communitynow NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2018
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After spending time with family in Dunbogan over many years, the Carrolls are one family who have made the decision to call Port Macquarie home, recently relocating from Brisbane. We caught up with Melissa, Sean, Isabelle and Emily to hear what attracted them to the Port Macquarie-Hastings. They told us how they are continually amazed at how much there is to see and do right across
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It’s no wonder we’re popular, with a relaxed lifestyle, beautiful natural environment, connected community and boundless opportunities – we’re an extremely attractive place to live, learn, work, play and invest.
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he secret is definitely out, and families from across the country are moving to our region in numbers like we’ve never seen before. We’re one of the fastest growing regional centres in NSW, with our population expected to increase from 80,000 to more than 103,000 over the next 20 years.
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LEAVING THE DAY TO DAY GRIND OF SITTING IN TRAFFIC IS SO GREAT, I CAN LEAVE THE HOSPITAL AND IN UNDER 10 MINUTES WE’RE ALL ENJOYING THE SURF AT LIGHTHOUSE BEACH
the region, which is perfect for an active family that enjoys the outdoors and exploring new things.
“We’ve just bought a house in Port Macquarie near the beach, which is where we spend a lot of our free time, and we’ve also been doing lots of day trips. We love Comboyne and the hinterland, and Swans Crossing is a really amazing spot for a day out.” “The expansion of the Port Macquarie Base Hospital created a great opportunity for me to transfer my skills to work in the Cardiac Catheter Laboratory," Sean explained. “Leaving the day to day grind of sitting in traffic is so great, I can leave the hospital and in under 10 minutes we’re all enjoying the surf at Lighthouse Beach. We love the slower lifestyle, and everyone seems to have time to stop, say hello and ask you where you’re from.” “There’s also lots of great schools to choose from, and with the expanding universities and TAFE, our girls will have a great range of choices for their future.” cont. page 3
Delivering for our growing community
From the Mayor
Tell us your best tip to WIN!
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> Enter our ’Avoid Waste' competition by sharing your best tip to reduce how much waste we send to landfill and to help save our environment from plastic pollution. There’s a weekly prize pack up for grabs that includes a jute bag, a double pass to the movies and 2 keep cups! Entries close on 16 August 2018. To submit your tips visit pmhc.nsw.gov.au/waste-comp
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Peta Pinson Port Macquarie-Hastings Mayor
Cool prizes!
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Enjoy your Community Now newsletter.
> The $2.4 million upgrade of Lake Rd between Toorak Ct and the Oxley Hwy included widening the road to four lanes, improved pedestrian access and upgrades to street lighting and stormwater services. This upgrade has addressed a traffic bottleneck and allowed for an additional left turn lane onto the Oxley Hwy reducing traffic queuing on Lake Rd.
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We’ll be focussed on putting the plans in place to protect what we love, whilst ensuring we continue to have a resilient, vibrant and connected community into the future.
Traffic improvements on Lake Rd
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As we grow as a community it is extremely important that we continue to focus on what’s important today, without taking our eye off the future needs of our community. I will be ensuring that as your Mayor, I, and my fellow Councillors continue to listen to your ideas for the future of our community, and we encourage you to continue to have your say.
> Rejuvenation of the Lake Cathie foreshore is now complete, with more than 22,000 cubic metres of sand dredged and placed on the popular foreshore and a 400m stretch of beach in front of Illaroo Rd.
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Throughout the year, I also have the privilege of welcoming many new Australian citizens, who come from all corners of the globe to call our region home. What a thrill it is for us all to experience the emotion and joy as our new mates take the oath and commit to our way of life.
Looking after Lake Cathie
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elcome to the winter edition of the Community Now newsletter. We are such a diverse community, and each month we welcome new residents who have chosen to call our little piece of paradise … home. Our new friends come from so many places and different backgrounds, and it’s not just families like the Carrolls who have moved from interstate, it’s couples from rural NSW, retirees from Perth and everyone in between.
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A focus on Wauchope roads
Laurieton Playground open for play
> Busy streets in Wauchope have recently been re-sealed to improve road safety, extend the service life of the roads and ensure a smoother journey for motorists.
> Kids are loving the new slide, asphalt bike/scooter track, timber boats and interactive timber bridge with sound bells … imaginations are running wild.
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Melissa keeps herself busy working for her brother's building company, and also talked about the local shopping and foodie scene.
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And it’s not all about roads, with a reliable water supply, stormwater and sewerage networks all critical infrastructure that are a priority to cater for our growing population.
“The shopping offers great variety with lots of cute little We’re seeing more building boutiques and gift shops. activity taking place, and we Plus we can still easily access need to cater for new homes Newcastle, or in just over four and neighbourhoods, whilst hours can be in Sydney which Sean Carroll at the Port Macquarie Base Hospital Cardiac Catheter Laboratory looking after our pristine is great fun for us girls to environment and protecting our precious flora spend time together and enjoy the city.” and fauna. “What has suprised us is that there are so many great restaurants, pubs and niche cafés. The options really are as good, or maybe even better, than what we had in Brisbane.” And for Isabelle and Emily, it’s about having great friends and living an active lifestyle. You won’t find the girls far from the beach or the sporting field playing their favourite sports, soccer and netball. Welcome, and thanks for the chat Carroll family. With so many families like the Carrolls choosing to call our beautiful place home, the big challenge for Council is managing growth responsibly and protecting the things we all love, for generations to come. Our roads are getting busier, and we know our community want to be able to get around in a safe and easy way. We’re looking at how our road network will cope, where new roads may need to be built and how we’ll continue to maintain what’s already in place.
Providing community facilities such as parks, sporting facilities and public spaces for everyone to enjoy is also high on our community’s list of priorities, we’re listening … and most importantly, we’re making it happen. Job opportunities in many different industries are on the rise, including in health, education, manufacturing, construction, retail and hospitality. There’s lots of hard work taking place to provide more opportunities for young people, including school leavers so they can study and build careers locally, have a family and live the Port MacquarieHastings dream. A growing community is a prospering community, and like the Carroll family we’re focussed on ensuring all our residents have the opportunity to live the dream, now and well into the future.
pmhc.nsw.gov.au/future-planning
PLANNING FOR
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Key Projects Map, Operational Plan 2018-2019
During 2018/19 more than $57 million of exciting community infrastructure projects will occur across the region, including more than $2 million in road resealing works, $1 million in local road improvements, $646,000 to renew stormwater assets, $500,000 to construct new footpaths and $1 million in playground and reserve improvements. A handy map of key projects by region, and the full plan and budget can be viewed at pmhc.nsw.gov.au/operationalplan.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has been recognised as the most progressive Council in NSW by winning the A R Bluett Memorial Award for 2017. The Award was established in 1945 to recognise the most progressive Councils in the State, and looks at all aspects of Council's operation. A huge thanks to the many community members, groups and associations that work with Council each and every day to create a vibrant future for our region; we could not be a leading Council without the broad support from the community we serve.
Contact us 17 Burrawan Street, Port Macquarie NSW 2444 49 High Street, Wauchope NSW 2446 9 Laurie Street, Laurieton NSW 2443
Stay connected with Council t: 02 6581 8111 e: council@pmhc.nsw.gov.au
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