WWW.THESENTINELNEWS.COM.AU The Dungog District Chamber of Commerce More Than a Map: Charting Our District’s Growth As we step into the new year of 2026, let’s take a moment to reflect on a sample of achievements of DDCC in 2025 and the exciting plans on the horizon. The year kicked off with dinner meeting at the Clarence Town Bowling Club, where Matt Clinch from Gloucester Chamber introduced the innovative Spendmap program. This cuttingedge tool tracks spending trends, money flow into and out of the Shire, and provides invaluable insights for businesses to make smarter decisions. While the program comes with a hefty price tag, the Chamber is committed to exploring ways to bring this transformative initiative to the Shire. Another standout project was the launch of the Dungog Shire Welcome Pack, a thoughtful initiative designed to warmly greet new and prospective residents. This comprehensive collection of organizational details, created in collaboration with the DSC Visitors Centre, ensures newcomers have easy access to essential information about the community. September brought the much-anticipated Red & Black Maitland Mutual dinner, a testament to the Chamber’s strong partnership with this local banking institution. The event celebrated the mutual support and collaboration that strengthens our community. The Chamber also proudly supported the Clarence Town Lions Club with a donation to assist lighting the Christmas tree at the Clarence Town Community Christmas Carols. The event was a heartwarming display of community spirit, with local businesses generously contributing to make the celebration a success. Kudos to the Lions Club for organizing such a memorable evening! Looking ahead, the Chamber is gearing up for its first dinner meeting of 2026, scheduled for Thursday, February 26, at the Clarence Town Bowling Club. The event will feature Tony McLeod from Williams River Steel as the guest speaker, who will share exciting updates on their new development in Clarence Town. Invitations will be sent out soon, so mark your calendars for what promises to be an engaging evening. With a year of accomplishments behind us and exciting plans ahead, the Chamber is ready to continue fostering growth, collaboration, and community spirit in 2026. Stay tuned for more updates and join us in making this year one to remember! Stay tuned to DDCC’s social media channels for updates on these exciting events. Contact secretary@ddcc.org.au or visit www.ddcc.org.au 9 SOLICITOR W J Enright & Prentice Solicitors & Conveyancers 124 Dowling Street, Dungog. 2420 Phone: 4992 1730 Email: mail@felixprentice.com.au To get in touch our email is CTmuseum@outlook.com , Our phone number is 0491 346 491 , or you can reach us through Facebook. Around The District Saturday the 29th of July saw perfect weather as the Port Stephen’s Choir began the day with their mix of music: the Mid- Winter Festival Museum Open Day had begun! Next was the fashion parade with four female and one male as models. As each model walked the concrete podium, a representative from the Australian Museum of Clothing in Maitland described the garments’ history as an item of fashion, and the materials used, and the original owners if known. While this continued, there was a chance to have valuables appraised by an expert. Once again, Cotton Sax entertained us with his eclectic mix of songs and instrumental tracks. The local scouts provided a BBQ and there was coffee or fresh ice cream available. Young James provided tours as required and young Jack took photos of the event. Two weeks later, the Museum hosted morning Tea and BBQ lunch for the Dungog Rattlin’ Bones and Engine Groans Club AGM and Ordinary Meeting. The museum also received a $100 donation from this Club. Yours truly wore two suits from the 1970’s and by an interesting coincidence, one of our lovely Senior Citizens had known the owners of these suits, John Morris OAM, Foundation member of the Maitland Repertory Theatre, and Mr N Pyle, from when she was growing up in Rutherford! A gentleman from Queensland sent some information about his German descendants who arrived at Clarence Town in 1855. They are the Heinz family and the Krohmann family. Their connections here seem tenuous. They remained only a short time here, although owning a block of land in Marshall Street till 1910, before finding much success at Hill End in goldmining and very successful at real estate in Woollahra in Sydney. Chris O’Neill (Secretary) earliest. 2023- Council’ 45%. ignored. Sam Benson 0467 051 502 Individual Tax Returns, Small Business Accounting & Self-Managed Super Funds Stuart Flinn - CPA & Tax Agent 0407 956 264 stuart@flinnaccounting.com.au Santa & ‘Mrs Claus’ at the Dungog Xmas Street Party
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