PhotoNews DUBBO
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MARCH 11-17, 2021 | LOCALLY OWNED & INDEPENDENT | FREE!
MUD MAYHEM
HUNDREDS of people from far and wide are preparing for the muddiest Saturday of their lives. The Titan Macquarie Mud Run is on again, with young and old, fit and not-so-fit, doing battle in the trenches
along the Macquarie River in the heart of Dubbo on March 27. If you haven’t signed up yet, or you’ve never relived your childhood, there’s still time to book a ticket. Whoop Whoop! Pictured are, back row, left to right,
Sophie Coggan, Lynnie Thompson, Justin Thompson, Kodie Thompson, Mark Thompson, front row, Kate Astill, Josh Fardell, Harry Thompson and Rod Fardell.
STORY ❱❱ PAGE 5
PERFECT STORM TIMBER SHORTAGE: 25 per cent of Dubbo’s jobs could go By JOHN RYAN TIMBER shortages have become so acute that Dubbo’s unprecedent residential construction boom is balanced on a knife edge as builders struggle to find house frames and trusses to keep projects on the go. If timber isn’t available for house frames, not only do the frame makers shut down but also builders, carpenters, concreters, electricians,
plumbers, gyprockers, local building supply businesses and many others follow on from that, according to locals in the building industry who spoke to Dubbo Photo News. Local Builder Nigel Bourke is flat out building for Maas Homes and said the compounding crises in the construction supply chain was forming into a perfect storm. Bushfires destroyed much of the coastal timber sup-
plies, COVID stimulus packages in America coupled with the strong US dollar was seeing imports head to those higher prices, and goslow industrial action on the Australian waterfront is preventing timber-laden ships from docking and unloading. “The knock-on effect is everything, if the frame and truss suppliers stop, everything stops,” Mr Bourke told Dubbo Photo News.
BRIDGE DEBATE SET FOR PARLIAMENT PAGE 6
“Everything is really hard to get at the moment. The government’s grants are awesome but it’s fuelling demand just when the supply chains are struggling.” Bettaframe and Truss owner Phil Lawrence couldn’t agree more, he says the situation is dire with some Sydney timber yards left without a single stick of wood onsite.
Bettaframe and Truss owner Phil Lawrence believes thousands of Dubbo jobs could be at risk. PHOTO: DUBBO PHOTO NEWS
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CHEERING PAGE 12 SOCKS
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