Focus ::Greater Port Macquarie:: Polls

New Beginnings.
It’s just over a month since the Port Macquarie - Hastings Council was sacked and replaced by an Administrator, who will run the Council until the local government elections in 2012. The decision came after a lengthy Public Inquiry into the Council and its handling of the controversial Glasshouse Cultural Centre project. MORE

Focus Poll

Do you think we should have the right to vote at the upcoming local Council 2008 elections?

Version 2.03


	Mission Impossible. It’s no secret that there’s a shortage of parking spaces in Port Macquarie. Frustrated drivers regularly do laps of the CBD, searching for somewhere to leave their car, and during school holidays and long weekends the problem skyrockets. Emma Siossian examines the proposals being put forward by Port Macquarie Hastings Council to address the issue. MORE			Save our Whales. Whales passing the shores of Port Macquarie have been a regular sight and a great tourist attraction, but things may be about to change, as the Japanese renew their slaughter of these magnificent mammals. MORE


	Cycle and Walk. Leave the car at home – the region’s cycleways and walkways are expanding. Emma Siossian takes a look at the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s plans for more on and off road pathways, and the increasing need and desire for such facilities within the community. MORE			Water Week. It’s Water Week this month and the sustainable supply and conservation of the precious resource is once again a hot topic. Emma Siossian examines the water supply situation in the Port Macquarie Hastings Region and the recent innovative and ambitious initiatives undertaken by the local council. They include the establishment of an award-winning water reclamation facility and a new water treatment plant at Wauchope, due to open during Water Week. MORE


	Koala Numbers. They are cute and cuddly and an Australian icon. Yet in many areas the koala’s numbers are dwindling. They are faced with a loss of habitat through increasing development, disease and the threat of being hit by cars or attacked by domestic pets. As a result the Australian Koala Foundation is calling for the animals, currently listed as ‘vulnerable’, to be included on the Endangered Species list. Emma Siossian takes a look at the situation facing koalas in the Port Macquarie Hastings region. More			Weathering the Storm. Like many other fishermans’ co-operatives around the state, the Hastings River Fisherman’s Co-op has weathered its share of storms in recent years. Yet it still remains a viable business, selling catch for local fisherman and providing the community with a source of fresh seafood. It’s even going to be part of a major redevelopment planned for the Hastings River foreshore. Emma Siossian takes a look at the situation facing Port Macquarie’s fishing co-op. MORE


	Doctor Wanted! The Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills area has been without a doctor for more than seven years. The region is regarded as one of the highest growth areas in the Hastings with a high proportion of retirees and young families. There needs to be a commitment from a medical practice in either Port Macquarie or Camden Haven to set up a satellite station, or from an independent registered GP who is willing to establish a new practice. Bonny Hills and Lake Cathie Progress. More			Our Lost Icon? The Hastings Valley Dairy is a local icon and important part of the region’s economy. Yet in recent years it has struggled to stay aﬂoat, operating at a loss and forced to stop producing locally branded milk and turn its attention to niche yoghurt and continental cheese markets. Some of the products above are no longer available under the banner of Hastings Dairy - have we lost our local Icon? More


	Men's Shed An exciting new initiative just launched in the Hastings promises to provide new hope in the prevention of suicide. Read how the combination of good old Aussie mateship and the backyard shed have become powerful tools for making a difference. More			Going Green We are among a fortunate few regions in the State to have reasonable levels of water in storage and rivers that continue to flow and provide life to unique aquatic habitats. What we enjoy, and perhaps take for granted here in the Hastings today, may be vastly different in the future as we are now faced with our greatest global challenge - saving our planet. More

	Local Conservatorium There is a need for a regional conservatorium of music to provide opportunities for both students and teachers to further their learning and develop their musicianship. Read about the new vision to establish Conservatorium Mid-North Coast, covering Port Macquarie – Hastings, Greater Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester. More			A Doctor Shortage From treating the winter sniffles to providing ongoing care for people with heart disease, your local GP is indispensable for leading a healthy life. But what happens when there simply aren ’t enough doctors to go around? We look into the doctor shortage on the Mid-North Coast. More

	Off To A Rocky Start Still confused about the cost of new ACE Centre? Me too. The Port Macquarie Hastings Council has just signed off on the contract for the ACE centre for over $1 million more than it reported in March last year, while at the same having claimed to have saved as much as $12 million from the original scope of works. More			Community Garden? Ray Donaldson has fond memories from his childhood of spending time in the garden with his mother. He remembers tilling the soil, picking ripe tomatoes and absorbing the lessons. More

	Internet Speeds? With some fertile imagination and a crystal ball, FOCUS Magazine and Independent MP Robert Oakeshott walk together along the Hastings River, along the breakwall, and down the coast, at the same time having a chat about what our town will be looking like in 2011 along the foreshore areas of Port Macquarie. More			The Future Vision Imagine a pathway that stretches nine kilometres, meanders past some of the most spectacular coastline in Australia, is easily accessible and not to mention is free. More

	A look into the future? With some fertile imagination and a crystal ball, FOCUS Magazine and Independent MP Robert Oakeshott walk together along the Hastings River, along the breakwall, and down the coast, at the same time having a chat about what our town will be looking like in 2011 along the foreshore areas of Port Macquarie. More			The Long Wait The Port Macquarie Base Hospital (PMBH) has been the most controversial issue in Port Macquarie for over a decade. The once privately owned and run hospital was responsible for some of the longest waiting times of anywhere in NSW. More

	Whats the Delay? The current gateway to what is the largest regional centre between Newcastle and the NSW border can’t be called much more than a glorified goat track. The stretch of the Oxley Highway from the Pacific Hwy into Port Macquarie has almost as many traffic. More			Nude at miners Miners Beach in Port Macquarie has always been known as an unofficial but widely used nude beach.In what was once a secluded location for nude. More

	Are we becoming over developed? The Port Macquarie CBD is riding yet another wave of development with several large scale projects now heavily under construction. More			Timbertown Times have certainly changed and sadly most of the theme parks have made way for motels and a booming real estate industry. One consolation we do have is that Timbertown is still in operation - although now run by the Port-Macquarie Hastings Council. More

	Airport expansion When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, he and the rest of society couldn’t begin to fathom how it would come to revolutionise the world in just a short space of time. More			Cultural Centre The new Cultural Centre is one of the most significant investments Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has ever made. Finally after an exhausting 12 years of planning the centre has the green light and building is underway. More

	Republic or Not? The Queen’s Baton Relay has almost finished it’s epic journey visiting all 71 nations of the Commonwealth. After 180,000 kilometres across land, sea and air the baton will be passing through. More			Glenn's Artwork Each painting has a story and Glenn’s passion for his art comes from his own history. You see, Glenn is no stranger to the Heritage of the Hastings, he is a 5th generation descendant from an early pioneering family, which settled in Port Macquarie in 1841. More