OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF SENIORS IN CLARENCE AND RICHMOND VALLEYS

Clarence and Richmond Valley residents are encouraged to recognise the positive role seniors play in their communities by nominating them for the 2025 NSW Seniors Local Achievement Awards, Clarence Nationals MP, Richie Williamson, has announced.

Mr Williamson said the festival and the awards are a wonderful way to celebrate the contributions and achievements of seniors who continue to enrich the region.

“If you know a senior who helps make our community a better place to live then I encourage you to nominate them for acknowledgement of their contribution,” Mr Williamson said.

“Whether it is your local Country Women’s Association or Men’s Shed, the driving force behind these and other great volunteer organisations like community transport provider Connect You Too, they are invariably the young at heart.

“Richmond and Clarence Valley seniors don’t just make our region the world’s best place to live, they inspire us with their generosity, wisdom and strength.

“They never seek recognition, but they all deserve it and that is why I encourage locals to put in nominations for the 2025 NSW Seniors Local Achievement Awards.”

Nominations are now open for the awards program, which is part of an exciting schedule of events across the state during the NSW Seniors Festival, running from 11 – 24 March 2025.

The awards highlight the continued efforts of seniors in helping the Clarence and Richmond Valleys thrive.

“By recognising the achievements of our

One Million Safe Drivers Rewarded with Demerit Point Removal in NSW

JEFF GIBBS

The Minns Labor Government has announced that over one million NSW drivers have earned a demerit point removal under the Demerit Point Reward Scheme for maintaining offence-free driving over the past 12 months.

This marks the second year of the program, which encourages safe driving through incentives rather than penalties. Drivers in Western Sydney and regional NSW were the biggest benefciaries, with areas like Blacktown, Castle Hill, and Merrylands leading the way.

Key Highlights

Over 1 million drivers (1,003,610) had a demerit point removed in 2025.

• Suburbs with the highest benefciaries include:

• Blacktown: 6,093 demerit points removed

• Castle Hill: 5,160 points removed

• Orange, Dubbo, and Port Macquarie:

Over 16,000 points collectively removed Premier Chris Minns praised the initiative, stating, “Every one of the million drivers who succeeded over the past 12 months should be congratulated because their safe actions helped make NSW roads safer.” Program Adjustments and Future Focus

From 2026, the 12-month qualifcation period will end on 31 January, a deliberate move to promote safety during the busy summer holiday period. This year, 1,483,926 drivers are eligible to earn a demerit point removal by staying offence-free.

Broader Road Safety Measures

In addition to the reward scheme, NSW has implemented other road safety initiatives:

• Trialing average speed cameras for light vehicles

• Doubling roadside enforcement sites for mobile speed cameras

• Using mobile phone cameras to enforce seatbelt compliance

• Enforcing a sixmonth conversion rule for foreign licences

• Addressing loopholes through the Demerit Point Integrity Taskforce Minister for Roads John Graham highlighted the scheme’s impact on jobs, particularly for professional drivers, adding, “This incentive could be the difference between ongoing employment and losing your livelihood.” older people,” Mr Williamson said. seniors, we are not only celebrating their contributions but also continuing to challenge ageism and empower the proverbial…by Nigel

The NSW Government continues to combine incentives with enforcement to reduce road risks and save lives.

To nominate a senior, complete the nomination form at https://www. richiewilliamson.com. au/nominations2024 or by contacting Mr Williamson’s offce to have a nomination form sent to you. Nominations close on Friday, 28 February 2025. Winners will be announced at local events hosted by Mr Williamson around the time of the NSW Seniors Festival.

For more information about the NSW Seniors Festival and the Local Achievement Awards, visit seniorsfestival.nsw. gov.au.

Dawe

IT’S a funny thing, when it comes to giving thought as to who have been the smartest people I’ve met over the course of my days. Resoundingly, they have been very humble, engaging folk who listen intently, and only appear to speak after much reflection. Effortlessly they seem to put into practice the Greek proverb, “We have two ears and one mouth, and we should always use them in that proportion.”

Which brings me to a line of personal interest that I have fostered over multiple decades: that being the prevalence, cultural importance, and continued conveyance of folk sayings and proverbs throughout human history. There is no greater storehouse, albeit unobstructed mirror, in terms of what humanity represents (to itself, at its most considered) than sayings that capture learnings and wisdom, in a manner that never date.

Typically, the most memorable sayings appeal and embed themselves in our collective minds along the seamlessly crafted path of a good punchline. Humour has arguably exposed and taught humanity more about life and learning, than any other ‘approach’ we have had at our disposal – most certainly ones that stifle, subjugate and then drag our intellects into the drab, literal confines of the all-too-serious. Not necessarily in any order, I’d like to unveil some of the wittiest, most luminous proverbs that have ever passed over the lips and frontal lobes of the world’s caniest biped, the (at times) wise beyond all precedent - human being. Commencing with the always apt American folk pearl, “You can’t ever jump a 20-foot chasm in two 10-foot leaps.” And not to be found wanting, is the African saying, “Only a fool tests the depth of water with both feet.”

Truly sublime without leaving anyone behind: memorable proverbs possess both a polish and a rugged patina that can’t be tarnished, or beaten down by any highbrow impulse to belittle or negate the tested authenticity of lived experience. As the sombrero-wearing Mexican proverb suggests, “You must kill the spider to get rid of the cobweb.” In the same resistant vein comes the cautionary Malay saying, “Just because the water is calm doesn’t mean there’s no crocodiles.”

Casting our ancestral attention back to the windswept plains of Africa, who among us could fail to see the value, wit and wisdom of their saying, “One who owns a dog doesn’t throw away bones.” Or the gleaming truths that rise from amidst the ancient shadows of the Great Wall of China, “Fine horses can travel a hundred miles a day, but they can’t catch mice”; not to mention, “The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white.”

If brutal honesty more appeals to your sensibility, then how’s this blunt Russian caveat of sorts, “The hammer shatters glass, but it forges steel.” And not to be out-bustled, there is an Argentinian saying along very similar lines, “If you have a tail of straw, then keep away from the fire.” But to end on a truly positive note, the Japanese have an adage, “When you realise nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”