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225 Myall Street
newsofthearea.com.au MYALL COAST News Of The Area By Ann SCULLY NEWS Of The Area has been serving and 'championing' the local community for over 40 years; Proudly delivering readers current news, happenings, information and results. Originally set up by the local community, the newspaper has gone through many formats and publishers. Eventually 'Rural Press' successfully managed the paper and later 'Fairfax', who ultimately saw closing the paper down a better option. The two Sandras writing for Community q Sandra Murray. Knowing how important this paper was to/for the community, local people assisted keeping it going; Ann Sully being pivotal to its drive.
Passionate for the paper's continuation was (now) publisher Michael Wright, who is still behind the scene editing, designing and formatting the paper each week before 'the button is pushed' to send it to the Press.
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"I don't get to see many people in a front-end capacity, but we have abolutely brilliant people who live right within the community, out and about, writing the community's news." Mr Wright said, "If if wasn't for these people, so passionate about the community, the paper would struggle."
On that note, the paper has yet another experienced and passionate person who lives in the area, now writing for the NOTA.
"We now have two Sandra's writing," Mr Wright said.
Sandra Clark, who has already been writing for some months now, entered semiretirement in June 2019.
She and her husband have been calling Tea Gardens their home for the past six years due to the fact that Sandra had been holidaying in the area as a teenager. Her parents have also enjoyed living in Tea Gardens for the past twenty two years. With a background in sales and marketing combined with a love of people, Sandra will bring hands on skills and experience which will enhance her stories when writing for the paper.
News Of The Area asked Sandra how she felt about writing for the local paper and she said, “People make a community and my experience here so far has found genuine, caring residents who enjoy positive, vibrant engagement – each contributing to this community."
“I believe that the area should be proud of its people and their attitude to the high involvement in community events and activities.”
Enter Sandra Murray who recently returned to Tea Gardens with her family from working in Canberra, attesting to her Hawks Nest origins as a descendent of the local Cole family who settled here in 1926. Sandra who has had a career in justice, national security and defence, started out as a young Federal Officer in Redfern in 1990 and has an extensive background in government and academic reporting and writing. q Sandra Clark. When News Of The Area asked Sandra about her thoughts on being back in Tea Gardens, she said, “I love the quiet natural beauty, the sea and the river and, of course, our people.
“Being in a position to cover and share local stories will be great fun and an absolute privilege.”
ANN SCULLY: In writing this story, I have to say that meeting with these two ladies was an absolute pleasure and I feel very confident that they will genuinely and honestly serve the local community in bringing your stories to “life” in the weekly publication of ... Myall Coast News Of The Area. For readers who are active online, you will find all the Myall Coast region's news at www.newsofthearea.com.au And if you use Facebook, then remember to LIKE and FOLLOW your long-time paper on Social Media. Look us up... Myall Coast News Of The Area
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Delivering for the Myall Coast
MidCoast Council has begun consultations about the Hawks Nest Community Hall upgrade following the announcement of $300,000 Federal funding.
SUNDAY | FEB 9, 2020 2PM
MYALL COAST News Of The Area New exercise program for MidCoast’s over 50s
COTA NSW (Council on the Ageing NSW) and MidCoast Assist have partnered to launch an innovative new exercise program, Strength for Life, designed specifically for people over 50.
Strength for Life is an affordable strength and balance program that aims to improve strength, balance, coordination and endurance through regular resistance training. Developed and run by COTA NSW, it complements MidCoast Assist’s mission to help older MidCoast residents live active and independent lives in their own homes.
The exercise classes will be provided by local exercise professionals who have completed specialised training to be accredited as a Strength for Life instructor. Participants will undertake an initial assessment where a program tailored to their needs is developed, at a cost that ranges from $30 - $50. From there, participants can attend exercise classes throughout the week, at a maximum cost of $10 per session.
Accredited trainers ensure that everyone feels comfortable, even if they haven’t been to an exercise class before. As well as understanding the issues and conditions that are more likely to affect older people, they arm
q Local Strength for Life trainers (from left) Terri Tyson, YMCA; Ricki-Lee Barnett, YMCA; Michelle Gunn, Pure NRG; Lynn Guilhaus, Tea Gardens Cross Fit; Vanessa Lima Sarmento, YMCA; Steph Trott, YMCA; Clare Wilson, YMCA.
participants with a program tailored to their individual needs.
MidCoast Assist’s “Active and Older” Team Leader, Christine Ellis says a focus on good health and staying active is key to on-going independence. “The Strength for Life program is not only a terrific opportunity to undertake a regular exercise routine, it gets people out and about, meeting new people and trying new things”.
Now available to the local community, Strength for Life has been embraced by seniors in SA, WA and Victoria over the past 15 years. “All of our services revolve around supporting people to live active, social and independent lives in their own homes, and we are delighted to provide this innovative program in the local area”, added Christine.
The program will begin to rollout during February in four participating venues:
· Forster: Great Lakes Aquatic and Leisure Centre, 6591 7199 or admin. greatlakes@ymcansw.org.au · Gloucester: Pure NRG, Michelle Gunn, 0438 636 377 or michellegunn2305@gmail. com
· Taree: Manning Aquatic Leisure Centre, 6550 0500 or manning@ymcansw.org.au
·Tea Gardens: Cross Fit, Lynn Guilhaus, 0400 404 044 or lguilhaus@ bigpond.com
Contact your nearest venue directly for more information about class timetables, frequency and costs, and to book your initial one-one-one assessment.
For more information about Strength for Life, contact Kamilla Haufort on 8268 9602 or email Kamilla. haufort@cotansw.com.au
RESIDENTS are being asked to share their views on MidCoast Council’s performance, with a community satisfaction survey soon to commence across the region.
The telephone survey, to be undertaken by independent researchers Micromex, has been designed to provide important insight into the local community’s priorities and satisfaction levels when it comes to Council activities, its service delivery, and available facilities.
MidCoast Council’s General Manager, Adrian Panuccio said the results will be used to determine immediate and longerterm priorities, and identify ways Council can provide improved or more efficient service delivery to its residents.
“Feedback about our performance and how people feel about local issues comes in all the time through a range of channels, but formalising the process is important in identifying regionwide sentiment and establishing benchmarks for tracking purposes”, Mr Panuccio said.
The survey involves contacting a sample of 400 people by phone, with representation across the entire region, and across all age brackets 18 years and over.
Previous surveys undertaken in 2016 and 2017 have relied primarily on sourcing local phone numbers randomly using the White Pages.
“With many people no longer having a landline at home, especially in the younger age groups, we’ve asked Micromex to collect mobile numbers in busy locations prior to the survey kicking off. These will complement numbers generated using traditional methods”.
The ‘number harvesting’ process will take place from Thursday 6 February and continue through the weekend, with researchers making direct contact in venues such as Gloucester Farmers Markets, Taree Central Shopping Centre, and Wharf Street in Forster. Micromex staff will wear a clearly visible badge to identify themselves, and will produce Council documentation if required.
The survey itself will be conducted over a two week period, commencing on Monday 10 February and continuing through to Saturday 22 February. Residents will be asked to provide feedback on a range of Council service areas through a series of questions lasting around 15 to 20 minutes.
“We’re encouraging anyone who receives a call to take the time and have your say. We understand everyone is busy, but your feedback will be instrumental in developing our forward plans”. Calls can be expected between 4pm and 8.30pm Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays between 10am and 4pm. Researchers will clearly identify themselves as calling from Micromex on behalf of MidCoast Council. It is expected the results of the survey will be made available on Council’s website at the beginning of April 2020. Share Your View
Saturday 15 th
Caring for the body, mind, soulandspirit; P reparing for what’s next Caring for the body, mind, soulandspirit; P reparing for what’s next
For those entering their aged years and for any who may be in the position of caring for an elderly family member. For those entering their aged years and for any who may be in the position of caring for an elderly family member.
Guest presenters: Revd. Peter Adkins, Dr Richard Morrison, Dr. Steve Sylvester -GP, John Webb -Counsellor & Philip Young -Solicitor Guest presenters: Revd. Peter Adkins, Dr Richard Morrison, Dr. Steve Sylvester -GP, John Webb -Counsellor & Philip Young -Solicitor
* Morning tea & lunch included * * Morning tea & lunch included *
Please express your interest andreserve your place 4 997–1869 / standrewsoffice4@bigpond.com “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes." Please express your interest andreserve your place 4 997–1869 / standrewsoffice4@bigpond.com “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes."
KNOW YOUR ZONE What will your neighbourhood look like in the future? We’re currently zoning in on land use plans across our region and proposed changes may apply to where you live, work, shop and play. We’ll be visiting 11 locations across the MidCoast during February and March, so you can drop-in and find out: • What zone applies to your property • Changes proposed for your zone • How to provide feedback that will help us develop the draft plan If you can’t make a drop-in session use the online mapping tool to find your zone and review any changes that are being proposed, and then have your say.
Drop in anytime between 5.30pm and 7.30pm at:
Hawks Nest Hawks Nest Hall 11 February
Bulahdelah War Memorial Hall 13 February
Stroud School of Arts Hall 5 March
Visit www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/ZoningIn for more information and the full schedule of locations and dates. Feedback closes Thursday 9 April 2020
