We will work with the community to provide high quality services and facilities throug

h excellence in l

eadership

and with consideration for the needs of the environment and of futuregenerationsApril/May 2010

Fencing at Horseshoe Bay Beach ParkCouncil is currently displaying posters about the erection of a fence around the Horseshoe Bay Beach Caravan Park, which the community is invited to view and comment on.

Recently, there have been several incidents of antisocial behaviour within the vicinity of the Park. As a result, the matter was referred to Council’s Crime Prevention Offi cer who consulted with the NSW Police Service and conducted a risk analysis with the aim of mitigating the situation.

The information poster includes a simulated site map (see below) and photos showing where the fence is to be erected and how it may look.

The poster is on display at Council’s Customer First Centre at 22 Tozer Street West Kempsey; at the Shire Libraries in Kempsey, South West Rocks, Stuarts Point and Hat Head; at the South West Rocks Visitor Information Centre; the Horseshoe Bay Caravan Park; and various other locations at South West Rocks. It also accessible via Council’s Website (www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au) just click on the link from the homepage under ‘News Items/Notices’.

If you would like to make a comment, written submissions can be directed to Kathy Oliver, Acting Director of Corporate and Community Services, Kempsey Shire Council, PO Box 3078, West Kempsey NSW 2440 or contact Council’s Customer First Centre on 65 663200.

The Macleay Community Art Gallery in Kinchela Street, Gladstone has some exciting exhibitions coming up in the next couple of months, including:

29 April - 2 May“Interpretation” of the Mid North Coast landscape captured in Photography (by Kylie Biltris) and Jewellery featuring handmade beads (by Skye Petho).

4 May - 16 May“Adelaide Swift Memorial Art Award” to be judged by Jenny Crozier. Sections include Open Section (any painting and medium), Novice Section for Macleay Artists and Arts & Crafts.

17 May - 30 May“Diversity - an Artistic Collaboration”, an exhibition featuring works by Aboriginal artists Allan & Russell Meehan and Swiss-born artist Christian Diez.

In conjunction with this exhibition, the Point Players will perform their latest production, Judith Prior’s ‘The Outback Debutante Ball’ at the Gladstone Hall from 7.30pm on Friday and Saturday, 21-22 May. The exhibition will be open before and after the show, and during interval.

What’s happening at... The

Macleay Community Art Gallery?

More information on responsible pet ownership

To ensure the comfort, safety and health of the whole community the Companions Animal Act 1998 places certain responsibilities on all pet owners. Here is a summary of the responsibilities for owners of dogs and cats:

Chinese Violet (Asystasia gangetica subspecies micrantha), pictured above, has been identifi ed at Hat Head. This Class 1 noxious weed had been growing quietly along and spreading until its recent detection.

Chinese Violet is a rapid growing perennial herb that grows to 1m in height but can grow over shrubs up to 3m. It can smother all vegetation that is growing on the same layer.The plants are spread by seed and/or rhizomes.

If you have seen this plant on Council land or on your own land please contact Kempsey Shire Council’s Weeds Offi cer on 65663200 so the plant can be controlled.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WEED?

International Womens Day at Library

As the photo below shows an astounding 160 happy women turned up at the library to celebrate International Women’s Day in mid March.

The event showcased the energy and talent of Macleay women who sang, danced, drummed, played music and talked their way through the evening.

If you wish to become an Australian Citizen the fi rst step is to contact the Australian Government’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship on their Information Line 131 880 or website www.citizenship.gov.au.

Council holds regular Australian Citizenship ceremonies for residents who wish to become Australian citizens. Citizenship ceremonies have an important symbolic role because they formally welcome new citizens from many cultures into Australian society.

The ceremony is a formal part of the citizenship process. A person becomes an Australian citizen on the date he or she attends the citizenship ceremony and makes the Pledge of commitment to Australia.

THINKING OF BECOMING AN AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN?

Dogs• If your dog is in a public place it must be under the effective control of a competent person by means of an adequate chain, cord or leash (except dogs exhibited at a show, or undergoing obedience/agility trials, or secured in a cage or vehicle, or in an approved off-leash area).• If your dog is being exercised in an approved off-leash area it must always be under effective control of a competent person.• You are not permitted to walk more than four dogs at any one time in an on-leash or off-leash area.• Greyhounds must be muzzled at all times when in a public place.• If your dog defecates in a public place it is an offence not to remove the faeces.• Dogs are prohibited in children’s play areas, food preparation/consumption areas, recreation areas, public bathing areas, school grounds, child care centres, shopping areas and wildlife protection areas.

Cats• All cats must be identifi ed by a form of idenifi cation that enables a local authority to ascertain the name of the cat and the address or telephone number of the owner.

• Cats are prohibited in wildlife protection areas and food preparation/consumption areas.

• You must ensure your cat does not interfere with the peace, comfort or convenience of any person in any other premises, or

• You must ensure your cat does not repeatedly damage anything outside the property on which it is ordinarily kept.

For more information about the Companion Animals Act and its requirements visit the Department of Local Government website at www.dlg.nsw.gov.au or contact Council on 65 663200.

Update on Regional Infrastructure Projects

Here are some of the projects for which Council has received funding under the Federal Government’s Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program (RLCIP):• Mitchell Street Footbridge, South West Rocks • Crescent Head Pool Shelter • Stuarts Point Skatepark at Joe Donovan Oval • Stuarts Point Hall- Acoustics improvements • Millbank Hall- Kitchen and disabled facilities • Willawarrin Sports Ground- Change rooms and amenities block• Kemp Street Playing fi elds- upgrade of lights transformer• Riverside Park- Pedestrian and disabled access to facilities

Council has also been successful in gaining funding for further projects in the 2nd round of program’s funding.

Wet Pastures Field Day a great successThe Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (NRCMA) recently sponsored a successful Wet Pastures Best Management Practice (BMP) Soils Information Day held on the Upper Belmore and at Kinchela on 31 March.

The event was organised and supported by Council’s Environmental Project Offi cer, Allister Gee, with fi eld facilitation by Harry and Carol Rose (Industry & Investment NSW). Lindy Brown and Mary Edwards represented the NRCMA, providing resources and information on the day. Macleay Landcare’s new Community Support Offi cer, Lyndell Wilson, provided a display and introduced herself to the members of the farming community present.

Freshwater native pasture and weed species were examined at the Seale Road Wetlands (Upper Belmore) while the site on South West Rocks Road at Kinchela provided a contrasting marine infl uenced saline pasture, grading into rich alluvial terrace grazing with increased elevation.

While rainy conditions hampered the early part of the day at the Upper Belmore location the weather cleared for the afternoon inspection at Kinchela.

Of interest at Kinchela were the efforts by the property owner, Bob Rogers, to extend a remnant Lowland Rainforest pocket ‘edge’ out into his property.

By enhancing the habitat of an aging stand of native trees through provision of stock-free land Mr Rogers hopes to encourage new plant colonization. This will provide his

cattle with an additional stock shelter belt during adverse weather (affording cool summer shade and a winter wind shelter).

During this information sharing day a number of interesting proposals were put forward by the Macleay Grazing Community, the merits of which are intended to be pursued as each aims to better our understanding of natural resource management on the Lower Macleay.

One idea of note was that proposed by John Scott, of arranging a series of meetings with local graziers on-site in small familiar groups to record a local history of farming enterprise in the area.

By combining the observations of long term Lower Macleay farming families decades of farming insights could be recorded.

Council thanks the NRCMA for their farming support program; Harry and Carol Rose for their astute observations of Wet Pastures and BMP Soils; and the Local farming community for their expert input and attendance under ‘wet’ Wet Pasture conditions. Thanks also to the Gladstone Uniting Church ladies for the splendid Morning Tea they provided!

Above: Species identifi cation during the afternoon fi eld demonstration at Bob Rogers property, South West Rocks Road, Kinchela

Above: Saline pasture and Best Practice Management soils inspection at Kinchela.

In Brief...Terminal illness touches the lives of many people in our community. The Macleay Valley Home Hospice is a non-government funded service, which helps families directly affected by terminal illness through the loan of vital medical equipment to assist in the palliative care of the person at home.The Hospice was established in 2005 and now has over 100 items of equipment available including electric beds, recliner chairs, morphine pumps, oxygen concentrators, wheelchairs, walking frames, shower chairs, over bed/bedside tables, and toilet accessories to name a few.All money raised by this worthwhile volunteer organisation stays in the Macleay Valley and assists in the care of Palliative Care patients in the valley. New faces are always welcome at Hospice meetings held at 6pm on the fi rst Tuesday of the month at Kempsey Heights Bowling Club.If you would like to make a donation or to fi nd out more about the service the Macleay Home Hospice provides please contact Margarette on 6569 0487 or Barbara on 6562 5566.

***

Applications are currently being called for under Council’s Community Grants Program, which seeks to support the efforts of community organisations that contribute to the wellbeing of the local community through cultural, environmental, sporting and community development.

Levels of support will be within the limits of funding provided by Council in its annual management plan. A minimum of $500 and a maximum of $5,000 will be made available to projects, events or activities which take place in the 2010/2011 fi nancial year.

Application forms can be downloaded from Council’s website (www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au) or picked up from Council’s Customer First Centre in Tozer Street, West Kempsey.

Applications must be made on the offi cial application form, addressing the Assessment Criteria, and must be posted or delivered to Council by the closing date 28 May 2010. Council will not accept emailed or faxed applications.

Hoons Art for Car LoversRev up your art-life and celebrate our vast Australian car culture when HOON, a touring exhibition about hot cars and slick paint jobs visits Kempsey Library from Saturday 1 May to Saturday 15 May, 2010.

HOON depicts the streamlined curves and testosterone-pumped power of muscle cars, hot rods and street machines, paying homage to Australia’s iconic modifi ed and performance car culture.

Presented by Queensland’s Arts Council’s Ontour exhibition, HOON was created by Daniel Wallwork, a Cairns-based artist and graphic designer, who experiments with automotive spray painting and graffi ti art.

Using high gloss automotive two-pack paint, custom techniques, various metal surfaces, chrome badges, stencils and fl uffy dice, Wallwork has created a series of vibrant works for this exhibition.

The exhibition takes a positive look at the work that many car enthusiasts put into making their vehicles pieces of art.

So if you’re a car or art enthusiast this is an exhibition with a difference, not to be missed at Kempsey Library, Elbow Street West Kempsey (1-15 May, 2010).

Find out about Council’s planned activities for 2010-11

Council’s Draft 2010-11 Management Plan will be on public exhibition until 4.30pm, Thursday, 27 May 2010, for community input prior its adoption.

All submissions received will be considered and amendments made to the Draft Management Plan as required, before the document is formally put to Council for adoption at its Ordinary Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday 8 June 2010.

Community members are invited to attend a public meeting to discuss the Draft Management Plan at the Council Chambers, Civic Centre, Elbow Street, Kempsey, on Tuesday, 18 May 2009, at 6.00 pm.

Progress on replacing Timber BridgesCouncil is in the process of replacing four timber bridges at Spencers Creek, Mungay Creek, Devils Nook and Nulla Nulla Creek at an estimated cost of over $6.7m.

Part of the cost of replacing these bridges has been funded by Council and loan funds; and part has been subsidised by the State Government under the Timber Bridges Partnership Program, which is only available for structures on classifi ed ‘Regional Roads’.

Work on each of the bridges has progressed as follows:

• Spencers Creek Bridge (South West Rocks Road) - the bridge structure is complete, as is the relocation of services. Construction of the approaches is proceeding.

• Mungay Creek Bridge & Devils Nook Bridge (both on Armidale Road) - bridge structures and ancillary works are complete. Sealing of the bridge approaches are expected to be fi nished in early May.

• Nulla Nulla Creek Bridge (Armidale Road) - bridge constuction is underway and the structure is expected to be completed by June. Construction of the bridge approaches will follow.

Above; Work on Devils Nook Bridge.