AFTER more than 70 years of waiting, 93-year-old Nambucca Valley resident and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) veteran Kevin Blanch has finally received the medals recognising his military service, including his involvement in Britain’s first atomic bomb test in 1952. For Mr Blanch, who had long given up hope of receiving formal recognition, the arrival […]

Ashley Love addresses the protesters. Protesters had a clear message. Photo: Brian Mahoney. MORE than 60 people from the NSW Mid North Coast protested simultaneously with actions in Canberra, Sydney, Batemans Bay and Hobart on 8 October, to send a message that there was no social licence for the clear-felling of forests, damage to wildlife […]

A $250,000 NSW Government grant will allow Port Macquarie-based Indigenous STEM charity Deadly Science to deliver workshops in 50 regional and remote schools across New South Wales. The workshops will reach students from Kindergarten to Year 9, with a particular focus on Years 4 to 9. They will begin in 16 regional schools during Term […]

SEVERAL founding members of Port Macquarie’s St Peter’s Lutheran Church were on hand to celebrate the church’s 40th anniversary recently. They included Brenda Worthing, Joan Rayward, and Ian and Dot Marshall, accompanied by their daughter Karen. The special anniversary service was officiated by Bishop Richard Schwedes, accompanied by Pastors Mark Worthing, David Thompson, and Brian […]

LOWLAND Clearances, the Highland Potato Famine and the Gold Rush era in Australia led to an exodus of Scots to Australian shores. By the 1850s, Australia’s Scotland-born population represented more than 20 per cent of the total population. By 1891, 124,000 first-generation Scottish-born lived here. With them came their rich culture, of bagpipe-led pipe bands […]

Karen Sparkes with the Aussie Battlers. Photo: Aussie Battlers. A view of the shop. Photo: Aussie Battlers. Free photos with Santa from 2025. Photo: Aussie Battlers. AUSSIE Battlers is on track to open a food hub in Laurieton by late November, offering relief for those facing poverty this Christmas. Providing food year-round, the space will […]

THE red and yellow flags are back on our beaches, marking the start of the 2026–27 surf lifesaving season and signalling that summer is on its way. For Port Macquarie ocean-lovers the annual Raising of the Flags is a chance to recognise the volunteers who give their weekends and public holidays to help keep beachgoers […]

WAUCHOPE Patchwork Quilters are using their love of quilting to support people close to home and further afield. With more than 70 members, the group provides a place for local quilters to come together each week to practice their craft, exchange ideas and enjoy the social connections that come with their shared interest. Wauchope Patchwork […]

COMMUNITY groups across the Mid North Coast are being invited to apply for a new grant designed to help turn their ideas for a local project into reality. The Community Grant will give an organisation access to professional building design and council application services, helping it take the early steps needed to progress a community […]

PORT Macquarie Museum is calling on community support after unexpected structural and asbestos-related building issues put pressure on its limited funds. The museum was undertaking renovation work when more serious building concerns were discovered, adding additional costs and prompting an urgent community fundraising campaign. The campaign aims to provide immediate financial support while also building […]