BY IAN CROUCH
Fire has caused extensive damage to a home at Scone overnight.
16 firefighters from 3 stations were called to the single level fibro and tin roof home on Boronia Street just after 1.30am on Wednesday.
Newcastle Fire Command says the occupants and their pets managed to escape unharmed.
It's taken crews around an hour to extinguish the fire which caused damage to about 50% of the house.
The cause of the blaze is not known at this stage.
Bunnan Road at Scone is closed in both directions and will likely be for the rest of the afternoon following a serious accident involving three teenage girls.
The road is closed between Yarrandi Road and Flemington Drive.
Two young girls were treated by paramedics and the helicopter’s critical care medical teams for head, rib and abdominal injuries before both were airlifted to John Hunter Hospital.
Another young girl was also treated at the scene by paramedics and medical teams before being airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter.
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| Credit: Westpac Rescue Helicopter |
BY PETER HYSLOP
Upper Hunter Shire Council is looking for a new operator for the Hunter Warbirds museum at Scone Airport following cash losses.
The attraction opened in 2022 and has been struggling to attract visitors.
The museum ran into debt from the Warbirds Over Scone event, which suffered a $130,000 loss last year according to council documents.
Mayor Maurice Collison says he's hopeful the expression of interest process will be successful and the operator will get the venue back on its feet.
"I'd like to see it as a warbird attraction centre, run more or less like it is, but with someone else taking the risk," he said.
"To the Council it's a financial burden at this stage, but whatever visitors we can get to the community is certainly a boost to our businesses ... I'm confident it will improve," he said.
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| Hunter Warbirds Museum. Picture credit: Hunter Warbirds |
BY IAN CROUCH
Police have charged a woman over a fatal crash near Scone earlier this month.
On Friday October 4, emergency services were called to Bunnan Road at Owens Gap to reports of a crash between a Mitsubishi Lancer and a Nissan Navara.
A front seat passenger of the Lancer, a 76-year-old woman, died at the scene while the 53-year-old female driver and a 39-year-old female passenger were airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital.
A 27-year-old man driving the Nissan and his 24-year-old female passenger were also taken to the John Hunter.
Following extensive investigations, police have a charged the 53-year-old woman with dangerous and negligent driving occasioning death and failing to keep left of dividing line.
She's due to face Muswellbrook Court on December 17.
BY IAN CROUCH
A man is due to front court today (Wednesday 29 November, 2023) accused of assaulting a woman at Scone.
Police were called to Waverley Street in the early hours of Sunday morning following reports an 18-year-old woman had been followed and assaulted by a man before she was able to escape and run home.
Officers searched a home on St Aubins Street on Tuesday and seized several items for forensic analysis.
They also arrested a 26-year-old man and charged him with sexual touching, common assault, choking and intimidation.
He's been refused bail to face Singleton Local Court today.
BY BELLA MIDDLETON
There are calls for the Minister for Environment and Climate Change and the Minister for Regional NSW to undertake an urgent audit of public land management at Scone following a recent grass fire in the area.
State Member for Upper Hunter, Dave Layzell, is joining the calls, saying the public needs to have faith in the State Government's work with grass and bush fire threats ahead of summer.
"The Barton Street Scone fire from Sunday 22 October must serve as a serious warning to all landowners and land managers, public and private, that preparedness for the current bushfire danger period has to be a priority," said Mr Layzell.
The fire burned over 1,000 hectares east of Scone and required waterbombing aircraft to finally rein in the blaze and extinguish it.
Mr Layzell says the amount of dry vegetation on the ground can contribute heavily to a thriving bushfire.
"There was rural firefighters there, trying to protect properties, they were trying to protect equipment, but most importantly that fire was right down in one of our prime agricultural areas where we had some of our best horse studs at risk because of the lack of maintenances on the soil conservation.
I am concerned about a lack of on-ground preparation that potentially put lives, property, equipment, and high-value livestock at risk.
The NSW Government can call for the community to be prepared for the bushfire danger period but the taxpayers also expect that their public land manager is doing its share of the work," said Mr Layzell.
BY OLIVIA DILLON
A fire which has been burning through bushland around Scone has been upgraded to Watch and Act level.
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BY IAN CROUCH
Firefighters are still working to contain a bush fire which is still out of control at Scone.
The fire off Barton Street has burnt through almost a thousand hectares since it broke out in scorching conditions on Sunday afternoon.
At one stage, the fire went to Emergency Warning level but has since been downgraded to Advice.
Police say there are no reports of property losses or serious injury.
Another bush fire off the Thunderbolts Way at Bretti north of Gloucester has burnt out more than 930 hectares and is being controlled.
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| The bush fire off Barton Street at Scone on Sunday night. Picture: Hunter Valley News |
BY DANEIE GEDDES
Police are searching for three men who allegedly sexually assaulted an eighteen-year-old woman in Scone last Thursday.
The police say the woman was walking past a park on the corner of Grundy Road and Kelly Street, when she was assaulted by the three men on Thursday 6 April at about 7:45pm.
All three men have been described as being of Caucasian appearance, and of average build, with one having a beard.
At the time of the incident, all three were wearing jeans, with one wearing a grey cowboy hat.
They were last seen leaving the area in a light-coloured SUV parked on Grundy Road.
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| Image: Monument Australia |
BY DAKOTA TAIT
A Hunter Rugby veteran is being honoured after his tragic death in a cycling accident at Scone over the weekend.
Mark Heanly died after falling off his bike during a group ride at Upper Dartbrook on Saturday morning.
It's believed his bike slipped while crossing a culvert and he fell and struck his head.
The 59-year-old couldn't be revived and died at the scene.
The Scone local played 125 games for University, including as part of the 1988 premiership-winning first-grade side.
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| The proposed Hunter Gas Pipeline route |
BY DAKOTA TAIT
Upper Hunter Shire Council is calling on local history buffs to take a look in the archives, in hopes it could use photographs to help restore a historic mural in Scone.
According to a restoration expert, the mural at the Niagara Cafe on Kelly St could potentially be restored.
Council's looking for photos of the mural itself of the cafe in general.
Locals who might be able to help are being encouraged to get in touch with Council.
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| The mural at Scone's Niagara Cafe. |
BY IAN CROUCH
The Hunter's Westpac Rescue Helicopter has been kept busy overnight and Wednesday morning with serious accidents in the Upper Hunter.
The chopper was called to a bad crash involving a car, a ute and a mobile crane on the Golden Highway at Jerrys Plains just after 7.00am on Wednesday.
A 45-year-old man who was driving the ute suffered serious head injuries after being thrown from the vehicle.
He was airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital in a serious but stable condition for further treatment.
Meanwhile, a 68-year-old man suffered serious burns to his lower limbs after stepping into a drain filled with boiling fatty water at the Scone Abattoir.
The industrial accident happened at the Muffett Street site just before midnight.
The man was stabilised by the Helicopter's Critical Care Team before being flown to the John Hunter Hospital.
BY IAN CROUCH
A truck driver has been seriously injured after his heavy vehicle collided with a a fully laden coal train at a Scone rail crossing.
Emergency services were called to the crossing on Turnaville Road at 7.15am on Wednesday.
A bystander has reported the driver was pulled from truck.
NSW Ambulance says the driver, a 29-year-old man, has suffered head and chest injuries.
He's been transported to Scone Hospital in a serious condition to rendezvous with the region's Westpac Rescue Helicopter, who will fly him to John Hunter Hospital.
The train driver was not injured in the crash.
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| The 29-year-old truck driver suffered non-life threatening injuries Picture ABC Upper Hunter Jake Lapham |
BY ISABEL EVERETT
The State Government plans to expand TAFE facilities in Scone with the construction of a $3 million trade workshop, and mobile training storage facility.
The announcement is the latest pledge in the campaign for the Upper Hunter by-election.
The workshop will be built at the town's Connected Learning Centre, offering courses such as wool classing, horticulture, small motor maintenance, welding, animal studies, chemical skill sets, agricultural fencing, and chainsaw operations.
“It'll deliver hands-on skills and meet industry demand for practical training and the mobile facility will extend training in agribusiness across the Upper Hunter," Deputy Premier John Barilaro said on Thursday.
The announcement follows the sale of Scone's TAFE campus to Racing NSW.
Racing NSW CEO, Peter V'landys says the sale means the workshop can offer training in new fields, while they operate the TAFE Campus as an equine training facility.
"No ones got anything to be frightened about, if anything they should be excited that this is going to be expanded dramatically," he said.
"We knew that the number one career path here is thoroughbred racing, and we've got a shortage of staff. We've had to bring in staff from the Philippines in track work riding, so we've got a skill shortage, this will fix that."
Construction of the new facility is projected to commence in late 2021 to support course delivery during Semester 2 2022.
BY IAN CROUCH
Hunter Valley Police are appealing for public assistance after a child was approached at Scone.
The 14-year-old girl was walking along Susan Street at about 1.45pm on Friday when an SUV pulled up beside her and the male driver asked if she wanted a lift.
She declined and alerted her family when she got home.
The driver's described as being of African appearance, about 40 to 50 years old with a medium build and wearing green shirt.
He was driving a silver coloured SUV with Queensland number plates.
BY ISABEL EVERETT
A man's been flown to hospital after falling of a roof in the Upper Hunter.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Scone around 7:10pm on Thursday night, to reports a 59-year-old man had fallen from a roof and sustained a serious leg fracture.
The he was treated by paramedics before being transported to Scott Memorial Hospital at Scone and airlifted to John Hunter Hospital.
He was in a stable condition.
