in the Hunter Valley, has been closed to traffic in both directions following a serious motor vehicle crash.
The two-car collision occurred around six o’clock tonight (Thursday 20 June 2019), near the intersection of Racecourse Road at Whittingham.
Police advise that as a result, there are significant delays for traffic heading north and south.
Drivers are being urged to consider taking alternative routes around the crash, including Putty and Glendon Roads; and the Golden Highway, until the scene is cleared.
For further information, motorists can refer to www.livetraffic.com.

Man charged over alleged sexual assault of teenage boy – Hunter region

A man has been charged after allegedly engaging a teenage boy online and meeting with him for sex in the Hunter region.
Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced an investigation following reports a 14-year-old boy had been sexually assaulted by a man he met on a social media application in December 2018.
The incident was reported to local police before being referred to the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad for further investigation.
Following inquiries, detectives arrested a 27-year-old man at a home in Buttai about 9.30am yesterday (Thursday 20 June 2019).
The man was taken to Maitland Police Station and charged with two counts of sexual intercourse with child between the ages of 14 and 16.
Police will allege in court that the man sexually assaulted the boy, then aged 14, in a vehicle in the Hunter region.
He was refused bail and appeared at Maitland Local Court yesterday, where he was formally refused bail to reappear at Cessnock Local Court today (Friday 21 June 2019).
Meanwhile, police are urging parents and carers to speak with their children about staying safe online.
Safe internet use – tips for parents:
• Be aware of how much time your child spends on the internet.
• Spend time talking to your child about the dangers associated with online conversations, particularly when communicating with someone that they have only ever met online.
• Spend time exploring the internet with your children and let them teach you about their favourite websites and applications.
• Keep computers or internet-enabled devices in a room the whole family can access, not in your child’s bedroom; monitor internet access on those devices.
• Consider installing filtering and/or computer blocking software provided by your internet service provider.
• Ensure you are able to access your child’s email and social media accounts and randomly check the contents.
• Check your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls and consider using ‘caller ID’ to identify incoming calls.
• Consult your telephone company for options designed to ensure privacy and security.
• Enquire with your child’s school, public library, and places they frequent to find out what internet safety measures they have in place.
• Information on internet safety is available on the NSW Police website at: http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/safety_and_prevention/safe_and_secure/online_safety
Tips for children:
• Do not send a picture of yourself to anyone you don’t know and never place a full profile and picture anywhere on the internet.
• Never give out your personal information, including full name, home address, phone number or school, over the internet.
• Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone that you have only ever chatted with on the internet.
• Tell your parents or another adult you know of any contact that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Think carefully before uploading or sending images or videos to people over the internet. Once you press ‘send’ it’s definite and final – you can’t get it back or take it down.
• Information on youth issues, including online safety is available on the NSW Police website at:
http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/safety_and_prevention/safe_and_secure/young_people
More information and educational packages for parents and children are available from ThinkUKnow, a multi-agency program designed to educate and promote cyber safety: https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/
The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse, and extreme cases of neglect.

Charges laid after girl sexually and physically assaulted

A man will face court today charged after allegedly sexually assaulting a girl in the Newcastle area.
Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced an investigation, after a 15-year-old girl presented to John Hunter Hospital with injuries to her neck and reported she had been sexually assaulted by a man known to her earlier this month.
Following extensive inquiries, detectives arrested a 21-year-old man at Waratah Police Station just after 6pm yesterday (Thursday 20 June 2019).
He was charged with aggravated sexual assault – inflict actual bodily harm on victim, and two counts of aggravated sexual assault – victim under the age of 16 years.
Police will allege in court that the man supplied the girl with alcohol and prohibited drugs before choking her and sexually assaulting her in a car in the Newcastle area on Wednesday 5 June 2019.
He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Friday 21 June 2019).
The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse, and extreme cases of neglect.

Baby's mother found – Newcastle

The mother of a newborn baby whose body was discovered at Stockton earlier this week has been located.
As a result of inquiries by police from Newcastle City Police District, the 18-year-old woman, has been identified and was located at Penrith.
The woman has spoken with police about the birth of her child.
Investigators have ruled out the involvement of any third party.
Police will await the results of a post-mortem examination and forensic testing to determine the direction of any future inquiries.
Due to the volume of forensic evidence involved, inquiries are expected to be prolonged.
Detectives attached to Newcastle City Police District will continue inquiries on behalf of the Coroner.
Police would like to thank the community for their assistance. At this time, no further information is available.

Woman charged with drink-driving with children in car – Merewether

A woman has been charged with high-range drink driving after being stopped with her two young children in the car in the Newcastle suburb of Merewether yesterday.
About 3.10pm (Monday 17 June 2019), police stopped a white Toyota RAV4 on Frederick Street and subjected the 42-year-old female driver to a breath test, which returned a positive reading.
It is alleged the woman had just picked up her two young children from a nearby primary school.
She was arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station, where a subsequent breath analysis returned a reading of 0.239.
The woman was charged with driving with high range PCA and her NSW driver’s licence was suspended.
She was granted conditional bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court on 18 July 2019.
Police lodged a child at risk report with the Department of Family and Community Services regarding the matter.

Death of newborn baby – Newcastle

The body of a newborn baby was discovered at Newcastle today.
Emergency services were called to a home on Church Street in the Newcastle suburb of Stockton shortly after 7am (Tuesday 18 June 2019), after the body of a newborn baby was discovered abandoned in the backyard.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District attended, and a police operation is currently underway at the home.
A post mortem examination will be conducted in an effort to establish the age and cause of death.
This will form part of a report which will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.
Police hold grave concerns for the welfare of the mother who may need to seek urgent medical treatment and are appealing for public assistance.
Anyone with information about the unidentified baby or the mother is urged to contact Newcastle detectives or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.