FOUR CABONNE FINALISTS VYING FOR REGIONAL TOURISM AWARDS
Congratulations to four Cabonne businesses who have been named as finalists in the 2018 Country and Outback Regional Tourism Awards.
Canowindra Challenge hot air ballooning festival, the Age of Fishes Museum at Canowindra, Lakeview Luxury Apartments near Lake Canobolas and Heifer Station winery near Borenore are among 29 finalists for the coveted awards which will be announced at a gala dinner in Orange on Saturday 28 July 2018.
Orange FOOD Week, which features a number of Cabonne venues and events, has also been named as a finalists.
The awards recognise the cream of tourism industry in the Country and Outback Region, which takes in most of the State. Success in the regional awards is often a stepping stone to the NSW Tourism Awards, so it is a great honour to be named as a finalist.
On behalf of Cabonne Council, I wish all finalists the best of luck and commend them on their efforts to provide a unique tourism experience for the thousands of visitors to our Shire.
CABONNE COUNCIL HAS ALLOCATED $35,000 to eight community projects in the second round of its Community Assistance Program.
The following grants were provided:
$17,000 - Manildra and District Improvement Association for barbecue facilities at Manildra Showground
$6,000 - Canowindra Public School P&C Association for playground shade shelter;
$5,332 - Cudal & District Soccer Club for kitchen and canteen facilities at Dean Park;
$4,917 - Canowindra Community Garden for additional equipment and training;
$515 - Eugowra Historical Museum to purchase an information plaque for a new exhibit;
$510 - Cudal Children’s Community Centre to install larger vegetable planter boxes;
$363 - Cudal Amateur Swimming Club to purchase and install a race clock; and
$317 - Molong Anglican Church Parish to install a shade umbrella at St John’s Church community garden.
With $32,000 allocated to 14 projects in the first round earlier in the year, Council provided $67,000 in Community Assistance Program grants in 2017-18.
HELP FIND A HIDDEN TREASURE by nominating a rural woman who has made your community a better place to live.
The Rural Women’s Network is seeking nominations for the 2018 NSW Hidden Treasures Honour Roll, which recognises the outstanding efforts of women volunteers.
A number of Cabonne women have been named as Hidden Treasures in recent years and I’m sure there are many others out there who are worthy of the award. You can nominate online by searching for NSW Hidden Treasures Honour Roll or contacting the NSW Rural Women’s Network on 6391 3612 or emailing rural.women@dpi.nsw.gov.au(link sends e-mail) Nominations close on 30 July 2018.
REDUCING RED TAPE is the goal of a NSW Government initiative which Cabonne Council has embraced.
We have become part of the Easy to do Business program, which aims to make it easier to open and run businesses in the State. Service NSW is creating a new way for businesses to interact with government through one online portal in a bid to provide step -by-step guidance and support across Federal, State and Local Government requirements.
Benefits for councils include increased productivity with “decision ready” applications and reduced transaction costs and effective tools to boost local economies, help create jobs and assist councils to deliver on their strategic plans.
At the moment the program applies to cafes, small bars and restaurants, however there are plans to extend it to the housing and construction industry in the near future and other sectors of business as the program expands.
Cafes, small bars and restaurants are a good example of the red tape operators have to work through to establish a business. Opening these businesses can involve dealing with up to 13 agencies, 75 regulations and 48 forms. Easy to do Business aims to reduce this to one digital application and one phone number.
The program dovetails with Council’s recently adopted Regional Economic Development Strategy. This strategy builds on Cabonne’s assets and resources to attract growth and businesses to create increased employment opportunities.
ENHANCED LOBBYING AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES will be two of the benefits for Cabonne residents from Council’s decision to join the Country Mayors Association.
The association represents councils outside the Greater Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong areas. By joining 61 other councils, Cabonne will have access to additional lobbying and research resources to allow submissions to be prepared to State and Federal governments on issues affecting country communities.
The association also provides a very productive forum for networking and valuable access to senior public servants to raise areas of concern.
THREE MORE WORTHY COMMUNITY CAUSES have received donations from Council, with $150 going to the “Help Our Aussie Farmers” drought assistance event being organised at Cudal; $150 to the Feel Good BBQ Event” at Molong to provide mental health support for farmers and other community members affected by the drought; and $100 to help Cargo Public School install an outdoor gym at the school oval.
A TOTAL OF $6,500 has been allocated from Council’s Events Assistance Program to two upcoming events which will draw hundreds of people into Cabonne Shire during September.
Council allocated $5,000 to the NSW Masters Cycling Championships road race to be held at Molong on Saturday September 22 and $1,500 to the David Wicks Memorial Bowls Tournament at Molong on the weekend of September 1 and 2.
This will be the third year Cycling NSW has conducted its masters road race championships at Molong. Last year more than 420 competitors from around NSW and interstate contested the event, accompanied by as many officials, support crew, family members and friends.
The David Wicks Memorial attracts bowlers from NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia and is expected to bring about 150-200 people into Molong during the event. Income generated by events provides a valuable boost to the economies of Cabonne villages and almost $50,000 was allocated from Council’s Events Assistance program to help promote 18 local events in 2017-18.
Developed with the assistance of the NSW Government, the strategy builds on the region’s assets and resources to guide investment over the next four years.
We look forward to implementing these strategies to capitalise on our agricultural and mineral resources, industries, location, climate and lifestyle advantages. Health, aged care and education have been identified as three areas of future growth.
- Cr Kevin Beatty, Mayor of Cabonne