MidCoast Council Meet Local Legend Star Pet Updates Renee Collocott Jimmy Jack Forster Fortnightly Your local independent community newspaper distributed fortnightly to FREE Hallidays Point, Black Head, Tallwoods Village, Tuncurry, Forster Pacific Palms, Charlotte Bay, Smiths Lake, Coomba Park, Bungwahl and Seal Rocks. Wednesday 21st July 2021 Owned and Loved by Locals Circulation 6000 N0.25 Mani and Isabelle - two special girls youngest children saw thick smoke coming up we can be involved in things that can be terribly from the bottom floor. The two children ran confronting but so rewarding. I had one such through the smoke and outside where they moment last week when I was invited to be alerted neighbours and 000 was contacted. involved in some game play with a local 5-year- The two older females were unaware of what old, Isabelle. Isabelle has a life ending brain was occurring and shortly after saw smoke tumour that will see her pass on very soon. also coming from the lower floor. One of the Those 30 minutes of interaction will stay with females exited the house, before the other me for my lifetime. I have no doubt this little 13-year-old, (a child normally residing at the girl has had a positive impact on so many other premise) went down into the lower floor lives. I wanted to share her picture as she will area in an effort to locate the 11-year-old and not be forgotten. 10-year-old boys. One her brother, who she Kind regards, believed may still be in the house. Unable to Chief Inspector Tony Moodie. locate the boys through the thick smoke and now fire, she left the house where she reunited with the other 3 children. The Local NSW Fire and Rescue Unit attended, and the fire was extinguished. All four children were assessed by NSW Ambulance, before allowed to leave. As I thought about this incident, it stood out the act of bravery by this young girl, Mani. At 13 years of age, she decided she needed to search for her younger brother and friend, in case they were trapped inside the home, putting her own safety at risk. All four children should be commended for their approach when faced with Above: Isabelle with her family and local police. Right: Isabelle with visit from a unicorn! possibly life-threatening danger. This incident also highlights how The last week has definitely seen a focused advice of our health officials, and the Public easy it is for a fire to start in the approach on compliance with the Public Health Health Orders. first place. Orders, especially around the movement and Last week I attended a house fire. Four I would suggest that Mani will gathering restrictions. Our local businesses are children aged 13, 13, 11 and 10 years of age adhering to the requirements imposed on them be invited to our next policing were home alone whilst the adult went to awards day so that we can and in the main we are seeing compliance by the shops to grab some dinner. During this members of the public when entering and formally thank her for her time, in the bottom floor bedroom of the efforts. engaging businesses. In this ever-changing two-storey house, an open flamed candle is environment, my advice to you is follow the believed to have caused a fire to start. The two Sometimes as a police officer FORSTER FORTNIGHTLY 21st July 2021 FORSTER FORTNIGHTLY 21st July 2021 Community News Page 2 Community News Page 3 Forster Fortnightly The army of nurses we Forster Tuncurry’s vaccination numbers are increasing sideline in a crisis Next deadline is 5pm Wednesday 28th July, to be published on “On the whole people have been very happy. know what to do. So much so, we have put in just from our Macintosh Street Practice. We Our staff have been fielding a lot of calls and more staff and phone lines to deal with these. commenced vaccinations on the 23rd of March Wednesday 4th August. are doing a good job reassuring everyone,” We have experienced an amount of panic from and have been solidly booked since then. We welcome your stories, photos and letters. explains Anne Curtis, Managing Director and the public. They are scared and want to get Other practices in the area are also doing their Director & Partner of the Forster Tuncurry the shot straight away. Our job has been to All submissions: www.forsterfortnightly.com.au part and are vaccinating in smaller amounts. At Medical Centre Group (four sites). reassure the public to wait for their bookings. this stage they are calling in their own patients Everyone will get in. We have 4 rooms running Please send photos and files separately. When sending photos from a phone please send ‘The Forster Tuncurry area is classed as a when they have the vaccinations available. in ‘actual’ or ‘largest’ size possible. Photos 1MB (1000KB) or more preferred. in the clinics with two doctors and two nurses safe area. We are in a ‘non-break out zone’ injecting. We still have to be vigilant as well, Only the public in ‘break out areas’ like Sydney and not a ‘hot area zone’. We are running Our commitment is to provide a newspaper that is factual, informative, and full of local with everything that we do, but we are not in a and the Central Coast are advised to have their 2 clinics a week out of our Forster Tuncurry hot spot. 2nd shot of either vaccine earlier. We are in a stories and community news to share. We are here to promote and support our amazing local Medical Centre (FTMC) at MacIntosh Street volunteers, community groups, sporting groups, schools, events and businesses. ‘non-breakout’ area so it is better to wait the on a Wednesday and a Saturday. We are Overall, our practice is going very well with the 12 weeks between the 1st and 2nd dose of the vaccinations. You don’t have to be a patient Editor: Mary Yule Phone: 0413 410 492 Keir on 0439 060 700. vaccinating around 400 people a week with AstraZeneca vaccine to get a better protection. the AstraZeneca vaccine. We are expecting to with us to come to the FTMC for the vaccine There is already a standard shorter time Email: [email protected] Puzzles & Cartoons: Supplied by Auspac be getting the Pfizer vaccination in a couple of and bookings can be made online. Our latest needed between Pfizer shots. It’s also standard Media, an Australian company with weeks and will run a separate weekly clinic just figures are 6, 500 vaccines, including first and Business Hours: 9:30 - 5pm (Mon - Fri) procedure to wait 15 minutes after your shot Australian cartoons. for this vaccine. second shots, up to last Friday [the 16th July] before leaving a clinic.’ - Anne Curtis. Graphic & Web support: Golden Age Media, Due to ongoing news media releases our a locally-owned business. Contact Greg Forster Fortnightly: Proud to be a family Left: Forster Tuncurry Medical Centre on Mary Yule locally-owned newspaper business. practice has been overwhelmed with phone Golden on 1300 766 713. calls and enquiries from people wanting to Macintosh Street, Forster. Printed: Spotpress in Marrickville NSW, on Thank you: To Vanda Gooley and Roberta sustainably sourced paper. Contact Murray Pearce for their expertise behind the scenes. We acknowledge the Worimi People, the traditional custodians of the land, Covid rules extended & more business support waterways and sky of the Worimi Nation where this newspaper is published. With great respect we acknowledge their Elders, past, present and future. It might be unfair to scratch my head and think president, NPs usually go places where of Florence Nightingale every time Lieutenant others don’t, to meet a need, so more than a NSW Public Covid 19 Testing Sites for 2021 COVID-19 package General Frewen appears on our screens, with third work in regional, remote or Indigenous a row of medals pinned to a crisp uniform. He communities as well as with homeless Health Order Manning - Great Lakes The Australian and NSW Governments has an excellent record of army service, is a populations in urban areas - the kinds of announced a COVID-19 support package on the To protect the people of 15th July. Under the 2021 COVID-19 package, Our newspaper stands are recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross and communities we need the vaccine to reach, NSW from the evolving Forster seems like a decent bloke. But I keep wondering quickly. the COVID-19 Disaster Payment will be further COVID-19 outbreak, • Forster Private Hospital with Douglass Hanly expanded and increased to $600 if a person has what his face looked like the moment he hung Recently Boase wrote to Lieutenant General current stay-at-home up the phone after being asked to take leave Moir are operating a drive thru covid testing lost 20 or more hours of work a week or $375 groaning with the weight of Frewen: ‘‘Since March of this year, I have orders have been clinic in South Street. if a person has lost between 8 and less than 20 from the Australian Signals Directorate and extended across all of Greater Sydney including been repeatedly raising concerns in relation 8am - 4pm (Monday - Friday) hours of work a week. lead our COVID-19 taskforce: given the stuff- to the Federal Government’s exclusion the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and 6000 free copies! ups over the ordering of vaccines, and serious of Nurse Practitioners from the rollout of Wollongong until 11.59pm Friday, 30th July.