News Just In

By Graham and Barbara Turvey OUR hard working Captain Phil Ledgerwood won the Vets’ stableford event, with 41 points on Tuesday, September 29. The 28 players enjoyed ideal conditions at the excellent Scone Golf Club and the Bradman’s trophy went to Bob Minch. Life member Mal Bruce is in hospital with pneumonia – take it […]

MERRIWA’S new $291,000 skatepark on the corner of King George V Avenue and Quigley Street is now open to riders of all abilities, regardless of whether you skate, scoot or bike. Since 2005, John and Elaine Sparrow have been working with a committee of young people on improving the skate park facilities through the Merriwa […]

TODAY the Merriwa Willow Tree Road, also known as Coulsons Creek Road, received $2 million in Federal grant funding for rehabilitation works. Funding is courtesy of round seven of the government’s  Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, with a further $2 million going towards the realignment and widening of the Hunter Road from Naracoote to […]

MURRURUNDI’s King of the Ranges Stockman’s Challenge and Bush Festival is set to return next year on September 24, COVID-19 permitting.  Earl Kelaher, President of King of the Ranges President said the committee decided to postpone the annual February event to September 2021, due to COVID-19. “We had an AGM, very quietly and we decided […]

MEMBER for New England Barnaby Joyce is touring key project areas in the Upper Hunter today, to announce $1 million worth of funding from the second instalment of the Drought Communities Program. Funding will go towards projects that stretch across the shire, including much needed upgrades to the canteen facilities at the Murrurundi Rosedale Complex, […]

LAST night the Upper Hunter Shire Council announced plans to develop a recreational vehicle (RV) parking site at the Bill Rose Sports Complex in Scone, as an alternative to the two exisiting caravan parks. See maps below The RV parking site will have basic facilities for self-sufficient vehicles however, surveys are still underway and associated […]

MACARTHUR Bettington from Blandford Public School and Lucy French from St Mary’s Primary School have won the 2020 ‘Mayor for a Day’ competition. The Upper Hunter Shire Council thoroughly enjoyed judging the 675 submissions for this year’s competition, as local primary schools shared their ideas through short essays or postcard pictures. The most popular themes […]

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THE Hunter Valley Police District are offering a $350,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the suspicious death of Ian Puller. At approximately 5:30am on Saturday, September 29 2018, emergency services attended Carrington Street at Glenridding, after receiving an anonymous call about a man’s body located […]

PEOPLE bringing harvesting machinery into New South Wales from Queensland are legally required to ensure their equipment is free of parthenium weeds and seeds, with inspections now occurring at the NSW border crossing sites. To minimise delays, the NSW of Primary Industries (DPI) are instructing those crossing the border to submit a Record of Movement […]

TEMPERATURES are increasing this week in the Upper Hunter, with Scone reaching up tp 31 degrees on Saturday. Mornings will remain foggy and frosty until Wednesday, as the next trough moves through. There is a slight chance of showers on Thursday, with the Upper Hunter predicted to receive up to 5 millimetres if rain occurs. […]

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The court system is still catching up on cases that have been delayed due to COVID-19 impacts and upcoming hearing dates are already reaching maximum capacity, so it is safe to say the court report will be quite lengthy for the foreseeable future. This month there were matters involving illegal possession of knives and firearms, six involving Methyl-Amphetamine and six mid to high-range drink driving offences. Read more…

THE Upper Hunter Shire Council have today announced work will begin on Monday at the Scone Airport, with Daracon establishing their site compound. Stage 1 of the airport development is scheduled to commence on October 6 and the project finished by mid-February next year. The runway will be closed for four weeks from November 9, […]

THE New South Wales Government has announced a new ‘Going Global program’ designed to lift small and medium-sized businesses back up after COVID-19 by helping them break into international trade and investment markets. The program involves business matching, networking, promotional opportunities and cultural training, with the goal of getting NSW products into the hands of […]

AGRICULTURE show societies who have been forced to cancel their events during COVID-19 can now apply for their share of $39 million and receive a one-off payment from the government’s Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days program. The program aims to support agricultural field day organisers, with applications for the first funding round due on […]

THE Scone, Merriwa and Murrurundi swimming pools will reopen next week on Saturday, October 3. Capacity rules will be in place in order to comply with New South Wales Public Health Orders and COVID-19 restrictions. Scone and Merriwa pools will be limited to 72 visitors at any given time and Murrurundi will be limited to […]

THIS morning the New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian eased some COVID-19 restrictions, including changes to community sports, weddings and schools. Bridal parties of no more than 20 will be allowed on the dancefloor at weddings and people are now allowed to sing in churches. School sports will return in term four and more than […]

A NEW permit that allows New South Wales agriculture workers smooth passage across Victorian and South Australian borders, will be implemented tomorrow Friday, September 25, just in time for the upcoming harvest. The Agriculture Workers Code is a single permit system that gives workers free movement to transport crop across borders, as long as they […]

YESTERDAY, the New South Wales Office of Local Government authorised a six-month extension allowing local Council’s to continue meeting online until March 25, 2021. Local Councils have been able to livestream their meetings since April and are required to keep recordings online for at least twelve months, to guarantee public access. Minister for Local Government […]

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THE Glencore mining company has renewed its partnership with Aussie Ark, pledging $600,000 to the conservation organisation over the next three years. Glencore has been operating in Australia for more than 20 years, with 18,700 employees in the coal, copper, cobalt, nickel, oil and zinc industries. Craig Strudwick, Community Relations Manager for Glencore’s coal business […]

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THE Upper Hunter Shire community has until October 14 to choose their Scone Cup 2021 holiday preferences by completing an online survey, or by writing a submission directly to the Upper Hunter Shire Council. The Scone Cup Race Day will be held on Friday, May 14 at Scone Race Club and holiday arrangements will be […]

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THUNDERSTORMS arrived late last night, bringing lightning shows and some more rain to the Upper Hunter. Cassilis, Merriwa and Blandford had the best rainfall recordings, all reaching 11 millimetres. The remainder of the week will see partly cloudy and sunny conditions, with the next chance of rainfall predicted for Friday evening. The Glenbawn Dam catchment […]

AT approximately 8:30am this morning, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Muswellbrook Hospital to transfer a 66-year-old female patient to the John Hunter Hospital. The woman is suffering a serious medical condition and will be stabilised and airlifted back to the John Hunter Hospital by the JHH Medical Retrieval Team. She will undergo specialist […]

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A TRUCK has jackknifed on the New England Highway near Timor Road, between Blandford and Murrurundi at approximately 2:50pm this afternoon, September 21. Emergency services are still on the scene and the south bound highway lanes have been closed. Drivers are advised to take caution and allow for extra travel time. More information to follow.

WIDESPREAD thunderstorms are predicted for the Hunter this evening, with a chance of showers today and tomorrow. Storms will develop late this afternoon as the front moves through, clearing out early tomorrow. Depending on the size of the storm, the Upper Hunter is likely to receive between 10 to 15 millimetres of rainfall, reaching a […]

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THE Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called to the Hunter Expressway this morning at approximately 7am, to attend to a 55-year-old male chest suffering from chest and head injuries after he crashed a semi trailer.   The driver left the expressway on the Buchanan interchange and was treated on the scene by the aircraft doctor and […]

PARTS of the Upper Hunter are likely to see light showers on Saturday and storm activity on Sunday morning, with winds predicted to pick up to 25 kilometres per hour over the weekend. Chances of rain will increase to 70 percent on Sunday and overnight temperatures will fall between 11 and 14 degrees, with daytime […]

FARM and agriculture businesses have until Wednesday, September 30, to apply for drought loans with a two-year interest free period. Currently, loans of up to $2 million are available for farm businesses and up to $500,000 for agriculture dependent small businesses from the Regional Investment Corporation (RIC). From October 1, loan terms will change to […]

THIS Sunday, Cassilis and Wingen Fire stations will be open for public visitation as part of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) ‘Get Ready Weekend’. See details below The Get Ready Weekend gives people the opportunity to engage with local fire brigades over Facebook and online meetings, to learn about managing bush fire […]

THE 2020 foaling season is well underway, which means thoroughbred farms like Holbrook Thoroughbreds are busy preparing and caring for newborn foals. Julie Harris from Holbrook Thoroughbreds has been born and raised – raising horses and every foaling season she describes as an amazing but busy process, supported by highly experienced staff closely monitoring mares […]

AFTER five years of dedicated hard work, Annie Baker has sold her beloved Asser House Cafe to new Sconenites, Stuart and Ivy Jamieson. Annie put Asser House on the market two weeks before COVID-19 hit and was worried the cafe would never sell during the pandemic, until Stuart and Ivy arrived on the scene. “My […]

STARTING next Monday, September 21, the Aberdeen St Andrews Reserve will undergo two months worth of earth works, to prevent further erosion of the gully connected to the Hunter River. See map below The Upper Hunter Shire Council have said further erosion will threaten nearby property and Council infrastructure, as the reserve acts as a […]

NEXT week the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will be carrying out a major maintenance shutdown on the Hunter Valley Coal Network from Newcastle to Ulan and Turrawan, from 6.30am on Tuesday, September 22 until 6.30am on Friday September 25. The passenger rail network will be temporarily closed on Tuesday, September 22 and Wednesday, September […]

LOCAL legend Geoffrey Pund, affectionately known as ‘Pundy’, passed away at 67 years of age, on Sunday Morning at the Scott Memorial Hospital in Scone. After battling cancer for the last eight years, Pundy sadly suffered a stroke and did not wake up Sunday morning. A fanatic Bulldogs supporter, Pundy spent his final night watching […]

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YESTERDAY, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said if the private sector does not meet the required 1000 megawatt capacity to replace Liddell Power Station in April next year, it will build a gas fired power plant at Kurri Kurri.  The Liddell Power Station is due for closure in 2023. “Affordable, reliable and secure electricity supply is […]

FOURTY-SIX Eastern quoll joeys have been born at Aussie Ark this week and will be released into the Barrington Top sanctuaries later this year.  See photos below Since 2017, Aussie Ark has been working tirelessly to repopulate the endangered species, bringing them back to mainland Australia after decades of extinction caused by feral pests, poisoning […]

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