An historic Australian vessel moored at Balls Head will be seized and disposed of by the NSW Government, disappointing locals who claim it provides a base for young volunteers to receive "valuable knowledge”. 

What happened: Since 2000, the 76-metre MV Cape Don has been docked at Waverton, operating as a museum for those interested in nautical history. 

On Sunday, the NSW Government called time on the boat, claiming “severe corrosion” makes it too big a risk to leave in the harbour. 

Heads up: The decision hasn’t come out of nowhere: NSW Maritime claims nearly fifty meetings have been held with the boat’s owners, where concerns were raised about the vessel’s “deteriorating condition”. 

Response: The Sea Heritage Foundation, the charity who cares for the boat, has asked for an independent review, claiming the boat forms an important part of nautical history. In turn, NSW Maritime points to an independent report it commissioned, prepared in 2025 by accredited marine surveyors.

Volunteers: Volunteers have been working aboard the ship for decades. Daniel Callender, the boatswain of the ship, told the Lorikeet volunteers were a “melting pot of different communities”, ranging from ages 16 to 84. 

“Young museum staff, future engineers and tradespeople were receiving valuable knowledge”, he said. 

The NSW Government volunteering website lists 29 volunteer roles aboard the Cape Don for exhibition researchers, tour guides, radio operators, marine engineers and welding.

History: “The Don”, as it is referred to by volunteers, was built and launched in 1962 at Newcastle, and serviced lighthouses along the Australian coast until 1990. 

Since 2004, the vessel has been maintained as a museum, with volunteers running tours exploring the ship's design and history. 

While volunteers have maintained parts of the ship's interior, work on the hull would require dry docking, an expensive endeavour. 

The mothballed Marian Street Theatre is set to be stripped of the “community land” status that protects it from being sold, with proponents of the move denying it is a precursor to any potential sale.

What happened: The historic theatre, in Killara, has been shut since 2013. Ku-ring-gai Council, as owner of the site, has been reluctant to redevelop the arts space, but a passionate local community group has continued to search for ways to fund a revival.

In the 13 years since it first shut, the vacant site has not been able to be sold off by council due to its status as community land.

On Tuesday evening, councillors voted 6 – 4 to strip the site of this status, converting it to operational land and opening a pathway to a potential sale.

What that means: In New South Wales, public land owned by a local council falls into two categories: community and operational.

Community land such as parks, community centres or sports grounds, is land reserved for public use which cannot be sold. While it can be leased out, there are strict requirements on this, such as limits on lease terms, continued equal access to the land or broad approval from the community.

For example, a council may let a cafe operate out of a park, or a bowling club use its greens.

Operational land is managed more like private property. It can be used for the day-to-day functions of a council — depots, garages, paid parking — and may not be open to the public. It can be leased out much more easily, and can be sold.

Why the change: Councillors Sam Ngai and Martin Smith brought forward Tuesday night’s motion, and argued the lease restrictions on community land could impede on getting a private operator in to run the place. They specified the 30 year limit on lease terms dictated for community land.

Ngai and Smith previously voted for council to ditch its plans to redevelop Marian Street Theatre, and to “explore opportunities for larger and potentially more cost-effective venues”.

The two movers grew defensive when asked by Councillor Balachandran if the motion was a precursor to sell the theatre.

“I think the motion is pretty clear, and if you read it, you probably wouldn’t have asked that question”, Smith said, while Ngai claimed he felt the question was “some sort of weird entrapment”.

Before the land is reclassified, the decision will go out for public exhibition, where locals can have their say on the matter.

Full story below.

Berowra Heights post office may be on the lookout for a new manager, after a joint police task force arrested the 62-year-old man running the office for his alleged role in the importation of illegal cigarettes and vapes. 

What happened: On the afternoon of Tuesday, October 13, investigators executed a search warrant in Berowra Heights and arrested a 62-year-old man who has been charged with possession of commercial quantities of vaping and tobacco goods. 

The team leading the operation, Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST), is made up of officers across the NSW Police Force, Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and the Australian Taxation Office. 

MAST: The purpose of MAST is to investigate and target “trusted insiders who are assisting transnational serious, organised crime syndicates impacting NSW”.

Their investigation was also supported by information supplied by Australia Post. It told the Lorikeet that Australia Post “acts decisively when there is irregular activity identified in our network”, and that “the individual involved is not currently working for the post office”.

Police POV: According to NSW Police, the aim of the operation was to “investigate the alleged importation of large quantities of illicit tobacco and vapes by a 62-year-old man, using his trusted insider position in a senior role at a post office north of Sydney”.

The operation also saw search warrants executed in Zetland and Banksmeadow, where two other arrests were made. Across the board, police seized over 3 million cigarettes, 15,000 vapes and 60,000 in cash. 

The 62-year-old man was granted conditional bail and will appear again before Hornsby Court on November 18. 

Read the full story below.

Sportsbet has made AI advertisements of NRL and AFL players promoting gambling — without permission.

The videos have been taken down, after the players and the AFL pushed back.

Watch the National Account’s Archie Milligan below: