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Warren
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
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Exciting new arrivals at the zoo + zoo pass competition STORY: PAGE 2
Dave’s poem honours murals at Racecourse and Showground By HARRIET GILMORE DRAMATIC images of camp-drafting, rodeos, and horse-wrangling portrayed in a series of murals at Warren Racecourse and Showground, are now being honoured with a local poem by a venerable volunteer. Long-standing member of the Warren Rodeo Horse Committee, David Egan, has presented a second plaque to Warren Shire Council that is to be mounted alongside the recently-installed images on the new toilet blocks at Warren Racecourse and Showground. Mr Egan was unable to attend the official mural opening earlier in the year, when Freddie Parker from the Rodeo Horse Committee and Warren Mayor, Councillor Milton Quigley unveiled the fi rst plaque, crediting the Committee for their donation towards the project. The second plaque, to be mounted next to the murals, features a poem by Mr Egan, titled “The Horse Committee Chairman’s Report” (see below) The 2.4-metre-high rodeo and horse-themed murals were jointly funded through a $10,000 donation by the Rodeo Horse Committee, and the Murray Darling Basin Economic Development Grants program. Continued page 8
To recycle or no… locals urged to have their say
Social media safety lessons for Warren Central students
STORY: PAGE 5
STORY & PHOTOS: PAGE 12
Logjam — Macquarie River raft removal, finally starting in April By HARRIET GILMORE WORK to remove a number of rafts and logjams along the Macquarie River, is to fi nally start in early April, the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confi rmed. The works were originally scheduled for last August after an EPA report found the flood-created blockages had the potential to restrict flow and were becoming a hazard on the river. To this end, Community Information Sessions on the issue were held in July 2023. The original scope of the project, included the removal of two rafts of the debris. However, the EPA confi rmed last week, that the environmental initiative had now expanded to clearing all seven of the rafts located between Warren (Top) Weir, Marebone Weir; and the shoreline. Work to remove the “human-made” debris, as well as woody weed flotsam like willow, is expected to now begin by April. Native woody debris that is more than 300mm in diameter, or three metres in length, will not be removed entirely from the river (in line with Department of Primary Industry’s snag guidelines) but will be tethered to the bank to assist with bank stabilisation and to
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Clearing-up flood debris; one of the river rafts along the Macquarie River, between the Top Wier and Marebone Weir, that will be removed by the EPA in early April. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
preserve aquatic habitats. Local landowner, Simon Cant, has welcome the project’s expansion, calling it “a big victory” for the community after initially being told that only the “man-made” debris would be removed. The EPA said the work has
also been informed by other Government agencies and feedback from the community and land-owners, including at the two previous community drop-in sessions. Environmental Services Functional Area Coordinator, Steve Beaman, said that the
latest community drop-in session next Tuesday will explain the work being undertaken.
Continued page 3