Adamstown Business & Community Noticeboard

16/06/2026

To our amazing Fernleigh Cafe family,

We just wanted to take a moment to say thank you.

Every coffee ordered, every meal enjoyed, every friendly chat across the counter, and every recommendation you’ve given to family and friends means more to us than you could ever know.

Running a small local cafe is only possible because of the incredible support from our community. Whether you’ve been visiting us since day one or only recently discovered us, we’re truly grateful that you’ve chosen to spend part of your day with us.

The friendships we’ve made, the stories we’ve shared, and the support you’ve shown through the good days and the challenging ones have helped make The Fernleigh Cafe what it is today.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting local, supporting small business, and supporting our dream.

We are incredibly proud to be part of this community and look forward to serving you for many years to come.

With gratitude,
Tommy, Mick, Djalar, Joel, Chaz and Lucy ❤️

01/06/2026

https://newcastleweekly.com.au/adamstown-mum-tackles-100km-challenge-for-breast-cancer-trials/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Breaking%20Local%20News%20%7C%20Read%20FREE&utm_campaign=Newcastle%20Weekly%20%7C%202026-5-30%20SATURDAY%20%28Copy%29

31/05/2026

Have Your Say

26/05/2026

Overloaded Regulation

Dear Here to Help,

When you talk about public policy, I imagine a power point with a power board attached to it, then double adapter after double adapter plugged into it. It seems like you come along and unravel that into something that works, safely. Is this a good analogy?

Thanks for reaching out. Your analogy made me smile.

Government is like any other organisation. Far from perfect. And as much as everyone knows that housekeeping is important, urgent things take precedence. And everyone always has something “urgent” they want from government.

Yes, legislation does build upon legislation. Impetus for change comes when someone clearly identifies something wrong and communicates it to government.

There are still pieces of legislation that existed in the past and are no longer required. From time to time, government creates a review to identify those old provisions and remove them. A good example is the Board of Taxation’s Report “Identifying Inoperative Provisions of the 1936 and 1997 Income Tax Assessment Acts”. As a result of that Report, many unnecessary pages of legislation were removed.

However, these kinds of reviews don’t happen without prompting. And, as often is the case, it’s people asking for change, complaining about the length of the Tax Acts, that spurred the government into reviewing the Act. In essence, the number of people asking for change created the impetus for change.

So, when you spot the power board loaded with double adapters and want that to change, identify the issue and its consequences and take it to government in a way that they understand. There are loads of tips in my previous columns.

This article comes from my column entitled "Here to Help" in Hunter Local, May 2026. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to "Here to Help" and let's see what we can achieve.

Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.

Photo by Imam Fadly on Unsplash

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20/05/2026

Bag Found

This bag was found in date Street this morning. It looks like it was stolen and dumped. There are glasses and other gear inside the bag. If it is yours, please comment below and the finders will be in touch.

19/05/2026

Following on from the survey posted May 16 on the Adamstown Businesss & Community Notice Board, here is an article on the topic from Newcastle Weekly.

City of Newcastle is planning to build more housing near train stations at Hamilton, Adamstown, Kotara and the Newcastle Interchange.

18/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/unravellingredtape/posts/pfbid08ASL67x4TjG5JFnpLB5YGQ6hut9bvPkKaXbE9bJjZvdkSjKnVxxcYnLQ9yPHYq3Ql?rdid=taeYRjBhipws92hj #

Be Prepared

I was speaking to one of my regular readers earlier this week. He said that a key theme in my articles is the old Scout motto “be prepared”.

Let’s talk about why being prepared is important and what it looks like.

Being prepared is important because:
• opportunities for advocacy can come unexpectedly – what happens if you need to start from scratch?
• meetings don’t always go to plan – have a plan B, C and even Z
• surprises happen – your outcomes improve when you are prepared for the unexpected

So what does being prepared look like?
• Determine your highest-level purpose and always refer back to it. This will make you more adaptable. If you are clear on your ultimate goal and ready to take different paths to reach it, great things will follow (eventually).
• Imagine as many solutions as possible: there’s no single right way to achieve your goal. This allows you to match the best solution option to the decision-maker you are dealing with. Some solutions fit one decision-maker or organisation better than the next.
• Research the person and organisation before you deal with them. Look for their values and drivers, match those to your purpose and develop the best solutions that meet your purpose and their needs.
Your solution is more likely to be adopted and more quickly if you can meet the decision-makers’ needs as well as your own.
• Have a short explanation and summary of your ask available, as well as a list of what problems it solves for your community – on paper and verbally. This ensures that you don’t miss an opportunity – expected or unexpected.

Do you have any other ideas on why being prepared for advocacy is so important? Or what it looks like? Please feel free to reach out.

This article comes from my column entitled "Here to Help" in Hunter Local, April 2026. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to "Here to Help" and let's see what we can achieve.
Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.

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Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

16/05/2026

City of Newcastle collects community thoughts on Adamstown Station precinct.

Show love, request change or pose ideas or questions via te Adamstown Station Map. May 14-June 12.

We're planning for growth that works for Newcastle. How should your local area grow? Have your say.

17/11/2025

Brad Morrow has reported a lost black & white dog hanging around Wood Street for the last week or so. It’s a bit timid & runs if you try to go near it or call it. It has a pink collar, but the name can't be read on it. Thanks Brad for spreading the word.