Seven Days
The week’s top stories from around the region
Tall order for New Year zoo baby
KEEPERS at Taronga Western Plains Zoo were delighted to welcome not only the new year, but a new female giraffe calf when they began their early morning rounds on January 1. They’ve named the calf Nyah (pronounced Ni-ah), meaning, “purpose” in Swahili.
Nyah is the third calf for mother Ntombi who is very protective of her new baby but is showing all the right maternal behaviours.
“The giraffe calf is on exhibit with the rest of the herd however, she is still a little shy, spending a lot of her day at the back of the exhibit,” said giraffe keeper, Jackie Stuart.
“Over the coming weeks, she will start to become more confident and explore the rest of the exhibit.”
The zoo is expecting more giraffe calves to be born in the coming month, which Stuart says is “very exciting”.
Giraffe numbers in the wild have been decreasing over the past decade; it is estimated less than 80,000 giraffe remain in the wild. The 30 per cent drop in numbers is directly due to poaching for bush meat and also habitat encroachment by farmers.
“Every birth for a species such as the giraffe that are seeing a decline in wild populations is important, as it helps to insure against extinction.
“Through programs such as Beads for Wildlife, we aim to help wildlife such as Giraffe by providing communities in Kenyan with alternate income sources so they don’t have to rely some much on the herds and grazing. Less livestock means less pressure on water and food for wildlife such as the Giraffe,” said Stuart.
Plan B a winner for local business
OWNER of Dubbo’s Chizen Health Club, Jacqui Hopkins, was delighted to share the news with staff members recently that the gym had won a $500 rebate on the cost of their Christmas party just for submitting an anti-drink-drive slogan.
Karyn Alexander, wife of staff member Brian Alexander decided to “have another go” for free taxi vouchers (and the chance to win the $500 rebate) on behalf of the business’ staff, in Dubbo City Council’s Plan B Taxi Home drinkdriving campaign over the festive period.
As the campaign drew to an end, Alexander was thrilled to learn her slogan had been chosen by impartial judges as the “catchiest” of all entries, which resulted in the health club winning the rebate on the costs of their Christmas party.
Alexander said her slogan “just came to her” and while she doubted its merit, she submitted it anyway.
The slogan was a short yet concise Christmas anti-drink-driving slogan: At the Christmas party’s end - a taxi will be your best friend!
“Participation in this year’s campaign was once again been tremendous with local businesses submitting applications for 375 taxi vouchers for their staff, colleagues and friends via Dubbo City Council’s website and so the Plan B message really got out there” said Dubbo City Council’s road safety officer Jayne Bleechmore.
“With 52 alcohol-related crashes occurring in the Dubbo area between 2010 and 2014, including three fatalities and 33 injuries, this local campaign has proven its worth,” said Bleechmore.
Grants to help clubs respond to emergencies
CENTRAL West communities will benefit from $530,000 in grants to upgrade the emergency service response capability of local clubs, thanks to a round of funding announced this week by Member for Dubbo and Deputy Premier Troy Grant.
The grants will bolster local clubs’ ability to remain the hub of the community during a natural disaster by providing shelter, food and protection.
Four clubs in the Central West will receive grants:
· Dubbo RSL Memorial Club - $170,000 for a power generator;
· Lithgow Workers - $50,000 to upgrade kitchen facilities
· Orange Ex-services Club - $300,000 for a power generator; and
· Parkes Bowling and Sports Club $10,000 to upgrade kitchen facilities.
“Clubs are vibrant hubs of our community and during a natural disaster, it’s no different,” Grant said.
“It is important that when these tragic events like bushfires and floods happen, our clubs are properly equipped to do what they do so well and that’s take care of the community.
“Here in Dubbo, the RSL is also taking part in the joint Red Cross and Clubsnsw initiative Defeat the Heat, where clubs are offering locals respite from the heat with dedicated air-conditioned spaces, water and activities.”
Clubsnsw Executive Manager of Public Affairs, Josh Landis, said the funding would help make sure clubs can continue to play their crucial role in supporting the community during emergency situations.
“During times of crisis, clubs are there to take care of local residents and help the community manage through disaster,” Landis said.
“They also provide firefighters, Police, SES workers and other emergency personnel with food, a place to take respite, and often a base of operation.
The grant follows the NSW Government changing regulation last month so that registered clubs will be have the ability under law to become centres of shelter and safety in emergencies for any resident living within a 5km radius.
The Registered Clubs Amendment (Exception to Five Kilometre Rule) Regulation 2015 relaxed the requirement for anyone living within a fivekilometre radius of a registered club to be a member to enter the club during emergencies.
Fatigue a risk to all road users
WESTERN Region police are pleading with holidaymakers to include fatigue management and rest stops and for all road users to be realistic when embarking on longdistance road travel.
“People’s travel plans are often unrealistic particularly at this time of year and this creates preventable risks of fatigue and speed related crashes,” Inspector Peter Mcmenamin, Western Region Traffic Tactician, said.
“Plan your trip, allowing for extra time to include rest breaks, and increased traffic volumes.
Be aware of your surroundings such as heavy vehicles and wildlife at the road’s edge and drive to the prevailing conditions.”
Provisional data for the first seventeen days of Operation Arrive Alive (which began on December 18 and concluded 3 January 3) show that police in the Western Region breath tested 59,230 motorists, charging 114 for drink driving.
Communal Kitchen grant on the boil
RURAL and regional community groups have just two weeks left to apply to win a kitchen valued at $30,000 through the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) Foundation Community Kitchen Grant.
Courtesy of Masters Home Improvement, the Community Kitchen Grant supports a local organisation wishing to improve their kitchen in an existing community facility for the broader benefit of their local community.
Eligible organisations include community centres, welfare organisations, churches, service clubs, sporting clubs and show societies.
RAS Foundation Executive Officer, Kate Ross said the grant helps build capacity in local communities and will provide the grant winner with a high quality kitchen to complement an existing facility.
“We are delighted to once again offer this wonderful kitchen, complete with state of the art appliances, to a deserving rural or regional NSW community,” said Ross.
“Previous winning communities have shown us what an incredible difference a new kitchen facility like this can make – it fosters teamwork and collaboration and really brings community members together to achieve great community outcomes,” she said.
Interested applicants are encouraged to visit http://www.rasnsw.com.au/ Scholarships-grants.htm for more information and to complete the online application form.
Applications close on January 26 and the recipient will be announced in March.
Cattle prices reach record high
WESTERN region cattle producers are among those celebrating the fall of an industry record this week, with the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) hitting 600¢/kg cwt (carcass weight) for the first time.
The indicator, a seven-day rolling average, is the general benchmark for Australian cattle prices. It is expressed in cents per kilogram carcass (dressed) weight (c/kg cwt).
Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) market information manager Ben Thomas this week said the festive season’s widespread rain –although far from drought breaking in many cases – acted as the catalyst for many producers to retain stock, while also drawing out strong competition for the limited pool of cattle.
Tuesday’s sales resulted in the indicator jumping 14.5¢, before a further 1.25¢ lift on Wednesday saw the landmark price reached.
Markets that had particularly large price jumps were at Inverell, where Eyci-eligible cattle lifted nearly 60¢ from the week before, averaging 620.25¢/kg cwt. A number of Queensland sales performed well, as did Singleton’s, where Eyci-eligible cattle averaging approximately 610¢/kg cwt.
“The expectation is that cattle availability will remain tight for January, and thereafter will depend on the timeliness of follow-up rainfall,” says Thomas.
“While the EYCI hitting 600¢ marks a significant milestone in the Australian cattle industry, the benefits will only be reaped by those in the fortunate position of having cattle to sell – after what was an unprecedented three years of cattle turn-off.”
Aged care funding for Western towns
AGED care providers across the western region received a welcome Christmas present late last year with the announcement of an additional funding allocation.
Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton said Multi-purpose Service (MPS) providers in Warren, Coonamble, Lake Cargelligo, Lightning Ridge and Collarenebri will each receive additional federal government funding under an expansion and upgrade of aged care places in rural communities.
Coulton says he’s a passionate advocate for ageing residents across his electorate being able to remain in their hometowns with their family and friends and as their need for greater support increases.
“It is so important that the welfare of our elderly is supported irrespective of where they live and this funding helps them to stay in their local areas with their local communities,” he said.
Two new aged care places will be made available in Warren ($110,586.90) and one in Coonamble ($64,298.88). Existing aged care places will be upgraded in order to support people with higher care needs: eight in Lake Cargelligo ($283,840.32), two in Lightning Ridge ($66,414.36) and two in Collarenebri ($66,414.76).
The Ridge farmers’ win denies opal mining access
FARMERS in the Lightning Ridge district had a significant win in December with the reversal of a decision by the Land and Environment Court to allow miners access to two farming properties in north west NSW.
NSW Farmers CEO Matt Brand said the peak farmers’ body had challenged miners’ access rights, which were unrealistic when contrasted against expectations for farming businesses.
“Opal mining in the Lightning Ridge district has been the source of extensive contention between farmers and opal miners for years now.
“This is an important decision because we were finally able to have our farmers’ issues recognised,” Brand said.
Farmers issues with opal miners over registration and identification of vehicles entering farming properties, insurances for damage created by mining vehicles, safe buffer distances from farm infrastructure and livestock and hours of access will now go back for a fresh hearing before the court. Brand said that until now, farmers had not been able to protect their property because they do not know who is entering for mining purposes.
“Landholders have found it extremely difficult to enforce rules regarding access and something as simple as identification of who is accessing your farm has not been able to be managed.
“Also, knowing a landholder will not be out of pocket for damaged caused by mining operations will be beneficial to their operations.”
According to Brand, December’s decision is a significant step in the right direction in having these important matters properly addressed.
“While we still have a long way to go, many of these issues boil down to correct enforcement and compliance by relevant government agencies. We hope to see significant improvement in this area from relevant parties.”