Child critical after being hit by car at Cessnock

A child has been critically injured after being hit by a car at Cessnock tonight.
An eight-year-old boy sustained severe head injuries when he was struck by a sedan on Allandale Road, Cessnock, about 8pm (Friday 1 February 2019).
Family members rendered assistance until paramedics arrived and took the child to John Hunter Hospital; he’s reported to be in a critical condition.
The driver of the sedan, a 55-year-old man, has been taken to Cessnock Hospital for mandatory testing.
Allandale Road will be closed for some hours while Crime Scene officers examine the location.
Police from Hunter Valley Police District are speaking with witnesses.

Search for missing man – Stockton

Police are continuing to search for a man missing near Newcastle.
Steven Fenwick, aged 33, was last seen about 2.30am yesterday (Thursday 31 January 2019), when he was walking with a woman near the intersection of Fullerton and Meredith streets, Stockton.
The woman left and police have been told Steven did not meet her at an oval at Stockton as planned.
He has not been seen or heard from since, however, personal items have been located in bushland adjacent to Fullerton Street.
Officers from Newcastle Police District were notified about 6pm and a search commenced involving local police with assistance from the Dog Unit.
About 8am today (Friday 1 February 2019), the search re-commenced with local police, and assistance from PolAir, Police Rescue, and the Marine Area Command.
Anyone with information or who sights Steven is urged to come forward.
He was last seen wearing a black shirt, black board shorts, a red cap and grey/blue thongs.

TOP OF THE CLASS FOR SCHOOL CROSSING SAFETY

School crossings across NSW will be made even safer with 300 more lollipop supervisors to be provided by the Liberals & Nationals Government.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Education Rob Stokes said the initiative, an investment of $18.5 million over four years, would offer more protection for children and improved visibility for motorists.

“Keeping kids safe is our number one priority and every child in NSW should be able to get to and from school safely,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“Lollipop men and women are such an important part of the community effort to making our roads safer for children.”
Mr Stokes said under the previous requirements, a crossing had to be used by 300 cars per hour in the morning or afternoon as well as at least 50 students to be eligible for a supervisor. Under the change, they will only need to meet one of the criteria.
“This initiative means more schools will be eligible for a lollipop supervisor, including 69 schools that had applied in the last two years and were found ineligible,” Mr Stokes said.
“School zones are some of the safest parts of our road network and since 2013 we haven’t lost a single child in an operating school zone.”
The School Crossing Supervisor Program currently funds up to 1200 supervisors at around 800 crossings across the State.
School zone safety has always been a priority for the Liberals & Nationals Government. There is now at least one set of school zone flashing lights for every school in NSW. More than 5500 school flashing lights have been installed.

Further charges laid over supermarket break-ins across the Hunter region

Detectives have laid an additional four charges against a man as they continue to investigate aggravated break and enters at supermarkets across the Hunter region.
In April 2018, detectives from the Robbery and Serious Crime Squad established Strike Force Tilyard to investigate six aggravated break-ins at supermarkets in the Hunter region between March 2017 and April 2018.
During the course of the investigation, detectives have charged two men, aged 28 and 20. They remain before the courts.
Following further inquiries, detectives laid an additional three counts of aggravated break, enter and steal, and one count of aggravated break, enter and damage property against a 28-year-old man on Friday (25 January 2019).
Police will allege in court that the man was part of a group, armed with sledge hammers, block splitters and jemmy bars, who broke into supermarkets in Tanilba Bay, Fletcher and Kurri before stealing cash.
He was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court today (Tuesday 29 January 2019).
Investigations under Strike Force Tilyard are ongoing.

City announces Australia Day awards honours

Following journalist and ovarian cancer research advocate Jill Emberson’s recognition as Newcastle Citizen of the Year 2019, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes has named the City’s other Australia Day award recipients at this morning’s Citizenship ceremony.
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Jillinside2.jpgJill Emberson was recognised for her tremendous efforts in ovarian cancer advocacy 

Junior John Hunter Hospital doctor Bhavi Ravindran was named the 2019 Young Citizen of the Year.
The 24-year-old University of Newcastle graduate has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to the medical profession at such a young age.
Dr Bhavi holds numerous positions on medical boards including the Australian Medical Council and Medical Students Accreditation Committee, which is responsible for the accreditation of the 24 medical schools across Australia and New Zealand.
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Bhaviinside2.jpgDr Bhavi Ravindran’s dedication to charitable health work earned him this year’s Young Citizen of the Year
He has worked with the United Nations and World Health Organisation on a number of leading international population health projects, and in 2016 convened a Global Health Conference in Newcastle.
The conference drew more than 850 medical students from across the world to discuss public health and global governance issues.
“Dr Bhavi is an inspiring young man with an incredible wealth of knowledge well beyond his years,” Cr Nelmes said.
“His dedication to his profession sets a very high benchmark for any young and aspiring doctor or medical professional to work towards and I look forward to following his achievements throughout the rest of his career.”
A trio of Newcastle teenagers was named the 2019 Community Group of the Year for founding the social enterprise known as The Y Project.
Luisa Amosa, Charlotte Boulus and Mae Anagnostis started The Y Project to create safe space events for young people, and to raise awareness about social justice and environmental issues.
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Y-Project-inside.jpgThe Y Project create safe spaces for young people while raising funds for not-for-profit organisations
The group also raises funds for local and international charity organisations through the delivery of all-age music and art events in Newcastle.
“Through advocacy and educating youth on ways they can interact in their community, The Y Project is encouraging and inspiring young people to become proactive and strive to create a future enthused with empathy, equity and justice,” the Lord Mayor said.
“After forming at high school in 2017, the group has helped engineer some positive momentum for social change among young people at various live music and arts events, and, in doing so, raised thousands of dollars for charity.”
Also at today’s ceremony, which marked 70 years since the Australian Government first introduced Citizenship into Commonwealth law, more than a 160 new Australians from 46 different countries received their Citizenship.
Just seven men were sworn in as new legal citizens in 1949, swearing their allegiance to Australia from Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, Norway, Spain and Yugoslavia.
Today, Australia is one of the most successful multicultural nations in the world, having welcomed more than five million new Australian citizens to our shores.
Insideall.jpgCongratulations to the Citys Australia Day Award winners

Jill Emberson named Citizen of the Year

Journalist and ovarian cancer research advocate Jill Emberson will be named Newcastle’s Citizen of the Year for 2019 at tomorrow’s Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony.
The Newcastle media personality, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016, was recognised for her contribution to journalism and advocacy in the fight against the disease.
Jill-inside.jpgOvarian cancer research advocate Jill Emberson is Newcastle’s Citizen of the Year for 2019
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes commended Emberson’s energy, courage and passion in advocating for more research funding, in the face of great personal adversity.
“Jill has been an outstanding advocate in the fight against ovarian cancer,” Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“Her career in journalism has given her a platform to document the sometimes lonely battle faced by women with this disease, and we as a community are thankful to her for doing so.
“She’s shown great courage and resolve to remain so focused and determined to deliver better outcomes for others, despite her own diagnosis and subsequent relapse which made her cancer terminal.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce her as this year’s Citizen of the Year.”
Having worked in various public and private media roles both in Australia and overseas, Emberson relocated to Newcastle in 2009 to host the Mornings program on ABC Radio.
While there she built a strong audience with popular segments like Meet the Mob, interviewing 100 members of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Her disease abruptly forced her off air in early 2016.
Jill.jpgIn 2018 Jill returned to work to create the popular podcast Still Jill 
While undergoing treatment, Emberson began to advocate for more funding and research into ovarian cancer, and in June last year gained the attention of the nation at the National Press Club with the address ‘The Cancer Down Under Killing Too Many Women’.
In 2018 Emberson formally returned to work to create the popular podcast Still Jill – in which she intimately documents her journey living with ovarian cancer.
“I am humbled and honoured to be named citizen of the year in Newcastle and will use this precious opportunity to raise more awareness about ovarian cancer,” Emberson said.
“About 1500 Australian women are diagnosed with Ovarian cancer each year but our survival rate has stuck at 45 per cent for decades.
“Research is the only solution to bring our survival into line with other more common cancers and for that we need awareness and funding.”
Rare cancers like ovarian account for about 30 per cent of all cancers and about 50 per cent of fatalities but receive less than 20 per cent of research funding.
Jill2-jpg.jpeg“Research is the only solution to bring our survival into line with other more common cancers” 
The official colour of Ovarian Cancer Australia – teal – will shine from the face of the City Hall clock Saturday night in a public display of support for Emberson and Ovarian cancer awareness.
Also, at Saturday’s Australia Day ceremony, Newcastle’s Young Citizen of the Year and Community Group of the Year will be announced after the City welcomes around 190 new Australians.
Saturday also marks 70 years since the Australian Government first introduced citizenship into Commonwealth law.
Just seven men were sworn in as new legal citizens at a ceremony held in Canberra in 1949, swearing their allegiance to Australia from Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, Norway, Spain and Yugoslavia.
Today, Australia is one of the most successful multicultural nations in the world, having welcomed more than five million new Australian citizens to our shores during the past seventy years.

City set to welcome 194 new citizens

Nine years ago Sierra Leone man John Sandy was living in a Guinea refugee camp with 6,000 other men from war-torn countries like his own – seemingly with no future to look forward to.
He was separated from his wife, torn from his family and living in third-world squalor yearning for a better life.
That came in 2011 when he fled to Australia and was re-united in Newcastle with wife Isata after 12 years apart.
Inside.jpgJohn Sandy and his wife Isata reunited in Newcastle after 12 years apart
Fast forward eight years to this Saturday, and Mr Sandy will rejoice when he and 193 other men and women from more than 46 different countries are officially welcomed by Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes as new Australians.
“When I heard the news I was becoming an Australian Citizen, I was just so grateful and proud,” Mr Sandy said.
“It gives hope that people like me who have fled another country in fear of their life can find a new place elsewhere.”
Tomorrow’s 9am citizenship ceremony at City Hall will mark 70 years since the Australian Government first introduced Citizenship into Commonwealth law.
“In 1949, just seven men made history when they were sworn in as the nation’s first official Australians recognised under Commonwealth law,” Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“Tomorrow, in Newcastle alone, that number will be 194 from 46 different birthplaces. This shows just how far we have come as a multicultural inclusive community that welcomes people of all ethnicities and backgrounds.”
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Tomorrow’s ceremony will also see local Australia Day awards presented before a range of family activities will be staged in the amphitheatre at the eastern end of Foreshore Park from 10am-2pm.
At 8.30pm, the fireworks postponed from New Year’s Eve will be let off from Stockton, offering a clear view right along the Newcastle Foreshore and from higher vantage points such the Obelisk.
Public transport is recommended on Australia Day, but the Wright Lane, Throsby carpark and The Mall carpark will be free of charge.
For more information, please visit the City’s Australia Day information page online at http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Explore/Things-to-do/What-s-On/Events/Australia-Day-2019

South Newcastle Beach project update

City of Newcastle will review the location of a proposed skate bowl at South Newcastle Beach following community consultation in December on the latest stage of the Bathers Way project.
While the overall project is strongly supported by the community, a number of respondents surveyed on the Newcastle Beach Bathers Way section expressed concerns about the design of the bowl – most notably its location on the beach.
inside2.jpgUpgrades at Newcastle Beach will be part of the next stage of the City’s Bathers Way project
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the City was aware of the community’s concerns and would look to address the December feedback in a design review on a small part of the broader plans for Newcastle Beach.
“The Bathers Way – Newcastle Beach is the largest and most complex stage of the Bathers Way project,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“It’s therefore critical that we continue to engage with people to enable us to consider what needs to be addressed so that we can deliver a project that is in the best interests of the community.
“Changes in State Government legislation, which came into effect in July 2018 for development in coastal areas, also means the planning pathway to approval is uncertain. At the least, additional assessment criteria would be required meaning the project would be under continued uncertainty for possibly another twelve months.
“Given this uncertainty and the community concern, the sensible action from Council is to re-examine the location of the skate bowl, with a view to potentially delivering the project within the existing footprint. This would enable the skate bowl to proceed but without it being located on the beach itself,” she said.
While the overall project was welcomed by those who attended the Bathers Way – Newcastle Beach drop-in sessions, concerns were raised regarding some aspects of the skate bowl design, mirroring the results of an online survey.
A total of 191 of the 335 people surveyed opposed the project, citing the skate bowl’s protrusion onto Newcastle Beach as their main concern.
The City will now undertake a review of the placement of the skate bowl to address community feedback, and enable the project to progress.
“This will ensure that we continue to achieve our vision of delivering this exciting public pathway along one of the most magnificent stretches of coastline in the country,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Currently the project timeline expects that design documentation could continue until the end of this financial year. The construction is scheduled to commence in 2019/20 and take up to two years to complete.”
In recent years, Council has invested around $27million in coastal revitalisation projects including the Bathers Way, along with significant investment in infrastructure renewal to support the delivery of this regionally significant project.

Man charged after alleged $220,000 worth of fraudulent charges on company-issued card

A man will face court for alleged fraud committed against a cinema company over seven years.
It’s alleged between 2010 and 2017, a 40-year-old man used a company-issued credit card to fraudulently create and register three businesses, accumulating over $220,000 worth of fraudulent charges.
The man was employed by the same cinema company between 2006 and his resignation in 2017, at the locations of Tuggerah Lakes, Lake Macquarie, Glendale, and Kotara.
On 12 December 2017, the company launched an internal investigation after discovering charges to company accounts, before it was raised with police at Sydney Police Station two days later.
The matter was referred to detectives from Newcastle City Police District who commenced an investigation.
Following inquiries, on Tuesday 22 January 2019, police spoke with the 40-year-old man, before issuing him a Future Court Attendance Notice for the offence of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception.
He is due to appear at Newcastle Local Court on Thursday 14 March 2019.

Man charged over alleged carjacking – Cooks Hill

Police have charged a man over an alleged carjacking in Newcastle last night.
About 8:20pm (Monday 21 January 2019), a couple were driving a Mercedes sedan on Darby Street, Cooks Hill, when an object was allegedly thrown at their car.
The driver, a 24-year-old man, stopped the car to inspect the damage and to speak to a man who allegedly threw the object.
The man fled, and the driver of the Mercedes chased him on foot.
As this occurred, the man’s female passenger, also aged 24, got into the driver’s seat of the Mercedes and waited for him.
The man being chased ran through nearby units, before doubling back and allegedly forcing the woman from the car and driving off.
No one was injured during the incident.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District attended and established a crime scene.
Following inquires, officers arrested a 32-year-old man at a nearby location.
He was taken to Newcastle Police Station, where he was charged with unlawfully take/drive vessel with person in/on it and aggravated enter dwelling without knowing people.
The man, from Waratah West, was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today.