Laurise Dickson
Newcastle, NSW
Laurise Dickson is a reporter and producer with ABC Radio. She currently works for ABC Newcastle and NSW. Laurise has worked for the ABC since 2018 creating stories for radio, online and social media. Follow her on Twitter @laurise_dickson
Latest by Laurise Dickson
How an idea floated almost 20 years ago became one of nation's biggest climate-action blockades
The latest blockade of the Port of Newcastle is the crest of a wave that started building back in 2005 for the climate group behind the protest, Rising Tide.
Why the 'Matildas effect' plays out differently in a small country town
The number of women and girls playing football has surged since the Matildas' incredible feats at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. But aiming for the top when you're from a regional area comes with added challenges.
It's now or never to get high-speed rail from Newcastle to Sydney back on track, experts say
A man who created a high-speed rail strategy for NSW says time is running out to connect the Hunter region to the rest of the state.
Why conservationists are working to protect the creature behind Hexham bunyip folklore
Almost 150 years ago, three miners headed into a swamp for an evening of wild duck hunting. They discovered a terrifying creature with a roar "like that of a lion" in the darkness.
At the age of 21, Jessica has three kids. But that won't stop her from getting her HSC
Jessica is about to finish year 12 at a unique school in Newcastle, where the staff empower students to "reach your full potential", while their kids are right next door.
Margaret's brain could hold the key to unlocking a new way to tackle Alzheimer's disease
A Newcastle trial into a groundbreaking drug is testing whether it can not only slow the brain disease, but prevent it.
Aziza fled the Taliban, spent five years in refugee camps, and arrived in Australia alone. Now she's literally building her future
How a TAFE training program is preparing migrant and refugee women for jobs in the construction industry, and giving them the skills to forge a new life for themselves.
Noise from the playground got louder when phones were banned. So what else happened?
Kotara High School principal Mark Sneddon says the "battle with phones in class is gone" and student habits are changing at home.
It's 175 years since William Arnott first made biscuits in this small-town bakery — and it's still running today
William Arnott emigrated from Scotland in the 1840s and went on to build a biscuit empire in his new homeland. His first bakehouse in Morpeth is still operating, but it's not biscuits coming out of the woodfired oven these days.
Is this Australia's tallest house? This 10-storey rural monolith comes with a suspended observation deck
With home gym, rooftop spa, indoor swimming pool and whole-floor tennis court, this 10-storey, single family residence would look at home among the apartment towers of the Gold Coast.
Not just for history's sake: The importance of recording LGBTQIA+ stories to correct the past
At the start of 2023, WorldPride came Down Under to celebrate and promote LGBTQIA+ rights. But rewind 70 years and queer people living in regional NSW had a very different story to tell.
Sinkholes are so common in the Hunter they have a mascot. Why does it happen?
From the surface, you might never know much of Newcastle in New South Wales has been built on top of mines — some more than 100 years old.
Cynthia refuses to give up her pet dog to find a rental. But hundreds of pets are being dumped in NSW
Newcastle woman Cynthia has been denied hundreds of rentals partly because of her pet dog, but she would rather be homeless than surrender her furry friend.
Two decades after hitting 'rock bottom' this reformed gambler is helping others in her shoes
It is 22 years to the day since Maria felt the familiar rush of dopamine after feeding her last $50 bill into a poker machine.
'Emotionally heavy' return of ancestral remains to country comes after 130 years
The remains of more than 1,650 Aboriginal ancestors have been returned to Australia from around the world since 1990. But there are thousands more still to be returned.
Move over tiny homes, these Nissen huts have a new lease on life
Decades before the tiny house movement, prefabricated "tin can" Nissen huts helped ease the housing shortage for thousands of British families migrating to Australia.
Work underway to breathe life back into New South Wales' oldest standing theatre
The Victoria Theatre in Newcastle is boarded up after going dark in the 1960s, but work is underway to revive the heritage-listed building, which includes a functioning fly floor, as a mid-sized venue for music and entertainment.
'Sick to death' of 'blathering', ecologist issues grim warning about fate of 'fluffy national icon'
A koala conference in NSW, held with the aim of building pressure ahead of next year's state election, also heard from an Indigenous conservationist who says cultural practices will play a key role in staving off extinction.
Proposal to build over-55s development on NSW North Coast withdrawn after community backlash
Ingenia Communities has informed Nambucca Valley Council of its plans to withdraw the proposal for an over-55s "lifestyle community" at Scotts Head.
Jimmy Jan took to TikTok to share his new life in a wheelchair. He quickly went viral
After a skiing accident left him with a life-changing spinal injury, 21-year-old Jimmy Jan turned to social media to document his journey of learning to live with a disability.
Kurri Kurri GP, who spent 80th birthday giving COVID vaccines, retires
After 46 years of caring for people in the Hunter region, Dr Jalil Ramzan is hanging up his stethoscope.
Taking these images nearly killed the photographer. Now he wants the world to see them
In 2019, Bob Teoh's quest for the perfect photo of his town almost cost him his life. Now, he is showing his work to thank the healthcare workers who helped him get back to his craft.
'A treasure hunt for history': Metal detecting attracts younger detectorists who share their discoveries online
Thanks to the rise in popular TV shows, advancements in technology and COVID-19 restrictions, young adventurers are turning fossickers, digging up local history to share their discoveries on social media.