Community News | What's Happening in Your Community?

NEWCASTLE

NEW PLAYGROUNDS OPENED AHEAD OF SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Families are celebrating City of Newcastle's ongoing investment in recreational spaces, with two new playgrounds opened in the western corridor and plans for five more across the city unveiled.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes joined residents to officially open upgraded playgrounds at Minmi Reserve and McCauley Park in Tarro as part of City of Newcastle's annual playground improvement program.

"Our local parks and playgrounds are places where our community can come together to relax and interact. So I'm delighted that these two upgraded playgrounds at Minmi and Tarro are ready for play in time for the school holidays in July," Cr Nelmes said.

"The turnout at our community openings reinforces the important role these public spaces play within local neighbourhoods, which is why we've invested more than $9 million in playground projects during the past five years."

To stay up to date with the progress and to find out about works in your neighbourhood, visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/works

DIGITAL PLATFORM CONNECTS YOUTH TO ART

Newcastle Art Galley's collection may have been put in storage while the building's longawaited expansion takes place, but that hasn't stopped a passionate group of volunteers from creating new ways for young people to connect with the works of art.

The Gallery's Youth Advisory Group has spent the past year working on their Youth to Collection (Y2C) Project.

Designed to increase youth engagement with the most significant public art collection in regional Australia, the project kicked off with the creation and publication of six zines. The group are now looking to expand that engagement online with the development of an interactive digital platform and video series that will allow the community to continue to connect with the collection while the Gallery undergoes its $40 million expansion.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said it was fantastic to see these volunteers sharing their passion for the Gallery with other young people.

"By doubling the size of the Gallery, significantly increasing the exhibition space and delivering a suite of modern facilities, the $40 million expansion will deliver an upgraded gallery of international standing that will offer a valuable cultural tourism opportunity for Newcastle and the Hunter," Cr Nelmes said.

"While the doors of Newcastle Art Gallery are closed for the construction, we are committed to ensuring the community can engage with our collection in as many ways as possible, which is why this innovative project by our Youth Advisory Group is such a fantastic idea.

"It's also a testament to the passion and commitment shown by the dedicated volunteers, who have continued to look outside the box to find ways to stay involved with our Gallery throughout this time."

LORD MAYOR NUATALI NELMES, CR DR ELIZABETH ADAMCZYK, AND CR DEAHNNA RICHARDSON OFFICIALLY OPEN MINMI RESERVE PLAYGROUND ALONGSIDE CAPTAINS FROM MINMI PUBLIC SCHOOL AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.

LAKE MACQUARIE

NEW EXHIBITIONS TAKE BYTE OF VITAL STEM SUBJECTS

New Questacon exhibitions on display at four sites across Lake Macquarie aim to give kids a hands-on introduction to computer programming, algorithms and other STEM concepts.

The Byte Wise displays include the main exhibition of a dozen hands-on activities at SEEN@Swansea, and smaller installations at Toronto, Charlestown and Belmont libraries.

Lake Macquarie City Council Lifelong Learning Leader Kirrily Anderson said the exhibitions targeted children aged 10+, inspiring their curiosity and confidence and building a greater understanding of 'computational thinking'.

"Computational thinking includes things like programming, algorithms, patterns, irrational numbers, measurement, geometry, logic and problem-solving," she said.

"The fun, hands-on lessons kids will take away from Byte Wise link directly to maths and digital technologies curriculums taught in primary and high school."

ZOE HIRSCHBICHLER, 10, AT SEEN@SWANSEA QUESTACON EXHIBITION

The Belmont, Charlestown and Toronto exhibitions each include four stands and are free, while the main SEEN@Swansea with 12 stands and an accompanying Questacon photo display on Mars is open via a gold coin donation. All four Byte Wise sites are open until Sunday, 21 August. For more information, go to lakemac.com.au.

PORT STEPHENS

KOALA FUNDING MARKS 20 YEARS OF CONSERVATION IN PORT STEPHENS

As the 20th anniversary of the Port Stephens Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management nears closer, Port Stephens Council has secured $845,000 from the NSW Government to reduce koalas being killed or injured by vehicles.

Port Stephens Mayor Ryan Palmer says koala protection and conservation has been a top priority for Port Stephens Council for many years, and the recent funding from the NSW Government will have a significant impact on conserving the local koala population.

"Our community has an extraordinary relationship with koalas, there aren't many places in the country where you might encounter a koala on a walk around your local neighbourhood, but you can here in Port Stephens," Mr Palmer said.

"Protecting koalas and koala habitat is always at the forefront of our strategic planning, and we work hard to balance growth alongside the protection of our local environment, including koala habitat – one of the most essential drawcards for residents and visitors alike.

"Identifying threats impacting koalas and koala habitat and devising conservation strategies to address these, such as ensuring there are corridors for koalas to move about their habitat safely, is key to our Koala Plan of Management," he added.

The NSW Government have undertaken a state-wide investigation into vehicle roadstrike hotspots in NSW, which identified Port Stephens Drive as one of the worst koala roadstrike sites in NSW.

Following this, a further study was undertaken to determine options and costs associated with mitigating and preventing koala road strikes along Port Stephens Drive.

Group Manager Development Services Steve Peart says the study identified that building a culvert to allow koalas to move under the road and installing exclusion fencing to keep koalas off the road were the most efficient and effective solutions.

"From 2010 to 2020, 89 koala records have been identified along Port Stephens Drive, including 11 vehicle strike fatalities, five vehicle strike injury rescues and 11 rescues," Mr Peart said.

"This grant funding from the NSW Government is allowing Council to install 2km fauna-proof fencing on both sides of Port Stephens Drive, retrofit 850 metres of koala-proof fencing to the existing Horizons Golf Course fence, build a 20-metre long box culvert as fauna underpass near the southern boundary of the golf course and add koala pavement painting and roadside signage indicating koala speed zones.

"We know our community places strong value on our local environment and the protection of koalas across Port Stephens, and we're confident these measures will have an immediate impact on reducing road strikes on koalas."