Jockey Thrown From Horse During Trackwork At Broadmeadow

 BY IAN CROUCH

A jockey has been thrown from his mount during morning trackwork at Broadmeadow.

Ambulance paramedics were called to Newcastle Racecourse at 4.15am on Saturday.

They've been told the 46-year-old man was aboard a horse measuring 16 hands high when the animal bucked violently.

He was thrown some distance, landing on his head and may have briefly lost consciousness.

The man was treated at the scene before being taken to the John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition with suspected chest and back injuries.

Fire Destroys Home At Cessnock

 BY IAN CROUCH

 Police have launched an investigation into the cause of a fire which destroyed a home at Cessnock overnight.

Firefighters from Cessnock, Bellbird, Kearsley and Paxton were called to the single level home on Wollombi Road just after 2.00am on Tuesday to find the rear of the house engulfed in flames.

Newcastle Fire Command says two occupants managed to self-evacuate without injury.

It's taken crews more than 2 hours to extinguish and mop up the fire using 4 lines of hose.

Crews also had to undergo decontamination due to exposure to asbestos.

 

Advocate and Victim Survivor Named Newcastle Local Woman of the Year

BY OLIVIA DILLON 

What Were You Wearing? (WWYW) founder Sarah Williams has been named as the 2023 Newcastle Local Woman of the Year.

A victim-survivor herself, Sarah has organised rallies attended by thousands of people, has collected more than 20,000 stories from survivors, organsied the first ever survivor advocates group within universities, and aired the first ever exhibition on sexual assault awareness in Australia. 

It also comes after WWYW recently launched a state-wide campaign to tackle drink spiking across the Hunter and NSW, backed by Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp. 

Ms Williams said he is hopeful her work is making change possible. 

"You don't really see people like myself getting awards or getting recognised, so I think the award is not only for me, but it's for all survivors," she said. 

Ms Williams also said there's still more to be done in the domestic violence space, and has plans to start survival workshops, as well as a once-a-week helpline for victims. 

"Exceptional" Weather Events Contributing to Decreased Air Quality

BY TIA THOMAS

The state government's Annual Air Quality statement shows air pollution across the Hunter continues to exceed national benchmarks for coarse and fine particle pollution.

According to the report, there were 51 days of exceptional weather events in 2018 which contributed to poor air quality, including dust storms, drought and bushfires.

That's compared to just 18 days during the previous year.

Environmental Justice Australia researcher Dr James Whelan, from the Hunter Community Environment Centre, said the government must make rapid changes to state-wide strategies to control increasing pollution.

"For 3 years now, the NSW government has been talking about the need for some kind of strategy to respond to air pollution," said Dr Whelan

"And they just don't seem to have moved in that direction," he said.

The Hunter has seen a number of major bushfires in recent years. Image courtesy RFS. 

Man Robbed At Knifepoint At Jesmond

BY IAN CROUCH

A man has been the victim of a terrifying street robbery at Jesmond.

The 24-year-old was walking along Mordue Parade at about 10.30pm on Wednesday when he was approached by a man who pulled a knife on him.

The man ordered the victim to hand over his mobile phone, cash and other personal property before running off.

The offender's described as being in his early 20's, about 185 centimetres tall and was wearing a dark baseball cap and a dark jumper.

Anyone who can assist police with their inquiries is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

The victim was not injured during the incident.

Laundry Fire At Bar Beach Units Being Treated As Suspicious

BY IAN CROUCH

A fire which caused severe damage to a common laundry of a Bar Beach unit block this morning is being treated as suspicious.

Firefighters from Cooks Hill and Merewether were called to Nickson Street just after 3 o'clock this morning to find the laundry area well alight.

They took about 45 minutes to extinguish and mop up the blaze.

They'd earlier been called to extinguish a rubbish fire at the same unit complex, and there are reports of a man seen acting suspiciously in the area at the time.