WINNER AR BLUETT MEMORIAL AWARD 2018
‘Most progressive council in NSW’
CITY LIFE Summer Edition | Issue 85 December 2019
FESTIVE FUN
JOIN THE CELEBRATIONS
COMING IN 2020
EXCITING PROJECTS
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AROUND OUR CITY
NEWS AND EVENTS
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03
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OPEN SPACES
HEALTHY INVESTMENT
MAYOR’S MESSAGE Frank Carbone
The Halloween Disco in Canley Heights Town Square was a huge success
Local Government is about making your life better. We have worked hard to achieve that with the continued delivery of infrastructure and services you need, while keeping rates among the lowest in Sydney. In January we opened the new high speed thrill slides at Aquatopia, further cementing the water park as Western Sydney’s best place to cool off in summer. We are continuing to develop plans for more attractions, including a wave pool and more cabanas. Work also progressed on the redevelopment of Fairfield Showground. Our new festival arena is now open and this month will host Illuminate, Council’s family New Year’s Eve celebrations. Council also completed the undercover festival space, the synthetic sports field and has begun work on the international grassed football pitch and the multipurpose amenities building. The upgrade of Smithfield Road is on track for completion in the first half of 2020, and work begins next month on a new 220-space car park on Hughes Street at Cabramatta. We also upgraded many parks throughout the year, and early next year we will begin work on installing a playground for children of all abilities at Deerbush Park in the Showground precinct. At Villawood, we will begin work on creating a new 3200 sqm neighbourhood park for families called Karella Park.
Work commenced on the multipurpose amenities building at Fairfield Showground
Next year we will begin work on a new library for the families of Fairfield as well as a business hub to give local businesses access to work spaces and the technology they need to help them thrive. There is still much to do and I look forward to what 2020 holds for us as a City. I wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year. Make sure you check out our Christmas celebrations and school holiday activities happening over the break, including our ‘famous’ and ever-popular Christmas lights on roundabouts throughout the City!
Frank Carbone Mayor of Fairfield City fcarbone@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au Christmas lights on roundabouts return this festive season
@FC.FrankCarbone @FairfieldMayor
Information and events in this publication are current at the time of printing.
Christmas in Fairfield City CHRISTMAS IN FAIRFIELD CITY CENTRE
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS COMPETITION
Don’t miss the lighting of the Christmas tree in Epoch Plaza on Thursday, 5 December. From 6.30pm, there will be carols by Our Lady of Mt Carmel Primary School, petting zoo, balloonist, a visit from Santa, appearances by the Toy Soldier and Honey Bear, and the lighting of the Christmas tree by Mayor Frank Carbone at 8pm.
Show your Christmas spirit and be in the running to win an exciting Christmas hamper! Deck your house in lights and decorations, snap a photo and post it to Facebook and Instagram using the tags @FairfieldCity #FairfieldCityLights. The top 10 photos with the most likes will each win a hamper.
CANLEY HEIGHTS CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY
FALALALALAHHHH AT FAIRFIELD: CHRISTMAS SING-ALONG
Join the FREE festive fun at the Canley Heights Children’s Christmas Party on Friday, 6 December.
Sing along to your favourite carols at Fairfield City Museum & Gallery on Saturday, 7 December, 6-8pm.
From 3pm to 7pm, Canley Heights Town Square will come alive with amusement rides and carnival games, food, face painting and kids’ craft activities, entertainment and rock climbing. Santa and his friends will also be there for photos.
Bring a picnic rug and sing along to all of your favourite Christmas Carols, and get creative with Christmasinspired activities and games in readiness for a special visitor all the way from the North Pole.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ON ROUNDABOUTS Council’s popular Christmas lights at roundabouts make a return in 2019 to bring festive joy to residents and evening commuters alike. Lights have been installed at the intersections of Restwell and Mimosa roads, Bossley Park; Prairie Vale and Moonlight roads, Prairiewood; Melbourne and Edensor roads, Bonnyrigg; Canley Vale and Bulls roads, Wakeley; Court Road and The Crescent, Fairfield; and Smithfield Road and Polding Street, Smithfield.
ALSO THIS FESTIVE SEASON: Santa visits Canley Vale Town Centre Friday, 6 December, 12pm to 2pm Cabramatta Christmas Carols Saturday, 14 December, 9am to 1pm Freedom Plaza Santa visits Dutton Plaza Saturday, 14 December, 2pm to 4pm Dutton Plaza, Cabramatta
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There’s so much to see and do in Fairfield City these school holidays!
Train to be a superhero at the library
Practise parkour at Emerson Street Reserve
Drawing workshops at Fairfield City Museum & Gallery
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Make a Lego creation at the library
Plant stamping at Fairfield City Museum & Gallery
Outdoor Cinema at Fairfield City Museum & Gallery
Keep cool at Aquatopia
Have a picnic at the Fairfield Adventure Park
Take a ride on our City’s 90km cycle path network
Shoot some hoops at the Fairfield Youth and Community Centre
Challenge a mate to table tennis at Cabravale Memorial Park
Active Kids school holiday program at Fairfield Leisure Centre
For a full list of school holiday activities, visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/schoolholiday
FAIRFIELD SHOWGROUND
TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER 2019, 5-10PM
FREE AMUSEMENT RIDES, ACTIVITIES & LIVE ENTERTAINMENT Your favourite superheroes will turn the fun up to infinity at Fairfield City’s family New Year’s Eve celebration – Illuminate! For the first time, Illuminate will be held at Fairfield Showground, meaning more families than ever before will be able to come together and celebrate the beginning of the New Year. Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor and Captain America will thrill families with meet and greets throughout the afternoon. There will also be a high-octane jetpack display complete with LED lights and flames! There will also be amusement rides and carnival games, virtual reality experiences, camel rides, face painting, airbrush tattoos and more. There will 5 be a spectacular fireworks finale at 9.30pm. The fun starts at 5pm. Tickets have been on sale since 6 November and are available at www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/illuminate unless sold out.
EXTRA RECYCLING Fairfield City Council understands that Christmas can mean extra recycling rubbish as families look to clean up boxes and wrapping paper. Council will provide a free extra recycling bin collection between 23 December 2019 and 3 January 2020 to help you dispose of waste properly and help our environment. Just leave both your yellow and red lidded bins out together on your normal collection day. Waste pick-ups for red lidded bins remain the same day of the week in your area, regardless of public holiday days.
SUMMER READING CHALLENGE IS ON AGAIN Children have the chance to keep active and win some great prizes over the summer holidays with Fairfield City Open Library’s Discover! Summer Learning and Fun activities in the Mayor’s Summer Holiday Program.
The Mayor’s Discover! Summer Learning and Fun gives you challenges to complete, including solving virtual reality mazes and undertaking superhero training! For more information and to register call 9725 0333. 5
Hughes Street Car Park at Cabramatta
New Fairfield Library and Business Hub
All abilities playground at Deerbush Park
COMING SOON TO OUR CITY Wave Pool and more cabanas at Aquatopia
Karella Park at Villawood
Kugel Ball at Fairfield Showground
BOSSLEY PARK PRESCHOOL Accessing affordable, quality preschool education is now easier for families in and around Bossley Park with the opening of a new $1.4 million Council-run preschool. Bossley Park Preschool, constructed in the grounds of Bossley Park Public School on Bossley Road, was officially opened on 7 November. The preschool, which was funded through the NSW Department of Education’s capital works program, replaces the 20-place mobile preschool that previously operated out of a classroom at the school. The service now offers 40 preschool spaces to the community every weekday. Prices start from as little as $10 a day for eligible families. For information on enrolment at Bossley Park Preschool and Council’s other early education and care services, visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/cfs.
SMITHFIELD ROAD The new traffic signals at the intersection of Smithfield and Richards roads are now in operation. Council has realigned the intersection as part of the $16.4 million widening of Smithfield Road, aligning Richards Road and the Fairfield Showground entrance. The new intersection will enable safer access to the Showground. Road widening will continue at Elizabeth Drive, and the intersections of Dunstan, Beavors and Berry streets, and is due for completion mid 2020. When completed, Smithfield Road will cater for four lanes of traffic between Elizabeth Drive and Polding Street, reducing congestion and improving safety on one of Fairfield City’s busiest roads. 7
AROUND OUR CITY NEWS AND EVENTS Certificate
Congratulatio
ns on becoming part of the Fairfiel A limited edition d Showground engraved paver commemorative will be laid at with your person pathway. Fairfield Showg alised messag round, right in the heart of Fairfiel e d City.
JOHN AND MA
RY SMITH
JOHN AND MAR Y SMITH SMITHFIELD 1956 By becoming part
of the Fairfield Showground comm you are celebr emorative pathw ating your role Your paver will ay, remain at Fairfiel in Fairfield City’s history. d Showground as a unique meme where it nto of your conne ction to our wondewill serve rful city.
Recognising the achievements of graduating Year 6 students in our City with free passes to Aquatopia
Frank Carbone Mayor of Fairfie ld City
D
on’t miss your last chance to purchase a personalised commemorative paver to be laid in the Deerbush Park walking path. Applications close 20 December. Apply at www. fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/ showground-pavers
Flicker Fridays were held in Crescent Plaza, screening films made by local film makers using funding from Fairfield City Council
Here are some of the services and events delivered around our City 88
Advocating at the highest level to ensure more investment for a better City
Honouring the important role of grandparents in our lives with Grandparents Day at Fairfield Youth and Community Centre
Celebrating the Australian Chinese Buddhist Society’s 38th Anniversary at Bonnyrigg
Celebrating the 21st annual Cabramatta Moon Festival, and 50 years since the moon landing, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian
Council hosted 120 Year 6 Fairfield Heights Public School students with our Civic Education Program
Hundreds of tonnes of waste collected at our annual Spring Clean and Bulky Waste drop off days
Council hosts citizenship ceremonies each month where we celebrate our City’s diversity and unity
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FAIRFIELD CITY MUSEUM & GALLERY FUTURAMA 2.0
26 October 2019 – 15 February 2020 Take a glimpse into a utopian vision of the future as part of FCMG’s newest exhibition Futurama 2.0. The miniature model city was a joint project between 2019 Artist in Residence Tracey Clement and the local community. Clement engaged with local school students and adults to deliver a community’s perspective in shaping a better future, while responding to Norman Bel Geddes model city designed for General Motors at the 1939-1940 World Fair in New York 80 years ago. Visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/FCMG for more information about What’s On at the Fairfield City Museum & Gallery.
fairfieldcitymuseumgallery @fairfieldcitymuseumgallery
There are many exceptional women in Fairfield City that deserve to be recognised for their professional achievements. www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/womensdayaward
INVESTING IN OPEN SPACES Council is investing millions of dollars into open spaces, playgrounds and sporting fields this financial year. At Fairfield Showground, the new synthetic sports field will soon be ready to hire. The field offers a hard wearing, all-weather surface and can be divided into halves and quarters. Council is also building an all abilities playground at Deerbush Park at Fairfield Showground. Deerbush Park will feature a ropes course, flying fox, water play space, wheelchair-accessible carousel, groundlevel trampoline, liberty swing, accessible bathroom, riding track, picnic tables and bench seating and more. Work will begin in early 2020.
Synthetic field
Tero ne Park
At Villawood, Council will build a 3200 sqm park at the corner of Koonoona and Karella avenues. Karella Park will feature a ground level ropes course, swings with a boat seat, toddler play items, outdoor ping pong table, half basketball court, and dynamic and static exercise equipment. Work on Karella Park will begin in early 2020. Recently, Council upgraded Percy Park, Fairfield Heights; Locke Reserve, Wetherill Park and Longfield Park, Cabramatta. Council also installed new cricket nets at Adams Park, Canley Vale, new outdoor fitness equipment at Terone Park, Bossley Park and exeloos at Chisholm Park, Canley Heights and Brenan Park, Smithfield as well as numerous walking path circuits.
Deerbush Park
HUGHES STREET CAR PARK Work on a new 220-space car park at Cabramatta is due to begin in January 2020. The development application for the new car park at the corner of Hughes Street and Dutton Lane has been approved by the Sydney Western City Planning Panel and a builder appointed. Residents and businesses will be informed of changes to traffic and parking prior to construction commencing. Follow Fairfield City Council on Facebook for updates.
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LOOKING AFTER OUR RIVER FOR 40 YEARS One of the natural gems in our City is the Georges River and Fairfield City Council has been looking after it for 40 years – since 1979 – as part of the organisation, Georges Riverkeeper. Georges Riverkeeper removes litter from the river, restores bushland and protects the river’s biodiversity. Recently, the river has been given a boost thanks to Conservation Volunteers Australia working to vegetate the river’s banks. More than 12,000 Sporobolus virginicus, or ‘sand couch’, seedlings will be planted along Chipping Norton Lakes.
CELEBRATING YOUR MILESTONES Do you have a special milestone that you would like to celebrate, such as an anniversary, birthday or business opening? Fairfield City Council would love to help you celebrate! Council regularly receives requests from the community for certificates to recognise or commemorate important events and milestones. These certificates are the perfect way to create a lasting memory of your milestone event. Visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/certificateofrecognition to order yours.
HOP ON A BIKE Western Sydney Cycling Network, based at Fairfield Showground, is open to new members. WSCN holds regular social rides using the City’s 90km of cycling paths. They also provide a bicycle recycling service. For more details, visit www.westernsydneycyclingnetwork.com.au.
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Get fit, have fun at your local leisure centre
Learn to swim Learn to swim classes for children and adults Group fitness Classes for all ages and abilities with professional trainers Rehabilitation Physiologist-led programs for injury and illness recovery, and strengthening
COUNCIL CLOSURES Some of Council’s services will be closed over the Christmas - New Year period. For urgent enquiries outside these closure periods please call 9725 0222. Council Administration Centre Closed 23 December - 5 January Fairfield City Leisure Centres Closed 25 December Reduced hours on other public holidays Golf Course and Fairfield Showground Closed 25 December Fairfield City Museum & Gallery Closed 21 December - 5 January Preschools Closed 21 December - 19 January School-based Preschools Closed 19 December - 21 January
Cabravale Leisure Centre 9723 0335
Fairfield Leisure Centre 9754 0336
Collect a free 2020 Calendar! 2020 R C A L E N D A
Prairiewood Leisure Centre 9725 0337
BONNYRIGG PLAZA Thursday 5 December | 11am - 1pm NEETA CITY FAIRFIELD Friday 6 December | 11.30am - 1.30pm FAIRFIELD CITY SHOWGROUND MARKETS Saturday 7 December | 10am-12pm EDENSOR PARK PLAZA Monday 9 December | 11.30am - 1.30pm DUTTON PLAZA Wednesday 11 December | 10.30am - 12.30pm
Also available at Council’s libraries, leisure centres and Administration Centre.
STOCKLAND WETHERILL PARK Thursday 12 December | 12pm - 2pm
Long Day Care and Multipurpose Services Closed 21 December - 6 January Open Libraries Whitlam and Fairfield Closed 25, 26, 27 28 and 29 December and 1 January Smithfield, Bonnyrigg and Wetherill Park Closed 23 December - 5 January Recycling Drop Off Centre Closed 15 December - 3 January Sustainable Resource Centre Closed 21 December - 5 January Waste Services will operate as normal
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WHAT’S ON DECEMBER Thursday 5 December
Saturday 14 December
Friday 6 December
Tuesday 31 December
Christmas in Fairfield City Centre Epoch Plaza Station and Nelson streets 6.30pm-8.30pm
Canley Heights Children’s Christmas Party Canley Heights Town Square Canley Vale Road, near Peel Street 3pm-7pm
Rotary Carols at Horsley Park Horsley Park Reserve 1803 The Horsley Drive, Horsley Park 5pm-10pm
Illuminate New Year’s Eve event Fairfield Showground 443 Smithfield Road, Prairiewood 5pm-10pm
Saturday 7 December
Falalalalahhhh at Fairfield: A Christmas Sing-along! Fairfield City Museum & Gallery 634 The Horsley Drive, Smithfield 6pm-8pm
JANUARY
Illuminate New Year’s Eve
Saturday 4 January
Fairfield Markets Fairfield Showground 443 Smithfield Road, Prairiewood 9am-4pm
Sunday 5 January
Fairfield City Youth and Community Centre Open Day Vine Street, Fairfield, 11am-4pm
8-9 FEB 9am - 4pm
Friday 17 January
Sunset Cinema Fairfield City Museum & Gallery 634 The Horsley Drive, Smithfield 6.30pm
Australia Day
Sunday 26 January
Australia Day Community Awards and Citizenship Ceremony
Sunday 26 January
Australia Day Free family activities at Fairfield and Prairiewood leisure centres, Fairfield Youth and Community Centre and Canley Heights Town Centre
YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES CABRAVALE WARD
Frank Carbone Mayor of Fairfield City Peter Grippaudo Deputy Mayor 0436 299 612
Dai Le 0410 899 787
dle@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Kien Ly 0412 564 388
kly@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Adrian Wong 0416 535 617
awong@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
pgrippaudo@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
fcarbone@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
9725 0203 @FC.FrankCarbone @FairfieldMayor
FAIRFIELD WARD CONTACT US Phone TTY TIS
Paul Azzo 0414 303 175
pazzo@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Del Bennett 0409 665 101
dbennett@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Anita Kazi 0428 639 642
akazi@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Charbel Saliba 0417 708 582
csaliba@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
9725 0222 9725 1906 (Hearing Impaired) 131 450 (Interpreter Service)
Administration Centre 86 Avoca Road, Wakeley Monday to Friday 8.30am-4.30pm PO Box 21 Fairfield NSW 1860 mail@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
PARKS WARD
@FairfieldCity
Ninos Khoshaba 0447 112 210
Joe Molluso 0418 440 971
nkhoshaba@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au jmolluso@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Andrew Rohan 0431 264 990
arohan@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Sera Yilmaz
0436 434 141 syilmaz@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Fairfield City Council acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land in which the Fairfield Local Government Area is situated - the Cabrogal of the Darug Nation.
Four colour
JETPACKS & FIREWORKS SHOWS
TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER 2019 Fairfield Showground 5pm – 10pm
TICKETS & INFORMATION www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/illuminate
FREE RIDES
MEET & GREET
HERO DISCO
Come dressed in your favourite hero costume. Prizes up for grabs!
@FairfieldCity
#IlluminateFairfield
with your favourite superhero! Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Captain America
www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/illuminate