Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle is a regional metropolitan area and the second-most-populous district of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and it is the hub of the Lower Hunter region, which includes most parts of the cities of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock, and Port Stephens Council. Newcastle is also known by its colloquial nickname, Newy.
Joel Andrew Fitzgibbon is a retired Australian politician. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2022, representing the New South Wales seat of Hunter. He served as Minister for Defence (2007–2009) in the first Rudd government and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2013) in the second Rudd government. He was also Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives (2010–2013) in the Gillard government.
Merewether High School is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in the suburb of Broadmeadow in the city of Newcastle, Australia. It was established in 1977 following the merger of Newcastle Technical High School and Cooks Hill Girls High School. The school is named in honour of Edward Merewether, a prominent businessman and civil servant in the Colony of New South Wales who later became the Superintendent of the Australian Agricultural Company in Newcastle.
Robert John Debus is a former Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives and the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the Labor Party. Debus has been a minister in both the Australian and New South Wales governments. He served in the NSW Parliament from 1981 to 1988 and again from 1995 to 2007; and in the Australian Parliament from 2007 to 2010.
Robert James Heffron, also known as Bob Heffron or R. J. Heffron, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, union organiser and Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 1959 to 1964. Born in New Zealand, Heffron became involved in various Socialist and labour movements in New Zealand and later Australia before joining the Australian Labor Party. A prominent unionist organiser, we was gaoled for "conspiracy to strike action". He was later elected to the Parliament of New South Wales for Botany in 1930. However his disputes with party leader Jack Lang led to his expulsion from the ALP in 1936 and Heffron formed his own party from disgruntled Labor MPs known as the Industrial Labor Party. The success of his party enabled his readmission to the party and his prominence in a post-Lang NSW Branch which won office in 1941.
Gosford High School is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Gosford, in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Benjamin Kennedy is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Lambton Jaffas in the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW.
Newcastle High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in Newcastle West, a suburb of Newcastle, in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia.
Verity Helen Firth is an Australian university executive and former politician. She is the Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Technology Sydney. She was the chief executive officer of the Public Education Foundation in Australia.
Gorokan High School is a government-funded co-educational dual modality partially academically selective and comprehensive secondary day school, located in Lake Haven, in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Maitland High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located on High Street, East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia.
Ross Gittins is an Australian political and economic journalist and author, known for "his ability to make dry, hard-to-understand economics and economic policy relevant".
Virginia Anne Chadwick AO was a Liberal Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1978 to 1999. She was the first NSW female Minister for Education; the first female President of the New South Wales Legislative Council; and Chair and CEO of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Nathan Rees is an Australian former politician who served as the 41st Premier of New South Wales and parliamentary leader of the New South Wales Labor Party from September 2008 to December 2009. Rees was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Toongabbie for Labor from 2007 to 2015.
Patricia Forsythe is an Australian politician and diplomat who was the Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand from March 2019 to March 2022. As of 2024, she is Chancellor at the University of Newcastle. She was previously the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber since September 2006. Prior to her appointment to the Chamber, she was a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales representing the Liberal Party between 1991 and 2006.
Illawarra Sports High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school, with speciality in sports, located in Berkeley, a southern suburb of Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
The Digital Education Revolution (DER) was an Australian government–funded educational reform program, promised by then prime minister of Australia Kevin Rudd during the launch of his 2007 Australian federal election campaign in Brisbane. It was officially launched in late 2008, with the first deployments announced by then Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard and then New South Wales counterpart, Verity Firth. The first deployment took place at Fairvale High School in August that year.
Matraville Sports High School is a government co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary school, with speciality in sports, located on Anzac Parade, Chifley, in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Kotara High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in Adamstown Heights, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
Samantha Poolman, also known as Sam Poolman, is a former Australian netball player. Between 2010 and 2015, Poolman played for NNSW Blues, NNSW Waratahs and Southern Force in the Australian Netball League. Between 2013 and 2016, she played for Adelaide Thunderbirds in the ANZ Championship. She was a member of the Thunderbirds team that won the 2013 ANZ Championship. Between 2017 and 2021, Poolman has played for Giants in Suncorp Super Netball.
