As part of Small Business Month in October, three New England and North Coast businesses are being highlighted. Steve Shaw runs GH Innovations in Thrumster, helping local firms attract customers through online search and sales improvement. Di Wade runs Rawspice Boutique in South West Rocks, offering independent fashion and lifestyle products. Meagan Hudson and Rory Taylor run Beardy Downs in Emmaville, making small-batch tallow and beeswax products through BD Collection.
Drivers travelling between Armidale and the coast on Waterfall Way should allow extra time from Monday, 26 October, to Sunday, 8 November. Transport for NSW says a string of maintenance jobs and projects may cause cumulative delays, with some sections of up to 10 minutes. Vehicles wider than 3 metres face restrictions on parts of the route, and a permit is needed. Motorists can follow signs and directions from traffic controllers, or use alternative routes including the Oxley Highway, Gwydir Highway or New England Highway.
Gun owners on the North Coast will have to wait months to surrender firearms under the NSW National Gun Buyback. Grafton is the only North Coast station opening from November 2. Lismore, Ballina and Tweed Heads stations start on February 8, 2027. The limit of 10 guns per licence holder is still a draft proposal, with exemptions under consideration. Walk-ins are not accepted, and surrenders require a booking through the Gun Safe portal.
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A man believed to be 58 years old died at the scene after an SUV left the M1 Pacific Motorway at Fingal Head and hit a tree on Friday, 23 October. He has not yet been formally identified. Police have established a crime scene and a report will be prepared for the Coroner. Separately, an 83-year-old woman died in hospital on Saturday, 24 October, more than two weeks after a hatchback crashed into a parked vehicle on the Pacific Highway at Herons Creek on Wednesday, 7 October.
A team of pain researchers, health professionals and people living with chronic pain will cycle more than 780km from Tweed Heads to Port Macquarie in October. The 2026 Pain Revolution Rural Outreach Tour will stop at nine North Coast towns between 15 and 23 October, with free community events sharing evidence-based information on managing persistent pain. The tour is supported by a $50,000 grant from Healthy North Coast. Pain Revolution CEO Professor Lorimer Moseley said chronic pain is often misunderstood and undertreated. Events are free, with full details available at the tour website.
RFBI is holding its first Grand Stroll walkathon this Wednesday, 14 October, at villages in Bellingen and Raleigh on the North Coast. The fundraiser will run from 10am to 1pm and include a walk, a staff and volunteer race, and a barbecue and brunch. Registration costs $5 per person, with all proceeds going to the RFBI Benevolence Program, which helps people facing hardship. Similar events will be held at villages across Northern NSW. Prizes will be awarded for the best-dressed walkers, most laps completed and the village raising the most funds.
As part of Small Business Month, three local businesses in northern New South Wales are profiled. Pauline Weller runs Dance Fit with Pauline in Coffs Harbour, where her all-abilities Monday Zumba class draws more than 30 people weekly. Chill Mate Hire in Guyra, a family business led by Brody Hoffman, offers mobile coolroom and freezer hire, with in-house repairs by qualified tradespeople. In Maclean, Sarah Eifermann founded SFE Loans, which provides business finance across the Clarence Valley.
Five North Coast councils say a proposed change to NSW financial assistance grants could cut $18.9 million a year. Tweed Shire, Lismore City, Byron Shire, Kyogle and MidCoast councils have called on the NSW Government to pause the plan. The councils say the model wrongly includes disaster recovery funding, which is tied to repairing damaged assets. The Commonwealth has confirmed its disaster recovery funding arrangements with NSW will remain substantially unchanged.
Three North Coast businesses are being highlighted for Small Business Month. Deano Hill runs Urunga Mowing & Maintenance, offering lawn, garden and home repair services to local residents, particularly older people. Layla Berlanga founded Persona Web Development, building hand-coded websites for small businesses and solo practitioners. Rachel Brown runs Rachel Brown Nourishment in Uralla, creating an online community for women focused on nutrition and wellbeing through different stages of life.
