Temora Shire News

Mayor Peter Speirs agreed fruit fly was becoming an increasing problem across the district. He emphasised the importance of residents playing their part in the battle against fruit fly. In the meantime, Cr Speirs said Council could research the cost of a proper eradication campaign.

According to Department of Primary Industries guidelines for residents, a vital part of fighting fruit fly is proper orchard hygiene. Unwanted fruit trees should be removed from around houses, sheds and boundary fences, and all house trees should be kept free of fruit fly. more ..

CCTV Close to Completion - 26 Aug 2008
Work is still progressing on the installation of Temora's new main street security camera network. Councils General Manager, Gary Lavelle advised that the mounting poles for cameras would shortly be installed on the two roundabouts in Hoskins Street.

Two banner poles have alraedy been installed on the roundabout at the intersection of Hoskins and Parkes Street, each fitted with a different style of banner. At the recent Assets & Operations Committee it was recommended to Council to support the larger of the two styles of banners, which has outrigger brackets at both top and bottom. This was endorsed by Council at its August meeting.

Under the proposed Central Business District surveillance system, Hoskins Street will have complete coverage for at least the five blocks between Britannia and Polaris Streets. Initially, camera poles will be placed at two locations in Hoskins Street, on the roundabouts at the Victoria and Parkes Street intersections.

Another will be earmarked for a proposed future roundabout at the Loftus Street intersection. Each of the black camera poles will be flanked by several of the smaller 1.8 metre banner poles, which will display the town logo. Meanwhile, each of the main mounting poles will have five closed circuit security cameras.

It is planned that four cameras will cover each of the streets leading away from the two roundabouts. The fifth camera on each pole will be able to be controlled remotely, so the operator can point it at a designated target.

The intersections with cameras will also cover at least a block to the east and west, meaning most of the centre of town will be covered. The necessary fibre-optic cabling has been in place for several months, awaiting the installation of the poles and cameras.

Cameras are already in place in Federal, Gloucester and Callaghan Parks and will also form part of the surveillance network. more ..

Sporting Grounds Policy on Trial - 20 Aug 2008
A new policy governing the use of local sporting grounds has been adopted by Temora Shire Council and will be trialled for the next 12 months.

The policy was ratified by Council at its July meeting, in line with recommendations from the Assets & Operations Committee. Under the new policy, booking of all games and grounds will need to be through Council, before each season starts. Finalised copies of draws will also need to be submitted to Temora & District Sports Council (TDSC). In addition, all sporting clubs using Council's grounds will need to provide Council with copies of their public liability forms and a list of current office bearers.

Any booking disputes will be adjudicated by Council, in conjunction with TDSC. According to the policy, priority will be given to clubs which meet all commitments under the policy.

Council will also have the final say in whether a sporting ground is to be closed if weather conditions are unsuitable. Cr Rick Firman moved the adoption of the policy for a 12 month trial, seconded by Cr Fred Meale. The motion was put to a vote and carried unanimously. more ..

Tourists flock to Visitor Centre - 20 Aug 2008
Temora Visitor Information Centre (VIC) has enjoyed a busy few months, handling enquiries from hundreds of visitors to the district. According to Temora Shire Council's Tourist Officer, Ann Pike, the VIC had almost 380 visitors last month, during which period more than $1,000 in sales were also recorded. During the month, the centre's volunteers put in almost 65 hours of their time. The VIC continues to receive requests from other communities for information on Temora, including local tourism brochures and relocation packs, and information on the aviation museum and details of local accommodation.

Ms Pike reported the centre was meanwhile in the process of having more copies printed of the local Stroll Around the Streets brochure, and was awaiting the arrival of a newly-designed map of the town, which would hopefully occur by the begining of September.

The VIC has started selling joint tickets for Temora Aviation Museum and Temora Rural Museum. The tickets, which are also available from local motels, have reportedly been well received and offer visitors a discount of a couple of dollars per person. more ..

Expression of Interest - Aqua Aerobics - 19 Aug 2008
Temora Shire Council is seeking Expressions of Interest of appropriately trained local individual/organisations to conduct Aqua Aerobics classes at Temora and Ariah Park Swimming Pools from November 2008 to March 2009.

Frequency and duration of classes are open for discussion and suggestions should be included in any Expression of Interest which must be submitted to Council prior to Friday, 29th August, 2008.

Expressions of Interest should also include a proposed cost share arrangement including total fee proposed for each class.

Further information may be obtained from Council's Director of Environmental Services, Mr Kris Dunstan on (02) 6980 1100. more ..

Temora Shire Council Election - 19 Aug 2008
Ten prospective Temora Shire Councillors are as follows and will appear on the September 13 ballot paper as:

FIRMAN Rick

MEALE Fred

COATES Graham

COLWILL Trevor

SMITH Ken

JUDD Nigel

SINCLAIR Graham

BROAD Irene

SPEIRS Peter

SCHLIEBS Rachel

In Temora the Local Government Elections will hold some extra historical significance as the 2004 referendum result to reduce the number of councillors to nine will be enforced.

Voters will go to the polls on Saturday 13 September to elect their new Council, which will guide the shire through the next four (4) years. more ..

Information Bay Advertising - 19 Aug 2008
Information Bay Advertising is Available Now.

Contact Ann Pike at the Temora Visitor Information Centre on 6977 1511 to book your space.

Limited spaces available. more ..

Native Approach to Hillview Park Upgrade - 14 Aug 2008
Temora Tidy Towns Committee has taken a fresh focus on board, with more of an emphasis on local activities and education, rather than directing its energies to entering the annual Tidy Towns Competition. An upgrade of Hillview Park, beautification of tourist information bays, Brown's Dam tidy up and beautification, and business/industry clean up days have been flagged as proposed projects for the committee to focus on.

Regular clean up days will continue to be held throughout the community, including the bulk item collection for pensioners and scrap metal collection, and the Adopt-A-Road program will also carry on.

The Hillview Park upgrade, for example, was discussed at the July Committee Meeting, with the suggestion that it does not need to be like other parks in Temora, but perhaps a place where native shrubs, etc, are planted.

Information plaques indicating what the plants are, as well as some picnic tables, park benches, etc, could make the park a popular destination for local families, or tourists keen to observe native plantings.

With further investigation being carried out into the upgrade, Hillview Park will be among the items on the agenda for the next meeting. Any further information can be obtained from Miss Kellie Lewis. more ..

Television Focus for Temora Rural Museum - 11 Aug 2008
An exciting opportunity awaits Temora's award-winning Rural Museum, which may soon feature on television screens across the world. The museum has been chosen as the location for the shoot of a pilot episode of a television series, which will feature items and artefact's of Australian Heritage. The 13 part series, which is planned for Australian and international distribution, will be produced by multi-award winning producers, Robin Newell and Keith Stevenson (who has recently moved into the Temora district), through their production company, Thought Films www.thoughtfilms.com .

For the museum, and Temora district, there is the potential for valuable tourism exposure to a national and international audience. Local residents also have the chance to be involved, invited to take along items of historical significance for evaluation, and the possibility of being included in the show. Temora Rural Museum Director, Bill Speirs is delighted the museum was chosen to host the important pilot.

Mr Speirs encouraged the public to take the opportunity to discover more about historical items they may have themselves. Filming gets underway at the museum at 10:30 AM on Tuesday 19th August and Wednesday 20th August.

For further information contact the Temora Rural Museum. more ..

Building Australia Day - 11 Aug 2008
Temora Shire Australia Day Council (TSADC) will continue to build on a successful shire format of January 26 celebrations. TSADC reviewed 2009 activities and discussed plans for Australia Day 2009 when it held its annual general meeting.

Cr Nigel Judd was re-elected as Chairman for a third term, Cr Graham Sinclair was re-appointed as Vice Chairman, Cr Firman as Secretary and Beth Firman as Treasurer. Members of the TSADC committee elected were Rex Bryant, Cr Graham Coates, Cr Irene Broad, Mrs Gwen Fairman and new member, Sarah Lennon.

TSADC resolved to again hold Australia Day celebrations at the lake in the evening and Ariah Park for breakfast. It was also resolved to investigate costs for special badges to Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year recipients. Another suggestion was adopted, to include a senior community member to deliver an address on "What Australia Day means to me". School student representatives speaking along the same them will continue. TSADC also resolved to introduce a special award, to be known as the "Australia Day Award" to an individual or local group. Judging of Australia Day awards will again be conducted by the nine Temora Shire Councillors and four community representatives on TSADC.

more ..

Information Bays to Promote Events - 06 Aug 2008
At the July Council meeting a number of recommendations for the best way to allow advertising on the new Tourist Information Bays were discussed.

A report to the meeting by the Tourism Officer, Ann Pike, said the first of the four planned information bays had been erected and was now at the stage where advertising could be sold.

A map of the shire with a legend will be included in the wall which faces the east. The side that faces west, originally the service clubs, were going to be invited to put their logo and meeting times but, after inspection of their signage, it has been decided the present signs are in excellent condition and more visible in the current location. A suggestion has come forward to use the west side panel of the bay as a place to promote upcoming events.

Council moved that the coming events section of the bay be enabled to hold laminated A3 sheets (advising of monthly upcoming events). Which could be produced at Council and replaced as necessary. It was also resolved that a policy be drawn up governing which activities could be advertised on teh coming events section. more ..

Temora Business Enterprise Group Executive Elected - 06 Aug 2008
The following are the executive of TBEG 

Mr Michael Harper - Chairman.

Lindy Reinhold - Secretary

Wendy Pinney - Treasurer

Debbie Davidge - Snr Vice President

Rick Friman - Jnr Vice President

Portfolio Managers

Retail - Lindy Reinhold

Tourism & Hospitality - Ian Nicholas

Training & Education - Sue Lester

Professional Services & Member Services to be filled.

  more ..

Interagency Focus on Mental Health - 30 Jul 2008
Mental health services in Temora Shire will be a major focus of Temora Interagency at upcoming meetings.

At a well attended July meeting of Interagency, a need to address the provision of mental health services and how they can be assessed, emerged as a priority. There were simple, but vital, questions which needed to be addressed - "How do you get help?" "Who is out there?" and "What are the phone numbers to ring?". Temora Interagency continues to build momentum as a valuable networking group and forum for enhancing services to the community.

Temora Shire Councils Community Services Officer, Mrs Karen McLaren said plans were underway to more formally establish a structure for Interagency and determine terms of reference. Interagency has been meeting on a regular basis for a number of years, but waning interest earlier this year prompted to re-think of how to effectively involve the greatest number of service providers and best serve the Temora district.

Compiling a database of service providers is a project which Interagency has taken up in earnest and one which is beginning to yield results. There is a need to get the information out there for example through Narraburra News or a community noticeboard.

Interagency will next meet at Temora's CTC (Community Technology Centre), adjoining Temora Library on Wednesday, 13th August, 2008. more ..

New Look RTA Agency - 30 Jul 2008
The Temora Agency of Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has undergone a facelift, aimed at improving customer service and accessibility. Temora Shire Councils Director of Administration & Finance, Steve Firth, said the changes had been necessitated by the agency's high customer turnover. Of the 13 agencies which come under RTA Central Processing at Parkes, Temora has consistently had the highest transaction numbers. The old set up, which had only one customer service point, was not deemed sufficient particularly at busy times. Now there are tow service points and upgraded technical equipment, which will provide better service to customers.

The area assigned for learner driver knowledge tests has also been enhanced, moved from the main customer service point to a more private position at the end of the new L shaped counter. Mr Firth said the upgrade had been carried out with as minimal days closure of the agency as possible, with local tradesmen, RTA and TSC staff, working through the weekend and into the night to get the job completed.  more ..

National Tree Day - School Planting Project - 30 Jul 2008
The Ex-Combaning South School site had dozens of people on the area on National Tree Day for Schools (Friday, 25 July) to work at revegetating the site.  A project involving Temora Shire Council, Temora West Public School, Lachlan Catchment Management Authority, Combaning-Dirnaseer Landcare, Wagga Wagga Rural Lands Protection Board, Combaning-Springdale Heritage Committee and Greening Australia.

Students from Years Five & Six worked for several hours to plant more than 400 young native trees on the 1.5 hectare site. more ..

Congratulations to Temora Aviation Museum - 30 Jul 2008
Temora Shire Council would like to congratulate the Temora Aviation Museum for recently being announced the Best Tourist Attraction in Country New South Wales. Temora Aviation Museum performed brilliantly at the 2008 CountryLink Inland NSW Tourism Awards, winning two of the three categories in which it was a finalist, and distinction for the third.

The first category was the award for Heritage and Cultural Tourism for which they were a finalist, second category was for Festivals and Events, with the museum one of three finalists, nominated for its regular flying weekends. The winner was the CountryLink Parks Elvis Festival, however, the museum was presented with an award of distinction. The third category was for Best Tourist Attraction, which the Temora Aviation Museum won.

By winning the two categories the Temora Aviation Museum automatically qualifies for the NSW State Tourism Awards in the relevant categories.

Congratulations is also forwarded to Lindsay & Rita Bromfield of Ariah Park, whose Country Carriage Bed and Breakfast was one of three finalists for Best Unique Accommodation. more ..

Temora Shire Council Election - 29 Jul 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008

Thinking of nominating as a candidate for your local Council?

If so it is important that you read this notice. As a candidate you have certain obligations and responsibilities under law. Check the website www.elections.nsw.gov.au and www.efa.nsw.gov.au for further details. more ..

Temora Shire Arts Council Annual Charity Concert - 29 Jul 2008
The Temora Shire Arts Council is again promoting this concert to assist Redkite (formerly known as the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children) and the local CanAsist fund.

Music students of school age, especially the younger ones, are invited to present pieces of their choice to an audience at the Temora Town Hall on Saturday afternoon, August 16, the concert commencing at 4:30 PM. Children who like to recite poetry, dance, act out a mime, or a short skit, will be very welcome to perform.

Details of intending items for the concert, should be given to Kathleen Hilder, 6977 4846 or Ruth Fritsch 6978 0614 by August 9 so as program can be organise, and the performers will have an idea of a time slot.

The larger concert program for persons of all ages will be on September 20. This will include music of various types, dancing, poetry and more.

Being a Saturday night concert, this is expected to make a great outing for the weekend. The Arts Council hopes that local people will rally to support these charities. more ..

Sporting Men Honoured - 23 Jul 2008
Years of dedication to local sport by two Temora men was rewarded last week, when they were presented with a Commonwealth Sport Achievement Awards.

Neil Martin and Bill Schwencke were presented with the awards by Federal Member for Riverina, Kay Hull, during a ceremony at Temora Shire Council.

The Commonwealth Sport Achievement Award recognises dedicated local residents who have contributed to sport in the community, whether as an outstanding athlete, or as a dedicated volunteer.

Mr Schwencke was nominated for his vast contribution to greyhound racing in Temora since 1965 and Mr Neil Martin was honoured for his commitment to several local sports over the years, predominantly bowls, golf and trotting. more ..

Temora Food Services - 22 Jul 2008
Meals on Wheels

The Temora Food Service is calling for expressions of interest to provide the following:

Freshly cooked meals that consist of: Main Meal, Sweets, Soup.

The meals are provided each day Monday to Saturday (6 days a week) with a prepared meal for Sunday.

The meals are delivered each day by volunteers. Included in the expression of interest is the cost for the provision of meals identified.

The expressions of interest are to be in writing and will close on Monday, 28th July, 2008.

Attention: Narelle Crawford, Manager

Temora Home & Community Care

PO Box 171

TEMORA  NSW  2666 more ..

Temora & District Education Fund - 17 Jul 2008
Temora & District Education Fund elected its executive team at its meeting last week. Board members at the first meeting of the group since it was formed on June 24, elected the main promoter of the fund, Rick Firman, Chairman and Graham Sinclair, Deputy Chairman.

Yvonne Fritsch, has taken on the secretary's role and Liz Smith that of treasurer. Graeme Granleese was elected Public Officer. The meeting confirmed the appointment of Brett Inch and Arthur Bradley, taking the number of directors to its maximum of 12.

Other matters discussed were proceeding with incorporation, fund raising strategies and the area from which applications for assistance will be considered. The general consensus was to require applicants to have been students at Temora and district schools.

Funds were further boosted by a donation of $250 from St Anne's P & F. more ..

Health Forum - 14 Jul 2008
A public forum in will focus on the provision of local health services. The forum will take place in the Temora Shire Council Chambers on Tuesday from 2 PM.

Among those to attend will be Member for Murrumbidgee, Adrian Piccoli, and representatives from Council and the Temora Local Health Service Advisory Committee (TLHSAC).

The forum will be an opportunity for health issues in the region to be openly discussed, with a major emphasis on finding solutions to those problems. more ..

Temora Agricultural Research & Advisory Station - Uncertain Future - 09 Jul 2008
Temora Agricultural Research & Advisory Station (TARAS) faces an uncertain future, with the disbanding of its steering committee. The committee consisted of representatives from Temora Ag Bureau, Temora Shire, NSW Farmers Assoc, Public Service Assoc and Dept of Primary Industries. Each of the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding forming the committee with the aim of the working together for the good of the station.

The committee was formed in September 2004, after State Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, agree to give TARAS three years to prove its financial viability. That announcement came after an intense three month battle to save the station, which gained the support of hundreds of local residents.

However, Mr Macdonald wrote to the steering committe last month, advising it was to be disbanded.

Temora Shire Mayor, Peter Speirs and Council's General Manager, Gary Lavelle will hope to meet with the minister during an upcoming trip to Sydney to seek further advice on the Department's position on TARAS. more ..

RTA Office - Temporary Closure - 09 Jul 2008

RTA Office Closure

The RTA office will be CLOSED for renovations

Friday, 18th July, Monday, 21st July & Tuesday, 22nd July, 2008.

The RTA will re-open for business Wednesday, 23rd July, 2008.