Mayoral Minutes

Rivalry is an interesting concept. In any range of contests it seems that the closer you are to your rival the more intense the rivalry. Sibling rivalry can be incredibly intense. Best friends can put everything into a contest to have bragging rights with their friend. Formula One drivers have a first priority of beating their fellow team member. A local footy derby seems to take on greater significance than playing a team from afar. Read More...

I know it seems like the wrong time of the year to be thinking about cricket (even though Australia starts their defence of the ICC Champions Trophy title this weekend), but one group in Dubbo is very much thinking about next season. Read More...

When Jen and I first spoke about the ‘Helicopter View’ column when I became Mayor, we decided that the concept should be for me to write about big picture issues that are relevant to Local Government and use examples specifically from Dubbo (or other Councils).  Read More...

Calling all new residents! Our biannual New Residents Night is on this Thursday from 6pm at the Western Plains Cultural Centre. If you have moved to Dubbo in the past year and you haven’t yet been to this event, please come along. It is a great way to learn more about our City and I particularly enjoy speaking with new residents about what brought them here. I find this ‘ground truth’ anecdotal information useful to combine with official data to establish the myriad reasons why people choose Dubbo as their home. I look forward to meeting many new residents on Thursday night. Read More...

Today we are two-thirds through our first year of the new Council and the enthusiasm and commitment of our current group has not waned. In fact, it has continued to strengthen. I attended a meeting yesterday morning that was a case in point. One of our new Councillors, Bill Kelly, had knowledge of a housing scheme that he believed could be deliver benefits to Dubbo. To his credit, he performed the research, spoke to several stakeholders, then brought his ideas forward to fellow Councillors and our Economic Development Branch. Yesterday's meeting, attended by more than 40 people in the Dubbo building industry, was a direct result of the enthusiasm and commitment from one Councillor. If you missed yesterday’s meeting and would like more information on the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS), contact Council's Manager Economic Development Dirk Dowling. Read More...

As I was driving down one of the beautiful streets in Dubbo last week, with autumn leaves dropping from the trees, I noticed one house as being particularly clean and tidy. I immediately thought of the work this resident must have put in to their general yard and house upkeep. Several days later I was driving down the same street and saw a resident from the house out on the driveway with the ubiquitous leaf-blower. This resident was making his place look fantastic – by blowing dirt and leaves from their yard onto the street and onto the yards of his neighbours. Some leaves stayed in the same yard, but were just blown to areas unseen. Read More...