Council News #136 - 18 March 2017

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Council News Issue No: 136

CITY OF WAGGA WAGGA

FIRST PRINTED SATURDAY 18 MARCH 2017

Weekly information from us to you Foal lotta love There’s a ‘foal’ lot more to love about Jenny and Forrest, Wagga’s much-loved resident donkeys. On Friday 10 March, the couple welcomed a fluffy, white and very cute baby boy to their farmyard pen at the Botanic Gardens Zoo. Both mum and baby are doing well. “It took the baby a day or two to properly find his feet, but now he is bounding around the pen and bonding well with both mum and dad,” Commercial Operations Sector Manager Caroline Angel “He is a very cute addition to our zoo family and has put a lot of smiles on visitors’ faces in the past week.” The Jenny and Forrest story captured the hearts of the Wagga community in 2015, when Jenny’s lonely-heart advertisement was answered. After a year-long search, Forrest turned out to be Jenny’s perfect mule match – proving you can’t hurry love. Forrest relocated to Wagga from a hobby farm in Tamworth, and was unnamed at the time of the couple’s first meeting. In August 2015 the Wagga community helped name Jenny’s new beau. Forrest was selected as the winning name – inspired by the iconic character from the movie Forrest Gump, who’s love interest was named Jenny. “The community has been swept up in the Jenny and Forrest story, now they can come up and meet the new little addition and give him a big Wagga welcome,” Ms Angel said. Last year the zoo introduced two new pademelons to the zoo family, named Bubble and Squeak by the Wagga community, which have settled in well. The Wagga Wagga Zoo and Aviary is one of the city’s most popular attractions. Entry to the zoo is free and open from 9am to 5pm daily.

FORREST JUNIOR: The new male donkey foal was born on Friday 10 March to parents Forrest and Jenny (pictured left).

Grants worth $175,000 on offer Local community organisations, groups and individuals can apply for a share of $175,000 as part of the City of Wagga Wagga’s Annual Grants Program 2017/18. Applications are open from Monday 20 March until Monday 29 May for community-focused groups and individuals in the Local Government Area across six categories. Sixty-six worthy recipients received a boost through last year’s program. The wide range of supported projects included a portable oxygen machine for children, new lighting for netballers, support for the popular Cork and Fork events, and a “Sensory Santa Photo Shoot” for children with special needs. Interest in the Annual Grants

Program has grown in recent years and Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga Councillor Greg Conkey OAM is excited to see the many worthy community projects that will receive funding. “These grants are part of the City of Wagga Wagga’s commitment to developing our vibrant and diverse community,” he said. “Through the grants program, we can support a wide range of services and activities that build community capacity, foster social networks and information exchange, facilitate cooperation and build on existing community strengths.” The City of Wagga Wagga will again be holding information sessions to help groups and individuals develop and submit their applications. “The response to the grants

program has been growing every year, so I encourage anyone interested to attend one of the sessions to learn more about the process and discuss their application with the relevant grants officer for their category,” Cr Conkey said. The Annual Grants Program has been developed to align with the Wagga View, Community Strategic Plan 2040. Wagga View was prepared with extensive consultation with the community and applicants are required to read the plan to identity the key guiding principle their proposed project or service relates to. Application forms and grant guidelines are available at upcoming workshops, at the Civic Centre and online at www.wagga.nsw.gov.au/ grants.

CATEGORIES

Funding range is the amount available per project. • Community Health & Wellbeing - Community Programs & Projects ($500 to $3000) • Community Health & Wellbeing - Recreational Facilities ($500 to $7500) • Connected Rural & Urban Communities Neighbourhood & Rural Villages ($500 to $3000) • Connected Rural & Urban Communities - Rural Halls ($5000 to $10,000) • Arts and Culture ($1000 to $4000) • Local Heritage ($500 to $16,800) • Events ($500 to $3000) • Natural Environment ($500 to $2500)

INFORMATION SESSIONS

• Tuesday 4 April, 10am to 11.30am* • Wednesday 3 May, 6pm to 7.30pm Applicants are encouraged to attend an Annual Grants Program briefing to learn how to use the SmartyGrants online application form and to discuss their application with the relevant grants officer. Both sessions will be held in the Council Meeting Room at the Civic Centre. To register contact Kristin Groves on 1300 292 442 or grants@wagga.nsw.gov.au. *The Arts and Culture Grants Officer will be unavailable at this briefing. Please call Tracie Miller on 1300 292 442 to make an appointment.

TIMELINE

• Applications open: 20 March • Briefings: 4 April at 10am, 3 May at 6pm • Applications close: Noon, Monday 29 May • Assessment period: June • Councillors meet: July • Notification to applicants: Early August • Deadline for acquittal of funds: 30 June 2018


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