THE Newcastle Permanent Surf Life Saving Mid North Coast (SLSMNC) Awards of Excellence honoured the stand-out members, lifesavers and clubs across the region during a special dinner held recently at the Port Macquarie Surf Life Saving Club. During the event, South West Rocks was crowned Club of the Year and both Camden Haven and its […]
Hastings Landcare receives NSW Government grant
A MASSIVE dust storm that blanketed Melbourne in 1983 shone a light on the impact of unsustainable agricultural practices and became a catalyst for a grassroots partnership between farmers and conservationists. That cooperative initiative formed Landcare, a movement with over 100,000 volunteers across the country who are dedicated to restoring local bushland, coastlines, and sustainable […]
Printed Edition 17 JULY 2026
LETTER: The real architects of our current predicaments
DEAR News Of The Area, I WRITE in response to Peter Williams (NOTA, 03/07/2026). First of all, One Nation has not replaced the ‘alliance’ Mr Williams speaks of. There is no alliance, and it has not replaced a stand-alone Labor Government. There have certainly been a substantial number of defectors from the Liberal and National […]
Eve with a few of her favourite things - eight different mastheads of News Of The Area. Photo: Angus Cheetham.
New editor for News Of The Area newspaper group
Eve with a few of her favourite things – eight different mastheads of News Of The Area. Photo: Angus Cheetham. Freckles, the sick little bird who grew up and identified as a homing pigeon, with his rescuer. Photo: Angus Cheetham. News Of The Area media group owner Michael Wright. EVE Nesmith has been named Editor […]
Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan MP at the Nambucca Heads Cenotaph recently to discuss the repairs and upgrades, made possible through the Australian Government's Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program, with the Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch. Pictured are, from left: Pat Conaghan MP; sub-Branch Treasurer Gayle Keenan; President Denis Lane; Secretary Brad D’Elbuox; and Trustee John Kent OAM.
Veterans welcome funding for cenotaph upgrades
THE Nambucca Heads Cenotaph is set to undergo much-needed repairs and security upgrades following the successful award of funding through the Australian Government’s Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program. Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan recently joined Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch President Denis Lane and Trustee John Kent OAM to celebrate the successful funding application. […]
LETTER: Most farmers support renewable energy
DEAR News Of The Area, The media narrative suggesting regional people oppose renewable energy projects when the data unarguably shows the opposite is now the subject of a published academic paper (“Growing discontent on data centres as farmers fear renewable rollout repeat, The Land, 7/6). Poll after poll after poll, from Porter Novelli, 89 Degrees […]
My top community priority for Port Macquarie
DEAR News Of The Area, IN response to Jake Little’s letter of 3 July (Port Macquarie NOTA, 3/7/2026) in which he calls for readers to name their top three community priorities for Port Macquarie, I offer one – a new aquatic centre. I’ve been swimming at the Olympic pool in Port Macquarie since my early […]
Bailey’s Law campaign gains momentum
Caroline Micallef with her late son Bailey Jones. Photo: Supplied by Caroline Micallef. Bailey’s rock at the Port Macquarie breakwall. Photo: Supplied by Caroline Micallef. IN December of 2022, 18-year-old Bailey Jones had his whole life ahead of him. He had goals of becoming a welder, and was on the cusp of falling in love […]
Free smoke detector checks save lives
FIRE & Rescue NSW FRNSW statistics record that more than 1000 accidental house fires occur across the state each winter, with the incidents accounting for up to 50 per cent of the deaths that occur each year in fires. May 2026 marked 20 years since the installation of smoke detectors became mandatory, but research by […]
