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. […]
CONGRATULATIONS to the 680 Australians recognised in the Order of Australia in the 2026 Australia Day Honours list, which we the Council of the Order of Australia, recommended to the Governor-General. This represents the highest number since Australia Day 2024. The recipients come from all parts of the country and their service, achievements and impact […]
DEAR News of the Area, I would like to respond to the letters in NOTA 23 January relating to both the Sawtell Pool and the Draft Aquatic Strategy. I was interested to read about the management of the Sawtell pool and reserve. From everything I have read and spoken to Council about, the pool will […]
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 […]
BARBARA and Wally have been in a de facto relationship for six years. There is one child of the relationship, their four-year-old daughter. When their relationship breaks down, Barbara and Wally seek legal advice and are able to negotiate consent orders, which resolve parenting issues in relation to their child. They are also able to […]
DEAR Jasminda, Frequently when I go shopping someone pushes a trolley into my ankles. How do I avoid this painful scenario? Jim R. Dear Jim, In the wrong hands, a trolley can be a weapon of mass destruction, thrust into the legs of an unsuspecting shopper when they are simply trying to reach for a […]
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? […]
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 […]
DEAR News Of The Area I was the treasurer of the voluntary trust that used to manage the Boambee Creek Reserve for the last 15 years of its existence. We dissolved the trust because of the need for us to find suitable insurances to protect the trust in these litigious times. (The need to sue […]
