SCHOOL holidays are in full swing, bringing visitors to the Myall Coast all welcomed by local businesses still recovering from COVID restrictions.

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Up in Stroud, kids can visit a working dairy farm nestled away in Dungog.

Small safe groups can bottle feed baby calves, meet the milking cows, and learn to make and taste freshly churned butter: go to http://www.trybooking.com/BLIUK

The Myall Coast Toy Library is back with a wonderful range of (sanitised) toys at 120 Myall Street, Tea Gardens.

The library opens for pick-up by adults each Thursday and Saturday mornings: for more information, including membership, go to: http://www.myallcoasttoylibrary.com.au/home

The 1^st Bulahdelah Scout Group has set up a can and plastic recycling collection point to raise funds so they can camp out at the national Jamboree in 2022.

Drop off clean donations to the steel cage at 54 Stroud Street to help the group.

The Tea Gardens Lions Club continues to surge back with more BBQ fundraisers planned at Woody’s Building and Garden Centre this summer.

The next BBQ is 10 October starting 8.30am with delicious bacon and egg rolls and sausage sandwiches on offer.

The Lions Club Model Boat & BCF fundraiser raffle continues to run with tickets (safely) online at https://www.rafflelink.com.au/supportlocallions: drawn just in time for Christmas only 12 weeks away!

The carefully crafted Model Boat is on display at the Myall River Bakery Cafe so pop in, pick up a pamphlet (and pie), and purchase a $2 ticket safely online.

Still on boats, good news is that the two Tea Gardens Ferries, MV Jesse & MV Tea Gardens, are back after a short rest.

The Tea Gardens and Nelson Bay communities both value the service for recreational and business purpose.

Bay Ferry Tours, managed by Teresa and Shane Herrmann, will also be launching another iconic boat, the MV “Wangi” (or water) Queen, to ferry across the bay.

The “Wangi” Queen is a historic, beautifully restored timber vessel that was first launched in September 1922 and will be a welcome addition to the Myall River and bays.

More about water, local artists will be excited to hear about the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie new Lake Art Prize, a biennial National Acquisitive Prize for Contemporary Australian Art valued at $25,000.

Australian artists, aged 18 years and over, are invited to submit works which reflect on the theme, ‘Where there is Water’.

Entries close at midnight Friday 23 October, 2020 with the winner to be announced on 12 December this year.

Online and local social media groups have been asking “what’s missing” from Myall Lakes region.

Suggestions include renewing the TG dolphin sculptures and gardens in front of Coles, better footpaths and gutters, safely fenced dog parks, outdoor exercise equipment, outdoor cinema, murals on the TG water towers (and other places) and more shops!

So more ideas for the MidCoast Council whose workers have been busy sprucing up public spaces to share: filling potholes; clearing weeds from the Lions Park Lookout and fence lines; mowing, watering and weeding parks, and helping the local area generally – thank you.

At the last Council meeting on 23 September, a new Deputy Mayor was elected, Councillor Claire Pontin, who will hold office until the September 2021 Local Government Elections.

Reports from that meeting show that Myall River dredging project is on track for completion this month and the Tea Gardens Highway Service Centre planning proposal is waiting for an Economic Impact Study (including a biodiversity study and land decontamination report) in order to progress.

Not sure about all those Myall Lakes McDonalds rumours.

The next Council meeting is 28 October – stay safe.

By Sandra MURRAY