EVER stood under a quiet night sky and caught a sudden flash, like the heavens just struck a match? That fleeting streak we casually call a “shooting star” is anything but ordinary. And over the coming week, the sky is set to put on a show that rewards patience, curiosity, and a willingness to lose […]
THE NSW Government is attempting to introduce a statewide approach for how communities have their say on planning proposals. A draft statewide Community Participation Plan is now on public exhibition. Currently there are more than 100 different Community Participation Plans across the state, each with its own approach, timeframes and thresholds for consultation on planning […]
A fire training camp held at Guulabaa – Place of Koala in Cowarra State Forest last year. Photo: Forestry Corporation.
BUNYAH Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) community firefighters carried out a cultural burn in Cowarra State Forest on Wednesday, marking the return of traditional Aboriginal fire practices to State Forest management. The burn brought together 15 community members, Elders, knowledge holders and young people, working alongside Forestry Corporation fire crews, to apply traditional fire knowledge […]
DEAR News Of The Area, IT’S worth noting that the US/Israel war on Iran is going to affect people differently. Setting aside the effects on the Iranian people, the main effect here in Australia is that the costs of energy and food are going to go up. For working and middle-class people this is going […]
Mid North Coast Adult Volunteer of the Year Tania Hrbacek was represented at the 2025 award ceremony by Ulong Public School Principal Surinder Kaler (centre). Cowper MP Pat Conaghan and Port Macquarie MP Robert Dwyer presented the award.
IT’S time for people across the Mid North Coast to nominate family, friends or work mates for the 2026 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards, to help celebrate the enormous positive impact of volunteers across the state. The awards are in their 20th year and are run by The Centre for Volunteering to recognise the […]
THE Markham sisters have been part of the backbone of the Wauchope Show for more than 55 years. The family’s involvement, however, goes back to 1956, when Les Markham started carting Hill brothers’ cattle from Yarras Station to the showgrounds for the campdraft and bulldogging competitions. Les and his wife Pattie spent hours assisting with […]
JULIA Reynolds is one of those quiet achievers who just gets on with helping others. Living in Laurieton since December 2014, her connection to Camden Haven goes back much further. “I’ve been coming here for over 47 years on holidays,” she said. “My in-laws lived in Dunbogan, so I’ve always felt very connected to the […]
Local households achieved a 75 percent landfill diversion rate. Photo: PMHC.
RESULTS from the 2025 MidWaste Kerbside Waste Audit have revealed that households in the Port Macquarie Hastings local government area are outperforming state averages for waste management. Local households achieved a 75 percent landfill diversion rate, with most of the household waste being successfully kept out of landfill through recycling and the Food Organics and […]
FOR Bonny Hills volunteer Casey Whitehouse it was becoming a parent that truly opened her eyes to the importance of strong support networks. While she had always believed in the importance of community, motherhood gave her a deeper understanding of how vital connection and support can be. “Parenthood can be incredibly joyful, but it can […]
