Another Ferry Stop for Newcastle?

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Another ferry stop could be on the cards for Newcastle.

The Throsby Business Chamber surveyed their members to find out where they would like to see another ferry stop and found 54 per cent would like to see the ferry stop at Wickham.

Other respondents saw Carrington as another possible place for a stop which the chamber believes wouldn't be too much of a stretch because the ferries already moor there.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald said there have been a few ideas put forward and all of them are quite good.

"You'd have a ferry stop near Carrington or a little bit further up at Wickham and then join up with the Wickham/Newcastle Interchange and then that would go up to Queens Wharf. So there are a few ideas and a few options being looked at and considered."

The idea of another ferry stop isn't something that hasn't been thought of before, Scot said there is the consideration in both the 2056 Transport Plan and also in the Draft Greater Newcastle Metro Plan.

"It's always good to hear from the local community including the business community and it builds the case so this will be taken on board, this will be listened to and I'm grateful to the Throsby Business Chamber for going to this effort and putting the survey together," said Scot.

The business chamber says the demand for the ferry service has been proven, particularly during the Supercars Newcastle 500 two weeks ago and the use of the ferry service just between Queens Wharf and Stockton every day.

The survey results have been sent off to Transport Minister Andrew Constance.

Queens Wharf Image Wikipedia

HMAS Maitland Getting Freedom of Entry for First time in 11 Years

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Maitland is taking a leap into medieval times tomorrow with officers and sailors from HMAS Maitland exercising their Freedom of Entry to the city.

The tradition goes back to when armed bodies were rarely allowed into cities except in special cases when the landowning nobles would grant them entry.

Granting armed bodies entry then signified a friendship between the two and the expectation the armed group would assist in the defence of the city should the situation arise.

"For a unit to conduct a freedom of entry we have the permission from the city to march through the town with bands playing and weapons drawn. And this is a symbolic evolution that we conduct to reaffirm our commitment not only to Australia but to our namesake city," said Commanding Officer Lieutenant Jonathon Little.

The crew of the HMAS Maitland with their Commanding Officer will be met by The Local Commanding Officer of Police on the corner of Bourke and High Street tomorrow at 10am. They'll then march, under police escort, to Maitland Town Hall.

HMAS Maitland Image navy.gov.au

"The last time we were able to conduct a freedom of entry was 11 years ago. They don't come around too often but that's a testament to the government of Australia's commitment to the protection of our borders," said Lieutenant Little. 

The HMAS Maitland is 50 metres in length with a crew complement of 21 people.  

Lieutenant Litlle says the namesake ship is a small, but pivotal part of the Navy.

"We're used in a variety of missions or roles from maritime to protect our sovereign borders, fisheries, and then any other operation which the Australian Government might require is to conduct."

HMAS Maitland is currently docked in Carrington and will be having an open day on Sunday before they leave.

Two historic Newcastle buildings given heritage status

BY JESSICA ROUSE

There's yet another state heritage listing for Newcastle with the Hydraulic Engine House and crane bases in Carrington now added to the list.

Built in the 1870s, the engine house on Bourke Street Carrington used hydraulic cranes to lift coal onto ships.

Hydraulic Engine House Image Newcastle City Council

The northern coal fields, of which Newcastle was the port, accounted for around 70 per cent of the state's coal production between 1880 and 1930.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald says it represents the most complete example of a coal loading system, predating conveyor belts, still in existence in Australia today.

"The Hydraulic Engine House was an Australian first and industrial wonder for its time," said Scot MacDonald.

The listing comes after a historic house in Hamilton with links to the early days of mining was given state heritage status by the state government.

The Australian Agricultural Company Mine Manager's House on Denison Street was built in 1849 and was formally responsible for the colony's most technologically advanced coal mine.

"The Australian Agricultural Company House is significant not just to the people of Newcastle but to NSW as a representation of the social and economic development of its era," said Scot MacDonald.

Australian Agricultural Company Mine Manager's House
Image Newcastle City Council

Calls for floating pontoon at Carrington Boat Ramp

BY JARROD MELMETH

Ward 1 Candidate for the Newcastle Independents, John Church, is calling on Newcastle City Council to start work on installing a floating pontoon at the Carrington Boat Ramp.

Currently, the boat ramp is in good condition with a small sandy beach, but Mr Church believes it could be improved with a small floating pontoon.

"This would give local residents and boat owners much safer access to the harbour, particularly for passengers and their equipment.

"A good example of this is the new boat ramp that has been installed at Croudace Bay by Lake Macquarie City Council. It features a wharf which floats on some piers as the tide rises and falls but, it does provide easy access for people with boats and for loading passengers and equipment. The project is fairly low-cost and low maintenance," Mr Church said.

Mr Church also used the call as an opportunity to take aim at Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, over recent expense claims where it was alleged Ms Nelmes racked up a council credit bill of more than $30,000.

"We were all disappointed earlier this year to find out about the Lord Mayors expensive lunches, coffees, probiotic waters, overseas trips and assistance with babysitting.

"She even has a history of producing gold foil business cards, which we think is over the top and beyond what community expectations are.

"In my view, this kind of project is a better use of council dollars," Mr Church said. 

The floating pontoon at Croudace Bay. Source: Newcastle Star

Ward 1 Candidate, John Church.

UPDATED: Forgacs site getting a breath of new life

BY JESSICA ROUSE and DANIELLE RIES

The former Forgacs slipway at Carrington will be given a new lease of life repairing ships with French company Thales announcing their plans to join with the state government and take over the site.

The Hunter Business Chamber has today welcomed this announcement from the Deputy Premier John Barilaro as the developments planned will revitalise the region's key maritime hub.

Around 70 new jobs will be created with the company working in collaboration with the state government to invest $6 million into the rundown facility.

Initially, Thales say they'll be working on commercial ship repair and support, but the company might be looking for lucrative Navy contracts in the future.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes says its great to see these facilities up and running in Newcastle again.

"The reinstatement of the former facility that ways there, which whilst it had a ship building capacity, we understand Thales intention is to use it for maintenance, but that is a big step given that we haven't had that opportunity or that operate within the port of Newcastle, now for a period of two years or more so it's fantastic to see it comeback".

He also says he's hopeful this project stays a local project.

"The investment that goes into this and this is certainly a good example of where the government has committed some funds and been able to leverage further input or further expenditure from the private to get it up and going.

"And we are really hopeful this can be very much a local production as it were, and re-engage a lot of the businesses around the Port."

Image ABC Newcastle Facebook page

Hunter suburbs at risk of rising sea levels

BY JARROD MELMETH and JESSICA ROUSE

Newcastle has been featured as a high risk zone on a new map by Coastal Risk Australia, showing sea level rise patterns over the next 100 years.

The new map incorporates research from the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and shows if the sea level rises by just 2.7 metres by 2100 many of the Hunter's coastal towns will be under water including much of Carrington.

The worst case scenario for 2100 in previous maps now looks to be three times worse.

The interactive map also shows that along with Carrington, Wickham, Koorangang, Fletcher, Shortland and Hexham are among the worst effected by rising sea levels.

Greens MP Justin Field says, the new data must be taken seriously by the NSW Government.

"We've got a budget coming out next month from the Berejiklian government and we need more money put towards climate mitigation. We need a phase out strategy for coal and I know that is sometimes a difficult conversation to have in the Hunter community and unless we want to see the communities under water in the next fifty to one hundred years. We need to take that seriously."

The rising sea levels are set to completely change the landscape of coastal communities, and in places like Carrington there's billions of dollars of public and private infrastructure at risk.

Not only that, MP Justin Field says the housing market will also be affected as the weather patterns change.

"This is already happening, we saw last year major storm events impact the coastline and saw houses washed into the ocean. I know that property prices are still high along the coastline but I think insurance companies are starting to look at this data and ask whether or not these properties are insurable and when you see those questions asked you'll see those prices start to fall," said Justin Field.

Man treated for burns to face and hands in Carrington

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A man in his 30s is believed to be in a stable condition after suffering burns in an industrial accident this morning.

Just after 6am, paramedics were called to a business on Everett Street in Carrington where they treated a man for burns to his face and hands.

The man was reportedly splashed with acid from a 12 volt truck battery.

He was taken to John Hunter Hospital.

Calls to phase out coal loader in Carrington

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Tighes Hill Community Group have written to the Port of Newcastle asking for Port Waratah Coal Services' (PWCS) Carrington Coal loader not to extend it's lease after 2024.

The loader has a licensed capacity of 25 million tonnes of coal per annum, and the group say it is an inappropriate location for such a high impact industry.

The PWCS recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the loader, committing to a $60 million upgrade of the Carrington loader, much to the disappointment of the community group.

Tighes Hill Community Group Secretary Charlotte McCabe says the proximity of the loader to homes and families as well as the impact on their health is very unsafe.

"For many many years we have been raising concerns around the coal dust and the impacts we feel that's having on the health of people - particularly the children and the elderly living in the area - and obviously we've got concerns about climate change and we think this is an industry that needs to begin transitioning, and the end of this lease is the perfect time for that to happen."

The group say the anniversary is an excellent opportunity for port to show its commitment to a better, cleaner future for Newcastle, rather than an upgrade to the loader.

Former Tennis Coach Charged With Child Sex Offences

BY IAN CROUCH

 A former tennis coach has been arrested near his Carrington home over historical child sex abuse allegations.

The 69-year-old is accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old boy several times when they lived next door to each other in Port Macquarie back in 1976.

He's been charged with two counts of buggery and has been granted conditional bail to face Port Macquarie Local Court on Wednesday September 7.

The arrest has prompted police to encourage anyone who has been the victim of any kind of sexual violence, no matter how long ago the incident occurred, to contact police.

Carrington's new loaders

By Georgia-Lee Campbell

Two new coal ship-loaders arrived in the Port of Newcastle.

The coal ship loaders are to be installed at the Carrington coal terminal over the coming months, with the three existing loaders to be taken away.

The coal loader's were built in Shanghai and shipped from China.

Despite anti-coal activist's continuing to push to have the Carrington loader shut down due to its proximity to housing, the implementation of the new ship loaders shows Port Waratah Coal Service's (PWC's) intentions to keep the terminal operating.

PWCs is licensed to export 145 million tonnes of coal a year -120 million tonnes from Kooragang and 25 million tonnes from Carrington.

Picture sourced: pwcs.com.au

Dust Survey Results Released

Tighes Hill Community Group has released the preliminary findings of their survey on attitudes towards the coal industry.

The 'Coal Dust Free Streets' project aimed to find out resident's opinions on coal pollution, noise and the proposed fourth coal terminal.

The results show that 65% of residents are opposed to T4, over 70% support a curfew on train movements between 11am and 5am and over 85% believe covers should be implemented on waggons, stockpiles and loaders.

 

"This is a community that lives right on the door stop of the Carrington coal facility and they clearly think it's about time the industry cleans up it's act," said Zane Alcorn, from the Coal Terminal Action Group.

 

Mr Alcorn said modern coal terminal are entirely enclosed.

"Carrington is basically a dinosaur of the 1970s and there's a recent coal terminal in Western Australia and the stock piles and load facilities are completely enclosed. We know that technology is commercially available," he said.

Tighes Hill Community Group spokesperson, Charlotte McCabe agreed with Mr Alcorn.

"While in Newcastle we're still debating weather or not dust is a health issue for us here, in other parts of the world they've already worked out that it is very serious health concern and they've developed new technology for covering stock piles and train [waggons] and loaders," she said.

The Tighes Hill survey is a pilot for a wider survey early next year.

"We really hope we can see some good out comes from this survey," Ms McCabe said.