RURAL-REGIONAL

Walgett welcomes first female mayor

Councillor Jane Keir has become the first female mayor in Walgett Shire’s history.

Cr Keir was elected unopposed at the first meeting of the newly formed Walgett Shire Council in early January.

She has a distinguished local government career serving as both a councillor and deputy mayor previously.

Mayor Keir said she was excited and honoured to take on the role as Mayor of Walgett Shire Council in 2022 and thanked her fellow Councillors for electing her.

Two nominations were received for the position of Deputy Mayor and Councillor Greg Rummery was successful after conducting a ballot.

Priorities for the new Council will include economic development, tourism and completing key infrastructure projects that aim to make Walgett Shire a great place to live, work, visit and invest.

“We wish our new leadership team well and look forward to working with them to achieve great outcomes for the entire community,” Council General Manager Mike Urquhart said.

Mayor Jane Keir.

Exchange moves up the list

The Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange (NRLX) continues on its path to becoming one of the leading facilities not only in NSW, but across Australia.

The latest Meat and Livestock Australia saleyard survey moved the NRLX to the number three spot in NSW, with cattle throughput at 103,700. Dubbo held top spot with 115,836, followed by Wagga Wagga 113,401.

NRLX Operations Manager Brad Willis said the positive relationships being built between all stakeholders who use the facility were an important factor in this result.

As the current boom in cattle prices showed no signs of abating, Mr Willis said the NRLX was well positioned as a modern, industry-leading facility which vendors and buyers could rely on. NRLX Operations Manager Brad Willis.

New team for Goldenfields

The Goldenfields Water Board welcomed three new members to the board during their first meeting late last month.

It was the first time since local government elections the newly formed board had met.

New members to the board included, Coolamon Shire Cr Alan White, Hilltops Cr John Piper, and Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council Cr Abb McAlister.

Re-elected members to the board included, Temora Shire Cr Graham Sinclair, Bland Shire Cr Liz McGlynn, Junee Shire Cr Bob Callow, Narrandera Shire Cr Kevin Morris, and Hilltops Cr Matthew Stadtmiller.

The Board appointed Cr Matthew Stadtmiller as the new Chairperson, with Cr Bob Callow appointed as the new Deputy Chair.

Chairperson Cr Stadtmiller welcomed his appointment, stating he was humbled by his election to Chairperson and was looking forward to working with the new Board.

“I am humbled by the support of my fellow board members, and I hope to follow in the footsteps of our previous Chairperson, Mr Dennis Palmer, retired councillor for CootamundraGundagai Regional Council,” Cr Stadtmiller said.

“I will assist Goldenfields Water in conducting a professional business which services the community to the best of its ability, and I look forward to working with the Board, Deputy Chairperson Cr Bob Callow and Goldenfields Water General Manager, Aaron Drenovski.”

The Board will meet again on the 24th of February 2022. Cr Matthew Stadtmiller.

Grit and heart

Rural City of Wangaratta’s Grit and Resilience team are delivering their third Heartbeat event this February.

The Grit and Resilience Program is a community-led initiative that aims to better address and improve mental health and wellbeing, and support for those affected by suicide in the Rural City of Wangaratta.

Community members from across the Rural City are invited to join the Heartbeat event for a chat about the program and find out how to get involved.

“For the upcoming Heartbeat, the team has some great mental health resources to give out and a travelling community art project we’ll be asking people to add to,” Program Coordinator Bek Nash-Webster said.

“There will also be the chance to go in the draw to win two tickets to see the band U Can Cry perform at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre and Convention Centre,” she said.

“There are so many opportunities to get involved, I encourage all members of our community who are looking for opportunities for social connection or who are interested in community mental health and wellbeing to come and meet with the team for a chat.”

Music hero

Local Iwadja man Damien Narul is a bit of a hero to the younger members of his community, helping to bring singer-songwriter Kennyon Brown.

The Minjilang and Warruwi communities, particularly the young ones, were excited by Brown’s recent visit to the region.

The West Arnhem Regional Council’s (WARC) Youth, Sport and Recreation team took the opportunity to thank Damien Narul, who is a local Iwadja man.

Damien is currently upskilling himself in the music industry aiming to become a professional DJ.

According to WARC, throughout his journey he has met great people that have become family to his community.

WARC Well-being coordinator Leah Holt said Damien had grown a great connection with Misimoa Auelua and the famous Kennyon Brown who have become very close brothers to him.

“Through their bond, we have had the opportunity to have Kennyon Brown visit both of our communities Warruwi and Minjilang,” Holt said.

“Thanks to Damien and Misimoa for the memorable moment you have created with bringing Kennyon over to us”.

To celebrate the visit, the community held an opening ceremony and performed their traditional singing and dancing for Kennyon.

The youth performed a freestyle dance for him, and 18 of our young men and women performed a dance to one of his songs ‘Senorita’.

In support of the event, the Night Patrol team cooked two pigs in a traditional underground oven, and the Youth, Sport and Recreation cooked salad rice and turtle stew.

The Minjilang community thanked Minjilang ALPA CDP for funding the flights for Kennyon and his team as well as funding the food for the opening ceremony of the night.

Leah and the Youth, Sport and Recreation team would like to wish Kennyon all the best for the future.

Media lab library boost

A $1.507 million development will soon provide the Northern Victorian town of Kerang’s Sir John Gorton Library with a dedicated media lab and fully accessible, contemporary meeting spaces.

It is hoped the new area will provide flexibility and creativity for new and emerging library and community programs.

Victorian State Minister for Local Government, Shaun Leane MP announced the transformational ‘The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra’ project will proceed thanks to a contribution from the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program 2021 - Major Works program.

To be built on the western side of the library, The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra will feature a media lab designed to support movie making, sound and music recording and other creative digital technology projects, new meeting spaces to support community groups and events, and a glass façade that will enable the opportunity for evening activation using light projection and sound.

The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra will also celebrate the Gannawarra’s indigenous culture with the inclusion of a fire pit which will be used for Welcome to Country and Smoking ceremonies, as well as a commissioned art piece acknowledging and celebrating local indigenous culture and connection to country.

“The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra project will create a space for our regional communities to connect, collaborate, create and celebrate together,” Mayor Charlie Gillingham said.

“The innovative media lab will allow the Gannawarra Library Service to plan and deliver youth programs, whilst additional computers and pods will provide the opportunity for students, home-based businesses, and other professionals working from home to access wifi services to connect, meet and network.

“The new meeting spaces will enable residents and visitors to meet either indoor or outdoors, whilst The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra’s design complements the contemporary design of the Sir John Gorton Library and will integrate the historic water tower, combining the new infrastructure with the old.”

Construction of The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra is scheduled to begin this year and be completed by mid-2024.

“Council thanks the Victorian State Government for their outstanding support of this project and looks forward to this new space being embraced and utilised by the broader regional community,” Mayor Gillingham said.