Monthly Newsletter for the

Balranald Shire community and

friends

Balranald Shire Council Councilor Contact

Details

Mayor Steve O’Halloran

0428 201 301

Deputy Mayor Cr Leigh Byron

0418 530 782

Cr Lynda Cooke

03 5020 0471

Cr Elaine Campbell

0447 271 086

Cr Alan Purtill

0429 201 301

Cr Jeff Mannix

0409 783 075

Cr Trevor Jolliffe

03 5020 1597

Cr Ken Barnes

03 5038 2221

WHAT’S OPEN

Balranald Museum Open Monday, Wednesdays &

Fridays 10am to 12 noon

Balranald Library Monday & Friday

2pm - 5.30pm Wednesday

9am - 5.30pm

Day Care Monday 10am - 2pm

Thursday 10am - 2pm At the Day Centre at the Hospital

Phone Hospital 5071 9800

Seniors Club Meets every Friday 2pm

Senior Citizens Hall Phone Shirley 5020 1890

Hospital Auxiliary Meets 2nd Monday of the month

2.30pm at the Day Centre Phone Dawn 5020 1311

Health Advisory Council (HAC) 4th Monday of each month

at 7:00pm Contact 5071 9800

Swimming Pool Opening Hours Season Closed

Little Bunyips Playgroup Every Tuesday and Thursday 10am to 1pm - River Street Contact Lisa 0428 995 489

RMS Opening Hours 9.30am to 4pm

Tuesday to Friday Closed for lunch 1pm - 1.45pm

Call Centre 132 213

Newsletter Published by:

BALRANALD SHIRE COUNCIL

70 MARKET STREET (PO BOX 120)

BALRANALD NSW 2715

OFFICE HOURS 8.30AM TO 5.00PM

MONDAY TO FRIDAY

PH: 03 5020 1300 FAX: 03 5020 1620

AFTER HOURS EMERGENCIES 0418 322 902

ISS UE

June 2013

6

Balranald Shire Council Newsletter Issue 6, June 2013 www.ba l rana ld .n sw. gov. au

Coming Events NEWSLETTER

www.ba l rana ld .n sw. gov. au

12 July 24 July

Hospital Bus Dates

Swan Hill Mildura

9 July Robinvale & District Aeromodellers Club meeting 7pm @ Royal Hotel Euston

9 & 10 July NAIDOC Celebrations 2013 Celebrate @ Mungo with activities including archaeological tours, displays and bush tucker. Transport available from Outback Geo Adventures Phone 0497 185 040 for pricing and bookings. For further information please call Buronga National Parks and Wildlife office on 5021 8900.

18 July Balranald Hospital Auxiliary Ploughman's Luncheon 12pm - 1.30pm BDESM Club function room $12 / head

21July Field & Game, Homebush Recreation

Reserve. Refreshments & amenities

available. All welcome. Contact Chris

Camin 0408 053 903.

12 July 13 July 19 July 20 July 26 July 27 July

Euston Club Entertainment Lindsay Ferguson Duo Brad May Brad May Viktor Brank James Herberte Iwan and Andrea Duo

29 August Save the date! Positive Partnerships

workshop for parents/carers of school

age students on the Autism spectrum.

More details to come.

COMMUNITY GENERAL INTEREST

Sing Australia Meets every Monday evening at the Presbyterian Church @ 7.30pm - all welcome

Men's Shed Tues & Thurs 10am Heritage Park Take Off Weight Naturally Club at Multipurpose Centre (Hospital) Mondays 5.30pm Contact Kathy 0407 304 922

Optometrist (from Deniliquin) last Wednesday of the month, appointments @ Balranald Chemist

Balranald Wool Centre meet 3rd Friday of month, 11am till 3pm @ The Gallery. New members are most welcome to come and join in.

Balranald CWA Meet fourth Thursday in each month @ 2pm Contact June Spinks (Secretary) 5020 1774

Balranald Hospital Auxiliary every 2nd Monday of the Month @ 2:30pm at Senior Citizens Centre

CanAssist Balranald Branch Every 2nd Mon of Month @ 4pm at Balranald Senior Citizens Centre

Sunraysia Hearing Clinic Every 4th Wednesday of the month @ Balranald Hospital call 1800432748

Robinvale & Dist. Aeromodellers Club Each Sunday 9am Wewak Rd Robinvale.

Narelle’s Driving School Ph 0402 782 597 email narellet08@y7mail.com web www.keys2drive.com.au

Rubbish Tip Hours

BALRANALD

1st May to 31st July

Tuesday 4.00 - 6.00pm

Thursday 4.00 - 6.00pm

Saturday 10.00am - 1.00pm

Sunday 10.00am - 3.00pm

EUSTON

Effective 1st April 2011

Tuesday 1.00pm - 6.00pm

Thursday 1.00pm - 6.00pm

Sunday 9.00am - 3.00pm

Tip Tokens are

available from Councils office,

Visitor Information Centre and CC’s Diner and Takeaway

(Caltex, Market Street).

Council Website

www.balranald.nsw.gov.au

Bridge swings into action

Balranald T.O.W.N Club Venue Change

Please note that the venue for T.O.W.N meetings has changed. Meetings will now be held at the Multi-Purpose building situated within the Hospital grounds from 6.00pm each Monday. Please contact Kathy on 0407 304 922 for further information.

Upgrade to Heritage Park Streetscape An upgrade to the Heritage Park streetscape is well underway with new lawn and watering system, landscaping and pavement work currently being undertaken. This project has been funded by the Riverina Red Gum Regional Employment and Community Development Fund and will enhance the appearance of the park entrance. In the coming months residents will see the commencement of construction for the new visitor and interpretive centre. The facility will include new public amenities, playground, café, bus shelter and interpretive

nodes. During the construction stage there will be changes to traffic conditions around Heritage Park from time to time and residents are advised to take care.

The swing bridge construction across the Bidgee has now been completed, with only minor adjustment work, and Court Street entrance landscaping to be undertaken in the next few weeks. The bridge has been funded under the NSW Government’s Riverina Red Gum Regional Employment and Community Development Fund and will provide a significant boost to the Shire’s tourism attractions. The river walk is a joint project funded by Balranald Shire Council and NSW Roads and

Maritime Service (RMS) and will provide residents and visitors with an opportunity to experience the river, the wildlife and the serenity of this picturesque location. It is expected that the project will be completed by mid-July (weather permitting). When completed the trail will feature seating and picnic tables. Council have extended an invitation to The Hon. Robyn Parker MP Minister for Environment and Heritage, to officially open the swing bridge in early September.

Child & Family Health Nurse

Change of days

Monday: Balranald 9.00am - 3.00pm Tuesday: Euston 10.00am - 1.00pm

Wednesday: Balranald 9.00am - 3.00pm

For emergencies call the Hospital on 03 5071 9800

Immunisation Clinic

Second Monday of the month 9.30am-11.30am July 8 August 12 September 9 October 7 November 11 December 9

Clinics will be cancelled if a Medical Officer is unavailable on these dates.

Market Street parking

Council is aware of the importance of parking accessibility in Market Street for customers and visitors, as well as business owners and staff.

To increase parking in Market Street, Council is keen to promote other off-street parking areas to business owners and staff, thus leaving centrally located spaces available for customers and visitors.

There are a number of conveniently located off-street car parking facilities available in Balranald in the following locations:

Behind Elders building, accessible from

either Mayall Street or River Street

Streets adjacent to Market Street

Calling all history buffs

The Balranald History Group wish to thank those who offered information on the Rifle Butts and are now seeking information, documents and photographs of interest on the history of the district:

Burial sites that are located on properties

Stage coach stops (has anyone information of a

coach driver who died and was buried in Balranald?)

Information, documentation and photos remain the property of the owner and will be scanned and returned.

Please contact Linda Nelson on 0409 439 499 or Beth Harrison on 0428 500 444

New location for CanAssist

Balranald CanAssist has relocated to 92A Market Street (old Mallee Family Care office). The office is open Wednesdays from 2pm - 4pm with varying hours on other days at present. For further information, please contact Kirstyn on 0448 158 709 or Karen on 0404 842 037

Balranald

Visitor

Information

Centre

Cnr Market and River Streets

Open Daily

10.00am to 4.00pm

Phone 03 5020 1599

CountryLink tickets and

fishing licences can be

purchased from the

Visitor Information Centre

Local Shuttle Service now available

From the

Mayor’s Office

Mayor Steve O’Halloran

Deputy Mayor Leigh Byron

Recognise a

Volunteer

in your

community

The NRMA Helping People

Awards gives hard-working

volunteers who donate their

time for charities in NSW

and ACT the recognition

they deserve.

Winners in each of the

categories will receive a

$5,000 donation towards

the charity they volunteer

for and a holiday for two to

the value of $2,500.

For more information on

the categories or to

nominate online go to

www.mynrma.com.au/

helpingpeopleawards

Entries close on Wednesday

31 July 2013.

Balranald Early

Learning

Centre Inc

Hours of Operation are:

Monday to Friday

8.30am to 5.30pm

Full and Half days are

available

Open School Holidays

Services available:

Child Care, Pre-school

Program,

After School Care,

Vocational Care

For more information

please contact the

Centre on 50201221 or

drop in at

132 Harben St Balranald

Next Council Meeting 16 July 2013

Balranald and Euston Police

are urging the community to

come forward immediately if

they have heard or witnessed

something untoward or

suspicious and to not let

crimes go unreported.

Crime such as theft,

harassment, assault or

intimidation can not be

investigated unless a report

is made to Police.

Residents are also urged to

keep an eye on their

neighbouring properties and

surrounds for any unusual

occurrences or behaviour.

To report a crime call:

Balranald Police

03 50201404

Euston Police

03 50263101

Crime Stoppers

1800 333 000

or 000

Don’t Let Crime

Go Unreported

Outback Geo Adventures shuttle service, locally owned by German Ugarte and Paulina Fica provides a low cost local transport service for the community. This service can be utilised for short or long trips with varying prices, depending on distance. Short trips within Balranald (7am-6pm) start from $5 per person per drop and from 6pm - 11pm from $8 per person per drop. The Service is offered 7 days a week. Longer trips such as Homebush, Kyalite, Swan Hill, Euston, Robinvale and group deals are also available. Prices on application. It is essential to pre-book this service, so please contact German on 0497 185 040 to book.

Pictured at the official opening of the service from left to right: Connie Mallet, Balranald Inc, Mayor Steve O’Halloran and German Ugarte

Community Building Partnership Program opens

This grant program is an opportunity for community groups to receive funding for infrastructure projects that benefit the local Murray-Darling community and Member for Murray-Darling, John Williams is encouraging community organisations to apply.

This program will also support the local economy through the creation of construction jobs and businesses benefiting from infrastructure delivery.

For more information contact the Murray-Darling Electorate Offices in Broken Hill on (08) 8087 3315 or Deniliquin on (03) 5881 7034 or visit www.communitybuildingpartnership.nsw.gov.au for information and to apply.

Applications close on 31 July 2013

On Wednesday 26 June, the Balranald Interagency Network, Balranald Shire Council and Families NSW hosted a Services Expo themed “what does Balranald have for you” to residents within the Shire. The morning session began with a networking forum, highlighting the vast range of services on offer while allowing service providers to network, build connections and identify with other services available. The afternoon session opened to the public with a free luncheon and the opportunity to explore the vast range of services on offer within the Shire and to connect with service providers. Overall, the Expo has been hailed as a great success by both residents and agencies in attendance. From feedback received, Balranald

Interagency will consider hosting an Expo and networking forum each year. A big thank you to all service providers who attended and the community who participated in the Expo, ensuring its success.

Jessica Leggatt, Balranald Central School student and school based apprentice has won the prestigious Riverina School Based Trainee Award for the 2013 receiving top honours for her exceptional work in the aged care sector.

Jessica completed work experience at the Balranald Hospital and decided that aged care was a career she would like to pursue. She has been working at Bidgee Haven since July 2012 through a school based apprenticeship.

Jessica’s nomination for Apprentice of the Year included presenting her resume with a detailed written submission. Jessica passed through this stage and then attended an interview - something she has never done before.

Jessica’s application was wholly supported by the excited staff at Bidgee Haven Hostel, who also supported Paige Bruton through this process which she won in 2011.

Jessica will head to Sydney this month to interview for a place in the State Finals, and in September will attend an Awards Presentation where the state winner will be announced.

The Councillors and staff at Balranald Shire Council could not be prouder of Jessica and wish her the best of luck with the State Finals and her career in aged care.

If you’re aged between 16 and 22 and live outside the big cities, enter the Heywire competition to be heard. Tell your story using video, audio, photos or text and upload it to abc.net.au/haywire

Winning stories are featured on the ABC and winners score an all-expenses paid trip to the prestigious Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra. Entries close on 16 September.

Web: abc.net.au/haywire Facebook: abcheywire Twitter: @haywire Phone: 1800 26 26 46

Services Expo hailed a success

Council adopts 2014 budget Council at its June meeting adopted the 2013/14 Operational Plan. This plan will provide the financial resources and the strategic direction of Council over the next 12 months.

Councils budgeted expenditure is over $17M with nearly $7M in capital works, which include the Interpretative Centre Project, Construction of a new filtered water main for the delivery of filtered water to Malcolm Street, renovation of the old baby health centre to create a new Court House for Balranald, upgrade of another section of the main street project and reconstruction of Market Street between Cally and River Streets by the Roads and Maritime Services.

Jessica Leggatt Apprentice of the Year

Council’s Deputy Mayor Leigh Byron, Director Corporate Services Robert Rayner, Director Economic & Community Development Robyn Ryan, Director Infrastructure & Development John Stevenson and I met with the Euston Club CEO, Mr Ray Jones to discuss upcoming events within the Shire, including Carabou promotions Half Marathon event and scheduled Motorhome Rally for Robinvale/Euston in 2014 to identify what shire involvement may be required. I had the tremendous honour and privilege to preside at the launch of a new business within Balranald Shire; Outback GEO Adventures and Shuttle Bus. Congratulations to German Ugarte and Paulina Fica for providing this much needed service. Council wish you all the best with your venture. The General Manager and I recently met with the Mayor and General Manager of Wakool Shire Council in Moulamein. Together we issued a joint press release maintaining our stance on the existing Local Government areas. We agreed that if any opportunities arose the two Shires would work together, sharing and utilising resources. Wakool Shire has written to the Roads and Maritime Services Minister expressing its frustration that the only crossing over the Murray River (at Murray Downs) with all its approvals to progress the construction of a new lift span bridge continues to be in limbo. The Local Land Services (LLS) boundaries are now set in place. LLS are the new regional service delivery bodies that will replace Catchment Management Authorities, Livestock Health & Pest Authorities and incorporate agricultural advisory services currently provided by Agriculture NSW. The General Manager and I attended a Western Division meeting in Hillston where there was plenty of debating about the future of the Western Division of Local Government due to the discussion paper produced by the Independent Local Government Review Panel. Since its formation in 1957, our Shire can be proud of the delivery and achievements for our ratepayers and visitors. The Deputy Mayor, General Manager and I attended the National General Assembly in Canberra and met with various Ministers. The National General Assembly was heavily focused on the importance of the yes vote for Constitutional Recognition of Local Governments. There were many good presentations and I felt Mr Fred Chaney gave an address that focused on a lack of participation in Government processes in rural Australia.