EACH year the NDIS funds almost $600 million dollars for the purchase and maintenance of assistive technology such as wheelchairs. But as the scheme continues to experience cost blowouts and participants wait up to a year for wheelchairs to be funded, millions of dollars’ worth of equipment is going to waste. For Wauchope resident Lorraine […]
Rachel Relf, Jazmin Madden, Nigel Wieck and Peter Douglas at Wingham Show. Photo: Cedar Creek Angus.
Middle Brother farmer making waves in the cattle world
Rachel Relf, Jazmin Madden, Nigel Wieck and Peter Douglas at Wingham Show. Photo: Cedar Creek Angus. Jazmin Madden exhibiting at the Wauchope Show. Photo: Cedar Creek Angus. DESPITE being just 23-years-old, Middle Brother resident Jazmin Madden is already making a big name for herself in the world of cattle breeding. In 2019 she launched the […]
The technology is assisting firefighting forces to monitor more areas and predict the spread of more bushfires. Photo: NSW Rural Fire Service.
AI cameras spotted more than 1000 bushfires over summer
ARTIFICIALLY intelligent cameras detected more than 1100 bushfires in Australia over summer, including some that would have been missed by humans until they posed a greater risk. One fire outbreak caused by lighting strikes, for example, could have damaged a pine forest if cameras had not alerted firefighters. Pano AI revealed the findings on Tuesday […]
Settlement Point Road, Port Macquarie during the May 2025 floods on the Mid North Coast. Photo: Port Macquarie SES.
Warning after extreme weather’s financial toll revealed
AUSTRALIANS are counting the ballooning cost of extreme weather events after they caused almost $5 billion in insured losses in 2025, more than 700 percent up on the previous year. And the financial toll is only expected to get worse, with independent analysis indicating it could blow out to $35 billion annually by 2050. The […]
Stargazing: April showers set to thrill
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 […]
Statewide approach to community consultation welcomed by building body
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.
Cultural burn undertaken in Cowarra State Forest
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 […]
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.
Nominations open for the 2026 Mid North Coast Volunteer of the Year awards
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 […]
Markham sisters clock up more than five decades of service to the Wauchope Show
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 […]
Heart of the Haven: Julia Reynolds
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 […]
