Category: Newcastle News

City of Newcastle, in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), held its annual Lord Mayor’s World Stroke Day Morning Tea at Newcastle Museum this morning.

The event brought together community members, researchers, and stroke survivors for a morning of learning and conversations, aimed at raising awareness about stroke prevention, detection, and recovery.

Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge, i-REBOUND program developer Meredith Burke, Professor Coralie English and Kim Beesley stand behind as Professor Beata Bajorek checks stroke survivor and advocate Emma Beesleys blood pressure. This was a free service facilitated for all community members at today’s event.  

Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge, a retired anaesthetist with 40 years of experience, emphasised the importance of addressing health disparities within the region.

“Newcastle is fortunate to have some of the most talented clinicians in the country working in stroke prevention and treatment, and it’s been said that Newcastle is the safest place in Australia to have a stroke,” Cr Kerridge said. 

“Unfortunately, our community faces some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in the country. Partnering with HMRI allows us to highlight local research and ensure Novocastrians have access to life-saving information and resources.”

The morning featured insightful talks from HMRI researchers and stroke survivors, who shared their experiences and discussed new developments in stroke treatment and rehabilitation. 

Stroke remains the leading cause of long-term adult disability in Australia, with someone experiencing a stroke every 19 minutes. In NSW alone, around 19,000 people suffer a stroke each year, with a significant proportion from regional and rural areas.

Attendees gained valuable knowledge on recognising stroke symptoms and understanding what to do in an emergency, while also learning about lifestyle strategies to reduce stroke risk. 

Professor Coralie English, HMRI’s Deputy Director, Heart and Stroke Program and expert in stroke research at the University of Newcastle, highlighted that community awareness is essential in preventing strokes. 

“Eighty percent of strokes can be prevented, but many people are unaware of the risk factors or the importance of early detection,” Professor English said. 

“Sharing the latest research and prevention strategies helps our community take proactive steps towards healthier lives.”

The event also explored HMRI’s innovative work in stroke prevention, emergency treatments, recovery, and wellbeing, including the iREBOUND program, which supports stroke survivors in their rehabilitation journey. 

As a leader in clot-busting therapies, the Hunter region continues to make significant strides in advancing recovery outcomes for stroke patients.

City of Newcastle remains committed to supporting initiatives that improve health outcomes and promote awareness across the region.

Following is a summary of resolutions from the Ordinary Council meeting of Tuesday 29 October 2024. NB: it is not a full record of resolutions. 

Lord Mayoral Minutes  

Recognition of Vietnam veteran Alwyn Craig’s service to Australia

A Lord Mayoral Minute was supported to facilitate the use of City Hall for a special medal presentation by the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment recognising the military service of Alwyn Craig, a long-time member of the Newcastle community.

Ordinary business 

Performance benchmarking comparator

Council noted that City of Newcastle (CN) has been invited to participate in a performance benchmarking project comprising of similar-sized councils in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with an update on the outcome of the comparison to be delivered in the first quarter of 2025.

Authorisation for signing of the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2024

Council received the draft Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2024 and formally referred them to City of Newcastle’s Auditor, the Audit Office of New South Wales, in accordance with Section 413(1) of the Local Government Act 1993 (Act).

Adoption of fees for Lord Mayor and Councillors (including superannuation)

Council voted unanimously to approve the Lord Mayor and Councillors to be paid the maximum fee payable (as per the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal’s annual determination) for the duration of the Council term.

Tabling of Register of Disclosures of Interest annual report

Council noted the tabling of the Register of Disclosures of Interest for the financial year 2023/2024 by the Chief Executive Officer. 

Islington cycleway

Council voted unanimously to approve a bidirectional cycleway along Chinchen Street and Hubbard Street Islington, from Linden Street to John Hooker Street, which includes a combination of on-road separated cycleway and off-road shared path sections.

Supplementary report – interim appointment of City of Newcastle representatives on Newcastle Airport and related companies

Council noted that Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge has declared a significant non-pecuniary conflict of interest in regard to Newcastle Airport, which he will manage by declining appointment to any associated roles. Jeremy Bath and Nuatali Nelmes will continue for an interim period as City of Newcastle’s Nominee Directors and shareholder representatives of Newcastle Airport and its various companies, until a new appointment is selected to the Ordinary Council Meeting in February 2025.

Granting of easement – University Drive catchment rehabilitation

Council voted unanimously to approve the creation of an easement in City of Newcastle’s favour on Hunter Water Corporation’s land at 131 Lorna Street Waratah West to ensure CN has continued access for maintenance purposes.

Voting delegates for the Local Government New South Wales annual conference

Council unanimously approved an amended motion and voted to nominate Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge, Deputy Lord Mayor Callum Pull, Cr Sinead Francis-Coan, Cr Declan Clausen, Cr Deahnna Richardson, Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk and Cr Nuatali Nelmes as voting delegates for the 2024 Local Government New South Wales Annual Conference, which will be held from 17-19 November 2024 in Tamworth.

Executive monthly performance report

Council received the Executive Monthly Performance Report for September 2024.

Tender report – provision of legal services

Council voted unanimously to accept a tender for the provision of external legal services to City of Newcastle.

Tender report – civil design services panel contract 

Council voted unanimously to accept a tender for the provision of Civil Design and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) drafting services for projects within City of Newcastle’s works program.

Tender report – bulk haulage of recyclables

Council voted unanimously to accept a tender for the bulk haulage of kerbside collected recyclables to a Material Recovery Facility located at Somersby on the Central Coast.

Tender report – supply of ready mixed concrete

Council voted unanimously to establish a panel of suppliers from which a participating council in the Hunter region may source ready mixed concrete material in support of operational needs on an as required basis.

Notices of Motion 

Recommitting to social, affordable and liveable housing in Newcastle 

Council supported an amended notice of motion to reaffirm Council’s commitment to provide council-owned land for social (affordable) housing, supported by amenity and infrastructure in well-serviced neighbourhoods. Council will receive a briefing on the status of City-led social housing projects, including at Rail Bridge Row, as community hubs, and co-located with community facilities such as libraries, parks, and halls, in sites throughout the city for example, in Beresfield, Hamilton, Mayfield and Wallsend.

Supporting community in household electrification

Council supported an amended notice of motion that resolved to, as part of City of Newcastle’s Empowering Newcastle program, investigate options to advocate for or deliver City-wide initiatives that support equity in access to renewable energy and electrification.

Investigate other site options for the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre

Council unanimously supported an amended notice of motion noting that the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre is State Significant Development and will be assessed and determined by the NSW Government’s Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, and invited community members and Councillors to make individual submissions to the State Significant Development assessment process by 11 November 2024.

Late item of business

Expedition of Minmi Road widening works

Council unanimously supported a late item of business to request that staff examine the potential for the September quarterly budget review process to include a significant increase in funding for the Minmi Road widening project between Wallsend and Fletcher to enable construction to be significantly brought forward to as soon as January 2025.

A new cycleway and shared footpath along Chinchen Street and Hubbard Street in Islington has been endorsed by the elected Council after City of Newcastle received overwhelming community support for the project.

The 665-metre stretch will connect existing cycling infrastructure and provide a continuous protected cycleway from the Scholey Street rail bridge in Mayfield, through to Islington Park and on to the city centre, utilising on-road separated cycleway and off-road shared pathway.

City of Newcastle Executive Manager Transport and Regulation Ryan Tranter said the community feedback was extremely positive.

“City of Newcastle is committed to encouraging the uptake of active transport by providing safe, connected, convenient, and comfortable infrastructure that will support people to choose cycling and walking as their preferred option for travel,” Mr Tranter said.

“More than 90 percent of people who made submissions during the community engagement process supported each aspect of the proposal.

“We’re excited to deliver this vital infrastructure to a local community who are strong advocates for active transport, especially parents, staff and students who walk, cycle, scoot, and skate their way to and from Islington Public School and the Tighes Hill TAFE campus. This project caters for all users of varying confidence and ability.”

The Islington Cycleway project will include:

• An on-road separated bidirectional cycleway, using concrete separators, along the north side of Chinchen Street between Linden Street and the east side of Styx Creek bridge.
• A shared path along Chinchen Street and Hubbard Street from Styx Creek bridge to John Hooker Street.
• Landscaped kerb extensions at the Linden Street intersection to provide improved visibility and separation for cyclists crossing.
• Connections into the existing shared path at the Clyde Street traffic signals to provide a separated off-road option through the intersection.
• A continuous path along Hubbard Street across John Hooker Street, which gives priority to shared path users over road users.

Construction of the new infrastructure at Islington is expected to start early next year.

The project is being delivered by City of Newcastle, utilising $950,000 from the NSW Government through Transport for NSW’s Get NSW Active program.

The Islington section will form an important link in City of Newcastle’s ‘On Our Bikes’ Cycling Plan, which proposes the creation of cycling connections from the western suburbs of Minmi and Wallsend all the way through to the inner city.

The new cycleway will also complement City of Newcastle’s $800,000 upgrade of the intersection of Chinchen and Clyde streets, which was completed last year featuring new traffic signals for improved pedestrian, cyclist and road user safety.

The Speers Point community is being kept up to date with a consultation summary report published today on potential transport improvements and solutions.  

Transport for NSW Director Region North Anna Zycki said the NSW Government is investing $11 million towards upgrades to help improve safety, reduce congestion and improve transport movements across the network. 

“These upgrades will ensure more reliable travel times and safety improvements, while meeting the future needs of Hunter communities,” Ms Zycki said.

“Once finalised, the proposed upgrade options will cut travel times while improving safety and traffic flow in northwest Lake Macquarie. 

“This area is predicted to grow by around 12,000 residents and 6000 jobs over the next 20 years. 

“Given the significant level of interest in this project, Transport for NSW engaged with the community and stakeholders earlier than usual. 

“The community’s feedback will be considered alongside traffic modelling, environmental impacts, funding constraints and other data captured through preliminary site investigations to help refine the concept design.”

A key focus of the project will be to improve traffic movements at a known local bottleneck – the roundabout at TC Frith Avenue, Five Islands Road and The Esplanade. 

Transport for NSW invited the community to provide feedback on the potential safety and efficiency solutions earlier this year, which resulted in a total of 59 submissions from the community alongside 531 pins on an interactive map. 

The report includes a summary of key matters raised, including traffic movements at the roundabout, comments on changes to the surrounding road network, safety improvements and suggestions for larger scale projects, alongside Transport’s responses. 

Transport for NSW will carry out additional investigations and analysis to determine what solutions can be delivered, with the aim of balancing the competing demands of costs, traffic efficiency and safety.

The concept design, once developed, will also be placed on display providing another opportunity for community and stakeholder feedback. 

Transport will continue to consult with key stakeholders and keep the community informed as the project progresses. 

The community consultation report and more information on the project can be found at https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/speers-point-transport-network

The M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace has reached a significant milestone with the successful lifting of the first girders at the northern interchange on the Heatherbrae Bypass.

Motorists will see the interchange come to life after the lifting of eight bridge girders onto the northern interchange on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 October.

The overbridge at the northern interchange will serve as the main direct access off the M1 Pacific Motorway, to the Pacific Highway and the townships of Heatherbrae and Raymond Terrace.

When completed, the interchange will provide southbound motorists the option to continue into Heatherbrae using the local road network or take the new motorway across Windeyers Creek bypassing Heatherbrae.

The work to build the overbridge includes geotechnical investigations, relocation of utilities, drainage, earthworks, bridge substructure and superstructure, and pavement works.

The team has already lifted 62 of the 827 bridge girders into place across the project, with more than 70 per cent of the Heatherbrae Bypass workforce sourced from the Hunter Region, including 38 apprentices and 12 trainees.

The extension is expected to be open to traffic in mid-2028.

For more information and to sign up for regular updates on the progress of the M1 extension visit nswroads.work/m12rtportal.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

“This is an exciting step forward for the M1 Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace project.

“Once complete, this project, together with the Coffs Harbour bypass, will provide the remaining major upgrades to complete a free-flowing route between Sydney and Brisbane with no traffic lights.

“The Australian and NSW Governments are proud to be working together to deliver the ‘missing link’ and strengthening our road network across the nation.”

NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison:

“This is great news for the 48,000 motorists from across NSW who travel on the notorious bottleneck on the Pacific Highway at Hexham.

“Combined with the Hexham Straight Widening project, this will significantly improve journeys for local motorists, visitors and the freight industry.

“The Australian and NSW Governments are delivering legacy infrastructure which will cater to the needs of our great state in the decades ahead.”

Federal Member for Paterson Meryl Swanson:

“This is a vital missing link that I have pushed the Federal Government to support since 2016 and has been accelerated under the Albanese and Minns Governments.

“The M1 extension to Raymond Terrace will transform travel in this region by removing up to 25,000 vehicles a day away from key congestion areas, saving motorists around nine minutes off their trip.”

NSW Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington:

“It’s great to see the progress being made on the M1 Pacific Highway extension to Raymond Terrace.

“Once completed, this project will be a huge time saver for locals and visitors traveling in and around Port Stephens.

“The Heatherbrae Bypass will reduce traffic on our local roads, making them safer for everyone.”

A teenager missing from state’s north has been located.

The 13-year-old was last seen in Hamilton South on Friday (25 October 2024).

Following inquiries, he was located safe and well on Saturday (26 October 2024).

Police would like to thank the public and media for their assistance.

A 98-year-old man who went missing from Jewells in the Lake Macquarie area yesterday (Friday 25 October 2024), has been located.

Police thank the public and media for their assistance.

Police are appealing for public assistance as they continue to search for a missing elderly man in the Lake Macquarie area.

George Linz, aged 98, was last seen on Silverdale Parade, Jewells, about 10.30am yesterday (Friday 25 October 2024).

When George couldn’t be located, officers from Lake Macquarie Police District were notified and commenced inquiries.

Police hold concerns for George’s welfare due to his age and as he has limited mobility.

George is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180cm tall, of slim build, and with grey hair.

He was last seen wearing an apricot-coloured jumper, grey trackpants and dark-coloured sneakers.

Anyone with information on George’s whereabouts is urged to contact Lake Macquarie Police District or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A driver has died after a single vehicle crash in the state’s Hunter Valley this morning.

Shortly after 5am (Saturday 26 October 2024), emergency services responded to a report a vehicle had crashed into a tree along Maitland Road, Cessnock.

The 46-year-old male driver – and sole occupant of the vehicle – died at the scene.

Officers from Hunter Valley Police District have commenced an investigation and will prepare a report for the information of the Coroner.

Local traffic diversions are in place and motorists are urged to avoid the area.