q The new committee for the renamed ‘Maureen’s Markets’: (back) Ivan McConaghir, Vice President Kobi Cooke, (front) President David Pomare and Treasurer Debra Brereton. Photo: Melanie Lakis, Secretary.
Hastings Council has responded at length to community complaints about the growing number of property eyesores, graffiti, and overgrown parks and reserves.
It follows the release of the City Heart Master Plan for public exhibition, which has inadvertently drawn attention to the current state of the CBD and surrounding areas.
Council’s Director of Community, Planning and Environment, Melissa Watkins, has provided News Of The Area with the following responses to each concern.
The City Heart Master Plan
The City Heart Master Plan is focused on the long-term vision for Port Macquarie’s town centre over the next 50 years.
It’s about shaping the kind of city we want to be, how people live, move, connect, and experience our town; rather than detailing the day-to-day maintenance of existing spaces.
A Master Plan sets
a vision for the future, it doesn’t prescribe rigid policy or landuse outcomes. The functions of a Master Plan are as follows:
- Strategic Direction: A Master Plan articulates a long-term vision for how an area could evolve socially, economically, environmentally, and physically. It’s about imagining possibilities and setting aspirational goals.
-Guiding Principles: Rather than fixed rules, it offers principles and frameworks to guide future decision-making. These can inform future policy development, LEP and DCP provisions, infrastructure investment, and community engagement.
- Flexibility: A Master Plan can take many years to translate to outcomes on the ground and because it’s not a statutory document, a Master Plan adapts over time as circumstances change, whether due to shifts in population, economics, legislation, climate, technology, or community needs.
- Integration: It
aims to help coordinate multiple planning layers like transport, housing, open space, resourcing, sustainability into a cohesive narrative. This integration is often missing in more narrowly focused statutory instruments.
We know that presentation and maintenance are important to our community.
Council teams continually work hard to maintain more than 385 open space areas across the region, including our town centre gardens, streetscapes, sports fields, and reserves, with limited resources and competing priorities.
While funding is always a challenge, Council is committed to continuous improvement, reviewing how we plan, prioritise, and deliver maintenance activities to make the most of what we have.
This includes smarter scheduling, more efficient use of equipment, and exploring partnerships and grants that can help us stretch every dollar further.
It is also worth noting that the Town Centre Master Plan (TCMP)
levy, which historically supported some of these maintenance and beautification activities, was discontinued in 2024.
Since then, Council has absorbed these functions into broader operational budgets, which makes it even more important that we work strategically and collaboratively to achieve the best results for our community.
In short, while resources are finite, our commitment to a clean, welcoming, and liveable town centre remains strong, and we continue to look for practical ways to improve presentation and amenity across the region.
The City Heart Master Plan looks at many factors, although it is not the instrument to review our maintenance standards.
Abandoned properties in the CBD Council has limited direct control over privately owned land but can act under the Local Government Act 1993 and Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 where properties present health, safety, or environmental risks. It needs to be clarified, however, that vacant or undeveloped properties are not “abandoned”; they
are owned by someone, and a landowner is entitled to choose not to develop their land.
Council may issue Orders to compel owners to clean up properties or remove hazards, but this must be supported by statutory triggers. It is important to note that many of these properties are privately owned, and Council does not have the authority to undertake maintenance or upgrades on such land unless there are breaches of relevant legislation.
With regard to 99 William Street, commonly referred to by locals as “the hole in the ground”, this site is owned and actively managed and maintained by Council and regularly monitored for safety, rubbish, and visual presentation.
It is a strategic landholding and forms part of ongoing planning and redevelopment considerations for the Port Macquarie CBD.
Graffiti Council has been trialling mobile CCTV cameras across the local government area to help reduce vandalism and improve community safety.
The trial has already shown positive results in the Port Macquarie CBD and other key areas, and we will be continuing the pilot for another three months to assess longerterm impacts.
We are also incredibly grateful for the ongoing efforts of our Graffiti Blasters volunteer group, who dedicate their time seven days a week to removing graffiti right across the Port MacquarieHastings region.
Their commitment plays a huge part in keeping our public spaces welcoming and wellpresented.
q Council staff respond to concerns about the lack of maintenance at the Gaol Point Lookout. Photo: Sue Stephenson.
Vacancy crisis drives rental reform
By Sis HIGGINS
RENTAL vacancy rates across NSW remain critically low, deepening the housing crisis and leaving tenants competing for limited homes.
New analysis from the Real Estate Institute of NSW (REINSW) shows that in September, many regions recorded vacancy rates below two percent.
The Mid-North Coast sat at 1.6 percent, by comparison
Coffs Harbour is at 1.5 percent, and the Central Coast is at 1.4 percent.
With the deepening crisis, the NSW Government introduced numerous new tenancy laws this year to improve fairness and safety for renters.
More recently, new laws were introduced to strengthen protections for tenants who are victim-survivors of domestic violence.
NSW Rental
BUSINESS CASE
Commissioner Trina Jones, said the reforms were designed to make a real difference.
“These reforms give victim-survivors the confidence and clarity they need to leave unsafe homes without fear or financial penalty,” she said.
“We’ve worked closely with frontline services and the community to make sure these changes are practical and life changing.
FROM Page 1 Ms Watson said the day and 11,000 new homes planned across the Port Macquarie-Hastings region, the corridor is operating well
“These laws mean victimsurvivors can act quickly to protect themselves and their families without worrying about unfair costs or privacy risks.”
Under the new laws, victim-survivors will not need to notify co-tenants when leaving a property for safety reasons.
Landlords and agents must handle that communication after the tenant has left.
are stuck in traffic, unable to reach patients in time?”
The local MP also criticised the State
Victim-survivors can now change locks without consent and have improved rights to recover their bond and avoid liability for damage caused by domestic violence.
Additional changes to tenancy reforms earlier this year also improve fairness and safety for renters.
Landlords are now required to provide a lawful reason to end a lease, with “no grounds” evictions being phased out.
after the Federal Government cut its $4 million contribution, stating the decision was “not just disappointing, it is dangerous.”
Welcoming the
Tenants have greater rights to keep pets and must be offered rent payment options, and landlords are required to provide evidence if they ask tenants to leave for major repairs or renovations.
NSW Fair Trading has been collecting data on why tenancies end through Rental Bonds Online. It has created a new Rental Taskforce with dedicated inspectors and compliance officers.
announcement that the draft business case is now complete, Mr Dwyer said he “won’t stop fighting” for the upgrade until the commencement of construction.
Member for Port Macquarie Robert Dwyer presents the paper petition calling on the NSW Government to upgrade the Oxley Highway. Photo: NSW Legislative
A safe haven in Port Macquarie
MID NORTH COAST Local Health District (MNCLHD) has officially opened a purpose-built Safe Haven building in Port Macquarie, providing a safe space and immediate support for people who are experiencing mental health distress.
Safe Havens are nonclinical settings that offer support in a calm and welcoming environment as an alternative to attending a hospital emergency department.
Previously located in a pop-up clinic, the service now provides a dedicated environment where people experiencing suicidal
thoughts or distress can speak with trained peer workers and access support without judgement, from people with lived experience of suicidal distress and recovery.
MNCLHD Chief Executive Jill Wong said the Safe Haven is a non-clinical service that aims to reduce stigma, support communities to better cope with challenges and offer culturally appropriate care.
“It’s fantastic that we now have a permanent, purposebuilt Safe Haven right here in Port Macquarie,” Ms Wong said.
“No appointment or referral is needed, anyone
can drop by to get help when they’re feeling overwhelmed, distressed or suicidal.
“The team includes peer workers who’ve been through tough times themselves and truly understand what it’s like to struggle and recover.”
Located in the grounds of Port Macquarie Community Health campus in Morton Street, the Safe Haven service is open from 12.30pm to 8pm, Thursday to Sunday.
The new building has a quiet/sensory room, lounge area, kitchenette and outside space, and is located on a public transport route, offering easy access to and from town.
Port Macquarie Safe Haven is part of the NSW Government’s Towards Zero Suicides initiative.
New home and name for markets
FROM Page 1
formation of a new markets committee.
“The markets… are now entering an exciting new stage,” Treasurer Debra Brereton told News Of The Area.
“This partnership marks an important step forward as we continue to grow and support our vibrant local community.”
The committee also chose a new name, “Maureen’s Markets”, in honour of founder Maureen Cooke.
“Plans are underway to have the markets up and running for the Christmas season, featuring a fantastic mix of our much-loved regular stallholders and welcoming new stallholders to join the experience.”
Mrs Cooke, who recently died at the age of 95, was instrumental in securing Hamilton Green for public use and also founded the Port Macquarie Art Society and Endeavour House.
She was also “Nan” to Kobi Cooke, who will serve as the committee’s Vice
President.
The sudden loss of the markets from Hastings River Drive not only caused distress and community anger but also exposed deep divisions between users of Hamilton Green.
NSW Crown Lands owns the site, Council manages it, and the Port Macquarie Art Society was licensed to use the buildings and hold the markets.
However, the licence and development approval for the markets had lapsed, which was only made public
following Mrs Cooke’s death.
After discussions with Council, the Art Society stopped operations “effective immediately” to focus on its regulatory obligations.
In addition to long-time stallholders being left with nowhere to go, artists lost access to their workrooms.
Judy Jelsma previously told News Of The Area that she was locked out of The Manor House and could not access her supplies.
Since then, she has been escorted onto the site and allowed to retrieve some of
The Mental Health Line is also available 24/7 on 1800 011 511 to connect people to other mental health services.
her items.
“There are still lots of my possessions in there that I was unable to get out,” she said.
“I only had enough time to get my coffee cups and one box. I don’t know how I’m going to get the rest of my things.”
Art Society Vice President Julie Richardson told NOTA that insurance and the state of the two buildings in their care was an issue.
“We are trying to move forward. The priority is to get in there and try and clean up the buildings.”
Council told NOTA that those wanting to retrieve
If life is in danger, please call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
property should contact the Arts Society.
“Council has been working with the Port Macquarie Arts Society (PMAS), who hold the licence for the buildings,” Director Community, Planning and Environment Melissa Watkins said.
“PMAS is now managing access arrangements for legitimate artists and users to safely retrieve materials and return to regular use of the space.”
However, contact details for the Arts Society are not publicly available, prompting artists like Judy Jelsma to go directly to Council.
Nik Lipovac: Council’s new Deputy Mayor
By Luke HADFIELD
A NEW deputy mayor was elected at the October meeting of Port MacquarieHastings Council, following the conclusion of Councillor Lauren Edwards’ term.
Unlike the mayoral position, which is decided by popular vote at council elections, the deputy mayor is chosen annually by councillors.
This year, Councillor Nik Lipovac was elected to the role.
Cr Lipovac said he was honoured by the opportunity
but noted the position was not one that dramatically changed his day-to-day responsibilities.
“I’m honoured to be elected as Council’s Deputy Mayor for the next 12 months,” the two-term councillor said.
“Other than some additional duties from time to time, this is just a new title - an important one - but nothing else changes.
“I’ll continue to keep my fellow councillors, staff, and even members of the local community accountable, and likewise I expect the same in
return.”
Cr Lipovac is particularly passionate about local sport, which he believes plays a vital role in community connection and regional promotion.
“I’m passionate about promoting the region through sport, the arts and tourism, supporting local businesses, improving our facilities and amenities and making sure we do what we can to assist the most vulnerable members of our community,” he said.
While some might assume the deputy mayor
position brings with it additional influence, Cr Lipovac was quick to clarify that he remains one of nine councillors, each with an equal vote.
“It’s my duty to speak to the pros and cons of various issues as I see them,” he said.
“Sometimes we have to say no. We’re working to a budget just like families and businesses do every day.”
Cr Lipovac said he recognises the importance of financial responsibility as Council navigates the coming year’s challenges.
He also expressed
gratitude to those who have supported his work since first being elected.
“I’m not here to make popular decisions, I’m here to do what’s right and sometimes that means taking an opposing view. I won’t be bullied or intimidated or silenced.
“I look forward to working alongside Mayor Roberts to
q PMHC Deputy Mayor Nik Lipovac following the October council meeting.
represent Council and our community in a positive and productive way.
“It’s OK that we don’t necessarily agree on everything, but we’re both experienced enough to put our differences aside when we need to.
“I’m always willing to compromise and be flexible to find a middle ground.”
q Leo Clayton from the Mental Health Commission, MNCLHD’s Sarah Fox, Suicide Prevention and Aftercare Coordinator Sage Green, MNCLHD Chief Executive Jill Wong, member of the Lived Experience of Suicide Group (LEOS) Lea Harvey, Kelly Saidey from Lifeline Mid Coast, Senior Peer Worker Karen Miller, Vanessa Brunker from the Mental Health Commission and Consumer Partnership Coordinator Nicholas Kosseris.
Kemp and Minns clash over bail laws
MEMBER for Oxley Michael Kemp and Premier Chris Minns butted heads in NSW Parliament last week over
youth crime and bail laws.
During Question Time on Wednesday, 22 October, Mr Kemp asked whether it would
take a death from crime before the Government acted to tighten youth bail laws.
The Oxley MP’s question
came days after news that the accused teen offenders of a crime spree in Kempsey had all been granted bail.
In response, Premier Minns said it was “foolish and inflammatory to be predicting a death in these circumstances”.
He then listed a suite of actions his government had taken to reduce the impacts of youth offending, including “strengthening 22 C Bail Law protections in relation to young offenders, doubling the penalty for knife offenses in New South Wales, [and] the introduction of Jack's Law in the state”.
Mr Minns said that “crime across regional communities is down 10 percent” in the
past two years, claiming that his Liberal/National Party predecessors did “absolutely nothing about crime” while in office.
Mr Kemp said that despite clear evidence of growing crime in regional NSW, the Premier refused to acknowledge the truth.
“In the Kempsey LGA alone, youth crime has jumped by 33 percent in just 12 months,” he said.
“Yet when I questioned him in Parliament, the Premier claimed that crime figures are dropping in NSW.
“That response is a slap in the face to the people of Kempsey who are living with the reality of break-ins, car thefts, and violent crime
increasing.”
Mr Kemp also moved the following motion in Parliament:
“I ask that this House:
1. Notes that violent repeat offenders in Kempsey, some already on bail, carried out an armed robbery, home invasion, and break and enter last week.
2. Recognises that despite the severity of these crimes, all offenders were granted bail.
3. Condemns the Minns Labor Government for failing to reform bail laws, leaving communities living in fear for their safety.
4. Calls on the Minns Labor Government to urgently take action to protect communities like Oxley from repeat violent offenders by strengthening bail laws.”
A CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY (CSU) research team is inviting feedback from visitors and patients on their perceptions of bodyworn cameras (BWC) worn by security staff at Port Macquarie hospital.
Chief Investigator for the independent evaluation project, Dr Amanda Davies from the Charles Sturt School of Policing Studies, leads the team of researchers.
Dr Davies has previously evaluated the NSW Police Force BWC trial and then the state-wide roll-out and was the lead investigator/ researcher for the NSW Sheriff's Office BWC trial conducted in 2024.
A 12-month trial of bodyworn cameras was launched at Port Macquarie Hospital in August.
Security staff can activate the cameras in response to incidents involving aggression and violence in the hospital, where there is risk of harm to staff, patients or others.
“The purpose of the trial is to evaluate whether bodyworn cameras are effective in de-escalating incidents where there is an imminent risk to safety,” Dr Davies said.
“This does not replace existing de-escalation practices.
“One of the groups we would like to receive feedback
Wildlife first responders prepare for bushfire season
By Sis HIGGINS
CRITICAL training is being rolled out to help wildlife groups better prepare for bushfire emergencies.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is launching its wildlife search and rescue training course in Port Macquarie in collaboration with Koala Conservation Australia.
The course was developed in the aftermath of the catastrophic Black Summer bushfires, which ravaged the area and killed many wild animals.
Since the 2019–20 fires, the government and the wildlife sector have focused on improving wildlife management during bushfires.
IFAW animal rescue officer Robert Leach said more needs to be done.
“The processes don’t prepare your everyday wildlife rescuer for the challenges they may face in a disaster,” he said.
“When you’re heading into a fireground, everything is thrown out the window.
“You don’t know what you’re going to find, where the animals are, or how you will be able to help them.
“This training will upskill wildlife rescuers into wildlife first responders.”
The training shows rescuers how to navigate a fireground efficiently and safely while searching for wildlife.
It includes expert guidance on safety, search strategies, mapping, setting up triage clinics, what to do when encountering animals on the fireground, and responder mental health.
“We do not want a repeat of the Black Summer bushfires where we had animals suffering, and members of the public and wildlife rescuers putting themselves in harm's way to rescue them.
“We must do all we can to minimise that hero behaviour where human safety is not prioritised.
“We are trying to do better for our wildlife, so they do not suffer so immensely again.
“Hopefully, better prepared wildlife experts will mean fewer members of the
public will put themselves in danger.
“They can put their trust in committed, well-trained experts to save animals.”
Koala Conservation Australia conservation
manager Scott Castle said, “Thankfully, there has been little demand on our post-fire rescue team in recent years.
“However, this course will help prepare our team so we can spring into action when required.”
Port Mac Goss: Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach
By Dave ‘Scoop’ LAZARUS
FROM Wollongong to the Balmain Tigers, NRL legend
Steve "Blocker" Roach played in the front row in 186 games, representing NSW 17 times and Australia 19 times.
Steve had a reputation as a hard man, and he was never far from controversy, once famously patting the referee on the head after being sent off the field.
During his football career he was part of an iconic Tina Turner advertising campaign and appeared regularly in commercials endorsing
Lowes menswear.
When he retired, his career exploded as a regular on the Footy Show, then as a co-commentator on the radio with Ray Hadley and now commentating with Fox League.
We have been mates since 1982; I always admired Blocker’s ability on the football field and he is someone I am proud to call a very close friend.
G’day Steve, how did you get the nickname Blocker?
There are two versions.
Highland Gathering 2025
First, I was an apprentice plumber and my main job was to block the sewerage water that needed repairs. The other version was that when I first came to the Tigers, a team mate by the name of Steve Lavers nicknamed me Blockhead which thankfully got shortened to Blocker. I prefer Steve's version.
Think back to the game against Manly when you were sent off and patted the referee on the head. Did that cause a lot of drama for you?
Mate, when I did it, I did it to show Eddie Ward, the referee, that there was no malice towards him, because he just took the judge's word that I had to be sent off. When I got off the field, I gave the touch judge a major spray which did not help me at the judiciary. I remember driving home after the game with my wife Cathy and she hardly spoke a word to me. I knew then that I was in more trouble than I expected.
Blocker, during your football career you never took a backward step. Were
you ever scared on the football field?
Never scared, but my idol growing up was Craig Young. I was lucky to play my first test match with him as my front row partner. I thought that we would take on the Kiwis and smash them. After the first tackle, Craig got laid out and laid flat on his back not moving. I must admit, the reality hit that this and every other game is not to be taken for granted and that it is best to get in first.
The Balmain Tigers played in back-to-back grand finals in 1988 and 1989, one of which you missed due to suspension. The grand final that you did play in, you were subbed by coach Warren Ryan alongside Paul Sironen halfway through the second half. You could not hide
your disappointment at being replaced and the Tigers went on to lose. What were your feelings that day?
I was filthy. No first grader footballer likes to be replaced. Our team was ahead when Siro and I went off and our coach thought that he would replace us with two very good defensive players which, in theory, is a good idea. But we ended up being beaten and I can honestly say I have never watched the replay of that game.
Life after footy has been good for you hasn't it mate?
I am blessed. The Footy Show gave me a huge media profile, even though in the early days a lot of the comedy sketches involved me dressed as a woman. My tough guy image was tarnished and
Members of the public are urged to download the free IFAW Wildlife Rescue App, which connects individuals to their closest wildlife rescue organisation.
people would yell at me in the street "Hey Block, where is your frock?". When I went to radio, Ray Hadley took me under his wing and we would sit at his home doing dummy calls with him showing me the craft of becoming a radio commentator. Now, at Foxtel, I feel so privileged to be watching the modern game and seeing these footballers do some unbelievable athletic tries and lead-up work. Their skill sets are unbelievable. The only thing I struggle with sometimes, now that the NRL is played by so many different nationalities, is getting their names and pronunciations right.
Blocker, do you have any plans for retirement?
I am loving my role at Fox Sports and the hours I work give me plenty of time to enjoy life to its fullest. And I can now come up to Port Macquarie and catch up with you more often.
Singing for mental health
By Rachael THORPE
LEANNE Johnson loves to sing anywhere and anytime.
The retired teacher knows the importance of selfexpression, which is why, for the last 16 years, she has been running community choirs in Port Macquarie.
Her current passion is focused on improving men’s mental health through singing, and she wants to make the activity accessible to everyone.
Leanne found that while it was common in European countries for large groups of men to sing at social events like football games, it is not commonly seen in Australia, something she hopes to change.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics men account for 75.3 percent of suicides in Australia with significant impact in the 20-
50 years demographic.
Leanne told News Of The Area, “Men have often had a negative experience with singing in their younger years, and this makes them reluctant to participate in it when they get older.
“I want to reframe that experience for them.
“I love my Blokes Notes Choir and often get comments from the men that they feel better after singing.
“I’m on a mission to solve the problems of the world through songs, in particular group singing.”
Leanne is running free singing sessions for men of all ages on 6, 13 and 20 November from 5.30pm to 6.30pm at the Mac Adams Centre, 33 Lord Street, Port Macquarie. For more information contact Leanne on 0429 848 741.
q Emergency response group members attend search and rescue training. Photo: Olivia Katz/IFAW.
q Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach and Dave ‘Scoop’ Lazarus.
q Hamish Bell and Hamish Johnson enjoying the benefits of group singing.
Mysterious Thelma Raye: ‘Queen of the Follies’
By Pauline CAIN
THELMA Raye was a movie actress and a star of the stage in London, Broadway and Sydney in the early 20th Century and her fascinating life ended here, in Port Macquarie.
But little else is known about the woman once married to Hollywood heartthrob Ronald Colman and how she came to live in the Hastings.
When local Gary Williams recently shared some of her story, News Of The Area decided to find out more.
Thelma Raye moved to Flynns Beach in 1950 and then to Tacking Point.
In April 1950, the Sydney newspaper “The Truth” lists Mrs Thelma Rae (sic) Colman as “down from Port Macquarie and staying with Dorothy James” before heading to the Isle of Capri for the summer.
Later, a hospital listing shows a Mrs T. Colman of Tacking Point was a patient
from May to July 1966.
She died at Hastings District Hospital in Port Macquarie on 29 June 1966 as Thelma Victoria Maud Colman, with the Sydney Morning Herald publishing her death notice on 1 July 1966.
Braelyn Lunn (nee Kennedy) was aged 17 at the time of Thelma’s death and had just started her training as a nurse.
“I’m now 81, but Thelma Raye made such an impression on me that I have never forgotten,” she said.
“She had the most amazing Aladdin-style slippers and an exotic dressing gown.
“She was a delightful lady with a great fondness for Oil of Ulan.
“She told me some stories but I'm afraid they have faded away with time.”
Suzanne Rikkerink also shared memories of looking after Thelma Raye.
“I had just started nurse training and she had some
amazing stories to tell.
“I was very young at the time, but thought she was amazing.”
Thelma Raye was born in Rio de Janeiro, to English parents, in 1890.
Her family moved back to England at the turn of the century and in 1906 she went on stage at Daly's Theatre in London, as a chorus girl.
Thelma Raye rose to fame quickly and appeared in many musicals, musical comedies, comic operas and operettas.
She came to Australia in 1915 with J. C. Williamson Ltd. for a play at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney.
She then appeared with the Tivoli Follies for two years, becoming the “Queen of the Follies” in 1917.
Raye married her first husband, Percy Stewart Dawson, in Sydney in 1917.
When he enlisted and left to serve in France, she returned to England and the London stage.
It was there she met the
rising stage and screen star, Ronald Colman, who was named a co-respondent in her divorce from Dawson.
The actors married in 1920.
Raye gave up the stage and followed Colman to support his silent movie
career in New York.
The couple separated in 1924 and never spoke again, though she kept his name and opened Thelma's Fish
Net Shoppe in Laguna Beach, advertising herself as "The Original Mrs Ronald Colman.”
Thelma lived her later
years on the very generous divorce settlement and maintenance she received from Colman.
Before settling in Port Macquarie, she lived in London, Paris, Italy, Switzerland and, for some years, in a villa in the south of France.
Locals unite to ‘Reclaim the Night’
By Rachael THORPE
RECLAIM The Night is an international movement that started in the 1970s and is a mainstay of Sexual Violence Awareness Month, which is observed in October.
Marked this year on 25 October, it saw locals gather at the Town Beach Amphitheatre for an event and walk facilitated by the Mid North Coast Local Health District, Port MacquarieHastings Council, headspace, and Mid North Coast Police.
The event was well attended with several guest speakers including Citizen of The Year Di Bannister from Lifeline; Member for Port Macquarie Robert Dwyer; NSW Police Senior Constable
Tim Preston; and People and Culture Manager from Liberty Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Services Brooke Maggs. A Connection to Country was given by Birpai and Dhanggati Elder Dr Aunty
Rhonda Radley with Deputy Mayor Nik Lipovac in the role of MC.
Speakers emphasised the unacceptable rate of gendered violence in Australia, highlighting the 56 women and 21 children
murdered this year. They implored the community to remember that safety should be a human right for all.
Event attendee Leesa Baxter told News Of The Area, “As a woman and a mother of teens I worry constantly, it is high time that we make a change and put a stop to the violence.”
These sentiments were echoed by Member for Port Macquarie Robert Dwyer, who told NOTA, “This movement is about everyone feeling safe wherever they are at any time of day or night.
“As a father of daughters and a son, I want to live in a world where respect, equality and safety are a part of everyday life.”
There were many multigenerational family groups who participated in the walk, with entertainment provided by The Adam Ruthless Band, and the local Lions providing a BBQ.
Doctors hail Medicare changes as win for rural patients
By Stephanie GARDINER, AAP
SOME elderly rural cancer patients live on farms with limited connectivity, hundreds of kilometres from the closest computer and even further from their doctor.
These are the kinds of marginalised patients who will be helped by hard-fought new telehealth Medicare rebates, allowing for longer telephone consultations with specialists, medical oncologist Christopher Steer says.
The new Medicare items for longer, more complex consultations over the phone come into effect across Australia on 1 November, adding to existing rebates for video telehealth appointments and short phone consults.
Associate Professor Steer, from Border Medical Oncology at the AlburyWodonga Regional Cancer Centre in southern NSW, said it was common to hear from isolated patients who could not readily access either
face-to-face care or video appointments.
"It's the people with the most to lose who are the ones that will benefit from this change, " Dr Steer told AAP.
"They're often the ones who have the most difficulty accessing video or the most difficulty at getting to their appointments.
"But a phone is something almost everyone universally has."
Telehealth items have been available under the Medicare Benefits Schedule
(MBS) since 2002 and were vastly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There has been some caution about further broadening various telehealth items, amid the expansion of private online-only GP services providing medical certificates, prescriptions and referrals.
A 2024 report by the MBS review advisory committee said face-to-face appointments were still the preferred mode of care, but telehealth had improved
access for patients in certain circumstances.
"For some patients, such as those who are house-bound, a telehealth consultation can mean the difference between accessing health care or not," the report said.
Royal Australasian College of Physicians president, Professor Jennifer Martin, said the changes would benefit people in regional, rural and remote areas, who generally experienced higher rates of complex and chronic diseases.
The burden of disease is 1.4 times greater in remote areas than in the cities, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
"People who've struggled with long travel times, technology barriers or mobility challenges will feel relief, knowing their specialist telephone consultations for complex care will be more accessible than before," Dr Martin said.
q Actress Thelma Raye on stage.
q Locals gathered at the Town Beach Amphitheatre for ‘Reclaim the Night’.
q Speaker Port Macquarie MP Robert Dwyer and MC Deputy Mayor Nik Lipovac.
Deforestation can cause ‘eight-fold increase’ in flood event risk
THE chance of large-scale flooding in a specific catchment area can increase by as much as 700 percent if widespread deforestation has occurred.
That is the finding of a new paper by academics who analysed decades of flooding data from regions in Australia which frequently suffer forest fires.
The loss of forest canopy has long been claimed to increase the risk of flooding –but actually proving the direct link has proven difficult since the impact of other factors such as changing climate are hard to exclude.
But a team of researchers, led by Professor Ashish Sharma from UNSW Sydney, say they have now confirmed the correlation and determined there is a very significant increase in the risk of flooding if forest canopies are removed from catchment areas.
“What we have shown is that the probability changes from a one-in-64 year flood event, to a one-in-eight year flood event if there has been deforestation.
“So we can say there is an eight-fold increase in the likelihood of there being a flood,” says Prof. Sharma, from UNSW’s School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering.
“Another way of thinking about it is to imagine there being 64 different forested catchments.
“In any single year, the most extreme climate would cause the highest flood in one of these 64 catchments.
“But according to our analysis of the data, if there was major deforestation, then in the same year, the same flood would be exceeded in eight of the 64 catchments.
“Deforestation and mega forest fires under climate change are happening all around the world, so this is a very important topic.”
Decades of data
The results of the research have been published in the Communications Earth & Environment journal and were based on information related to three mega forest fires in south-east Australia, as well as streamflow data in the same region covering 50 years when no major forest fires were reported.
The team were able to identify nine historical years when the climate strongly matched those of 2003, 2007 and 2009 (when the devastating fires occurred), and also ensured there were no extreme rainfall patterns in any of the datasets which could distort the comparisons.
That meant any years when El Niño (lower average rainfall) or La Niña (higher average rainfall) were declared would be ignored, as they can dramatically change the risk of flooding by themselves.
Analysis of the remaining records showed that in the years when there were no forest fires in the region, the chance of exceeding the normal annual flood levels in any given catchment area was 0.016 – or roughly 1 in 64.
However, in the period immediately following the mega fires, the chance of an unusually large flood in a catchment area rose to 0.127 –or roughly one in eight.
“Our paper tries to assess whether the loss of forest canopy increases the risk of flooding or not in large-scale watershed processes,” says Dr Tae-Ho Kang, who worked on the project as a PhD candidate and is now a Senior Researcher at the K-water Institute in Korea, while continuing the work with the team at UNSW.
“This has been a question raised since the 1600s, but it’s been almost impossible to resolve because flooding in a specific location over time can be caused by many different factors, not least a change in the climate.
“What we were able to do was utilise the data when we knew there was complete tree loss from major forest fires, and compare that to historical records from the same catchment areas when we could see the climate was very similar and the forest canopy was in place.
“And we only looked at flooding data in the wet season immediately following those mega fires in 2003, 2007 and 2009 – not two or three years afterwards.
“So basically we could see in the comparisons that
the climate was similar, the rainfall was similar, and the locations and the geology were obviously the same.
“The only difference was whether there was forest canopy in the catchment area, or if there was widespread deforestation caused by the fires.
“That really allowed us to contrast the data with regards to the risk of significant flooding.”
Absorbing the rainfall
The research team, which included Professor Lucy Marshall who was at UNSW but has since taken up a role at University of Sydney, also took into consideration the fact that flooding events could be impacted by the effect of the forest fires on the surface soil.
Fires can make the soil hydrophobic – which means it repels water rather than absorbs it – thus potentially causing an increase in the chance of a flood event after rainfall.
But analysis showed this was not a significant factor in the flood risk increasing when compared to the impact of the loss of the forest canopy and leaf litter which absorbs and disperses rainfall.
And to double-check their conclusions, the research team also compared streamflow data in relevant years from areas where damage from forest fires was extensive, versus that in areas where the burning was not so severe.
“We contrasted those two sets and we could see
there was a dampening effect in the forested catchments which was not happening in the more heavily deforested areas,” says Professor YoungOh Kim from Korea’s Seoul National University and a coauthor of the study.
“And that is comparing the levels of flooding in proximal areas in the same year, so obviously the climate was the same for both and the only thing significantly different is the loss of forest canopy.
“Recent mega wildfires in South Korea highlight the increasing exposure to severe forest loss driven by climate change, a phenomenon that has become increasingly common worldwide.
“According to our study, after each disastrous wildfire, societies need to seriously consider the flood risk increase that will occur.”
The paper helps explain the specific process by which a large forest canopy helps lower the risk of flooding.
With more forestation there is a two-fold impact that reduces the impact of rainfall and reduces the risk of flooding.
The first is the canopy of the trees – that is the branches and the leaves – which first block the rain from reaching the ground.
If there is heavy rain it can also disperse the water over a wider area and over a longer time which reduces the peak amount of moisture reaching the ground, and therefore lowers the potential flood levels.
Secondly with more trees in a catchment area, there
are also more fallen leaves and that dampens the flow of any rain that does reach the ground.
When there is significant deforestation the canopy and leaf litter is severely diminished, and the water they were previously absorbing goes straight into the soil, which can then more quickly get saturated. And when that happens the risk of a flood subsequently goes up.
Implications for the future
Prof. Sharma hopes the research will be taken on board by anyone involved in the process of manmade deforestation, given the devastating impact flooding can have on human populations who may be living in areas at risk.
“The data is collected from south-east Australia, but we see no reason why the conclusion does not apply in the same way anywhere else where forest canopy is being removed,” he says.
“Our main message is that extensive deforestation has a significant increase in flood risk.
“If deforestation is happening, then there should be strong consideration for planning rules or regulations regarding habitats downstream, to reduce the enhanced danger they will face from flooding.
“We would also advise that if deforestation has to occur, it should be restricted to areas that do not have vulnerable communities downstream.”
q The loss of forest canopy has long been claimed to increase the risk of flooding – but actually proving the direct link has proven difficult since the impact of other factors such as changing climate are hard to exclude.
Photo: NSW SES.
Foster carers in high demand on the Mid North Coast
MID NORTH COAST
residents are being urged to consider becoming foster carers due to a significant demand for children needing the love and support of a safe and stable home.
Life Without Barriers’ NSW regional director for NSW Family Base Care North services, Benn Anderson, said many children are unable to live with their families for many different reasons.
“We always need
more carers, particularly here on the Mid North Coast," Mr Anderson said.
“It is so important that we find more foster carers who can provide a safe, stable, and loving home for these children.
“The love and support of a foster carer can help change the trajectory of a child’s life and have a big impact on their health and wellbeing.”
It comes as Life Without Barriers launches its Sharing is
Caring Campaign, which raises awareness of the need for more foster carers, and encourages people to take that next step to find out more information.
“The more foster carers we can recruit, the more likely children will be able to stay close and connected to their family, community, and kin,” Mr Anderson said.
People who are interested in becoming a foster carer can find out more by visiting the Life
Without Barriers website at lwb.org.au, or emailing carers@lwb.org.au.
“We know that people living on the Mid North Coast have big hearts,” Mr Anderson said.
“If anyone feels like they have the capacity to support a child who needs some love, care and stability –whether that be through providing some respite care, or short, medium or long-term care – we would love to hear from them.”
Investing in regional artists
REGIONAL Arts Australia is launching a “transformative” new funding initiative with $2.4 million dollars in support from Minderoo Foundation.
The program offers multiyear grants of $160,000 to support independent artists living and working in regional communities across Australia.
“Practice in Community” will deliver two funding rounds for independent artists working in Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD) to cocreate impactful projects within their regional community and help it thrive.
Expressions of Interest opened in October for the initial funding round, where five artists will be selected to begin their projects in
2026, followed by a second round to create a cohort of six artists commencing in 2027.
“We’ve listened closely to what regional artists have told us,” said Ros Abercrombie, Executive Director, Regional Arts Australia.
“They have been asking for longer-term support to work in their communities - different types of funding opportunities to complement one-off project funding.
“Practice in Community is about investing in artists themselves and unlocking creativity as a catalyst for hope, connection and thriving regional communities.”
Penny Dakin, Executive Director of Communities at the Minderoo Foundation, said the organisation was proud to support Regional
Arts Australia’s vision to bring “inclusive, participatory arts practice to regional communities”.
“Minderoo Foundation believes in the power of community arts to bring people together, nurture potential, and build pride, and in the unique role philanthropy can play to unlock new opportunities, like Practice in Community, that elevate what’s possible.”
Through these multiyear grants, artists will also receive tailored professional development opportunities, including mentorship and dedicated wellbeing support.
A rigorous evaluation process will ensure the program remains community responsive, cross disciplinary, and grounded in local priorities.
Learn more at regionalarts.com.au/pic.
Social media ban: How parents can help kids stay connected safely
AS Australia’s social media ban for under-16s edges closer, children are already worried about losing touch with their friends.
But while the onus is on social media platforms to act, researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) say the real battle will be at home – where parents must enforce the rules, manage their children’s reactions, and help them adjust.
Child safety and wellbeing expert, UniSA’s Associate Professor Lesley-Anne Ey, says the key to a smoother transition is education, reassurance, and open, ageappropriate conversations.
The first step, she says, is understanding why social platforms matter to kids.
“Many children and teens use apps like Snapchat and TikTok to connect with their friends,” Assoc Prof Ey says.
“They’ve grown up with this technology - it’s part of who they are - and they’re used to communicating through videos, emojis,
photos and filters.
“When the ban kicks in, kids may feel like they’re facing a social penalty where they won’t be able to connect with their friends in the same way.
“The fear of losing touch with friends is real, so parents will need to invite questions and show understanding and empathy about what their kids will see as a loss.
“Brainstorm alternative ways to stay connected.
“If they liked TikTok dances, an app like Just Dance could suit; if they want to chat, use closed group chats or messaging apps; and if they enjoy gaming, find multiplayer games where they can connect safely.
“Supporting kids through this is about empathy and keeping the lines of communication open.”
From December 10, major social media platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Reddit must take ‘reasonable steps’ to stop
under-16s creating accounts.
While the new legislation aims to protect kids from harmful content, Assoc Prof Ey says its success depends on what happens at home – through education and consistent guidance.
“Parents should talk with their children about online safety – why it’s important to protect personal information like your full name, address and passwords; who it’s okay to connect with; and how to behave kindly and respectfully,” she says.
“They should also teach kids to think before they post anything – photos, comments or information – because once something’s online, you can’t take it back.
“Young brains are especially vulnerable to social media because they crave peer feedback and attention.
“This makes them more likely to take risks or react quickly without thinking about the consequences.
“Encourage kids to ask ‘Would I say this to someone’s
face?’ or ‘Would I show this to my mum?’ before posting or commenting. If the answer is ‘no’, then it’s probably not appropriate.”
With rising rates of online bullying, coercion and sextortion, researchers say it’s vital that parents take the ban seriously.
“The social media ban isn’t ‘safetyism’, or evidence of a ‘Nanny State’; it’s an essential move to protect kids from online predators and risks,” Assoc Prof Ey says.
“Parents should educate themselves about the platforms and games their kids use so they can have informed conversations. Non-judgemental, ongoing dialogue is essential.”
As children tend to imitate adult behaviour, parents can also be powerful role models.
“Avoid excess screen time yourself and set up screen-free times for the whole family, like dinner and bedtime.
“This makes boundaries predictable and shows your kids what a healthy balance looks like,” Assoc Prof Ey says.
“Connect with your kids. Show them how you can have
fun together – whether it’s board games, movie nights, or taking advantage of daylight savings for a bike ride after dinner.
“The convenience of screens and social media has caused havoc.
“Perhaps we all need to wind the clock back and remember what life was like before screens.
“It’s time we took control –for our sake, and for the safety and wellbeing of our kids.”
What parents need to know about guiding kids through the social media ban:
• Get informed about new platforms and trends – Kids move quickly to new apps. Keep an eye on emerging platforms and talk about them before your child joins –explore the platforms, games and media kids are using and explore the benefits and risk of these
• Have open and ageappropriate conversations –Talk about what they do and see online and how it makes them feel. Stay open and provide a safe place to share
• Understand and empathise – Acknowledge your child’s feelings of loss of freedom or control. Let them know you understand but explain that safety and their wellbeing comes first.
• Model healthy behaviour – Show balance in your own screen use and set family-wide screen-free times (like during dinner or before bed).
• Create consistent routines – Make boundaries predictable with regular habits, such as tech-free zones or times.
• Encourage alternatives – Support hobbies, sport, and offline fun to keep kids socially connected in healthier ways. Arrange family or peer connection like movie or game nights.
• Educate kids about online safety – Talk openly about the benefits and risks of the internet, what’s safe to share, how to protect personal information, and what to do if something online feels uncomfortable and even if they think they have done something wrong online. They need to know that you are always there to help them even if they have done something wrong.
q Foster carers are in high demand on the Mid North Coast.
q Penny Dakin, Scott Howie, Ros Abercrombie, Andrew Barker, Danielle Fusco and Imogen Castledine.
By Callum GODDE and William TON, AAP
LEGAL advocates have welcomed a report's recommendations into a presumption that children under 14 are "incapable of evil", urging a state not to tinker with the long-standing
Leaders urged not to mess with criminal responsibility Antarctic heat
By Thomas O’KEEFE
RISING temperatures over Antarctica have been a major contributing factor to recent volatile weather along the East Coast, according to new information from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
A “sudden stratospheric warming” (SSW) is to blame.
This is a documented weather scenario in which air temperatures high above the South Pole rise by 30 degrees or more in the space of a week.
This latest SSW began in late September.
According to the BOM, they are relatively rare in the Southern Hemisphere, but have the potential to disrupt weather patterns across the Australian continent for months.
Only two major SSWs have been recorded in the last
principle, despite a drop in youth convictions. A NSW review of doli incapax was released on Saturday after it was launched by the state Labor government in May amid a national debate about youth crime.
Latin for incapable of
60 years: in 2002 and 2019.
Both those years immediately preceded devastating bushfire events, however they came on the tail of prolonged drought conditions and El Nino weather patterns, whereas 2025 has been exceedingly wet and a mild La Nina is on the horizon for the months ahead.
Last Wednesday, 22 October, was a stifling 40-degree scorcher along the coast.
BOM meteorologist Angus Hines described it as a “bubble of heat, moving over central Australia, coming east from northwestern NSW”.
“This hot wind blew from the desert towards the coast… causing temperatures to soar across the Illawarra, Sydney, the Central Coast, the Hunter and the Mid North Coast.”
BOM information shows
evil, doli incapax is a legal presumption that children between the ages of 10 and 14 do not sufficiently understand the difference between right and wrong to be held criminally responsible.
Led by former Supreme Court judge Geoffrey Bellew and retired NSW police
deputy commissioner Jeffrey Loy, the review acknowledged the test for rebutting doli incapax imposed a "high threshold".
But the high bar was justified as it provided a safeguard for inappropriate findings, was consistent with the 'mens rea' principle of a guilty mind, recognised the vulnerability of 10 to 13-yearolds and the impact of a criminal conviction.
Some review participants pushed for a "capacity to know" test to alleviate the burden on the prosecution to prove what a child was actually thinking at the time of the act.
But the criminal law experts argued it did not warrant a departure from common law or introducing legislation that imposed a different standard for 10 to 13-year-olds.
"On the contrary, such a change would risk creating an inconsistency within the broader framework of criminal law," the 90-plus page review read.
The review was triggered
that new records have been set for October.
Some overnight temperatures, however, dropped precipitously to around 15 degrees, confounding many who had started the evening dressed for Summer only to wake in the middle of a chilly wintry night.
When an SSE does occur over the South Pole, a meteorologically complex chain reaction ensues, which can eventuate in westerly winds hitting southern Australia, bringing warm, dry weather to the east.
“Cold fronts embedded in the westerlies also increase in number, leading to frequent bursts of strong winds and high fire danger days, and potentially an enhanced contrast in weather between the country's east and south coast,” said ABC Meteorologist Tom Saunders.
Barefoot bowls for Ivy
By Rachael THORPE
A BAREFOOT bowls fundraiser will be held on Saturday, 1 November at Club North Haven for 10-year-old local Ivy Latham, with money raised going towards her ongoing medical costs.
Described by her mother Melisa Iping as smart, spunky, determined and very headstrong, Ivy is like any other girl her age except that she was born with achondroplasia (the most common type of dwarfism) and has Type 1 Diabetes.
She is the only known child in Australia with both conditions.
Ivy is a younger sister to 12-year-old Portia and 13-year-old Isabella, she enjoys talking to everyone she meets and loves her school and friends.
Her serious health complications including seizures and a brain shunt however mean that Melisa is always on call, and everywhere she goes she must take a plethora of medical equipment and supplies.
Ivy’s insulin pump sends alerts to Melisa’s phone when her blood sugar fluctuates.
To manage this risk, Melisa can never be far from Ivy, making it impossible for her to work.
Melisa says this issue could be partly alleviated by a specially-trained diabetes dog, however the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has so far declined to provide funding.
Melisa is determined to fight to make sure that Ivy’s life is as full and normal as possible, and has been
after a NSW crime statistics agency study indicated a 2016 High Court decision in the case RP v R had made it more difficult to convict younger children.
It made seven recommendations, including legislating the common law test for rebutting doli incapax, additional police training and guidance on the principle and expanding access to diversion pathways for 10 to 13-yearolds.
The report has been welcomed by the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service, which urged Premier Chris Minns and Attorney-General Michael Daley to adopt the recommendations in full.
"We know that locking children up not only compounds trauma for that child, it also increases the likelihood that they will reoffend as an adolescent or adult - ultimately increasing future crime," the legal service's chief executive Karly Warner said.
Data showed the proportion of youths aged 10 to 13 with a proven outcome
in the NSW Children's Court fell from 76 percent to 16 percent in the seven years to 2023.
The volume of children in that cohort charged by police remained mostly stable over the same period, and the downward trend was mirrored in Victoria and South Australia.
The review found there appeared to be a "degree of misunderstanding" among criminal justice system members on applying aspects of the current test and the 2016 High Court decision.
Mr Daley said states that have codified doli incapax, such as Queensland and Western Australia, did not show a similar decline in convictions.
The NSW government will examine the report before detailing a pathway to reform.
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties previously said there was no need to codify doli incapax, which risks putting children in contact with the criminal justice system.
So far, in October alone, there have been a handful of “Extreme” fire danger days, which were flagged in forecasts of spiking temperatures, and followed relatively mild weather in the mid-20s.
BOM Meteorologist Felicity Gamble has pointed to a similar case of a weak,
successful in gaining NDIS funding to procure a specially made bike which is on its way from Poland.
In the hope of reducing some of the financial burden on Melisa, Camden Haven mother Shaarn Whitehouse and a small group of locals have rallied to put on a Barefoot Bowls Fundraiser at Club North Haven on Saturday.
The event will run from 4.30pm to 8.30pm, with all funds raised going to the family.
“We have run several local fundraisers over the last few years, and I get a real sense of joy seeing the families' faces
relatively unknown SSW event in October 1988 that had weather patterns similar to 2025.
It may offer clues to what to expect for the rest of this year.
“November's rain prospects have also eased in recent model updates, and research suggests the
as we help them,” Shaarn said.
To nominate a team, contact Shaarn on
dominance of warmer and drier weather from an SSW can linger until January,” said Ms Gamble.
The coming clouds have one silver lining, at least, being “a suppression of supercold polar stratospheric ice clouds, which are key to the chemical process that destroys ozone."
0402364689. Spectators are also welcome to join in the fun.
q Changing a long-standing youth conviction principle would only lead to future criminal offending, advocates say, following the release of a review. Photo: NSW Police.
q Bureau of Meteorology heat map for Wednesday 22 October, showing new record temps. Photo: BOM.
q Melisa Iping, Isabella, Portia and Ivy Latham.
By Jules BARDON
COOPER Barnes is in New
Zealand this week for the international round of the Bridgestone GA200 Racing 86 Championship (GR Cup).
The first round starts Friday, 31 October.
There are six rounds in
total, running until April 2026.
Cooper will be racing on some of the country’s toughest circuits, covering both the North and South islands.
He will also be racing before the V8 Supercars at Taupo in the final round on
Iona Bulls claim third title in a row Cooper’s Supercar dream
By Sis HIGGINS
THE Iona Bulls Under-14s have made football history, claiming both the premiership and the championship for the
third year in a row - without conceding a single goal all season.
The Bulls’ remarkable run marks their third season since joining competitive
Cooper made a strong debut there last season, finishing 5th overall, and will be looking to make it into the top three this time around.
The Bonny Hills local has had an impressive year on the track, sitting a very respectable 6th in the Australian GR Cup.
The 17-year-old qualified 9th at the world-renowned Bathurst 1000 round, and also comfortably finished in the top 10 on the Gold Coast.
The GR Cup in New Zealand will give Cooper the opportunity to race against the world’s best upand-coming drivers on the international stage.
Penny Barnes from the Cooper Barnes Racing Team explained, “The GR Cup is one of the key development categories for young drivers working their way up to the
football as Under-12s in 2023.
This year the side won every match and finished with a flawless defensive record - not one goal was 10 April.
Supercars (V8s)”.
“It’s a great stepping stone for future Supercar drivers.
“The next step after the GR Cup would be to move to the next tier, Super 2, then the ultimate goal - to Supercars.”
Cooper will be travelling back and forth from New Zealand to Australia in
scored against them across 16 rounds and finals.
The team has now taken out both the minor premiership and grand final victory in every season they’ve played.
“What makes them special is how well they work as a team,” Kristy Kawaguchi, Iona’s Registrar and team parent told News Of The Area.
“They’re not focused on individual glory, they support each other, train hard and
between rounds, which will come at a huge cost.
The Cooper Barnes Racing Team will be hosting a fundraiser at the North Haven Bowling Club on Saturday, 22 November.
The “Full Throttle Fundraiser” will have a live hypnotist, as well as raffles, games, and prizes.
play for the team.
“The Bulls’ success is built on strong camaraderie.
“The squad includes five sets of brothers and several players who are playing one or two years above their age group.
Kristy spoke highly of the extraordinary commitment from their coach.
“Brett [Stephens’] commitment as coach and mentor has been central to their success.
All of the proceeds will go towards funds for transport, accommodation, tyres, and race entry fees.
“Every bit of local support helps make this dream possible,” Penny Barnes said. Tickets are available through the link events. humanitix.com/full-throttlefundriser
“He gives up holidays and weekends to take them to tournaments.
“He’s a real role model for them.”
Stephens and his young players have built a reputation for teamwork, discipline and sportsmanship.
They capped off their season with a strong grand final win over Port United Devils, with goals from Zion Cruz Lakin, Cruz Kawaguchi and Josh Dawson, and a fourth that deflected off an opponent for an own goal.
MacKillop secures U16s NRL Championship
By Pauline CAIN
MACKILLOP College’s U16 Girls Rugby League team has defeated Bass High School in their City versus Country game, making them NRL U16 Schoolgirl Champions for 2025.
It follows their recent success in the final of the Northern versus Southern country competition.
“It has been an epic journey to get to the State Final with several nerve racking moments and tightly contested games throughout the statewide competition,” said coach Erin Denham.
“The game was played in great spirit with our
girls demonstrating bravery up against a much bigger city side.
“A strong defensive platform paved the way for our attack to strike early in the game, taking the scoreline to 6-0 six minutes in.
“Bass High School started to apply some pressure in attack but our defensive line used their fast line speed and first contact on the ball to their advantage.
“The tone of the game then shifted, with the opposition scoring tries in quick succession locking us in at 12-12.
“As the game continued, Bass High School bounced
back with a third try.
“Their conversion was unsuccessful with the score at 16-16 with five minutes to go.
“With only a minute on the clock the girls had one set of six to score.
“The girls shifted the ball out to the right edge where they scored in the corner, winning the game 20-16.”
Captain Darcie Gleeson was quick to applaud the efforts of her team mates.
“I am so proud of the journey we have been on to get here today,” she said.
Arliah Morris was named Player of the Match.
q Cooper leading the pack in car #186.
q Cooper Barnes will be aiming for a top 3 finish in New Zealand.
q Iona Bulls celebrate their championship win. Photo: Kristy Kawaguchi.
q (Back): Lenni Gosling, Ellah Armitage, Sophia Wilmot, Millie Byrne, Isabella Hawkins, Arliah Morris, Evie Evans, Matilda Medlin, Grace Byrne, Kate Cowan (coach) and Anna Gleeson. (Front): Erin Denham (coach), Siena King, Lainey Fenton, Darcie Gleeson, Lily Moseley, Ella Oliver and Alison Montgomery (staff).
q Coach Brett Stephens with brothers Kai and Cruz Kawaguchi.
Photo: Kristy Kawaguchi.
q Trophies galore for Cooper Lamond, with coach Brett.
Photo: Karen Lamond.
q Brothers Taj, and grand final goal scorer Zion Cruz Lakin, celebrate their win. Photo: Ella Jane.
Emerald Downs Golf Club
By Glenn HOLT
TUESDAY 21/10/2025
Number of Players – 24
Game Played –Stroke –3rd Round of the Club
Championship
NTP 4 Col Hutchings
NTP 9 Steve Vickers
NTP 11 John Gillard
NTP 15 Col Hutchings
Winner- Luke Ackroyd -
62 Net
2nd Colin Mason -
70 Net(on Count Back)
3rd Pat Daley -
70 Net
4th Peter Mansfield -
71 Net (on Count Back)
5th Col Hutchings
- 71Net
6th Ray Marsh -
72 Net (on count Back)
Congratulations to all winners!!
Results for the 2025 Club
Championship are :
Gross Winner = Colin Mason
– Total Gross = 267
Joint Second = Glenn Holt & Ian Camejo – Total Gross = 271
Net Winner = Glenn Holt
- Total net = 211
Second = David Farthing
- Total net = 215
Third = Peter Mansfield - Total net =218
Congratulations to all winners and placegetters. It was pleasing to see that after 3 rounds of golf the scores were so close and that the final results were
not known until the last players had completed their respective rounds.
Weekly results for the Emerald Downs Golf Club -Friday Afternoon Golfers.
Number of players -16
Weather - fine with a little
humidity
Nearest the Pins:
4th - Dennis Leembruggen
9th - Steve Vickers
Overall results=
6th -Terry Doherty -net 39
5th - Neil Clancy -net 39
4th- Peter Slater - net38
3rd - Steve Vickers - net 37
2nd -David Horn - net 36
WINNER - Terry McFarland - net 35
Wauchope Women's Bowling Club
By Julie FRASER
SATURDAY 25/10/25 was
President v Secretary day
. A fun morning of laughs and chocolates won for touches . Winners were Presidents teams on the left Doris McKinnon won 72/35 . Runners up were Secretary’s team headed by Glenda Elford on the right handing over the trophy . All teams were blind drawn .
Results for Thursday 23/10/25
Winners fan of cards were Elaine Taylor ,Joan Copp and Marie Winter . Loser of fan of cards were Lill Allen and Sally Webber . Jackpot 7 Enid Brooker
Raffle winners were Jenny Wooster , Judy Coombes and Joan Copp
Today’s Major Singles
Winners were Ita Walker won over Lil Allen and Wendy Kennedy won over Glenda Elford
Final will be played next
Thursday between Ita Walker and Wendy Kennedy. Should be a cracker of a game .
Results Saturday 25/10/25
President v Secretary day Winners highest margin were Kath Sweeney and
Julie Fraser
Losers lowest score Jill Goldsmith and Marie Winter
Jackpot Clare Emerson
Raffle winners were Lil Allen ,Margaret Wallis , Julie Fraser and Kathy Sweeney
Career best season
BACK COVER Page 28
Q2: What does a World Cup win mean for you personally and professionally?
It means a lot to me personally. I’ve worked very hard for many years to achieve a World Cup win and sacrificed a lot to get to this point in my career; many years of ups and downs, that’s for sure. Professionally it’s a big door opener to my sponsors to show that I can do it, as well as new sponsors in and out of the industry.
Q3: What's next for you?
Currently, I’m taking some chill time to reset after the season, before preparations start for the 2026 DH World Cup season.
Q4: How long are you signed with Giant, and what was their reaction to the win?
I am contracted with the Giant Factory Off-road Team through till next year (which will be my 4th year with the team). The win means a lot to them as a company, after around a 28-year hiatus. I couldn’t be happier to get them back on the map with this win.
Q5: Did your brother (fellow rider, Remy) still have to pay the fine for rushing in to congratulate you?
Haha! He decided not to pay it. And they haven’t followed him up, so hopefully they have realised the stupidity of the fine.
Q6: Do you think Australia will ever host a MTB World Series Round? I hope so! We definitely have some spots that could do it, I think it’s just a matter of time.
Q7: Port MacquarieHastings Council was very
Wauchope Mixed Bowls
By Beth GABRIEL
MONDAY Mixed Bowls
Report 27.10.2025
This week started on Sunday with a dozen members travelling to Park Beach Bowling Club at Coffs Harbour. Also present was a bus load of players from Harrington. We had mixed success with a few members winning lucky prizes and
raffles. All players fronted up for Mondays windy or gusty weather. It was mild at starting time but the conditions became more challenging as the evening moved on. As an indication of the weather there were very few touchers scored and hence Jenny won’t have to top up the chocolate eskys by much.
Winners on the evening were Bob Walker, Beth Gabriel and James Haywood, with Runners Up being Sue Greenfield, Jenny Wooster and skip Jenny Caller.. Lucky Losers were Patricia Fletcher, John Smyth and Gina Wiseman. No team won a jackpot but Carol, Bob, James, Paul and Jim won raffle prizes.
Hastings Ladies Social Golf
By Leonie MULVIHILL
27/10/2025. STROKE. 49 players.
Division 1: Winner Sharin
Stammers 33 c/b
Runner Up Liz Williams 33
Division 2: Winner Sharon
Farrell 33
Runner Up Mary Butler 34
Division 3: Winner Donna Heffron 30
Runner Up Bev Hudson 33
Division 4: Winner Deb Broome 25
Runner Up Anne Rowsell 33
excited about your win. As a former Wayne Richards Scholarship recipient, how important is that sort of support when you're starting out?
100%. I was super grateful to receive the Wayne Richards scholarship to help support me to get to where I am today. [A] shout out to my parents as well for all their efforts to get me over to Europe when I was a junior. It paid off!
Q8: Based on what you've seen in your travels, do you think there could be more investment in mountain bike parks and rider development on the Mid North Coast?
Yeah, I think so. The MTB industry is growing rapidly around Australia with many parks and riding locations being developed, so hopefully more to come in the Mid North Coast area too.
NTP: Gaylene Fielding 2nd hole, Donna Heffron 9th hole
Gobblers: Denese Kennedy 1st hole
Lucky numbers: Bev Hudson and Jude Turk
Port Macquarie Sailing Club
By Jeff WALSH
26-10-25
THE first round on the sprint race series was held at the Port Macquarie Sailing Club on Sunday afternoon on what was supposed to be the second round after the original first round from last month was not sailed. This round consisted of 2 single lap races before lunch then 2 single lap races and a 2 lap race after lunch, a total of 5 races. The day certainly was a cracker with sunny skies, warm temperatures, and a North Easterly breeze that was lightish in the morning but was lovely for the afternoon. The tide was the last of the run in that pretty much finished running by the time the morning races had ended and was starting to run out for the afternoon races. The course saw a work up to a Port mark A off King Point, a run to another Port mark B opposite the Rowing Club, and a third Port Mark C in the mouth of the Governors Way canal followed by another short work to the finish. Gary Herbert was on duty assisted by Jeff Walsh.
The catamaran fleet consisted of Scott Witchard
on ‘Lukim Yu’ who missed the 2 morning races but sailed the 3 afternoon races for the points (and the fun).
The monohull division was where the action was.
Race 1 saw Simon Gandy and Ezra Mert in their NS14 ‘Upbeat’ cross the finish line first, but once the yardsticks were applied, Terry Howard in his Impulse ‘Flying Dragon’ beat them to the win by 2 seconds. Third place was Rob Barwick in his Impulse ‘Drift’ followed a little while later by Paul Robertson and Dave McNeil in their Tasar ‘Flembouyant’ who were late rigging and starting.
Race 2 for the monohulls was won by ‘Flembouyant’ who this time started with the fleet, followed by ‘Upbeat’ who turned the tables on ‘Flying Dragon’ by beating them by 3 seconds after yardsticks were applied. ‘Drift’ rounded out the fleet in 4th.
After lunch, the 3rd race for the monohulls had the yardsticks once again helping the Impulses with ‘Flying Dragon’ taking the win ahead of 2nd place ‘Drift’. 3rd was our Tasmanian visitor Dirk Salm in his Laser ‘St. Helens Tas’
followed by ‘Flembouyant’, 3 seconds ahead of ‘Upbeat’. Race 4 for the monohulls had ‘Upbeat’ take the win, then came ‘Drift’, ‘St. Helens Tas’, and after yardsticks were applied, 6 seconds later, ‘Flembouyant’. ‘Flying Dragon’ had problems on the bear away at the A mark and went in backwards and copped a bang on the head from the gybing boom, causing him to retire for the afternoon.
The 2 lap race 5 for the monohulls saw ‘St. Helens Tas’ revel in the building North Easter to take the yardstick win off ‘Upbeat’. ‘Flembouyant’ got a good start but broke a jib halyard on the first work off the start line and was forced to retire. ‘Drift’ had had enough for the day an elected not to sail this race.
Next week is our Spring Marathon which will see the fleet race from the Club, down river to the Town Green, then up river to the Pacific Highway (as long as there is enough breeze up there), then back down river to the sailing club. Steve Couch and Jeff Walsh will have both safety boats on duty.
q Doris McKinnon and Glenda Elford.
q Ezra Mert and Simon Gandy in their NS14 ‘Upbeat’ who scored best over the 5 races.
Planning with confidence
AS we move closer to retirement and beyond, we enter a new chapterone that brings reflection, responsibility, and planning for the future.
It’s also the ideal time to ensure your affairs are in order through a wellconsidered estate plan.
Estate planning isn’t just about having a will.
It’s about protecting your family, your assets, and your wishes.
“A complete estate plan includes documents such as an Enduring Power of Attorney, Appointment of Enduring Guardian, superannuation nominations, and possibly a Testamentary Trust,” said the team at Morris Succession Lawyers.
“These ensure that if something unexpected happens, the right people can make decisions for you and that your assets are distributed as you intend.”
For many people over 50, life becomes more complex - children grow up, assets accumulate, and superannuation balances increase.
Without a clear estate
plan, loved ones can face additional taxation, unnecessary stress, delays, and even disputes at an already difficult time.
“Estate planning provides peace of mind,” the team said.
“It means you’ve made thoughtful choices about your legacy, rather than
leaving those decisions to others.
“At Morris Succession Lawyers, we help clients navigate this process with
q The Morris Succession Lawyers team.
care and expertise.
“Whether you’re updating an existing plan or starting from scratch, our team can guide you every
step of the way.
“Contact our team to start planning with confidence.”
LIVING WELL 50 PLUS
All your sleep and mobility needs
LOCAL family-owned and operated since 2015, Sleep Breathe Care Mobility (SBCM) has partnered with global leaders to bring the world’s best sleep, mobility, assistive technology and daily living aid products to the Mid North Coast.
Business owners Brett and Renée Cone draw upon their 35-plus years experience in the electronics and medical gas industries to offer their customers superior first hand knowledge, customer service and local support.
Originally named Mid North Coast Life Solutions, the business has been a long-established Air Liquide Healthcare Partner, providing awardwinning service in medical oxygen and sleep apnea solutions for over a decade.
The name changed in 2023 to Sleep Breathe Care Mobility (SBCM), reflecting the growth and expansion into mobility, assistive technology and daily living aid products, of which they are the only independent supplier on the MNC.
Renée and Brett pride themselves on offering high quality products and are happy to work with their customers to source items to meet their unique needs and requirements.
Pop in and see their new showroom at Unit 6, 10 Bellbowrie Street, Port Macquarie (right next door to Cassera’s Bakery). q
INCLUSIONS
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SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDED IN THIS TOUR:
• Guided sightseeing tour in Istanbul includes visits to the Roman Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, [LF] Basilica Cistern, and Grand Bazaar with a complimentary [LF] traditional Turkish coffee
Visit to the Mausoleum of Ataturk and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara
• Guided visit to Ozkonak underground fortress city
Visit to Goreme’s open-air museum, Pasabag Valley, Pigeon Valley, and Red Valley
Visit to the Caravanserai at Sultanhani
Visit to Karatay Medrese and Mevlana Monastery of the Dervishes in Konya
• Visit to the ancient city of Hieropolis Pamukkale travertine terraces and thermal water pools photo opportunity
Guided walk through the ancient ruins of Ephesus
Visit the WWI battlefields on the Gallipoli peninsula, the Anzac Cemetery, and the Lone Pine Memorial
• Guided walk in Antalya Old Town plus stop at Upper Duden Falls
• Guided visit of the Asklepion, Pergamum
Visit to the excavations of
LIVING WELL 50 PLUS
FOR Australians in their 50s and beyond, superannuation often moves from the growth phase to one of preservation and careful planning.
“It’s the stage where every decision matterswhether it’s maximising contributions, reviewing your investment mix, or mapping out the timing of your transition-to retirement pension and eventual retirement income streams,” said the team at Maven Advisors, registered tax agents and SMSF specialists.
Amid this planning, recent government announcements have added new complexity.
“The proposed lawsnow delayed to take effect from 1 July 2026 - will introduce an additional tax on earnings for super balances exceeding $3 million, with even higher implications for those above $10 million,” the team said.
“While the removal of the earlier plan to tax unrealised gains is welcome news, many
details remain uncertain.”
Key questions persist around how the tax will apply to realised gains and whether it will capture only future earnings or retrospectively impact existing growth.
“The message is clear: now is the time to review your super position.
“Strengthen your retirement income plan, ensure your structures are flexible and tax planning will all play a crucial part ensuring more of your wealth stays where it belongs, working for your retirement.”
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is general in nature and does not constitute personal, financial, or professional advice. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy at the time of publication, laws and regulations may change. Readers should seek independent financial, legal, and tax advice that considers their individual circumstances before making any decisions.
At Maven Advisors Port Macquarie, we understand that your super isn’t just a balance — it’s the foundation of your freedom. For those planning for semiretirement or full retirement, having the right SMSF structure and strategy can make all the difference.
Unlike many accountants who “do SMSFs on the side,” our team are specialist SMSF advisers. We go beyond compliance to ensure your fund works strategically for you — aligning your investment decisions, tax planning, and estate outcomes.
With deep expertise in property investments, pensions, contribution strategies, and compliance with SIS and tax law, Maven Advisors provides the clarity and confidence you need to make every dollar count. We regularly guide clients through complex rulings, contribution timing, and small-business CGT concessions to unlock opportunities that average firms often miss.
Our clients value our proactive approach, helping them grow, protect, and pass on wealth efficiently.
If you’ve built your SMSF over the years you deserve tax advisers who understand both the technical and personal side of retirement.
Let Maven Advisors help you take control with confidence
LIVING WELL 50 PLUS
Peace of mind at Ingenia Gardens
q Ground-level units are purpose-built for seniors, offer low-maintenance and designed for security and peace of mind.
The community offers flexible rental options within a secure gated environment, giving you freedom without the worries of long-term commitments.
Enjoy ground-level units that are purpose-built for seniors, offer low-maintenance and designed for security and
A dedicated Community Manager is onsite during weekdays, providing support and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
With a calendar full of social activities, there’s always something to look forward to – from shared
meals to themed events and fun activities.
Conveniently located close to public transport, shopping, dining and medical services, everything you need is right at your doorstep.
Gardens Port Macquarie isn’t just a place to live – it’s a place where independence and connection thrive.
WILLS AND ESTATES
For more information on Ingenia Gardens Port Macquarie, call the friendly team on 02 6581 5223.
If you were to die without a Will your Estate would be divided according to law, which may not reflect your wishes. The cost to your Estate and the delay in distributing your assets would also likely not be reminiscent of your final wishes.
Therefore, it is a must to have a legally valid and up-to-date Will at all times. Your Will should clearly set out your wishes for the distribution of your assets following your death. We can help you plan the contents of your Will so that your final directives are comprehensive and implicit.
POWERS OF ATTORNEY & ENDURING GUARDIANSHIPS
Consideration should be given to appointing a person with the legal authority to look after your financial affairs on your behalf. This person, called an “Attorney”, can be appointed to act for you in a variety of circumstances – for instance if you are taking an extended holiday or for when you are no longer able to manage your own affairs.
Appointing an Enduring Guardian will give you peace of mind that someone you trust is able to make lifestyle, health and medical decisions for you when you are not capable of doing this for yourself.
Enduring Guardianship only comes into effect if or when you lose capacity and will only be effective during the period of incapacity. If you lose capacity and have not appointed an Enduring Guardian these decisions may be made by the Public Guardian who would not be aware of your wishes.
Please contact us to protect your future
NESTLED on the Mid North Coast, Ingenia Gardens Port Macquarie is a pet-friendly, independent living community where comfort and connection are valued.
peace of mind.
Ingenia
Correction regarding the traits of lefties
DEAR News Of The Area,
TWO months ago there was a letter about plans to charge school age sportspeople for using sports fields.
The letter writer blamed the idea on “lefties”.
This has been niggling me and now I write, as a self identifying leftie, to clean up this misunderstanding.
Lefties wish to reduce inequality, tax the rich, give more support to battlers.
In contrast, the plan to charge sportspeople is a case of user-pays.
This is a Margaret Thatcher type plan and no one ever called the Iron Lady a leftie.
Yours faithfully,
Drusi MEGGET, Port Macquarie.
Thank you for Thrumster assistance
DEAR News Of The Area,
I WOULD like to say a big thank you to a young couple and Bec, who is a paramedic, who helped me and my wife at Thrumster on Saturday 25 October.
My wife who is 77 tripped over and fell to the ground, causing some bruising but mainly shock.
They assisted and stayed with me while an ambulance arrived, and I am very grateful for their help.
Cheers, Barry DOWSE, Port Macquarie.
Voter education required
DEAR News Of The Area,
FROM my observations at polling booths, it is clear that many voters are ignorant of the system of government in this country.
Some of the voting public do not know the difference between State and Federal governments, let alone who the candidates represent.
If voting is compulsory, so should education about government in this country be.
The school curriculum shouldn't rely on the whim of the current principal.
When my granddaughter attended Hastings Public School there was a Year 6 educational role-play of Parliament in operation, beginning with the selection of candidates.
I think this education should be accepted country wide and hopefully continued in secondary school.
Dinner table conversations might lead to parents and children being better informed and this reflected in the election results.
Surely this is what a true democracy is?
Yours sincerely, Betty STARR.
OPINION & LETTERS
Markets decision 'regrettable to say the least’
DEAR News Of The Area,
I HAVE been a regular visitor to this area since my first visit in 2010. I was very disappointed to read
of the lockdown of the Hamilton Green markets after 55 years of operation at the same site.
The Rotary book fair at this site was one of the reasons that we came to this area.
There are, of course, many other reasons to visit.
On theCouch
DEAR Jasminda,
I’VE started going to a gym and there's a man there that leaves various personal items on the equipment I want to use.
His drink bottle is on one, his towel is on another and then he leaves his backpack on a third machine.
What is the gym etiquette around this?
I only have 30 minutes before I have to go to work and he's tying up the equipment.
Penny D.
This decision to lock the markets down is regrettable to say the least. Let us hope that the council can reverse this closure.
Regards, Don TAYLOR, Seaforth NSW.
Hastings heats up as Garvey secures titles
By Kate SHELTON
THE Mid North Coast fishing scene offers a mix of conditions this week.
While the Camden Haven has been somewhat inconsistent, the Hastings River system is showing great promise as we move toward the warmer months.
Fishing in the Camden Haven remains a little unpredictable.
Anglers targeting the wash around the Bonny Hills ledges have managed to find a few tailor, though the catches have been sparse.
Offshore, the weather took an unfortunate turn on Monday evening, making conditions difficult. Prior to the chop, however, the local reefs were generous, yielding good catches of snapper and a healthy variety of other reef species over the weekend.
On the game fishing front, keen anglers have sighted a scattering of yellowfin and striped marlin further offshore, and anticipation is building for the upcoming start of the highly awaited inshore black marlin
season.
The Hastings River region continues to deliver much more consistent results across the board. The standout news is the noticeable increase in whiting numbers, signalling what could be an excellent season ahead for surface lure enthusiasts.
Hotspots like Limeburners, Blackmans Point, and Maria River have all been producing solid catches.
Anglers are having success with traditional bait like worms and yabbies, as well as working surface lures during the early morning and late afternoon bite.
Bream fishing remains a steady option, with some impressive fish being taken from the darkness off the northern break wall. Further upstream, lure fishers are reporting reliable catches, maintaining consistency throughout the system.
Mud crab numbers are showing distinct improvement, particularly in the deeper upstream holes, making it worthwhile to drop a pot or two.
On the beaches, North Shore is proving to be the top location
for reliable catches of both bream and whiting.
Meanwhile, the stretch of sand at Lighthouse has offered up some smaller tailor and the chance encounter with the occasional salmon.
Off the coast of Port Macquarie, the deeper reefs are still holding fish.
Snapper have been caught successfully on soft plastics fished off Lighthouse and Point Plomer.
For those targeting deep water structure, a few solid kingfish have been caught around the deeper reefs off Point Plomer using a combination of live bait and jigs.
A massive congratulations is for Port Macquarie Game Fishing junior angler Indi Garvey.
Last week, she achieved a spectacular double, winning the prestigious Tom Roche Trophy at the Game Fishing Association of Australia National Junior Tournament and being crowned the 2024/25 NSW State Champion for Junior Female Angler Tag and Release.
A brilliant effort.
What you're experiencing, though, sounds more like you're dealing with someone who has either accidentally hit himself in the head too many times while performing his skull-crusher routine, or he's just plain thoughtless.
Try being polite, but assertive.
Something like: 'I want to use the chest press machine. I think you may have accidentally left your towel there.'
If he says, 'No, I didn't forget, I'm doing a circuit,' you could say, 'That's great. I am too. I'm going to jump in while you're doing your leg presses.'
If you get any further pushback from him, it's not your job to sort it out.
Hi Penny,
Firstly, it's great that you're getting your 30 minutes of fitness in before you go to work.
You sound like a gogetter who likes to squeeze the most out of your day, but that shouldn't mean squeezing the sweat out of someone else's gym towel so you can get access to the glute kickback machine.
You shouldn't have to miss out on the prime equipment just because someone is marking his territory much like a dog cocks its leg on its favourite trees.
It is pretty common for a gym-goer to superset between two machines and it may be part of their program.
You can always be direct and ask if you can alternate between the machines in tandem.
You should explain the situation to the gym owner, because I can almost guarantee you're not the only person this equipment hog is annoying.
Try something like, 'Hey, I'm trying to use the machines, but Rambo over there is acting like a serial hoarder, throwing his stuff over multiple stations. He's got the same number of limbs as the rest of us. Can you have a word with him please?'
This takes the confrontation off you and leaves Super-Sized-Sven (a multi-titled AWF champion with energy to burn) to explain basic gym etiquette to Dad-Bod-Dave.
I'm confident your problem will be solved faster than a jump-squat routine.
Carpe diem, Jasminda.
Locked out at Hamilton Green
DEAR News Of The Area,
I write about the Council's decision to lock out Hamilton Green stallholders and use the Police, without any consultation to a teacher of 30 years who had her materials and students’ paintings locked up.
Sister Marjorie, who feeds the homeless and now uses her mobile
kitchen donated to her from the NSW Labor Government, also had great difficulty accessing her van.
What is going on in Council?
Where is their compassion or decency?
Maureen Cooke will be turning in her grave.
Regards, Beverley SHARPE.
q Port Macquarie Game Fishing junior angler Indi Garvey.
PUZZLES
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PORT MACQUARIE
MALTESE Shih Tzu puppies, 5 girls, 1 boy. Available from 16th Nov. Located in Port Stephens. BIN# B000616552. Call or text 0474 378 452 Pets
PAW Patrol couch bed, good condition $30. 02 6585 1564.
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TENS machine (Visage) hardly used, ex cond instructions inc, half price $35. Nick, King Creek 0418 139 156. F171025
TOY, Coco Gorilla with tags, collectors item $100 6584 4954
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BEST ON THE BOX
SATURDAY
A YEAR AT KYLEMORE ABBEY
SBS, 8.25pm
If Sister Act taught us anything it’s that there’s no-one more determined than a convent full of nuns focused on a common goal. In the classic 1992 comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg, a group of habitual habit-wearers are tasked with hiding a lounge singer from the mob. In this three-part docuseries, a Benedictine order of nuns transform a crumbling country estate into one of Ireland’s most popular heritage sites. The savvy sisters combine their devout spirituality with a canny commercial sense to make Kylemore Abbey in Connemara a thriving success.
FRIDAY,
October 31
TV (2)
TUESDAY
TALKIN’ ‘BOUT YOUR GEN
TEN, 7.30pm
Saving the best for last, Tuesday’s season finale of this revived comedy game show features a round that is so entertaining it could be the entire format. In “Pop Quiz”, host Anne Edmonds (pictured) allows the teams to research the questions – but with an age-inappropriate hurdle for each to climb over. Cue the reading glasses when Gen X’s Dave Hughes and Lisa McCune look for answers on TikTok; millennials Tommy Little and Luke McGregor take on a vintage computer with Encarta ’98 installed; and Generation Z’s Anisa Nandaula and Kath Ebbs attempt to navigate a dusty set of Encyclopedia Britannica volumes. Hilarity ensues as the youngsters learn how we lived before the “search” button.
WEDNESDAY CRIME NIGHT!
6.00 News. 9.00 News. 10.00 Knowing The Score. (PG, R) 11.00 The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies. (Malv, R) 12.00 News. 1.00 Mystery Road: Origin. (Final, Malv, R) 1.50 Grand Designs Australia. (R) 2.50 Home Delivery. (PG, R) 3.20 Grand Designs. (R) 4.10 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 4.55 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 5.55 QI. (PGs, R) 6.00 Morning Programs. 10.20 Confucius Was A Foodie. (R) 11.10 London: 2,000 Years Of History. (PG, R) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 The Point. (R) 2.05 No Maori Allowed. (Mal, R) 3.00 Nula. 3.30 Living Black: 50 Years Of SBS Indigenous. (R) 3.35 The Cook Up. (R) 4.05 Scotland’s Riverwoods. (PG, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R) 6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 News At Noon. 1.00 Seven News With Alex Cullen.
6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)
7.00 ABC News.
7.30 Gardening Australia. Jane Edmanson discovers an urban courtyard.
8.30 Professor T. (Final, Mav)
The body of an undercover police officer is discovered in the boot of a car.
9.20 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) Hosted by Tom Gleeson.
9.50 Mother And Son. (Final, PGdl, R) Maggie throws herself a party.
10.20 The Assembly. (Final, l, R)
11.05 ABC Late News.
11.20 Silent Witness. (Malv, R)
12.20 Rage New Music. (MA15+adhlnsv)
5.00 Rage. (PG)
6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG, R)
6.30 SBS World News.
7.30 The Gunpowder Plot: Countdown To Treason. (PGa, R)
9.15 Lost Treasures Of Egypt. (PGa)
10.10 SBS World News Late.
10.40 Sisi. (MA15+s, R)
11.40 Rogue Heroes. (MA15+v, R)
2.00 Making Sense Of Cancer With Hannah Fry. (Mal, R)
3.05 Growing A Greener World. (R)
4.40 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning.
5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.
6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Better Homes And Gardens. 8.30 MOVIE: The Bourne Ultimatum. (2007, Mv, R) A former secret agent is once again hunted by the agency that created him. Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn.
10.50 Motorway Patrol. (PGad, R)
11.20 GetOn Extra.
11.50 Border Security: Australia’s Front Line. (PG, R)
12.20 Healthy, Wealthy & Wise. (PG, R)
1.20 In Plain Sight. (Madv)
2.30 Home Shopping. (R)
4.00 Million Dollar Minute. (R)
5.00 NBC Today.
ABC TV, 8.30pm
Taking a fresh tilt at the well worn true-crime genre, this panel show hosted by Julia Zemiro (pictured) breaks the mould somewhat – inviting a rotating roster of Australia’s best comedians to discuss the science and psychology behind crime, alongside expert criminologists Professor Danielle Reynald and Dr David Bartlett. Perhaps it’s best described as for armchair detectives and the morbidly curious. If Zemiro and co. can pull off this tonally twisted tightrope walk, it will be the TV heist of the decade. Wednesday’s premiere welcomes Celia Pacquola and Mel Buttle to the desk for an examination of noteworthy and notorious eyewitness testimonies throughout history.
8.30 MOVIE: The Meg. (2018, Mv, R) Scientists encounter a giant shark. Jason Statham.
10.40 Race To The Melbourne Cup Carnival. (PGl)
11.40 Law & Order: Organized Crime. (MA15+av, R)
12.35 Tipping Point. (PG, R)
1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)
4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R)
4.30 Global Shop. (R)
5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)
5.30 Postcards. (PG, R)
The Adventures Of Paddington. 6.40 Hey Duggee. 6.50 Room On The Broom. 7.20 Bluey. 7.30 The Ghastly Ghoul. 8.00 To Be Advised. 8.20 BTN Newsbreak. 8.25 Hard Quiz Kids. 8.55 Robot Wars. 9.55 Merlin. 10.40 Officially Amazing. 11.10 Late Programs. ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Morning Programs. 8.30 Nanny. 9.30 Addams Family. 10.00 Bewitched. 10.30 Jeannie. 11.00 The West Wing. Noon Talking Honey. 12.10 MOVIE: Stalked By A Reality Star. (2018, M) 2.00 Golden Girls. 2.30 Nanny. 3.30 Seinfeld. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched.
6.00 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 7.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 7.30 The Dog House. (PGa) 8.30 House Hunters Australia. (R) Primrose and Brendon want to trade their suburban life for a home in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. 9.30 The Graham Norton Show. (Ml, R) Celebrity guests include Zoë Saldaña. 10.30 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 10.55 10 News+. (R) 11.55 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG)
9GO! (83) 6am The Movie Show. 6.35 Oink. (2022, PG, Dutch) 8.00 The Movie Show. 8.35 Poms. (2019, PG) 10.20 Cairo Conspiracy. (2022, M, Arabic) 12.35pm The Promise. (2016, M) 3.00 The Movie Show. 3.35 The Company. (2003, PG) 5.40 The Big Steal. (1990, PG) 7.30 Truth. (2015, M) 9.50 The Moogai. (2020) 11.20 The Darkside. (2013, PG) 1.05am Doctor Sleep. (2019, MA15+) 3.40 Late Programs. NITV (34) 7MATE (64) SBS MOVIES (32)
SATURDAY, November 1
6am Children’s Programs. 6pm Octonauts: Above And Beyond. 6.10 PJ Masks. 6.20 Bluey. 6.30 The Adventures Of Paddington. 6.45 Steve And Aneeshwar Go Wild. 6.50 Andy And The Band. 7.05 Do Not Watch This Show. 7.20 Bluey. 7.30 Hard Quiz Kids. 8.00 Kids BBQ Championship. 8.40 Chopped Junior. 9.20 Fresh Off The Boat. 10.05
6.30 SBS World News.
7.30 Royal Homes. 8.25 A Year At Kylemore Abbey. (Premiere) 9.25 Japan: World’s Most Punctual Train. (PG, R)
10.20 The Hospital: In The Deep End. (Ma, R) 11.25 Homicide: Life On The Street. (Mav, R)
2.55 Growing A Greener World. (R)
4.30 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning.
5.15 France 24 Feature. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.
6.00 Seven News.
7.00 Healthy, Wealthy & Wise. (PG) Chrissie Swan is joined by a fresh new team of expert presenters, covering food, home, money, health and travel.
8.00 MOVIE: A Few Good Men. (1992, Ml, R) Two lawyers defend a pair of US Marines who have been accused of murdering a fellow serviceman. Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson.
11.00 MOVIE: The Kingdom. (2007, MA15+av, R) Jamie Foxx.
1.00 In Plain Sight. (Madv)
2.00 Home Shopping. (R)
4.00 It’s Academic. (R) 5.00 House Of Wellness. (PGa, R)
7.30 MOVIE: Speed. (1994, Mlv, R) An LAPD cop is trapped on a runaway bus. Keanu Reeves.
9.55 MOVIE: The Mod Squad. (1999, Mlsv, R) Giovanni Ribisi.
11.50 Next Stop. (PG)
12.20 Australia’s Top Ten Of Everything. (Ms, R)
1.20 Rugby League. Ashes Tour. Second Test. England v Australia.
3.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)
4.30 Global Shop. (R)
5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)
5.30 Helping Hands. (PG, R)
6.30 The Dog House Australia. (PGa, R) Narrated by Dr Chris Brown. 7.30 Selling Houses Australia. A couple are desperate to sell their home.
8.30 Ambulance UK. (Mdlm, R) Ambulance crews attend to a woman who has fallen down the stairs and suffered a seizure.
9.30 Gogglebox Australia. (R) TV fanatics open up their living rooms to reveal their reactions to popular and topical TV shows.
6am The
Company. Continued. (2003, PG) 7.35 The Big Steal. (1990, PG) 9.25 The Darkside. (2013, PG) 11.10 How To Blow Up A Pipeline. (2022, M) 1pm Tobacco Barns. (2022, M, Spanish) 2.55 Poms. (2019, PG) 4.35 Mosley. (2019, PG) 6.25 The Chaperone. (2018) 8.30 Operation Mincemeat. (2021, M) 10.50 Easy Love. (2019, MA15+, German) 12.30am The Moogai. (2020) 2.05 Late Programs.
SUNDAY, November 2
6.00
6.00 Grand Designs Australia. (R)
7.00 ABC News.
7.30 Spicks And Specks. (PG)
8.00 Portrait Artist Of The Year. (Premiere)
8.55 The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies. (Final, Malv)
9.55 Mother And Son. (Final, PGdl, R)
10.25 Take 5 With Zan Rowe. (R)
10.50 MOVIE: My Brother Jack – Part 2. (2001, Mnsv, R)
12.25 Anh’s Brush With Fame. (PG, R)
12.55 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv)
3.00 Ask The Doctor. (R) 3.30 The Art Of... (Ml, R) 4.00 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.00 Insiders. (R)
6.30 SBS World News.
7.30 JFK: One Day In America. (Premiere)
8.30 King And Conqueror. (MA15+v)
9.20 Dan Snow’s Greatest Discoveries. (R)
10.15 The Wonders Of Europe. (PG, R)
11.20 Tutankhamun: The Last Exhibition. (PGa, R)
12.45 Europe’s Greatest Train Journeys. (PGaw, R)
3.45 Growing A Greener World. (R)
4.45 Destination Flavour: Japan Bitesize. (R)
5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.15 France 24 Feature. 5.30 APAC Weekly.
Morning Programs. 1pm Football. AFL Women’s. Round 12. GWS Giants v Port
6.00 Seven News.
7.00 The Voice. (Final, PG)
9.00 AC/DC: The World’s Greatest Rock Band. (M) Looks at AC/ DC through long-lost footage.
10.00 24 Hours In Police Custody: What Lies Beneath. (Malv, R)
11.00 Crime Investigation Australia: Most Infamous. (Mav, R)
12.15 The Long Song. (Final, Masv)
1.30 Harry’s Practice. (R)
2.00 Home Shopping. (R)
3.30 Million Dollar Minute. (R)
4.00 NBC Today.
5.00 Sunrise Early News.
5.30 Sunrise.
Greatest Heists With Pierce Brosnan. 6.40 Abandoned Engineering. 8.30 AK47: The Legend Behind The Gun. 9.25 Uncanny. 10.35 The Change. 11.35 Late Programs.
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6am The Chaperone. (2018, PG) 8.00 The Company. (2003, PG) 10.05 Truth. (2015, M) 12.25pm The Report. (2019, M) 2.35 The Movie Show. 3.10 The Big Steal. (1990, PG) 5.00 The Darkside. (2013, PG) 6.40 Leap Year. (2010, PG) 8.30 To End All Wars. (2001, MA15+) 10.40 The Last Emperor. (1987, M) 1.40am Easy Love. (2019, MA15+, German) 3.20 Operation Mincemeat. (2021, M) 5.35 The Movie Show.
6.00 NBN News. 7.00 The Golden Bachelor. (PGls) Hosted by Samantha Armytage. 8.35 60 Minutes. Current affairs program. 9.35 9News Late. 10.05 Social Media Murders: The Murder Of Olly Stephens. (Malv) 11.05 Mobsters. (Madv) 12.00 World’s Most Dangerous Prisoners. (Mv, R) 1.00 Drive: Driving Value. (R) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 The Garden Gurus. (R)
Bendigo
MONDAY, November 3
6am Children’s Programs. 5.45pm Kangaroo Beach. 5.55 Octonauts. 6.05 PJ Masks. 6.20 Bluey. 6.25 Paddington. 6.40 Hey Duggee. 6.45 Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom. 7.00 Supertato. 7.05
6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R)
6.30 SBS World News.
7.35 Big Fat Quiz Best Bits: Ultimate Jokes.
8.30 King And Conqueror. (Final, Mlv)
9.30 Sydney’s Super Tunnel. (R)
10.30 SBS World News Late.
11.00 Conviction: The Case Of Stephen Lawrence. (Mal, R)
11.55 The Man Who Died. (MA15+as, R)
2.35 Curious Traveller. (R)
4.10 Growing A Greener World. (PGa, R)
4.40 Bamay. (R)
5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.
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6am Mosley.
(2019, PG) 7.55 The Movie Show. 8.30 Leap Year. (2010, PG) 10.20 Operation Mincemeat. (2021, M) 12.40pm Aspromonte: Land Of The Forgotten. (2019, M, Italian) 2.15 Whina. (2022, PG, Maori) 4.20 A River Runs Through It. (1992, PG) 6.35 Another Mother’s Son. (2017, PG) 8.30 Stockholm Bloodbath. (2023, MA15+) 10.40 The Fox. (2022, MA15+, German) 12.55am Late Programs.
6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Home And Away. (PG)
7.30 My Kitchen Rules. (PGl) Hosted by Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel.
9.00 The Rookie. (Mav) When anti-LAPD billboards emerge throughout the city, the team searches for those responsible.
10.00 Alert: Missing Persons Unit. (Mav) A renowned playwright vanishes. 11.00 S.W.A.T. (Mav)
12.00 Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce. (MA15+s)
2.00 Home Shopping. (R)
4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.
6am
9.25 The Art Of. (Ml) 9.55 The Assembly. (PG, R)
Media Watch. (PG, R) 10.55 News. 11.10 The Business. (R) 11.25 Four Corners. (Final, R) 12.10 Keating: The Interviews. (R) 1.10 Parliament. 2.10 Grand Designs. (R) 3.00 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 3.45 Parkinson In Australia. (PG, R) 4.30 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)
6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG, R)
6.30 SBS World News.
7.30 Great British Railway Journeys.
8.30 Tell Me What You Really Think. (Mal)
9.25 The Cancer Killers. (Premiere)
10.30 SBS World News Late.
11.00 The Point. (R)
12.00 Safe Home. (Malv, R)
1.00 The Unusual Suspects. (MA15+l, R)
2.00 London: 2,000 Years Of History. (PG, R)
2.50 Curious Traveller. (R)
4.25 Bamay. (R) 4.55 Destination Flavour. (R)
5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.
Where You Came From UK. (Premiere) 10.25 Hoarders. 11.20 Late Programs. 6am Surf Patrol. 6.30 The Surgery Ship. 7.30 Harry’s Practice. 8.00 Million Dollar Minute. 9.00 Animal Rescue. 9.30 NBC Today.
MOVIES (32)
6am The Movie A River Runs Through It. (1992, PG) 10.45 Manon Des The Snow Foxes. A United Kingdom. (2016, PG) 6.30 Comandante. The Conference. (2022, M,
6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Home And Away. (PGa) 7.30 My Kitchen Rules. (PGl) Hosted by Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel. 9.10 The Rookie. (Mav) Bradford receives a strange message.
10.10 Ron Iddles: The Good Cop: Michelle Buckingham. (Malsv, R)
4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.
6.00 NBN News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 The Golden Bachelor. (PGa) 8.40 To Be Advised. 9.40 Race To The Melbourne Cup Carnival. (PGl)
9News Late.
The Equalizer. (Mv)
Tipping Point. (PG, R)
Hello SA. (PG)
Shop: Home Shopping. (R)
6.00
WEDNESDAY, November 5
6.00 Morning Programs. 9.15 Boswell And Johnson’s Scottish Road Trip. (PGal, R) 10.10 Confucius Was A Foodie. (R) 11.00 The Adriatic Sea. (PGaw) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Tell Me What You Really Think. (Mal, R) 3.00 Going Places. (PGa, R) 3.35 The Cook Up. (R) 4.05 Incredible Canals. (R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)
6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG, R)
6.30 SBS World News.
7.30 The Idea Of Australia. (Final, PG)
8.30 JFK: The Home Movie That Changed The World. (Mav, R)
9.30 No Hamburg, No Beatles. (Mdns, R)
10.30 SBS World News Late.
11.00 I Am Scrooge. (Mals)
12.00 This Town. (MA15+dl, R)
2.15 London: 2,000 Years Of History. (PG, R)
3.05 Curious Traveller. (R)
4.35 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.
VICELAND (31)
6am Children’s Programs. 6.05pm PJ Masks. 6.20 Bluey. 6.30 Paddington. 6.40 Hey Duggee. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.00 Supertato. 7.05 Rocket Club. 7.20 Bluey. 7.30 Shaun The Sheep. 7.35 Ninjago: Dragons Rising. 8.00 Operation Ouch! 8.30 BTN Newsbreak. 8.35 To Be Advised. 9.20 Teen Titans Go! 9.45 We Bare Bears. 9.55 Pokémon: Diamond And Pearl. 10.15 Fresh Off The Boat. 10.40 Late Programs.
6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Home And Away. (PGa)
7.30 RFDS. (Ma)
8.30 Off The Grid With Colin And Manu. (Mal) The guys return to Auckland, where they experience the traditional method of cooking a hangi.
9.30 House Of Wellness. (PG) Experts share advice on living well.
10.30 Chicago Fire. (Mav)
11.30 The Amazing Race. (PGl)
1.00 Imposters. (Madlsv, R)
2.00 Home Shopping. (R)
4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.
Bamay. 12.40 The Matrix Generation. 1.40 If You Are The One. 3.40 News. 3.45 WorldWatch.
Food That Built The World. 6.35 Jeopardy! 7.30 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Adam Hills: The Last Leg. 9.20 MOVIE: A Midnight Clear. (1992, MA15+) 11.20 MOVIE: Sweet November. (2001, M) 1.35am Late Programs.
SBS MOVIES (32)
6am A United Kingdom. Continued. (2016, PG) 7.00 The Snow Foxes. (2023, PG) 8.25 Whina. (2022, PG, Maori) 10.30 Hive. (2021, M, Albanian) Noon The Longest Week. (2014, M) 1.35 A River Runs Through It. (1992, PG) 3.50 Another Mother’s Son. (2017, PG) 5.45 All Quiet On The Western Front. (1979, PG) 8.30 Hamburger Hill. (1987, MA15+) 10.30 Thirst. (2009, MA15+, Korean) 1am Late Programs.
THURSDAY, November 6
6.00 News. 9.00 News. 10.00 I Was Actually There. (Mns, R) 10.30 End Game With Tony Armstrong. (Final, Ml, R) 11.25 Crime Night! (PG, R) 12.00 News. 1.00 Silent Witness. (Malv, R) 2.00 Parliament. 3.00 Home Delivery. (R) 3.25 Grand Designs Revisited. (PG, R) 4.15 Long Lost Family. (R) 5.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R)
5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.
VICELAND (31)
6am WorldWatch. 10.00 The Movie Show. 11.45 WorldWatch. 12.15pm Fashionista. 12.25 The Late Session. 2.25 Bamay. 2.55 Insight. 3.55 News. 4.00 WorldWatch. 6.00 Our Medicine. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. 8.30 The Curse Of Oak Island. 10.10 The UnXplained With William Shatner. 11.00 Kabul. 1am Homicide. 1.55 Conversations. 2.30 Somewhere Boy. 3.00 Late Programs.
SBS MOVIES (32)
6am All Quiet On The Western Front. (1979, PG) 8.35 A United Kingdom. (2016, PG) 10.40 Long Story Short. (2021, M) 12.25pm 20,000 Species Of Bees. (2023, M, Spanish) 2.45 The Emperor’s Club. (2002, PG) 4.45 Dean Spanley. (2008, PG) 6.40 Spitfire. (2018, PG) 8.30 Platoon. (1986, MA15+) 10.45 Only The Brave. (2017, M) 1.15am Hamburger Hill. (1987, MA15+) 3.15 Benediction. (2021, M) 5.40 The Movie Show.
6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Home And Away. (PGa)
8.30 Jim Jefferies And Friends. (MA15+ls) Jim Jefferies gives his opinion on tattoos. Featuring Georgie Carroll, Chris Wainhouse and Jason John Whitehead.
9.30 First Dates UK. (PGa)
10.30 Australia’s Most Dangerous Prisoners. (MA15+av, R)
11.30 Gatecrashers.
12.30 Life. (Malsv, R) 1.30 Travel Oz. (PG, R) 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.
6am Morning Programs. 7.30 Harry’s Practice. 8.00 Million Dollar Minute. 9.00 Animal Rescue. 9.30 NBC Today. Noon My Kitchen Rules. 1.30 One Road: Great Australian Road Trips. 2.00 Weekender. 2.30 House Of Wellness. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Animal Rescue. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 Escape To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Heartbeat. 8.45 Inspector George Gently. 10.45 Late Programs. 6am Surf Patrol. 6.30 Escape To The Country. 7.30
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6.00
9GO! (83)
9GO! (83)
Career best season
Panthers Port Macquarie
The Westport Club
Frankies Cafe
Four Espresso
El Motel Inn
Glasshouse Port Macquarie
Redcross Blood Donation Centre
Collins Booksellers Port Macquarie
Ahdeniz Grill House
Florence Jones
Port AdVenture Cruises
The Hearing Shop
Your Discount Chemist Horton St
Lilys Cafe
Port Pacific Resort
Majestic Cinema
Port Macquarie Hotel Bottle Shop
Port Macquarie Surfing Museum
The Witchy Nook
Colonial Meats
Rock Salt Marina
Seasalt Cafe & Restaurant
Woolworths, Settlement City
Big Boz Cafe
Ken Little’s Fruit & Veg
Foodworks Munster Street
Seniors Centre
Shelly Beach Store
Flynns Beach Pharmacy
Roam Cafe
Flynns Beach Post Office
Home at Roto House
Mercure Centro
Belle Property
Band Wagon Cafe
For Everything Surf & Skate
Ridges Hotel
Ritchies IGA Port Central
Port Macquarie Library
Bels Bakery
Ritchies IGA Gordon Street
Plunketts Terry White Chemmart
Ned Kelly’s Bait & Tackle
Douglas Hanly Moir
Ryan James Podiatry
PCYC Port Macquarie
Port City Bowling Club
Hill Street Store
Spar Clifton
Twenty24
Mid North Coast Dental Centre
John Oxley Motors
Patrick Auto Group
Belly Bombers
Aldi Port Macquarie
Billabong Zoo
Group Therapy Cafe
Ritchies IGA Sovereign Hills
Douglas Hanly Moir
Coastal Realty & Strata
By Sue STEPHENSON
WORLD Cup winning mountain
biker Luke Meier-Smith is back home in Comboyne after his “career best season to date”.
Luke achieved his maiden victory in the men’s elite UCI Downhill World Cup series on October 4, at New York’s Lake Placid.
After being the first to make it down the new Whiteface Mountain course, he said “words couldn’t describe the moment”.
Now taking a break with his family, Luke has reflected on his career milestone for News Of The Area.
Q1: After the excitement of Lake Placid, how did you wrap up the season?
There wasn’t much time to celebrate after the win. The following weekend was the final round in Mont-SainteAnne, Canada, where I finished the season in 8th place and Top 10 overall in the DH World Cup series - which I was super stoked about! Career Best season to date.
