July 18, 2026
Letter to the Editor: time to respond to change
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: time to respond to change

DEAR News Of The Area THERE has been much to digest in the events of this year’s Australia Day celebration, some of it giving little cause for joy. Watching the flag hijacked by Australia First, white supremacists and similar groups, was a depressing experience. I would love to celebrate wearing a silly hat and beach […]

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Letter to the Editor: hanging boats missed
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: hanging boats missed

DEAR News Of The Area I miss seeing the hanging boats at both main entrances to Urunga. They were like a big welcome sign that truly represented the town, fun, fishing, boating, relaxing and catching up with old friends. I am sure a lot of travellers, and especially children, looked forward to seeing a hanging […]

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Letter to the Editor: Greetings are important
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Greetings are important

DEAR News Of The Area, Who are We? Greetings or acknowledgements are important. It could be a nod of the head as Aboriginal Peoples have been doing forever, or Warami, All-a, Giinagay, Gidday, Shalom, Salaam, Ni hao, Ahlan, Heigh, Moi, Marhaba, Kon nichiwa, Namaste, Hello. These greetings are spoken every day in Australia, [by] Australians. […]

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Letter to the Editor: Sawetell Pool issues
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Sawetell Pool issues

DEAR News Of The Area The contempt that Coffs City Council has for the residents of Sawtell and the southern regions was clearly on show last week at the Sawtell Swimming Pool. It would appear that the purpose of this hastily arranged meeting, brilliantly set down for 2pm-4pm on a workday, was to educate local […]

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Letter to the Editor: Draft Aquatic Strategy
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Draft Aquatic Strategy

DEAR News Of The Area In regard to the draft aquatic strategy, what is on offer disregards (as usual with draft strategies) the needs and wants of the community. Why is it that the community is never asked what it wants BEFORE a strategy is drafted? And why does the Council always engage external consultants? […]

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Letter to the Editor: government workplace hub
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: government workplace hub

DEAR News Of The Area I refer to the NOTA article on the “New government workplace hub to house 600 staff ” (Friday 19 December, 2025).  The article claims a number of advantages for the construction of the proposed Coffs Harbour Workplace Hub, including consolidating 26 existing leases, accommodating 600 staff from six government departments […]

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Letter to the Editor: the human paradox
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: the human paradox

DEAR News Of The Area The paradox of being human [is that] Intelligence asks, “Can we?” and Wisdom asks, “Should we?” Humans are the only creatures capable of inventing weapons that could end civilisation, and writing poetry about why we shouldn’t destroy ecosystems and grieving the loss. Or of building machines of war, and dreaming […]

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Letter to the Editor: e-bike fright
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: e-bike fright

DEAR News Of The Area, I ride a pushbike on the cycleways and in the space of 5mins, I was [recently] passed by two e-bikes, both travelling about 50km/h – and neither rang their bell before passing. This is very frightening for me and must be even more so for pedestrians. If I think there […]

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