October is Small Business Month! And to celebrate, we’re highlighting some of the great small businesses we have throughout the region. Read all the stories here.
Today for Small Business Month, we’re celebrating three organisations bringing people together and making a difference across the region: an Armidale gaming store building community around shared hobbies, a long-established Coffs Coast care provider supporting independence and connection, and a Mid North Coast training academy helping people develop practical safety skills for when they matter most.
Blackheart Games & Hobbies
Where games bring people together
Armidale, NSW
Whether you’re building a miniature army, hunting down your next trading card addition or looking for a new tabletop adventure, Blackheart Games & Hobbies has plenty to explore.
Established in 2019, the Armidale store grew from a love of board games, tabletop strategy and trading card games. Today, it brings a wide range of gaming and hobby supplies together, including role-playing games, card decks, miniatures, paints and accessories.
But Blackheart is about more than what’s on the shelves. The store also hosts events, takes preorders for upcoming releases and provides a place for local enthusiasts to connect over shared interests.
Whether you’ve been gaming for years or are curious about trying something new, the welcoming atmosphere makes it easier to find your feet, discover a new hobby and meet others who enjoy the same things.
With its combination of product variety, fair pricing and community spirit, Blackheart Games & Hobbies helps keep tabletop gaming alive and thriving in the New England region.
Waratah Care Support Services
A long history of care, connection and community
Coffs Harbour, NSW
For almost four decades, Waratah Care Support Services has helped people across the Coffs Coast maintain their independence, enjoy social connection and receive support tailored to their needs.
The organisation began in 1987 as an adult day centre in Coffs Harbour. Community support helped it grow, including the opening of Maureen Guthrie Cottage in 1994, which provided overnight respite for people needing care and the family members who support them.
Formerly known as Waratah Respite Services, the organisation adopted its new name in 2026 to reflect its broader range of care and support services while building on its long-standing respite care tradition.
Today, Waratah offers a range of supports for older people, people living with disability or cognitive decline, and their carers. Its services include centre-based respite, social activities and cottage-style overnight respite, providing opportunities for companionship, meaningful activities and a familiar, welcoming environment.
At the heart of its approach is a commitment to seeing the person beyond their care needs. Individual preferences, independence and choice matter, as does supporting carers who need time to rest and look after their own wellbeing.
As a community-focused not-for-profit, Waratah brings together care staff, clinical expertise, activities staff and volunteers to support people and families across the region.
While the name has changed, the purpose remains the same: helping people feel valued, stay connected and continue living as independently as possible.
SALT Training Academy
Practical safety training, backed by real-world experience
Thrumster, NSW
When it comes to workplace safety and first aid, training needs to be more than ticking a box. At SALT Training Academy, courses are shaped by real-life experience, with a focus on giving people practical skills they can use when it matters.
Based in Thrumster, the academy is led by Brent Lethbridge, whose background spans professional lifeguarding, emergency response, licensed trades and business ownership. He has also trained lifeguards and volunteers as a surf lifesaving patrol captain and assessor at Tacking Point Surf Life Saving Club.
That experience helps bring real-world context to training across a range of areas, including first aid, CPR, Low Voltage Rescue, Mental Health First Aid, White Card and Working at Heights.
SALT offers a flexible approach, combining online learning with hands-on practical sessions. Its mobile training unit can also bring workplace training directly to businesses, schools and clubs across the Mid North Coast, including Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Kempsey, Taree and Crescent Head.
For businesses juggling work schedules and compliance requirements, the academy also offers guaranteed public course dates, helping participants plan ahead with confidence.
The business has earned regional recognition, including Outstanding New Business at the Wauchope Chamber of Commerce Awards and the Allens Training Local Impact Award.
Whether supporting a workplace team or helping individuals build essential safety skills, SALT Training Academy aims to make training practical, accessible and relevant to the people taking part.
Throughout October, we’ll run stories highlighting the great local businesses we have right here in our communities. This is a free service – the businesses highlighted have not paid for this story.
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