DEAR News Of The Area, CONTEMPLATING, once again, the inaction taken by our local representatives in the National Party whose 50-year reign has turned a blind eye to the reporting of slavery in our area. Why is this so? Where are the authorities who should be dealing with this shameful exploitation of men and women? […]
THE most-recent edition of Port Stephens News of the Area pointed to just how far governments have become isolated from the wishes and needs of the local community. Your front-page article ‘Troubled Path’, and Anne Ronan’s Letter to the Editor, both expressed frustration and dismay at the funds being spent on an unwanted pathway. This […]
DEAR News Of The Area, I READ with interest the wonderful article on Dr Celia Nolan. I met Celia more than 20 years ago at an International Women’s Day breakfast. She wasn’t the guest speaker so I’m now amazed at this unique woman’s background and what she has achieved. I have the pleasure of still […]
THE Albanese Government must not capitulate to Pauline Hanson’s politics of hate by stripping rights from people seeking asylum in an attempt to appear tougher on migration. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke last week postponed a National Press Club address where he was expected to announce sweeping migration changes, reportedly including further restrictions on the […]
DEAR News Of The Area, LAST week, Bellingen Shire Council voted to dispose of Lot 1 Ferry Street for $1. I want to be clear: this letter is not about supporting or opposing the project. It is about the integrity of the decision-making process. During the meeting, Councillor questions – together with the information provided […]
DEAR News Of The Area, TO all who find meaning in small things, the ones who pause for a trembling leaf, who feel the hush inside a sunbeam, who notice the quiet kindnesses that slip past the rest of the world. I’ve come to understand something about you, about us. Those who see beauty in […]
DEAR News Of The Area, A SIMPLE Google search for correlation between increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and temperature shows that Wayne Dunesbury’s contrary assertions (“At least we agree on something’, NOTA 21/8/26) are nonsense, unless tens of thousands of scientists worldwide over the past 50 years have been wrong. Given that we have passed peak […]
DEAR News Of The Area, RECENTLY, I have been thinking about the way our local councillors are elected. In New South Wales, councils can operate under two main systems: an at-large system, where councillors are elected by voters across the entire local government area, or a ward system, where the council area is divided into […]
DEAR News Of The Area, I recently had triple-bypass open-heart surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney. My wife, who is unwell, drove me to Bellingen Hospital to have my stitches out. It was an extremely busy day and after waiting three hours my wife felt unwell and we decided it was best she drove […]
DEAR News Of The Area, THE blueberry industry has garnered the headlines of late for a number of concerning reasons. There are ongoing and growing community concerns about neurotoxic insecticide and chemical runoff polluting our local waterways and their impacts on sensitive macroinvertebrates, fish life and water quality. Substances such as isocycloseram, which has been […]
