It never rains, it pours…

The old cliché certainly proved true over the last few weeks. I thank you all for your community support and care as some of our roads and bridges had to be closed, including some bridges already damaged by the fires. The council have been working tirelessly to get those damaged and destroyed bridges repaired and replaced, and we have re-examined our action list in light of the rains.

I had a wonderful time at a variety of Seniors Festival events last week. The opening and expo at Slim Dusty Centre was a tremendous success. And the two days of Food Feast, with our ambassador Lyndey Milan, were a tremendous success.

Hearing Lyndey talk so passionately about the ways the entire community can support our local producers was truly inspiring. ‘Agritourism’ might be a funny word, but the idea of making our farms and produce suppliers into tourist destinations truly speaks to the strengths of our valley and people. There are still so many great activities left for Seniors Festival, which wraps on the weekend, so I would encourage seniors and their families to look through the program and join us.

Council will host a Bushfire Recovery Planning Meeting in Willawarrin on February 27 to share the latest recovery information and discuss community needs and ideas for future initiatives. With significant funding support made available from state and federal government to assist with disaster recovery, we are keen to hear your views on what recovery looks like. I invite anyone impacted by the fires to come along and discuss the months and years of recovery to come. By coming together as a community now we can ensure the best approach.