A Blackbutt tree recently felled at 23 Soldiers Point Road, Soldiers Point. Photo: Ian Woodward. A Blackbutt tree recently felled at 23 Soldiers Point Road, Soldiers Point. Photo: Ian Woodward. DEAR News Of The Area, I REFER to your front-page article: ‘Finding Clues to help protect koalas’ (Port Stephens NOTA, 8/10/2026). I am writing to […]
DEAR News Of The Area, POLITICIANS are quick to use social media when they want to promote an announcement, celebrate a government funding commitment, or take credit for a community project. But what happens when the public disagrees with them? Social media has become one of the most-powerful tools politicians use to communicate with the […]
DEAR News Of The Area, I WRITE to share this letter, which I have sent to The Hon Kate Washington MP, State Member for Port Stephens. Dear Local Member, I have previously written to you concerning [the Halifax to Harwood shared path] project and its many unanswered issues, which I perceive to be: No community […]
DEAR News Of The Area, ON Saturday I rang for an ambulance for my wife, who has cancer. She was sent home and took a turn for the worse. I rang at 5:15pm and was told it would be about an hour. After two hours, we rang again. The operator said they could not find […]
DEAR News Of The Area, PUBLIC information, questioning and discussion is a sign of a healthy democracy and applaudable community spirit. Yet debate and engagement may well be a victim of questionable government involvement in online communication. Undoubtedly, an impact of Australia’s ‘Digital Duty of Care’ and Europe’s ‘chat control’- both pushed by government ostensibly […]
DEAR News Of The Area, A CONVERSATION with an Uber driver on my way to Brisbane Airport got me thinking about where Australia is heading. We talked about youth crime, housing, cost-of-living pressures and immigration. I came away wondering whether our political debate focuses too much on who to blame and not enough on what […]
The Søren Larsen, as photographed by Dale Sim.
DEAR News Of The Area, I SNAPPED a few pictures of the Søren Larsen tall ship in Fingal Bay. She sheltered [overnight on 22 September, 2026] in lee of Fingal Island and was still there this morning. According to the Sydney Harbour Tall Ships website, the Søren Larsen, built in 1949, was one of the […]
DEAR News Of The Area, THE NSW Government’s proposed changes to bag limits for snapper and yellowtail kingfish should concern every recreational fisher in this state. Once again, recreational fishers appear to be the easiest target when the Government wants to be seen to be doing something about fish stocks. But where is the evidence […]
DEAR News Of The Area, OUR local MP Kate Washington said her government is “committed to keeping Tomaree Lodge in public ownership” (‘ICONIC FUTURE”, NOTA, 10/9/26). Good on her. But how can she guarantee this after the next State election in six months? What if there’s a change of government? Ms Washington’s a well-respected representative, […]
DEAR News Of The Area, I WRITE in reply to Jennifer Indsto’s letter (‘Tomaree Headland master plan a ‘dog’s breakfast’’, NOTA, 7/8/26) where Ms Indsto labelled the Department of Communities and Justice Master Plan for the future of the Tomaree Lodge as a “dog’s breakfast of confected, artificial concepts, which is trying to be all […]
