Message from the Mayor: 16 August 2024
Published on 16 August 2024
Hello, I'm John Connors, the Mayor of the Dungog Shire, bringing you this week's mayoral message.
This week saw the community consultation meetings at Clarence Town for the Clarence Town Structure Plan. There were two meetings, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, and they were well attended. Those people who attended put forward lots of great ideas and lots of views as to what should or shouldn't happen, and all of those views will be taken into account by the consultants in coming up with a draft Structure Plan. So, I thank everybody who attended, who participated, and who did so in such an open way and said what they thought about what should and shouldn't occur. That's what was needed, and it's great that you, the community, are jumping on board.
On the 23rd and 24th of August, the Australian heat of the World Pump Track Championships will be held at the Dungog Common on the newly constructed pump track. This is a first to have a heat of a world championship in Dungog! I encourage everyone to come along and watch the spectacle. I've only seen exhibitions on the track, and they're certainly a spectacle so I'm sure that the competition will be very much a spectacle. So put it in your diary. I'm sure if the weather holds, it'll be a great experience on the Dungog Common for two days, the 23rd and the 24th of August.
Road works continue in between the wet weather, which is not helping to bring them to finality anytime soon. But works continue on Durham Road, which, weather permitting, was to have been completed about the end of the month, but the weather may have impacted that.
Stroud Hill, works continue on the next section of Stroud Hill. Allyn River Road works continue there, and because of the nature of the road, there'll be, at times, significant delays, so I ask that everybody be patient, show care, and accept the delays that regrettably have to happen. Works also continue in and around Tucker Park at Paterson and into Queen Street, and as a result, there's only one access to Tucker Park at the moment, and that's from the main road.
Next Wednesday night will be the last Council meeting of this term of Council. So as usual, 6pm, either come along or tune in on Facebook for the last meeting of this term of Council, something never to be repeated.
That then leads to the imminent election. The election is on Saturday, September 14th. The pre-poll takes place from the Saturday prior to the 14th, that's Saturday the 7th of September, and then again from Monday to Friday, with the election being on Saturday the 14th.
Polling will take place right throughout the shire, at Dungog at the primary school, at Clarence Town at the primary school, at Paterson at the primary school, at Vacy at the School of Arts, and at East Gresford at the School of Arts. Polling will be from 8am to 6pm on polling day and during the pre-poll.
The pre-poll is only at Dungog, at the Doug Walters Pavilion. Again, it's from 8am to 6pC on the dates I've outlined.
So, this is your chance, you the community, your chance to have your say and elect the Council that you want for the next four years. What you do on the 14th of September will have a significant impact over the next four years, and it's not something that you can change along the way. So think about your vote, make it count, and make it reflect what you want for the next four years.
Because the elections are on the 14th of September, today, we enter into the period prior to the election, a restricted period in which only limited things can occur, in which I can only do limited things. And rather than risk breaching any of the requirements, this will be my last Mayoral message for this term of Council, and maybe my last mayoral message.
So, thank you for putting up with my messages every week, and let's wait and see what the 14th of September brings. Until we meet again, good luck and goodbye.