January 9, 2024

Checklist for young people heading off on their tertiary education adventure in 2024:

 Study hard
 Find a course and successfully enrol
 Apply for a Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund scholarship
 Set off on the first step of the rest of your life.

As Gunnedah Shire’s young people pack their bags for university or TAFE, there are still a few days left to apply for a helping hand through the Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund.

The Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund has been helping young people achieve their tertiary education dreams for more than 20 years, and has awarded more than 400 scholarships.

Through a partnership with local community and businesses, Gunnedah Shire Council offers scholarships to local students under 25 who are looking to further their training and education at university, TAFE, or an accredited training organisation – whether it be in engineering, education, the arts, law, health, or any one of a myriad of exciting futures.

The scholarship can help with expenses including:

• Purchasing textbooks
  • Relocation and other travel costs
  • Living expenses, and
  • Contribution towards tuition fees.

Applications for the Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund will close at 5pm on Friday, 12 January, 2024.

Applications can be submitted via
https://gsc2380.wufoo.com/forms/2024-gunnedah-community-scholarship-fund/?fbclid=IwAR1Tx3fcqJhPAsIXrozhe1iFZ7oAdB742NVclxR-CVI-PB7TPCxMdVNivXs

ENDS

For more information, contact Gunnedah Shire Council’s Communications team on (02) 6740 2100.

Once again, Gunnedah Shire’s Christmas enthusiasts have taken the judges of the Gunnedah Shire Council Christmas Lights Competition to twinkletown with dazzling displays.

Gunnedah Shire Council Manager Economy and Growth Susan Frater said from Christmas trees to dancing reindeers, and snowmen to nativity scenes, the Shire switched on the festive fever.

“It is wonderful to see so many people lighting up their homes and businesses with displays that celebrate the season,” Ms Frater said.

“The three judges were amazed at the amount of work people had put into their displays, with very diverse themes and decorations, and a special mention for Curlewis for their entries.

“Congratulations to the winners and to all who entered this annual competition. The whole Shire is brighter for your dedication to Christmas.”

The coveted Santa Street award again went to Kurrajong Road where house after house went to town on their lights and decorations.

The full list of winners is:

 Santa Street – Kurrajong Road
 Best Decorated House – 2 Hopedale Avenue
 Judges’ Choice Award – 24 Reservoir Street
 Best Christmas Theme in a Village – 23 Poole Street, Curlewis
 Best Dressed Shopfront Window – Second Edition Bookstore
 Best Nativity Scene – 4 King Street.

The winners were recognised at an event at the Community Christmas Tree in Gunnedah last night.

December 18, 2023

Gunnedah Shire Council’s administration building will be closed for the Christmas-New Year period from Friday, December 22 at 12pm and will reopen on Monday, January 8 at 9am.

GoCo and the Gunnedah Shire Library will also be closed during this time (the Library will open at the regular time of 9.30am on January 8).

Your general waste, recycling and green waste pick-up days will remain the same over Christmas and New Year.

Other Gunnedah Shire Council Christmas closures:
• The Civic Theatre – Open throughout the break except for Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Monday, January 8.
• Gunnedah Memorial Pool – Open throughout the break except for the reduced hours of 9am to 5pm on Christmas Eve, and closed on Christmas Day.
• Gunnedah Waste Facility – Open throughout the break except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
• Rural Waste Facilities – Open throughout the break except for Friday, December 22, Christmas Day, Friday December 29 and New Year’s Day.
• The Visitor Information Centre and Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery – Open throughout the break except for Christmas Day.
• The Gunnedah Saleyards – final sale for 2023 is on Tuesday, 19 December (weather permitting), and the first sale for 2024 will be on Tuesday, 9 January.

If you are in need of urgent assistance on the days we are closed, please phone our after hours service on 02 6740 2100.

Gunnedah Shire Council wishes you, your family and friends a safe and wonderful Christmas and New Year break. We look forward to seeing you in 2024.

ENDS

For more information, contact Gunnedah Shire Council’s Communications team on (02) 6740 2100.

Seven businesses have been successful in their applications for funding through the latest round of the Business Partner Program.

Gunnedah Shire Council’s Business Partner Program encourages new businesses or expanding businesses with financial support towards new initiatives.

Business Partner Program Advisory Group chair Cr Colleen Fuller said $31,538.25 had been approved across seven local businesses and organisations.

“Each year, Council helps our economy grow through this program that encourages business expansion and targets new businesses and economic activity,” Cr Fuller said.

“We have seen some amazing ideas come to fruition with the help of the Business Partner Program.

“In this round, the advisory group considered applications from businesses as diverse as pet grooming and electrical services to a psychologist and tutoring. We are proud to help applications that meet the guidelines to take the next step.”

The successful applicants were:

• Many Fabrication & Engineering Pty Ltd - $25,000 towards their workshop facility expansion
• Dries Electrical - $1,538.25 towards solar cleaning and safety equipment
• Bubbles & Bones Pet Grooming - $1,000 towards pet show equipment
• Business in Alignment - $1,000 towards shopfront signage
• Plains of Plenty - $1,000 towards shopfront signage
• The Plains Psychology - $1,000 towards a website
• The Rural Tutor - $1,000 towards a website and transition to business premises.

As we hurtle quickly towards Christmas, it’s time to dive into the world of fun that is Gunnedah Shire Council’s Summer School Holiday Program for 2023-24.

The School Holiday Program includes a diverse range of activities to appeal to young people whatever their hobbies and interests might be.

Gunnedah Shire Council Manager Economy and Growth Susan Frater said there was plenty to keep young people amused over the Christmas-New Year holidays.

“From free movies to Crafty Creations at Gunnedah Shire Library, PCYC Ball Sports and Dinners, and a free skate workshop, it’s a fast-paced, action-packed program this holidays,” Ms Frater said.

“Some of these activities have been made possible by funding made available through the NSW Government.

“So whether your child enjoys swimming, gaming, drawing, singing, skateboarding, reading, ball sports and so much more, there’s something on this program for them, and many activities are free.”

To find out more about the activities and to book, visit https://www.thecivic.com.au/youth
and get in quickly, places are limited for many activities.

The Gunnedah Shire Council is calling on the local community to exercise better care with recycling after 24KG of fibro sheeting suspected to contain asbestos was found within material from residents’ kerbside recycling collection in one of the bunkers and on the conveyor belt used for hand sorting at the Material Recycling Facility (MRF).

As a result of the discovery, the MRF was immediately shut down and all workers were removed from the area.

The site was inspected by an appropriately qualified contractor to determine visually if the product was suspected asbestos and upon inspection it was identified that the fibro sheeting was highly likely to be asbestos.

The contractor taped off the bunker, hopper and loading area and all Recyclit workers within the MRF were sent home.

Council notified the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) of the incident, as well as its Work Health and Safety (WHS) business partner and kerbside collection contractor JR Richards who sent representatives to the site to conduct their own investigation. This investigation will include a review of footage provided by the in truck camera to identify the alleged offender.

The asbestos contractor hand picked all the visual fibro sheeting and removed the material from within the bunker and on the conveyor belt. The recycling material within the bunker and hopper was also treated as contaminated material and appropriately disposed at the Gunnedah Waste Management Facility designated asbestos area.

The areas that were exposed to the fibro sheeting contamination were cleaned by the asbestos contractor to allow normal operations to resume on Tuesday.

The areas within the MRF were cleared of all fibro sheeting and contaminated material at 7.05pm on Monday night and a sample of the sheeting will be sent for testing to confirm the product is asbestos.

The MRF workers that were placed at risk exposure to this material are from the Gunnedah Workshop, a non-profit organisation providing NDIS services and supported employment opportunities to around 40 people with disabilities in Gunnedah.

In response to the incident, Jasmine Alloway, the General Manager of Gunnedah Workshop Enterprises, said;

“This beautiful community is incredibly supportive of our mission and of our people, which makes the thoughtless actions of one person so much more heartbreaking.

“They have endangered the health of some of Gunnedah’s most vulnerable people, and probably their own as well. I hope that this is a case of ignorance, rather than malice: that they were somehow unaware that Gunnedah’s recycling is sorted by hand, and not that they just didn’t care.

“I would like to take this opportunity to remind our community that after our yellow bins are collected, the contents are hand-sorted by our amazing team. The team works incredibly hard, in difficult conditions, and tolerate a lot of contamination that is sent with the recyclables.”

Safe Work has cleared the site for operation, and advised that in this instance, the risk to the health of workers was well-mitigated.

Gunnedah Shire Council’s Director of Planning and Environmental Services Andrew Johns said members of the local community should be mindful of the processes Council has in place for the removal and disposal of asbestos.

“If this material had been disposed correctly at the Gunnedah Waste Management Facility it would have cost the resident(s) responsible of placing this material in their recycling bin just $5. That’s a small price to pay for doing the right thing not only by their own safety but that of our workers and the general community,” said Mr Johns.

Legal action may be pursued as a result of the investigation.

Council has an Asbestos disposal procedure that can be viewed at: https://www.gunnedah.nsw.gov.au/index.php/environment/public-environmental-health/asbestos or further information can be obtained by contacting the Customer Service Team on (02) 6740 2100.

December 8, 2023

Work to upgrade the Gunnedah Airport tarmac has now been completed.

The $8.35 million project included complete refurbishment of the tarmac, taxiway and apron to bring it into line with Australian Civil Aviation Regulation requirements for certified facilities.

Gunnedah Shire Deputy Mayor Rob Hooke said it was good to see this important project reach completion.

“Airports are critical infrastructure for the community,” Cr Hooke said. “They are important in times of emergency, for tourism, business purposes and for recreational use.

“Gunnedah Airport’s tarmac was nearing the end of its serviceable life and needed significant work.

“With the assistance of funding from the New South Wales government through the Resources for Regions Program, and the Federal Government through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, Gunnedah Shire Council has been able to ensure the tarmac is in good shape for many years to come. It also opens the door to the possibility of a commercial passenger service in the future.”

December 6, 2023

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a forecast for an unusually warm summer for the season ahead, with an increased risk of extreme heat, heatwaves and bushfire weather.

Gunnedah Shire Council, together with the NSW Government, is providing a number of free P2/N95 masks to include in home safety and bushfire emergency kits to be used in the event of fire.
Gunnedah Shire Council Manager Community Safety Wade Berryman said the P2/N95 masks were good to have on hand in the case of an emergency.

“These face masks can help filter out the fine particles found in bushfire smoke, and may help people cope with poor air quality when they can’t avoid exposure,” Mr Berryman said.

“While we all hope it will never be necessary to use these masks and other emergency equipment, preparation is always the most effective tool.
“We are making available thousands of the P2/N95 masks to our community to use in conjunction with their bushfire survival plan or to keep handy for an emergency.”

The masks will be available to the public from Friday, December 8 (subject to delivery) at the Gunnedah Shire Council administration building in Elgin Street, Gunnedah Shire Library and the Civic and Visitor Information Centre.

From Monday, December 11 (subject to delivery), they will also be available from the Curlewis General Store, the Tambar Springs Shop, the Mullaley Roadhouse and the Carroll Store.

Resources:
• To find out more about the P2/N95 masks, visit NSW Health at: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/face-mask.aspx
• To find out more about extreme heat and how to deal with it, visit NSW Health at: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/beattheheat/Pages/community-resources.aspx#factsheets
• To find out more about making a bushfire survival plan, visit the Rural Fire Service at: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/bush-fire-survival-plan
• To find out more about weather warnings and the weather ahead, visit the Bureau of Meteorology at: http://www.bom.gov.au/
• To learn more about Gunnedah Shire Council’s free P2/N95 masks, contact our Customer Service team on 6740 2100.

Caption: A still from a NSW Health video showing the correct way to wear P2/N95 masks. The video is available at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/face-mask.aspx

ENDS

For more information, contact Gunnedah Shire Council’s Communications team on (02) 6740 2100 or communications@gunnedah.nsw.gov.au.

Gunnedah Shire residents are being asked to help shape the future of some of the Shire’s best-loved open spaces.

Gunnedah Shire Council is developing master plans for key sporting and recreation precincts, and is seeking the input of the community to make the best possible use of the spaces into the future.

Gunnedah Shire Mayor Jamie Chaffey said the master plans were the next logical step following the Gunnedah Shire Open Space Strategy, and would set out a long-term vision for these popular areas.

“We are asking the community to fill in surveys about Gunnedah Showground, Wolseley Park, Kitchener Park, and the Donnelly Fields/Namoi Fields/Riverine Precinct/Woolshed Reserve,” Cr Chaffey said.

“These precincts cover some of our most popular playing fields and heavily used community spaces, so it is absolutely critical that we get as much community input as possible.

“There are four simple surveys that ask how people use these spaces and how they would like to them evolve in the future. This will be important information in creating great a master plan for each area.

“Looking at all of these popular areas at the same time is an ideal way to ensure our open spaces cover the broadest spectrum of interests and age groups, and we look forward to seeing these master plans developed and put into action.”

To take part in the surveys go to the following individual links for each precinct;

Gunnedah Showground https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MM69XH6

Kitchener Park https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MMZZHJD

Wolseley Park https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MXKLVZ5

Riverside Precinct https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MXKPRLZ

Council will also hold a series of pop-up community consultation sessions:

- Tuesday, 5 December in the Smithurst Theatre Forecourt between 1.30-3.30pm and 6-8pm.

- Wednesday, 6 December at the front of the Gunnedah Newsagency between 9am and 11am.

November 28, 2023

More than 100 delegates and 24 speakers from across Australia took part in the Crime Prevention and Community Safety Conference in Gunnedah this month.

Hosted by Gunnedah Shire Council, the conference brought together crime prevention and community safety experts, law enforcement representatives, a number of presenters with inspiring stories, and agency representatives with success stories to share their knowledge and experiences over two days at the Gunnedah Town Hall.

Gunnedah Shire Deputy Mayor and member of the Gunnedah Crime Prevention and Community Safety Conference Working Group Rob Hooke said the conference had been an overwhelming success, with delegates from across the country reporting they had gained important insights.

“As delegates heard, crime is a problem across many urban, regional and rural areas of Australia,” Cr Hooke said.

“But one of the most important tools in dealing with the concerns and ensuring safer communities is to share knowledge. There are many agencies, organisations and people who are making a difference in all sorts of ways.

“This was a very valuable way to get together some of those people in one arena, and to look at issues from every aspect – from statistics to lived experience, and from law enforcement to successful collaborative programs. It was inspiring and practical.

“The feedback we are getting is that this is the sort of event that is needed to cut through the difficulties of connecting the dots to make powerful decisions for change.

“I know there were certainly ideas there for concepts such as diversionary programs that might be considered by the Gunnedah Crime Prevention Working Group to assist in crime prevention in Gunnedah Shire.”

Keynote speakers for the conference were 2021 Australian of the Year and advocate for survivors of sexual assault Grace Tame, NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism the Hon. Yasmin Catley, founder of national mental health charity The Man Cave Hunter Johnson and social researcher and futurist Mark McCrindle.

Other speakers included representatives from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), the NSW Police Force’s Rural Crime Prevention Unit, the NSW Police Force’s Engagement & Hate Crime Unit, the Advocate for Children and Young People, the Centre for Multicultural Youth Victoria, Just Reinvest NSW, Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Home Corporation, Queensland Police and Logan City Council, the Violence Abuse and Neglect Services, cyber security experts and more.

The Crime Prevention and Community Safety Conference is estimated to have brought in almost $300,000 in direct and indirect economic benefits to Gunnedah Shire, with accommodation providers, caterers, clubs and hotels, and local businesses reaping the benefits over two-three days. Some delegates also extended their stay to include the weekend to enjoy Gunnedah and the neighbouring shires.

The conference has been a number of the years in the making and was organised by Gunnedah Shire Council and the Gunnedah Crime Prevention and Community Safety Conference Working Group.

Sponsors included Whitehaven Coal, Tamworth Family Support, Gunnedah Workshop Enterprises Ltd, Gunnedah Family Support, Gunnedah & Districts Liquor Accord, Care4U Services, Gunnedah Miners' Support Group, Gunnedah Conservatorium and Gunnedah Meals on Wheels.

Caption: One of the keynote speakers of the Crime Prevention and Community Safety Conference, Hunter Johnson, founder and CEO of The Man Cave addresses delegates at the Gunnedah Town Hall.

More images available on request.

ENDS

For more information, contact Gunnedah Shire Council’s Communications team on (02) 6740 2100 or communications@gunnedah.nsw.gov.au.