What's Happening in Your Local Community?
If you love a good cuppa, you’ll be thrilled to know there will soon be a couple of new options around Newcastle! Find out what else is happening in your local community…..
NEW CAFE ON THE HORIZON AT NEWCASTLE ART GALLERY
Interest is being sought from potential operators of another one-of-a-kind cafe to be located at the reimagined Newcastle Art Gallery, with an expression of interest process kicked off late last month. The expansion will more than double the Gallery's size, providing a fitting home to one of Australia's most significant public art collections, worth more than $126 million.
Alongside the expanded exhibition and education areas, the Gallery will feature a striking cafe space on the northeast corner of the building, with full-height glass windows making the most of its unique position overlooking Laman Street and Civic Park.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the expression of interest was an important step towards creating a unique and high-quality destination for the Newcastle community and visitors.
“The expanded Newcastle Art Gallery will provide a significant cultural tourism opportunity for NSW, expected to attract 150,000 visitors annually,” Cr Nelmes said.
"In conjunction with the expanded exhibition space, the project will deliver, for the first time in the Gallery's history, a permanent cafe that will complement and enhance the experience for visitors of this landmark cultural facility while also creating a hospitality destination in its own right."
More information about the Expression of Interest is available via Commercial Collective.
BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO LAMBTON PARK CAFE
City of Newcastle is preparing to revamp a former café site at one of the city's most popular parks as it seeks expressions of interest from potential new operators. The Lambton Park building, constructed in the 1940s as a baby health centre, will undergo renovations as part of a development application set to be lodged within coming months.
Subject to approval, the project would see the building modernised into an open-plan cafe complete with bi-fold doors onto a new rear deck extension, providing accessible ramp access for parents with prams and people with
mobility issues.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the café redevelopment would continue CN's ongoing investment in the Lambton Park precinct.
"City of Newcastle is committed to creating enriched neighbourhoods with accessible spaces that nurture connected, inclusive communities," Cr Nelmes said.
"The café redevelopment follows on from significant upgrades at the Lambton Park War Memorial Swimming Centre and the extensive renovation of Lambton Library, which delivered modern and accessible facilities while also returning the building's original heritage character to the front façade.
"We are continuing to deliver enhanced community spaces and invest in a range of projects to ensure our community has continued opportunities for active living and social connection."
"This café is ideally located next to the children's playground, with the new rear deck allowing parents to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee while watching their children play on the equipment. Its proximity to the refurbished Lambton Library and nearby tennis courts ensure it will be a valuable addition to what is already on offer in the park precinct,” said Councillor Winney-Baartz.
"This will be the first major adaptive reuse of this historic building since its construction more than 80 years ago, and I look forward to seeing it well utilised by the community for years to come."
An expression of interest process, managed by Colliers on behalf of CN, will begin early this month to find a suitable operator to lease the café, pending the approval and completion of renovations.
WORLD-BEATERS ON LAND AND SEA TO INSPIRE WOMEN IN SPORT
Champion Australian netballer Liz Ellis AO and surfing trailblazers Pauline Menczer and Jodie
Cooper are set to inspire Lake Macquarie as part of this year’s Women in Sport Festival. Ellis, Australia’s most capped netballer, will speak at the Lake Mac Inspirational Women in Sport Breakfast at Club Macquarie on Tuesday, 5 March, sharing her remarkable sporting and life journey and participating in a Q&A session. Ellis said she hoped her story would resonate with all generations of attendees.
“I’m looking forward to sharing some of my experiences, and I think women and girls of
any age or sporting ability will be able to take something away that they can apply to their life on and off the field,” she said.
“No matter what sport you play or at what level, there’s so much to be gained in terms of health and social benefits just by participating.
“Sport has opened many doors for me throughout my life, and I put a lot of my personal and professional success down to the confidence I gained along the way.”
The festival will also feature a screening of ‘Girls Can’t Surf’ and a Q&A with two of its stars, world champions and paradigm shifters Menczer and Cooper.
The documentary, which will screen at Warners Bay Theatre on Wednesday, 6 March, follows a band of renegade surfers who took on the male-dominated professional surfing world to achieve equality and change the sport forever.
Menczer, a former world champion and Surfing Hall of Fame member defied the odds to spend two decades on the world circuit, winning 20 World Championship Tour events in a decorated career.
Cooper won 13 international events in a stellar career, including a Hollywood appearance as a stunt double for Lori Petty in the cult classic Point Break.
The pair will be on hand to recount their epic stories of clashing personalities, sexism, adventure, heartbreak and their journey to the professional ranks as part of the special screening.
The festival highlights don’t stop there, with the first Lake Mac Women in Leadership and Careers Expo also in store.
Former Australian cricket captain and sports administrator Belinda Clark, AO and elite AFL, rugby union and basketball multisport athlete Chloe Dalton OAM will share their personal and professional stories in the Saturday, 9 March session at The Place, Charlestown, focusing on leadership.
The Women in Sport Festival will run from 2-10 March 2024. The ever popular ‘try a sport’ day will be held on Sunday 3 March at Speers Point Park from 10am to 2pm. For more information or to book tickets to an event, head to www.visitlakemac.com.au/events.
