Having discussed with other residents in the local area we believe that there aren’t enough parks in Cessnock for our children to enjoy.

It would be beneficial for the people of Cessnock if the council created a large shaded park with trees, gardens, bicycle track and play equipment like what they boast about at Maitland Park Playground and the Lake Macquarie Variety Park at Speers Point.

Such a park could be created on Aberdare Road where the former run-down Cessnock City Bowling Club site remains. 

This site is conveniently located to sporting fields, tennis courts and schools, all of which contain plenty of parking.

Creating this park would provide a safe environment for our children to enjoy, attract visitors to the area, while also generating jobs through construction and maintenance.

I am the granddaughter of John Woodhouse and Elizabeth Woodhouse buried at Paterson Anglican Church.

I have been tracing my heritage through ancestry and to my delight found my great great great grandparents at the cemetery in Paterson. 

Wanting to visit them and pay my respects, we drove from Sydney. 

On arriving we found the cemetery and grave site near on impossible to get to, due to unkempt grass and paspalum. We looked like porcupines and our clothes took hours to clean. It was a jungle. 

Who looks after this cemetery?

Ancestry allows people to connect to their past and loved ones. These sites should be cared for. It brings people to the towns and they bring their time, love and sometimes money. 

I believe this is a very important thing and should be brought up in the next council meeting. 

Surely someone in the area that can keep this cemetery in a respectful manner? It’s the least we can do. 

We should be going with Great Lakes.

A merger for Dungog is better no matter what. Dungog Council is useless and should be ashamed of itself. Just merge with whoever, as long as Dungog is not in charge of us any longer.

Harold Johnson has been furious over every merger proposal so far. I would love to merge with Port Stephens. They fix bridges and roads without whingeing about it.

Its our "ticket out of jail" also - rather than being forced to merge with Gloucester or Maitland. We can't stand alone so we have to pick the most fit partner.

There needs to be a dedicated cycleway from the town centre all around the vineyards and back, for all the tourists. Imagine the $$$$$ in tourism it would rake in!

Most of the roads are dangerous in a car, let alone on push bike.

I would support better strategies, and better relations between motorists and cyclists, but each have to take responsibility seriously.

 Please folks, THINK. Motorists cannot be to blame if cyclists want to be invisible.