15 COVID cases recorded in the Hunter, as Cardiff apartment building sent into lockdown

BY JARROD MELMETH

15 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the Hunter, bringing the regions total to 145 since August 5.

Of the new cases ten were recorded in Newcastle, three in Lake Macquarie and two in Maitland. 

All of the new cases are linked to previous ones while seven were infectious in the community.

State wide, NSW recorded 633 cases, the highest daily record in the state since the pandemic began in 2020, surpassing the previous state record of 478 recorded on Sunday.

The cases come as dozens of residents at a Cardiff apartment tower face an anxious wait after three people with COVID-19 sent their building into lockdown.

Hunter New England Health confirmed members of the same family tested positive to the virus and have since been moved to a different location to isolate.

The remaining residents in the 30 unit complex on Sturt Road have all been tested and told to stay in their building until they receive their results.

In other news, The Australian Defence Force have been deployed to help Newcastle Police with COVID compliance and welfare operations.

50 ADF personnel have been deployed to the region to conduct compliance checks of stay-at-home and self isolation orders as well as welfare door knocks.

New exposure sites at East Maitland, Beresfield, Kotara, The Junction, Maitland, Jewells and Mount Hutton were added overnight.

Anyone who visited the following venue on the specified dates and times is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days.

• NewsXpress, East Maitland on Thursday 12 August between 6am - 11:10am

Anyone who visited the following venues on the specified dates and times is considered a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

• The Steggles Shop, Beresfield on Thursday 12 August between 7:21am - 10:47am
• Reject Shop, Kotara Home Maker Centre on Saturday 7 August between 11:30am - 12pm
• Grill'd, The Junction on Sunday 8 August between 10:29am - 10:35am
• Reject Shop, High Street Maitland on Monday 9 August between 10:29am - 10:35am
• Coastal Electronic Repairs, Jewells on Wednesday 4 August from 10:45am - 11am
• Dunkley Dash Espresso Hut, Mount Hutton between 6:25am - 6:35am on Monday 2 August to Saturday 7 August. 

For the full list of dates and times for any of the venues of concern, head to the NSW Health website.

Second Hunter Kidnapping in Under 24 Hours: Man Charged Over Alleged Incident at Cardiff

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

A man is due to face court today over an alleged kidnapping incident in Newcastle.

Around 9pm Monday night, a 48-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman were at a licensed premises on Main Road, Cardiff before leaving in a vehicle and driving to multiple locations within Newcastle.

Police have heard the woman was assaulted several times during the journey before she was dropped off in the Wallsend area, where she sought help from a nearby business.

The man was arrested by police and charged with take/detain person with intent to obtain advantage occasion actual bodily harm.

The incident was the second alleged kidnapping to occur in the Hunter on Monday, with a 28-year-old man also facing Maitland Local Court today over a separate incident.

Police Searching For Man In Relation To Cardiff Car Thefts

BY JARROD MELMETH

Lake Macquarie Police are asking for assistance in locating a man they believe to be involved in recent car yard thefts.

The man depicted in the image below is wanted for questioning following the thefts from a Cardiff car yard in October 2018.

He is described as being Caucasian, short brown hair and last seen wearing fluoro high visibility clothing.

Anyone with information that may help identify the man is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Pictured: the man police hope can assist with
their inquiries. 

Fire Destroys Home at Cardiff

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Investigations have been launched into the cause of a fire which ripped through a home in Cardiff overnight.

Ten fire trucks were needed to extinguish the blaze, with crews arriving around 10:20pm to find the house on Wansbeck Valley Road well alight.

As crews battled the flames, nearby Main Road was shut down in both directions until the fire was extinguished around midnight.

It was luckily contained and did not spread to neighbouring properties.

Everyone in the house managed to escape unharmed.

Police investigators arrived on scene at 1:15am and have begun combing through the rubble searching for answers.

Green light given to development despite exceeding height limit

BY JARROD MELMETH

Lake Macquarie Council has approved a development application from poultry company Inghams, to construct four grain silos at their Cardiff site, which will be almost 25-metres high, double the legal height limit for the area.

The land on the corner of Nelson and Durie Road has a prescribed height limit of 15-metres under the Local Environment Plan, while the proposed development is 28.5 metres in height including the replacement conveyor system which will be located atop the new silos.

It is understood the applicant submitted a written request to vary the maximum building height which was supported by council on Monday night.

The approval follows an incident in January 2017, where a silo collapsed damaging two other silos which were later demolished.

Lake Macquarie Cr Kevin Baker was the only councillor to object to the application due to the combustible nature of grain dust.

"Grain silos can be very dangerous. We were quite lucky we didn't have a significant explosion in the collapse last year. One thing we just have not really taken into consideration is, is this the right development in the right area?

"It may be permissible under the industrial zoning, but is having a large dangerous goods site adjacent to a train line and other buildings the right thing to do?

"I just do not think council has considered that in the best way," Cr Baker said.

The site at Cardiff Inghams for the proposed development.
Image: Google Maps.

Four Teens Arrested After Wild Pursuit Through Lake Macquarie

BY IAN CROUCH

Police have arrested four teenagers over a terrifying crime spree through Lake Macquarie.

It began just before 5.30 yesterday morning when a Nissan Navara was stolen from a driveway on Myall Road at Cardiff.

It's alleged the utility was used to tear up the turf on a sports field on John Fisher Drive at Belmont before hitting a parked car on Beach Street at Belmont South.

Officers then spotted the vehicle and gave chase along the Pacific Highway with speeds reaching 140 kilometres per hour in a 90 zone on the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, with reports the vehcile was weaving in and out of traffic and swervibg onto the wrong side of the road.

The ute hit another car on Lookout Road at New Lambton before it was abandoned on McCaffery Drive at Rankin Park.

No one was injured.

Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District located the vehicle nearby and arrested four youths.

An 18-year-old man, a 16-year-old girl, a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy were taken to Belmont Police Station.

The 18-year-old man was charged with 10 offences, including:

• Take and drive conveyance without consent of owner
• Negligent driving (x2)
• Destroy or damage property
• Police pursuit - not stop - drive dangerously
• Special category driver drive with special range PCA
• Not comply P1 licence (no P plates)
• Not give particulars to other driver (x2)
• Class A m/v exceed speed > 45 km/h

He was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear before Belmont Local Court on Wednesday 28 March 2018.

The 17-year-old boy was charged with be carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner. He was granted strict conditional bail to appear before a children’s court on Monday 26 March 2018.

The two girls will be dealt with under the Youth Offenders Act.

The Missing Link For Munibung Road

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The missing link on Munibung Road is right around the corner with construction on the 820 metre stretch of the road set to start in the new year.

Lake Macquarie Council has called for tender submissions to find a contractor for the job which will greatly improve the link between Boolaroo and Cardiff.

Mayor Kay Fraser says it's time the area went back to the boom it once was.

Mayor Kay Fraser, Adam Wakeman and Tony Farrell from the council.

"Obviously it was a huge employment generating area so we're wanting to put back what was there so hence the reason to built the road so we can have the employment generating businesses back in there,"

"We've set the money aside and we actually got some money from the government and that's to open up the old Pasminco land so that will release all of that land and great opportunities for residential and also for economic development," said Mayor Fraser.

The extension runs through the former Pasminco smelter site, and the council hopes the former site will again become a booming economic area like it once was.

The link is also crucial to the development of the Lake Macquarie Transport interchange linking the suburbs.

"Residents travelling in that area, that will cut down on their travel time and it's also another new access for business using that route so tenders will close and we'll probably assess them early in the year and then start building that road," said Mayor Fraser.

Tender applications are open until January 23 next year.

Police release image of creep who exposed himself at Cardiff

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Police have released an image of a man they believe could be the creep who exposed himself to teenage girls in Lake Macquarie.

The first incident occurred on Thursday 10 August 2017 where a 16-year-old girl was walking through bushland between Peach Avenue and Fifth Street in Cardiff when she noticed a man who exposed himself and acted indecently.

A week later, two 15-year-old girls were walking along a stormwater drain on Fourth Street at Cardiff when they noticed a man exposing himself and performing an indecent act. Two other teenage girls reported a similar incident at the same location.

Police have conducted extensive patrols but have been unable to locate the man.

They've released this e-fit image of a man in the hope someone may be able to identify him.

He is described as being of Caucasian appearance, aged in his mid 40s with a medium to large build and dark-coloured hair.

Anyone with any information is being urged to come forward.

Creep Strikes Again at Cardiff

BY IAN CROUCH

Police believe a man who exposed himself to a teenage girl at Cardiff last week has struck again.

Two 15-year-old girls were walking along a stormwater drain in Fourth Street at about 8.45am  yesterday when they noticed a man performing a lewd act.

They left the area and walked to their school nearby.

About 15 minutes later the man again exposed himself to a 14-year-old girl who was walking with her younger sister in the same area.

Police are appealing for help to catch the culprit.

He’s described as being aged in his 40s, approximately 183cm tall and with a large build with black curly hair and a short beard.

It’s believed the man committed a similar act in front of teenage girls in the same area last Thursday (10 August 2017).

Anyone who can assist police with their inquiries is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police Search For Creep Who Exposed Himself To Young Girl At Cardiff

BY IAN CROUCH

Police are searching for a man who exposed himself and performed an indecent act in front of a teenage girl at Cardiff.

The 16-year-old girl was walking through bushland between Peach Avenue and Fifth Sreet at about 8.45am on Thursday when she was confronted by the man.

The girl immediately left the area and reported the incident as soon as she got to school.

The man's described as being of Caucasian appearance, aged in his mid 40s with a medium build and brown hair.

He was last seen wearing an orange long-sleeve high-visibility shirt and dark blue pants.

Police are urging anyone with information about the man to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Missing link between Boolaroo and Cardiff

BY DANIELLE REIS and JESSICA ROUSE

The extension of Munibung Road has been a long time coming and now the missing link is finally a reality.

Lake Macquarie City Council is welcoming $2.2 million from the Federal Government to extend Munibung Road and connect Boolaroo to Cardiff, cutting around 11 minutes off the current round trip.

Lake Mayor Kay Fraser says new 700 metre extension will provide an important transport link for motorists.

"We're very excited for the council to receive this from the federal government - we have already set aside the other half of the money that's needed so what we will be able to do now is connect Munnibung Road which will run into Cardiff and connect to Boolaroo."

Earlier this year council set aside $2.9 million towards the extension.

"We've already started the planning of the new road, I'm hopeful that we will continue with that planning and we'll start very soon. It's very exciting that we can finally deliver this important infrastructure to Lake Macquarie and to the residents in the area," said Kay Fraser.

Fire at Teralba Caravan Park

BY JESSICA ROUSE

An investigation is underway into what could have caused a caravan at Teralba Caravan park to go up in flames earlier today.

NSW Fire and Rescue crews from Teralba, Toronto and Cardiff were called to the caravan park at around 8am this morning where they found a caravan engulfed by flames.

It took crews 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze.

No one was injured but the caravan was totally destroyed and an adjacent caravan was also damaged.

Cardiff shed fire

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A shed has been completely destroyed in a fire on Main Road Cardiff at about 7:30 last night.

The shed went up in flames reportedly ignited by a car inside.

Fires services were on the scene quickly with five trucks keeping the blaze under control until it was extinguished.

Ambulance services also attended, but no one was inside at the time and there were no injuries.

Union Hopes to Secure 80 Jobs for Ingham's Workers

BY GARY LYSAGHT

Workers at the soon to be closed Ingham’s processing site at Cardiff have been thrown a lifeline by rival Baiada Poultry.

Baiada has struck a deal with the Meat Workers Union to hold discussions over taking up to 80 of the workers who aren’t seeking redundancies.

Ingham’s is set to close the Cardiff site in August, citing the need to reduce expenditure as the main reason.

Baiada are set to employ 80 of its rivals staff [Source: Newcastle Herald]

Meat Workers Union Newcastle branch secretary Grant Courtney says the highly skilled workforce is being courted by many employers.

“We’ve also been contacted by JBS, which is the biggest meat processor in the world, based at Scone.  They’ve said if there’s any skilled workers that would like to apply out there, by all means,” he said.

Courtney says workers are also being asked to apply at another Baiada site at Tamworth, while other workers have asked for transfers to Ingham’s Sydney site.

“It’s one of our principle policies about employers having a moral obligation to employ locals first,” says Courtney who believes Baiada are doing just that.

“The company has always said we haven’t got enough skilled workers.  Well now we’ve got a fully skilled workforce that is available,” he said.

Around 360 full time and casual staff work at the Cardiff site and while Courtney admits he doesn’t know when they’ll move on to their new positions, he’s still overwhelmed with the outcome.

“I’m very, very happy and supportive of Baiada [for] taking the high moral ground on this issue and hopefully offering employment to the Cardiff/Novacastrian workforce,” he said.

Ingham's Employees Lose Job Security

BY GARY LYSAGHT

The Meat Workers' Union has expressed its outrage over the forced closure of the Ingham's processing plant at Cardiff, which will leave 355 workers without a job after August.


The company has said the closure is in an effort to cut costs and save money at a range of outlets across Australia since Ingham's was purchased by a large, American company 3 years ago.

Ingham's employees leave, knowing their job is no longer secure [Source: The Newcastle Herald]

The news was broken to the highly unionised workforce on Wednesday afternoon, giving workers only six weeks to find new employment.

Ingham's has confirmed they will provide redundancy payouts to workers, as well as paying for training programs for current employees to find new work.

Meat Worker's Union Branch Secretary Grant Courtney says Ingham's still isn't doing enough for their employees who don't have the skills to do much else.

"These people have worked in the industry a long time ... the company's just going to throw them on the scrap heap," he said.

He says Ingham's isn;t doing much for Cardiff workers, but it's working hard to make the processing industry in Australia better.

"They're going to invest $400 million in the processing industry, and that's a good thing for the industry, but it's not good for our member at Cardiff," he says.

"If the company's got that amount of money to splurge around to improve other processing plants across the country and can't throw money out to Cardiff; I just think it's a bad call."

Union members and executives are calling for a town hall meeting some time next week in an effort to discuss what's next for meat processing in the Hunter.

Courtney has worked with Ingham's to change their minds, but hasn't been successful.

"We've asked the company to go back to their senior figureheads and get them to reconsider their position [but] the company has said no at this stage, the decision is final, that's what it is."

Ingham's To Close Cardiff Factory

BY IAN CROUCH

Workers at the Inghams Chicken Factory at Cardiff have shed tears after being told the plant is closing down in August.

350 jobs will be lost as a result of the closure with the company deciding the site is too expensive to run.


The company says it will honour redundancy entitlements and offer assistance to retrain workers as well as offering redeployment to another Ingham's site.

However the Meat Workers Union says the nearest factory is in Brisbane and this would not be practical or viable for the majority of workers.

Union representatives will speak with staff today.

Ingham's Staff Leaving Work After Being Told Cardiff Plant To Close Photo Courtesy theherald.com