Skydiving is not your standard family activity. But then, the Newells aren't your standard family.
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Donna Newell, of Raymond Terrace, was the leader of the escapade. She suggested three generations of her family take a skydive to mark milestone birthdays.
It was her 45th, her dad Michael's 70th and the 18th and 21st birthdays for daughters Samantha and Alannah.
"It was something to tick off our bucket list," said Donna, who rides a Cruiser motorcycle and wears a jacket that says, "I ride like a girl so try and keep up".
Topics: "Have you always been adventurous?"
Donna: "I bungy-jumped in Bali. A little Balinese boy strapped me in. I don't think he had accreditation. He was barely out of his baby teeth. That was a bit more nerve-wracking."
The experience didn't deter her.
Donna: "Why sit back and wait? You could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Do you want to come base jumping with us? We're doing that next."
Topics: "Are you serious?"
Donna: "If I can con them into it, yeah. Why not?"
As for Michael, he said the family skydive was "an unforgettable experience".
The plane took off from Belmont Airport. They parachuted to ground with views of Swansea Channel and surrounds.
"The views were spectacular," he said.
"I wouldn't say I was as brave as my granddaughters who were laughing and enjoying every second of it.
"It was wonderful. Would I do it again? I don't know."
Oil, Gas and Daniel Johns
We wrote on Wednesday that former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns had posted a video about protecting the Great Australian Bight.
The Merewether-raised musician, who turned 40 last week, joined activists fighting to stop Norwegian energy company Equinor's plans to drill for oil in the bight.
"It is frontier oil drilling and it's reckless and dangerous. If it went wrong, this whole coast would see a black tide sweep in. The oil would cover this coast," he said.
In response to the article, Newcastle Greens candidate John Mackenzie tweeted: "No offshore mining or drilling. In the Bight, or off the coast of Merewether".
He added that the Greens would ban "all new offshore oil and gas, including a ban on seismic testing".
Activist Kris Eyre said a peaceful day of action, Hands Across the Sand, would be held at 10am at Nobbys Beach on Sunday.
The event aims to raise awareness about seismic testing and "the potential to have gas rigs" off the coast of Newcastle.
"What Daniel Johns is protesting about could happen here," she said.
"We need many hands across the sand."
Activists would be thrilled if Johns came home on Sunday and joined the event.
- topics@theherald.com.au