News Of The Area
GLOUCESTER DISTRICT Local Community News ~ Proudly Independent ~ Family Owned
Wednesday, 2 September 2026
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Country halls help keep arts alive
Mountain Man Tri Challenge
FREE
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Bird flu crisis looms for seals
Scorpions’ 2026 journey ends
Mick turns MND diagnosis into a fight for a cure By John WATTS ACCORDING to MND Australia, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is an umbrella term for a group of diseases that affect motor neurons. “Motor neurons are the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that are responsible for voluntary movement,” explains the MND Australia website. “In MND, the nerves weaken and start to die, which means messages can no longer travel between the brain and the muscles, and over time, with lack of use, muscles get weaker and waste away.” There are many theories about what causes MND, but in most
cases the exact cause of MND is unknown, and funds are desperately needed for research to find the causes and cure. Recently Gloucester local Michael (Mick) Lewis received the unwelcome diagnosis that he had developed MND. When Mick’s friends asked what they might do for him, his generous response was to suggest a fundraiser, not for his own benefit, but for MND research. And so, at 11am on 5 September, the Gloucester community will hold a Walk to Defeat MND fundraiser in Gloucester District Park. The event is a 5km walk following the usual parkrun route along the river. “But this event is about more than fundraising,” said
HOUSE PRICES HOLD CONTINUED Page 13
Gloucester property market defies the slide
Wednesday, 2 September 2026
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The community will hold a Walk to Defeat MND fundraiser, in honour of Mick Lewis's wishes. Photo: Supplied.
By John WATTS
RECENTLY, there has been much publicity about declining property prices,
along with plenty of debate about the causes of the decline. Cotality provides residential property indices,
www.newsofthearea.com.au
home value tracking and publishes major reports on housing trends, such as the Home Value Index. According to Cotality,
Australia’s Home Value Index fell 0.7 per cent in July, the largest drop since December CONTINUED Page 13
GLOUCESTER DISTRICT NEWS OF THE AREA
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