Telstra has now made standard national calls and SMS' free from their 15,000 payphones. Ten of these phones are located in Kempsey.

This brilliant new initiative not only makes it easy for people to call loved ones, but is also a powerful tool for anyone who needs to make fast anonymous calls for health services and assistance in any situation.

Notable free local payphones include:

Outside of Kempsey District Hospital

Kempsey train station

Two on the main strip of Elbow St

Herbone Ave, East Kempsey.

Major Jeff of the Kempsey Salvation Army was pleased with the new initiative to make calls from the public phone boxes free.

"I think it's very helpful as a lot of people have trouble with phones, and for emergency reasons, that's fabulous to be able to get in contact with family," Maj Jeff said.

Eleven million calls were made across Telstra payphones in the past year, including 230,000 calls to critical services such as triple zero and Lifeline.

"People just want to be able to contact someone and we put a lot of emergency numbers out there. If their phones don't work how can they ring them?" Maj Jeff said.

Telstra chief executive Andrew Penn said payphones were a vital lifeline, particularly for the homeless and people escaping an unsafe situation.

"I have been moved seeing first-hand the queues of people waiting in line, to use a payphone to tell their family and friends they're safe after a bushfire, a cyclone or some other natural disaster has taken the mobile network down," he said.

"I can only imagine the relief their families feel knowing their loved one is safe."

Telstra has previously made national calls on its payphones free over the Christmas and New Year period, making it easier for the homeless to contact others.

Consumers will still have to pay for overseas calls.

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