• VARLEY PUBLISHES 'BY GEORGE WE'VE DONE IT' TO CELEBRATE 125 YEARS IN THE HUNTER

    The book tells the extraordinary tale of Varley's family company success and the personal stories of the family members and valued employees who steered the helm for over 100 years.

    As one of the oldest firms in the Hunter, Varley's history is strongly entwined with that of the region and stands out as one of only a handful of privately owned companies with such a long history.

    This shared history is affectionately commemorated in the book 'By George We've Done It' through the historically significant array of photographers spanning more than a century.

    There are many reasons why a family business, started 125 years ago from humble beginnings in Newcastle is now a thriving company trading nationally and internationally employing over 600 people. The recurrent themes running through the rich history of this remarkable company are resilience, customer focus, employee pride and overwhelmingly – innovation.

    'By George We've Done It' is an engaging and interesting reading demonstrating how, over the last century, the company has developed an extensive depth of knowledge and experience across a wide diversity of light and heavy engineering activities.

    Varley has an embedded innovative culture and an advanced skill base that sees the business successfully compete for projects against global companies. Such projects cover diverse areas including military aerospace, defence product development, innovative specialised vehicles, new technologies of electric vehicles (pictured) and cost effective procedures to refurbish worn operating plant.

    In the pursuit of advanced technologies and innovative product development, Varley continue to develop new skill sets, offer challenging and rewarding careers, and aim to build a new technology industry based in the Hunter.

  • Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival will premiere in Australia these summer holidays!

    Mickey Mouse and his band of friends, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy, will perform in the musical extravaganza Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival these summer holidays. Joined by Disney favourites, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story, this fun-filled concert experiencewill entertain the whole family! 

    Disney hits are remixed to the hottest sounds of today featuring hip hop, pop, swing, reggae, rock, country and much more!  The line up of performers including, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, Ariel, Sebastian and Ursula; Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie, Woody, Buzz and Jessie are among the more than 25 Disney stars featured in this jam session!

    You can't resist dancing, singing, playing your air-guitar and laughing with this band of characters! Come join them at Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival for a lively concert experience guaranteed to deliver enough rockin' memories to last a lifetime. 

  • The greatest celebration of Irish music, song and dance
    touring Australia for the last time

    For the first time in nine years the pounding feet and swirling music of Riverdance, that has tapped its
    way onto the world stage thrilling millions of people around the globe will tour to Newcastle, Hobart and Adelaide from May 2012.

    For those who have not had the joy of experiencing this spectacle of Irish music and dance and for diehard fans - this is your last chance to feel the thrill of Riverdance when they visit our shores for their farewell tour playing for the first time in an intimate theatre setting.

    Of all the performances to emerge from Ireland – in rock, music, theatre and film – nothing has rivaled the energy, the sensuality and the spectacle of Riverdance. With its fusion of Irish and International music and dance, the show received unanimous critical acclaim and broke all box office records during its world premiere run in Dublin in early 1995.

    When it transferred to London in June of that year, the audience response was so overwhelming that the original 10 performances had to be increased to 151 shows. Since then, it has packed theatres throughout North America, Oceania, Asia and Europe.

    Riverdance focuses on the evolution of Irish dance, capturing the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures. It draws on Irish traditions and combines the richness of the music with the magic and sensuality of the dance.

    With music and lyrics by Grammy Award winning Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan, Riverdance is the development of an original idea by Moya Doherty, which was initially performed at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Dublin in April 1994 as a seven-minute interval act. Its success has since become part of theatre history.

    As Director John McColgan explains "There are now three companies touring the world. These companies, named after Irish rivers – The Moy, The Shannon and The Foyle – have become a kind of extended family, even a small village. The dancers, musicians and singers don't simply perform together, they travel the world together, looking after each other, sharing their energies and aspirations, pushing each other to new heights and to the highest of standards."

    Each of the touring companies consists of 45 cast and crew members, with the remarkable Riverdance Irish Dance Troupe joined by the cream of Irish musicians in the Riverdance Band and a spectacular array of talent from around the globe.

  • Excellence in Marketing

    Thurnham Teece is proud to sponsor the Excellence in Marketing category for the 2011 Hunter Manufacturing Awards. Good luck to all the entrants!

  • Newcastle Show 2012 Dates Announced

    Dates have been released for the Newcastle Show 2012. We can all enjoy the festivities 16-18 March 2012.