Coolamon Shire Residents Guide Revised September 2015 1 INDEX Introduction to Coolamon Shire 2 Welcome to Coolamon Shire 3 Coolamon Shire Council Contact Details 4 Shire Statistics 4 Members of Council, Council Meetings, Staff 5 Members of Parliament 6 Emergency Services 7-8 Community Health 9 Companion Animals 10 Allawah Community Care, Community Transport etc 11-12 Home Care Service, Volunteers 12 Household Utility Providers 13 Garbage, Recycling, Landfill 14-18 Library 19 Educational Facilities 20 Youth, Events, Tourism 21 Swimming Pools at Home 22 Community Directory for the towns of:- Coolamon 24 Ganmain 34 Ardlethan 38 Marrar 41 Matong 43 Beckom 45 www.coolamon.nsw.gov.au This guide has been compiled to assist residents with services available in the Coolamon Shire and is provided free of charge by Coolamon Shire Council. Every endeavour has been made to ensure that the details appearing in this publication are correct at the time of printing but Council accepts no responsibility for any inaccuracy or mis-description, whether by inclusion or omission. To advise of amendments, please phone Council on 6930 1800. 1 An Introduction to Coolamon Shire Community Profile Coolamon Shire enjoys the best of both worlds – the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of rural living, with the services and facilities normally found only in much larger centres. Although wheat has been cultivated in the area since 1850, the town of Coolamon which the Shire is centred on - was established about the time when the railway arrived in 1881. The Shire was proclaimed on 3 March 1906. Today, Coolamon Shire has an area of approximately 2494 square kilometers and a population of 4099, comprising the three larger towns of Coolamon, Ganmain and Ardlethan and the smaller villages of Marrar, Matong and Beckom. Whilst the area has grown since its establishment, the value of past effort is nevertheless appreciated with many heritage buildings and items receiving protection and being maintained under Council’s Local Environmental Plan. Chief amongst these is the Up-To-Date Store – incorporating the Mavis Furner Collection, the Garth Jones Collection, and the Lamson Cash Conveyance System, which are of State heritage value. The Coolamon Shire is one of the riches agricultural and pastoral districts in the Riverina. Surrounded by Bland, Narrandera, Junee and Temora Shires and the City of Wagga Wagga the district is renowned for its production of wheat, canola, barley, oats and other cereal crops, as well as hay and chaff. Wool, lamb and beef are also important products from the area, with emerging agricultural enterprises. The Shire of Coolamon comprises the towns and villages of : Coolamon Ganmain Ardlethan Marrar Matong Beckom 2 WELCOME TO COOLAMON SHIRE On behalf of the Coolamon Shire Council "Welcome". The name "Coolamon" is an Aboriginal word meaning "dish or vessel for holding food or water" and on an 1870 map of the area, a cluster of numerous water holes were referred to as "Coolamon Holes", prior to the gazetting of the town of Coolamon in 1881. The Coolamon Shire is reputed to be one of the richest agricultural and pastoral districts in the Riverina and enjoys the best of both worlds - the comfortable relaxed atmosphere of rural living, whilst having a close proximity to the facilities, amenities and entertainment of Wagga Wagga. The Shire has a total population of 4,099 separated into the three larger towns of Coolamon as the main centre, Ganmain and Ardlethan, and the smaller townships of Marrar, Matong and Beckom. 3 COOLAMON SHIRE COUNCIL CONTACT DETAILS Coolamon Shire Council, P.O. Box 101, Coolamon NSW 2701 Council Chambers is situated at 55 Cowabbie Street, Coolamon Telephone: (02) 6930 1800 Fax: (02) 6927 3168 Office Hours: General Business: - 8.30am to 5.00pm Cashier: 8.30am to 4.30pm SHIRE STATISTICS Area of Shire Population (2011 census) 249,609 hectares Ardlethan 364 Coolamon 2129 Ganmain 614 2,494 sq kilometres Beckom 218 (963 sq miles) Marrar 169 Matong 305 Rural 300 TOTAL 4099 4 MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL Mayor Clr John Seymour, "Glen Iris", Marrar ph: 6927 5144 [email protected] Deputy Mayor Clr Bruce Hutcheon, 100 Millwood Rd, Coolamon ph: 6927 3439 [email protected] Councillors Clr Grant Beard, 28 Ariah St., Ardlethan ph: 6978 2190 [email protected] Clr Dennis Brill, ‘Erinvale’ Dullah Road Ganmain ph: 6927 8266 [email protected] Clr Bec Huxtable, 23 Curtis St, Coolamon ph: 6927 3810 [email protected] Clr Kerrilee Logan, 64 Langham St, Ganmain ph: 6927 6379 [email protected] Clr David McCann,122Devlin St,Coolamon ph: 6927 2379 [email protected] Clr Kathy Maslin, ‘Inglewood’, Beckom ph: 6978 3810 [email protected] Clr Alan White, Lot 203 Lock St, Marrar ph: 6927 4406 [email protected] COUNCIL MEETINGS Council conducts the majority of its business in an open forum. The only exceptions being those matters pertaining to staff, litigation and the private business of individuals where confidentiality has been requested. Ordinary Meetings of Council are held on the third Thursday of every month commencing at 2pm pm and generally conclude around 6.00 pm. All ratepayers are welcome to attend. A Business Agenda for each meeting is prepared on the second Wednesday of each month which will be available on Council’s website. Any person wishing to bring a matter before Council should lodge it with the General Manager by that day. GENERAL MANAGER Mr Tony Donoghue EXECUTIVE MANAGER, CORPORATE & COMMUNITY SERVICES Mrs Courtney Armstrong EXECUTIVE MANAGER, ENGINEERING & TECHNICAL SERVICES Mr Tony Kelly MANAGER PLANNING & ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES Mr Scott Martin 5 MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT The Federal Member for Riverina is:- The Hon. Michael McCormack MP Suite 2, 11-15 Fitzmaurice Street Wagga Wagga 2650 Ph: 6921 4600 Fax: 6921 5900 Email: [email protected] STATE GOVERNMENT The Local Member for Cootamundra is:- The Hon. Katrina Hodgkinson’ PO Box 268 Junee NSW 2663 Ph: 0458 400 187 Email: [email protected] 6 EMERGENCY SERVICES NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE All fire calls are to be directed to "000" (Emergency Calls Only) Coolamon Shire Council administers 13 Rural Fire Brigades in its area. Persons interested in joining their local Rural Fire Brigade are asked to contact Rural Fire Service on 6931 5855. The Bushfire Danger Period for the whole of the State is from 1st October to the 31st March. Duties of owners and occupiers of land to prevent bushfires. Under Section 63 Rural Fires Act, 1997 (2) It is the duty of the owner or occupier of land to take the notified steps and any other practicable steps to prevent the occurrence of bushfires on, and to minimise the danger of the spread of bushfires on or from, that land. FIREBREAK REQUIREMENTS At present Council requires the owner or occupier of any land within the Shire, exceeding 4 hectares (10 acres) in area, to make and maintain firebreaks surrounding the entire property, or as near as practicable thereto by ploughing to a width of not less than 3 metres. Such work must be completed by 31st October and where land is under crop by 30th November. Where stripping is carried out prior to 30th November, firebreaks must be established prior to such stripping. Where it is intended to carry out clover harvesting and the clover paddock to be harvested is located on the boundary of a property, landholders are required to establish a firebreak by ploughing to a width of not less than 10 metres along such boundary. Where a property has an area of less than 4 hectares and is a bushfire risk to adjoining land and the community, the owner and/or occupier will be issued a bushfire hazard reduction notice. If this notice is not complied with, within the said timeframe an infringement notice will be issued consisting of 2 Penalty Units (1 penalty unit equals $110) FIRE HAZARD COMPLAINTS Regarding overgrown blocks of land – if land is privately owned please phone Wagga RFS (Rural Fire Service) on 6931 5855 to report. If land is owned by Coolamon Shire Council please phone Council on 6930 1800. 7 PERMITS TO BURN During the bushfire danger season 1st October to 31st March, any person who wishes to light a fire in the open during this time is required to obtain a permit. The decision as to when permits will be issued, subject to the standard conditions on the permit book rests entirely with the Group Captain of each group in consultation with each brigade Captain in the group. The imposition of a Total Fire Ban renders a "Permit to Burn" null and void. Coolamon Shire Council encourages all residents to take a pro-active approach towards fire safety. FIRE NOTE: In an Emergency always phone 000 STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE (S.E.S.) phone 132 500 POISONS INFORMATION CENTRE phone 131 126 POLICE In an Emergency always phone 000 Yithan Street Ardlethan Police Station ARDLETHAN NSW 2665 Phone: 02 6978 2044 56 Loughnan Coolamon Police Station COOLAMON NSW 2701 PH: 02 6927 3044 Ganmain Police Station 44 Langham Street GANMAIN NSW 2702 PH: 02 6927 6444 Wagga Wagga Police Station PH: 6921 0544 8 COOLAMON - GANMAIN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICE AND PROVIDER FREQUENCY OF HOW TO MAKE VENUE OF SERVICE NAME SERVICE APPOINTMENTS Community, Domiciliary Coolamon, Ganmain, Monday – Friday Community Nurse, Clare Munro Marrar and Matong 6927 3303 & 0427693281 Aged Care Assessment Home Visits as necessary Phone or fax as instructed on referral form. Graham Coates 1300 389 929 Asthma Educator Coolamon Community Health Centre Monthly