HAMILTON DREAMS
BECY and Jason Owen sent Dubbo Photo News this amazing photograph of their Hamilton Island honeymoon.
The couple was able to escape the freezing weather after their Albert wedding.
“So grateful” was how Becy she described the recent weeks of whirlwind activity.
Her mum Julie Harvey told Dubbo Photo News the pictures from Hamilton Island looked amazing.
Quizzed as to why she missed smuggling herself along on the trip, Mrs Harvey said she had to stay at home and mind the “baby”, Becy’s little rescue dog Princess.
“After seeing the photos, I’ll have to book my own holiday up there. They’ve had such a good time.”
STAFF and students flocked to the library at Orana Heights Public School on June 2 for the bi-annual book fair. Featuring a range of fiction and non-fiction books for young readers, the event was hosted with the help of children’s publisher, Scholastic Australia.
Orana Heights teacher librarian Signe Bladt-woicek enjoyed the spacethemed fair which featured encouraging expressions such as “To the book fair and beyond!”, and “Reading is a blast!”.
Miss Bladt-woicek said it was great to see so many students browsing the selection.
“There are some great new books,” she said.
“Graphic novels are really popular, so are books on gaming such as Minecraft.”
The best part of the book fair is that the school receives a per centage of the sales.
“We get a commission which goes back to the library and all of the money goes into buying more books.”
WELL-KNOWN real estate agent Bob Berry was slated to speak at last week’s Housing Availability Forum in Dubbo but was forced to self-isolate after being near a site around the time the Covid-positive couple from Victoria visited on their horror trip along the Newell Highway.
In his absence Graeme Board delivered the address – here is an abbreviated version of that speech.
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ON behalf of the Real Estate Institute of NSW (REINSW) Orana division we commend Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) for hosting today’s Housing Availability Forum and bringing the whole of the residential sector together.
Regional NSW in the last year has seen a significant change in residential housing, both in the sales and rental sectors. Just 15 months ago at the time of the first Covid lock down, ‘doom and gloom’ was predicted for housing. It never arrived and regional NSW has led our nation in the performance of the residential housing sector for growth in demand in both sales and rentals. Dubbo is both a beneficiary and a victim of the regional housing performance, however, we must solve our problems in our own patch.
One can quantify in a few words the task for Dubbo, starting at this forum, that is, to increase the supply and density of housing.
Our members look to move forward, and we see the challenges not as problems but as opportunities for Dubbo. However, we will just quickly reflect on two issues:
a) In 2005, in being invited by Council to serve on the working party for the residential review of urban areas, the REINSW said in our submission that Dubbo is very well served in all forms of detached residential housing, and our housing estates are as good as any regional city. However, Dubbo lacks choice of flexible housing types, particularly in medium density housing.
The REINSW has maintained the same narrative since, and the challenges of 2005, remain 16 years later.
b) Over the last seven years in Dubbo, politics seems to have taken preference over planning and people in determining housing outcomes. Hopefully, those days have gone.
Dubbo is facing a housing outlook not seen within the last 50 years’ growth in the city. It will take a new approach from all stakeholders in the residential housing sector, as the old policies will no longer achieve the outcomes required for an adequate supply of housing for the community. All stakeholders will be reliant on Dubbo Regional Council to provide the leadership, the collaboration and the vision for housing the community.
Dubbo Regional Council is the only entity in Dubbo with the capacity to institute change and create the HOUSING POLICIES for the next decade needed to meet the current and anticipated demand created by future developments.
The 2005 REINSW submission to Council, predominately focused on the identified needs of the ageing population seeking smaller size housing to downsize. Many prospective buyers never obtained their requirements. In the 16 years since there has been much change in the demand we are now experiencing.
There is a demand from the young professionals, in the health, services and other sectors, seeking secure housing without the requirement to maintain grounds. The consumers of one and two bedroom rental flats/ units still exist and there is a community obligation to provide sufficient accommodation to house this sector, many of whom fit into the lower socio-economic demographic.
Our members believe all these demands must be catered for, and Council has land available for medium density use. It just needs vision and commitment from Council to produce outcomes.
The latest rent figures for the March quarter will be distributed today and reveal a consistent trend in rents, across the 6 main inland regional cities.
REINSW is only one stakeholder in the residential housing sector, but we can provide statistics and trend demands on a regular basis. It is a well-known saying that if you want to know what is happening in real estate anywhere, go and talk to the agents conducting open homes on any Saturday morning. There are about 25/30 open homes in Dubbo on any given Saturday. It is the housing consumers attending inspections of sale and rental property who shape the views of REINSW members.
I thank Dubbo Regional Council for the invitation to Orana division of REINSW to attend and participate in the forum today.
Today’s forum will not solve all supply issues, but it is at least a recognition there is a housing supply problem and Council can now chart a new set of housing policies to address the issues. REINSW Orana members stand ready to work with Council and all other stakeholders in this task.