Category Archives: Coolamon Shire

Funding of over $867,000 has been secured to improve and upgrade Crown Land reserves and facilities across the Cootamundra electorate under the NSW Government’s Crown Reserves Improvement Fund.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has welcomed the funding, which will provide benefits to the community, boost the local economy and contribute to the cultural, sporting and recreational life of the region.

“Crown reserves provide land for sport and recreation, homes for community organisations, open space for healthy lifestyles, and protect our environment including sensitive habitat for native plants and animals,” Ms Cooke said.

“It’s fantastic that funding has been allocated to support local reserves and community facilities right across the Cootamundra electorate.”

Projects being funded include:

• $625,068 for Cowra Showground, Racecourse and Paceway to upgrade its ageing electrical system and build a large all-weather undercover area for horse riders which includes Riding for the Disabled.

• $16,731 for Bellevue Hill reserve in Cowra to restore habitat by removing weeds, shrubs and trees and replace them with native trees and grasses.

• $173,985 for Lake Talbot Reserve in Narrandera to upgrade the barbecue shelter, seats, stairs and walking trails, and make it more accessible.

• $18,105 for Coolac Public Hall to build an amenities block with separate men’s and women’s toilets and a toilet accessible for people with wheelchairs.

• $18,097 for Ganmain Showground to replace benchtops in the main pavilion and lay concrete under the awning of the new Lifestyle Pavilion.

• $8,847 for Sebastapol Travelling Stock Reserve for a new fence and signs to stop the public entering due to danger from old mine shafts.

• $6,750 for Bectric Hall and Recreation Reserve to paint and provide maintenance upgrades to the amenities and exterior roof of the hall .

Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson said Crown land covers about 34 million hectares or 42 per cent of NSW, with over 34,000 reserves across the state.

“Crown reserves provide communities with land for everything from showgrounds, racecourses, surf lifesaving clubs and community halls to parks, ovals, green space and walking trails,” Mr Anderson said.

“The Cootamundra grants are part of $16.48 million being offered statewide to support 264 projects that will benefit many thousands of people and the cultural, sporting and recreational life of hundreds of local communities.” For further information on Crown Reserves Improvement Fund please visit: https://reservemanager.crownland.nsw.gov.au/funding/crif

Coolamon Shire Council have been successful in receiving over $586,000 for their Riverina Equine Business Case and Master Plan thanks to the NSW Government’s $24 million Regional NSW – Business Case and Strategy Development Fund.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the program will provide funding that will enable Coolamons Shire Council to engage experts to investigate new project ideas and assist with funding applications.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the Riverina Equine Business Case and Master Plan come to fruition along with the positive outcomes it will contribute to the region,” Ms Cooke said.

Coolamon Shire Council General Manager, Tony Donoghue said they are very excited about the potential this opportunity brings to Coolamon Shire and the wider region.

“A business case for the equine industry to expand on the existing facilities at the Coolamon Showground, MTC and CSU will give an economic boost to the region,” Mr Donoghue said.

“In particular the proposal to convert the Coolamon showground into a regional harness training precinct which will provide jobs and residential opportunities that complement and value add to the surrounding equine facilities.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the regions are bursting with people full of ideas with the potential to create jobs, boost economies, and attract investment.

“Any successful project starts with evidence-based planning and this program will help take great ideas and concepts a step closer to reality, benefiting entire communities,” Mr Toole said.

“This is about helping make business cases stand out and be more competitive, it will help break down project costs, outline how projects will benefit the community and identify any challenges that need to be met. For further information, go to www.nsw.gov.au/BusinessCaseFund

Funding totalling more than $38,000 has been secured for two community groups in Coolamon Local Government Area (LGA) through the NSW Government’s 2022 Community Building Partnership Program.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the State Government funds will deliver much-needed improvements and equipment to local facilities.

“I congratulate the organisations that were successful in their application and look forward to seeing these works undertaken as they make a real difference for community groups in the area,” Ms Cooke said.

The following recipients include:

• Ganmain & District Sports Club Ltd
• Coolamon Shire Council

Ganmain & District Sports Club has been successful in receiving $18,906 to refurbish and modernise the ladies’ amenities.

Coolamon Shire Council has been successful in receiving $19,465 to modernise kitchen facilities at Allawah Community Care.

The Community Building Partnership program has funded more than 18,000 community projects since it commenced in 2009.

For more information about the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership Program, visit www.nsw.gov.au/cpb.

Coolamon Shire Council will soon start receiving funds totalling $480,671.51 for urgent pothole repairs, under the NSW Government’s $50 million Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the money was going straight Coolamon Shire Council’s bank account to help them cover the extra costs and workload pressures following this year’s unprecedented rain and storms.

“These grants are a rapid injection of cash to help councils get on with the job of repairing potholes to get us through the wet summer ahead,” Ms Cooke said.

“This is on top of the ongoing investment in a stronger road network through Fixing Local Roads, Fixing Country Roads and Fixing Country Bridges.”

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said all 94 regional councils that applied for funding had been approved for grants.

“From December, councils across regional NSW will receive their share of $50 million to repair pothole-ravaged local and regional roads,” Mr Farraway said.

“This additional support will help councils to repair their most damaged roads, improving safety and reducing wear and tear on vehicles.

“The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government is backing in our councils with this dedicated pothole repair funding which is the first of its kind in NSW.”

Coolamon Shire Council Mayor, Cr David McCann OAM, welcomed the extra money announced under the Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round.

“We have nearly 1400 kilometres local and regional roads to manage across the Coolamon Shire. Every dollar counts towards ensuring they are repaired as quickly as possible,” Cr McCann said.

“The funding is very much appreciated in what has been an unprecedented year of weather emergencies. For Coolamon Shire, it’s especially important as harvest is getting underway which will see an increase of heavy vehicles on the road, making now the time to repair and maintain our road network.”

Nine firefighters have joined the ranks of Fire and Rescue NSW at Coolamon, Cootamundra, Cowra, Grenfell, Junee, Narrandera and Temora Fire Stations after completing weeks of intensive training at the Emergency Services Academy in Sydney.

Of the 227 new recruits, 60 are becoming permanent firefighters while 167 are becoming on-call, or part-time, firefighters. Made up of 161 men and 66 women are a welcome boost to Fire and Rescue NSW.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the nine firefighters are a welcome boost to the capability and capacity of emergency services in the region.

“I want to congratulate and thank each new recruit for putting service above self and making the decision to join Fire and Rescue NSW,” Ms Cooke said.

“Whether it’s responding to fires, chemical emergencies, car crashes or natural disasters, Fire and Rescue NSW firefighters are prepared for any situation.”

“Every day they answer the call to help, putting themselves on the frontline of danger to protect and save others. I’m very proud to see these new recruits joining that proud tradition.”

“Fire and Rescue NSW is widely known as one of the most professional and well-respected emergency services organisations in the world, and I am confident these 227 new recruits will serve their local community with distinction,” she said.

Each of the new firefighters has spent up to 14 weeks learning their trade, studying various techniques to deal with different emergencies, how to apply first aid, search and rescue skills, heavy vehicle driving and HAZMAT response know-how.

Some of the new firefighters have already been deployed to their new fire stations, while others will join from Monday onwards.

Abandoned shopping trolleys, vehicles and other unattended property will spend less time on streets and public spaces, and owners will be more accountable following the introduction of new rules strengthening impounding powers of councils across the electorate.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke welcomed the new regulations which are coming into effect today Tuesday 1 November 2022.

“The NSW Government has again made common-sense changes to rules around unattended property. The new rules put the onus back on owners where it belongs, will save council money and make our streets safer,” Ms Cooke said.

Minister for Local Government Wendy Tuckerman said the Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021 replaces the Impounding Act 1993, and places more responsibility on individuals and businesses to better manage their property within reasonable timeframes or face much stronger penalties.

“We’ve developed these new laws following extensive consultation with stakeholders including local government, industry, advocacy groups, state agencies and the community,” Mrs Tuckerman said.

“There will be a six-month grace period where warnings will be issued for unattended property in most cases, rather than fines. We’ve also listened to retailer concerns and introduced more flexibility around requirements to collect abandoned trolleys notified after-hours.”

The PSUP Act includes special powers for authorities to deal with stock animals wandering on public roads and causing a risk to safety, which was widely welcomed by councils during consultation. These provisions will commence at a later date.

The rules also apply to boat trailers, unregistered cars, trailers and caravans, share bikes, and personal watercraft. For full details of the Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021 please visit https://dpe.mysocialpinpoint.com.au/unattended-property

The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will invest $50 million to help regional and rural councils fix the increasing number of potholes brought on by this year’s extreme wet weather.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said under the new Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round, Councils across the electorate can apply for funding to help them address their highest priority pothole repairs.

“It is hard to drive anywhere on our road network without dodging potholes as a result of the wet weather we have experienced this year,” Ms Cooke said.

“We have heard the calls for help loud and clear and fixing the hundreds of potholes caused by recent heavy rains and flooding is a priority.

“This additional support will help ease the pressure local councils are facing and boost the resources they can draw upon to repair their most damaged roads to improve safety and reduce wear and tear on vehicles.”

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said NSW has had more than its fair share of natural disasters and extreme weather and that more than 135,000 potholes have been repaired on State roads in regional NSW since February.

“We certainly have plenty more potholes that still require attention, particularly on council-managed roads, which is why our Government is putting more money on the table for councils to repair potholes on the roads regional communities use every day,” Mr Farraway said.

“This funding is available to help every regional council across the state to carry out emergency repairs and would fix roughly more than 420,000 potholes on their roads.”

The new funding builds on the $500 million invested by the NSW Government through the Fixing Local Roads program to help regional councils repair, maintain and seal local roads across the state.

Funding under the Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round is available to 95 regional councils and authorities to help repair potholes on regional and local roads. Work must be completed between 1 January 2023 and 1 January 2024.

Applications for funding are open for two weeks from today with funding announced in November so councils can begin work as soon as possible.

Return and Earners in the region could be in for a massive update, with the NSW Government planning to expand the scheme so it includes containers like glass wine and spirits bottles and larger containers.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said this is an exciting opportunity to build on one of Australia’s most successful recycling initiatives and improve recycling practices in households across NSW.

“More than 8 billion bottles have been returned and given a new life since the scheme started in 2017, a huge achievement and I thank the regional communities for embracing this new way of thinking about beverage containers,” Ms Cooke said.

“Together we have driven down drink container litter rates by an impressive 52 per cent, increased recycling rates and donated funds to charities,”

“Return and Earn has achieved an enormous amount so far and now we’re looking to take the next step as we strive towards our vision for a circular economy in the region.”  

Return and Earn locations across the Cootamundra Electorate are located at:

Bland LGA	V & L Machinery Railway Road, West Wyalong	Over the counter
Coolamon LGA	Coolamon Lions Club 59 Loughan Street, Coolamon	Over the counter
Cootamundra-Gundagai LGA	Gundagai Mitre 10, 1 Byron Street, Gundagai   Woolworths Cootamundra, 26 Bourke St, Cootamundra	Over the counter     Reverse vending machine
Cowra LGA	Woolworths Cowra, 3-9 Railway Lane, Cowra	Reverse vending machine
Hilltops LGA	Donges Supa IGA, 159 Boorowa Street, Young	Reverse vending machine
Junee LGA	Junee Supa IGA, 102 Broadway Street, Junee	Over the counter
Narrandera LGA	Narrandera Recycling 16 Red Hill Road Narrandera	Reverse vending machine
Temora LGA	IGA Temora, Victoria Street 7 Baker Street Temora	Reverse vending machine
Weddin LGA	Grenfell Furniture, 66 Main Street, Grenfell	Over the counter

Consultation is now open on the Scheme’s expansion, which would see almost all beverage containers between 150 ml and 3 litres accepted for refund.

For example, this would include:

• Wine and spirits in glass bottles
• Cordials and juice concentrate
• Larger containers up to 3 litres of beverages already in the scheme, such as flavoured milk, fruit and vegetable juice, cask wine and sachets. 

Plain milk and health tonics would continue to be excluded from the scheme.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority will be holding targeted stakeholder information sessions and webinars in the coming months around NSW so a transition can be as smooth as possible for new suppliers to the scheme.

The discussion paper Driving NSW’s circular economy is available at https://yoursay.epa.nsw.gov.au/ and will be open for consultation until 5pm 2 December 2022.

For more information about Return and Earn visit www.returnandearn.org.au

The main street of Coolamon has turned red, as part of the Fire Engine Muster organised by the Coolamon Fire Museum.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said it was a privilege to officially open the 2022 Coolamon Fire Engine Muster and pay a special tribute to emergency service personnel.

“Fire Engine owners, history enthusiasts along with locals and visitors alike came to view the vast display of emergency service vehicles, and enjoy the day’s program of events,” Ms Cooke said.

“The main street was bursting with life and there was something for everyone to enjoy. Educational displays, classic cars and bikes, market stalls and even a Firefighters Fun Relay were on offer as part of the festivities.”

“It is well known our emergency services personal work very hard throughout the year, and this is a wonderful and unique way for the community to come together to pay tribute to them.”

Chris and Joanne Berry, managers of Coolamon Fire Museum together with Coolamon Fire and Rescue co-ordinated this event, supported by Coolamon Shire Council.

The Coolamon Fire Museum is a museum dedicated to preserving firefighting equipment, uniforms and memorabilia for the enjoyment and education of all.

For more information, visit: https://coolamonfiremuseum.wordpress.com/fire-engine-musters/

Coolamon Shire Council has secured $119,826 in funding through the NSW Government’s $25 million Reconnecting Regional NSW – Community Events Program.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the funding will support Council to deliver a range of local events, which will see the community come together and reconnect.

“The planned events are a terrific opportunity to promote greater social cohesion as well as provide an economic boost locally following the Covid-19 lockdowns,” Ms Cooke said.

“Events are really important for our communities because they give people the opportunity to visit, stay ‘locally’ and spend ‘locally’,” Ms Cooke said.

Coolamon Shire Mayor Cr Dave McCann said we know the importance of our communities and the need for us all to interact and enjoy the company of others.

“The last several years have been tough and this funding is a chance for us all to enjoy some down time and encourage visitation through a range of community get togethers,” he said.

There will be a total of ten events on offer by local community groups, such as photo competitions, festivals, New Year’s Eve Street party, community bike event and summer music festival.

Along with a range of community celebrations across the Shire, which will bring the community together, delivering a much-needed boost to support the region.

The $25 million Reconnecting Regional NSW – Community Events Program is part of the $200 million Regional Recovery Package, designed to support economic and social recovery across regional NSW that will create new jobs and support community events, shows and festivals to boost tourism.

For further information, go to: nsw.gov.au/CommunityEvents.