It’s not easy to put yourself in the direct line of political fire on behalf of someone else, yet the volunteers I encountered were mostly polite and friendly, alongside them being passionate. To all the volunteers who supported Group D and me personally, thank you for the wonderful effort over more than two weeks and for the ongoing support of our community.

Together we have achieved a great result and your belief, work and commitment have been very much appreciated.

It looks as though we will have a very competent, constructive group of Councillors elected and at the time of writing this, it also looks like we will have a good geographical representation of our community.

Thank you also to all candidates, whether elected or not, for your participation in what is a challenging process.

I will keep fond memories of the conversations with you along the busy footpaths, the halls and schools of our local area. I look forward to working with our new Council over the next four years to provide a productive, prosperous time for our community and to enhance the great life that we have in this beautiful part of the world.

Peter Besseling

Port Macquarie-Hastings Mayor

Australian parents are spending an estimated $67 million on cough and cold medicines that are known to be ineffective and in some cases potentially harmful. The Australian Child Health Poll found that a third of kids under six-years are being given cough and cold medicine even though they are not recommended for this age group.

What’s particularly disturbing is that among parents who are giving these products to their young children, 74 per cent said they were told to do so on the advice of a pharmacist, and 64 per cent on the advice of a doctor.

Parents of young children who are advised to use an over-the-counter cough or cold medicine should challenge the advice; if your child is under six years of age, don’t buy it.

We also found that an estimated $74 million a year is being spent on vitamins and supplements even though there’s no proven health benefits for kids on a normal diet and with no nutritional deficiencies.

Dr Anthea Rhodes,

Director, Australian Child Health Poll 

The luckiest road trippers in Australia will celebrate their arrival in Port Macquarie with local residents and travel enthusiasts at Big 4 Bonny Hills this Wednesday 14 September from 4pm.

Beating thousands of hopefuls Australia-wide, Cairns’ based ‘AdventureMumma’ Kate Richards and her family of four were chosen as Dometic Follow the Sun Ambassadors to embark on a 13-week expenses paid trip down the east coast of Australia in the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s (NBCF) show-stopping Pink Minnie Caravan.

For the first time in the competition’s history, Dometic has partnered with NBCF to raise $100,000 for life-changing breast cancer research. Kate and her family are excited to support the cause through fundraising during their trip.

“We’re a family who loves adventure and a good road trip, so heading through Australia to meet new people and raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research is a dream come true,” said Kate.

Offering free drinks and nibbles, loads of giveaways, pink merchandise and raffle prizes from Dometic and partners, Kate and her family will host a public Happy Hour, raffle and movie event at Big 4 Bonny Hills to meet local residents and fellow travellers.