NovoNews 009

NOVONEWS

ISSUE 009 DECEMBER 2021

NovoNews

Come to the cabaret!

Hamilton is celebrating its 150th birthday, and everyone’s invited to the party!

Beaumont Street and Gregson Park will come alive with fun and family-friendly entertainment on December 11.

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NovoCulture

Newcastle audiences will have their passion for live performance reignited following the online launch of Civic Theatre’s new subscription season and a line-up of new shows on the 2022 schedule.

Producers of the award-winning variety show OMGWTF have created two new live cabaret and variety shows ready to breathe some life and colour back into Newcastle.

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NovoSociety

Hannah Indigo and the OMGWTF cast Photo: Double Denim Studio

Labor mayors returned in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie A vigil to signify the first day of the global campaign 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women was held at Newcastle Art Gallery last month.

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NovoSport

A free community tennis skills and wellbeing program that kicked off at Bar Beach Tennis Club last month is proving to be a hit with people of all ages.

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City of Newcastle’s Labor Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes has been returned for her third term in office, following the statewide local government elections on Saturday, December 4.

At the time of print, Labor had secured six seats on council, including Cr Nelmes, the Independents had confirmed one, the Greens one and five were yet to be decided.

Early on Saturday evening, Cr Nelmes declared victory.

On her Facebook page, she thanked the people of Newcastle for their ongoing support.

“Tonight’s result has seen the people of Newcastle strongly support our positive and progressive policies to continue to deliver for our city,” she said.

“Novocastrians have backed our vision for Newcastle, and supported our approach to create and sustain more local jobs while delivering the infrastructure upgrades our community deserves.

“We’ve run a positive campaign on the back of sustainable and deliverable policies that will continue to drive our city forward.

“I’m so thankful that the people of Newcastle have once again given me their trust and support as their Lord Mayor.

“I won’t let you down, Newcastle!”

Likewise, in the City of Lake Macquarie, Labor Mayor Kay Fraser celebrated an emphatic victory, more than doubling the votes of her nearest rival, Liberal Jason Pauling, and her party securing a council majority with seven seats.

Liberals and Lake Macquarie Independents will make up the rest, holding three seats each.

“I’m humbled and honoured to be voted in as Mayor of Lake Macquarie for another term,” Fraser said on her Facebook page on Sunday, December 5.

“I’m excited about what the next term will bring, and what we can deliver as a Council for our community.

“Huge thanks to my amazing family, and my Labor colleagues, who all worked so

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hard in the lead-up to yesterday’s election.”

The COVID-enforced absence of party volunteers handing out how-to-vote instructions resulted in a larger than usual number of informal votes.

In the City of Newcastle’s Ward 4, for example, a whopping 14.1 per cent of votes had been deemed informal (at the time of print).

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Gina Cranson

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2021 OVONEWS DECEMBER ISSUE 009 P2

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Smart parking for Newcastle beaches Finding a car park on a hot summer’s day has become a little less stressful since new smart sensors have been installed in almost 800 Newcastle car spaces, allowing drivers previews of space availability.

To help commuters find available car park spaces faster while reducing traffic congestion, the sensors have been installed along Scenic Drive, Henderson Drive, Merewether Baths, Merewether Beach, Dixon Park, Bar Beach, Strzelecki Lookout and Newcastle Baths.

These sensors will be integrated with the EasyPark app and City of Newcastle apps in the coming months for easy accessibility.

City of Newcastle Interim Director Strategy and Engagement Kathleen Hyland said the project was part of a plan to use smart parking technology better.

“Newcastle is home to amazing beaches, which are enjoyed by locals

Smart parking sensors have been installed in almost 800 car spaces at Newcastle beaches Photo: City of Newcastle

and visitors alike, and we want to make accessing them easier through the use of smart parking technology,” Hyland said.

“By installing smart parking sensors, we’ll be able to provide real-time data to the EasyPark and City of Newcastle apps to allow motorists to use their

smartphone and determine the best location to drive and find a park ahead of their visit to our beaches and baths.”

The project builds upon the City of Newcastle’s smart city infrastructure, helping the community make informed decisions and navigate the city better.

Similar smart parking programs have been trialled in other council areas like the Central Coast.

The Racecourse Road car park at West Gosford has recently adopted a smart parking program, using cameras equipped with parking analytics that identify if a space is available.

The data is then fed to the existing NSW Government Park’nPay app so that drivers can easily identify how many free car spaces are available.

The new program provides a simple and cost-effective technology to install and maintain compared to in-ground sensors.

Hayley McMahon

Plans to transform Dairy Farmers Corner A development application has been submitted to the City of Newcastle with a proposal to transform the Dairy Farmers Corner in Newcastle West.

An artist’s impression of the Dairy Farmers Towers project Image: Supplied

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Residential apartment developer Third.i is behind the Dairy Farmers Towers project, which will comprise 184 apartments in two separate towers.

One will be 30 storeys and the other 27 storeys.

The 30-storey tower will be Newcastle’s equal tallest residential building. A separate five-storey building is also proposed to house 1500 square metres of commercial and retail space.

Director Luke Berry said the apartments would range from one to four bedrooms to increase the diversity of housing options for local people.

Berry said the project would offer residents spectacular views across the city and beaches.

“Residents will have some of the best views in town, as well as the harbour, great dining and entertainment options, and the transport interchange at their doorstep,” Berry said.

“To create a true sense of community for residents we’ve focused on incorporating communal and green spaces and facilities such as a gym, a cabana pool area with lap pool, wine bar and cellar, and function rooms.

“In what we believe is a first for the city, we want to use some of the commercial space as a residents’ shared work hub, so they can work from home without being in their apartment.”

The site, on the corner of Tudor and Hunter streets in Newcastle West, was once home to Dairy Farmers, one of Australia’s largest dairy producers. In a

nod to the history of the site, Third.i will re-imagine the heritage-listed, iconic glass milk bottle and clock towers as part of a pedestrianised, broader public art installation.

“Locals affectionately know the site as Dairy Farmers Corner, and that history will live on.”

Dairy Farmers Towers is the fourth West End apartment project for the Sydney-based developer. It has already completed the West, Eaton on Union, and Stella on Hannell apartments in Wickham, creating 381 inner-city homes.

Third.i’s retirement living division, ThirdAge, is partnering with Merewether Golf Club on recently approved luxury resort retirement living project The Merewether.

Berry said Newcastle was an exciting market to work in with great potential.

“We feel like the West End is our second home, and we are excited to be part of its revitalisation,” he said.

“A landmark will be reborn to create a new chapter in the West End’s growth as a great place in which to live, work and play.

“We want Dairy Farmers Towers to be a West End icon.”

The project has been designed by leading local architectural firm CKDS. The firm is behind the designs of a number of the city’s new residential and commercial buildings including the multi award winning Verve Residences, Horizon Lee 5, East End Stage 2, and the Gateway l and ll buildings.

A project display suite opened at 17 Charles Street, Wickham last month.

Visit www.dairyfarmerstowers.com.au for more information or to register interest.

Information source: Media release, Third.i

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Claydon takes GP Access plight to Canberra The call intensifies for a reversal of the Federal Government’s decision to axe GP Access services at the Mater Hospital on Christmas Eve and reduce hours at the Hunter’s other after-hours clinics.

More than 11,000 constituents have now signed a petition initiated by Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon.

Claydon tabled the petition in Parliament late last month and moved a motion in the Parliament’s Federation Chamber, seeking to save the service.

“We’ve had eight long years of savage cuts to Medicare under Liberal governments, including Medicare rebate freezes; the reclassification of most of the Hunter region from being a ‘district of workforce shortage’ to being a so-called metropolitan area with no GP shortages at all; brutal cuts to bulkbilling incentive payments, which have cost our region some $7 million in lost revenue and the forced closure of many GPs’ surgery doors,” Claydon told the Parliament.

“And earlier this year we saw almost 1000 changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule, resulting in even higher outof-pockets costs for patients.

“And now the Calvary Mater Hospital after-hours clinic is next on the Morrison Government’s chopping block.”

The motion was seconded by Pat Conroy (Shortland), and fellow Labor MPs Meryl Swanson (Paterson) and

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon and Member for Paterson Meryl Swanson about to debate the motion to save the Hunter’s GP Access After Hours service Photo: Supplied

Emma McBride (Dobell) spoke of their concerns.

“Cuts to this valuable and pioneering 20-year-old health service will be devastating for the people of the Hunter, who have come to rely on it so very much,” Swanson said.

“These cuts will put more pressure on our overstretched and underfunded emergency departments, and will cost

the taxpayer much more in the long run.

“It just makes no sense.

“But, most importantly, these cuts mean that an important safety net will be taken away from Hunter families.”

The immediate threat of the Mater GP Access clinic closure and the reduced hours elsewhere in the Hunter is not all that is worrying Claydon, health professionals and constituents alike.

“The Minister for Health [Greg Hunt] has a review sitting on his desk, which, if implemented, would totally gut our GP Access After Hours Service – effectively wiping out any hope retaining an after-hours service as we know it,” Claydon warned.

“Abandoning this much-loved local service would have a profoundly negative impact for our community and will place enormous pressure on our public hospital emergency departments.

“It’s clear that the Morrison Government has absolutely no clue what it’s like for sick Novocastrians trying to access affordable healthcare, and it’s clear that they have no plan for the 15,000 people who will be impacted by these cuts.”

A spokesperson for Claydon said the figure of 15,000 was based on a Hunter Primary Care report that estimated 70,000 people accessed the nurse triage call centre annually and 50,000 people attended GP Access clinics at the Mater, John Hunter Hospital, Belmont Hospital, Maitland Hospital and the Toronto Polyclinic combined.

Claydon is planning a rally in the coming weeks to further draw attention to the Hunter’s plight.

In the meantime, her spokesperson urged those who had not yet signed the online petition to do so, and to write to the Health Minister.

“We need to make as much noise as possible,” she said.

Gina Cranson

Novocastrians say no to Sydney’s sludge State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp has delivered a Notice of Motion in Parliament, calling on the NSW Government to abandon a plan to send 12,000 cubic metres of toxic sludge from Sydney to Newcastle.

The matter is on the notice paper for debate in the NSW Lower House, but Crakanthorp’s office is hoping a petition, which has already garnered more than 14,000 signatures, will attract 20,000 by December 7 in order to force the debate.

“Ten thousand people signed this petition in the first 48 hours, which sends a very clear message that we do not want this sludge anywhere near our city,” Crakanthorp said.

“It is a terrible idea and I’m very keen to see this through to a debate.

“I want to make sure the Government knows exactly how we feel – bringing Sydney’s toxic waste to Newcastle should be taken completely off the table.”

The sludge, to be dug up during construction of Sydney’s Northern Beaches Link, contains lead, mercury, silver, zinc, PFAS chemicals and dioxins.

Under a NSW Government proposal, the material would be processed on a barge in Middle Harbour before heading to Newcastle. The waste would remain in the barge until being loaded into trucks and taken to a suitably licensed waste facility such as Summerhill

Transport for NSW documents have revealed that 12,000 cubic metres of toxic sludge are to be disposed of in Newcastle Photo: NovoNews

Waste Management Centre or Cleanaway Beresfield Newcastle.

NSW Labor said it appeared that plans

by Transport for NSW and the State Government to settle the dredged sludge in Newcastle were made without widespread community consultation.

Newcastle was not privy to consultation undertaken in Sydney with those affected by the infrastructure proposal.

The community only became aware of the Government’s plan to dump the

chemical sludge in Newcastle when a report was published at the closure of that consultation period.

Crakanthorp said the Government was “clearly trying to fly under the radar”.

“The people of Newcastle have very strong feelings about this proposal, and I’m sure the NSW Government knows this,” he said.

“We are very familiar with the havoc that PFAS can wreak, and the last thing we want is more of it around our city.

“Sydney gets the infrastructure and Newcastle gets the toxic waste.

“Newcastle is not Sydney’s dumping ground.”

Shadow Minister for Roads John Graham echoed Crakanthorp’s concerns.

“Newcastle has plenty of industrial waste of its own. It doesn’t need 12,000 cubic metres of toxic sludge shipped in from Sydney Harbour,” he said.

“This sediment is hard to dispose of safely because it contains two centuries of lead, mercury, copper, silver, zinc and also contains PFAS, tributyltin and dioxins.

“The fact that this toxic sludge has to be barged so far raises serious questions about the whole operation.”

Shadow Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley was equally alarmed.

“The Hunter has received none of the infrastructure for this project but is now being shipped the waste,” she said.

“The fact the Government failed to consult with the community shows they know this would never be accepted.

“The Government must treat the Hunter community with respect and be transparent about where this waste will be dumped.”

Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington said NSW Labor was calling for “clear and proper consultation with the community”.

Hayley McMahon

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Adamstown complex opens doors for tenants Tenants have moved into their new homes at the recently completed social and affordable housing complex in Adamstown.

The 50-unit Brunker Road complex, completed at the end of September, comprises 13 one-bedroom units and 37 two-bedroom units.

The new complex is one of 19 housing projects delivered by Compass Housing Group under the NSW Government’s $1.1B Social and Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF), and tenants have come from existing social and affordable housing waiting lists.

The units are a mix of social housing and affordable housing.

Social housing is for low-income people who are unable to secure appropriate housing in the private market. Applicants must meet certain eligibility criteria. In social housing properties managed by not-for-profit community housing providers like Compass, rents are capped at 25 per cent of tenants’ assessable income, plus any rent assistance they are eligible to receive from the Federal Government.

Affordable housing is a form of rental accommodation somewhere between the social housing system and the private rental market. Rents are capped at 75 per cent of the market rate.

Eligibility criteria for affordable housing are determined by the NSW Affordable Housing Ministerial Guidelines.

Minister for Families, Communities

The complex at 120 Brunker Road is now complete Photo supplied: NSW Government

and Disability Services Alister Henskens said the new complex, which is close to shops and public transport, would reduce housing stress and connect residents with needed services and support.

“The Adamstown complex not only provides a range of accommodation

options for vulnerable people, but links them to vital services to improve their health and general wellbeing,” Henskens said.

Compass Housing Group Chief Corporate Services Officer Lyndall Robertshaw said the Adamstown complex marked the completion of

493 dwellings delivered across the Hunter and Central Coast.

“This is the single largest social and affordable housing project seen in the two regions – we’ve delivered it in just over two years, despite the challenges of a COVID pandemic,” Robertshaw said.

“Compass will not only manage the tenancies but also provide access to tailored, wrap-around support services to help ensure people can make the most of their new homes and achieve their goals.

“Projects like this one show what is possible when governments leverage the know-how and capacity of the community housing sector and private sector.”

Robertshaw said the SAHF program was a big win for local economies and communities, helping create local jobs for tradies and other professions.

The local builder for the Adamstown complex was Graph Building.

“The dwellings delivered by Compass through the SAHF have provided a strong pipeline of new homes in the Hunter, creating jobs for local tradies,” Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin said.

People apply for social housing and rent subsidies through the NSW Government’s Housing Contact Centre either online or by calling 1800 422 322.

Hayley McMahon

Graffiti removal program offers clean slate Young people convicted of vandalising property will be required to remove graffiti from the walls of homes, shop fronts and other businesses, thanks to a partnership between the City of Newcastle and the NSW Government.

Traditionally, young offenders have removed graffiti from council-owned properties as part of their community service order. From January, private property owners will be able to request via the City of Newcastle to have graffiti removed from their home or business at no cost, as part of a 12-month trial.

City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said the benefits of the program went far beyond cleaning vandalised property.

“Few people would be aware that for the past 20 years City of Newcastle has been supporting youth offenders through various community-based programs, with participants working side by side with our outdoor cleaning teams to learn new skills, including removing graffiti,” Bath said.

“It’s a wonderful program that teaches young offenders that communityowned buildings are often home to important community services that deserve to be respected and protected.

“Almost 1500 young people have worked with our staff over the past two decades improving the look and cleanliness of the city CBD, and in the process learning new skills that

Newcastle Youth Justice Office Area Manager Damian Baker and City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath Photo: Supplied

encourage them to respect public property.

“The time is now right to expand the program so that home and business owners whose properties have been tagged can ask to have the graffiti removed at no cost to them.

“Should a resident or property owner discover graffiti, all they will need to do is complete an online form at the City of Newcastle website and a crew from the Youth Justice NSW Community Service Order Program will be in touch to confirm when they will come to remove

the graffiti,” Bath said.

Newcastle Youth Justice Office Area Manager Damian Baker said the graffiti removal program provided participants with an opportunity to give back to the community while developing new skills.

“Funding provided by City of Newcastle has assisted program participants with work readiness, pathways to employment and training through TAFE NSW and other job network providers,” Baker said.

“Our focus is to introduce young participants to fundamental and transferrable skills required to assist in gaining an edge in a competitive job market for low-skilled employment.

“Newcastle Youth Justice Community Office has received numerous commendations from both City of Newcastle and the Department of Communities and Justice in support for the continued commitment to provide reparation work and beautification to the city.”

The expanded graffiti removal program will commence in January 2022.

City of Newcastle supports Youth Justice NSW and its rehabilitation program with funding to assist in the procurement of equipment, materials and personal protective equipment for participants.

For more information, visit City of Newcastle’s Graffiti Removal Program webpage.

Media release, City of Newcastle

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Meals on Wheels grateful for every morsel The Meals on Wheels kitchen at Tighes Hill cooks up a storm week in, week out, producing up to 15,000 meals that are then delivered to clients throughout Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

The charity organisation is among around 20 community groups to receive a grant this year through the State Government’s Community Building Partnership program.

Meals on Wheels Project and Marketing Officer Ayla Jade said the $50,000 grant, available to spend in March 2022, would go towards a much-needed new combi oven. It is just one of the things on the organisation’s ever-expanding wish list.

“Really, it’s the big appliances we need to upgrade, to be able to keep cooking the meals to meet increasing demand,” Jade said.

The team of six people at the Tighes Hill kitchen is working with two commercial combi ovens and other equipment that are between 15 and 20 years old. Jade said they were just about “past their use-by date”.

A new combi oven alone costs at least $60,000.

Workers in the Meals on Wheels kitchen at Tighes Hill Photo: Supplied

Jade said the organisation was constantly applying for grants and was grateful for any money received.

“I’ve got a wish list that’s worth at least half a million dollars. All our equipment is ageing,” she said.

Greater demand for the service was a result of several factors, Jade noted, including a growing ageing population, an increase in NDIS clients (MOW is not just for the elderly), and COVID, which

meant people were not going out so much to buy groceries and family members were less available to help with meals.

The Newcastle Meals on Wheels service supplies fresh and frozen meals to 1100 clients each week across nine, soon to be 10, branches. The kitchen also produces frozen meals for22 different organisations across the region such as Integrated Living.

The service is forever on the lookout for financial help and is always happy to accept new volunteers to add to the 403 helpers already on board.

To register your interest in becoming a volunteer or a client, visit the Meals on Wheels Newcastle website at mow.net.au or call (02) 4957 7097.

Other groups to benefit from Community Building Partnership funding this year include Mayfield’s Flexible Options, receiving $20,000 to kit out an op shop and craft space for NDIS participants, and Fighting Chance, awarded $16,539 to develop a fully accessible co-working space at Warabrook. The Hunter Academy of Sport has also received $19,000 to boost their Indigenous Talent Identification.

State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said he was thrilled to see a wide variety of community groups apply.

“These grants are going to reach so many people in our community, and I congratulate the successful organisations for their applications,” he said.

Gina Cranson

A vision splendid for Gregson Park The refined Masterplan for Gregson Park has been approved, ensuring much-needed improvements and a bright future for the historic Hamilton park.

At the Ordinary Council meeting on November 23, the Gregson Park Masterplan and Heritage Places Plan of Management for Gregson Park were officially adopted.

During a six-week public exhibition period, community members outlined their favourite things about the park and what needed to be kept, removed or changed.

The draft masterplan was refined in response to the community feedback, which saw the addition of bike racks, bubblers, reorientation of the half-court basketball court, relocation of the bat ball wall and improved seating in the south-western corner of the park.

City of Newcastle Acting Director City Wide Services Lynn Duffy said the community’s feedback was integral in developing the refined and final masterplan.

“We know our community values Gregson Park’s rich history and what it offers as a recreational space, which is why this masterplan was developed with the community in mind,” Duffy said.

“The masterplan will ensure we respect the heritage significance of Gregson Park through the retention and enhancement of the existing historical elements, as well as incorporate indigenous culture into future improvements.

“City of Newcastle will invest $8 million into Gregson Park over the next decade by implementing short- and long-term priorities included in the masterplan.”

The former bowling green will transform into a new sheltered community area suitable for events, markets and picnics Photo: City of Newcastle

The Heritage Places Plan of Management was also considered and approved, including retaining and enhancing the popular tennis clubhouse.

A Tennis Strategy will soon be developed to provide further insight into tennis facilities across Newcastle.

History writer Ruth Cotton said the inner-city park was full of history, and it was important to retain those features for future generations.

“Gregson Park continues to hold a

special place in the hearts of Novocastrians, and I’m really pleased that the heritage of the park will be retained into the future,” Cotton said.

“I have no doubt that as the plans come to fruition, Gregson Park will remain a historic gem that continues to pay homage to its past.”

Short-term priorities for the park include the new larger play space, basketball half-court and bat ball wall, realigned paths, plantings, community

shelter, enhanced park entries and upgraded amenities with disabled access and facilities.

Long-term priorities include additional tree planting, accessible pathways, a potential new kiosk, community gardens and a stormwater retention tank.

Meanwhile, Newcastle Labor councillors have pledged to provide an all-inclusive playground in Gregson Park’s existing playground if re-elected in the local government elections on December 4.

The larger playground would include nature play, water play, and a small yarning circle expanded to the northeast of its existing footprint.

Ward 2 Labor councillor Carol Duncan said the construction of a new and expanded adventure playground would be fantastic for locals and visitors.

“The playground at Gregson Park has served our community well over time, but it’s time to breathe new life into this fantastic space for Hamilton locals and visitors, and Labor will deliver this as a priority during the next term of council,” Cr Duncan said.

“Our vision for the expanded playground under the Gregson Park Masterplan is to provide a more inclusive and adventurous playground to cater for kids of all ages, with a new and more modern style adventure play space, including the inclusion of popular water play elements.

“We’ll also retain and refurbish the popular barbecue area and provide additional picnic settings and barbecues because of their immense popularity for family and community gatherings at the Gregson Park.”

For more information, visit the City of Newcastle website.

Hayley McMahon

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Open invitation to Hamilton’s big birthday bash Hamilton is celebrating its 150th birthday, and everyone’s invited to the party! Beaumont Street and Gregson Park will come alive with fun and family-friendly entertainment on December 11.

Curious Legends’ Banana Peel will feature in a production at Gregson Park in celebration of Hamilton’s 150th birthday Photo supplied: Curious Legends

Local production company Curious Legends are working with Hello Hamilton, City of Newcastle, Hudson Street Hum, Port of Newcastle and many local artists to bring Hamilton to life for its milestone birthday.

Beaumont Street celebrations will kick off at 9.30am on Saturday, December 11, with roving Bush Clowns from the Curious Legends, chalk artist Alex Wegner from Sketch It Live, Superheroes from the Hunter Heroes, and live music by the Julie Logan Music Carolers.

Parents and children should also look out for a guest appearance from the one and only Santa.

Then from 3pm, families can participate in an afternoon of crafts at the Hudson Street Hum in Hamilton.

Artist Yvette Ten-Bohmer will conduct a Trash Creatures Workshop, when families can get messy and creative making creatures out of recycled materials.

Families will be guided through the creative process and help give old, unwanted waste materials a new purpose.

Attention will turn to Gregson Park from 5pm with a free family-friendly outdoor event hosted by Curious Legends, filled with live music, roving artists, food trucks, chalk workshops and their iconic illuminated giant puppets.

Curious Legends creative director Mitchell Reese said the outdoor production was a part of the 150th birthday celebrations but also a way to mark the city’s awakening after lockdown.

Reese said from 8pm, their brand-new outdoor production titled CURB would commence, which touches on “exploring trash, loneliness, and what to do if you have lost your peel”.

“This show is all about trash,” Reese said.

“We’ve taken a simple concept – throwing away a banana peel and made it larger than life.

“For anyone who saw Taylor’s Run at the New Annual festival earlier this year – our Giant Peel is getting its own show!”

Although it’s a free event, those wanting to see CURB must book, and all participants over 16 years of age must be double vaccinated to attend.

For more information about CURB and Hamilton’s 150th birthday celebrations, visit curiouslegends.com.au.

Hayley McMahon

Fireworks to return to Newcastle Foreshore Having missed out on fireworks last New Year’s Eve due to COVID-19, Newcastle will farewell 2021 with a spectacular return to the much-loved family-friendly event at The Foreshore, capped off by a dazzling fireworks display at 9pm.

The harbourside precinct will come alive with a range of activities along Wharf Road, including DJ sets, roving entertainers and amusement rides.

To ensure attendees can adhere to social distancing requirements, the traditional New Year’s Eve main stage concert will not take place this year.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said after a COVID-enforced hiatus in 2020, she was looking forward to the safe return of The Foreshore celebrations and fireworks display, which is the most popular community event on the city’s calendar.

“Our city has just been through one of the most trying periods in recent history and after a difficult two years we’re ready to come together as a community to welcome 2022,” Cr Nelmes said.

“The wellbeing of our community is City of Newcastle’s key priority, which is why we’ve been planning the celebration in close consultation with lead agencies to ensure all necessary COVID-19 safety measures are in place and that social distancing can be maintained.

“It will be fantastic to celebrate the new year and bid farewell to 2021 with family-friendly activities and the return

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes at Foreshore Park with representatives from New Year’s Eve celebrations entertainment providers Bliss Cavanagh (Happy Senses), Luke Russell (indigenous arts group Wylaa Buuranliyn) and Tom Pahlow (Fabulist Umbra Puppetry) Photo: Supplied

of the 9pm fireworks display to Newcastle Foreshore.

“By holding our much-loved New Year’s celebrations we’ll be supporting local performers, entertainers and vendors who have been hit hard by the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions and the recent lockdowns.”

Cr Nelmes said there would be a range of activities, amusement rides, food vendors and market stalls on offer for those heading to The Foreshore on New Year’s Eve, allowing people to spread themselves throughout the precinct from Lynch’s Hub through to The Station.

“The hallmark of City of Newcastle’s New Year’s Eve events is free entertainment and activities,” she said.

“People heading to The Foreshore can take a picnic blanket and set up in front of their choice of DJ, take the kids to a variety of activities including Indigenous art workshops, or visit the popular VIP sensory area designed specifically for people with disabilities before settling in to see the sky come alive with colour during the 9pm fireworks display.

“With a recent survey telling us The Foreshore New Year’s Event generates the most interest among residents, we

can’t wait to bring our community together and bid goodbye to 2021 and welcome 2022 with hope and optimism.”

The decision to proceed with New Year’s Eve celebrations at The Foreshore was made in consultation with NSW Health and with the support of NSW Police. Preparations are under way in line with advice from the NSW Government and local authorities to ensure the safety of all attendees, contractors and employees.

Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle

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Novocastrians unite to end violence against women A vigil to signify the first day of the global campaign 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women was held at Newcastle Art Gallery on Thursday night, November 25.

Community members in attendance remembered loved ones lost and united to take a stand against violence.

The 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women initiative brings communities together worldwide, helping to shine a light on gendered violence and the desperate need for its elimination.

The campaign begins each year on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and runs until December 10, International Human Rights Day. “Together, we will remember the women lost to violence in 2021 and launch another annual program of activism and advocacy as we work towards the day when all women are safe from control debilitating or slight, coercion explicit or implied, and aggressions both large and small,” University of Newcastle’s Gender Research Network Project Officer Rachel Bond said at the launch of this year’s campaign.

“We will hear stories of heartbreak and hope from workers on the frontline of the war against gendered violence.

“We will then bear witness to a reading of the name of every single woman killed by violence in Australia so far this year.

“Together, we will focus our thoughts on those lost and send light to those left behind.”

Gender Research Network members, from left, research assistant Kelly Peihopa, project officer Rachel Bond, convenor Trisha Pender, research assistant Emma Giles, and equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator Astrid Gearin at last year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign Photo: Eddie O’Reilly

Women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner, and young women (18-24 years) experience significantly higher rates of physical and sexual violence than women in older age groups.

“I think it’s very important to shine a light on the fact that women continue to be killed by violence,” Bond said.

“There has been some recent change in NSW around women’s refuges and

Santa Claus is coming to town Santa is coming to Newcastle and lighting up the Civic Precinct with an 11-metre high Christmas tree and loads of family fun activities planned for this December.

The festivities will run in Wheeler Place from 6pm to 8pm every Friday and Saturday night during the first three weekends of December.

Families can snap a free photo with Santa and his elves, grab a bite to eat at the Civic Theatre Café & Bar and enjoy free live entertainment including carol singers, a brass band, the Marching Koalas, Novotones choir, Hannah Indigo and children’s entertainers the Little Scallywagz.

Newcastle charity representatives from Got Your Back Sista and the Ronald McDonald House will also be wandering around Wheeler Place, raising funds to help those in need this Christmas season.

City of Newcastle’s Interim Director Strategy and Engagement Kathleen Hyland said the Christmas tree and activities would help to activate inner-city

Newcastle following the recent lockdown.

“While it’s been another challenging year for our community, we’re all looking forward to coming together safely during the festive season to celebrate,” Hyland said.

“We hope that the sight of our Christmas tree and the free, fun activities will help spread a dose of much-needed joy amongst friends and families, while also encouraging visitors to come back into the city centre and support our local businesses.

“There is no better time than the leadup to Christmas to shop locally, enjoy a night out at one of the local bars or restaurants and show your support for all those Newcastle businesses who have been affected by the recent lockdown and restrictions.”

For more information on Newcastle’s Christmas events, including activities held in Wheeler Place, Hunter Street Mall, Hamilton, Wallsend and Darby Street, visit the City of Newcastle’s What’s On website.

Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle

social housing, which is a step in the right direction, but we need to keep fighting because women keep dying.

“As long as there are women and children out there who are not safe, we will keep holding vigils and shining a light on the violence.”

Other events for the Newcastle community to participate in during the 16 Days campaign include an exhibition at Galerie Shangri-Lah titled What were you wearing?.

Launched on November 26 and open to the public until December 9, the show features the varied clothing worn by women when assaulted, a stark reminder that no one asks to be targeted.

Additionally, there will be a free public webinar hosted by the Gender Research Network called Men as Makers of Change on December 6 at 10am via Zoom.

Bond said there had been a huge call among the community for more menbased activism.

“It’s always the majority of women who attend the activism events and vigils,” she said.

“They always end up being femalecentric, so we want to bring the men to the table and encourage them to help us discuss, prevent and eliminate these issues.

“The webinar will touch on different opportunities that can be implemented to change men’s behaviour and to help encourage them to participate in grassroots activism.”

Guest speakers include Matt Brown, author of She Is Not Your Rehab, criminologist Dr Michael Salter and lawyer Joplin Higgins.

For more information on the webinar, visit the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women NewcastleFacebook page.

In honour of the 16 Days of Activism campaign and to signify its beginning, the University of Newcastle’s NUspace building, Newcastle City Hall and Civic Park were lit up in orange.

Hayley McMahon

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Marine life in clear and present danger Entire ecosystems off the NSW coast are at significant risk following massive declines of soft coral habitats, according to a team of researchers at the University of Newcastle.

Between the Central Coast and Port Stephens, the species Dendronephthya australis, cauliflower coral, has declined by up to 90 per cent and has become the first soft coral in Australian history to be listed as threatened.

Beginning as a university honours project by Hannah Finlay-Jones, the study looks into the role of the endangered cauliflower coral as a habitat for fishes and invertebrates and whether species used the soft coral as a food source.

While previous work found that large fish didn’t directly feed on these corals, Jones and her team found the small invertebrates, tiny organisms, and crustaceans relied on the corals as part of their diet.

These animals are an essential food source for fish further up in the food web, signalling that losing these soft coral habitats could have broad, adverse effects on coastal waterways.

Supervising the study was postdoctoral researcher and marine ecologist Dr Vincent Raoult, who said there had been a decline of these soft coral habitats in NSW for more than a decade.

“It’s quite alarming that these animals and coral habitats are starting to disappear without us even knowing what their roles are in our ecosystems and what negative impacts those declines could have,” Dr Raoult said.

The species Dendronephthya australis, cauliflower coral, has declined by up to 90 per cent Photo: David Harasti

“These soft corals align with the hard corals you would find in the Great Barrier Reef. They have these complex structures that provide lots of areas for animals to live and thrive in and provide a food source.

“When we delved deeper and looked at the tiny organisms that lived on these corals, we found that the vast majority of them fed almost exclusively on the soft corals.”

Dr Raoult also said the White’s Seahorse was a threatened species that lived on and ate the organisms of these soft corals, which was an integral key to the seahorse’s survival.

“These soft corals are an important factor in our coastal ecosystems and are

now officially listed as threatened,” he said.

The soft coral decline is attributed to human interference such as boat anchoring, poorly installed boat moorings and entanglement by fishing line.

“The biggest threat is sandbank movement because these animals are not very mobile, which means they get smothered by sand fairly easily,” Dr Raoult said.

“So, big movements of sand caused by openings and closings of estuaries, for example, can smother the corals and cause a lot of deaths.”

The research paper concludes by calling for remediation and

management actions to ensure Dendronephthya australis does not become extinct in the region.

Dr Raoult said some actions being trialled included mapping the corals in Brisbane Water to help get an idea of where the corals occur.

This mapping opens up an opportunity for monitoring and protection, limiting boat anchoring, mooring and dredging in certain areas.

“Another action being taken based out of Port Stephens is developing ways to grow these corals in aquarium conditions so they can be released and replanted in the environments they have been lost in,” Dr Raoult said.

He said action could also take place at a grassroots level, asking the community to be careful and aware of these precious ecosystems.

“If you are doing any boating, please have a look at where you’re dropping your anchor; these soft corals are really noticeable because they look like big cauliflowers on the ocean floor,” he said.

“You can see them clearly through the water, so try to avoid putting anchors or fishing lines in those areas.

“These habitats occur quite literally at an arm’s length in some shallow parts of Brisbane Water, right next to the shore, so being aware that they are there is so important.

“The more people that know of these amazing habitats will broaden the overall awareness of the community, showing everyone why it’s so important that we do everything we can to protect them.”

Hayley McMahon

Frog researchers share ribbiting news The Robust Bleating Tree Frog, known to many east coast residents as a frog with an extremely loud and piercing call, has now been discovered to have two new and also very noisy amphibian friends.

The Robust Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria dentata) is now joined by newly discovered relatives the Slender Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria balatus) and the Screaming Tree Frog (Litoria quiritatus).

Scientists from the University of Newcastle, Australian Museum, South Australian Museum, and Queensland National Parks and Wildlife made the discovery, which was published in Zootaxa.

The frogs were scientifically described and identified with the help of citizen scientists and their recordings through the Australian Museum’s FrogID app.

Many sounds were submitted via the app, which helped the scientists differentiate between the various calls.

Australian Museum herpetologist Dr Jodi Rowley said their examinations revealed the calls differed slightly in their length, pitch and how rapid-fire they were.

“The Slender Bleating Tree Frog has

Screaming Tree Frog Photo: Supplied

the shortest, most rapid-fire and highest pitched calls,” Dr Rowley said.

“The research and help from our citizen scientists highlights the valuable contribution that everyone can make to better understand and conserve our frogs.”

University of Newcastle’s School of Environmental and Life Sciences Professor Michael Mahony said the three closely related species were

relatively common and widespread.

“They are all at least somewhat tolerant of modified environments, being recorded as part of the FrogID project relatively often in backyards and paddocks, as well as more natural habitats,” Professor Mahony said.

The Slender Bleating Tree Frog is present in Queensland while the Screaming Tree Frog occurs from Taree in NSW to just over the border in Victoria

The Slender Bleating Tree Frog is slender in appearance, and has a white line extending down its side, and males have a distinctly black vocal sac.

The Screaming Tree Frog isn’t nearly as slender, doesn’t have the white line extending down its side, and males have a bright yellow vocal sac. In the breeding season, the entire body of males of the Screaming Tree Frog also tend to turn a lemon yellow.

The Robust Bleating Tree Frog is most similar in appearance to the Screaming Tree Frog, but males have a brownish vocal sac that turns a dull yellow or yellowish brown when fully inflated.

South Australian Museum Professor Steven Donnellan said the genetic work of the frogs was the first clue that there were actually three species.

“Although similar in appearance, and in their piercing calls, the frogs are genetically very different.

I’m still amazed that it’s taken us so long to discover that the loudest frog in Australia is not one but three species,” Professor Donnellan said.

“How many more undescribed species in the ‘quiet achiever’ category are awaiting their scientific debut?”

Information source: Media release, University of Newcastle

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Last-ditch effort to stifle gas plant plans

The GFHA outside Planning Minister Rob Stokes’ office on November 26 Photo: Supplied

As a decision on the Kurri Kurri gas-fired power station looms, community members continue to call for the proposal to be rejected.

Hunter Valley residents will protest outside NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy and the Environment Matt Kean’s office on Wednesday, December 8, as their concerns mount over the climate impacts of burning fossil fuels and the lack of long-term economic benefits and jobs the proposed Kurri Kurri gas/diesel plant would bring to the Hunter Valley.

The Gas Free Hunter Alliance (GFHA) will lead the protest starting at 10am outside Kean’s Hornsby office and will present him with a 55,000-signature petition calling on him to push for the rejection of “the outdated and polluting Kurri Kurri gas/diesel plant”.

A recommendation on the project is expected “imminently” from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Late last month, the GFHA delivered its petition to NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes, asking him to reject government entity Snowy Hydro’s proposed $600M gas plant, situated 38km west of Newcastle.

The project relies on a recommendation and determination by Minister Stokes.

Snowy Hydro recently released its Hunter Power Project business case,

outlining the plant’s purpose of filling the electricity gap created by the closure of the Liddell Power Station near Muswellbrook.

“The closure of Liddell Power Station will reduce NSW’s electricity supply by around 13 per cent and without replacement dispatchable capacity, this risks prices rising by around 30 per cent

over two years,” it reads.

“By providing firmed energy, the Hunter Power Project, from within the Snowy portfolio, will facilitate an estimated 1.5 to 2GW of renewables, or the equivalent of 160,000 household solar installations.

“When Snowy Hydro uses gas energy to secure our solar and wind portfolio,

it reduces emissions by approximately 87 per cent (pr 1.4 million tonnes) compared to the equivalent energy produced by Bayswater Power Station.”

GFHA co-coordinator Carly Phillips said there were little to no details about the plant’s economic justification in the business case.

She said all the public had been shown was a “16-page high-level overview, which doesn’t include any substantive information, such as projections of revenue, details of the cost or any analysis of alternatives”.

“Snowy Hydro is a Government Business Enterprise and should be providing fulsome information on the viability of the Kurri Kurri gas plant project,” Phillips said.

“However, it should not hide behind the ruse that any such information is commercial-in-confidence.

“Taxpayers are effectively paying for the plant and deserve to know if it makes any economic sense before a determination is made by NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes.”

As well as its planned visit to Kean’s office on December 8, the Gas Free Hunter Alliance will get together for a Christmas picnic on the same day at Rotary Park, Kurri Kurri from 5.30pm.

Hayley McMahon

The GFHA hands its petition to Planning Minister Rob Stokes’ staff Photo: Supplied

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Hunter hydrogen hub gaining traction

Port of Newcastle is partnering with Macquarie Group’s Green Investment Group and the Commonwealth Government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to support the development of a hydrogen economy in the Hunter Region Photo: Port of Newcastle

Plans for a hydrogen hub in the Hunter are coming together as the NSW and Federal governments set their sights on net-zero emissions by 2050.

On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has committed $1.5M in funding to support a study into the development of a 40MW hydrogen hub at the Port of Newcastle.

Led by Port of Newcastle and Macquarie Green Investment Group, the $3M study is supported by partners Idemitsu, Keolis Downer, Lake Macquarie, Snowy Hydro, Jemena and project collaborators Macquarie Agriculture and the University of Newcastle.

The study will determine a broad range of potential uses for green hydrogen, bunkering, energy production, and industrial applications such as renewable ammonia at scale for domestic fertiliser use.

With Port of Newcastle’s existing industries, infrastructure, and access to a deepwater port, the study will ultimately determine the optimal site for the hub as a foundation for renewable hydrogen to

flow within the region.

Along with local uses, the study will also investigate the potential to upscale hydrogen production for export, leveraging the port’s existing international supply chains.

Clean hydrogen is a key part of the Australian Government’s Low Emissions Technology Statement to produce hydrogen for less than $2 per kilogram.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who made a quick trip to Newcastle and Lake Macquarie last month, said Newcastle and the Hunter were integral to Australia’s clean energy solutions.

“Our plans to move to a lower-emissions future very much have the Hunter at the centre of our thinking,” he said.

“Everything we do, every plan we have, every investment we’re making, is making sure it works here in the Hunter, because we know if it works here it’ll work to create jobs and prosperity all across the country.

“The region has been key to Australia’s energy security, and with continuing strong demand for baseload power fuels and the potential as a clean energy hub, Newcastle and the Hunter will be an important part of Australia’s transition under our

plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

“Newcastle is the biggest port on the east coast, with 50 per cent of its capacity available for future industry development, making it a great asset for the region to become one of the seven clean hydrogen industrial hubs the government is delivering.

“We’re committed to developing a world-leading hydrogen industry while providing investment and growth opportunities for our communities like Newcastle and the Hunter.”

Meanwhile, the Committee for the Hunter has released the Hunter Hydrogen Roadmap, developed by the Hunter Hydrogen Taskforce.

The roadmap was developed with industry, research and government, including H2 NOW, Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources, Ironbark, CSIRO, HunterNet, Dantia, Grattan Institute and Ampcontrol.

Translating state and national ambitions into a targeted set of actions in the Hunter, the roadmap outlines the ways renewable hydrogen should be generated, stored and used.

The roadmap sets out long-term strategic enablers that will accelerate hydrogen

development as well as help to establish the hydrogen industry and investments across sectors over short and long terms.

CEO for Committee for the Hunter Alice Thompson said the Hunter region was Australia’s strategically positioned energy capital.

“Hydrogen is a long-term commitment for our region, but we need action now to maintain and grow our competitive advantage or risk being left behind,” Thompson said.

“We know that the development of a Hunter hydrogen industry will need more than projects and technology.

“It requires brokering between suppliers and users, workforce development, regulatory reform, new standards, safety training, complementary policy and programs,communitysupport,investment concierge and promotion.”

University of Newcastle Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said the roadmap provided a clear direction to kickstart the industry in the Hunter.

“The roadmap sets a high level of ambition and our region’s course to becoming a hub of hydrogen and innovation, which is very exciting,” Professor Zelinsky said.

“It makes me very proud that our university has been able to play a leading role in developing the roadmap through the taskforce.

“We are absolutely committed to working with Committee for the Hunter and our partners across the region to realise this incredible opportunity for the Hunter and become leaders in Australia’s hydrogen future.”

Port of Newcastle CEO Craig Carmody said the Hunter Hydrogen Roadmap complemented the work under way with the Port of Newcastle Hydrogen Hub. “The Hunter Hydrogen Roadmap shows strong strategic alignment with the Port’s commitment to renewable energy production, storage and plans to diversify our export trade for the future,” Carmody said.

“This roadmap and the Port of Newcastle Hydrogen Hub will help secure and grow jobs and businesses for the Hunter region for generations to come.”

The Committee for the Hunter will lead the roadmap delivery, working with governments within the greater Hunter region.

Hayley McMahon

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Report outlines growth under net-zero approach

If Australia transitions to net-zero emissions by 2050, 25 out of the 28 NSW regions will be economically better off Photo: Adobe Stock

Most NSW regions would benefit economically from the transition to net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a recent report.

The modelling report by the Centre of Policy Studies at Victoria University explores how 43,600 NSW jobs would be created due to a net-zero economy, and finds that many regional areas would experience the most benefit.

Comparing two approaches – business as usual (BAU) and a transition to netzero emissions – the report outlines how the economy grows across all regions under each model.

However, if Australia transitions to netzero emissions by 2050, 25 out of the 28 NSW regions would be economically better off.

Centre of Policy Studies Professor Philip Adams said committing to netzero emissions would result in the national economy growing at an average of 2.56 per cent per annum, just 0.03 below a business-as-usual approach.

He said the modelling took a conservative approach, based on current technology, industries and government policy action, as well as using a price on carbon to incentivise the transition to net zero.

“The cost of Australia transitioning to net-zero emissions by 2050 has plummeted by 80 per cent in just eight years thanks to a rapid decline in the

cost of renewable energy and electric vehicles, and the emergence of new green technologies,” Professor Adams said.

“Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is like buying an insurance policy. We incur a small decline in the growth in GDP in order to limit the potential impact of catastrophic climate change.”

The report outlines some of the regions that would economically benefit, including the Mid-North Coast, Riverina and Coffs Harbour regions.

The Hunter Valley region would grow with 33,000 new jobs under the net-zero transition by 2050 but would experience lower growth under a BAU approach.

Overall, 43,600 more NSW jobs would be created in NSW in a net-zero economy compared to BAU. As a result of a net-zero transition, some specific sectors would largely benefit, including fishing and forestry, renewable energy generation, agriculture and manufacturing.

Comparatively, some employment and job sectors, including coal and gas production, would be worse off.

The Hunter Valley is considered the powerhouse of Australian mining, comprising 41 coal mines spread over more than 450km, and is home to the world’s biggest coal port, the Port of Newcastle.

According to the report, the Hunter Valley’s total employment rate in 2021

sits at 138,900. In a net-zero emissions by 2050 scenario, total employment would increase to 171,100. In a BAU scenario, total employment would increase to 193,300, a difference of 22,200 jobs.

Professor Adams said some regions like the Hunter Valley would need additional government support to help the region make the huge transition.

“We know which industries and regions will see lower growth, and with proper planning, resourcing and a long lead time, governments can invest in these regions to attract renewable energy industries, new green industries and invest in retraining and upskilling the workforce,” he said.

A study under way for a hydrogen hub in the Hunter is an example of this.

Protestors from the group Blockade Australia took action at the Port of Newcastle last month, disrupting production and calling for an end to non-renewable energy sources.

Over a week and a half, activists staged a series of protests in and around the port, lying on railway tracks, climbing machinery and turning off coal mining equipment.

Several protesters were arrested and could face penalties of up to 25 years in prison.

Furious Deputy Premier Barnaby Joyce said the protestors had disrupted $60M worth of coal exports.

NSW Police formed Strike Force Tuohy to stop the protesters and increase security and surveillance along the rail corridor.

Despite this, Blockade Australia did not relent.

In the group’s 20th action of the campaign, protesters Jacinta and Kirsten entered the Port of Newcastle, disabled machinery and locked themselves to a ground-level structure.

“The problem is that our system is based on exponential growth that revolves around money and power, which is unjust and unequal,” Jacinta said.

“All life forms suffer because of the human actions of the corrupt and exploitative systems of our government and multinationals.

“I’ve come here to do direct actions because I feel it is one of the ways for me to stand up for what is right.”

Similarly, Zianna and Hannah abseiled down coal-handling machinery on November 17 and hung there until removed by police. The port could not continue operations until they had been removed.

“We are getting in the way of Australia, stopping the machine that has set our homes on fire and drained our rivers, that promises mass starvation and water wars,” they said.

Hayley McMahon

Solar power propels hospital towards 2030 target More than 5000 solar panels spread across 11,500 square metres of rooftop at John Hunter Hospital have started harnessing the sun’s energy.

The installation represents major progress in the Hunter New England Local Health District’s ambitions of becoming carbon and waste neutral by 2030.

The solar panels have already saved over 145,950 kilograms in carbon dioxide emissions since October – or

the equivalent of planting 4350 trees.

The initiative is the result of a $3.2 million NSW Government investment aimed at dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of the hospital.

Hunter New England Health Chief Executive Michael DiRienzo said the solar panel project was one of several initiatives aimed at reducing the hospital’s carbon footprint to contribute to an environmentally sustainable future.

“The energy that these solar panels are expected to produce could power 500 homes each year, or reduce CO2 emissions equivalent to taking 885 cars off the road,” DiRienzo said.

“We’ve already made a head-start on our targets, having introduced solar panels on 10 of our hospitals across the district, with the aim of installing across all our health facilities over the coming years.

“Generating about 3238 megawatt hours per annum, the solar panels will help reduce the hospital’s annual energy

consumption by 11 per cent, resulting in a 20-year carbon reduction equivalent to over 52,000 tonnes.

Along with clean, renewable power, the other key tenets of Hunter New England Local Health District’s sustainability strategy, Sustainable Healthcare: Together Towards 2030 include: water recapture, reducing waste-to-landfill and transitioning fleet vehicles to hybrid and electric.

Information source: Media release, Hunter New England Health

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Resistance training program targets teens University of Newcastle researcher Professor David Lubans is leading an evidencebased Resistance Training for Teens program, upskilling teachers with the knowledge needed to tackle physical inactivity in students.

Teachers from 90 NSW high schools will participate in the program, which focuses on targeting the chronic issue of adolescent inactivity in Year 8 and Year 9 students.

The collaboration is between six separate universities, the NSW Department of Education and five NSW local health districts.

The program will provide three tiers of assistance to the 90 schools, including training plans, intensive support and even new equipment.

Professor Lubans said resistance training helped improve muscle strength and endurance, using free weights, weight machines, resistance bands and body weight.

He said resistance training was an important skill to possess as it was an activity that could be transferred into adulthood.

“Young people should participate in muscle strength activity at least three times a week, and this training is one of the most obvious ways to do that,” Professor Lubans said.

“Through those teenage years, many move away from the traditional team sports they grew up with and look for alternative activities. Resistance training

Professor David Lubans is leading the Resistance Training for Teens program Photo: University of Newcastle

is one of those activities you can do across the lifespan.

“We want to set adolescents up with a diverse range of exercises and lifelong activity skills that enable them to be active into their adulthood.

“Resistance training becomes increasingly important when we get older as we start to lose muscle mass, and we are more prone to falls.

“So, if we can lay the foundations now, the benefits will be reaped down the track.”

He said the most significant cause of inactivity in adolescents was time

constraints, where teens started to change priorities and focus on work, school and other commitments.

“When kids are young, their parents enrol them in lots of organised sport, and the kids who tend to excel will stay, but those who don’t, start to drop out and lose their confidence,” Professor Lubans said.

“Other things at that age become more prominent in their lives, so they may not partake in the same physical activities they participated in at a younger age.

“So we are looking at time-efficient interventions and strategies to fit a

workout into a short period of time.

“This decline in adolescent activity isn’t just an Australian phenomenon – it’s observed all over the world.”

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, less than two per cent of adolescents meet the recommended physical activity and musclestrengthening guidelines nationally.

The national physical activity guidelines are 60 minutes a day achieving a raised heart rate, and 60 minutes three times a week of an activity like climbing, swimming or running.

Professor Lubans said the three-year project would provide students and teachers with knowledge, confidence, and competence to improve their health into adulthood.

“It aims to guide teachers around certain training aspects like safety in the gym, how to design training programs, how to run classes, and how to promote resistance exercise that is consistent with the national physical activity guidelines,” he said.

To register your school’s interest in participating in the trial commencing 2022, contact david.lubans@newcastle. edu.au.

“The goal is to get this in every school in NSW and then potentially expand it from there,” Professor Lubans said.

“We want to introduce this type of exercise safely, giving these students a beneficial experience and setting them up on a positive and healthy life trajectory.”

Hayley McMahon

Vice-Chancellor Zelinsky still looking ahead University of Newcastle Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky has renewed his contract until 2026.

Professor Zelinsky has been in the role since November 2018 and is the University of Newcastle’s eighth ViceChancellor.

He also leads the development of the Looking Ahead Strategic Plan 20202025.

“I am grateful to the University Council, our staff and our students for their continued support, and I am excited to lead the University of Newcastle into an even brighter future,” Professor Zelinsky said.

“It is heartening to be part of a forwardlooking organisation well-positioned to seize the opportunities that are emerging.

“I remain fully committed to delivering an outstanding experience for our students and to continue to serve a region blazing a trail in innovation, technological advancement and research commercialisation.”

Professor Zelinsky said he was proud of the university’s work in the Hunter’s transition to low-emission energy.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky Photo: Supplied

His contract renewal last month came only days after the University of Newcastle announced its partnership with Port of Newcastle and Macquarie Green Investment Group in a $3M study for a potential hydrogen hub in the Hunter.

“The University of Newcastle is a

leader in researching tomorrow’s energy and resources technologies, addressing renewable energy generation, transmission and storage,” Professor Zelinsky said.

“Our researchers are working to advance projects in hydrogen

production, storage, utilisation and R&D to support the emergence of a hydrogen industry in the Hunter.

“Batteries and solar technologies, pumped hydro, biofuels and waste to energy are among the clean-energy solutions the university is advancing through its research towards a less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy future.”

University of Newcastle Chancellor Paul Jeans was delighted to secure Professor Zelinsky’s services for another term.

“Alex has shown great leadership since joining our university, and we are seeing great strides in our Looking Ahead Strategic Plan to the benefit of our students, staff, our region and tertiary education generally,” Jeans said.

“The University of Newcastle’s motto is ‘I look ahead’ – and renewing Alex’s contract is key to ensuring the seamless delivery of our goals in sustainability, advancement of Indigenous education and the nurturing of community partnerships that are central to our region’s growth and prosperity.”

Information source: Media release, University of Newcastle

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HSC students pass true test of character Hunter HSC students are finally able to celebrate the end of their exams after an unprecedented senior school experience in the middle of a pandemic.

At a time when many should have been kicking up their heels in Fiji or on the Gold Coast and others simply chilling after 13 years of hard work and/or ticking boxes, 3713 HSC students across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie began sitting their HSC exams.

Starting with English on Tuesday, November 9, HSC written exams were rescheduled to run till December 3, three weeks later than originally planned.

Strict COVID-safe protocols were in place, including students and supervising staff wearing masks.

COVID has meant the Class of 2021’s senior school years have been full of adaptation and disappointment.

They experienced two lengthy periods of home schooling, as well as the cancellation or postponement of many rites of passage along the way, such as excursions, ski trips, camps, award ceremonies, graduations, formals and 18th birthday parties.

The Higher School Certificate exams, though, were always going to proceed, albeit delayed, modified and masked.

With her exams now done and dusted, St Philip’s Christian College student Monique Walker reflected on the experience.

“The past few years dealing with COVID have been kind of weird because there were some elements of my HSC that didn’t feel official or genuine or certified,” she said.

“My graduation felt like a telethon.

“And, since COVID is something you cannot schedule around assessments, some of the most important assessments had to be reworked and modified and so a lot of people felt that we had no real idea of what we were doing.”

Monique said challenges were not confined to the school work.

“The hardest part of dealing with COVID during the HSC, and a lot of other students in all years agree, is going from online back to school in person,” she said.

St Philip’s Christian College graduate Monique Walker with proud parents Clive and Nerida at the school for the Year 12 formal

“We don’t realise how much brain space and energy is taken up by processing travel and social interactions we have throughout the day with others.”

For Monique, the next few years are “up in the air”.

“There’s a big choice that my year has to make between pushing on with further study through COVID or waiting until the storm passes and more opportunities beyond Australia open up,” she said.

“What my HSC has taught me is that the time spent with friends and the people around you are worth more than any mark or grade you could ever study for.”

Merewether High School student Larissa Mullard told NovoNews she had found 2021 “incredibly challenging”.

“After the HSC, I am excited to celebrate with my friends and spend time winding down,” she said.

Larissa, who has gained early admission into Occupational Therapy at the University of Newcastle next year, lamented the lack of closure for Year 12 students after 13 years at school.

“I never imagined that a random Thursday in August would be my last day of school forever,” she said.

Photo: Supplied

“All throughout high school I had looked up to the privileges of the graduating Year 12, knowing that one day that would be me, and although our school has made the best of a bad situation, those last few months of high school with your friends can never be replicated.”

Larissa is not alone.

Lambton High School student Laura Davies said “I’m really just excited to move beyond it all and leave the stress behind, but part of me is also sad to finish school so abruptly after being back and forth between school and at-home learning”.

Laura said the hardest part about doing the HSC amid a pandemic “has definitely been the uncertainty and isolation of it all”.

“The HSC is a time of immense pressure and stress and to do it all at home alone has been testing,” she said.

“Although teacher support has been amazing, I felt the determination to keep going was solely on me.”

Helping Laura through has been a recent offer of a geology cadetship, which will involve part-time work and part-time study in Earth Science and

Geology at the universities of Newcastle and Wollongong.

She said the offer “definitely came at the best time and pushed me to keep studying when I was so drained and over it all”.

Prior to the HSC exams, Merewether High School captain Lili Sabine said she was relieved there was an end in sight.

“I cannot believe it is the culmination of 13 years of schooling,” she said.

“It almost feels insincere when people call it that; it feels only like the culmination of two hard years, impacted by COVID, struggling to keep up and finish a course.

“It’s almost lost its meaning since it’s taken so long.”

Lili, whose ultimate career goal is to become a doctor, said a delay in university offers meant that it was difficult to make plans for next year.

She said missing weeks of face-to-face learning through Year 11 and 12 had “definitely made for a harder studying period” and the social and mental challenges during this time had been significant.

“Missing such key coming-of-age events is extremely tough,” she said.

“I know many feel as though we are having our senior year with all the academic hardships and none of the special rites of passage.

“Many missed 18th birthdays (mine involved being stuck at home with only my parents), missed school events, missed graduation, missed the last day of school.

“Thankfully we are having a delayed graduation that hopefully our parents will be able to come to and a school formal – definitely a silver lining on an otherwise grey cloud.”

The Year 12 of 2021 can now breathe a collective sigh of relief after enduring, with maturity and resilience, an unprecedented series of unfortunate events.

“It certainly has been a draining time for all but I’m proud of myself and everyone that we were able to keep going and get somethingoutofthisstrangeexperience,” Laura said.

Gina Cranson

University of Newcastle offers new diploma pathway Those who wish to pursue higher education will now have the opportunity to begin their journey via a new diploma pathway at the University of Newcastle.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said he was pleased to announce the seven new diplomas, which would help students begin higher education with a choice of degree destinations.

The seven new diplomas include Arts and Social Science, Business, Engineering, Built Environment, Science and Environmental Science, Information Technology and Education Studies.

Each diploma offers a combination of

first-year degree courses and supported pathway courses, enabling students with academic credit to transfer to their degree of choice.

The diplomas can also harness students with academic literacy, research, and subject-specific skills that help with the transition to university studies.

Once they’ve completed a diploma, students will be guaranteed entry into a selection of undergraduate degrees with credit for the work they have done in their diploma.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Professor Mark Hoffman said the diplomas were an example of the University of Newcastle’s commitment

to supporting students in the region.

“Our students have faced extraordinary challenges since the beginning of last year,” Professor Hoffman said.

“We want to remind them that there are many pathways into the University of Newcastle and many ways to succeed in their studies outside of traditional entry schemes.

“When you choose to study a diploma, you have the opportunity to be mentored and supported by passionate teachers to set you up for success.

“You can also access the Pathways and Academic Learning Support Centre, with dedicated academic learning support, counselling and peer support.”

Students can take a combination of oncampus face-to-face, online and blended study options and complete their diploma over 12 months of fulltime study or up to two years of parttime study.

The required selection rank is lower in comparison to an undergraduate degree. However, if students do not have an ATAR, they can still gain entry based on other criteria like past study, work, or vocational experience.

Applications for Semester One 2022 are now open. For more information, visit newcastle.edu.au/diplomas.

Hayley McMahon

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Growing Lovely Lavender Growing Lavender

CHERALYN DARCEY

An evergreen shrub with currently 47 species and 450 varieties, what was once the humble staple of cottage gardens is an often an overlooked shrub in modern gardens today.

Slow to establish and not as longlived as most woody shrubs, they are still worth the effort of planting as they are cheap, easily replaced and still live a good 10 years in favourable conditions.

Evidence of lavender use goes back over 2,500 years and yet botanists have been unable to pinpoint its exact origins. The Ancient Egyptians used lavender in their mumification processes and after popping up throughout the Arabian lands, in around 600BC it was recorded in what is now the Hyères Islands off France. From there lavender spread throughout Spain, Italy, France and eventually on to England.

All parts of the plant contain the distinctive aromatic oil which lavender is known for. In a garden setting, lavender will emit its fragrance upon a breeze, a light touch or after rain, enveloping you in a sense of cleansing calm. My general gardening advice is plant lavender well to begin with and then don’t look at it, don’t even talk to it, just leave it alone! Let’s look at the different kinds of lavender and pick one that’s right for you.

There are many lavenders but in the minds of most gardeners, there are three main types: English, Spanish and French. English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is also known as ‘True Lavender’ and may have the botanical reference (L. officinalis) but it is one and the same.

This is the lavender used mostly in essential oil production. Spanish Lavender (L. stoechas) is sometimes referred to as Italian Lavender. Due to its fresher aroma, it is popular in soaps, room sprays and medicinal products. French Lavender (L. dentata) is a steady bloomer and a pretty garden plant, but it is not the lavender that produces the famed ‘Lavandin Oil’ throughout the Provence region of France. That honour goes to ‘Lavandin’ (L. intermedia ‘Provence’), a hybrid of English Lavender and Spike Lavender (L. latifolia).

All these plants hate to get their feet wet, so a well-draining soil and position is paramount. Growing in a high area of the garden and in a mound of soil, (at least 40cm in height and 60cm in width for each plant), will make all the difference and they need sun, lots of sun.

Although lavender can grow in a tiny bit of shade, they will be healthier and bloom more prolifically in full sun.

In a garden with healthy, well composted soil, lavender won’t need feeding but if you are growing because you want a lush shrub then by all means give it a boost with a general all-rounder fertiliser but, be warned, as over feeding can lead to fungal issues. If you do need to water, then water the soil in the early morning and never the plant as humidity caused by watering can kill your lavender.

Growing in pots is also an option but the same rules apply and make extra sure that your pots and soil are super well-draining. They will need feeding a few times a year due to the lightness of soil required so use a slow-release balanced fertiliser.

Most lavenders bloom from six to eight weeks each year and if you are growing for use in floristry or to use

their harvest recipes. You will find a big dose of ‘La dolce vita’ to go with all that within the pages of ‘Garden Like a Nonno’. There are lots of good solid gardening advice pieces throughout the book along with recipes for homemade garden care products, such as ‘Nonno’s White Oil’ for pest control. Italian cooking?

Naturally! There are lots of tips and recipes for Italian garden feasting.

What I particularly like is the down to earth connection with Italian culture that’s easy to be inspired by in the way it is presented. It is a hardcover book and would make another good gift at this time of the year. Fun, bright and helpful.

GARDENING GUIDE FOR COAST GARDENERS THIS WEEK

in botanical products, harvest your lavender on a sunny day before noon and cut the stem just below the start of foliage. To dry, hang in bunches upside down in a cool dark place with very good air circulation.

When pruning you can go rather hard for most types after they have finished blooming as this will encourage good growth for the following season but never cut the older main stems of the plant.

Try These Lavenders The Princess Lavender (L. hybrid) is a compact grower bred for Aussie conditions and has an early and long flowering period. It is also drought tolerant. Hot pink bracts are topped with dark pink flowers which have a lovely fragrance long with very aromatic grey foliage. Ruffles Collection (L. pedunculata) flowers form as large fluffy ruffles high above the bracts. There are many types and colours including pinks and purples from dark to light. A little more tolerant of humid conditions and they are repeat bloomers with a compact growing habit that can be encouraged into a low hedge. Fairy Wings (L. pedunculata) have even larger flower petals that are ribbon-

like in appearance. Colours range from a blushed-white through to purples. This plant has proved to be more tolerant of cold and grows well in containers as well as the garden.

GARDENING BOOK Garden Like a Nonno

REVIEW:

The Italian Art of Growing Your Own Food by Jaclyn Crupi Affirm, 2021 ISBN: 9781922419521 Author Jaclyn Crupi shares with the reader all she has learned about the joyful, no-waste and heartily Italian way of gardening no matter how or where you garden. Nonnos (Italian Grandfathers) are known for their gardening expertise, wisdom, and

Just a few things you could plant this week include any and just about all culinary herbs, Asian greens, asparagus, globe and globe artichoke, beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, cape gooseberry, capsicum, carrot, celeriac, celery, chicory, chilli, choko, cucumber, eggplant,fennel,ginger,horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, marrow, mustard greens, okra, parsnip, potato, pumpkin, radish, rocket, salsify, silverbeet, spring onion, sweetcorn, squash, sweet potato, taro, tomato, turnip, warrigal greens, sunflower, aster, bedding begonia, calendula, California poppy, carnation, celosia, chrysanthemum, coleus, cosmos, dahlia, dianthus, everlasting daisy, gaillardia, gazania, gerbera, honesty, inpatients, kangaroo paw, marigold, nasturtium, phlox, portulaca, salvia, snapdragon, waratah, zinnia Next Week: Gardening with La Niña Cheralyn Darcey is a gardening author, community garden coordinator and along with Pete Little, hosts ‘At Home with The Gardening Gang’ 8 - 10am live every Saturday on CoastFM963. She is also co-host of @MostlyAboutPlants a weekly botanical history & gardening podcast with Vicki White.

Send your gardening questions, events, and news to: gardeningcentralcoast@gmail.com

YOU AND YOUR GARDEN: Caroline & Joe

A Garden for Koalas in Palmdale

Most gardeners will usually plant something native to blend in and to offer shelter or food for the local birds and bees, but I met a couple who have taken this concept a huge leap forward by turning over much of their Palmdale property to the local koala population.

Joe was inspired by an article in Central Coast Newspapers four years ago in which local MP, Lucy Wicks, and Australian Reptile Park General Manager, Tim Faulkner, appealed to the public to plant suitable trees for koalas on their properties. Since then, Joe approached Community Environment Network and Land for Wildlife to gain help in identifying naturally-established plants and trees already on his property and to help him know what to purchase to help the koalas. Caroline and Joe have a

gorgeous, warm country home hugged by cottage-style gardens that are surrounded by a firebreak of lawn. This gives way to the natural bush which is now boosted with more koala-welcoming plants and trees that stretches up the valley in all directions. To add to this dedication for our natural botanical wonders is an Australian Native Food and Medicinal Garden that includes the very interesting

‘Gumbi Gumbi’ (Pittosporum angustifolium). This traditional plant has been used by many Indigenous people as their primary medicine for thousands of years and is currently gaining the interest of cancer researchers.

Joe and Caroline have also entered their gardens into local gardening competitions and won many, but no wonder. The work that has been done with a keen

focus on regenerative practices, learning to live in harmony with the land and to physically help our future is a credit to them. Although the land is heading towards sustainability with most plants well established, a pump to move water, when needed, to the higher areas of the land would be helpful and is on Joe’s wish list to keep this Palmdale oasis growing for the local koalas.

I am on the road again chatting with people for CC Newspapers & Coast FM. All levels of skill, all types of gardens. I’m really interested in groups and even businesses who are doing interesting plant things as well as households.

Email me: gardeningcentralcoast@gmail. com and let’s have a chat!

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Re-write the story: routine cooking is boring

DANIELLE ABELL

GEORGIA LIENEMANN

This is the final part in our six-week series on the counterproductive stories we tell ourselves in the kitchen – those hurdles that mess with our mojo and prevent us from enjoying the process of cooking. This week we’re unpacking the story that to nourish and delight our families, we need to cook new and interesting dishes on a regular basis.

In an era of beautifully styled food photos from mummy bloggers and endless recipes pouring into our feeds daily, the household cooks of this generation are under substantial pressure to perform.

I’d hazard a guess that most of us have felt inadequate in this space, at some point. The constant barrage of inspiration often leaves us with the impression that we’re not ticking the long list of boxes required of us in the modern age.

Frequently those boxes

involve churning out a smorgasbord of new and interesting meals for our families.

And it’s unprecedented. A couple of generations ago, the household cook simply wasn’t expected to take their families on a world culinary tour each week! In most instances, Australian families might have been exposed to Chinese cuisine at a local restaurant, but that was likely the full scope of their culinary awareness.

Then it was back to the overcooked Brussel sprouts and boiled potatoes at home.

In other regions of the world, nothing has changed.

The home cooks prepare local regional dishes. The same ones, from the same traditional ingredients, day after day.

Instead, we’re faced with unparalleled access to recipes, information as well as a much broader diversity of exotic ingredients. It’s all there at our fingertips, which convinces us that we need to make use of it!

To add insult to injury, many in our generation didn’t grow up with a learning-by-osmosis style of cooking education because our parents had been sold on the convenience of processed foods and hence, spent the bulk of their time out of the kitchen, unlike our grandmothers.

So, it’s perfectly understandable that there’s a resistance to adopting new recipes and techniques every week. Regardless of ones cooking ability, it requires a lot of additional thinking and energy to do this!

The compulsive creative

Giving yourself permission

There’s another way the ‘I need to cook new and interesting things’ story plays out, however. For some, it stems from a very genuine desire to be creative in the kitchen. If this is you, the question to ask yourself is, does indulging that drive to cook creatively bring you joy across the board – or does it sometimes create unwarranted stress?

The first place to start, whenever we’re trying to create change is by acknowledging what already is. If you have a version of this story – whether it’s an inner resistance to expanding your repertoire of impressive meals, or the compulsive desire to create that you can’t seem to switch off – start to observe how it plays out.

Often-times parents who have loved cooking prior to having children, have the realisation that it’s simply not possible to scratch that itch – at least to the same degree whilst their children are young. And when they do succumb to that external pressure and inner drive to compulsively create, it can and does become stressful!

Next, ask yourself if anyone is actually complaining about having the same paleo brownie recipe over and over. Chances are, they’re not. So, give yourself permission to stick with the tried and tested recipes that your family actually like – even if it feels repetitive.

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Tweakable formulas and ‘base’ recipes One of the greatest hacks to relieve both uninspired cooks and compulsive creators alike, is having tweakable base recipe ideas that can be jazzed up and converted into a whole range of new and different versions.

Get yourself a basic sweet muffin recipe. If you make it every week, the recipe will be autosaved in your head and with no extra thinking it can become banana and walnut, raspberry and pear, or any other exotic combination of your choice.

A basic savoury muffin or

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vegetable slice can offer the exact same flexibility and freedom.

And when it comes to main meals – the same principle occurs. With only some minor tweaks to your herb and spice list, your slowcooked beef stew can become an Indian curry or a delicious Hungarian goulash.

Your Bolognese, a springboard to Mexican tacos or cottage pie.

Re-write your kitchen stories – with us!

As we finish up this series and after so much wonderful feedback from our readers (thank you!), my wonderful co-pilot Danielle from Lick the Plates and I have decided to host a free five-day online workshop in September.

Our mission is to help you find joy, ease and purpose in cooking again.

As we hope we’ve made abundantly clear over the past six weeks, cooking doesn’t have to feel like a chore. With the support of a group of like-minded cooks (and non-cooks!) who are ready to ditch their selfimposed stories, we’ll help you rewrite that boring mind chatter to help you reclaim the kitchen as a fun and energising place to be.

If you’ve been following along and have enjoyed some of the tips and musings we’ve shared over the past six weeks – it’s a tiny sliver of what we’ll be exploring with you in this workshop. We’d love to you to join us!

Head to stirringchange. com to register (it’s free).

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‘Tis the season to be thinking of others Novocastrians are being asked to share the Christmas spirit with those in need by donating a gift to the Salvos Christmas Toy Drive.

Organised by the Salvation Army and supported by the Newcastle Permanent, the annual Salvos Christmas Toy Drive is in full swing and accepting donations.

Newcastle mum Sara Goodridge was facing bills, the expense of living and the prospect of not having a present for her six-year-old son Jace last Christmas.

Goodridge felt overwhelmingly relieved when the Salvos arrived with a food card, as well as a toy toolkit and book for Jace.

“If it weren’t for the Salvos, I wouldn’t have had a Christmas with my son,” Goodridge said.

“To see Jace’s eyes light up and his big smile as he opened his presents made for a special Christmas.”

Salvation Army Auxiliary-Lieutenant Tracy Iles said COVID-19 job and income losses meant there were more children this year who wouldn’t have presents to open on Christmas Day. “A surprise gift under the Christmas tree will bring a smile to a young person

Newcastle Permanent CEO Bernadette Inglis, Newcastle resident Sara Goodridge and Salvation Army officer Tracy Iles Photo: Supplied

as well as to a parent or carer who is unable to afford gifts this year,” Iles said.

“Last year, the Salvos gave 26,000 gifts and toys to families in need of a hand, and we are ambitiously looking to help

more families this year.

“If you are able, please add a Salvos Toy Drive gift to your Christmas shopping list and drop it into a Newcastle Permanent branch.”

This year’s first toy drive donation came from Newcastle Permanent CEO Bernadette Inglis. She said the Newcastle Permanent had supported the toy drive for the past 33 years.

“As a parent, I know the joy of your child receiving a gift on Christmas morning,” Inglis said.

“In our many years of partnership with the Salvation Army, we’ve been humbled to help thousands of local families experience that joy, with presents under trees that otherwise may have been bare.

“We’re encouraging our people to donate, and they’ll also be volunteering to help the Salvos to sort and distribute the gifts.”

Those in the community wanting to donate can drop off their gifts to any Newcastle Permanent branch until Monday, December 20.

Gift ideas include toys, clothing, books, sporting equipment, games, beauty products, fashion accessories and gift vouchers. Gifts should be new and unwrapped.

Information source: Media release

Friends with Dignity call for Christmas donations Newcastle domestic violence support charity Friends With Dignity has launched its annual Christmas Toy Drive and urges the community to help make Christmas a little brighter for those in need.

Friends With Dignity is a volunteer-run charity that works with refuges and crisis centres to offer practical programs to help survivors of domestic violence.

Friends With Dignity CEO Manuela Whitford highlighted the fact that parents and children fleeing domestic violence would not be spending Christmas in their home but a local refuge.

“We are currently in the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women, which is a fitting time to also think about helping those who have experienced violence,” Whitford said.

“Your generous donation will make Christmas a little brighter for someone going through a really

Donations collected by Friends with Dignity from a previous year Photo: Supplied

difficult and traumatic time.

“Parents fleeing domestic violence often don’t have the money to spare to get their kids a Christmas present.”

Friends With Dignity has been running its Christmas Toy Drive for six years and

donated more than 4000 toys and gifts to refugees in the Hunter, South East Queensland and Perth last year.

This year, donated gifts will go to people staying in or being supported by refuges, including Carrie’s Place, Jenny’s

Place and Nova for Women and Children.

Unwrapped toys and gifts can be taken to Storage King at 54A Clyde Street, Hamilton North, or donations can be made via mycause and Friends With Dignity will purchase the gifts.

Whitford said workplaces might wish to organise a group donation, and Friends With Dignity volunteers will pick them up.

“Donating via mycause is a simple way to help and ensures we can purchase gifts for teenagers who often miss out because people mostly, generously, donate toys for little children,” Whitford said.

Workplace pick-ups are available between December 13 and 17.

To arrange a pick-up, email community@friendswithdignity.org.au.

To find out more about Friends with Dignity, its other programs, to volunteer or to make a donation, visit www.friendswithdignity.org.au.

Information source: Media release

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Smiles for miles at Variety Toy Drive-Thru

More than 1000 Hunter children received a Christmas gift from Variety Photo supplied: Justin Worboys photography

More than 400 cars and 1000 children made their way through Variety’s Xmas Toy Drive-Thru at McDonald Jones Stadium last week, giving local kids who are facing disadvantage a chance to experience the magic of the festive season.

Variety, a charity for children in need, hosted the Xmas Toy Drive-Thru for Newcastle and Hunter children who are

sick, disadvantaged or living with a disability.

The annual Variety Kids Xmas Party in Newcastle was unable to go ahead this year due to COVID-19, and the drivethrough event was conceived as its replacement.

Event manager Brooke Bell said there was a fantastic turnout, with a huge lineup of cars stretching through the whole McDonald Jones Stadium carpark.

“Everyone had their windows wound

down, and we could see the huge smiles on the kids’ faces, and the parents too,” Bell said.

“It was so nice to see the whole family enjoying the event.

“Each child who the Variety charity supports received a gift, which we are able to do through the donations we collect throughout the year.

“This event gives those families something to look forward to as well as inviting our donators and supporters to

come along and see what their support does for these kids.”

While the children received their Christmas gifts, they were entertained by roving characters, Santa Claus, a DJ, Bash cars and postie bikes.

Community members can still make donations and help Variety purchase toys and assist families this Christmas by visiting their website.

Hayley McMahon

Lifeline boosts numbers to manage growing demand A total of 35 new Lifeline crisis supporters have been recruited to meet the record community demand in the Hunter and Central Coast region.

The 35 recruits take the total number of Hunter and Central Coast-based crisis supporters to 134.

Senior crisis support team leader and trainer Jen Hillis said this was above their average of 24 new local recruits per year.

“Calls to 13 11 14 are up by 25 per cent, and we are expecting that to continue through the Christmas period, which can be a difficult time for many,” Hillis said.

“The 33 busiest days in Lifeline’s 58year history were all in August and September, and we are expecting a record number of calls this festive season.

“Sadly, many people who experience mental ill-health continue to be misunderstood.

“As a result, many people have and continue to struggle with problems such as relationship breakdowns, the impacts of COVID-19 and being isolated from family and friends.”

One of the newest recruits is Tighes Hill mum of three Tammii Suprano, who is volunteering to support her community

New recruit Tammii Suprano and senior crisis support team leader Jen Hillis Photo: Supplied

and help her new career as a paramedic.

“COVID-19 has affected a lot of people so much, and there are a lot of mental health issues in the community generally,” Suprano said.

“I have lots of life experience that I thought I could bring to the role.

“The Lifeline training is very in-depth, but a simple lesson has been the importance of doing more listening and less talking.”

Suprano, who is in her third year of a Bachelor of Paramedicine at Charles Sturt University, uses her Lifeline training to help her understand the intricacy of crisis support work.

“We are crisis supporters, not counsellors,” Suprano said.

“Our role is to walk alongside people in their moment of crisis, to sit with them in the mud, not necessarily solve their problems there and then.

“I didn’t appreciate how valuable that can be for someone who is grieving, lonely and can’t see a way forward and doesn’t have someone they can talk to.

“The fact that we are anonymous makes it easier for some people to be open and share their problems and feelings.”

While crisis supporters are mainly volunteers, it costs Lifeline $3500 to train and support each one.

Lifeline centres have not only seen a higher demand for support services but, unfortunately, a decrease in revenue streams due to its retail shops and fundraising events closed or cancelled due to COVID-19.

This fall in revenue has made it challenging to operate part of the essential 13 11 14 services.

While they receive some government funding, local Lifeline centres rely on community support to keep their free suicide prevention services running.

Hillis said each call to 13 11 14 costs around $39 and that any contribution people can spare will make a difference to someone in the community in crisis.

“You never know when you or someone you love will need to talk to one of our caring crisis supporters.”

Information source: Media release

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Come to the cabaret!

Wild Side at The Well Bar

Hula Hoop artist Hannah Indigo Photos: Double Denim Studio

Producers of the award-winning variety show OMGWTF have created two new live cabaret and variety shows ready to breathe some life and colour back into Newcastle.

After successfully selling out rock and roll variety cabaret Wild Side at The Well Bar, OMGWTF is back with a bang, debuting two new shows between December 2021 and February 2022.

Producer and performer Hannah Indigo said it was good to be back and was excited to plan more than a month in advance.

“I feel like the past 18 months has just been so hard to plan,” Indigo said.

“The entertainment and events industry are always the first to get

impacted and the last to recover from these snap lockdowns.

“Wild Side was originally planned for August – I had booked the venue and 24 hours later we went into lockdown.

“All of that work was gone, and we had to start again, so it feels so good to be able to make decisions and plans into the new year confidently.”

Starting on December 4, the show OMGWTF It’s Christmas will debut at The Gal, featuring the original awardwinning line-up as well as three upcoming Hunter-based artists from the Artist Mentorship program supported by the City of Newcastle.

Then, on December 16, a brand-new monthly resident dinner and show called Church On Thursday will premiere at The Well Bar, featuring a rotation of

Hunter and out-of-town burlesque and variety entertainers.

“OMGWTF It’s Christmas is not a Christmas-themed show,” Indigo laughed.

“It’s more of an ending-the-year-witha-bang kind of show.

“Similarly, Church on Thursday is not about church, just to be clear.

“I’m really excited for both shows but especially Church on Thursday.

“Newcastle doesn’t have a monthly dinner and a show type of event.

“I know that Lizotte’s is there, but that’s more music; this is a burlesque, drag, and cabaret show over an amazing meal.”

Indigo said they planned to perform Wild Side again in the new year following their successful premiere.

“I really wanted to create a rock and roll variety show with everything in it like glam rock, hair metal and all my favourite ’80s rock and roll songs,” Indigo said.

“We sold out four shows in two nights, which was wild. I was so stoked.

“Because of this success, we have booked another date for January 29 next year at the Playhouse Theatre.

“It’s been such a tough time for the entertainment industry.

“We’re so excited to be back and be able to share what we’ve been working on.

“It has felt so good to be welcomed back with open arms by audiences.”

For more information visit @omgwtfshow on Facebook.

Hayley McMahon

Exhibition looks at the way we were not so long ago An exhibition at Newcastle Museum by artist Trevor Dickinson highlights how the city has changed over the past 10 years.

Curated to celebrate the museum’s 10th anniversary in the former Railway Workshops at Honeysuckle, the exhibition is titled Oh yeah, I forgot about that: A decade of change seen through the eyes of Mr Trevor Dickinson, Artist.

More than 20 works by the Newcastle artist are on display, including two pieces commissioned for the exhibition.

Newcastle Museum Director Julie Baird said over the past decade, Dickinson’s art had been influential in establishing the museum’s visual character.

“Trevor’s colourful, larger-than-life murals have formed an intrinsic part of the museum and its surrounds since we opened the doors here in August 2011,” Baird said.

“This included commissioning him to create our quirky photo walls in Museum Park, which not only liven up the landscape but also create a way for locals to become part of the museum’s story by snapping a selfie and sharing it

Artist Trevor Dickinson and Newcastle Museum Director Julie Baird with some of the vibrant work included in the new exhibition Photo: Supplied

with our Facebook page.”

The inspiration for the exhibition came from the huge transformations that have taken place around the museum

precinct since it opened its doors.

“We quickly forget what has changed in our city as new landscapes become normal,” Baird said.

“For our 10th anniversary, Newcastle Museum wanted to remind people of the alterations to our normal and often unnoticed cityscape.

“Through the artwork chosen for this exhibition, Trevor presents his own view of Newcastle, curating the identity of the natural landscape in the same way we curate its history, highlighting the specialness within the ordinary to present a personal visual portrait of the city during a time of great change.

“From depictions of a dilapidated Merewether Surf House to the former Newcastle Signal Box and Queens Wharf tower, the works all portray aspects of the city landscape that have changed in the decade since Newcastle Museum threw open its doors to welcome millions of visitors to explore and enjoy our exhibitions of history, science, culture and our city’s identity.”

Oh yeah, I forgot about that: A decade of change seen through the eyes of Mr Trevor Dickinson, Artist is open to the public until February 27, 2022.

For more information on the exhibition visit the Newcastle Museum website.

Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle

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DECEMBER 2021 ISSUE 009

OVOCULTURE

Something for everyone in the Civic’s 2022 line-up

Ensemble theatre production Black Cockatoo featuring cast Aaron McGrath and Chenoa Deemal Photo: Christian Trinder

Newcastle audiences will have their passion for live performance reignited following the online launch of Civic Theatre’s new subscription season and a line-up of new shows on the 2022 schedule.

The 2022 subscription season has been carefully curated to suit many audiences, from stand-up comedy and contemporary circuses to theatrical pieces and musical performances.

Civic Theatre’s season theme is ‘reignite’, which focuses on supporting Newcastle’s cultural, creative and performative scene after the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the disruptions that came with it.

“Few industries have been harder hit

by the economic impact of the pandemic than the performing arts,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

“This new season of shows provides a highly enjoyable means for Novocastrians to show their support for this sector, especially as restrictions continue to ease.”

Civic Theatre Manager Leonie Wallace said the new schedule for 2022 covered a wide range of genres and styles that would appeal to audiences of all ages.

The 2022 season will feature new offerings and local and national touring productions, including the return of the popular Sydney and Melbourne Comedy Festivals and shows by Newcastle’s Stray Dogs Theatre Company, Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub, and for the first time, Knock and

Run Theatre Company.

“Families will enjoy Erth’s Prehistoric World or Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus, and musical fans will love The Sapphires by HIT Productions,” Wallace said.

“Main stage theatrical productions in 2022 include Jane Eyre by shake&stir theatre co. and Black Cockatoo by Ensemble Theatre.

“Local productions in 2022 will feature Creativity, an original new work from perennial favourites Stray Dogs Theatre Co., Grappling from the Edge by Catapult Dance, and Airness from Knock & Run Theatre Company.

“Civic Theatre customers are invited to enjoy pre-show drinks and live local music on opening night, and for selected

performances, a new pre-theatre dining experience is just steps away in the Banquet Room at City Hall.”

The 2022 Civic Theatre subscription season went on sale to the general public on Friday, December 3, after the special presale for current subscribers.

Theatregoers can become Civic Theatre subscribers following the purchase of tickets for three or more shows.

The Civic Theatre subscription includes added benefits such as free parking, discounted tickets, access to good seats and discounted pre-show drinks.

For more information, visit Civic Theatre Newcastle’s website.

Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle

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P21

DECEMBER 2021 ISSUE 009

OVOCASTRIAN

Spreading the word that it’s cool to be kind Community Kindness Champion for Newcastle and the Hunter Michelle Boundy is in no doubt about the Newcastle community’s big heart.

Despite super strong winds, Novocastrians and other communityminded people from across the state turned out in force on World Kindness Day, November 13, to take part in the 50 Hearts Project at Merewether Beach.

Stay Kind is an Australian not-for-profit organisation promoting harm reduction through kindness, encouraging simple acts of kindness that help to create long-term cultural change.

The 50 Hearts Project focused on finding Novocastrians who promoted and participated in acts of kindness throughout their everyday lives.

Boundy and the Stay Kind team chatted to people about the importance of kindness, and the first 50 people to engage were given big cardboard hearts to write on, describing what kindness meant to them.

These hearts were then “displayed and pinned along Bathers Way from Merewether to Dixon Park Beach for everyone in the community to read and be inspired by”.

Anthony Foate, Michelle Boundy, Marissa Matthews, Mick Loxley, Stay Kind’s Chief Operating Officer and Company Secretary Natalie Zelinsky, Stuart Foate Photo: Supplied

“Some of the most memorable hearts came from locals nominating local businesses who displayed incredible acts of kindness to our most vulnerable

in the community during COVID-19, and young people nominating their school and teachers for their incredible kindness while children were in lockdown

and not attending school or seeing their peers,” Boundy said.

Boundy has developed and implemented several initiatives over the past few years, all with the same theme, spreading and promoting the importance of kindness.

One of her highly successful initiatives was the 50 Walks Project.

Among participants were NSW Police Superintendent Matt Appleton, State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp and Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes.

Boundy has dedicated many hours of her time raising awareness of the positive impacts of kindness, and has raised significant funds for Stay Kind.

Some of her other projects include the 50 Acts of Kindness Project, the 50 Dinners Project, and The Bathers Way 50, when she walked 50km in one day to promote World Kindness Day. “My next big project will be launched in early 2022 and is called the 50 Hands Project,” Boundy said.

“It’s about supporting our peers with a hand up, not a hand out.

“I’m excited about this project and the opportunities it will bring to our individuals and wider community.”

Hayley McMahon

Diverse gardens get the green thumbs up

People’s Choice Award winners Ben and Tash receive their award from Tradie Network representatives Photo: Supplied

The inaugural Newcastle Garden Awards have unearthed some horticultural masterpieces and have drawn attention to the simple joy of pottering in the backyard.

Supported by the Tradie Network, the competition was founded by Michael Edwards, who said the idea had come from his role in the property industry.

He found that people not only loved displaying their homes but their gardens as well.

“There didn’t seem to be a platform to showcase the many spectacular gardens across the Newcastle region and, equally, the hard work, passion and dedication that is put in by their owners,” Edwards said.

He said they were overwhelmed with the positive response and that entries

had set an extremely high standard for future competitions.

After receiving loads of entries and selecting the finalists, the judges had a tough job choosing winners in four categories.

“We received many great entries, and all of our finalists set an extremely high standard, making the judges’ job a challenging one,” Edwards said.

“But after a significant amount of debate, our judges Judy Sharpe and Brian Bird have chosen very worthy winners, representing very different properties and types of gardens.”

The four categories were Best Small Garden, Best Small Spaces Garden, Best Large Garden and People’s Choice.

The Best Large Garden category was taken out by a seven-acre property on Burwood Road, Whitebridge that

The People’s Choice Award went to a garden in Belmont North Photo: Supplied

borders Glenrock Reserve.

The partially formal gardens, which have been developed over 30 years and are surrounded by well-maintained lawns, were described by the judges as “park-like with beautiful open spaces, balancing out well-selected plants”.

The Best Small Garden award went to a cottage garden in Alexander Street, Hamilton South. Featuring an entry arbour and Lamarque roses, it was “inviting from the front entry, with a layout and plant selection to complement the home”.

The Best Small Spaces Garden went to a house in Tuckeroo Circuit, Adamstown that has made use of a limited space, where hard surfaces have been transformed into a green sanctuary.

The People’s Choice Award went to a desert-inspired garden on Floraville

Road, Belmont North populated largely with cacti and succulents.

“We hope that the Newcastle community have enjoyed a glimpse into some of the beautiful gardens we have across our region and potentially drawn some inspiration for their own gardens or small spaces,” Edwards said.

“We have already received inquiries from numerous people who missed out on entering this year, so we expect next year to raise the bar even further.

“The recurring theme we heard from our entrants was that their gardens were their happy places, so it has been a joy to be able to showcase them.”

For more information visit the Newcastle Garden Awards Facebook page.

Hayley McMahon

P22

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Brought to you by moneymag.com.au

CREATING FINANCIAL FREEDOM

How to make the most of cheap debt before interest rates rise WITH

Julia NEWBOULD Managing Editor • Money magazine

Aussies are no strangers to debt. Our household debtto-income ratio is the fourth highest globally. Three out of four households have some form of debt, and close to one in three of us owes three times our annual income.

Is this a problem? Yes, and no.

Used wisely, debt can be a tool to build wealth. The trick lies in recognising how debt can work in your favour while also knowing the potential for it to leave you financially skewered.

Despite today’s wafer-thin interest rates, debt doesn’t have a great reputation. Many of us still see it as something to avoid.

A survey from the Consumer Action Law Centre found being debt free currently ranks as the top symbol of “success”, above personal health, raising a happy family or having time to enjoy life.

Becoming debt free at some point is a worthwhile goal. But not all debt is “bad”.

And as today’s ultra-low interest rates won’t be around forever, maybe now is the time to rethink the way we use debt.

Over the past three decades the Reserve Bank of Australia’s official cash rate has plunged from almost 18% to today’s 0.1%.

That’s great news for borrowers but not so good for savers.

Reserve Bank data shows the average interest being earned on savings accounts is a miserly 0.05%. Locking away cash in a 12-month term deposit won’t offer much benefit, pushing up the rate to an average of just 0.3%. The catch is that inflation is sitting at 1.1%. So, when the deposit matures in a year, the purchasing power of the money will have gone backwards by 0.8%. Hardly a recipe for growing wealth.

But low rates haven’t stopped Australians stockpiling savings at levels not seen since the 1970s. In March 2021 alone, we shunted an extra $9 billion into savings accounts, bringing household savings nationally to $1.2 trillion. This has left banks awash with cash. As a guide, NAB’s 2020 financial report showed it had $175 billion in customer deposits earning zero or near-zero interest.

With so much money on deposit, there’s little incentive for banks to raise rates on savings accounts.

But there can be better ways to put spare cash to work even in today’s low-rate world.

Making your money work harder doesn’t have to mean taking on more risk - or more debt.

Paying extra off a home loan can generate significant savings on long-term interest. As our homes are a tax-free asset, for a high income earner the saving in paying down a mortgage with the average rate of 3.11% is the equivalent of earning a before-tax return of 5.7% on other investments, something that would involve taking on

considerably more risk.

At the same time, Australians have $20 billion in credit card debt attracting interest.

Amazingly, when the cash rate is near-zero, the average “standard” card rate is 19.94%, while on a “low-rate” card the average is 12.73%. Even with a low-rate card, using spare cash to pay off the balance can see you save more than 40 times the interest you’ll earn on cash savings.

Mortgages tick the right box.

Right now we could be in something of a sweet spot, where interest rates are ultra-low and

asset markets are buoyant. It’s not just a cue to rethink how we use savings; it can also be an opportunity to make debt work in your favour.

But not just any debt. A key step is to distinguish between good and bad debt.

“Good debt is used to acquire assets with long-term investment potential. Bad debt is debt you cannot afford to repay, or incurring excessive debt on discretionary spending,” says Dennis Teale, acting head of local banking distribution at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. He adds that bad debt is normally associated with “simple credit such as credit cards, personal loans or buy now, pay later arrangements”.

Happily, the bulk of Australian household debt ticks the “good” box. As we’ve seen, the vast majority, 76%, comprises home loans. And there’s no doubt plenty of homeowners have done very well out of bricks and mortar.. NICOLA FIELD

for lithium. And that shows no signs of changing, with a range of countries, led by those in Europe, pledging to end sales of petrol cars between 2030 and 2050.

The US is also putting some of its $2 trillion infrastructure bill towards attracting companies to invest in lithium, so it can compete with China as the world’s largest producer of electric vehicles.

“This is where we’re seeing this huge shift. Electric vehicle demand is fuelling the lithium price,” says Jessica Amir, senior stockmarket analyst at Bell Direct.

And the surge in demand isn’t being met by adequate supply from producers. “Add to that a lack of government stimulus support for companies digging it up out of the ground,” says Amir.

But the supply shortage will

invariably encourage companies to try to fill the gap.

And this is an opportunity for investors.

“You’ve seen two of the world’s largest investment banks saying you should be buying everything in lithium,” says Amir. “And we’re seeing extraordinary stimulus being injected by the US, China and some parts of Europe.”

DAVID THORNTON

Why lithium is the next big thing Lithium could over the coming years be what buy now, pay later providers have been over the past years. So why is this soft, silvery-white metal the next big thing, and how can investors jump aboard?

Lithium is mined from either hard rock or, in the case of South America, in the brine deposits found under dry lake beds.

5 $10PO.S9 TAGE FREE

Most of the world’s lithium is in South America, mined in the so-called “lithium triangle” that connects Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. Most of it is then shipped to China, which makes 95% of the anodes and cathodes found in lithium-ion batteries.

The world has known about lithium since 1817, when it was first discovered just outside the English town of Redruth. In 1948, the Australian psychiatrist John

Cade worked out it could be used as a mood stabiliser for bipolar disorder.

In the late 1970s scientists discovered it could be used in batteries, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that this became commercially viable. Following this, mobile phones, computers and the like then adopted the lithium-ion battery.

The arrival of electric vehicles precipitated a surge in demand

magazine’s bumper Best of the Best issue is out now!

Visit moneymag.com.au and click Best of the Best

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P23

DECEMBER 2021 ISSUE 009

OVOSPORT

Record crowd watches Matildas fight back against US

Australia celebrates after equalising against the US at McDonald Jones Stadium on November 30 Image source: Matildas Facebook page

Kyah Simon’s deflected strike in the 88th minute earned the Matildas a one-all draw with the world champion US side in front of a lively crowd of 20,495 at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium on Tuesday night, November 30.

The 11th-ranked Matildas were beaten 3-0 by the Americans at Stadium Australia in Sydney on November 27.

Australia was behind again just four minutes into the Newcastle game after Ashley Hatch scored when Australia’s makeshift defence, minus Alanna Kennedy and Clare Polkinghorne, was exposed.

The US had the better of the chances and were largely untroubled defensively until Newcastle product Clare Wheeler, who came on in the 85th minute, won possession and sparked a late attack that led to the equaliser.

The match was the Australians’ final hit-out before the 2022 Asian Cup in India in January.

It was the seventh time the Matildas had played in Newcastle, having won five matches, lost one and now drawn two.

The bumper crowd number was a record for the Matildas in Newcastle.

Gina Cranson

Free tennis program where everyone’s a winner A free community tennis skills and wellbeing program that kicked off at Bar Beach Tennis Club last month is proving to be a hit with people of all ages.

Rally4Ever is a charity founded by former professional tennis player Louise Pleming. The program now runs across Australia, and is designed to teach people tennis skills and get them moving.

Bar Beach Tennis Club hosts the free one-hour program every Tuesday from 11am to noon, weather permitting. The sessions are organised by tennis coaches Michael Tour-Mills and Damien Craig.

Tour-Mills said the program used tennis to break down barriers and help people form meaningful social connections.

“We create a safe and judgement-free space for people of all ages and backgrounds, including those who feel stuck or isolated,” he said.

“Rally4Ever is a great way to learn new skills, have a chat and have some fun.

“You don’t have to have any tennis skills and we supply racquets and balls.”

Tour-Mills said 13 people turned up for the first session last month

Tennis coach Michael Tour-Mills with some of the program participants Photo: Supplied

and similar numbers have been attending each session since.

“We have a range of people that have turned up, ages ranging from 21 to 70 plus,” he said.

“There are a few people that have some mental health challenges, some who haven’t picked up a racquet for

over 15 to 20 years, and a couple of older men in their 70s that just wanted to get out and have a hit for some exercise and meet people.

“I think all the people involved are getting a new lease of life; they are all walking away with smiles on their faces.

“During the activities you can see them

enjoying themselves, and really getting into it.

“There’s even some little friendly banter during some points – it’s really nice to see.”

Tour-Mills said they would also look at expanding the coaching program to their basketball and soccer facilities if there was interest.

Lifeline Hunter community manager Pat Calabria said they were a supporter of the program because staying physically active was important for mental health and wellbeing.

“We all crave connectedness and belonging, which also can have a significant and positive impact on our mental health as well as recovery from illness,” Calabria said.

The sessions will finish up on December 14 and resume on February 8 in the new year.

Those interested in the program are encouraged to email info@michaelmillstennis.com.au or call 0403 496 466. Participants must be fully vaccinated.

Hayley McMahon

2021 OVOSPORTDECEMBER ISSUE 009 P24novonews.com.au

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Riley proves the perfect role model for Hunter nippers

Hunter Youth Surf Lifesaver of the Year Riley Petherbridge with the nippers celebrating the start of the season Photo: Supplied

The Hunter nippers season started on Sunday, December 5, and to officially help launch the new season was Hunter Youth Surf Lifesaver of the Year and Newcastle Surf Lifesaving Club member Riley Petherbridge.

The 18-year-old Macquarie College student joined Newcastle SLSC in January 2019 and, from there, quickly became an outstanding surf lifesaver and patrol member for the club.

Riley said he was excited to help officially launch the season, believing the program was an important way to help teach kids and Newcastle youth the importance of surf safety.

“A nipper can advise an entire group about the safest way to use the surf,” he said. “One trained nipper or lifesaver has the ability to save many lives.”

Cooks Hill Surf Lifesaving Club hosted the season launch, attended by Newcastle Permanent CEO Bernadette Inglis and Hunter Surf Life Saving CEO Rhonda Scruton, who signed a new three-year sponsorship agreement.

Scruton said the funding would help provide equipment and training to protect beachgoers and assist with recruiting, training, and retaining junior surf lifesavers.

“Our four-decade-long partnership with Newcastle Permanent has given

our region’s young people vital skills in and out of the water, and no doubt saved countless lives,” Scruton said.

“Nippers also gives young people personal development, leadership and teamwork skills.

“It takes a lot of funding and resources to provide surf lifesaving services and programs like nippers, so our ongoing partnership with Newcastle Permanent is vital.”

More than 2900 nippers aged five to 13 are registered this year across 13 Hunter surf lifesaving clubs from Catherine Hill Bay to Hawks Nest.

Riley said nippers was also the training ground for future surf lifesavers who helped keep everyone at the beach safe.

“Surf lifesaving isn’t just about surf safety either,” Riley said.

“I have learnt so many important life skills, including teamwork, time management, working under pressure and holding the important responsibility of people depending on you.”

Having completed his Bronze Medallion in 2019 and his Silver Medallion in 2020, Riley volunteers more than 100 hours a year to his club through patrolling, assisting with nippers or helping train others through surf rescue certificate courses.

This season, Riley has completed 121 patrol hours, completed his Silver

Medallion Aquatic Rescue, and his trainer’s certificate after hours, which enables him to be a part of the Newcastle education training team.

On top of all this, he is a volunteer ambulance service member and also volunteered with the Hunter surf lifesaving team that assisted with the Upper Hunter floods last month.

Riley has recently finished his HSC and plans to pursue nursing. He said he was drawn to emergency-based careers where he could help others and make a genuine impact on people’s lives.

“It’s such a rewarding experience to be able to help someone in need, and I don’t think I will ever stop surf lifesaving – there is never a boring day,” Riley said.

“If nothing is happening in the surf, you can help with nippers, training, patrol or help with support operations.

“I really enjoy training others because they begin with a very basic understanding of swimming and surf safety.

“By the end of their course, they are capable of assisting others in the surf.”

Riley said it was important that all trainees were capable of saving others and knowing how to take care and save themselves.

Riley has also been involved in several rescues this season, most notably while he was assisting with Bronze training.

A spearfisherman was waving his arms

for help when Riley immediately noticed him and grabbed a rescue board.

The man was having difficulty staying afloat, and Riley quickly paddled out to him, grabbing him and pulling him up onto the board.

Returning him safely to shore, Riley was greeted by the council lifeguard, who had only just made it to the edge of the water.

“Surf lifesaving was the perfect choice for me,” Riley said.

“I wanted to help people and make an impact but also maintain my fitness and keep myself involved in sport.

“Being around others who also love being around the water and helping people is just a really great environment to be in.”

Hayley McMahon

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