I have just returned from a week of rest and relaxation which I desperately needed. You don’t realise how tired you are until you stop. I’m back now, all refreshed and looking forward to chipping away at State and Federal Governments for extra drought relief required for communities such as Forbes.

I was honoured and privileged to be reelected to the Local Government NSW Board at our recent conference. Local Government is constantly fighting for our communities across NSW and making sure we are not forgotten when it comes to investment.

Council is commencing upgrade work at the cemetery on the 4th November. The works that are being undertaken include lawn areas, a rose garden and paved edgings as well as general maintenance work. This work is much needed and we hopefully will have all the work complete by Christmas. The cemetery is a special place to our community and we need to look after it.

Just a reminder to all residents to shop locally, especially in the lead up to Christmas. Our shops are also doing it tough with the drought. There is really nothing you cannot buy in Forbes. This drought will end eventually and we need to make sure all our retail businesses survive. Keep your prayers up, rain is forecast for the end of the week.

It is great to see the work progress on the Camp Street Bridge and you may have noticed we have been keeping the water lower in this part of the lake to help with the construction work. Last week, Councillors had a presentation from the RMS and by all accounts, work is on schedule and going to plan. At this month’s Council meeting, Council voted unanimously not to change the name of the bridge and it will remain as is; Camp Street Bridge.

Many people are utilising our wonderful community venues at Lions Park and in Templar Street for recent events such as the Foodies Market, Grazing Down the Lachlan and Teddy Bear’s Picnic. We are very fortunate to be able to provide these spaces for outdoor dining and events such as these. If the recent numbers at these events are anything to go by, the community and visitors to our town also appreciate them.

Council is coming to the end of its term next year and I encourage those interest- ed in local politics to come along to see

It has been a very busy time over the last couple of weeks. Next week is the Local Government Annual Conference in Sydney. We form our policy platforms for the coming year after the conference, to remain in line with all government strategies presented.

Drought will no doubt be a “hot” topic this year as there appears to be no end in sight. NSW Water Minister, Melinda Pavey, has been excellent in getting a back log of projects up and running again. It was reported this week, in my media watch, that she walked into a room of bureaucrats having a closed door meeting. She reportedly announced that if there was anyone in the room that thought building dams was not a priority “to vacate the room immediately”. It’s about time we had a minister with some common sense and the ability to get jobs done.

Moxey Dairies are celebrating 100 years of dairy operations on Saturday. What a wonderful achievement and a big congratulations to all the family for such a mighty job they have done over the years. We are very proud to have them as residents of the Forbes Shire.

If you have seen me at all this week, you would have noticed I have been wearing the mighty Raiders jacket everywhere in support! I can’t wait to see them play come Grand Final day. Unfortunately I won’t be there in person but I will be glued to the TV none-the-less.

This week I have been in Sydney for the Sustaining the Regions Forum. The main issue on the table is the current drought and how we can continue to work together with other Councils in the areas such as water management, roads and transport, waste, environment and renewable energy. It is very clear not enough is being done for our drought affected rural communities and I hope together we can put pressure on the government to act. The current processes involved to get support from the government are cumbersome and tedious. I have spoken with Minister Melinda Pavey and Mark Coulton, who were also at the Forum, about the issue and that we want our State members to think outside the box and come to the table with a clear vision of how we can keep NSW producing the food and fibre our country needs.