There was no Christmas goodwill for Nelson Bay residents Bettina and Paul Brooke following a collision involving their white Falcon Ute.

Paul Brooke returned to his Austral Street residence on Tuesday 13 December to find the vehicle had sustained significant driver’s side damage.

Fortunately the vehicle was unoccupied at the time, but there was no note left with the offender’s contact details.

The crash, which occurred between 10 and 11.30am, has resulted in the couple’s “Ute” being out of action in the busy lead up to Christmas.

For Bettina, the damage and inconvenience pales in comparison to what could have happened had the car been occupied.

“A car can be replaced,” she said. “But that could have been one of our children.”

Austral Street, Nelson Bay is a 50 km/h zone, but Mr Brooke indicated that not everyone obeys that limit.

The street provides access to the Austral Street Shopping Village and is also a bus route as well as a shortcut to Tomaree Community Hospital (formerly called “The Polyclinic”).

“We have two peak hours – mornings and afternoons,” Mr Brooke said.

Although Austral Street is wide, there is no directional dividing line. “People drive in the middle of the road,” Mr Brooke said.

“This is about the care of our children and the elderly.

There are no paths and [some residents] use mobility scooters.”

“It is an issue of awareness and local people looking after local people,” Mrs Brooke added.

If you have any information regarding the incident, please contact Port Stephens LAC on (02) 4983 7599.

For Crash Reporting FAQs, visit www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues/road_safety/crash_reporting_faqs

By Jo FINN