DEAR News Of The Area, PEOPLE are asking themselves: why work in an economy that’s not working for me? The cost of basic services – food, housing, electricity, healthcare, childcare, education – has all gone up. Yet our pay packet remains the same! All after the era of privatisation when we were promised efficiency and […]
DEAR News Of The Area, DURING the debacle of Pauline Hanson’s speech at the Press Club (17/6/2026), one is left to ask: “What can we do to counter the possibility of this woman becoming Prime Minister?” While this possibility may be an anathema to many of us, we must learn from Trump’s victory in the […]
DEAR News Of The Area, READING through this year’s NSW Budget, I have been having conversations with friends and family: what comes next for Port Macquarie? There are some great positives in the budget. The continued redevelopment of Port Macquarie Base Hospital is a significant investment that will benefit our region for years to come. […]
DEAR News Of The Area, IN all the housing crisis talk by Federal or State governments, the biggest elephant in the room is unhosted Airbnbs, specifically entire-home Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA). Homes that should be available for first-home buyers, normal buyers and long-term renters are instead being bought up to be used as Airbnbs […]
DEAR News of the Area, SOCIAL media was abuzz last week following what many residents described as unusually heavy chem-trail activity over the Mid North Coast. The sky was crisscrossed with persistent trails that gradually dispersed into a light silver-grey haze, obscuring much of the blue sky above. It was the most extensive activity I […]
DEAR News Of The Area, On Saturday 20 June at 5pm the Port City Bowls Club will host a large number of former Port Macquarie High students for a school reunion. A number of students are travelling large distances – such as from Port Douglas and Adelaide – to be reunited with their former classmates. […]
DEAR News Of The Area, WHY do shop assistants and supermarket checkout staff think it is in any way acceptable to call women – especially older women – by pet names such as “Dear”, “Sweetie”, “My lovely” “Darl”, “Love” “Pet” and so on. I’ve heard people make the excuse that they’re just being friendly. But […]
DEAR News Of The Area, ON the night of Friday, 5 June, I attended the Port Macquarie Art Trail with tens of thousands of other people. I felt inspired to write the following poem about my experience. How wonderful were people when they gave their time for free, To gather all their family […]
Boats moored up next to Pelican Island in The Hastings River. Photo: Kate Shelton
THE Mid North Coast has continued to provide excellent fishing opportunities, with anglers enjoying success across rivers, beaches, rock platforms and offshore grounds over the long weekend. The Camden Haven River remains a standout destination. Rock fishers targeting drummer have experienced mixed results, although Camden Head has continued to produce reliable catches, with nearby headlands […]
DEAR News Of The Area, This letter is to the humans protecting our home at what you call Oxley Beach. We don’t have pens, we don’t have podiums, we can’t raise our hands at council meetings. We can’t write petitions and we don’t have a voice in the ocean pool planning proposal. But we see […]
