DEAR News Of The Area, THE proposed gifting of Lot 1 Ferry Street, Urunga to the Waterfall Way Community Land Trust, (“Community invited to have a say on Urunga’s affordable housing proposal,” 27/3), if approved, would enable one of the most ill-conceived and destructive housing developments ever undertaken in Bellingen Shire. No mention was made […]
DEAR News Of The Area, THE proposed Jetty Foreshore revitalisation plan continues to be a contentious impasse. Councillors lodged two separate Notices of Motion (NOM) at the Council Meeting held on Thursday, 19 March, seeking more public information and transparency and calling for Council to not support the proposed project. Predictably the motions were lost, […]
DEAR News Of The Area, I HAVE lived in Coffs Harbour for 40 years and enjoyed the Jetty Foreshores both for family events as well as with visitors who drop in regularly. Following the last City of Coffs Harbour Council meeting, I congratulate Councillor Judge for being the voice of reason in enumerating all the […]
DEAR News Of The Area, IN reply to Steve Dobbyn’s question in his letter to NOTA on 20 March, “How did we get to this”, the answer is simple. We cut down too many trees and have taken far too long to realise the outstanding natural and cultural heritage values of our forests we are […]
WILLIAM died at 48 without a will, leaving an estate valued at $360,000. His assets included a small rural property, a motor vehicle and minimal cash. Under intestacy rules, the estate passed to his sister, Amelia, with whom he had limited contact. William had, however, been in a long but volatile relationship with Kristina for […]
DEAR News Of The Area, I NOTE that Local Member Gurmesh Singh has been pre-selected by the Nationals to contest the 2027 State Elections (NOTA 20 Feb 2026). I note also that Gurmesh stated that he would “listen to the people of the Coffs Coast and act in their best interests”. Well it seems that […]
DEAR News Of The Area, I FIND it hard to find sensible discussion about migration coming from the opposition. Instead they seek to politicise the issue and turn it into a fear campaign. Fear campaigns work because they do not require facts, merely a grievance, and appeal to our natural desire for simple solutions to […]
DEAR News Of The Area, AGAIN, in response to Ashley Love’s Letter of 11 March 2026, I feel it is necessary to highlight his hypocrisy regarding plantations within the proposed Great Koala National Park footprint. His last two paragraphs say it all. Koalas trump taxpayer investment in plantations, no matter what. The plantations within the […]
DEAR News Of The Area, SINCE my teens, following the 1973 Arab oil embargo, we have been acutely aware of the finite nature of fossil fuels. And although scientists have warned that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change for over a century, these concerns have become urgent since the 1980s. So, in Australia we […]
DEAR News Of The Area, AS a volunteer and staff member at Lifeline North Coast, based in Coffs Harbour, I would like to acknowledge Angela Martin, who was recently nominated as Coffs Harbour Woman of the Year and say how proud we are to have her as our CEO. Angela works tirelessly to highlight the […]
