WINNER AR BLUETT MEMORIAL AWARD 2018
‘Most progressive council in NSW’
CITY LIFE
Autumn Edition | Issue 94 March 2022
AUSTRALIA DAY COMMUNITY AWARDS
CELEBRATE OUR CITIZENS
BRING IT ON! FESTIVAL CALLING ALL YOUNG CREATIVES
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CULINARY CARNIVAL COMING SOON IN MAY!
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MAJOR PROJECTS UPDATE GETTING ON WITH THE JOB
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MAYOR’S MESSAGE Frank Carbone
The 55-metre wave pool at Aquatopia was opened in November 2021.
Congratulations to the newly elected and returning councillors. I look forward to working with them in representing the community and making Fairfield City a great place to live, work and raise a family. Council hosted many successful events over the last few months including the Seniors Concert, our Illuminate New Year’s Eve event at Fairfield Showground, and the Australia Day Community Awards ceremony at Aquatopia Water Park. The Seniors Concert at Novella on the Park celebrated our City’s senior citizens with a lively afternoon of entertainment, food and fun. With 2021 being a hard and challenging year for all, thousands of Fairfield City residents and their families ended the year with a celebration of family-friendly entertainment, food, rides and spectacular fireworks at Illuminate. The Australia Day Community Awards ceremony acknowledged some of the outstanding citizens in our community and the wonderful work they have done. Congratulations to those recognised for their hard work and commitment to our City. It is has been great to see events back up and running and smiles on the faces of our residents.
Deerbush Park Splash Pad is open until 7pm during the warmer months.
With the summer season ending, I am proud to say Aquatopia, Fairfield City’s premier water park with the new 55-metre Wave Pool opening in November, had its best season yet. It has been great to see so many families enjoying this fantastic facility. If you haven’t already checked out western Sydney’s best value, family-friendly water park, it’s open every weekend in March and everyday in the April school holidays. The planning continues for many exciting projects happening around our City. Works at Fairfield Showground are progressing with the 1,000-seat pavilion almost complete, and plans underway to build a $30 million indoor multicultural sports centre to cater for recreational to competition level sports. We are also working on upgrading the Fairfield Golf Course Detention Basin, Cabravale Leisure Centre, many parks around our City, plus more. All of these major updates happening around Fairfield City are to continue making Fairfield City the place to be and the place to live. As your Mayor, I welcome you all to 2022 and look forward to what we as a community have in store for the year ahead.
Frank Carbone Mayor of Fairfield City fcarbone@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au The Local Business Awards were held in December.
@FC.FrankCarbone @FairfieldMayor
Information and events in this publication are current at the time of printing.
FAIRFIELD CITY AUSTRALIA DAY COMMUNITY AWARDS
2022 CITIZEN OF THE YEAR Colin Phipps 2022 YOUNG CITIZEN OF THE YEAR Nancy Nguyen 2022 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR Bashar Hanna 2022 SPORTS ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR Adrian Pini For more information on our winners please visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov. au/australiaday-winners
Left: In addition to the awards, local residents also took out citizenship. Below: Mayor Frank Carbone and Australia Day Ambassador Corey Payne.
Dedication, hard work and lending a hand to others were the common themes at Council’s annual Australia Day awards ceremony in January. The ceremony, which took place at Aquatopia water park in Prairiewood, celebrated and recognised residents who make valuable contributions to our community. Congratulations to all the nominees on their achievements and thank you to Mr Corey Payne, for being our Fairfield City 2022 Australia Day Ambassador.
EASTER IN FAIRFIELD CITY Hop to it! Special Easter guests are coming to Fairfield City and they’re bringing sweet treats! Find them roaming the streets handing out free Easter eggs.
EASTER PRESCHOOL STORYTIME
FAIRFIELD SHOWGROUND
14-19 April 2022
Smithfield Library 4 April | 10.30am Whitlam Library 6 April | 10.30am Bonnyrigg Library 6 April | 10.30am Fairfield Library 8 April | 10.30am Wetherill Park Library 8 April | 10.30am
SHOWBAGS • ENTERTAINMENT CARNIVAL RIDES • FLYBALL DOG SHOW ANIMAL NURSERY • REPTILE SHOW FOOD TRUCKS • FAMILY MOVIE NIGHTS AUSTRALIAN MOUNTAIN BOARDERS WOOD CARVING AND MORE!
EASTER BUNNY VISITS
ENTRY ONLY $2 + FREE PARKING
EASTER DECORATIONS FOR ADULTS (registration required)
FIREWORKS @ 8.30PM EVERY NIGHT! UNLIMITED RIDE WRIST BANDS ONLY $25 ONLINE OR $30 AT THE EASTER FAIR For more information follow @FairfieldEasterFair Supported by Fairfield City Council Fairfield Easter Fair has a NSW Health-approved COVID-Safe plan and will run subject to NSW Health COVID-19 restrictions
Canley Vale 7 April | 3pm Canley Heights 7 April | 6pm Cabramatta 8 April | 10am Fairfield City Centre 14 April | 11.30am
EASTER KIDS FLICKS Whitlam Library 14 April | 11.30am
Fairfield Library 28 March | 10.30am Bonnyrigg Library 5 April | 10am Whitlam Library 6 April | 10am Wetherill Park Library 7 April | 10.30am Smithfield Community Library 8 April | 10.30am
EASTER TAKE AND MAKE CRAFT Collect a fun Easter themed craft to make at home from one of our libraries. 9-14 April | 9.30am-5pm
WHAT’S ON OFFER AT FAIRFIELD LIBRARY
The new café has the fuel to keep you going, serving hot and cold beverages, assorted sandwiches, sweets and snacks
Congratulations to Councillor Dai Le for being elected as Deputy Mayor for Fairfield City.
Congratulations to our newlyelected Councillors.
Meeting room with smart interactive TV with laptop connectivity and a whiteboard wall Comfortable seating and furniture
Free access to computers, iPads, Amazon Fire Tablets and scanning and printing services
Free Wi-Fi access and charging stations for your devices
Nooks and quiet places to read and study
The Connect Room has a PS4 installed featuring popular games such as FIFA and Overcooked
For more features of Fairfield Library visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/library
@FCOpenLibraries 1-3 Hamilton Road, Fairfield 9725 0333
(Standing) Councillor George Barcha, Director Brad Cutts, Director Rhonda Tyne, Councillor Kien Ly, Councillor Marie Saliba, Councillor Michael Mijatovic, Councillor Charbel Saliba, Councillor Kevin Lam, Councillor Carmen Lazar, Councillor Reni Barkho, Councillor Hugo Morvillo (Seated) Councillor Andrew Rohan, City Manager Alan Young, Mayor Frank Carbone, Deputy Mayor Dai Le, Councillor Milovan Karajcic. See the back page of this City Life for councillor contact details or visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/Your-Council/ About-Council/Meet-your-Councillors
BRING IT ON! YOUTH WORKSHOPS
Register for our free youth workshops during March and April and use your skills at one of the biggest Youth Week festivals in NSW, Bring It On! BRING IT ON! LEADERS CREATIVE SKILLS TRAINING FREE 4-week workshops in creative fields for young people aged 12-24. Have an interest in the arts but don’t know where to start? This is a free 4-week workshop series to connect with creative leaders and mentors from the West, learn new tips and tricks, and learn what it takes to go pro. Workshop participants will put their skills into practice under the guidance of our mentors at the Bring It On! Festival. Dates: Sessions are one afternoon per week between 7 March – 8 April 2022 What you’ll learn: • Basic skills in one of four creative fields • Real life workflow (what to do on a gig) from industry pros Workshops: 1. Photography & Editing 2. Event Videography 3. Digital Media Skills for Podcasts/Presenting 4. Performer’s Primer (for performing artists who are new to live gigs) PLUS half-day Creative Leaders forum featuring networking and live panels of local artists sharing their journeys of coming up in the West. Head to fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/youth for more details and to register.
CULINARY CARNIVAL STREET FEAST #CULINARYCARNIVAL @fairfieldcity @DiscoverFairfield fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/culinarycarnival
Mark your calendars! Fairfield City’s biggest street feast Culinary Carnival is returning in May, and this year we’re spreading it across Fairfield City Centre and Cabramatta. The three-week food bonanza will include street carnivals showcasing authentic local eats, roaming midweek entertainment, celebrity chefs, digital touring maps, local cultural performances, games, amusement rides and more; and best of all it’s all FREE!
Saturday 14 May 11am Cabramatta Town Centre
Saturday 28 May 11am Fairfield City Centre
MAJOR PROJECTS UPDATE
Fairfield Showground Pavilion Construction of the new $10 million pavilion at the redeveloped Fairfield Showground is almost complete. Located beside the Moorefield Grandstand and overlooking the elite turf playing field; its features include a 1,000-seat grandstand with tiered seating, change rooms and amenities, kitchen and canteen facilities, ticket booth and various community spaces. The completion of the pavilion is an exciting milestone in the Fairfield Showground masterplan which will provide the region with a world-class sporting, recreational and multicultural facility. The precinct enables Council to host elite and grassroots sporting events, major concerts, cultural festivals and community celebrations. The pavilion was built thanks to a $7 million grant from the NSW Government and a $3 million investment from Council to enable people to enjoy the benefits of sport and active recreation. The pavilion construction is the latest stage of the $28 million Showground redevelopment; which already includes the completed festival arena, covered festival space, FIFA-accredited synthetic allweather field, international turf sports field, multipurpose amenities building, Peoples Globe, Deerbush Park all-abilities playground, and 5,000sqm dog park.
Moorefield Grandstand The historic Moorefield Grandstand received a complete refurbishment as part of the ongoing works to transform Fairfield Showground into an elite sporting and multicultural precinct. The works involved a full structural overhaul of the ageing facility, plus internal upgrades. Some of the key improvements include; upgrading the grandstand seating to new hard wearing timber benches, installing new access ramps and stairs, providing new amenities with ambulant and accessible toilets, upgrading the markets office and cashier rooms, and building a new storeroom to house the Fairfield Showground golf buggy. The internal space within the grandstand was also converted into a gym with special floor treatment.
Kerb, gutters and footpaths Council is well through its $20.3 million local road and footpath, kerb and guttering works and maintenance program for this financial year. We are getting on with the job and continuing to provide essential services despite COVID impacts. Council is investing more than $7.5 million across the local government area on kerbs, gutters and footpaths in both business and residential areas and $12.8 million on local roads.
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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NEW PROJECTS AND UPDATES HAPPENING AROUND OUR CITY,
CONNECT WITH US! Follow us @fairfieldcity
Golf Course Detention Basin The Golf Course Detention Basin collects water and protects downstream houses from flooding and property damage. Council will soon upgrade the basin to help ensure community safety from future flood events. Significant flooding in the area has happened before. The basin is located between Fairfield Golf Course and Fairfield Showground. Due to the current basin’s age and design, the upgrade works are essential to help ensure lives and property will be protected in the event of future flooding. Council will increase the size of the crest along the basin’s 940-metre length, reconstruct access roads and cycle ways and landscaping. Work is anticipated to be completed in December 2022.
Endeavour Sports Park Council has implemented significant sporting facility upgrades around the City in recent years and continues to upgrade Fairfield Showground and other locations across the City, to the aspirational expectations of the community. Council continues its plans to upgrade the popular and well used Endeavour Sports Park in Fairfield West to make it a high level sports precinct for grass roots sport – the sport most of us play. The upgrade will mean there is something for everyone with a wider range of sporting activities able to take place as well as ensuring existing users also benefit from improved facilities. In addition to upgrading the grassed playing areas and netball courts, Council is considering investment in features such as a synthetic football pitch, multi-purpose sport courts, upgrade of the amenities building and clubhouse and improved lighting. The improvements could also include upgrades to the car park, outdoor gym equipment and bicycle and walking paths.
@discoverfairfield Visit us at www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au Sign up to our enewsletter bit.ly/FairfieldCityConnect
AROUND OUR CITY NEWS AND EVENTS
The new 55-metre wave pool with breaking waves within Aquatopia was opened in November and has been hugely successful with families.
The seniors of our community enjoyed a day of live entertainment, food and fun at Novella on the Park at Western Sydney Parklands.
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housands joined together at Fairfield City’s premier New Year’s Eve ‘Illuminate’ event at Fairfield Showground with lots of family friendly entertainment, food, free rides and spectacular fireworks. 10
Canley Heights Town Centre received a facelift with new footpath paving and smart street lighting installed along Canley Vale Road.
Residents joined in on the annual Christmas lights competition and helped spread the Christmas cheer around our City.
Our pioneer Indigenous Flora Park community group are celebrating 30 years and continue to look after our bushland!
Fairfield City HQ opened in November offering share workspaces and the latest resources for businesses.
Council delighted residents and evening commuters by adding Christmas lights to roundabouts and intersections at key locations.
The E-Waste and Chemical CleanOut was held in January at the Showground with 1,440 cars disposing of their chemicals!
Lunar New Year, the Year of the Tiger was celebrated in February.
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FAIRFIELD CITY MUSEUM & GALLERY
THIRD IMAGINE AWARD WIN FOR FCMG Fairfield City Museum & Gallery took out the IMAGinE Award for Travelling Sounds: Music and Migration in Western Sydney in the exhibitions project category, and was highly commended for an art exhibition with Here: After, in November last year. Travelling Sounds explored historic and contemporary connections between music and migration showcasing young artists with migrant backgrounds. The exhibition showcased collection items, community loans and newly commissioned works; while Here: After presented radical visions for the future focusing on Fairfield and Western Sydney. IMAGinE awards are an initiative of Museums and Galleries of NSW and recognises excellence and innovation in museum and heritage exhibition practice. fairfieldcitymuseumgallery @fairfieldcitymuseumgallery
WHAT’S ON @ FCMG NIRAMSIN YAKOU: FAIRIETY SHOW FCMG’s artist in residence, Niramsin Yakou, welcomes you into his world of music and choreography. Until 25 June 2022
EXTRA/ORDINARY Until 9 April 2022
SPINOFF A safe space for dangerous ideas 29 March 2022 | 6pm
JOIN THE COMPOST REVOLUTION
LOOKING AFTER OUR ENVIRONMENT Is it Garbage or Recycling?
Council has joined forces with Compost Revolution to deliver free online tutorials on how to set up your compost and worm farm at home in 7 different languages!
Only these items CAN be placed in the Garbage bin
Nappies
Food scraps and green waste
Polystyrene foam and plastic bags
Once you complete the tutorial and quiz, eligible residents are able to unlock free delivery and up to 50% off RRP on products.
General waste
For more information visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/composting
Only these items CAN be placed in the Recycling bin
Aluminium and steel cans
Paper and cardboard
Plastic bottles and containers
Glass bottles and jars
Items that CANNOT be placed into Garbage or Recycling bins
No plastic bags
Medical waste, hazardous waste (e.g. syringes/ needles, hot ashes & chemicals), gas bottles, oil, car parts & metals, batteries, electrical items & whitegoods, building materials, paint & fibro asbestos
KERBSIDE CLEAN-UP BOOK ONLINE NOW
You can now book in bulky waste kerbside collections online. Get your bulky household waste picked up at a time more convenient to you.
www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/kerbsidecleanup
UPCOMING FREE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKSHOPS Fairfield City Council holds a wide range of FREE workshops and tours for the community. To see all upcoming events and to register, visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/events.
WHAT’S ON SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM FOR FCMG From 12-22 April – classes starting at 10.30am Join FCMG for some fun creative making during the April School Holidays! Workshops and classes are suitable for all ages, including tots and teens.
Calling all creatives! Capture Fairfield opens Monday 28 March! Visit www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/capturefairfield.
For more information head to fcmg.eventbrite.com.
FAIRFIELD CITY LIBRARIES THESE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS* Feature Creatures Show Feature Creatures are bringing their unique animals to Fairfield City. The interactive wildlife display features a wide variety of reptiles, amphibians and bugs. Your child will have the opportunity to pat and hold lizards, stick insects and perhaps a python or crocodile!
Bunnings Craft Funday Bunnings Bonnyrigg, Smithfield and Villawood are holding fun craft activity days across our City libraries
School Holiday Storytime Join us for a special school holiday storytime with books, stories, rhymes and songs. *Registration required for all activities Visit fairfield.nsw.gov.au/events for more information about What’s On at Fairfield City Open Libraries and to register.
CATCH A WAVE
AT AQUATOPIA! OPEN WEEKENDS AND EVERY DAY DURING THE APRIL SCHOOL HOLIDAYS PRE-PURCHASE TICKETS AT WWW.FAIRFIELDCITYLEISURECENTRES.COM.AU/AQUATOPIA PRAIRIEWOOD LEISURE CENTRE | PRAIRIE VALE RD PRAIRIEWOOD | 9725 0337
YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES FAIRFIELD/CABRAVALE WARD
PARKS WARD
Dai Le Deputy Mayor
Milovan Karajcic
George Barcha
Reni Barkho
Kevin Lam
Carmen Lazar
Michael Mijatovic
Hugo Morvillo
Charbel Saliba
Andrew Rohan
Marie Saliba
Frank Carbone Mayor of Fairfield City fcarbone@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
9725 0203 @FC.FrankCarbone @FairfieldMayor
mkarajcic@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
gbarcha@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
rbarkho@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
dle@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
CONTACT US Phone NRS TIS
9725 0222 133 677 (Hearing Impaired) 131 450 (Interpreter Service)
Administration Centre 86 Avoca Road, Wakeley Monday to Friday 8.30am-4.30pm Call Centre Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm
klam@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
clazar@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
mmijatovic@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au hmorvillo@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
PO Box 21 Fairfield NSW 1860 mail@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au Follow us @fairfieldcity @DiscoverFairfield
Kien Ly
kly@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
csaliba@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
arohan@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
msaliba@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.