Local People

By Julie Ryan Blacktown City’s sporting community came together to celebrate its finest athletes, coaches, volunteers and clubs at the annual Blacktown City Sports Awards, with boxer Tyrell Adams taking home the night’s highest honour, Sportsperson of the Year. Adams, who trains with Boxfit Windsor, said he was “incredibly honoured and humbled” to receive the […]

By Greg Martin The words highly respected and much admired barely begin to describe how Blacktown residents feel about Dr Prabha Chandra. Revered is probably a better fit. When your favourite magazine learned that Dr Chandra was retiring after 53 years at his Stephen Street practice, we knew there was a story worth telling. So, […]

Fans of classic British television comedy are in for a treat when Richmond Players present the much-loved stage adaptation of Are You Being Served? Based on the iconic sitcom, the production follows the quirky staff of the fictional Grace Brothers department store as they navigate workplace dramas, interpersonal relationships and the daily challenges of retail […]

As Urban Real Estate continues expanding across north-west Sydney, the independently owned business says its long-term success has been built on strong internal culture, local knowledge and investing in people for the future. With offices located throughout some of Sydney’s fastest-growing communities, Urban Real Estate has continued strengthening its presence across the region by focusing […]

Rotary Honour for Hills Community Champion by Greg Martin To Rotarians around the world, being named a Paul Harris Fellow is one of the highest honours a member can receive comparable to a Victoria Cross for valour, an Academy Award, a Nobel Peace Prize or soccer’s Ballon d’Or. Paul Harris was the American lawyer who […]

Emma Hoskins has been a busy young woman — so busy, in fact, that by the time she turns 16 in September, she will already have made a remarkable contribution to her community and culture. That contribution has now been recognised with Emma being nominated for the 2026 NSW Women of the Year Awards in […]

by Greg Martin We were returning to home base after interviewing multi award-winning Munro’s Quality Meats proprietor Craig Munro when I quipped to our ace photographer, Kathryn Johnston, that Craig was certainly the “Baron of Beef”. That sparked a rapid-fire swapping of nicknames for Craig Tsar of Sausages, King of Kransky, Prince of Pork, Baron […]

On my way home after interviewing Jill Reardon, my thoughts turned to Leo Tolstoy and his huge and hugely successful novel, War and Peace. You would nearly have to have been a weightlifter to pick up the book which, depending on the publisher, runs anywhere between 1,200 and 1,400 pages! Such was the wealth of […]

By Julie Ryan After almost 50 years in medicine, respected Castle Hill GP Dr Robert Elliott is retiring, bringing to a close an extraordinary career dedicated to caring for generations of local families across the Hills District. Dr Elliott’s journey into medicine was anything but traditional. Leaving school at just 15 years of age, his […]

By Lorna Gordon Advika and Rihanna Ambassadors have worked on projects to connect with the young people of the community. The young people of the Hills will be happy to know that their thoughts and feelings about what is happening in our area is being represented to our local council by two very capable young […]

By Greg Martin When she’s not attending girl guides meetings and functions, Diane Williams always finds time to potter in the spectacular gardens surrounding the Williams home in Bilpin. The gardens attract a large variety of birds who always find a bite to eat compliments of their hosts! Nearly five decades down the track, Diane […]

By Christine Rau When the producers of ABC Radio’s triple j Hottest 100 reviewed their 2024 countdown, they were alarmed to see only 29 Australian songs had made the list representing just 18 Australian artists. In contrast, 24 of the top 100 songs came from only four US acts. It was the weakest Australian showing […]