LOCAL

Appliance Repairs

CVC Appliances: Repairs to washing machines, stoves, dishwashers, dryers etc. Phone: 0401 294 810

Bricklaying

Over 40 yrs experience. Small jobs, brick fences, letter boxes & brick repairs. Fully licenced. R77154 Terry 0400 359 790

Concreting

Lay 1 4 U Concreting Services: Slabs, house and sheds, footing, paths and drives, colour stencil, stamp exposed. 40 yr exp. t Ron 0414 724 221. Fully insured.

No job too small! LN139098C

Clean-up Services

Rubbish/Junk removed - Tip runs. We recycle your tip waste. High Pressure cleaning. Call Ian: 0497 042 441

Draftsman/Building Designs

Development Applications. Complying Developments

New houses. Duplexes. Alterations & Additions. Decks. 25+ years experience. Michael Laidler 0410 126 354

Electrical Services

Paul Risby: Residential - Commercial - Industrial 24 Hour Call Out Service. Call 0497 001 175 LN: 109635C

Garden Services

About Lawns & Gardens: for services including Mowing, Garden Clean-Ups, Regular Maintenance, Weed Control, Pruning, Hedging, Planting, Mulching, Fertilising & Rubbish Removal. Matthew 0479 101 474

Handymen

Kiama Property Maintenance & Carpentry: Decks, Pergolas, Windows, Painting, Plaster repairs. All your maintenance needs & carpentry.

John O’Donnell LIC#R77219 t 0401 301 620

Handyman South Coast: Trade qualified for painting, carpentry, plastering, pressure cleaning, all repairs & renovations. 'Fast, fixed, fabulous!'

Danny Fagan: 0407 118 311

Painting

Beasant Painting & Decorating: Interior & Exterior, New Builds, Repaints, Timber & Deck Maintenance

Lic 183642 Steve: 0424325580 Melissa: 0414534990

Col Whitehurst Painting: Qualified, Reliable, Honest, Insured. Interior. Exterior. Heritage. Free quotes. 0400 135 128

Plumbing

RBP: Plumbing, drainage and gas fitting. Blocked drains a specialty! Call Ross 0435 125 750 Lic:262955c

Stonemasonry

BR Stonemasonry & Heritage Services: All aspects of stonemasonry, contact Brad Rimmer at T: 0401 337 629 Lic: 292667C

Window cleaning

Flash Window Cleaning: Window cleaning internal/ external; full gutter service; building washes; pressure cleaning; venetian blinds; and solar panel cleaning. For a free quote, call Jamie 0448 714 374

To advertise your service here, contact Veronica: 0491 679 128

We are a strong, adventurous, creative and courageous community. Our way of life supports our economy, global or local, regional or on our own street, we call this place home.

The above words are from the vision outlined in our Community Strategic Plan (CSP) 2022-2032, a document our community, Councillors and staff worked hard to create at the beginning of our Council term last year.

I thought of them this week when I turned my mind to tourism.

In a summer-friendly area as ours, tourism seems a given during the warm months.

However, as the seasons turn to cooler days and darker nights, I’m even more aware of the beneficial influences our tourism industry brings to our area, our people and our economy.

It is my belief that if we understand that tourism is good for the area, the benefits should flow to us all. So, what we do for tourists, we do for ourselves as well.

Council’s tourist arm, Destination Kiama, recently conducted its Local Tourism Survey, which received almost 400 responses from locals, local businesses, tourists and tourism operators.

One of the top responses was a desire for more local events in off-peak periods.

This is why, as winter’s chill descends upon our idyllic seaside lives, Council (and others) are preparing to transform our place into a captivating winter wonderland, with a dazzling display of festive lights, engaging events, and winter cheer, turning the frosty season into an unforgettable, lovely Kiama winter.

Our keystone event for the season will be the 2023 Kiama Winter Festival, held during the school holidays and once again bringing a real ice rink to central Kiama from 7 to 12 July.

This is the sort of family friendly, all-ages, accessible activity that you’ve told us you enjoy and we’re thrilled to be providing. As an added bonus, there will also be igloos!

In terms of priorities for tourism projects in general, the highest response was for walk, cycle and nature-based experiences.

This is hardly surprising, as we know our community loves and values our stunning natural environment.

In fact, Pillar 2 of our CSP says: “We thrive in a sustainable environment” and has outcomes built around protecting our people, our place, our flora and fauna and valuing our natural environment of spectacular beaches, rainforests and rolling hills.

Our CSP also says we’ll work together to understand and respond to the need for growth and change and will create a strong and diverse economy.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in our tourism sector, where our local operators have had to pivot and pivot again to meet the challenges of the past few years.

I’m proud to see what has been achieved and what continues to be apparent: we have so many thriving local businesses and new ones every day.

The appreciation for this is reflected in the Tourism Survey, in which respondents said they value our town and village streetscapes and love new activations, niche and growing visitor sectors, such as accessible tourism.

A brilliant example was

Council’s recent Sun Up Surf and Skate Festival in Kiama Downs (put on by Destination Kiama in partnership with Surfing NSW and with funding from the NSW Government), which saw an area transformed into a local festival that had not traditionally been used that way.

So as the nights draw in, rest assured that the good times will not cease. Your Council is working hard to ensure locals, businesses and visitors alike can enjoy our wonderful area all year round.

To the new King

The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will occur at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May, 2023.

On behalf of the Council of Kiama, I wish the new King the happiest of reigns and offer him and his family all the warmth of our community’s feelings.

Neil Reilly, Mayor