Mungindi Matters Issue 030 21 December 2020

ISSUE NO.030 // 21 DECEMBER 2020

MUNGINDI MATTERS

The Latest Local news, updates and announcements

Successful Crackin' Christmas Carnival -“The
Christmas Party Mungindi needed,” p13

WHAT'S INSIDE

Farewell Councillor Sue Price OAM, p04
Local Businesses Christmas Trading Hours, p17-22
Thank you from the Trindall’s, p15
Thank you for Shopping Locally - From the Mungindi Community Store, p16

02 Level 2 Water Restrictions NOW In Place For Mungindi 03 Farewell Councillor Sue Price OAM 05 COUNCIL SERVICES AND FACILITIES OPERATIONAL HOURS – CHRISTMAS PERIOD 08 PARKING IN MOREE CBD 09 LACKOFINFLOWFORCESSTGEORGERESIDENTSTOMOVETOLEVEL3WATERRESTRICTIONS 10 ST GEORGE TEMPORARY LIBRARY FULLY ACCESSIBLE 11 NEW-LOOK COPETON DAM NORTHERN FORESHORE RE-OPENS FOR CHRISTMAS 12 $7.3 MILLION TO DEVELOP A ‘UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE’ FOR BULL BREEDERS 13 Successful Crackin' Christmas Carnival -“The Christmas Party Mungindi needed,” 15 Thank you from the Trindall’s 16 Thank you for Shopping Locally - From the Mungindi Community Store 17 Christmas Trading Hours: Mungindi Community Store 18 Merry Christmas from Mungindi Fishing Club | Christmas Trading Hours: Op Shop 19 Christmas Trading Hours: Servo | Mungindi Freight 21 Christmas Trading Hours: Mungindi Tyre & Battery | Mungindi Mechanical 23 MPSC - Application for Temporary Workers' Accommodation Facility Moree Gateway 24 MPSC - Public donations Jan- March 25 BSC - Council December Meeting Update 28 St. Joseph's Newsletter 32 St. Joseph's Position Vacant - Mungindi Grounds Person 33 Dick Ferguson returns for Mungindi Christmas Service 2020
Weemelah CWA | AGM

35 Get Involved 36 Community Calendar 37 Mungindi Businesses

39 Happy Holiday! Message from the editor

1

Mungindi Matters Issue 030

21 December 2020

FAREWELL COUNCILLOR
SUE PRICE OAM

Thursday, 10 December 2020

Photograph: Councillors at Mrs Sue Price’s last Council meeting.

After just over 12 years around the Council table, Councillor Sue Price OAM formally resigned from her position and attended her last meeting of Moree Plains Shire Council today.

The decision to step down from Council stems from Mrs Price relocating earlier this year to Toowoomba to be closer to her children and grandchildren. ꢀ

General Manager, Mr Lester Rodgers has described Mrs Price a tremendous asset to the Moree Plains Shire community, “Councillor Price will be sorely missed throughout the community”. ꢀ

“During Mrs Price’s time as a Councillor, she ﬁercely advocated for the Mungindi community and was an active member of multiple internal council committees, advisory committees, 355 committees and external committees concerned with regional development, the Inland Rail and rural roads”, said Mr Rodgers. ꢀ

Since her election to Council, Mrs Price served as Deputy Mayor and held the position until 2016.Over her 12 years with Council, Mrs Price was a part of 13 committees ꢀ

including: ꢀ

••

Council Committee of the Whole ꢀ

•

Mungindi Showground & Racecourse Committee ꢀ
General Manager’s Performance Review

Committee ꢀ

••

Mungindi Youth Council ꢀ

•••

Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre Ltd Board ꢀ Mungindi Crime Prevention Committee ꢀ Road Network Consultative Groupꢀ
Weemelah Public Hall Management Committee ꢀ

•

Treasurer of Arts North West

• Mungindi Aged Care Committee Mrs Price also represented the broader Moree Plains community and over her tenure as a Councillor, chaired the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail Alliance, chaired the Australian Rural Roads Group and was a board member of Regional Development Australia – Northern Inland. ꢀ

In May 2019, Mrs Price was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her services to rural and regional NSW and announced as the recipient of the 2019 Minister’s Award for Women in Local Government as an Elected Representative from a Rural or Regional Council. ꢀ

Moree Plains Shire Council Mayor, Katrina Humphries stood for local government oﬃce in the same year, “Sue and I came into Moree Plains Shire Council together in 2008”, said Mayor Humphries. ꢀ

“Sue has been a wonderful Deputy Mayor and a fabulous representative for not only Mungindi but the whole of the shire. Sue is loyal, digniﬁed and gracious. ꢀ

“Sue gave everything possible to the progress of the Inland Rail and I would not be able to imagine the number of kilometres she has travelled over the years to beneﬁt us all. ꢀ

“Sue will be missed very much by our community and also by all the other people across the North West she has helped over the years. ꢀ

“On behalf of the people of the Moree Plains and beyond we thank Sue so much. We wish Sue and Glenn all the very best for their future; they will always have a place in our hearts”, concluded Mayor Humphries. ꢀ

Mrs Price concluded her responsibilities as Councillor today at her ﬁnal council meeting.ꢀ In relation to the vacancy created by Councillor Price’s resignation, Council today resolved to apply to the Minister for Local Government to provide an order that this

vacancy not be ﬁlled prior to next year’s elections in September, given that Cr Price’s resignation has taken place within 18 months of such elections. This will dispense with the need to convene a by-election. ꢀ

Source: Moree Plains Shire Council communications.oﬃ [email protected]

COUNCIL SERVICES AND FACILITIES
OPERATIONAL HOURS – CHRISTMAS PERIOD

Friday, 18 December 2020

Moree Plains Shire Council wishes to advise all residents of the following changes to services and facilities during the Christmas period beginning Friday 25 December 2020 until Monday 4 January 2021. ꢀ

Please read the following information carefully as each service and facility has diﬀerent hours of operation: ꢀ

Unless otherwise set out below, Council’s services and facilities (including our Customer Service Centre in Moree) will operate as usual until 5.00 pm Thursday 24 December 2020. ꢀ

From Friday 25 December 2020, services will be closed and resume from Monday 4 January 2021. ꢀ

You can continue to contact Council 24 hours a day on (02) 6757 3222 for our after hours telephone service, including on public holidays; we will continue to respond to emergency matters during our shut down period. Venues including hospitality venues, retail and places of worship:ꢀ

WASTE SERVICES Kerbside Garbage, Recycling and Organics Collection

Residents in Mungindi and Moree who have kerbside collection on a Friday are encouraged to put their bins out the night before (Christmas eve, Thursday 24 December) as collection will occur up to two hours earlier than usual on Christmas day. All other kerbside collections will operate as normal. ꢀ

Residents are reminded to correctly dispose of food scraps, recycling and e-waste over the Christmas period. For more information, download the MPSC WASTE App or contact the Waste Department on 6757 3222. ꢀ

Landﬁll (Biniguy, Boggabilla, Boomi, Garah, Mungindi, Terry Hie Hie and Moree Waste

Management Facility)

DATE

MOREE LANDFILL

OPENING HOURS
VILLAGES LANDFILL OPENING HOURS

Friday 25th December 2020 Christmas Day – Public Holiday

Closed

All landﬁlls closed

Saturday 26th December 2020 Boxing Day
Open
9.00am – 1.00pm
All landﬁlls closed Mungindi - 9am - 11am Biniguy & Garah – 10am - 12pm Boomi & Pallamallawa – 1pm – 4pm
Open
7.15am – 4.15pm
Sunday 27th December 2020 Monday 28th December 2020 Boxing Day Public Holiday
Open
All landﬁlls closed
9.00am – 1.00pm

Open
7.15am – 4.15pm
Mungindi – 3pm – 4.30pm Boggabilla – 1pm - 4pm
Tuesday 29th December 2020 Wednesday 30th December 2020 Thursday 31st December 2020
Mungindi – 8am – 9.30am Boomi & Biniguy – 10am - 12pm Garah & Pallamallawa – 1pm – 4pm
Open
7.15am – 4.15pm

Open
7.15am – 4.15pm
Mungindi – 8am – 9.30am All landﬁlls closed
Friday 1st January 2021 New Year’s Day public holiday
Closed

All other opening hours as normal

COMMUNITY SERVICES Gwydir Day Care and Preschool

Gwydir Day Care and Preschool will be closed from 5.45pm on Wednesday 23 December 2020 and reopen on at Monday 11 January 2021. ꢀ

Bank Art Museum Moree

The Bank Art Museum Moree will be closed from 2pm on Thursday 24 December 2020 and reopen on Monday 4 January 2021. ꢀ

Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre

The Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 24 December 2020 and reopen on Saturday 26 December 2020 and operate on public holiday trading hours (8.00am-6.00pm) on: ꢀ

••••

Saturday 26 December 2020 ꢀ Sunday 27 December 2020 ꢀ Monday 28 December 2020 ꢀ Friday 1 January 2021 ꢀ

Tourism Moree

Tourism Moree will be closed from 3.00pm on Thursday 24 December 2020 and reopen on Monday 28 December 2020 from 9.00am to 1.00pm. ꢀ

Moree Regional Airport

Moree Regional Airport will operate as usual. ꢀ

Library Services

The Moree Community Library will be closed from 5pm Thursday 24 December 2020 and reopen at 10am Monday 4 January 2021. ꢀ

The Mungindi Library will be closed from 4pm Thursday 24 December 2020 and reopen at 9.30am Monday 4 January 2021. ꢀ

Water Filling Station, Moree Depot, Tycannah Street

Council’s Depot, including the Water Filling Station, will be closed from Friday 25 December 2020 until Monday 4 January 2021. ꢀ

Ranger Services

Please contact our after hours service on (02) 6757 3222 to access Ranger Services or the Moree Pound from Friday 25 December 2020 until Monday 4 January 2021. ꢀ

For any enquiries, please contact Council’s Customer Service Centre on (02) 6757 3222. ꢀ

Source: Moree Plains Shire Council | Written: Harries Coutts communications.oﬃ[email protected]

PARKING IN MOREE CBD

Saturday, 12 December 2020

As residents flock to Moree’s CBD to finish off last minute Christmas shopping they are provided with a gentle reminder to obey parking signs including timed parking, loading zones and disabled parking areas. ꢀ

The inﬂux of illegal and long-stay parking in timed parking zones throughout Moree’s CBD and surrounding areas has forced parking inspectors to patrol the area closely and monitor and enforce parking restrictions. ꢀ

Council’s Director of Planning and Community Development Mr Angus Witherby explained that there were a number of reasons why parking needs to comply with the signs. ꢀ

“During this busy Christmas period it is a matter of courtesy and fairness to our local business owners to adhere to parking signs. We need to ensure loading zones are reserved for businesses to unload stock and timed parking is obeyed so customers can easily park and enter stores,” Mr Witherby said. ꢀ

“Our inspectors have encounter vehicles parked across white guide lines, parking parallel in 45 and 60-degree angle parking, cars stopping in bus zones, as well as drivers ignoring ‘No Parking’, ‘No Stopping’, disabled parking and loading zone areas. ꢀ

“Inspectors will be monitoring the CBD and are authorized to issue cautions, followed by penalty infringement notices to repeat oﬀenders or where the parking is hazardous,” warned Mr Witherby. ꢀ

Residents are also advised that no leniency will be shown towards drivers obeying parking signs around school zones or in disabled parking areas. ꢀ

To find out more about parking offences, fines, road rules or to read Council’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy visit the links below. ꢀ

To review road rules: http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/safety-rules/index.html ꢀ To find out about offences and fines: http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/safety-rules/o ff ences- penalties/index.html ꢀ

To read Council’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy: https://www.mpsc.nsw.gov.au/ publications-documents/submissions-exhibitions/1476-compliance-and-enforcement-policy/ﬁle ꢀ

Source: Moree Plains Shire Council communications.oﬃ [email protected]

ACK OF INFLOW FORCES ST
GEORGE RESIDENTS TO MOVE TO

L

LEVEL 3 WATER RESTRICTIONS

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

St George residents will be forced to move to move to Level 3 water restrictions from Monday 28th December following a hot and dry November which saw minimal water ﬂow into the Balonne River. ꢀ

Level 3 restrictions begin when Council’s remaining water allocation falls below 1000ML and Mayor Samantha O’Toole said based on historical data that would occur by the end of the month. ꢀ

“Both evaporation and seepage and usage levels were above average last month which has very much forced Council’s hand,” she said. ꢀ

“In keeping with our policy residents Level 3 means resident will only be able to water on set days for two hours in the evening from then.” ꢀ

Cr O’Toole said residents were requested to use the town’s water carefully, and employ all possible water saving techniques as excessive consumption could lead to a further tightening of restrictions. ꢀ

She said Council staﬀ would be monitoring compliance with the restrictions and random patrols were planned over the Christmas and New year period. ꢀ

No warning will be issued at level 3 and 4 restrictions level and Cr O’Toole said anyone caught doing the wrong thing would receive an infringement notice and a ﬁne. ꢀ

“Council does not want to ﬁne residents and only those who are not obeying the rules will face a ﬁnancial hit, which I trust will be incentive enough for people to obey the restrictions,” she said. ꢀ

Restrictions also apply to schools, caravan parks and other businesses. Reduced watering also occurs in accordance with Council’s parks and gardens program. ꢀ

More information can be found on Council’s website at https://www.balonne.qld.gov.au/ community/environment-water-and-waste/st-george-water-restrictions ꢀ

Source: Balonne Shire Council | Written: Nigel Tapp [email protected]

ST GEORGE TEMPORARY LIBRARY
FULLY ACCESSIBLE

Friday, 11 December 2020

The Balonne Shire Council’s temporary St George Library, at 14 Henry Street, has had fully compliant disability access installed. ꢀ

Photograph: Library Disability Ramp

Mayor Samantha O’Toole said installing a ramp was another way of ensuring the Library was accessible for all in the community. ꢀ

“Many businesses in town have steps to access their operation and whilst a step of two may be nothing for a ﬁt and able-bodied person, often steps, even minor ones, can prove a signiﬁcant physical barrier for those in the community who are unable to climb stairs for various reasons,” she said. ꢀ

“They may be elderly, have a medical issue, be wheelchair bound or operate a mobility scooter.” ꢀ Cr O’Toole said ramps also assisted carers who may be pushing a wheelchair, or even people with a pram. ꢀ

“All public facilities, should, where practically possible, be fully compliant to allow access for all,” Cr O’Toole said. ꢀ

The temporary library will be in place for the next 15-18 months while the new Library Hub is constructed next to the Shire’s administration centre. ꢀ

Cr O’Toole encouraged those who had not checked out the new Library to pay a visit. ꢀ “It is airconditioned, and we have some comfy seats where you can come and gain some respite from the heat and read a book or have a chat with our friendly Library team members.” ꢀ

Source: Balonne Shire Council | Written: Nigel Tapp [email protected]

NEW-LOOK COPETON DAM NORTHERN
FORESHORE RE-OPENS FOR CHRISTMAS

Monday, 7 December 2020
Photograph: Inverell RSM Fishing Club members Kenny Osborne, left, Peggy Osborne, and Don Russell with Copeton Dam Northern Foreshore Caretaker Tom Stapleton, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall and Mayor Paul Harmon inspect progress on the new clubhouse facility being built looking out over the dam last Friday.

CAMPERS spending this Christmas on the Northern Foreshore of Copeton Dam will be among the ﬁrst to experience the new viewing platforms, footpaths and amenities block, as work roars ahead on the $5.7 million tourism development.ꢀ

Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall joined Inverell Shire Council Mayor Paul Harmon and Northern Foreshores caretaker Tom Stapleton last Friday to inspect progress on the project, which is due for completion early next year.ꢀ

“In the space of 12 months Northern Foreshores Copeton Dam has transformed from a comfortable camping getaway to a luxury outdoor escape,” Mr Marshall said.ꢀ

“The new amenities block, which is twice the size of the original, is equipped with showers, toilets and disabled access and is now ready for visitors to enjoy. ꢀ

“In terms of recreational infrastructure, 2.4 kilometres of shared footpaths now snake their way around the park, connecting the camp ground to a number of new viewing platforms that overlook the dam.ꢀ

“This week, the ﬂoating pontoon was installed beside the concrete boat ramp, enabling boaters to safely enter and exit boats from the water’s edge. ꢀ

“The new Uniplan caretaker’s residence and kiosk looks fantastic and acts as a professional welcome mat as people drive through the front gate on the recently re-sealed road.ꢀ

“As this a family venue traﬃc calming devices have been installed to ease the speed of vehicles around the park.”ꢀ

Mr Marshall said over the next two months the ﬁnal stages of the redevelopment would be completed.ꢀ

“Progress on the communal hall is going well, with the frame for the 100-person venue taking shape,” he said.ꢀ

“Children will be excited to know the next cab oﬀ the rank is the splash-pool, which will provide relief from Inverell’s notoriously hot summers. ꢀ

“The new playground is still cordoned oﬀ, but once soft-fall is put down it to will be open.ꢀ “Every stage of this project has been designed to allow access for all, and I seriously think the tourism opportunities it presents will inject millions into the economy each year, helping it to rebuild after years of drought and the pandemic.”ꢀ

Mayor Paul Harmon said the popular camping area was now oﬃcially back open to the public.ꢀ “Over the pandemic, the Northern Foreshore has been closed, allowing the myriad contractors uninterrupted access to the various building sites,” Cr Harmon said.ꢀ

“This project has been a huge employer for the Inverell area, with between 50 and 55 people each day working on the diﬀerent elements.ꢀ

“Caretaker Tom is now taking bookings and Inverell is really looking forward to welcoming the return of visitors and economic beneﬁt that they will deliver to local hospitality and retail operators.”ꢀ

Source: Adam Marshall MP

$7.3 MILLION TO DEVELOP A ‘UNIVERSAL
LANGUAGE’ FOR BULL BREEDERS

Thursday, 10 December 2020 Photo: Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall got up close and personal with some of the Brahman cattle at the University of New England this morning during the $7.3 million beef genetics research project announcement.