Medowie Ambulance Station location secured, due for completion 2022

BY JARROD MELMETH

Ferodale Road has been chosen as the site for the new Medowie Ambulance Station.

The NSW Health Minister Brad Hazard confirmed the news on Friday saying the new purpose-built station would be constructed at 30 Ferodale Road, with construction to be complete in 2022.

The announcement comes five months after the state government revealed the town would be home to an ambulance station.

Once built, the new station will feature internal parking for up to is emergency ambulance vehicles, relief accomodation for paramedics, administration and office areas, logistics and storage areas, an internal wash bay and staff parking.

Mr Hazzard says its the optimal location to service the community.

"Our paramedics need the best possible workplace to provide emergency medical care, and this new station will make a real difference to their working environment," Mr Hazzard said.

Port Stephens MP Kate Washington has welcomed the announcement saying she was pleased the state government is delivering the new station, but says additional paramedics and ambulances must come with it.

"Our local paramedics are already overstretched trying to meet the needs of our community, and they desperately need more funded positions to improve local response times.

"By next year, Medowie will have a six-bay ambulance station, four primary schools, two supermarkets, a 24-hour McDonalds, but still no public high school. 

"The Minister for Education should follow the Minister for Health's lead and commit to the infrastructure Medowie desperately needs - a public high school," Ms Washington said

The project will now undergo a design phase and planning approval will be sought.

Pictured: Artist impression of the new station.

Medowie community comes together for kids in isolation

BY JARROD MELMETH

The Medowie community has come together over the weekend in an effort to keep children in isolation entertained.

On Friday, Hunter New England Health with the assistance of police conducted a large scale operation testing and isolating residents of the Motto Farm Motel at Heatherbrae after a COVID positive person was "very active" in the community. Residents of the motel have since been told they will need to isolate for 14 days.

The motel is used as temporary accommodation for the regions vulnerable families and the Medowie community were concerned for the welfare of children and their parents who are now confined to their rooms.

After a call out on Facebook, organiser Rachael Vaughan says they were flooded with books, board games, play doh and stationary from members of the community who wanted to help.

"Whenever we put out a call for arms or a helping hands post we never are ceased to be amazed by the way the community snaps quickly into gear.

"We put a call out around 9am and we set up a driveway at a local community members house where people could arrive and contactless drop off in the driveway. By 2pm in the afternoon, the driveway was full, tabled overflowing and we were just completely overwhelmed but not at all surprised," Ms Vaughan said.

The group of Medowie mums met at 8pm on Friday night, masked up in the driveway and sorted and packed all the boxes and bags. They've have been able to make up enough bags, that any child, across the Hunter who is forced to isolate, can receive an activity bag. 

"We are concerned for the kids who are very quickly and very suddenly completely isolated from being able to go anywhere.

"Some of these kids are already going through some different situations with their own families that if we can provide activities for them to be able to have something to take their mind off it, I think that's a very important thing to be able to be a part of," Ms Vaughan said.

The group of Medowie residents putting together the bags.

UPDATE! Missing Medowie teenager located

BY JARROD MELMETH

UPDATE:

Police say missing teenager Tylah Weatherburn has been located and is safe and well. 

The 13-year-old was reported missing on Monday having last been seen at her home in Medowie on Sunday night.

EARLIER:

BY JAMES CARTER

Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate a missing teenage girl last seen in Medowie.

Tylah Weatherburn, aged 13, was last seen at her home at Bower Road in Medowie about 8:30pm on Sunday 22 August 2021. 

Police were notified of her disappearance on Monday and have commenced an investigation into her location. 

She is described as being of Caucasian appearance, between 130cm to 135cm tall, of thin build, with long blonde hair and green eyes. Tylah is believed to be wearing a black Tommy Hilfiger jumper, grey track pants and black Nike runners.

Police and family have concerns for Tylah's welfare due to her age.

She is known to frequent the Raymond Terrace, Medowie and possibly the Tenambit areas. 

Anyone who may have seen Tylah, or knows of her whereabouts, is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

MISSING: Tylah Weatherburn of Medowie
Image: NSW Police

Medowie School: Washington Asks Why it Hasn't Been Built Yet

 BY SAMUEL BARTETT

Port Stephens MP Kate Washington has called on the State government to remember its promise to build a new high school in Medowie.

The Department of Education has owned land in Medowie set aside for a public school since 1983 but the Ferodale Road site has been left untouched.

She called on the Minister for Education to rule out selling off the land or using it for anything other than its original purpose.

She asked the minister in parliament on Thursday, "tell us what you plan to do with the department of education land that still sits vacant."

"Its a plan designed to give themselves an excuse to never deliver a public high school in Medowie," she explained.

The calls come as the Port Stephens population increases and travel time to high schools further afield grow longer.

Kate Washington said, "We were told by the department that when student numbers reached attending point, the plan would kick in. Nothing has happened, despite Medowie's population growing exponentially." 

She finished and asked the Government, "if their plan means they will never build a public high school in Medowie, be honest and tell us."

Calls for the public high school have not abated despite the construction of Catherine McAuley Catholic school in Medowie. Locals are still pushing for a Government-funded school as promised long ago.

Return and Earn Reverse Vending Machine first in the Hunter

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Hunter is now home to the first Return and Earn Reverse Vending Machine in the state in a bid to reduce waste.

The machine is located at the Woolworths in Medowie and it's as easy as putting in a container, and getting 10 cents back to give to a charity, or use at the local Woolies.

The state government will be rolling out more of the machines across the Hunter which will be in use from December 1. The NSW government is aiming to reduce waste by 40 per cent by 2020.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald says it's really quite a simple way to reduce the amount of litter on the streets in the Hunter.

"You put your container in, you get your payment or your voucher or your contribution to your charity and at the back of the vending machine there's a 20 foot container and all the material then goes into the back obviously to be collected by the waste industry," said Scot MacDonald.

The government says the machines present a massive logistical exercise which is why it's taking a little bit of time to get them all installed and up and running.

Scot MacDonald said they've been rolled out in South Australia already and so far, so good.

"It does make a material difference to the rubbish on the road that you see in the streets in your neighbourhood. So look it has got the runs on the board, we were talking to the installers there who've come over from Europe and they're saying it has a good track record in some of the European countries."

The containers eligible for the 10 cent refund include most containers between 150ml and three litres. Containers shouldn't be crushed or broken and have the original label attached to be eligible for the refund.

Man Arrested After Police Pursuit From Lake Macquarie To Port Stephens

BY IAN CROUCH

A Jesmond man is due to front court today accused of leading police on a lengthy pursuit from Lake Macquarie to Port Stephens.

Officers attempted to stop a Hyndai Excel for a random breath test on Main Road at Toronto at about 10.00pm on Sunday, but the 29-year-old driver refused to stop.

It's alleged he led officers on a pursuit through several Newcastle suburbs before road spikes were deployed on Medowie Road at Medowie 49 minutes later.

He's been charged with failing to stop for a random breath test and disqualified driving.

It's also alleged he returned a positive roadside test for methylamphetamine .

Senior Police have defended continuing the pursuit for almost an hour saying members of the public were never at risk because speeds reached during the chase were not excessive and there was very little traffic on the road.

Bush fire closes Pacific Highway

BY JARROD MELMETH

New South Wales Fire and Rescue say they have the upper hand on a bushfire at Ferodale, near Medowie that has closed the Pacific Highway in both directions.

The fire had jumped the motorway causing the road to be closed between the Buckets Way and Medowie road.

Inspector Ben Shepherd from NSWFR says the threat has eased but the highway will remain closed for another 30 minutes.

"That's mostly cause crews are working from that highway in an effort to try and control that fire.

"Although the threat has eased, we are still asking people to monitor the situation," Inspector Shepherd said.

Southbound motorists are advised to divert onto the Buckets Way, Limeburners Creek Road, East Seaham Road and Warren Street Road then Seaham Road.

Northbound motorists are advised to divert onto Seaham Road, Warren Street, East Seaham Road, Limeburners Creek Road and the Buckets Way.

It follows a fire at Cameron Park that burned through five hectares of bushland at around 5:30 this morning.

Photo source: Fire and Rescue Raymond Terrace.

Childcare centre off the RAAF Base and out to Medowie

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Department of Defence are moving a childcare centre earmarked for the Williamtown RAAF Base out to Medowie instead.

It comes after international research indicated there is a potential risk that noise exposure may affect children's rate of learning compared to a quiet environment. In addition, the health risks to hearing is a major concern.

The research is what led to the closure of RAAF Base childcare centres back in 2015 at Amberley and Darwin.

The decision to not have one back at Williamtown is particularly pleasing to Paterson MP Meryl Swanson.

"It also happened to be outside of the red zone which I think is a wise and cautionary decision. You know, we don't know about PFAS, it is an emerging contaminant and I do think that they've done a good thing in making the decision to move the childcare centre,"

"They took the decision to move the childcare bases at Williamtown, Amberly and Darwin because of fast jets and the noise. That decision was taken a number of years ago before PFAS became an issue and I was briefed recently, last week, that a new childcare centre was being built at Medowie," said Meryl Swanson.

The childcare centre at Medowie is still little ways away - it isn't expected to be built until next year. Defence has committed to the centre which they say will be completed between January and August 2018.

Meryl Swanson says with a majority of RAAF families already living in Medowie, it just makes sense.

Investigations continue after fatal accident on Industrial Drive

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Crash Investigation Unit officers have commenced an investigation into the circumstances which led to the tragic death of a woman in a two-car accident on Industrial Drive yesterday morning.

Just before 11:30am (Monday 24th July 2017), emergency services were called to the corner of Industrial Drive and Tourle Street Mayfield after reports a Holden Astra and a Ford Territory had collided.

The driver of the Holden, a 66-year-old man was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition and his passenger, a woman in her 60s from Medowie, died at the scene.

The driver of the Ford, a 31-year-old man was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition. He underwent mandatory blood and urine testing.

Initial investigations suggest the Holden was turning right from Industrial Drive onto Tourle Street at about 11:30 yesterday morning when it was struck by the Ford.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

A political statement, not an education statement: MacDonald on Foley

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Opposition Leader Luke Foley visited Medowie yesterday committing to build the high school which was promised 15 years ago.

But the state government have been quick to say it's no longer needed in the area because since it was initially required both Irrawang and Hunter River High Schools are now both under capacity.

There was talk of building a high school for Medowie back in the early 2000's, but now in 2017 the need is no longer there according to the Department of Education. Both Irrawang and Hunter River High are at 1,539 students which is under capacity.

Luke Foley & Kate Washington in Medowie on
Tuesday.
Image: Twitter @Luke_FoleyNSW

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald says the figures aren't that different to back in 1996 so he just doesn't see the point.

"It's just disappointing that the Opposition Leader won't take the advice of the Department of Education which is very clear in this case that in the Medowie area we need to back the two schools that are there now - Irrawang and Hunter River High - and not build and not promise to build a high school that's not needed for many many years."

The Opposition Leader also called on the current government to step in and make a move towards building a school, but the government won't have any of that.

"What this is, is a political statement not an education statement. It would penalise the school communities and the students of Irrawang High and Hunter River High. There is capacity at those schools, it would mean weaker subject choice for those schools and they would be even further under capacity," said Scot MacDonald. 

Foley: Medowie High School will happen under Labor

BY JARROD MELMETH

15 years after a Medowie High School was first put to parliament, the NSW State Opposition have reconfirmed their 2015 election promise to build the school.

In 2015, NSW Labor went to the polls promising a new $40 million high school during its first term if elected.

NSW Labor Leader Luke Foley was in Medowie on Tuesday to announce the re-commitment and to also call on the government to deliver the project.

The 2016 census has revealed that Medowie is home to almost 10,000 people, with almost 3,000 residents being aged between 0 and 19 years old. The census also shows almost 500 high school students are travelling outside of Medowie to attend school.

The nearest government high school to Medowie is Irrawang High School which, in 2016 had a maintenance backlog of $1.53 million and received only $1.1 million in funding from the State Government in May.

Hunter River High School is the next closest government high school to Medowie which also had a maintenance backlog of $1.46 million before receiving only $1 million from the same government funding.

NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley said only Labor is prepared to invest in what our public schools need.

"Six years of neglect means we now have a school overcrowding crisis.

"When it comes to investing in our children's education, Labor will do so much more than the Liberals and Nationals," Mr Foley said.

The calls for a public high school in Medowie first began in 2002, when the then Member for Paterson Bob Baldwin acknowledged the community's need for a high school in the area.

Last week NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was in the Hunter boasting record spending on education in the state which Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington says is laughable considering Medowie is being shunned once again.

"I have been involved in the local campaign for the past 11 years and other people have been involved in it longer than me.

"We have known that we have needed a high school there for so long now and yet the current government continues to ignore the need and the demand from the community.

"It is about our kid's education and their health and well-being. When they are spending over two hours on a bus every day to get to and from school, that takes a lot of time out of their day and out of their ability to connect with their friends and the community.

"From everything I am doing in Parliament; I keep calling for it, I keep being told that it is not needed, so I am now convinced that the only way that we will see a high school in Medowie, is if Labor is elected in 2019," Ms Washington said.

Luke Foley & Kate Washington in Medowie on Tuesday.
Photo Source: Twitter @Luke_FoleyNSW

Broadband compromise for Medowie

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The National Broadband Network is still some time away from being available to Medowie residents, but a compromise from Telstra could solve some short term problems.

Paterson MP Meryl Swanson is celebrating what she believes is a massive win for residents with Telstra agreeing to construct a "top-hat" in the Pacific Dunes Estate, which will allow 250 homes to connect to the ADSL. The work will also "backhaul relief work" across Medowie - in short, it relieve congestion and increase capacity across the internet network.

The work will be completed sometime around mid-year.

The NBN has and still is, causing headaches throughout the Hunter with people having problems connecting and even more problems once they've connected.

"At this point it's going to be around 2018 but as with everything with the NBN, its been a case of we'll believe it when we're connected and rolling and things are going well because even people that are on it haven't had the speeds that they've hoped for, so there's still a lot of work to be done," said Meryl Swanson.

Meryl Swanson says she'll continue to lobby for areas in and around her electorate continuing the fight for better internet.

"Thornton is an area that springs to mind straight away, there's still a lot of issues in and around there and in and around areas where there are just problems with the NBN."

Bushfire Update Wed 9 Nov 2016

BY IAN CROUCH

 Much-needed rain has fallen across the Lone Pine fire at Port Stephens overnight, with more showers forecast today.

The blaze isn't posing any threat but is yet to be officially contained.

The rain and cooler conditions have helped firefighters bolster containment lines.

The fire has burnt though more than 9,000 hectares from Medowie in the south to Limeburners Creek in the north since Saturday.

Meanwhile, Newcastle Fire and Rescue says Cessnock residents may see minor flare-ups of the blaze which tore through more than a thousand hectares at the weekend over the next week or so.

Smouldering tree stumps and logs are to blame.

Bushfire Update Tues 8 Nov 2016

BY IAN CROUCH

 A massive bushfire burning north of Medowie has been downgraded overnight to the Advice Level thanks to favourable conditions.

Crews worked through the night backburning and putting in containment lines on the southern and eastern sides of the 8,000 hectare blaze.

However John Redman from the Rural Fire Service says firefighters remain on alert with strong winds forecast today before a southerly change blows through early this afternoon.


"But we are in for a really warm day today - temperatures in excess of 35 degrees, really low humidity and there's going to be a north-westerly wind. But we are expecting a cooler change to come through a bit later this afternoon which could bring a few showers and some relief to firefighters," he said.

More than 250 firefighters have been deployed to fight the fire along with DC-10 air tankers which are capable of dropping 40,000 litres of fire retardant or water on the blaze.

People living along Taylors Road and Pipe Clay Road, north of Medowie are being told to monitor conditions and be aware of smoke or embers 

The Buckets Way was re-opened overnight and Medowie Road was re-opened this morning, however motorists are being urged to check https://www.livetraffic.com/desktop.html in case there's a need to carry out emergency roadworks.
 
Meanwhile, the Cessnock fire has now been contained after burning through more than a thousand hectares.

Crews spent the night patrolling and mopping up.

New Medowie Community Centre Sparks Concerns

BY BRIDGET GUNN

Concerns within the Fern Bay community haven't stopped Port Stephens councils approval of a new community facility in Medowie.

Council is planning to borrow from Fern Bays section 94 funds, which has prompted Fern Bay Fullerton Cove Progress Association to launch a petition to stop the construction.

Councillor Steve Tucker says the clubhouse will be a positive addition for the people of Medowie, as the funds would not have been readily available for the Fern Bay area anyway.

"Section 94 is a legal, complicated mechanism the government has set up. It has to be done within the framework and it is really difficult to spend that money," says Councillor Tucker.

"We have managed to at least help the people from Medowie."

Councillor Steve Tucker at Lemon Tree Passage
Source: Port Stephens Examiner