Council Connect: 24 April 2025

Published on 11 April 2025

Hello Dungog Shire, bringing you this week's Council video a day early, because tomorrow is a public holiday and Anzac Day.

 What a weekend we had here in Dungog over the Easter long weekend, it was absolutely packed! The Dungog Rodeo - I don't think I've ever seen it that busy in the five years that I've been going. And I think anyone else who came would also contest too that it was absolutely packed.

It's so good to also see the Gresford Billy Cart Derby was also on, and I had reports that it was equally busy, with a few people complaining that they had to park so far away, and there was a bit of a walk just to get to the main street.

So, this really highlights, that what this council is really trying to push at the moment is that Dungog can absolutely get people here. We can do these premium events, and we can do them really well, and we really have a good chance here to sell Dungog. We’re a really cool up and coming tourist location close to major populated areas, and that's something that we will continue to drive in the future, so huge congratulations to both Dungog Rodeo and the Gresford Billy Cart Derby teams for organising, and the volunteer hours that go in, it's absolutely phenomenal. And I'm really excited to see what happens next year, though, I will say that if the Dungog Rodeo gets any bigger, I think we're going to need a bigger show ground, because that was absolutely shockers. So really good job.

So tomorrow is an important day for Australians, and that is Anzac Day. So Anzac Day is a really important day for us to take time out to commemorate the service and sacrifices of Australians made during war, conflicts, peacekeeping operations, and all the people that wear the uniform day to day, and what that signing up really means. Anzac Day specifically marks the anniversary of the first major military action by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War One, and that is the landing of Gallipoli. So Anzac Day holds special meaning for me. I served in the Royal Australian Navy for over a decade and was deployed all around the world, both internationally and here, more domestically. And I guess what I really want to highlight, also on ANZAC Day, is that it's also the families that sacrifice a lot, these direct families, of the service people. I know I couldn't have spent as much time as I did away from home without the support of my wife being there, looking after the home and our children. So it's also a really good time for those family members to reflect on what it means to be, I guess, supporting those veterans as well.

Throughout the Shire, there's going to be a lot of activity across Anzac Day, and I'll quickly just read out the list of events that's happening across the Shire. At Dungog RSL, there will be a 5:30am dawn service, followed by a gunfire breakfast. And then at 10:45am there will be a march and ceremony, which will take place out front of Dungog RSL. There will also be an F35 fighter jet fly over Dungog at around 10:30am as well. So make sure you're looking up in the sky for that. It'll be pretty hard to miss, because it's going to be very loud!

In Paterson, there's going to be a march commencing at 5:30am which proceeds down to the war memorial for a commemorative service down there. At Gresford School of Arts Memorial, the community will gather at around 10:30am with the march taking place from with the Stockers and Partridge Garage, and then proceed down Durham road forming up out front of the School of Arts on Park Street. For the service in Clarence Town, there'll be a 5:30am march, which will commence at Clarence Town bowling club, Sport and Rec club down Prince Street, and then we'll proceed down to the War Memorial on the corner of Grey and Queen Streets.

I do encourage you to get out and attend one of these services and really reflect on what the day actually means.

 Also just a reminder that the Dungog Shire Community Strategic Plan is currently on exhibition, and we very much value your input. This is the community strategic plan at the highest level. This document acts as our guiding road map for Dungog Shire’s future into the next decade. So it's really important that we ensure that we have captured the feedback from the community in this document. So if there's one thing you're going to provide feedback on this year, this would be the one to do it! So this plan, along with its supporting documents, are available for you to view right now on the website and provide your comments. If you don't want to do it online, you can come along to one of the community information sessions that are happening across the Shire, and you can ask questions, and provide your feedback in person as well. I'll chuck in the comments below where those events will be, the dates and times, just so you have a heads up for that.

And lastly, in case you haven't noticed, the federal election is very much in full swing now. So early voting is now open. Unfortunately, we don't have any early voting centres here in Dungog Shire, but the closest one out at Raymond Terrace is open as of now. I'll chuck in the comments some information about where you can vote and what times you can vote also.

Lastly, just on that as well, Dungog is hosting a meet the candidate night for all the people wanting to represent our electorate of Lyne in the federal election. So this is on April 28 at the Dungog RSL at 6pm and it's open invite to everyone. Really encourage everyone to come down, meet the candidates that want to represent us so you can ask them the tough questions that hopefully you will ask them, and just try and get as educated as you can going into this election. I know sometimes life can get a bit busy, and it's sometimes good to just take some time out there and actually get to meet these candidates in person.

So I think that's it for me. Have a good long weekend on the back of the Easter one. Hopefully I'll see you out at one of the memorial events. I'll be in Dungog at 5:30am and the 10:30am event so I might see you there. But if not, have a good long weekend. Thank you very much.