Two Coast MPs appointed to Minns Ministry

From page 1 Catley said it was a great honour to serve as the state’s first female Police Minister.

“I look forward to working with NSW’s first female Police Commissioner Karen Webb, The NSW Police Association and all the fantastic men and women of the NSW Police force,” she said.

“For the first time in our state’s history we have a cabinet made up of 50 per cent women.

“With this, Premier Minns has demonstrated the respect Labor has for all women in NSW and the importance of women in leadership in the new Government.”

Announcing his full Ministry this week, Premier Minns said the Government would hit the ground running to deliver its mandate from the people of NSW.

The Minns Ministry is a reduced Cabinet of 22 Ministers, 50 per cent of whom are women (excluding the Premier).

Women will take on the key portfolios of Energy (Penny Sharpe), Police (Yasmin Catley), Regional NSW (Tara Moriarty), Finance (Courtney Houssos) and Regional Transport (Jennifer Aitchison).

For the first time in the state’s history, an Australian Minister was sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita (Daniel Mookhey) and a NSW Minister will be sworn in on the Quran (Jihad Dib).

“I’m proud of the team we have,” Minns said.

“We have a lot of hard work in front of us, and a big responsibility, but my team and I are up to the challenge.

“We have a clear mandate from the people of NSW to rebuild our essential services, to invest in the people who look after us – our nurses, teachers, paramedics, firefighters and police officers.

“Our priority is to help families and households deal with the increasing cost of living, the energy crisis and to fix our schools and hospitals.”

Terry Collins

The new skate park and pump track at Kariong Oval has been opened ahead of schedule, just in time for the Easter school holidays.

Central Coast Council Director Community and Recreation Services, Mel Smith, said the active recreational space was designed for use by a range of ages, abilities, and wheels, and to meet the needs of the growing area.

“Local community members submitted 302 surveys during Council’s engagement activities in 2021 which shaped the design of the new skate park and pump track and informed the decision-making process,” Smith said.

A volunteer group of sewers at Bensville has made 10,000 garments and distributed them to 33 locations around the world in the past eight years.

Members of Global Kids’ Clothes meet weekly in the Greenhouse at The Coast Community Church and make clothing for children in developing countries.

With a membership of 20, the group has been operating for

Kariong skate park opens in time for Easter

“The new space includes a pump track, which is a continuous smooth track with banked curves and crests which can be used by a variety of ages and abilities on bikes, scooters, skateboards or skates.

“The street style skate park and pump track with transitional flow and obstacles cater to beginner and intermediate skill levels, with new shaded seating, a water refill station and waste bins also installed.”

The new skate park and pump track is located within the Kariong Oval precinct on the Curringa Rd frontage with easy access to the library and adjoining carpark.

The site is nestled between mature eucalyptus trees and connected open grassed areas, creating a central community space with opportunities for varied passive recreation for everyone to enjoy.

This location also allows for natural surveillance which creates a safer environment and reduces anti-social behaviour.

Council Administrator Rik Hart said the project was a great example of how community participation in consultation had led to the delivery of a facility that reflected their vision and met the needs of residents.

“I’m sure that the community

Sewing up a storm for disadvantaged kids

eight years.

The memorable milestone was reached on March 29.

Dresses, skirts, shorts and tops for girls, T-shirts and shorts for boys and rompers, sleeping bags, bloomers and bibs for babies have been sent to 12 African countries, 14 countries in Asia and seven in the Pacific as well as to seven Australian locations.

In Australia garments have been sent to Aboriginal communities, bushfire victims and three local crisis centres.

The clothing is made for a range of ages from babies to 12-year-olds.

Over the years funds have been raised to purchase sewing machines, overlockers and sewing resources as well as posting clothing to places too difficult to reach but where there is a distributor.

Each little girl receives a pair of undies in a pocket that is