THE GOOD ENOUGH Parent MY STATE CANDIDATE with EMILY THOMPSON

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Not going to lie, I haven’t yet decided who to vote for in the upcoming state election. And while my priorities are generally the same each year — improved hospitals and sta ng, water security, education funding, housing and mental health services to regional NSW — this year I have a new issue on my mind. I will vote for any candidate who runs on a platform of providing bus services to high school athletics and swimming carnivals.

Let me preface this by saying that I love the schools for the e ort they put into these days, and the incredible sta who run them. Mine is a logistic problem. I have perfected the art of being in two places at once (twice a week I have a 2-3.30pm zoom meeting in my car while also picking up my youngest from school at 3.08pm). I am yet to be able to add in picking up my eldest from the pool/ Waratahs at the same time. A bus would help!

While I’m at it, here’s a list of demands helpful suggestions for anyone still ﬁnalising their political platform. I will vote for anyone who:

● Bans reverse parking on Peisley St. I estimate this will cut road rage incidents in Orange by 97 per cent. (I am not actually qualiﬁed to make this estimate).

● Publishes a children’s book titled, ‘The child who went to school in their uniform without punching their sibling in the morning and behaved well all day’ so we can use it for Book Week dress-up day inspiration.

● Opens a café in town with play equipment indoors for toddlers, plenty of room for prams and the dress code is “pyjama casual” with a side of “don’t judge me, she dressed herself”.

● Opens a café in town with gaming/pinball equipment indoors for teenagers, plenty of room in the car park for L-platers and the dress code is “rebellion casual but hasn’t been worn more than twice without washing”.

● Mandates a law that all children’s requests to the Easter bunny have to be ﬁnalised the week Woollies have halfpriced eggs and bunnies. (These things are obviously unrelated, however if the supermarkets sell out, it might be di cult for the Easter bunny to source expensive late requests).

● Makes therapy dogs mandatory for every workplace in Orange. If not possible, a weekly “bring your pet to work” day. These good boys and girls deserve ALLLLL the pats.

● A state-funded monthly co ee and book club in every workplace in Orange. You grab co ee from a local café, buy a few copies of a book as recommended by the lovely sta at Collins Booksellers and call it a team-building exercise. (I need more time to read!).

● State-funded support workers for our annual Council clean-up. So, if I’m sneakily putting away the Barbie mansion both children have grown out of playing with “just in case”, there’s someone to come along and slap it out of my hands while shouting, “Get a grip, Emily!”

● A complete ban on lunchbox judgment at school. I discovered recently that lunch orders aren’t collected at the canteen, but instead are handed out by classroom teachers who now know exactly how many meat pies I buy Miss Eight each week. I promise her dinners are healthy. Let’s agree to never discuss lunch!

I look forward to seeing these key issues addressed by our candidates ahead of voting day; please do your best to represent the tired parents of Orange!

& Planetarium

√ 24 hour rescue helicopter service for Orange and region

√ $14 million for highway upgrades between Lithgow and Orange

√ Bat/hail netting funding for local orchardists

√ $1.2 million for CCTV in Orange, Bathurst and Wellington

√ 47 mobile phone towers and base stations across Calare

CHECK OUT ANSON ST SCHOOL’S MINI-WOOLIES!

It was fantastic to visit Anson St School this week to check out the school’s new Woolies training centre!

The school now hosts a Miniature Woolworths where students are given the opportunity to learn and develop workforce skills like customer service and money handling.

It was great to meet many enthusiastic students who were

A BRILLIANT DAY AT BLAYNEY SHOW!

The crowds certainly made a beeline for Blayney on March 11, heading to the showground to enjoy the 145th Show - it looked to me like the biggest crowd ever!

Thank you Show President Ben Meek and all of the hard working committee members and volunteers!

Congratulations to Rosemary Reid and Rosemary Amos who were both honoured with Blayney A&P Association life memberships for their extraordinary service to the Show!

Young Woman of the Year entrants Rachael and Sarah did an outstanding job and showed us the future of country leadership.

I even gave the ‘63 Ford Falcon XK ute a run in the grand parade!

You just can’t beat a country show!

very excited to try serving on the checkout for the first time!

The mini-supermarket replicates a typical Woolies, with baskets for food, shelving packed with groceries, ticketing, signage, and uniforms.

A big thank you to the Principal of Anson St School Melanie Meers for having me along to the official opening of this wonderful initiative!

Well done to all involved!

Firefighting Crews Battle Hill End Blaze

The bushfire north of Hill End has burnt more than 18,000 ha, massively impacting farms across the Tambaroora/Pyramul area.

I’ve been out with RFS crews and local landholders working to contain the bushfire and keep properties safe from the blaze. These teams have done an outstanding job in the face of very dangerous and challenging conditions to protect as much as possible.

Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard around the region to get us through yet another emergency.

It’s been a massive multi agency effort, and thankfully the fire situation is looking much more positive after a very stressful week for local residents and communities.

We really could use some fodder up there for farmers who’ve had their paddocks obliterated.