THE REGION AT A GLANCE

HEAR

HEAR the sounds of music on Sunday, December 18 at Victoria Park’s No.1 Oval at the Rotary Club of Dubbo West free community Christmas Carols night. The club has organised the event for 13 years and the Lion’s Club many years prior to that.

Gates will open at 6pm and for an hour before the singing gets into full swing the Dubbo City Concert Band will entertain the crowds as they arrive.

A new line up of local artists and choirs will lead the singing from 7.30pm.

Coordinator Malcolm Cockram says bringing a picnic is fine but please no glass bottles or alcohol. Food and drinks will also be on sale at the evening.

“Safe flame candles and glow sticks are also being sold by members of the local boy scouts,” he said.

The man in the red suit arrives at approximately 8.30pm.

For any enquires contact Malcolm on 0407710454.

HEAR the sounds of fireworks exploding and the crowds reacting at the Dubbo Fireworks New Year’s Eve Party at Caltex Park.

Gates will open at 5pm and the fireworks show will start at 9pm. The event is free but any gold coin donation is welcome and will be collected for a local charity.

Until the night sky lights up, there is plenty of entertainment planned including the return of the overwhelmingly popular Water Skirmish Park which is being doubled in size and features a kid’s section separate to an area for the “not so little kids”.

“The Eschol Rural Fire Service will be supplying the water for this activity,” organiser Peter Judd said.

The Golden Oldies Holden Club are hosting a motor vehicle display which will include motorcycles, cars and trucks.

A stage will feature entertainers. Games and activities for the children will be conducted during the evening, with food vans supplying food and refreshments. There will also be market stalls.

SEE

SEE community developments get underway with the Dubbo Regional Council’s allocation of $9 million provided to the new Council from the NSW Stronger Communities Fund to kick start new developments in Dubbo, Wellington and surrounding villages.

Dubbo Regional Council Administrator Michael Kneipp and Member for Dubbo the Hon Troy Grant expect the injection of new State Government money will have long term economic and community benefits.

The projects to be funded are Wellington Caves Visitor Experience Centre ($2,500,000)

Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden Adventure Playground ($1,300,000), Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden – Carpark ($240,000), Wellington Pool reconstruction ($3,000,000)

Dubbo Aquatic and Leisure Centre Aquatic Playground ($800,000), Cameron Park Regional Playground ($280,000), Geurie Multi Court Facility and Playground Equipment ($245,000), Installation of a new Gross Pollutant Trap, West Dubbo Main Drain outfall into Macquarie River ($198,540), Moxon Park Improvements, Stuart Town ($85,000), Euchareena Local Projects ($84,700) and Funds reserved for contingency/future allocation ($266,760).

The funding allocations were decided by an assessment panel made up of the Member for Dubbo the Hon Troy Grant MP, Council Administrator Michael Kneipp, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Director Greater Western NSW, Alison Morgan and overseen by Michael Mckenna from Luka Group Accounting as a probity adviser.

SEE Elvis and Priscilla in their hundreds at the Parkes Elvis Festival held annually in the second week of January in Parke, coinciding with the birthday of Elvis Presley.

The Festival began in January 1993 as a small birthday party for the local newspaper editor. It was so much fun they decided to do it again - and again! Over the following 10 years additional events were added and it became a twoday Festival. With the vision and effort of the voluntary organising committee as well as the support of Parkes Shire Council, the Festival exploded in popularity and word quickly spread across Australia of the fun and unique event in regional NSW.

The Festival now regularly attracts visitors from all around Australia and stages more than 120 events annually. In January 2015, Parkes Elvis Festival was officially endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., the trustees of the estate of Elvis Presley. Official endorsement elevates Parkes Elvis Festival to the ranks of premiere Elvis tribute festivals in the world.

Parkes Elvis Festival is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

DO

DO get along to the The Gulgong Folk Festival will be held on December 30, 2016 to January 2, 2017 and has always brought together the best of traditional folk music. It is a venue that has provided an avenue for new and young emerging talent.

There will be performances, concerts and blackboard sessions in the Centennial Hotel, Commercial Hotel, Post Office Hotel, Prince of Wales Hotel, RSL Club, plus the Butcher Shop Café all weekend.

Also in the legendary Prince of Wales Opera House and in Coronation Park covering music traditions from Folk to Bluegrass to Gypsy Jazz, some raw blues and lots of what comes in-between.

Gulgong is famous for its traditional Folk Sessions that many visitors enjoy joining in. A small traditional friendly family focused long weekend is what makes Gulgong unique. From a Come All Ye session at the Centennial Hotel Friday night of December 30 through to a final farewell on the Monday afternoon/evening.

DO spread the word about the young regional $10,000 scholarship program.

Artists and arts workers aged 18 to 25 years in the Dubbo electorate are being urged to apply for a $10,000 Young Regional Artist Scholarship (YRAS) to help reach their career goals.

Member for Dubbo and Minister for the Arts Troy Grant said the YRAS program will invest in 100 scholarships to the value of $1 million in total over four years, and hopes to see the initiative unearth talent in the area.

Local artists and arts workers can apply from any art form, including dance, design, digital arts, history, Aboriginal arts, literature, music, theatre, screen and the visual arts to apply for this terrific opportunity.

The scholarships are available to fund activities including mentorships or internships, residencies, short-term courses and workshops, travel and the creation of new work.

For the purpose of this scholarship, regional NSW is defined as Local Government Areas outside the metropolitan and metropolitan fringe of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.

Round Two of the NSW Young Regional Artist Scholarships for 2016-17 is open until Monday, February 20, 2017.

For more on the application process, assessment and eligibility criteria, go towww.arts.nsw.gov.au or email arts. funding@arts.nsw.gov.au ETC NATURE lovers can have an African safari style experience without leaving NSW at the Savannah Safari at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

The Savannah Safari experience features two purpose built safari trucks that carry visitors through the zoo’s African Savannah exhibit, featuring giraffes, two species of antelopes and ostriches.

The $1.4 million project, jointly funded by the NSW Government and the Taronga Foundation also includes a new elevated platform, from which visitors can view the animals in the Savannah exhibit, and extensive redevelopment of the exhibit and public areas, with new seating, landscaping and walking paths.

Member for Dubbo Troy Grant said Taronga Western Plains Zoo, recently recognised as the state’s top tourist attraction at the NSW Tourism Awards, was a major drawcard for visitors to the region.

“The Savannah Safari is another great reason to visit the award winning Taronga Western Plains Zoo, and I invite everyone in NSW and from around the world to come and have a look at the zoo and everything else Dubbo has to offer,” Mr Grant said.