CEO Doug Taylor talked to school students ahead of the launch of the Smith Family appeal. Photo: The Smith Family.
AS families across the Mid North Coast prepare for the return to school, new research has revealed the growing pressure many households face simply trying to meet the basic costs of education. The latest Pulse Survey of families supported by The Smith Family shows that more than four out of five parents and carers are […]
Member for Port Stephens and Families and Communities MP Kate Washington.
FOR the first time in more than two decades, foster and kinship carers across NSW have received a 20 percent increase to their care allowance. The increase aims to ease cost-of-living pressures and strengthen support for vulnerable children in out-of-home care. The tax-free increase took effect from 1 January 2026 and applies to authorised carers […]
The Point Plomer campground in Limeburners Creek National Park. Photo: NPWS.
The Point Plomer campground in Limeburners Creek National Park. Photo: NPWS. Kayaking in the Barrington River. Photo: NPWS. WITH temperatures high and visitors flocking to the region’s stunning beaches, rivers, and waterholes, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is urging everyone to stay vigilant and safe. National parks offer countless opportunities for swimming, fishing, […]
The report identifies near-term priority emissions abatement measures for industry subsectors including livestock production, dairy, fisheries, cropping, horticulture, and forestry. Photo: Leanda Connor.
THE NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD) has released a report to guide farmers and primary industries so they can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while maintaining or enhancing productivity and sustainability. The NSW Land and Primary Industries Low Emissions Options Report identifies near-term priority emissions abatement measures for industry subsectors […]
Some of the symbols and decorations associated with Christmas date to ancient times.
HAVE you ever wondered why we decorate cone-bearing trees, eat turkey and ham, light candles, pull bonbons, hang Christmas stockings, decorate homes, make wreaths and credit Santa with delivering presents via flying reindeer? Most of us know that many Christmas traditions from the Northern Hemisphere sailed south with immigrants. But many so-called Christmas traditions originated […]
The report highlights strong visitor numbers at community facilities. Photo: CoCH.
THE City of Coffs Harbour has released its annual report, which paints a very positive picture of the city’s performance in the 2024-25 financial year. Mayor Nikki Williams said, “From cover to cover, this document details our unwavering commitment to ratepayers.” “The highlights reel for this period includes the opening of the Woolgoolga Whale Trail, […]
The CSIRO’s patented neckbands use GPS and wireless sensors to control cattle movements. Photo: CSIRO.
CATTLE and dairy farmers have welcomed the government’s decision to legalise virtual stock fencing, which involves using GPS collars to control the animals through audio cues and electric shocks. The move is expected to reduce physical fencing costs, improve rotational grazing systems, and provide remote access to data on the welfare of herds. Minister for […]
The Grafton Indonesian women’s dance group.
The Grafton Indonesian women’s dance group. The Coffs Harbour Indonesian women’s dance group will perform the Nusa Tenggara Timur traditional dance. COFFS Harbour’s much-loved multicultural Christmas lunch will take on a festive twist, featuring traditional dance performances from both the Coffs Harbour and Grafton Indonesian women’s groups. The community is invited to attend the event […]
Gurmesh Singh faces new challenges in his role as the NSW Nationals leader.
A THIRD-generation local, the Member for Coffs Harbour and newly elected leader of the NSW Nationals, Gurmesh Singh, grew up in a Woolgoolga farming family of Indian heritage. Life in the family and community revolved around agriculture – first bananas then macadamias, and later berries. During that time and through his teens, Mr Singh wasn’t […]
Hayden Carl Skinner is on trial charged with sexually assaulting a 76-year-old woman. Photo: NSW Police.
A 76-YEAR-OLD aged-care resident seen half-naked after being allegedly raped by a man who broke into her room told her son she thought she was going to die. Hayden Carl Skinner, a 31-year-old drug user living in Coffs Harbour, has been accused of sexually assaulting the elderly woman on New Year’s Day. In the early […]
