What a wonderful start to the week we had with the Australia Day celebrations in Mollymook on Monday. I was thrilled to see Megan Dover awarded Shoalhaven Citizen of the Year for her tireless work to tackle homelessness, hardship and social disadvantage in our community.
Our other three wonderful winners included Bella Dewsbury-Love awarded Shoalhaven Young Citizen of the Year, Narelle Barry who took out Volunteer of the Year, and Sophie Phillips, our Sports Achiever of the Year. It was a special day, with much thanks to the Ulladulla Milton Lion’s Club for putting on this event.
Speaking of great events, the NSW Seniors Festival Comedy Show is coming to the Shoalhaven. A line-up of six comedians will deliver a barrel of laughs at the Ulladulla Civic Centre at 1am and 1.30pm, on Thursday 5 March. It’s a free event but make sure to get your tickets when they become available on Tuesday 3 February on the Festival’s website.
We also have the Berry Show this Friday 30 and Saturday 31 January. It’s two big days of country traditions, arena action, livestock, woodchop, pavilions, food, wine and plenty of family fun. Can’t make it to Berry this weekend? Then get along to the Nowra Show the following week for another fabulous family day out. I’ll also be resuming my Open Office sessions at the Nowra Show on Friday 6 February and Saturday 7 February. Hope to see you there, it will be great to talk to you.
We also had our first Council meeting for the year on Tuesday. We had a few technical issues at the beginning, but once fixed, we were soon discussing the issues that matter to you. Everyone’s invited to come along to a meeting or livestream, but for those who just want the highlights, this year I’m going to film a quick summary and post it to Facebook the next day. You can watch my first wrap-up here. And always remember you can view the Council Meeting on the webcast on Council’s website.
One subject of particular interest to the community is our Contributions Plan which was endorsed at Tuesday’s meeting and will soon go on exhibition. The contributions plan is one of the most important tools we have to ensure new development contributes fairly to the roads, parks, facilities and services our community depends on. I’ll let you know when it’s live and you can provide feedback on the plan.
Finally, some great news for eager and aspiring potential town or urban planners. Council will soon recruit for two cadet planners under a program first started by us in the nineties and aimed at attracting and retaining skilled individuals in this high demand field. The cadets will be offered the opportunity to work locally with Council while being supported to complete their studies online. This program is great for Council as it strengthens our workforce by attracting passionate future planners early in their careers. Interested candidates will soon be invited to view the criteria and apply online via Council’s website.
Have a great weekend.
Mayor,
Patricia White
