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City of Newcastle (CN) is calling for the community to come together in support of a First Nations Voice in the Australian Constitution.

Council endorsed a Notice of Motion at Tuesday’s Ordinary Council Meeting in support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for real and practical change in Australia through the establishment of a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament, with a proposed referendum to be held in the next term of Federal Parliament.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said now was the time to work together to bring about meaningful change.

“City of Newcastle are proud of Newcastle’s rich Indigenous heritage and established the Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee to ensure that acknowledgment of the original custodians of our land is embedded in all that we do at Council,” Cr Nelmes said.

“We wholeheartedly support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a constitutionally recognised voice that would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide advice to Parliament on policies and projects that impact their lives.

“City of Newcastle will partner with Guraki, Local Government NSW and From the Heart to hold public forums in Newcastle to raise community awareness of the issues and further these important conversations, which are crucial in Australia becoming a unified nation reconciled with its history.”

Chair of the Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee Luke Russell said now is the time for Australians to come together through a referendum and officially acknowledge the traditional custodians.

“A Voice to Parliament would give the Australian Government the opportunity to collectively make policies with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, rather than for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Mr Russell said.

“Together with City of Newcastle, Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee is well placed to further these conversations within our community to help educate, inform and bring about change.”

Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon said the Uluru Statement from the Heart is a generous gift to the nation – inviting us to walk together with First Nations people in a movement to build a better future.

“Fifty-five years ago, the nation backed in the 1967 Referendum to change the Constitution so that the Commonwealth could make laws in respect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and included them in the consensus,” Ms Claydon said.

“Now we have the chance to make good on the unfinished business that remains.

“The time for a referendum on a First Nations Voice is now, and it’s great to see the City of Newcastle getting involved in the campaign to ensure we get this done.”

Councillor Deahnna Richardson said a Voice to Parliament is the structural reform required to give First Nations Australians the agency we need when it comes to decisions about our people, our culture and our lands, but we cannot move forward without a consensus among all Australians.

“With just over one in four people still undecided about a Voice to Parliament, these are crucial conversations that we need to have,” Cr Richardson.

“It’s been a long time coming, but it’s definitely time.”

For more information, visit: fromtheheart.com.au

City of Newcastle is delivering on its commitments to good urban planning in Wickham, with a community infrastructure contribution planning proposal and updates to the City’s development control plan adopted by the elected Council on Tuesday night.

The updated planning documents reflect the Wickham Masterplan (2021), which was developed in a collaborative approach with the Wickham community and local landowners. The proposed changes to the Development Control Plan (DCP) incorporate revised mapping, height limits, updated character statements, and new upper-level setback controls, which protect the Village Hub, while allowing for the balanced growth of the suburb.

The documents will be formally exhibited with the planning proposal to be submitted to the Department of Planning and Environment for Gateway Determination, ahead of public exhibition with the accompanying DCP for further community feedback.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the planning proposal and proposed amendments to the DCP better reflect the shared vision for delivering urban renewal within Wickham.

“This is good news for residents and the community of Wickham who have been involved in the planning of Wickham’s transformation from the very start,” Cr Clausen said.

“Creating greater community infrastructure to support Wickham’s growing population while maintaining its inner-city suburban character by protecting the Village Hub are important parts of our vision for Wickham which also includes enhanced and better connected green spaces, footpaths, and cycleways.”

The DCP will be amended to reflect the Community Infrastructure Incentives Policy, which was adopted by Council in July 2021, and the Wickham Masterplan (2021) adopted in September 2021.

“Throughout the planning process, Wickham’s identity is continuing to evolve and take shape, as the suburb transitions from a semi-industrial suburban area into a thriving urban neighbourhood that supports the revitalisation of Newcastle’s West End,” Cr Clausen said.

“The Wickham Masterplan supports the strategic relocation of Newcastle’s city centre to Newcastle’s West End under its urban renewal strategy, harnessing its proximity to public transport, the CBD, harbour and green spaces.”

City of Newcastle Manager Regulatory, Planning and Assessment Michelle Bisson said the community’s future enjoyment of Wickham is at the centre of planning decisions.

“City of Newcastle is ready to progress Wickham to the next stages in the planning pathway,” Ms Bisson said.

“It is great to see that the Wickham Masterplan is progressing, and we look forward to receiving community feedback on the proposed amendments.”

An architectural legacy that spans more than half a century has earned Brian Suters AM the city’s highest honour.

The award-winning architect has been named a Freeman of the City in recognition of his significant contribution to Newcastle’s built form and enduring commitment to mentoring the next generation.

Fittingly, the honour was conferred within the walls of the updated Civic Playhouse, which Brian designed for City of Newcastle in 2004.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Brian’s work had helped shape the way we see Newcastle today and would continue to be appreciated for generations to come.

“The mark Brian has left on our built form, and our cultural landscape, has quite literally defined part of the city’s look and feel,” Cr Nelmes said.

“His legacy is evident throughout the city, from our striking Brutalist former City Administration Centre, which has recently been reborn as Newcastle’ first five-star hotel, to the modern surrounds of the Civic Playhouse and the remarkable Bauhaus-influence design of his own former family home on Wolfe Street, which won the prestigious Blacket Award for Architecture in 1980.

“Naming Brian a Freeman of the City is a well-deserved honour that recognised the significance of his many architectural contributions to Newcastle and his ongoing commitment to mentoring younger generations of architects.”

Born in Sydney in 1937, Brian and his family returned to his mother’s home city of Newcastle during World War II when he was aged five.

Educated at Hamilton Primary School and Newcastle Boys High School, he later studied at Newcastle Technical College and graduated from the University of NSW, having been awarded the University Medal on the completion of his architecture studies.

After winning the Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship, he moved overseas with his wife Kay and lived in London and Europe for two-and-a-half years before returning to Newcastle to pursue his architecture career.

Brian acknowledged the role City of Newcastle played in his career and said he was thrilled, more than half a century later, to be honoured as a Freeman of the City.

“Newcastle has been the main spring of my success as an architect and the basis of my community participation,” Brian said.

“Back in 1964 when I returned to Australia from living overseas, my wife and I chose to return to Newcastle to pursue our careers and family life. It was a critical decision and now this honour vindicates that decision.

“My career took off with the architectural work on the Civic Fountain where I worked with the competition winner, sculptor Margel Hinder and her artist husband Frank Hinder.

“He strongly emphasised the need in architecture for collaboration – from concept to completion.

“It marked the beginning of a long period of major works for City of Newcastle and on the back of this our practice acquired many other significant commissions.

“At the time of my retirement in 2010, Suters Architects had offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns, and associations with international practices in Malaysia, UK and France.

“Our practice would not have achieved this recognition without my beloved Newcastle, so I am honoured and delighted to be named a Freeman of the City.”

Brian joins an esteemed list of 14 other Novocastrians to be awarded the City’s highest honour including writer, philanthropist and historian Vera Deacon, community volunteer Howard Mole and Surfest co-founder Warren Smith.

Police are appealing for assistance to locate a boy missing from the Newcastle area.

Cerise Elmes, aged 13, was last seen leaving a home in Wallsend about 7pm on Tuesday 15 March 2022.

Police were alerted and officers from Newcastle City Police District have been conducting inquiries into his whereabouts.

Concerns are held for his welfare due to his young age and a number of medical conditions.

Police have been told Cerise may be travelling with a woman known to him in a silver Mitsubishi Pajero with NSW registration CI44ED.

Following inquiries, investigators believe he was on Mid North Coast the following day and may be heading towards Queensland.

Cerise is described as being of Caucasian appearance, between 160cm to 165cm tall, with a thin build, black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who has seen Cerise, or believes they know his whereabouts, is urged to contact police.