BANK of Sydney has opened applications for its $20,000 Grant for Good community grant program. Organisations and initiatives that promote social inclusion activities, health and wellbeing, sports and other fields that benefit local communities are encouraged to apply. Since 2021, Bank of Sydney’s annual Grant for Good has distributed $90,000 to local organisations supporting Australian […]

Hawks Nest Probus gets insight into RAAF Williamtown
AIR Force representatives spoke at the first ordinary meeting of the Hawks Nest and District Probus Club on Friday 4 April, educating the more than 100 members present about the key regional defence base. “Not everyone in the RAAF flies, only a small percentage actually do, and we have many roles including dog handling, technicians, […]
Results of Port Stephens Council’s cabana blitz
PORT Stephens Council has shared the results of a recent cabana compliance initiative. The campaign targeted unattended items such as cabanas being used to reserve spots at Fly Point, Little Beach and Shoal Bay Beach. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone – (02) 4981 8882. […]
Clarence Town artist showcasing local scenes on ceramics
PILAR Patterson is a Clarence Town artist whose skill in making and decorating ceramic works is deservedly gaining attention. Recently, at the Dungog Arts Society “Faces and Places” exhibition, her work “the Brig O’Johnston Bridge” won first prize in Ceramics. It is a wheel-thrown platter, with a softly-coloured and thoughtfully-observed view of the bridge and […]

Murder rate soars as killers claim multiple victims
MURDERS have spiked in Australia’s most populous state, driven by multiple-victim homicides including a shopping centre massacre in which six people were killed. A total of 85 people were murdered in NSW in 2024, up from 56 in the previous year and the highest toll since 2014, the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reports. […]
Gloucester District’s gardeners talking ‘Permaculture at the Pub’
WHEN the word “permaculture” is uttered, some readers might have a vision of someone clad in well-worn gardening gear, with an old tattered hat, clutching a freshly dug bunch of carrots or spuds. Few would imagine a smartly dressed group, beers in hand, chatting animatedly at the local pub about gardening in general, and […]