Meg Powell

How a foodie from a farm became inspired by Tasmanian produce

Salvagers enact different plan after lengthy delays

For the first time in the state’s history, students will be able to study an entire degree in pharmacy right here on the North-West Coast. It comes amid a nationwide shortage in pharmacists, which Tasmanian president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Helen O’Byrne said was placing an even tighter squeeze on rural and regional areas like the North-West. It also follows a mass shift away from careers in pharmacy over the last couple of years, something which Ms O’Bryne said had occurred largely i…

When Camdale’s Jim Lunn started pulling cars apart at his newly opened wrecking yard in 1967, it was normal to cut two old bombs in half, stick them together and create an entirely new car. Vehicles less than 20 years old were always repaired, and mechanical problems could be detected just by listening to the engine. “It’s changed a lot,” the now 83-year-old Mr Lunn admits as he prepares to finally close down his beloved Camdale Auto Wreckers after 55 years of operation. Mr Lunn said he had come…

A 24 hour service station accompanied by two drive-through take away outlets and 24 illuminated signs could soon be lighting up the Bass Highway near Ulverstone. Plans are underway for the mega development on a vacant lot at South Road, West Ulverstone, just off the roundabout and adjacent to the Bass Highway. The Central Coast Council will on Monday night consider a proposal by determine whether or not it can begin the process of rezoning the 1.67 hectare block of land from low density resident…

Tributes pour in for North-West man

Loving tributes begin to flow for 54-year-old North-West woman

Westpac’s “disheartening” decision to close another branch in a major Coastal centre has been met with shock and disappointment by members of the community. It follows widespread posts on social media showing an image of a small notice on the door of the Ulverstone Westpac, warning customers it would be shut by 1pm on July 1 this year. The branch will join a growing list of recently closed branches on the Coast, including ANZ branches at Wynyard and Ulverstone, and Commonwealth branches at Somer…

Taking on a beloved 40-year-old venue is a tough gig, but a pair of energetic new owners are ready to tackle the mammoth task of breathing new life into an old favourite. Burnie primary school assistant principal Kerryn Duncan and marketing consultant Mark Vernon are about to officially take over as the owners of the Coast’s only remaining tenpin bowling alley. “We were looking for an investment, but we weren’t really sure what we were looking for,” Ms Duncan said. “Actually it was my son, Brayd…

"It's been a hard lesson," Lisa Fittkau said.

"It's been a hard lesson," Lisa Fittkau said.

Spencer Clinic, Northside no longer accepting new admissions until further notice

A coroner has detailed the shocking death of a North-West man who barricaded himself inside his own home before setting himself on fire, traumatising a number of police officers on the scene. Coroner Olivia McTaggart on Friday released her report into the death of Stephen Charles Mawer, a 45-year-old Somerset man who died on February 21, 2020. Mr Mawer died as a result of severe burns caused by setting himself on fire after dousing himself in petrol in his backyard. In her report Ms McTaggart o…

The family of a 26-year-old Ulverstone man broke down in tears as a Supreme Court judge announced she would suspend the man’s prison sentence. Jye Dennis Sutton was sentenced in the Burnie Supreme Court on Wednesday by Justice Tamara Jago after pleading guilty to a count of penetrative sexual abuse of a young person. The court heard Sutton had in 2018 had sex with a friend’s daughter, with whom he had been exchanging explicit text messages. Justice Jago described the pair’s relationship, saying…

A man who has been in prison for 295 days out of the past year with hundreds of charges hanging over him will have to wait a bit longer for a sentence. Liam Corey Hume, 37, pleaded guilty to more than 700 charges on Tuesday afternoon at the Burnie Magistrates Court, mostly to do with breaching family violence orders by texting the mother of his child. Magistrate Leanne Topfer, Hume’s defence lawyer Stephen Wright and police prosecutor Constable Luke Venn had previously arranged in open court to…

Man pleads guilty to about 61 pages of charges in magistrates court

A young man killed in a car crash at Ridgley had been driving under the influence of alcohol and was speeding, an investigation has found. Kieren Jamie Wesley Whitehouse died aged 23 on April 15, 2021, while driving alone along West Mooreville Road. Coroner Simon Cooper said Mr Whitehouse had been travelling about 128km/h in a 100km/h zone, and had an alcohol reading of at least 0.134 grams per 100 millilitres. The investigation found the young man had died of positional asphyxia, caused when th…

116 affordable housing and HomeShare lots set for Burnie and Wynyard

"I'm interested in this thriving, thumping, pulsing piece of industry and activity, right next to the passive blue...

West Coast student awarded University of Melbourne’s flagship scholarship