Apart from the early burst of summer this week, the story that had a lot of people talking was the leaked memo from health district management instructing hospital staff to stop buying toothpaste, toothbrushes and shampoo for patients. Coming on the heels of the announcement the hospital planned to close the sub-acute mental health unit over Christmas, the memo focused attention on renewed efforts cut costs in the health system. The health district is adamant the three-week closure will not affect access to mental health treatment.
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On the issue of general health, figures showed almost 20 per cent of Shoalhaven people were deemed heavy drinkers or smokers. While this was not as bad as neighbouring areas, it is still concerning repeated messages about the risks associated with drinking and smoking are not being heeded.
People were also talking about Jan van Arkel, the Nowra cobbler who's been keeping footwear and bags going for decades. Jan's preparing for retirement and looking for someone to (excuse the pun) step into his shoes and keep the old service going.
Meanwhile, Nowra Public School is looking to the future, equipping all of its students and teachers with iPads. It might be the oldest school in the area but using these educational tools of the future, it is set to become the most up to date in their way it teaches.
