A $250,000 grant from the NSW Government’s Newcastle Port Community Contributions Fund has been awarded to City of Newcastle Council to restore the iconic Paymasters Café, conserving original heritage features and upgrading safety elements to meet heritage standards while reopening the facility for community use.
The café (pictured) is one of seven local initiatives being backed by the latest funding round:
- $250,000 – City of Newcastle for Restoration heritage-listed Paymasters Cafe
- $240,000 – Breast Cancer Trials for Portraits of Hope Breast Cancer awareness exhibition
- $176,000 – Spiritual Water Ways Indigenous Corporation for Nan’s Place – Cultural Meeting Circle and Healing Landscape
- $175,000 – City of Newcastle for Foreshore Fairy Light Activation
- $75,000 – Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club for Aurora – Training the Next Generation of Offshore Sailors
- $66,400 – The Mission to Seafarers – Newcastle for Upgrade of male toilet
- $40,616- Destination Sydney Surrounds North for Cruise Ship Arrival Activation Events – Port of Newcastle
$176,000 in funding has been granted to Spiritual Water Ways Indigenous Corporation to deliver Nan’s Place, an Indigenous cultural meeting circle and healing landscape on Worimi Land. The project will protect a recognised Ceremonial and Dreaming Place while fostering cultural learning, community wellbeing and connection to Country through a meeting circle, healing landscape, memorial mural honouring Elder Aunty Beryl Dates and ongoing cultural engagement initiatives, which include language workshops and caring for Country programs.
“Nan’s Place is much more than a physical space, it is a place of healing, connection, learning and belonging. This funding allows us to honour the legacy of our beloved Elder, Nan Dates, whose love for family, community and Country continues to guide us today,” said Cultural Authority and Secretary of Spiritual Water Ways Indigenous Corporation, Aunty Theresa Dargin.
“For generations, this site has been a place of ceremony, storytelling and cultural practice. Nan’s Place will provide a safe and welcoming place where people can connect to Country, strengthen wellbeing, learn about our culture and create lasting community connections.
“We are deeply grateful to the Newcastle Port Community Contributions Fund for recognising the importance of preserving Aboriginal cultural heritage and investing in a project that will benefit our whole community for generations to come.”
$75,000 from the Fund will support rigging, sail and electronics upgrades to the Aurora, the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club’s community training vessel, ensuring a safe, modern and accessible platform for veterans, young people, first responders and aspiring sailors to participate in maritime training and development programs.
Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club CEO, Paul O’Rourke said the funding was a gamechanger for Aurora and for the hundreds of people who will step aboard her in the years ahead.
“We’re deeply grateful for NSW Government support – Aurora has been at the heart of our training programs for many years and, as a 40-year-old yacht, she has reached the point where critical upgrades are needed to ensure she remains safe, reliable and fit for the next generation of sailors,” said Mr O’Rourke.
“From young people taking their first steps into the sport to Veterans and First Responders seeking new challenges, this investment will create more opportunities for Novocastrians to learn, compete and connect through sailing, while strengthening the community that makes our club and sport so special.”
The Council says all seven initiatives supported through the fund will help activate and enhance the Newcastle Port Precinct, boost visitation, strengthen community connections, supports jobs, and encourage greater participation in cultural and artistic activities.
“This funding is about backing the people who know their community best. By supporting locally driven ideas like the Paymasters Cafe, we’re ensuring the Newcastle Port continues to grow in a way that reflects the region’s identity and future ambitions,” said Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty.
“These projects demonstrate the kind of forward‑thinking investment that will keep Newcastle thriving. We’re proud to support initiatives that enhance the area, protect its heritage and create new opportunities for the region.”
The Newcastle Port Community Contributions Fund Round 9 provides grants of between $10,000 and $250,000 to local groups and businesses to deliver initiatives that enhance the environment, public spaces, infrastructure, heritage restoration, smart technology, events and community participation.
The fund is enabled by the long-term lease of the Newcastle Port and has now provided more than $9.8 million to 56 projects since 2014.
