NovoNews 004

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NovoNews

ISSUE 004 JULY 2021

COVID-19 too close for complacency

Newcastle community members are concerned over the harsh and “unsightly” tree pruning undertaken

by Ausgrid around power lines .

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NovoCulture

With a curiosity for creatures and an extraordinary talent for drawing, bestselling author and illustrator Sami Bayly is releasing her third and final illustrated book.

Newcastle is 160 kilometres north of Sydney but close enough to be feeling the impact of the NSW Government’s latest COVID lockdown, which has been extended to July 16.

See page 7

NovoHistory

See page 2 Frothers Espresso’s Jesse Madigan and Mae Anagnostis serving takeaway only at the entry to the Merewether cafe on Glebe Road

Another step towards Hunter Park Like so many party planners in the time of a pandemic, the organisers of Lambton’s 150th birthday celebrations had to adapt, and quickly.

See page 21

NovoSociety

Patrick Prest has donated blood 500 times over the past 60 years, a commitment that could well have saved up to 1500 lives.

See page 13

The proposed Hunter Park is set to receive NSW Budget funding as the Broadmeadow sports and entertainment precinct edges closer to becoming a world-class facility.

The NSW Budget announced last month contains $6.7M to help develop the business case to push the significant project along.

Home to Newcastle Showground, McDonald Jones Stadium and Newcastle Entertainment Centre, the Broadmeadow precinct would be transformed into a 63-hectare multipurpose site, featuring international sporting grounds, residential buildings and entertainment facilities.

Four years ago, former Sports Minister Stuart Ayres initially announced the redevelopment and it has since struggled to gain traction.

However, earlier this year, Infrastructure Australia listed the project as a regional priority while other local stakeholders

supported the renewal project.

State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp has been an advocate for the project since he was elected and welcomed the funding.

“I’ve lost count of the number of times I have raised this in Parliament through speeches, questions and Budget Estimates,” Crakanthorp said.

“We want to be a global city, and that means we need world-class sports and entertainment facilities, which is exactly what is touted for this precinct.

“We need to get this precinct right, and now the next stage begins to make sure Newcastle gets the facilities it needs and deserves.”

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes also welcomed the funding and said progress on the new project had been a long time coming.

“We’ve long advocated for Hunter Park as the next major catalytic urban renewal project for our city,” Cr Nelmes said, adding it would mean thousands

of new homes, including much-needed social and affordable housing, as well as world-class aquatic and entertainment facilities, and cycling and walking infrastructure.

“The world-class sporting facilities are particularly exciting for our region.”

Cr Nelmes said concept plans identified the site’s potential for hosting future Commonwealth Games.

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COVID-19 too close for complacency

Newcastle is 160 kilometres north of Sydney but close enough to be feeling the impact of the NSW Government’s latest COVID lockdown, which has been extended to July 16.

Cafes across the city have had to once again change the way they do business.

Frothers Espresso on Glebe Road, Merewether dealt with the latest NSW Government COVID measures simply and swiftly.

“We snapped straight back into mask wearing and takeaway only,” owner Nathaniel James said.

Following the decision to temporarily close the dining area, the cafe has experienced a 50 per cent drop in trade.

“We have been more affected by these new restrictions this time round,” Nathaniel said.

“Thankfully, the staff have been amazing, and a lot are students on support for study. If our structure was any different, if we had full-time employees or higher overheads, we would really be feeling the strain.

“In saying that, we are on a razor’s edge profit margin.”

Nathaniel explained that the decision to offer takeaway only came not just from an operational perspective but from a moral standpoint too.

“We want more than anything to help stop the spread, even if it does decrease sales,” he said.

“It feels contradictory to have mandatory masks inside, then allow people to take masks off to eat and drink.

“Takeaway only feels like the right thing to do.”

Nathaniel said he could see light at the end of the tunnel. “I think things will return to normal. The last six months felt very normal for us. Everyone had some respite, and it was very nice to have capacity back for a while.”

Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour on or after Monday 21 June 2021, follow the stay at home rules for 14 days from the date you left the area.”

St Philip’s Christian College’s highly acclaimed production of High School Musical wowed audiences at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre between Thursday, June 24 and Saturday, June 26.

The cast and crew were informed directly after the Saturday matinee performance that the finale on the Saturday night could not go ahead because of the NSW Government’s sudden crackdown.

What the NSW Government measures mean for Novocastrians:

Gym goers at Planet Fitness Lambton wearing masks in response to the NSW Government restrictions.

Owner of Steph’s Gourmet Foods Stephane Pois said his business was heavily impacted by the latest COVID-19 lockdown, with his main income sourced from market stalls across Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast.

“The impact has been huge. All the markets that I attend across the Sydney area have been cancelled,” Pois said.

“All the stock that I ordered in preparation for the markets I’m now trying to sell online. Some foods can be kept up to 10 weeks, but most of my produce is perishable.

“I’ve needed to adapt when ordering my stock, so I’ve limited the quantities of meats and cheeses and stocking up on long-lasting pantry items like honey.

“I like to be organised when it comes to planning produce and ordering stock, but right now, it’s just so uncertain and planning ahead is impossible.”

After last year’s lockdown, Pois prepared his business for online sales.

Customers can now select from a large variety of gourmet cheeses, sausages, and pantry essentials like spreadables, spices and oils.

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Publisher: Ross Barry - Editor - David Abrahams Design & Production: Justin Stanley, Lucillia Eljuga Sub Editor: Gina Cranson - Journalists: Hayley McMahon Office: 2 Dick Street, Newcastle West 2302 - Phone: 0491 012 983 E-mail: editorial@novonews.com.au Website: novonews.com.au Social:

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“It’s a very interesting time for the food industry; I’ve had to take a step back and rethink my business,” Pois said.

“I really had to come up with how I could bring my produce to the people without depending solely on the markets.

“I did a big push for an online store, where my customers and clients can order their favourite gourmet foods; it’s going really well so far. I’m just making sure to stay positive and take it day by day.”

Gyms across the city have been exercising extreme caution, notifying members and staff that they must wear a mask when inside the gym and on the gym floor at all times.

Gym goers are permitted to remove their masks if “doing strenuous exercise” (except in a gym class or a dance class).

Group fitness classes are limited to 20 people.

The school holidays were for some Newcastle students and teachers spent in lockdown as classes from various schools, including Lambton High School’s Year 11 Biology class and St Dominic’s Centre Mayfield, visited Greater Sydney on excursions in the final week of term.

The NSW Government website instructed: “If you were in Greater

• Up to five people (adults and children) are allowed to visit another household at any one time. There is no daily limit.

• Overnight stays as part of a visit to someone’s house are allowed.

• Face masks are to be worn in all indoor areas of non-residential premises such as retail stores, supermarkets, offices.

• Masks are also to be worn at certain outdoor gatherings, if you are on public transport, in a major recreation facility such as a stadium, or working in a hospitality venue.

• There is a 20-person limit for classes or activities at a gym, dance classes, yoga classes, and you must wear a face mask while in attendance.

• You must be seated when drinking alcohol in an indoor area of nonresidential premises in NSW. This includes restaurants, pubs and registered clubs and nightclubs, as well as outdoor gatherings or stadiums.

• The use of the Service NSW QR code will be mandatory at all workplaces and retail businesses from Monday, July 12.

• COVID restrictions in detail can be found at nsw.gov.au.

Gina Cranson and Hayley McMahon

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JUNE 2021 ISSUE 004

Vaile walks away from university offer

Photo: haireena / Shutterstock.com

Former deputy prime minister and Whitehaven Coal Chairman Mark Vaile

The University of Newcastle announced last month it would reappoint Paul Jeans as chancellor after former deputy prime minister and Whitehaven Coal Chairman Mark Vaile turned down the offer in response to widespread opposition.

The University Council members decided to reappoint Jeans at a meeting on Tuesday, June 22.

Vaile was offered the chancellor role earlier this month and intended to hold the role while maintaining his position as Chairman of Whitehaven Coal.

This sparked concerns within the community, including university staff, students and alumni, who saw a conflict of interest considering the university’s position on climate change. The institution’s strategic plan, Looking Ahead, has a goal to become carbon neutral by 2025.

On June 21, the University of Newcastle released a statement advising that Vaile would no longer proceed with the role of chancellor.

“Mr Vaile said that he commends the University for its ethos as a unifying force, of and for our region and the communities it serves,” it said.

“Based on feedback from some of the University’s constituents, he believes that the best course of action is not to proceed with the appointment.

“We respect Mr Vaile’s decision and recognise that he has made this decision in the best interests of the University.”

In protest over the appointment of Vaile, Professor Jennifer Martin resigned from the University of Newcastle, Australia Institute chief economist Richard Denniss returned his alumni award for national leadership, and two protests were held by staff and students.

Additionally, 16 philanthropists who all donate millions to university projects each year wrote an open letter featured in The Newcastle Herald, stating they would no longer fund or support the university over the decision to appoint Vaile.

Vaile told ABC News that there had been an “unprecedented and unjust campaign” against him and his appointment.

“I’ve just taken the view that it’s in the best interests of the university and the community that it serves if I decline the invitation and withdraw from the process,” Vaile said.

Vaile added that most pressures had come from “minority groups

placing ideology before proper governance”.

Greens candidate for Ward 3 and university alumna Sinéad FrancisCoan said Vaile was a “highly inappropriate choice” for chancellor.

“The university has very strong climate commitments and delivers 100 per cent renewable energy across Newcastle and Central Coast campuses; they are also aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025,” she said.

“The ‘minority’ Vaile refers to are students, staff, alumni, donors and the broader community, so I’m not sure how that classifies as a minority.

“This so-called minority can also claim governance experience in a range of contexts but also span multiple political parties including no political party, so the only ‘ideological’ alignment was our opposition to his appointment.

“If you are a part of a company that is strongly associated with the Minerals Council of Australia that are lobbying against climate action, then that’s a direct conflict of interest.”

University of Newcastle Students Association president Luke Harrison said he was pleased to hear of Vaile’s decision.

University of Newcastle Chancellor Paul Jeans

“UNSA welcomes this decision, and we’re delighted that students won,” he said.

“We would like to thank all of the students, staff, alumni and wider university community for coming together to oppose this decision.

“We will now be advocating for greater transparency, accountability, and stakeholder consultation from the University Council.”

Newcastle School Strike 4 Climate said in a social media post that Vaile’s reviewed decision was “proof that social movements work”.

“Congratulations to everyone involved in the campaign,” it said.

“We need to keep fighting to ensure our leaders act on the science to stop climate change and our voices are listened to when making these decisions.”

Commenting on his reappointment, Paul Jeans said he was committed to maintaining the strong momentum in executing the institution’s strategic plan Looking Ahead.

“I look forward to working with our communities, in particular our staff and students, to take our university forward.”

Hayley McMahon

“ I NEVER THOUGHT I’D BE HOMELESS.” More people are now facing homelessness than ever before.

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Bunnings site to become vaccination hub The former Belmont Bunnings warehouse will be transformed into a mass vaccination hub, helping boost the vaccine rollout across NSW. Around 150 people will work to convert the former Bunnings warehouse at Belmont into a mass vaccination hub over a six-week period.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is confident the vaccination hub will have the capacity to administer up to 20,000 vaccines a week.

“Our mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park has been a huge success, vaccinating more than 5000 people a day already,” Berejiklian said.

“We are planning to replicate that model in the Hunter region, so we can quickly and safely vaccinate as many people as possible across NSW.” Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the vaccination hub would employ up to 100 nurses, 25 pharmacists and around 200 other support staff.

“The Newcastle community and indeed everyone across the Hunter

New England Local Health District has been outstanding in presenting for COVID testing to help keep their loved ones safe,” Hazzard said.

“More than half a million people to date have fronted for testing, so I am

The former Bunnings at Belmont

confident the community will register online to get vaccinated at this new centre, or with their GP, and encourage others to do the same,” he said at the time of the hub announcement.

The centre is expected to open in mid-July and will administer both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.

Bookings are required.

Information source: Media release, June 8, NSW Government

Car park to make way for grand plans Demolition of the Mall Car Park to create space for Newcastle’s proposed grand staircase is expected to begin next month after the City of Newcastle Council awarded a tender for the project.

The $3.7M demolition is expected to be completed by mid November.

City of Newcastle commissioned a structural assessment of the sevenstorey car park in March 2020, following concrete spalls falling from the building. The car park has been closed since, due to public safety concerns.

City of Newcastle Director of Governance David Clarke said the next step was to safely remove the Mall Car Park and continue engaging with the community and key stakeholders on how to best use the newfound space to better the city.

“The Mall Car Park has significantly outlived its likely life, and restoring it is not a viable option. By demolishing the 59-year-old car park we are also removing a significant structural risk to the city and a major asbestos source,” Clarke said.

“Once the car park is demolished, a stunning view corridor will open up and bring to the fore a long-held strategic vision of City of Newcastle and the NSW Government to connect the city to the harbour.”

The carpark is the only thing standing in the way between the Christ Church Cathedral and the Newcastle Harbour

The vision proposes to link Christ Church Cathedral to the Harbour via a grand staircase, inspired by Rome’s Spanish Steps.

Accessibility for the community is a key consideration to ensure everyone can share and enjoy the proposed space, in addition to retaining 380 public car parking spaces for the community to utilise.

“The City has one chance to preserve the view corridor to the cathedral and has the full support of The Property Council and Urban Design Review Panel to turn a longheld concept into a landmark public space for the city,” Clarke said.

“The concept aims to provide a beautiful public asset for our community and a world-class attraction for visitors, whilst retaining 380 car parking spaces in a central location of our city’s revitalised east end.

“Early community engagement indicates 75 per cent of people surveyed support the landmark concept, which would feature a 93-metre long and 20-metre wide public space and stairway extending from Hunter Street to King Street, enabling wide and accessible pedestrian access, active shop fronts, landings and courtyards

along the proposed staircase to gather and meet. A third of people believe the concept would be a unique feature for Newcastle that would attract tourists.

“We are still in the early stages of engaging with the community and key stakeholders, and are continuing to work with Iris Capital to explore this exciting vision and determine whether it can be done in a manner that meets community planning expectations.”

Information source: Media release, July 1, City of Newcastle

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JUNE 2021 ISSUE 004

Another step towards Hunter Park

“So, it’s not unrealistic to think that we could see Olympic-standard aquatic and athletic facilities, accessible to the community and supporting infrastructure evocative of Sydney Olympic Park.”

She said early estimates anticipated the precinct could generate 2600 new homes, more than 8000 jobs during construction, more than 1000 ongoing jobs at completion, and 30 hectares of quality public spaces.

City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said Hunter Park was the next big step for Newcastle’s transformation into an internationalquality destination.

“With improved connectivity for public and active transport, it is expected to attract 1.8M annual visitors and become home to around 6000 residents, delivering exceptional liveability, sustainability and place outcomes,” Bath said.

“In what would likely be a multistage construction process over more than 10 years, Hunter Park will provide an opportunity to attract major private market investment into Newcastle, including an estimated $3.7B in economic output during construction and attracting

Aerial shot of the Broadmeadow entertainment and sport precinct

almost $55M annually from the NSW Government.”

NSW Treasurer Dom Perrottet said the $6.7M investment would lay the groundwork for developing a revitalised precinct that would deliver ongoing benefits to the Hunter’s economy.

“The Hunter Park project has the potential to further cement Newcastle’s place as the gateway city to northern NSW, drawing visitors from across the country to

significant sporting and entertainment events,” he said.

The development of a final business case will include comprehensive engagement with stakeholders, community and the private market over the next two years.

NSW Minister for Sport Natalie Ward said the funding would explore how world-class sports facilities could underpin major urban renewal outcomes.

“The Hunter has produced some of

Photo: Skyline Aviation Group

the biggest stars in Australian sport from Ray Baartz to Belinda Clark and Andrew Johns,” she said.

“This investment is a pathway to see how we can continue to leave a strong and vibrant legacy in Newcastle with quality sports and entertainment facilities, while offering so much more for the people of the Hunter Region and beyond.”

Hayley McMahon

Meeting Room Hire with a difference Our unique space has attracted a wide range of Newcastle businesses from the day we opened our doors.

Once people get a glimpse of what is inside (often from having a sticky beak through the café window) they are eager to be a part of it.

People generally want their business to soak up the Rethink Your Workspace vibe, so from early on we have agreed to share our space with others that love it as much as we do.

We now also hire out our space for businesses and groups looking for the unique setting that Rethink Your Workspace offers.

We have held all types of sessions in the space, including; workshops, team building days, think tank sessions, planning sessions, recruitment drives, and business collaboration meetings.

We offer Full Day, Half Day & Hourly rates in a range of styles and sizes: There are 6 rooms and 2 boardrooms available for hire 5 days per week.

A major drawcard for our space is our inhouse café, which offers amazing coffee and delicious food. We can organise catering for your meetings as well.

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Sly speed cameras make a fast buck

Speeding fines issued to Newcastle motorists have risen by 1100 per cent since the NSW Government removed warning signs on mobile speed cameras late last year.

NSW Labor has obtained figures relating to fines issued to drivers from January to March 2021, compared to the same months in 2020, when warning signs were still in place.

Broken down by residential postcodes, 2299 (Jesmond, Lambton and North Lambton) recorded the greatest increase with 122 fines issued, compared to only five during the same period last year. This represents a massive 2340 per cent increase.

Postcode 2295 (Stockton and Fern Bay) also recorded a significant 1780 per cent increase, with 94 fines issued against the five given out in 2020.

Whole-of-state data revealed that in January 2021, almost $3.4M in revenue was collected, compared to $382,000 in January 2020.

Similarly, in February 2021, revenue from 28,000 fines totalled $6.1M – more than the $5.7M collected during the entire 2019/2020 financial year.

State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp, who requested the data through the Upper House, said the exponential fine increase was an example of government revenue raising.

Mobile speed camera warning signs were removed in November 2020

“I think we all expected to see some kind of rise when the warning signs were removed, but it has gone into absolute overdrive,” Crakanthorp said.

“The NRMA was completely opposed to the removal of warning signs because signs educate drivers and make them change their behaviour in real time, rather than when they receive a fine in the mail a few weeks later.”

The increase has sparked an inquiry launched by NSW Parliament and the Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety, which will investigate the recent changes to the state’s mobile speed camera program.

The inquiry will cover increased enforcement hours, reduced high visibility livery on vehicles and the removed warning signs.

Committee Chair The Hon. Lou Amato MLC said the inquiry would

provide insight into mobile speed camera enforcement and how it protected road users.

“We want to know what the community thinks about these changes in terms of how they promote and improve road safety,” he said.

“We also want to consider how the revenue from speeding fines is spent as part of the ongoing funding of safety initiatives.”

Submissions to the inquiry close on July 9. More information, including the inquiry’s terms of reference and how to make a submission, can be found on the Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety’s web page by visiting parliament.nsw. gov.au.

The inquiry will also look at the balance between mobile speed cameras and direct enforcement by police.

Minister for Transport Andrew Constance announced on May 5 that $135M would be invested in road safety projects.

Constance said that 78 projects would be delivered and financed through the Community Road Safety Fund.

“We want to ensure everyone who travels on our roads makes it home safely at the end of the day,” Constance said.

“That’s why all money generated from the mobile speed camera program goes directly into the Community Road Safety Fund to deliver lifesaving projects like these.

Constance said the Safer Roads Program was expected to prevent the loss of more than 1500 lives over 15 years.

“That’s 1500 people making it home safely to their families because of these projects.”

Projects will include 28 kilometres of safety barriers that absorb impact forces and protect passengers, 167 kilometres of rumble strips to alert motorists when departing lanes, and more than 30 kilometres of wide centreline.

Other projects will include 313 high-risk rural curve improvements, using safety barriers, shoulder sealing and signage upgrades, as well as 47 urban intersection improvements like roundabouts and traffic signals.

Hayley McMahon

Wine country with a harbour view The Wharf at Honeysuckle is set to transform into Newcastle’s newest gourmet food and entertainment venue after a development application was lodged with City of Newcastle for ‘Hope at Honeysuckle’.

Lee Wharf A, now known as The Wharf, was built in 1910 and was originally used for wool storage and as a cargo port. For a decade, the building was also utilised as Newcastle’s Maritime Centre until its closure in 2018.

Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) called for tenders in late 2019 seeking a tenant that would complement other businesses in the Honeysuckle precinct.

Hope Estate owner Michael Hope snapped up the 50-year lease with a vision to bring the best of Hunter Valley wine country to the Newcastle harbourside.

“We have worked closely with our architects to come up with a design that really showcases the location while being sympathetic to the

Artist’s Impression of Hope at Honeysuckle

original fabric of the building,” Hope said.

“It was really important for us to bring a feeling of space to ‘Hope at Honeysuckle’, but instead of looking out at rolling hills and rows of vines, that feeling will come from the expanse of water and views to the horizon.”

Hope said the front of the building would remain largely unchanged, and the harbourside would receive

Photo: HCCDC

an all-weather space suitable for outdoor dining and to help make the most of the building’s location.

“The point of difference in our development application is an additional level of outdoor space designed to really take advantage of the amazing view,” he said.

“We can’t wait to bring more of the Hope experience to you in Honeysuckle.”

Hope at Honeysuckle will feature a

cellar door, providore retail, a restaurant and space to include wine tastings, cooking masterclasses and beer-matching experiences.

HCCDC completed a major $4.7M restoration that involved repairs to the heritage facade of the building, significant stabilisation and seawall repairs and the re-establishment of a harbourside deck.

HCCDC Chief Operating Officer Valentina Misevska said submitting the development application was a big milestone for the new venture.

“Hope at Honeysuckle is set to become something really special in the heart of Newcastle, and once fitted-out, the adaptive reuse of the building will really showcase the best of this precinct and create a unique experience for both locals and visitors,” Misevska said.

“Creating a vibrant destination venue that offers fun experiences both day and night, encouraging people to linger longer while enhancing our built heritage definitely aligns with our objectives for the broader precinct.”

Hayley McMahon

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Sami’s skill draws international acclaim

JUNE 2021 ISSUE 004

With a curiosity for creatures and an extraordinary talent for drawing, bestselling author and illustrator Sami Bayly is releasing her third and final illustrated encyclopaedia following the worldwide success of her previous books, all at the age of 25.

Published by Hachette Australia, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature is Sami’s third book. It follows on from The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals and the multiaward-winning book that started it all, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals.

Ugly Animals has been so successful that it’s won multiple awards, including the Children’s Indie Book of the Year Award and the Australian Book Design Award for Younger Readers. Most recently, the book’s US version took out gold in the Juvenile Nonfiction section at the 2020 Foreword INDIES. “It is so special and really hard to put words to how this feels. To have an audience from a completely different country recognise and love this book is just so exciting. I feel so incredibly honoured and lucky,” Sami said.

“I was used to my family and my small social media following seeing and supporting my work. So I didn’t see how it was possible for people beyond that to ever purchase my books.

“I now get messages from strangers overseas who are complimenting my book, and my first reaction is, ‘Hang on, how did you get my book?

Did my parents send it to you?’”

Sami laughed.

Sami’s books have been published in many different countries, including the UK, the US and Russia. Ugly Animals is now being translated for publishing in China, and translations are planned in Hebrew.

Sami said her latest book was a look into nature’s symbiotic pairs, where two species come together and benefit one another to survive.

“One of my favourite examples is the Moreton Bay Fig and the Fig Wasp. Most people in Newcastle would have come across one without knowing,” Sami said.

“The Moreton Bay Fig has these little berries on them. If you’re lucky enough, you can see these tiny little wasps which live inside the figs and pollinate the flowers around the tree. They cannot survive without one another and have this amazing relationship.”

Sami also wanted to include more parasitic relationships, like the Pinhead Pearlfish, which lives inside the bottom of the Sea Cucumber.

Sami Bayly

“Every time the Sea Cucumber breathes in and out, its bottom opens, and this little Pearlfish goes in and lives there, sometimes even bringing a buddy!” Sami laughed.

“In some species of this fish, they will actually nibble on the insides of the bottom as an extra snack while they are hiding out, so this poor Sea Cucumber is like ‘Oh my gosh, get out of me, please!’.

“There were just so many different types of animal and creature relationships that I wanted to explore and were all so perfect for my series.”

Taking 10 months to write and illustrate, Peculiar Pairs includes around 120 animals. Some pages feature three- and four-way symbiotic relationships.

Peculiar Pairs is also the first book that Sami was able to work on fulltime. Her first two books were created through a university degree and a retail job.

Sami completed a Bachelor of Natural History Illustration at the University of Newcastle and went on to do honours, where she honed her scientific illustration skills.

She said the idea for her first book, Ugly Animals, came in 2018 when she entered into a Scientific Illustration Scholarship through the Australian Museum.

“I entered an illustration of an Australian White Ibis or the ‘Bin Chicken’,” Sami laughed.

“It was around the time when there were lots of memes about how stupid and ugly these birds were. Of course, everyone was laughing at these animals, but I wanted to

The recently revealed cover of The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature

explore the uniqueness of these birds and their true beauty.

“So, I did a watercolour portrait and wrote an artist statement about how their habitat was being destroyed and their homes were being turned into car parks and buildings.”

Sami said the birds were being forced into the city to scavenge for food, having no other choice but to utilise their long beaks and reach into bins for scraps.

“It’s amazing; these birds have been forced to adapt to their new reality and environment, which has helped them from going extinct.”

Sami ended up taking out the scholarship and was co-winner with a fellow student in her degree.

“The Sydney Morning Herald did a story of my win in the paper, and it just so happened that the head of publishing at Hachette Australia was reading the paper and saw my work,” she said.

“So, they contacted me through my uni lecturer and offered the potential to create a children’s book featuring ugly animals.”

Along with illustrating the animals, she was also asked to write the book, which was something a bit different after coming from a degree that was heavily focused on the practical.

A notable achievement for Sami was receiving a letter from Sir David Attenborough after she sent him a copy of her Ugly Animals book.

“That was definitely a huge highlight in my career,” Sami said.

“Having a handwritten letter from

David Attenborough saying that he appreciated the book was just mindblowing!

“For him to put the effort and time into a reply was so special. I’m going to annoy him once more and send him my latest book. I hope I get another letter, but I could very well be pushing my luck.”

Sami said that Peculiar Pairs would be the final book in the encyclopaedia series.

“I’m happy to leave it as those three. I’m now working on creating a nonfiction picture book. I’m still trying to figure out what it’s going to be about, but it will be less like the encyclopaedias.

Sami said she didn’t want to overthink the future too much and preferred to focus on the beginnings of her blossoming career.

“It will never be just about the money and selling books,” she said.

“I think as long as whatever I’m producing is something that I’ve put all my passion and emotion into, and it’s authentically me, then I will be happy.”

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature will hit the shelves in September 2021 and is now available for pre-order at Hachette Australia’s website.

If you want to keep up to date with Sami’s process, book signings, workshops and even see sneak peeks of her upcoming books, follow @samibayly or visit samibayly.com.

For an extended version of this story visit novonews.com.au Hayley McMahon

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Exhibition showcases Torres Strait Islander culture The Torres Strait Island flag was permanently raised at Newcastle City Hall for the first time in the building’s 92year history to coincide with a landmark exhibition at Newcastle Art Gallery that focuses on the Torres Strait Islander culture.

Works of art never before seen outside of the Torres Strait are on display as part of the WARWAR: The Art of Torres Strait exhibition, developed by Newcastle Art Gallery and highly awarded artist and curator Brian Robinson.

Robinson said the exhibition was an essential part of the unique Ailan Kustom (island customs) from which wisdom, strength and creativity were drawn.

“It is through visual art, dance and song that ancestral stories and legends are maintained and passed on to the younger generation, and it is important that exhibitions such as this are supported to assist in this preservation,” Robinson said.

“Newcastle Art Gallery has played a pivotal role in the co-curation of this unique exhibition, which contributes to the development, enhancement and understanding of this amazing indigenous culture.

Brayden Cedar, Genus Passi, Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton, artist Toby Cedar, Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, Newcastle Knights player Gehamat Shibasaki, WARWAR exhibition guest curator and artist Brian Robinson and Elijah Cedar (front)

“For the local Torres Strait Island communities, the exhibition is a way of reconnecting back to the islands, back to family and friends, back to a rich and vibrant history defined by amazing customs imbued with ceremonies and rituals that have endured for thousands of years.”

The exhibition includes more than 130 works of art drawn from the gallery’s collection, as well as newly created pieces and key loans from institutions, artists and private collections.

Several pieces have not been seen outside of the Torres Strait, including new works from Badhulgaw Kuthinaw Mudh (Badu Art Centre), Ngalmun

Lagau Minaral Arts (Moa Arts) and Erub Erwer Meta (Erub Arts).

Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said the gallery had acquired works of art from Torres Strait Islander artists since 2017, many of which are on display for the first time.

“WARWAR features a diverse range of artworks that showcase the evolution and strength of Torres Strait Islander tradition and society through arts practitioners from the 19th century and the emergence of the contemporary art traditions of today,” Morton said.

“It explores issues of cultural maintenance, Christianity, language

and the impact of globalisation on the physical environment of the Torres Strait Islands, which are located in the narrow stretch of water between the land masses of Zai Dagam Daudai (Australia) in the south and Naigai Dagam Daudai (Papua New Guinea) in the north.”

Exhibiting artists include Joseph Au, Grace Lilian Lee, Glen Mackie, Billy Missi, Laurie Nona, Brian Robinson, Dr Ken Thaiday and Alick Tipoti.

WARWAR: The Art of Torres Strait can be seen at Newcastle Art Gallery until August 22.

Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle

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Advent Energy and community opposition gain momentum as Pitt ponders PEP11

Local kids at the Stop PEP11 Paddle out at Nobbys Beach Photo: Nicholas Klynsmith @hyperventilating_eyes

The company proposing gas and oil exploration off the coast of Newcastle, has issued a call for tenders for wellhead equipment and materials despite protests, paddle outs and no decision by Federal Minister for Resources Keith Pitt.

Advent Energy announced to the Australian Stock Exchange on Monday, May 31, that its owned subsidiary Asset Energy had issued a Call for Tender to provide subsea wellhead equipment, materials and services for the Baleen drilling program.

“This equipment provides the ‘foundation’ for the Baleen well and is the first stages of well construction,” it said.

“This is an important step in the preparation and planning for the Baleen-1 well (and) ensures that Asset will be ready to commence drilling after relevant approvals have been received.”

Advent Energy’s PEP11 licence expired in February 2021, and the renewal of this will come down to a decision made by Federal Minister for Resources Keith Pitt - one that he is yet to make.

Save Our Coast Founder Natasha Deen said she was shocked and disappointed that the proponents of PEP11 intended to push forward with their plans despite the licence lapse and no decisions being made concerning the renewal.

“If the PEP11 licence has expired and the renewal application has not yet been approved, why should the oil and gas company be allowed to make plans to conduct business as usual when there is such mass opposition?” Deen said.

“Coastal communities have fiercely opposed this flawed plan that risks our way of life and is catastrophic to the coastal ecosystem.

“Every single Federal MP along the PEP11 zone has opposed this project as well as the Prime Minister himself.

“The Government has to make it clear to Advent Energy that they have no right to commence works, and they need to ensure that Minister Pitt heeds the clear wishes of the communities and cancels PEP11.”

The PEP11 zone extends between Port Stephens and Sydney, and the Baleen well site location is planned approximately 30 kilometres southwest of Newcastle and 26 kilometres offshore.

Deen said she welcomed Minister

Pitt’s careful consideration of the coast’s future but said a delay in a decision placed severe stress and uncertainty on the community.

“A delayed decision on cancelling PEP11 not only places communities under severe stress, but it also sends a message to these oil and gas companies that they can continue business as usual,” Deen said.

“It’s also showing a certain disregard for the community’s uncertainty while it hangs over their heads. It’s time for PEP11 to be cancelled, and for the coast to be saved for future generations.”

Along with the tender for equipment, Advent Energy has also appointed Xodus Group, a global energy environmental consultancy, to prepare the Environmental Plan and assess the Baleen-1 well’s environmental impacts for the first submission to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon said that NOPSEMA had not received any advice from Minister Pitt regarding the current application for an extension of PEP11.

“There have been zero approval

processes in place to do any drilling or exploration, which still requires an Environmental Plan and extensive consultation, none of which have been submitted to NOPSEMA yet,” Claydon said.

“This Call for Tender is a very premature move on the part of Advent Energy; it suggests to me that they are wanting to send a message to their investors and that they are still moving on with this project but there is no way that they could execute their plans in the foreseeable future.

“There is only one person who can put an end to this uncertainty. He alone has the power of veto in this decision, and he alone can ensure the community’s wishes are enacted.

It’s time to listen to the voices of the people.

“PEP11 has no place in our waters.”

Advent Energy executive chairman David Breeze said they would not proceed with any drilling until the regulatory authorities gave them the green light.

“It’s necessary that we get NOPTA approval and NOPSEMA approval— both of those government approvals are a necessary precondition to undertake drilling.

Hayley McMahon

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Community petition launched over “unsightly” tree pruning

Newcastle community members are concerned over the harsh and “unsightly” tree pruning undertaken by Ausgrid around power lines, so much so that a community petition has been launched through NSW Parliament.

The e-petition on NSW Parliament’s website outlines the “detrimental impacts” of harsh tree pruning on Newcastle’s local community and the urban forest.

“Communities around the city and NSW are outraged by the significant loss in visual amenity, tree canopy benefits such as urban cooling, and the increased risk of tree failure following heavy pruning undertaken

by Ausgrid.”

Community petitioner Matthew Mooney said that energy companies needed to show an environmental and social conscience.

“There’s a climate change conversation happening at every dinner table around the country, yet we’ve got energy companies tearing down our suburban forest,” Mooney said.

“When people see that the place that they call home has had their trees vandalised in this way, it’s an emotional thing.”

Consulting arborist Ian McKenzie

has 30 years of experience in the industry and said the tree pruning was overzealous and beyond what was required to satisfy guidelines.

“The extent of this pruning is too great in my opinion; it’s just not good for the trees and reduces their useful life expectancy, carbon storage, and the ability to cool,” McKenzie said.

“These are all issues which are really important with climate change, and we need to do better. We need to be retaining the trees and as much of the tree canopy as we can.

“Trees require their foliage to photosynthesise and produce energy, which is what sustains them.

They also require energy to repair and recover from pruning wounds.

“If there are lots of small pruning wounds, the tree will be able to recover quicker and easier compared to the impacts of major wounds.”

McKenzie, who is also the past president of the Institute of Australian Consulting Arboriculturists, said he had seen Ausgrid and other pruning companies do a better job in the past.

“The history is that they can do better. When the community complains, these companies start improving their practices, but when they aren’t being monitored, the trees slowly start to look worse

Photo: Supplied by State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp

again,” he said.

“I think it comes down to their contract and the need to work fast and reduce the number of visits, which means they are going to prune a lot harsher.

“The NSW Government has recognised urban forest benefits and set targets at 40 per cent urban canopy coverage, but we are not going to be able to achieve that if we keep butchering street trees. It can be done a lot better; there is no question.”

Ausgrid told NovoNews that the company recognised the value of street trees and had worked closely with the council to balance public safety with street amenity.

“Ausgrid meets regularly with Newcastle City Council and is working with it and its arborists to look at options of tree trimming in the area,” Ausgrid said.

“This approach has been working well and includes pruning practices, identifying sites with inappropriate species, and working with the council on a remove and replace program.

Ausgrid said it employed arborists, horticulturalists and specialist maintenance crews who followed strict guidelines and network standards to trim trees near the electricity network.

“Ausgrid trims trees regularly to

keep powerlines clear and help keep lights on during storms and bushfires.

On average, more than two-thirds of outages are caused by falling trees and limbs,” it said.

“The trimmed trees look different, and in some cases, a lot of vegetation has to be removed, but they are trimmed to the national standard, which makes them grow back healthier and away from the powerlines.”

The petition endorsed by State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp calls on the NSW Liberal Government, the Federal Government, and the NSW Minister for Energy and the Environment to direct Ausgrid to: Review their vegetation management policies and pruning practices; investigate the installation of aerial bundled cables in the treelined streets of Newcastle to reduce the need for harsh pruning; review how often trees are pruned with a view to increasing the frequency, so such harsh pruning is not required; and engage and consult with the Newcastle community regarding tree pruning expectations.

Online petitions have recently been introduced by the NSW Parliament and will remain open for three months.

Hayley McMahon

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Residents speak out against gas plant

Gas Free Hunter Alliance members outside the proposed site in Kurri Kurri Photo: Carly Phillips

“My family has lived nearby for 50 More than 10,000 NSW Newcastle in NSW via Narrabri, with Minister Kean on Friday, July 23. a proposed offshoot to the Kurri years.

We are nurses, doctors, Meanwhile, more than 300 Hunter residents have signed a petition Valley residents have expressed teachers, tradespeople, students against a proposed gas-fired Kurri site.

“Both the Narrabri Gas Project and their concerns over the proposed and parents,” Paul Ramzan of power plant at Kurri Kurri.

The petition, organised by the Gas Free Hunter Alliance (GFHA), calls on NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean to publicly reject Snowy Hydro’s planning application for the $600M gas plant and work with the community to deliver sustainable benefits and long-term jobs.

“Matt Kean must stand by his calls for NSW to be a renewable energy superpower,” the GFHA said.

“We want this dirty gas plant rejected for its negative impacts on the climate. “$600M all for the sake of only 10 jobs is an obscene waste of public money.”

The petition lists a series of concerns including environmental impacts caused by a potential gas pipeline running across agricultural land.

“The gas for this power plant could come from Santos’ proposed Narrabri coal seam gas project and be delivered via the proposed Hunter Gas Pipeline, which is slated to run across prime agricultural land from southern Queensland to

the Hunter Gas Pipeline face overwhelming opposition from Traditional Owners and local farmers.”

The petition also touches on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s assertions that NSW prices could rise by 30 per cent if energy companies did not fill the gap left by the 2023 closure of the Liddell Power Station in Muswellbrook.

The Australian Financial Review’s Political Editor, Phillip Coorey, said the Government’s estimation of 1000MW to replace the Liddell energy gap was disputed by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) in September 2020.

The AEMO said only 150MW was needed “to reduce the risk of load shedding and meet standards of reliability once Liddell closes”.

However, the AEMO’s figure was not shared across the entire industry as it was too reliant on battery capability.

The GFHA, which has set a goal of obtaining 15,000 signatures, plans to hand deliver the petition to

gas plant in a submission organised by the GFHA to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Some concerns highlighted in the submission came from respondents from diverse backgrounds and working sectors including mining, environmental science, education and medicine.

Resident Brian Hewitt said he had concerns that living close to the proposed site would lead to direct exposure to emissions.

“We are already exposed to dust from Hunter coal mines and emissions from existing coal-fired power stations. Enough is enough,” Hewitt said.

Another Hunter Valley local Dave Brown said it was “ludicrous” for the Federal Government to be spending money on gas-powered energy when the future was in the renewables industry.

Other residents were concerned about job security and the importance of creating sustainable long-term jobs.

Buchanan said.

“We all are outraged at this unjustifiable spending of taxpayers’ money (and) at this missed opportunity to foster jobs for locals transitioning out of the fossil fuel industry.”

GFHA organiser Fiona Lee said she was excited to have the Hunter Valley community’s voices represented in the submission.

“Local people are speaking for themselves on an issue that affects them directly and the state and federal governments need to listen,” Lee said.

“After looking at the survey results and talking to local people, we’ve found strong local concern about the long-term impact on jobs and the local economy if the gas plant is built, and the impact of increased emissions on the climate and on public health, as well as general concerns around what is seen as an inadequate level of consultation with local people.”

Hayley McMahon

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Newcastle’s composting revolution

Newcastle residents are being offered a big discount on home composting products, with a view to reducing the amount of food waste that enters landfill.

Newcastle residents can get 75 per cent off selected composting, worm farming and Bokashi fermenting products along with free home delivery, thanks to a collaboration with Compost Revolution and the City of Newcastle.

The incentive was launched in time forWorldEnvironmentDay,celebrated on June 5, tying in with this year’s theme of ecosystem restoration.

To help the community understand how to compost at home successfully, the City of Newcastle has organised a series of face-to-face workshops hosted by Feedback Organic Recovery founder Dave Sivyer.

The first workshop was held at Stockton Senior Citizens Centre on June 28. Others are planned for Hamilton South Estate Centre Care Hall on July 10 from 2pm to 4pm; Hunter Multicultural Communities Waratah on September 6 from 2pm to 4pm; and Wallsend Library on October 16 from 2pm to 4pm.

Feedback Organic Recovery is a local organisation that promotes food cycling, converting urban food waste into compost, helping produce healthy, sustainable and communitygrown food.

Sivyer said the organisation wanted

Newcastle Libraries Manager, Community Programs and Partnerships Alexander Mills, Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, City of Newcastle Waste Education and Program Coordinator Therese Davis and workshop presenter David Sivyer from Feedback Organic

to drive behaviour change and make composting a societal norm for the whole community.

“Composting is incredibly important to all of us; on a national level, it costs the government about $20 billion a year just to manage food waste,” he said.

“Food waste contributes largely to landfill and greenhouse gas emissions, so if we can upskill our community and learn how to compost at home, the future benefits will be huge.

“The workshops will run through the variety of different composting options, so for people with backyards, they can use a worm farm or composting unit, and people in apartment blocks can use the smaller Bokashi system.”

Sivyer said Feedback Organic

Recovery was also working on an innovation partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a program around foodwasteavoidanceandpreventative food waste solutions.

“So, our program will be all around targeting large service organisations in Newcastle, which will filter down to the entities that operate within them, like small cafes and early childhood centres,” he said.

“We really want to encourage people to start reducing their food waste and get into good composting habits in preparation for the new organics system being developed at Summer Hill.”

The composting initiative is part of a larger recycling plan organised by the City of Newcastle, including a new

commercial-grade organics recycling facility at Summer Hill Waste Management Centre.

Once completed, this facility will allow food waste to be collected with vegetation in the organics bins and help produce a quality compost product from kerbside organics, which can replace inorganic fertiliser.

Newcastle Libraries will also host a four-part podcast and short video series to help harness residents’ skills and knowledge of successful composting.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said around 30 per cent of waste in red-lid bins was food waste. Around 135 kilograms of food waste per household is thrown away each year.

“Composting and worm farming are both fantastic ways to recycle scraps from the kitchen while providing a rich fertiliser for the garden,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Households with no garden, or limited space, can still get involved by choosing the compact Bokashi bin, which ferments a large range of food scraps including meat, citrus and dairy, so there’s a way for everyone in the community to get involved.

“An important impact of this program will be less food waste to landfill.”

For more information on the face-toface workshops or about purchasing an at-home composting system, visit the City of Newcastle’s website.

Hayley McMahon

Composer working her magic behind the scenes A Newcastle film and television composer was a finalist in the 2021 APRA Professional Development Awards, helping to boost women’s visibility in the industry.

The APRA Professional Development Awards, which were announced on June 24, provide support to emerging songwriters and composers. Nine artists received a $10,000 cash prize, along with a prize from Australis Music.

Neo-classical pianist, musician and screen composer Emily Mirla Harrison was shortlisted in the Film and TV category along with four other composers. Freya Berkhout was announced the winner of that category.

Harrison said she was excited to be nominated for an award that she had watched so many successful artists win over the years.

“I was quite surprised to be a finalist, and absolutely over the moon; it was a real validation for my career and my work because it’s easy to feel nervous as an emerging artist and composer,” Harrison said.

“Sometimes, it can feel like what

you’re doing is not good enough, and you’re filled with self-doubt, so I was so happy to be picked. And to also be amongst four other composers who I admire and look up to was very inspiring.

Harrison said the nomination would consolidate her practice and goals.

“I will have a good plan of where I’m headed.”

Coming from a musical family, Harrison always felt a strong passion for film scores.

“I used to watch films on silent and compose songs on the piano to go along with the scenes,” she said.

“I was always a bit nerdy at school, and I kept it secret because I thought it was embarrassing, but now I have completely embraced my passion!

“In my late 20s, I performed as a singer-songwriter, but being a vocalist didn’t feel as natural to me compared to composing film music, so I decided to apply to the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in Sydney.”

After scoring an internship at Church Street Studios in Sydney with multiaward winning Australian film and television composer Guy Gross,

Harrison’s career opportunities began to emerge, including a composition job for the children’s hit television show Bluey.

Her latest project was as the music supervisor for a feature documentary, Undone, which follows big wave surfer Laura Enever.

Harrison said the project was a great experience where she collaborated with the director and producers. She also realised the importance of finding work that she could lend a female voice to.

She said only 13 per cent of Australian screen composers were female.

“I want to be a voice for women and young composers. I know it was vital for me to see women winning these awards and doing this work, so I want to be that inspiration for others,” she said.

“There are some great seminars and workshops in Sydney that I would love to attend, which would help me contribute to the women in film movement.”

As a parallel to her film composing, Harrison is releasing a solo concept album featuring neoclassic instrumentals called Solitaire (The Virtue of Patience).

The album is a meditation on the virtues of patience, resilience and stoicism; remedies for loved ones separated by war.

“Inspired by my grandparents’ war diaries and letters, I explore a young woman’s psychological drama as she waits for news of her sweetheart sailor boy, lost at sea,” Harrison said.

“I also wanted to utilise the creative industry’s slowdown and take this period of pandemic and personal isolation to pivot towards an allconsuming solo project.

“I would love my solo work to line up with my screen composing work, where people who seek my sound from a film will come across my solo album.”

When Harrison isn’t composing, she is a busy mother and a nurse working in remote Aboriginal communities.

“When I’ve got some free time, I’m usually hanging out in my home studio or trying to absorb all of what Newcastle has to offer.

“I only moved to Newcastle a few years ago, so I’m still exploring and seeking out opportunities to do some performance work here.”

Hayley McMahon

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Duty-bound donor’s blood worth bottling Patrick Prest has been donating blood for the past 60 years

Patrick Prest has donated long, sharp needle wanting to take blood 500 times over the past samples of their blood.

60 years, a commitment that “One of my mates left and the could well have saved up to other one fainted,” he laughed.

“So, it was just me left. That was 1500 lives.

“I started donating blood in Griffith when I was 18. One Friday afternoon, my mates and I were drinking beers at the pub, and my close mate Smitty sat down with a bandage on his arm,” 78-year-old Prest, from Bolton Point, said.

“We all made a few witty remarks until he told us that he’d donated blood at the Red Cross.

“He then suggested we stop sitting around the pub and start doing some good.

“When we got to the centre, the sister asked if we’d come to donate blood or if we’d just come to check out the nurses, and we said ‘No! We’ve come to donate blood!’”

Prest said the nurse pulled out a

1961, and I’ve been giving blood ever since.”

Prest, who worked as a greenkeeper in Griffith, moved to Newcastle in 1994 and continued to donate blood, with his main donation centre being Lifeblood Newcastle Donor Centre in Broadmeadow.

His wife Carmel also used to donate blood but was advised to stop due to medical reasons. If she were able to continue, they would have around 1000 donations between them.

Only 3 per cent of Australians donate each year. One in three Australians will need a blood donation in their lifetime. One donation of blood can save up to three lives.

Prest, who has three children, nine

grandchildren and one greatgrandchild, said he gained personal satisfaction and pride from donating, but his family was his main motivation.

“My family are the main reason I’ve stuck at it; I would do absolutely anything for them,” Prest said.

“I have always thought that maybe one day the families that I have helped with my donations would in return help my children or grandchildren who might one day need help.

“I’ve just made donating one of my priorities, and I would encourage anybody who can donate to donate.

“It’s not just for yourself and the satisfaction of doing a good deed, but it’s for your family and the community. One day, as awful as it is to think about, it could be you or someone you know that needs a donation.”

Australia needs more than 31,000 donations every week. Plasma and

platelets can be donated every fortnight and whole blood every 12 weeks.

Prest said plasma donations required a process where blood is returned and recycled through the body over five times, which over years of donating can cause scar tissue.

Due to the large number of donations that Prest has made, he can no longer donate plasma, but he said he would continue to donate whole blood for as long as he could.

Prest said it was “mind-boggling” to think that sitting in a chair for 30 to 45 minutes every few weeks could save hundreds of lives.

“I’ve met some lovely people in the centres over the years, and it’s been a good journey,” he said.

“I would do it all over again if I could.”

Hayley McMahon

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Boost for domestic violence services Frontline domestic violence support services in Newcastle and the Hunter will receive an additional funding boost, focusing on building a safer future for survivors.

The NSW and Federal Governments have announced the recipients of the COVID-19 Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Infrastructure Grant Program, allocating 45 NSW service providers a share in $8.6M to help more victim-survivors access critical help.

The one-off funding has a minimum grant allocation of $25,000 and can be used for renovations, refurbishments, upgrades and expansions to the women’s shelters and frontline services.

Family Support Newcastle in Waratah is one of the local services receiving funding; the $41,735 will go towards much-needed improvements to the centre.

CEO Sue Hellier said the new improvements would create a more engaging, safe and inclusive environment for the families who regularly visited the Waratah centre for support.

“The children will have better facilities and play spaces outside, where the parents and children will be able to relax and hang together,” she said.

“There will be some interesting play spaces added that will not only provide enjoyment but will be a really pleasant and safe place for these families.

“The indoor refurbishments will provide a nicer environment for our counselling work, which is where we meet with families who are going through some pretty awful stuff, so these upgrades will enhance that environment, making it more comfortable and welcoming.”

Along with improved indoor counselling areas, the upgrades will include a new sandpit, gazebo, seating for parents and children, minor conversions and added ramps to ensure accessibility in all areas, and refurbishments to a demountable.

The centre will also convert a small side veranda into an additional office.

(L-R) Staying Home Leaving Violence team leader Nicole Cameron, Family Support Newcastle CEO Sue Hellier and the rest of the team “The enhanced work environment in our when escaping unsafe homes. office and counselling rooms will improve “I support this funding and the tireless the conditions for our staff, who regularly work of these 45 providers, who are making deal with these complexities and traumas. a big difference to families in crisis,” Donovan The new outdoor spaces will be a pleasant said. environment for them as well,” Hellier said.

“This program is going to help improve so “Our referrals have more than doubled in many frontline services across a range of the last three years, so given the continuing works like building or purchasing more increase in domestic family violence, this accommodation, replacing playground infrastructure upgrade will assist us to equipment for kids, security-related works, manage the demand better. upgrading counselling rooms, and enhancing “We are also getting ready for another amenities to support vulnerable women and surge due to the recent COVID-19 children.” restrictions, and that’s why we are really Federal Minister for Families and Social keen to get this funding and begin these Services Senator Anne Ruston said the upgrades.” additional funding would also help services Other Newcastle and Hunter services become accessible for people with a receiving grants include Newcastle’s disability.

Samaritans Foundation, Carrie’s Place “Other grant recipients will install audioDomestic Violence and Homelessness visual equipment, allowing survivors to give Services in Maitland, Upper Hunter Homeless evidence from a secure environment, which Support, Survivor’s R Us Incorporated in is crucial in regional and remote settings,” Lake Macquarie, and Port Stephens Family she said. and Neighbourhood Services.

The additional funding announcement Domestic Violence NSW CEO Delia follows a $90M budget boost to support Donovan said the funding would help women and children impacted by domestic vulnerable people who faced extra barriers violence as part of the NSW Budget.

This included a $60M funding boost to frontline services over two years from the NSW Government and an extra $32.5M over four years to expand the Staying Home Leaving Violence (SHLV) program.

The SHLV program helps prevent families from becoming homeless or moving away from their support system and community.

In cooperation with NSW Police, the perpetrator is removed from the home so the family can stay where they are.

The program also provides a range of support, including safety planning, improving home security, help to manage finances, support for children, and help with legal processes.

Family Support Newcastle used the initial 2020 SHLV funding to create a position that supported intake, referral, case management and data entry. The announcement of this additional funding to the SHLV program will help further fund this role.

Hellier said they had also managed to set aside internal funds to hire a child support worker, who could help children experiencing domestic and family violence resulting in complex traumas.

“There is a huge gap in this sector, so we are hoping to create a role that will support that,” Hellier said.

“This role will be piloted, assessed and evaluated. I am in conversation with the University of Newcastle to ensure the integrity of the work, assessment and evaluation processes.

“It is separate from any government funding, but it is what we are focusing on internally to address the further demands of family and domestic violence in Newcastle.”

Family Support Newcastle is located at 2 High St Waratah; for more information on services, donations, and support groups, visit the website.

For confidential advice, support and referrals, contact: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), The NSW Domestic Violence Line (1800 65 64 63) or Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491).

Hayley McMahon

Show of support for Hunter homeless Hunter Homeless Connect received a cheque for $15,155 from Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes on June 17 after Newcastle’s church and business communities united at the Annual Lord Mayor Prayer Breakfast at NEX Newcastle.

“Hunter Homeless Connect does invaluable work connecting vulnerable people in our community with vital services and support,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The funds raised will go towards the Hunter Homeless Connect Community Directory and Connecting the Hunter program to allow Hunter Homeless Connect to continue to deliver on its mission during the pandemic and in the face of the current housing crisis.”

Hunter Homeless Connect Chairperson Jenn O’Sullivan said the financial boost would allow the organisation to maintain its highly valued welfare programs and afford opportunities to expand.

“We are so grateful to receive such incredible support from the Newcastle community through the Lord Mayor’s Prayer

Pastor Rick Prosser, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Hunter Homeless Connect’s Alyson Segrott, Jenn O’Sullivan, David Couri and Michelle Faithfull “These values unite us and help all to those doing it tough such as food, Breakfast,” she said.

“Hunter Homeless Connect provides a clothing, bedding, phone cards, free haircuts Newcastle residents, irrespective of their background,” she said. dignified and practical way for people and health services and much more.

“By joining together in compassion, “The Hunter Homeless Connect Community experiencing homelessness to identify inclusive and welcoming environments, have Directory helps people find community and respect, tolerance, justice and equity we can access to services and connection to government services, accommodation achieve great things for our city.” members of the community without providers, food banks, emergency relief and The Annual Lord Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast financial assistance.” judgment. has raised more than $100,000 for charities The Lord Mayor said the breakfast brought in the area since it began in 2009.

“From humble beginnings in 2009, the annual Hunter Homeless Connect Day has together more than 400 like-minded people gone from strength to strength, providing and organisations to celebrate shared values Information source: Media release, June direct, on-the-ground resources and support that benefit the community.

17, City of Newcastle

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HOW’S YOUR KITCHEN MOJO?

GEORGIA LIENEMANN What thoughts come to mind when you think about cooking?

Does it bring up feelings of overwhelm?

Pressure?

Joy? Creativity?

Sustenance?

Duty?

When you think about eating, do your thoughts turn to enjoyment and pleasure or do you often find yourself subconsciously categorising your diet into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods?

We’re diving headfirst into new territory, here on the column. I’ll be teaming up with Danielle Abell from Lick The Plates and exploring the often selfimposed barriers that mess with our kitchen mojo - either sabotaging our efforts to cook or simply preventing us from enjoying the process as much as we’d like.

The stories we tell ourselves If you are the primary cook in your family, you’re likely preparing many meals each week and making countless decisions about those meals each day.

Have you ever really

stopped to examine the subconscious thoughts and beliefs you have around cooking and eating? They influence every single decision you make and play a central role in how you feel about cooking.

required to do so.

Obviously when it comes to cooking, know-how is important, however don’t underestimate the importance of regular injections of inspiration to keep your kitchen mojo on fire.

Rarely, if ever, do we take the time to truly acknowledge or question these thoughts – the stories we tell ourselves, which often play like a constant track in the back of our minds.

So, what are your kitchen stories?

Mostly, these stories are completely subconscious and were learned somewhere along the way, perhaps the seeds were planted by the primary cook in our household growing up and then the baton was passed to the media, whose relentless messaging we’ve likely been exposed to ever since.

Losing touch tradition

with

Spending time in the kitchen and cooking largely from scratch is a crucial piece of the health puzzle.

For several generations there, we naively assumed we could juggle health and convenience, outsourcing the very thing that has been central to every culture since the dawn of humanity: preparing our own food from fresh ingredients.

Along the way, we’ve been aggressively marketed to by a soulless food industry, which has capitalised on (and greatly exacerbated) our inadequacies and frustrations. As a result, there’s a whole series of counterproductive messages which seem to be deeply ingrained in the collective psyche with

Take a moment to think about it: what are your repeating stories around cooking and eating? Is it too hard? Too timeconsuming? Are you a ‘bad’ cook? Or too overwhelmed to try something new?

regard to spending time in the kitchen.

Undoing our cultural programming Think about it, we’ve been programmed for decades that it’s too hard, too time-consuming, too boring, too expensive or simply not worth the effort, when none of these things are in fact, true. At least not relative to the inescapable fact that few things are harder, more time-consuming or expensive than poor health!

And due to this unfortunate loss of food culture (that inherent know-how and appreciation that has been passed from elders to offspring for millennia), coupled with the latest media trend of glamorising health and fancy food, I’m finding that the current generation of young parents are under enormous and unprecedented pressure to perform.

They desire good health for their families, a feeling of empowerment and fulfillment in the kitchen and perhaps, as of late, a greater sense of selfsufficiency; but they often lack the knowledge, skills or inspiration to accomplish these things without overwhelm and exhaustion.

Re-establishing kitchen mojo What I’ve found over many years is that if people are taught how to make cooking at home quick, easy, delicious and inexpensive and if they’re educated around why cooking like our grandmothers did (with clever modern day hacks and technology) is not merely an optional practice but in fact, an essential one for good health – the counterproductive messages and stories soon fade away. And taking their place are feelings of joy, deep satisfaction and genuine inspiration.

And make no mistake, even those who have had the privilege of inheriting food culture directly from family or spent many years dedicated to learning and experimenting in the kitchen, can fall off the wagon at times. The stresses of life can temporarily hijack our thoughts and lead us into an uninspiring rut.

Monkey see, monkey do I’ve found that it’s helpful to link in with a tribe who cook the way you’d like to.

There are many downsides to social media but the potential of being dripfed inspiring, educational content isn’t one of them.

It has the power to shift our stories in an instant and has, for me personally, on many occasions.

Research has found that the act of watching someone else do something is far more effective at motivating you to do it yourself, than simply possessing the knowledge and skills

Over the next five weeks, Danielle from Lick The Plates and I will be exploring the common stories we all tell ourselves in the kitchen, particularly the ones that aren’t serving us.

Each week we’ll delve deeply into one specific kitchen story, bringing it to light and turning it on its head, in order to rewrite it. We’ll offer practical hacks to help disprove them and share how, we ourselves, have overcome our own versions of these same stories.

Hopefully you’ll find something in each of these stories that you can relate to, and as we unpack them, begin to find more flow in the kitchen again!

Hi, we’re Georgia and Danielle We are the primary cooks in our homes, and since getting to know each other have found uncanny similarities in how we cook. However when we delved deeper, the roads we have taken to get here and the subconscious stories we are working to overcome, are vastly different.

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DOWN IN THE GARDEN: How to Grow Healthy Citrus

CHERALYN DARCEY

probably end up with sometime inedible.

As it will take about seven years until you see the fruit, you will be better off having faith in a grafted tree of the type you are after.

A few of my juicy selections for Central Coast/temperate regions include Lemon: Eureka, Orange: Valencia, Lime: Makrut, Grapefruit: Ruby Red Grapefruit, Mandarin: Imperial, Cumquat: Nagami. Australian Native: Finger Lime (any they are all wonderful!) Something Unusual: Buddha’s Hand.

Everyone should have a lemon tree but not everyone is always successful at growing How to Grow a Citrus Tree said citrus tree.

Let’s explore ways to help you master the art of the juicy fruits!

We have had a love affair with the tangy sweetness of citrus for a very long time.

Fossil finds date the citrus genus back to eight million years ago, in seemingly one place, the Himalayan foothills and then from here, most citrus fruits spread.

First, they made their way to South-East Asia and then into Spain and Portugal via Middle Eastern traders and travellers.

There were originally only five types, and we did what we gardeners love to do, we hybridised and experimented and sometimes nature took its own hand until we now have countless varieties.

The five parent plants are: Citron (Citrus medica), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Popeda (Citrus micrantha), Pomelo (Citrus maxima) and Cumquats (Citrus japonica).

Which Tree?

Select a tree that you know you will use and that will be compatible with your area and environment.

Grafted varieties will generally be hardier as they are clones of desirable plants that are grown upon strong, disease resistant rootstock that is suitable for your area.

There are a large variety of sizes so make sure that your intended spot can accommodate the growth.

While you can grow a tree from a seed, they probably won’t grow true to the type of the fruit they came from and though you may be pleasantly surprised, you will

Citrus will require at least six hours of full sun every day.

The soil needs to be deep, rich and loamy, with free draining qualities being an absolute must.

It won’t want other plants, or a lawn, sharing its space at all and a sheltered spot is best as they don’t fare well in strong winds.

Planting time is early spring but planning time is right now, in the middle of winter, because a well-prepared bed will mean a happy, healthy long-lived tree.

Chose you spot and dig in.

If your soil is heavy, add compost and lots of it and some sand can help as well.

Dig your hole right out to three metres wide and as deep as you can manage.

Enrich the soil now with a little well-rotted manure if you feel your soil is depleted as fertilising during planting will burn the sensitive root structure of citrus.

The preferred pH level for citrus is 6 - 7.5 and so you may need to toss in a little lime to bring up the level.

When it is time to plant, ensure you mound up earth in the planting hole and spread roots out over it before filling.

Water in well and mulch the surrounding area with an organic material and leave at least 12cm away from the trunk.

Citrus Care Citrus are hungry garden buddies, so you need to feed them well.

To leave no doubt there are specialised citrus fertilisers that are brilliant and take the

guess work out of things for beginners.

The usual pattern for feeding is mid-winter, late spring and late summer.

Watering is essential once a week for newly planted trees and then only once every couple of weeks except if the weather is very hot.

Container grown plants will naturally need additional watering and just remember that they detest soggy feet.

Pruning may seem a bit daunting but in all honestly, it’s relatively easy with most citrus.

Just trim back after harvest should you wish to shape your tree and remove dead branches and any that may be diseased but never cut away more than 20% of your tree canopy.

You should be able to reach the trunk of the tree without being too obstructed by branches so keep the centre clear.

When it comes to harvest, leave fruit on the tree until they have fully developed to ensure best flavour.

What’s Wrong with my Citrus?

Holes in my Tree: Probably Tree Borers and they can be removed by digging out with a skewer and a pyrethrumbased spray can knock them down as well.

Wiggly Lines on Leaves: The Leaf Miner is usually the culprit and can be controlled with an organic pest oil.

Sooty Mould & Honeydew:

The sticky dew is created by insects, and it can lead to the sooty mould fungus issue. It can be controlled by washing the plant with a horticultural soap and then treating the tree with an organic insecticide.

Healthy Leaf Drop: This happens in most cases due to lack of water but can also indicate a health issue with the tree so give it a close examination.

Yellow Leaves: These will usually also drop and indicate too much water and poor drainage. Reduce watering and the tree should return to good health.

Stink Bug Infestation: This is a big one, and dreaded, as the fruit is punctured and drops off and tree slowly dies.

If they are known in your area, my advice is to get a jump on them by spraying your trees completely in early spring with an organic horticultural oil but if they are already there then you will need program of organic insecticide as per the manufacture’s recommendations.

No Room Citrus Tips Why don’t you try growing citrus in pots?

This is also brilliant for those who are renting as you can simply take your ‘movable orchard’ with you and there are lots of dwarf citrus available.

You will need as deep a pot as possible and repot every two years.

An old but clever way to grow citrus in limited space to train it to grow up a wall.

Espalier style, as it is called, needs careful planning and constant maintenance, but if you have the time, it’s an easy way to make use of tight spaces and provide a stunning backdrop in a courtyard or garden.

TIME TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY You could plant artichokes, asparagus crowns, beetroot, broad beans, cabbage, carrot, English spinach, lettuce, mustard, late season onions, parsnip, peas, potatoes, radish, rhubarb crowns, salsify, silverbeet, English daisy, delphinium, dianthus, gloxinia, gypsophila, marigold, roses, spider flower, statice

PLANT HAPPENINGS ONLINE Due to COVID restrictions how about a virtual, interactive garden tour? Here are a few.

Sydney Royal Botanic Garden: rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/ Learn/Living-Learning/ Virtual-Tours The Huntington Gardens, California: huntington.org/ botanical-collections-tours The Gardens of Versailles, France: artsandculture. google.com/story/ cwWhTPHE38uq4g Cheralyn Darcey is a gardening author, community garden coordinator. Contact Cheralyn via our website

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FILL IN THE WORDS MOOR S

Place all the words listed into the grid. Each word can be used once only. The first word has been filled in.

5 LETTERS Alias Arose Aside Balsa Coach Coals Deans Ensue Habit Hired Hosed Irate Items Lease Ledge Masts Moors Opera Orate

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A healthy change for Newcastle

A Newcastle-based online platform providing free health and well-being support is available for anyone to use.

Healthy Change Village is an online platform bringing health and well-being capacity-building services to people of all abilities, all ages, and those in rural and remote areas.

Community members can choose activities, including exercises, cooking classes, mindfulness sessions and games, all run and taught by qualified trainers, coaches and health professionals.

Founder Lloyd Valentine said the COVID-19 pandemic was the inspiration for the platform.

“We wanted to start a free website that anyone could access, anywhere and any time, reaching people in rural and remote areas and perhaps people who may be struggling financially,” he said.

“We have a whole range of videos from movement and strength to mindfulness meditation, healthy eating, cooking and family fun games, all of which have been put together by Newcastle trainers and health professionals.

“We are adding new presenters and videos every week. We currently have about 75 videos and 24 presenters.”

The new program also has some national contributors, including the Black Dog Institute, That Sugar Movement and, most recently, a potential collaboration with The Heart Foundation.

Valentine said that even though the website was free, they also accepted voluntary contributions. “Villagers” (people using the website) can choose from one-off payments or a recurring monthly contribution.

Plan and self-managed participants can use their NDIS funding to make a contribution as well.

Some of the presenters and participants from the Healthy Change Village

“We are hoping if we gain enough traction and receive website contributions that it will be just enough to hold the project and keep it sustainable,” Valentine said.

“The more contributions we receive, the more quality content and capacitybuilding health and well-being support we can provide.”

Healthy Change Village was also inspired by Valentine’s other successful program, Healthy Change Challenge.

“Run by qualified trainers and health professionals in the community, Healthy Change Challenge empowers people of all intellectual and physical abilities to make long-term improvements to their health and well-being while having fun,” Valentine said.

“It’s a fun and positive program where people can learn to conduct their own exercise sessions, run their own cooking sessions and also do cost-effective and

healthy shopping.

“We actually go one step further and they are learning how to actually instruct other people.”

The NDIS-registered service runs over 12 weeks, four times a year. Each “12 Week Challenge” presents a different activity, theme and new experience that aligns with the Challengers’ goals and interests.

Healthy Change Challenge is a day program offering face-to-face sessions in public places in and around Newcastle.

“Merewether Surf Life Saving Club helps us host beach boot camps where they do activities down on the beach and run surf life saving skills,” Valentine said.

“The club has been an integral part of the program, where they volunteer their time writing up exercise programs and help facilitate some really fun days.

“We also encourage the general public

and other service providers to join us.

It’s very much a public and general community integration.”

Valentine said the program’s premise was to help participants understand the importance of healthy habits.

“We want them to understand why they are doing things because, like anyone in society, when you know why you’re doing something, you’re much more likely to do it on a long-term basis,” he said.

“And that’s what the program is about.

It’s about making long-term changes to people’s eating, exercising habits and building the independence and capabilities with the participants.”

For more information, visit @ healthychangevillage or the @ healthychangechallenge on Instagram and Facebook.

Hayley McMahon

BOOK REVIEW Saturdays at Noon Author: Rachel Marks Publisher: Penguin

Anger management classes meet Saturdays at noon.

Alfie’s Dad, Jake, is going there because something happened with another parent at the school and he is trying to save his marriage.

Emily is going because she attacked someone, and the court has ordered her to.

Neither of them believes they need to be there.

Emily in particular has her barriers up, but it isn’t hard to do when your head is shaved and you look like you are angry with the entire world.

Jake and his wife Jemma have been battling about Alfie for years.

He was a difficult toddler and has grown into a difficult boy.

It doesn’t look like a phase he will grow out of.

He has major tantrums when he doesn’t get his way.

Everything has to be very particular, the wrong colour Smartie on a cake can cause a meltdown.

He is unwilling to compromise.

Jemma wanted to find out way he was this way.

When Alfie was three they took him to a doctor.

The doctor gave them information on a parenting course.

Jemma blamed Jake – after all, he was the one raising Alfie while she worked.

One day Jake arrives home to find that Jemma has packed her bags.

She has had enough and thinks it is best to go away.

She has gotten a sixmonth leave of absence from work to join her sister in Paris.

When Jake brings up the question of money Jemma tells him to get a

job.

So Jake and Alfie are alone.

Jake’s father is not capable of looking after Alfie and Jemma’s parents are not willing.

Jake and Alfie run into Emily after seeing a film and Alfie and Emily hit it off, which is amazing because Alfie doesn’t take to new people, or

any people.

With no one else to call Jake asks Emily to look after Alfie while he goes out and works.

It is difficult work at first, but Emily and Alfie eventually forge a bond through creativity and Lego.

After a while life takes on a new routine and Jake and Emily become friends.

But is there room for Emily in Jake’s life when Jemma is in the periphery.

And what about Alfie?

How has his mother’s disappearance affected him?

This is a nice story told in alternating chapters from Jake, Emily and even Alfie’s perspective.

Jake is a great father who is fearful of labelling his son, he would rather

be considered a bad parent then think his son has autism.

I had an issue with Jemma and found her part became a bit predictable and even Emily was almost a caricature, but Rachel Marks has done a great job making each of her characters likeable and relatable whilst showing off all their flaws.

Overall it was a touching story about life, parenting and the love of a father for his son and how he is just trying to navigate through a world that is not perfectly in order as much as his son would like.

Kim Reardon The Reluctant Book Critic

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Youth bearing the brunt of pandemic The observations of Newcastlebased counsellors and psychologists regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s mental health are backed up by recently released Kids Helpline data.

Kids Helpline has released data from December 2020 to May 2021, revealing a 40 per cent increase in duty of care interventions for young people in NSW compared to the same period a year ago.

For children and young people aged between five and 25 years, the data shows 44 per cent of emergency interventions were in response to child abuse and 35 per cent in response to intent to enact suicide.

Kids Helpline said it feared an increase in child vulnerability and emergency interventions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and consequential lockdowns.

“It is very clear that the pandemic is taking a toll on the lives of children and young people; however, thankfully by young people seeking help, Kids Helpline has supported 862 suicide prevention interventions nationally in the past six months,” the service said.

Newcastle headspace community development worker Byron Williams said young people had been hit the hardest during COVID-19.

“We have recognised that those rites of passage that you go through as a 16to 25-year-old, like moving out of home, going to uni, going to festivals and travelling, have all been impacted by COVID. “At this stage, your identity moves away from your family and towards your friends, so not having access and connection with those experiences can be difficult.”

Staying connected is essential for young people’s health and well-being

Williams said maintaining connections and social interactions was essential to keeping a healthy mind but this had been hard to maintain during lockdown.

“There are some basic things that are really important but obviously really easy to forget when someone is in the midst of depression or anxiety – exercise and getting outside is a big one, but also staying connected,” Williams said.

“Sometimes your instincts can be to lock yourself away and to avoid everyone, but it’s really beneficial to stay connected to friends, family, school and work.

“Often we see when a person is having a really tough time, and sometimes when we lose a young person to suicide, they have all lost that connection – connection to family, school, work, sports and music groups.

“So our job in the early intervention space is to try and maintain those connections; the more you are connected to something, the more support you will have, as well as having more of a chance of someone spotting the signs.”

Principal clinical and forensic psychologist Tarnya Davis, from NewPsych Psychologists, said waiting lists in Newcastle had never been so long. She said people were stressed, out of routine and not taking time away to rest.

Davis said COVID-19 had increased the risks of unemployment, poverty, and caused barriers to study, all on top of the current housing crisis. She said many young people found themselves forced to live with families, which added more stress and sometimes risks of violence with no safe escape.

Photo: haireena / Shutterstock

Davis said we were all responsible for the solution, from our leaders understanding that youth unemployment was far more serious than not having a job, and that study was about connection and purpose and good mental health as much as the learning itself.

“We are responsible for the stigma around mental health and by us all normalising and modelling help-seeking behaviour, we can all move towards a world where there is no difference in looking after our mental health to our physical health.”

People aged 12-25 seeking help for a mental health problem should contact headspace or Kids Helpline.

Hayley McMahon

It’s snow time at Hunter Valley Gardens Hunter Valley Gardens is hosting a winter wonderland spectacular with an ice skating rink, snow play zones, and a snow slope for tobogganing.

Snow Time in The Garden was launched on June 19 and will run till July 18, offering plenty of snow-themed activities and experiences to enjoy.

Hunter Valley Gardens general manager Srinivas Gopal said Snow Time in the Garden was like no other event they had held before.

“Each year, we see families revel in the snow and enjoy a range of thrilling and unique activities,” he said.

“This year, the experience is more immersive than ever, including an extended ice rink with a dedicated section for those under six years old and skating aids available to hire for this age group.

“With our walk-through igloo, guests will feel transported from the Hunter Region straight to the Antarctic, and with the many snow-filled activities, attendees will feel immersed in an entirely different magical world.”

The event features an ice skating rink,

a 45-metre snow slope for tobogganing, unlimited wristbands for rides, a traditional Venetian carousel, a teacup ride, a swing chair, a snow play zone, and a 25-metre Ferris wheel that

overlooks the snow-covered grounds.

The chilled igloo is filled with animatronic arctic animals.

Hunter Valley Snow Time in the Garden is open every day from 9am to 6pm until

July 18. For more information on the event or tickets, visit the Hunter Valley Gardens website.

Information source: Media release, Hunter Valley Gardens

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Students take a shine to solar project Hunter high school students have built solar-powered lights to help brighten the futures of children living in energy poverty in Papua New Guinea.

The initiative is in collaboration with SolarBuddy and the Origin Energy Foundation, where 130,000 solar lights have already been distributed.

Origin Energy volunteers visited Hunter Sports High School in Gateshead and helped 60 Year 8 students construct solarpowered lights. The lights will help Papua New Guinean (PNG) students read and study well after the sun goes down.

The Hunter students learnt about the power of renewable energy and what it means to be global citizens. They also wrote letters to accompany the solar lights, becoming “solar buddies” with the PNG children.

Hunter Sports High School Principal Rachel Byrne said the program not only assisted disadvantaged children but showed the students how STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers could make a humanitarian impact.

“Last year when we ran a SolarBuddy session at our school, we had an overwhelmingly positive response from our students. They felt so proud to be able to do something for children less fortunate than themselves,” Byrne said.

“One of our students from Papua New Guinea, who was involved in the activity last year, was quite emotional that he could give back to his culture.

Year 8 students with their solar-powered lights and Origin Energy Foundation volunteer Basil Paynter

“We’re so pleased to be able to offer an activity that is so authentic and engaging to our students while helping them to develop empathy and introduce them to STEM in a compelling way.

“We thank the Origin Energy Foundation and SolarBuddy for giving our students the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of children living in poverty.”

Year 8 student Harry Beckett said it felt good to help kids who did not have the same opportunities. Other Year 8 students also felt proud of their contributions.

“It was a great experience to contribute to the learning of children in Papua New Guinea; they deserve to have the equipment to help them study,” Anika

McCarthy said.

“It made me feel proud to create something that will possibly impact and benefit children so that they can have the future they deserve,” Tori Adamson added.

Only 6.3 per cent of the rural population in PNG have access to grid electricity, which severely impacts the educational opportunities for children.

The solar-powered lights, which are designed especially for children, enable them to study when the sun goes down and are easy to operate, charge and carry.

Origin Energy Foundation volunteering program manager Ruth Lee said it was rewarding to see the impact of STEM education on school students and how

renewable energy technologies could make a real difference to energy poverty.

“We are pleased to support Hunter Sports High School students and help inspire more young people to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering or maths,” Lee said.

“With the introduction of SolarBuddy lights, children in PNG are not only studying 78 per cent longer, but their reliance on kerosene and other dangerous fuels has been reduced by 80 per cent.

“Since these fuels are also the single biggest expenditure for households, that money can now be spent on food, health and education.”

Hayley McMahon

Time to rethink the school uniform Did your school uniform consist of button-up shirts, tailored trousers, tunics and black leather shoes?

Whether it was in the ’50s, ’90s or 2020s, most Newcastle schools have set traditional school uniform policies.

It is time to rethink the school uniform.

Could allowing students to wear their sports uniform every day support student concentration, learning and physical activity? Perhaps it could also save parents some money too.

University of Newcastle research suggests that most students, parents and teachers want a change to school uniforms to allow students to wear a school-branded sports kit every day.

Miller is a six-year-old girl from Newcastle. “I don’t like wearing stockings because my stockings fall down when I run,” she said.

“I can’t go on the monkey bars because my dress goes up,” she added.

Miller is not alone. The majority of students across Newcastle would prefer to wear their sports uniform every day, according to research conducted in Newcastle and the Hunter. This includes secondary school students, who are even more in favour of this change.

Lead author of the research Nicole McCarthy said: “Approximately two thirds of primary school students and three quarters of secondary school students wanted a change in school uniform that allows them the choice to wear their sports uniform every day.”

Karly Austin is a mum of two young girls. “I think it is really important to give my girls the confidence and encouragement to be physically active and to be able to participate in all of the same activities that the boys do,” she said.

“I wouldn’t take my girls to the park to play dressed like this [dressed in a traditional school uniform], so why school?”

Nicole McCarthy said the research into the attitudes of Newcastle parents echoed Karly’s thoughts. “We found that nine in 10 parents across Newcastle agree that school uniforms should support their children to be physically active, and four in five also supported a change to allow students to wear their sports uniforms every day,” she said.

Rebecca Jackson, who is a former primary school teacher and a mum, said: “We’re lucky; my son goes to a school with a sports uniform every day policy.

It’s been great to help him ride to and from school and be active at recess with his mates.

“We think we’ve saved money now we only need to buy the school sports uniform,” she added.

Traditional school uniforms can be expensive. “Parents will not be surprised to hear that a traditional primary school uniform costs an average of $330. This can increase by $200 for a traditional secondary school uniform,” University of Newcastle public health researcher Professor Luke Wolfenden said.

“By contrast, the average cost of a

sports uniform is less than half of the traditional uniform cost, $163,” he added.

Most of us recognise that physical activity has physical, mental and social health benefits for all age groups.

University of Newcastle physical activity researcher Dr Nicole Nathan said: “To get students moving more, we need to support them with every opportunity we can.

“Just one in five primary-aged students and one in 10 secondary students are supported enough to help them do the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

“If we can get young people in Newcastle moving more, they’d be healthier, and perhaps even do better in class.”

Nate is 10 years old. Nate attends a primary school that has the sports uniform every day policy. “Our teacher takes us outside for more games and sports now,” he said.

Dr Nathan said: “Typically, students in Newcastle are allowed to wear their sports uniform on one day per week.

But why only one day per week? For their health, we need to support students to be active for 60 minutes a day, on every day of the week.”

Some of Dr Nathan’s other work has been looking at ways to support schools to meet the NSW Department of Education’s compulsory physical activity policy to schedule 150 minutes a week of physical activity.

“There’s one thing that we know for sure: there is no single solution to get young people moving more,” she said.

“Although schools and school uniforms can support students to be active every day, we also need to invest in other things like active transport, school physical activity programs, sport and much more.”

Every Newcastle school, including government, independent and Catholic schools, can change their own uniform policies.

By swapping to a sports uniform every day policy, schools can save parents money, increase concentration in class and help support students to be more active.

The University of Newcastle is currently running a large research trial to investigate the physical activity and well-being benefits of wearing sports uniforms every day.

The researchers will compare students wearing their sports uniform every day with students from schools with traditional uniform policies. Over a 12-month period, the researchers will measure and compare the students’ physical activity and fitness levels from both groups.

If you want to find out more about this research or get your school involved, please reach out to Nicole McCarthy (Nicole.McCarthy@uon.edu.au).

Matthew ‘Tepi’ Mclaughlin, PhD candidate, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle

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JUNE 2021 ISSUE 004

How do we love Lambton? Let us count the ways

Lambton Branch Library, March 1960, Morrison Collection Photo: Newcastle Local History Library Collection

Like so many party planners in the time of a pandemic, the organisers of Lambton’s 150th birthday celebrations had to adapt, and quickly.

The main event, scheduled to be held at Lambton Park on Sunday, June 27, was cancelled following the NSW Government’s announcement of new COVID restrictions on June 26.

Despite the disappointment of the Community Day in the Park not going ahead, Cr Andrea Rufo OAM said plenty of other activities had been organised and held to commemorate Queen Victoria signing the papers to designate Lambton as a municipality on June 26, 1871.

“The lead-up to the Love Lambton 150 Years – Community Day in the Park was an outstanding success,” said Cr Rufo, who has a strong affinity with Lambton/ New Lambton, having lived there most of his life.

The partially renovated Lambton

Library opened its doors for three days.

“Staff had selected some excellent display materials (maps, photos and old books) and local historian Robert Watson was on hand to guide visitors through historical aspects of Lambton,” Cr Rufo said.

The Newcastle Libraries Local History team collaborated with theatre company Curious Legends to help project a series of historical images onto the side of the library.

The heritage building was constructed in 1887 and was initially used as the Lambton Council Chamber before being transformed into a library in 1950.

The library has been closed for restorations over the past 18 months but temporarily reopened for the public previews.

Newcastle Theatre Company brought the history of Lambton to life in a series of historical walking tours on the birthday weekend. Groups of 12 visited nine major historical landmarks in

The last sitting of Lambton Council before the amalgamation of suburban councils in 1937 Newcastle City Collection

Lambton, where an actor dressed in period costume performed a skit relevant to the area.

Due to their popularity, the walks have been scheduled again for later in the year. Bookings can be made by phoning (02) 4952 4958.

The Elder Street One Day Sale went ahead on Saturday, June 26, and crowds enjoyed buskers, face painting, cake stalls, sausage sizzle and discounts by retailers who had decorated their shop fronts for the occasion.

Lizotte’s celebrated in style on the Saturday, with a two-course meal and entertainment featuring local artist Piper Butcher, Lambton High School students and Diesel.

Adding to the plethora of Lambtonfocused activities is a Love Lambton podcast series with Julie Keating and Robert Watson, which can be enjoyed through Newcastle Libraries’ Treasures from the Rare Book Room initiative.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes commented

prior to the birthday weekend on Lambton Library’s significance, saying it had been a much-loved community building and the suburb’s focal point for more than 100 years.

“While the passing of time has taken its toll on the building, City of Newcastle is prioritising essential improvements to deliver an improved space to the community,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Once finished, Lambton Library’s refurbishment will have completely reimagined the internal space to create a user-centric, modern experience that will allow extended community access and new activities in the library.

The library has so far undergone roof restorations and internal fit-outs, including new equipment and selfservice technology.

The bullnose verandah and new entry will be completed next, helping to restore the building’s original façade.

Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle

Firefighters safeguard homes for winter

Wallsend Fire Station has sent a clear message to community members regarding winter safety.

“Our message to you is stay out of harm this winter.

“This message is to remind the community to look out for themselves and their loved ones.

“Each year, on average, close to 20 people die in NSW from fires that could have been prevented.

“Almost all of these fatalities occur in people’s homes and have a devastating effect on the family involved and the community.

“With winter a critical time for fire prevention and education due to the spike in home fires, fire-related fatalities and injuries, it’s never been more important to be prepared.”

A recent study performed by QBE Insurance revealed that 73 per cent of Australians engaged in behaviour that exposed them to risks of house fires.

The research also found that four in five Australians were unprepared for household fires, with over 80 per cent lacking a home fire evacuation plan.

QBE found that five in seven Australians engaged in one of the top five risky behaviours common in cooler weather.

The top risks include not emptying the lint filter in tumble dryers, charging devices in bed, leaving cooking

unattended, slacking off on kitchen cleaning and neglecting to check heaters for safety.

Fire and Rescue NSW officially launched its 2021 winter fire safety campaign last month with an offer of free visits to address fire dangers in your home.

During the free safety visits, firefighters check whether your home has working smoke alarms and if the alarms are installed in suitable areas.

If there are no smoke alarms, they install a long-life battery-powered smoke alarm and replace existing smoke alarm batteries at no cost.

Along with the smoke alarm check, the firefighters can also give personalised fire safety information around the house and provide advice on a fire escape plan.

To book a safety visit with your local fire station, visit the Fire and Rescue NSW website, keeping in mind that COVID restrictions may affect the availability of this service.

Hayley McMahon

P22

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Discover the power of extra mortgage repayments WITH

Julia NEWBOULD Editor-at-large • Money magazine A few minutes spent playing with an online mortgage calculator can be a rewarding eye-opener There is nothing more satisfying than knowing you are on top of your home loan. A home, for most people, is likely the biggest purchase they’ll make in their life, next to a car.

This has become even more so in recent years. When I bought my first property, the ratio of the cost of my house relative to my junior salary was five to one. Today, my niece has to contend with an almost 12-to-1 ratio for an average unit in a suburb in northern Sydney ($920,000) versus her salary as a primary school teacher.

With average property prices likely to hover around $1 million, it’s become even more compelling to pay off your loan sooner. Everyone knows that making extra repayments can save you money, but when it’s an abstract idea it kind of floats in the ether and you don’t really do anything about it.

But if you put it in numbers, the transformative effect of setting money aside each week towards your home loan becomes real.

For example, if my niece were to save up 10% to buy her dream unit worth $920,000, she would have to borrow $828,000 from the bank.

Assuming she pays it off over 30 years, her weekly

repayment would be $820 (assuming 3.13%pa for principal and interest repayments).

Imagine if she finds a way to set aside $50 each week as an extra repayment. She’d be able to pay off her home loan two years and nine months sooner and save $47,056 in interest.

Anyone who is a first-time

home buyer, or even someone who has not really taken an interest in property investing, could do with a few tips on how to pay off their home loan faster, including: 1. Shop around. No, really, shop around. The big four banks – CBA, Westpac, ANZ and NAB – all have a great section on

their websites for prospective home loan borrowers. You can play various lending scenarios through their easy-to-use calculators. The repayment calculator can tell you how much you need to set aside each week if you want to borrow $800,000 or $820,000.

2. When a “comparison rate”

does not apply to your personal situation. When you compare home loans, it seems logical to think that you calculate the cost of borrowing based on the interest rate the institution is offering. But have you ever wondered why there’s a larger percentage value quoted under the “comparison rate” section?

That’s because the real cost of the loan isn’t just the interest rate but other fees and charges, including the application fee and ongoing fees.

3. Do you need an offset account or redraw facility?

Assuming my niece took up a home loan package that had a lower interest rate but an annual fee of $400, that’s another $12,000 over 30 years, excluding interest.

You can always refinance or switch loans when your situation changes and you need the flexibility of a package. M MICHELLE BALTAZAR

Traps to avoid in filling out your tax return Optimising your tax refund means maximising your deductions while being sure not to overcook it and draw the ire of the ATO. It should go without saying, but you can only claim what you’ve spent. “Don’t inflate deductions to get a bigger refund, and only claim for costs you can prove you spent by producing an invoice, receipt or bank statement, for instance,” cautions Mark Chapman, director of tax communications at H&R Block.

“Self-lodgers using the ATO’s myTax program are monitored as they prepare their return by

the ATO’s computer systems to ensure they don’t over-claim.”

Common errors include claiming for home-to-work travel, conventional clothing and the flat $300 deduction (or slightly less than this amount) without actually incurring the expense. Your deductions will be cross-referenced with those claimed by other taxpayers like you, and discrepancies can raise a red flag.

If your deduction claims are found to be incorrect, you will be required to repay the tax avoided, plus pay interest of about 9% a year. If the ATO believes you have acted care-

lessly, a penalty between 25% and 95% of the tax avoided may also be charged.

Nor should you rely on pre-filled data from the ATO. “Particularly if you are lodging early, always use your own information as the key source data,” says Chapman.

“This year, most employers won’t provide payment summaries to their employees. Instead, they’ll report your year-end wage information direct to the ATO from where it can be prefilled into your tax return.”

Doing it right also means not rushing it. It may be tempting to get it done as early as

possible, but jumping in too early can cause problems if other parties, like your bank or public companies, haven’t yet filed their information. So wait a week or so to make sure everything is in order.

If you make a capital gain on an asset you sell, such as an investment property or shares, you’ll need to pay tax on that.

But this tax can be minimised or even eliminated by claiming any capital losses.

You’ve always been able to deduct expenses related to your job. “The cost of clothing that is mandated by your job, such as a uniform, is

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costs of working from home using either the ATO’s 80 cents per hour rate, its 52 cents per hour rate or actual costs.

The annual cap for concessional contributions to super is $25,000 ($27,500 from July 1, 2021). Those who haven’t fully utilised their concessional cap can carry forward the unutilised part for up to five years, as long as their total super balance at the end of the previous income year is less than $500,000.

The non-concessional contributions cap is $100,000 ($110,000 from July 1, 2021).

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deductible and so is the cost of any journey that is related to your job, such as travelling between offices or traveling to meet a customer or supplier – travelling from home to work and back again is generally excluded – as well as costs of travel and accommodation incurred whilst traveling away from home, as are meals and incidentals,” says Chapman.

Add to this tools and equipment, courses and training as well as the travel, internet fees and textbooks.

Covid-19 has then added some additional expenses that you can claim. You can deduct

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Off road and on track towards healing A Newcastle father and son competed in one of the world’s toughest off-road races, helping to showcase veterans’ mental health challenges and the positive steps taken to address them.

Veteran-led mental health charity Swiss 8 sent a team on a “Pursuit of Purpose Experience” and entered a racing team in the Finke Desert Race in the Northern Territory, held over the June long weekend.

The event is an off-road, multi-terrain two-day race, in which 685 competitors ride motorbikes, cars, buggies and quad bikes on one of the world’s toughest and most remote courses.

Along with other Swiss 8 team members, Newcastle-based Sergeant John Downie took on the race with his 16-year-old-son, Andrew.

The father and son duo were both racing on motorbikes for the event.

Andrew finished 332nd and John 342nd in the race, which ended prematurely due to a fatality.

Downie, the sergeant of a training team at Singleton’s School of Infantry, said he had competed in the 2019 Finke Desert Race and had been excited to give it another go with his son.

“I’ve been riding for a while now, but I’ve never raced competitively until I started racing in Finke,” Downie said.

“My son started to show me up a bit, so I thought I would enter him into the race and put him up to the test.

“I hope that this race will give him a bit of mental toughness and teach him to push through any challenges that life throws at him; the endurance required to finish this race and mentally push

The father and son duo on the track

through those barriers is testing.

Andrew, who was the youngest racer this year, said he had been nervous for the race but was excited to push himself through the challenge.

Swiss 8 founder, veteran and Novocastrian Adrian Sutter said they had entered the race as part of a “Pursuit of Purpose Experience” where veterans use their lived experiences and find a new sense of purpose as they face life after service.

“Loss of connection, identity and purpose are the main issues that veterans face when leaving the military.

Through the worst of COVID, all of Australia was essentially facing the same

kind of thing,” Sutter said.

“So, we are trying to bring people together, help them stay connected and do exciting stuff to get them out of their comfort zone and find purpose in life, like the Finke Desert Race.”

Sutter said the team’s journey was filmed as part of a Life After Service mini-documentary.

“We thought putting a doco together about veterans’ lives after service would help everyone in Australia understand how veterans have overcome challenges and how others can implement a few of these tools into their own life,” he said.

“If you can find something that will get you out of bed every morning, then you

have a purpose, and that’s what we are trying to recreate with the race and the documentary.”

Sutter said Swiss 8 was founded by a team of Australian military veterans, where they had developed an app that helped veterans access programs, helping them stay on top of their mental health.

“It’s grown a bit now; we have opened it up to the entire Australian public and have veterans helping build these programs and delivering them to other people who need support,” he said.

With the announcement of the Royal Commission into defence and veteran suicide, Sutter said it was now the time for the veteran community, ex-service organisations and political parties to form a united front and tackle these issues.

“The Royal Commission has been a long time coming; in the past, the government did have a lot of holes in their model and how they approached helping veterans,” Sutter said.

“Now we really do have a gold standard in veteran welfare and care, but we are still losing way too many people to suicide.

“The goal from Swiss 8’s perspective is that we hope this Royal Commission focuses on the hard and ugly truths, the gaps in the current model and the reasons as to why veterans are taking their lives.

“We need to find a way to solve these problems, by not finding someone to blame but looking for solutions and ways forward.”

Hayley McMahon

Oval renamed in honour of local legend Shortland’s Tuxford Oval Number One has been renamed in honour and remembrance of community stalwart Bob Palmer.

Bob Palmer was killed on December 12 last year in his beloved suburb of Shortland, which led to an outpouring of grief from the community.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the renaming of the oval, Bob Palmer Oval, was in response to requests from the community who wanted to honour Palmer’s lifelong commitment to the Shortland Devils Rugby League Football Club.

Daughter Mollie Palmer said the renaming was a special gesture that the whole family proudly welcomed.

“He is sadly missed by all who were fortunate to have him as a part of their lives,” Mollie said.

“Our family has great pride in the legacy he has left at the football club and in the Shortland community.”

A special ceremony was held on Saturday, June 26 where the Shortland Devils RLFC, family, friends and the wider community came together to dedicate the ground.

Club president Brock Johnson said Palmer had dedicated “countless hours” to his beloved club, dating back to when he first started playing junior football in the 1970s.

L-R Councillor Matthew Byrne, Helen Stuart, Chelsea Trimble, Brooke Trimble, Trish Presbury, Craig Bland, Geoff Murray, Dorothy Palmer, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Shortland Devils Rugby League Football Club president Brock Johnson

“Bobby Palmer was an extremely special member of our club and the greater Shortland community,” Johnson said.

“Bobby was and shall remain one of the true legends of Shortland.

“Bobby was passionate about our club and donated countless hours to his beloved Devils, marking lines, mowing the fields, cooking barbecues, running water, coaching and timekeeping.

“Bob was a stalwart of the club and has

made such an immense contribution to not only rugby league but the wider community. We are proud to keep his memory alive through this tribute.”

Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle

JUNE 2021 ISSUE 004

P24 Drone pilot lands surf life saving honour novonews.com.au

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Merewether Surf Life Saving Club member Emma Gale was named Support Operations Member of the Year at the recent Hunter Branch Surf Life Saving (SLS) Awards of Excellence, having taken her love of the beach out of the water and into the sky.

The experienced drone pilot has been drawn to the beach ever since she was a Nipper growing up at North Avoca on the Central Coast.

“I love the dynamic nature of the coastal environment,” says 45-year-old Emma, who lives at Merewether with husband Bruce Rummins and 12-yearold son Zac, a Nipper himself.

“Every time you visit the beach it can be different.

“I also love the community feeling of surf clubs, where so many different people from different backgrounds can come together and feel at home.

“There are so many different options for people to get involved in surf lifesaving, in either big or little ways, and it’s all helping the community.”

Emma’s work comprises paid employment – she is now updating the theory content for drone training for Surf Life Saving NSW and has travelled

Merewether Surf Life Saving Club member and drone pilot Emma Gale

as far as Tasmania to conduct training courses – as well as plenty of volunteer hours, including rostered patrols, Merewether club and branch involvement, drone training of Hunter lifesavers and drone flying.

Husband Bruce also patrols, and has been a club vice captain and IT coordinator.

The primary focus of Emma’s drone work is shark surveillance. SLS NSW has

a contract with the Department of Primary Industries to cover shark monitoring during the spring, summer and autumn school holidays for 34 beaches across NSW including Hawks Nest, Birubi, Nobbys and Redhead beaches in the Hunter.

Emma, who has had to activate shark alarms at Redhead, Nobbys and Birubi, says there was plenty of activity in the water at the end of this past summer.

On one occasion at Nobbys Beach she observed three sharks following mullet or salmon bait balls.

Emma says if a shark is within 200 metres of swimmers and surfers, measures two metres or more and is a species that can be considered dangerous, the alarm is raised, so shark identification is an integral part of the drone training.

“When you see a shark, it’s pretty cool,” says Emma, who also gets a thrill spotting seals, turtles and even penguins.

Drones can also be helpful in search and rescue operations and during surf carnivals.

Emma gets great satisfaction out of sharing her skills with others. She teaches local surf lifesavers how to operate the drones over a two-day program.

“It’s a good opportunity to learn a new skill,” Emma says. “To be a drone pilot you don’t even need your Bronze Medallion, so it’s very inclusive.”

Emma says there has been a lot of interest from the Nobbys Surf Life Saving Club, which aims to have one drone pilot rostered on each beach patrol shift.

Emma earned her drone licence while studying Environmental Science at Charles Darwin University, where she has just completed a master’s in Environmental Management, following the completion of a PhD in Environmental Engineering at the University of WA. Her research focused on the investigation and management of coastal waters, lagoons, wetlands, rivers and estuaries.

As well as post-grad studies, work and volunteering at the surf club, Emma has for years been involved in surf boat rowing at the Merewether club as boat captain, coach and sweep.

And where does Emma imagine her studies and skillset taking her in the future?

“It won’t be a traditional nine to five job,” she says with confidence.

Gina Cranson

State of Origin coup In a significant win for the city, Newcastle will host its first rugby league State of Origin game, with the third and final match of the 2021 series to take place at McDonald Jones Stadium on Wednesday, 14 July.

With the Greater Sydney region’s COVID-19 lockdown extended another week, the third Ampol State of Origin match has been switched to Newcastle.

The decision means Newcastle will be the centre of the rugby league universe for an estimated 2.5M Australians, who are expected to tune in for the final game of the 2021 Origin season.

One of the rugby league’s showpiece calendar events, game three of the Origin series, will reinforce Newcastle as an emerging major-event city.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Newcastle was a clear choice for the State of Origin outside of Sydney on the back of successful events like this year’s World Surf League Newcastle Cup and the recent SAANZAR International Rugby Championship, both held as COVID Safe major events.

“Newcastle has shown time and time again that it’s an outstanding host city for major events thanks to the support of this Council, the professionalism of local providers and the passion of Novocastrians for sport, music and the arts,” Cr Nelmes said.

“City of Newcastle has a strategic focus on attracting and retaining major events as they stimulate the local economy, attract visitors, provide recreational opportunities for locals and enhance our position as a truly global city.

NSW fullback James Tedesco at State of Origin Game 2

“Rugby league is part of Newcastle’s history, and social fabric, which is why a State of Origin played right here at McDonald Jones Stadium is a big win for locals.

“While the series has been wrapped up by the Blues, we know Queensland will be determined to avoid a clean sweep when they play here in Newcastle next Wednesday.

“I would like to thank the Deputy Premier John Barilaro for his advocacy to bring this historic match to Newcastle.

Up the Blues!”

The State of Origin match will be held with all relevant COVID Safe protocols in place and with NSW Police monitoring and enforcing Public Health Order

restrictions.

The ground capacity will be 75 per cent seated capacity on the night, meaning up to 20,000 people can watch the teams battle it out.

The New South Wales Blues are looking to be the first team to notch a 3-0 series clean sweep since Queensland Maroons achieved the feat in 2010.

The Blues will also be hoping to be the first NSW team to win a series 3-0 since their coach Brad Fittler achieved the feat as a player more than two decades ago in 2000.

Fans located in Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour, will not be permitted to purchase tickets.

Photo: NRL Photos David Abrahams Information source: Media release, July 7, City of Newcastle

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