Hope everyone has had a great Easter Long Weekend.
One of the main events for the district was the annual Hermidale Gymkhana, which was once again a very successful day. There were visitors to the Hermidale showground to watch and participate, even with numbers down this year they still had around 300 people come through the gates and entry of 72 horses for the day, so still a decent number for our small town. Well-earned Life Membership Badges were awarded to Hermidale community members Alma Cooney, Robyn Grimmond, Lorraine Hawley, Jon Matchett and Joan Jeffery for their tireless efforts and contribution to their community for many many years. A huge congratulations to all those members who are very deserving. Congratulations to the Committee and we will all be looking forward to 2025.
Following on from the Drought Plan meeting last Month some collective ideas have been formed from the most common issues discussed as a guide for moving forward, however there are still opportunities to provide feedback on these and other suggestions.
- Water Security: with suggestion of upgrading Burrendong Dam capacity to 120%, this would allow Gin Gin weir upgrade and 200GL of extra water storage. This would be enough water for an extra 12months of water usage for both residential and agricultural purposes.
- Regional Connectivity: sensing of farm and major irrigation projects depend on connectivity between regions. With 4g and 5g services allowing better connections for towns as poor connectivity limits progression for agriculture and makes things difficult and nearly impossible in harder times.
- Economic Development Visitation and Tourism Strategy: cross region implementation, getting people to come to the regions to boost economy and teaching and rolling out workshops for tourism in the regions for businesses eg Airbnb’s, farm stays etc. Warren Council are willing to hold responsibility for this across the three council areas.
- Economic Zones and Tax Incentives: this would be offering tax incentives for local industries and businesses for all business, not just agricultural in the shires. Implementation of a local spend targets or federal infrastructure projects within the regions, to ensure money is spent on the local economies.
- Social cohesion and better mental health support for regions: there has been population declines and increases of mental health issues throughout the Shire, particularly among males, which is a significant concern and highlights the needs for a better support system, especially in harder times.
If anyone has any suggestions or ideas on the guide plan, feel free to contact me and I would be more than happy to put these forward on behalf of the community.
Councillors will hold their annual Village Tours on Thursday 11 April 2024 which is great chance for Councillors to catch up with what is happening in our villages and gives Council an idea for the Budget, moving forward.
Looking forward to seeing you all.
Mayor Glen Neill