I S S U E N O . 0 3 0 / / 2 1 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 MUNCaGre IfoNr oDur oIw nM comAmTunTityERS The Latest Local news, updates and announcements Successful Crackin' Christmas Carnival -“The Christmas Party Mungindi needed,” p13 © Anna Harrison W H A T ' S I N S I D E 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 S 05 COUNCIL SERVICES AND FACILITIES OPERATIONAL HOURS – CHRISTMAS PERIOD T N 08 PARKING IN MOREE CBD E T 09 LACK OF INFLOW FORCES ST GEORGE RESIDENTS TO MOVE TO LEVEL 3 WATER RESTRICTIONS N O 10 ST GEORGE TEMPORARY LIBRARY FULLY ACCESSIBLE C 11 NEW-LOOK COPETON DAM NORTHERN FORESHORE RE-OPENS FOR CHRISTMAS F O 12 $7.3 MILLION TO DEVELOP A ‘UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE’ FOR BULL BREEDERS E 13 Successful Crackin' Christmas Carnival -“The Christmas Party Mungindi needed,” L B 15 Thank you from the Trindall’s A T 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 Mungindi Matters Issue 030 21 December 2020 including: • Council Committee of the Whole • Mungindi Showground & Racecourse • General Manager’s Performance Review Committee Committee • Mungindi Youth Council • Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre Ltd Board • Weemelah Public Hall Management • Mungindi Crime Prevention Committee Committee • Road Network Consultative Group • 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 Mungindi Matters Issue 030 21 December 2020 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 Mungindi Matters Issue 030 21 December 2020 Management Facility) DATE MOREE LANDFILL VILLAGES LANDFILL OPENING HOURS OPENING HOURS Friday 25th December 2020 Closed All landfills closed Christmas Day – Public Holiday Saturday 26th December 2020 Open All landfills closed Boxing Day 9.00am – 1.00pm Mungindi - 9am - 11am Open Sunday 27th December 2020 Biniguy & Garah – 10am - 12pm 7.15am – 4.15pm Boomi & Pallamallawa – 1pm – 4pm Monday 28th December 2020 Open All landfills closed Boxing Day Public Holiday 9.00am – 1.00pm Open Mungindi – 3pm – 4.30pm Tuesday 29th December 2020 7.15am – 4.15pm Boggabilla – 1pm - 4pm Mungindi – 8am – 9.30am Open Wednesday 30th December 2020 Boomi & Biniguy – 10am - 12pm 7.15am – 4.15pm Garah & Pallamallawa – 1pm – 4pm Open Thursday 31st December 2020 Mungindi – 8am – 9.30am 7.15am – 4.15pm Friday 1st January 2021 Closed All landfills closed New Year’s Day public holiday 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 Mungindi Matters Issue 030 21 December 2020 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] Mungindi Matters Issue 030 21 December 2020 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.