Ald C.C. "Mac" Adams, seven years an alderman, was elected mayor of Port Macquarie for a fourth term on Thursday night last. He goes into a bigger than ever 1970 year with an allowance reduced by the aldermen from $2000 to $1500.

Ald. Adams was a member of Randwick City Council before coming to Port Macquarie more than ten years ago. Recently he disposed of the Olympic Motel in Gordon Street, and is currently building a block of flats in Waugh Street, West Port Macquarie.

Although his allowance has been reduced, the dignity of his office has been enhanced. A women's auxiliary, headed by Mrs Les Nelson and Mrs Vi Peters, presented the mayor with a set of robes following his election on Thursday night. The auxiliary will continue to work for civic improvements and plans another $1000 street stall in January next.

Although in his mid-forties, Ald Norm Matesich will be a youthful deputy to the mayor. Ald Matesich was elected unopposed to the high position; he has only had two years on the council but has served on the more important committees and he is also on Oxley County Council.

Mayor's engagement

The mayor of Port Macquarie, Ald C.C. Adams, has announced his engagement to Mrs Marjorie Nicholson of Lane Cove. Mrs Nicholson has frequently accompanied the mayor on official occasions during the past twelve months.

Following his election on Thursday night last the mayor made his announcement and Mrs Nicholson was among those who filled the public gallery. When congratulations and good wishes were being showered upon the mayor one of the aldermen said Mrs Nicholson would be a charming mayoress. Greetings and good wishes were also extended from the public gallery.

Oystermen Christmas in new depot

Industries going back well beyond 100 years in Port Macquarie got together at Christmas parties towards the end of last week, when oystermen, fishermen and those associated with the building trades revelled at the annual "do".

The oystermen had Mr Bruce Cowan, MLA open their new packing shed at Settlement Point amidst festivities; the builders took over the racecourse to adequately cope with all their numbers; fishermen worked the tides in between, with the annual meeting for their co-operative thrown in. Christmas spirit and the reminiscences made eating oysters more pleasurable than ever.

At 81, Dick McLaren was there, handling his middie and prawns with the best of them. Dick still works among the oysters, even if it was 1908 when he got the first bit of shell in his hands. Thirty local growers send off 2000 bags a year to the city market. There's 100 dozen oysters in each at $40 a bag for the grower.

As well as the 2000 bags to markets about half as many again are opened for the local market and, as association president Rennie Dick said, the stolen ones make up sizeable numbers. Rennie Dick welcomed everybody; he even had a good word for the cooks - two more of the Dick family - and rightly so with barbecued steak and fish to go with those luscious oysters.