The Port Macquarie-Hastings region’s farmers and businesses are still recovering from May’s floods. Photos: Wauchope SES. Jesse Webber from the organising team. Photo: file. THE “Hastings + Hinterland Town & Country Ball” will debut this year, raising vital funds for flood-affected farmers and agricultural businesses across the Port Macquarie-Hastings region. The inaugural event will take […]

Residents of McLennan Street and market coordinator David Shorter (in white). Photo: supplied. The two proposed locations for the Laurieton Regional Play Space. TWO locations are on the table for Laurieton’s proposed Regional Play Space and both are set to impact the Riverwalk Markets. The largest area is on the McLennan Street end of Bruce […]

PORT Macquarie and Camden Haven residents are being urged to stay alert as cyber criminals step up efforts to recruit so-called “money mules” through social media, fake job offers and online scams. NGM Group, the parent company of Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent, has reported a 20 percent rise in fraudulent online account openings, with […]

Mayor Nikki Williams was one of the locals who farewelled Andy and Scrubby. Photo: Leigh Watson. Andy and Scrubby take the first of many steps. Photo: Leigh Watson. Andy’s trailer emblazoned with statistics that drive home the reality of Australia’s gambling harm. Photo: Leigh Watson. ANTI-GAMBLING activist Andy Hope has reached Camden Haven on foot […]

‘Delungra Nigel’ in his new ‘digs’. Photos: KCA. Nigel after his rescue. MUCH-LOVED koala amputee “Delungra Nigel” is now a permanent resident of the Wild Koala Breeding Visitor Centre at Guulabaa. After months of dedicated care and rehabilitation, he will serve as an ambassador for Koala Conservation Australia (KCA) and for wildlife resilience and conservation […]

SECURITY staff at Port Macquarie Base Hospital (PMBH) will wear body worn cameras as part of a 12-month trial to reduce incidents of violence and aggression. The cameras will be activated whenever there is a risk of harm to staff, patients and visitors. In the most serious cases, the footage may be used as evidence. […]

FORESTRY Corporation’s Chris Scollen, a seasoned Crew Leader and Operations Planner, deployed to Canada this week to assist with the nation’s fire containment efforts. Chris, who is based at Taree, has worked with Forestry Corporation for five years and volunteered with the NSW Rural Fire Service for 25 years. He flew to Winnipeg, Manitoba with […]

THE parents of “little” Longworth Road in Dunbogan say they are “disappointed” and “confused” at Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s response to their traffic concerns. As reported in News Of The Area on 6 April, GPS systems have been sending trucks, caravans and even semi-trailers down their narrow cul-de-sac. When drivers realise it is not a through […]

THE Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has released a report showing how 25,658 patients rated the care they received in NSW public hospitals between January and December 2024. BHI Acting Chief Executive Hilary Rowell, said the Adult Admitted Patient Survey 2024 showed that more than nine in 10 patients (92%) rated their experience of overall […]

JUST hours after receiving one of Rotary’s highest honours for his more than 50 years of dedication, NSW State Emergency Service (SES) member Garry Whitaker was back supporting his community through a significant storm and flooding event. The NSW SES Hastings Cluster Deputy Local Commander was awarded the 2025 Volunteer Officer of the Year and […]