Mayoral Minutes

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...

The overwhelming success of Saturday night’s One Night Stand was 10 years in the making. That might sound a little over-dramatic but I believe that if Dubbo had been chosen for this event instead of Natimuk in 2004, it would have been nowhere near as successful as it was on the weekend.  Read More...

I had to sit down as I wrote this column as the amount of chocolate I consumed over Easter made it quite difficult to be mobile. I am not quite sure when the most significant event on the Christian calendar became a calorific consumption contest but I vote that we should experiment with making carrots the food of choice for next Easter. Apart from the bloated choccie feeling, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and had the opportunity to have a break and catch up with your family. Read More...

The university presence in our City is a vital component of our future growth and prosperity. Both Charles Sturt University and The University of Sydney have campuses at Dubbo and, although small in number (just over 300 students and 32 students respectively), the regional impact is significant. Last week I signed an MOU with CSU for both our organisations to work together for parallel promotion of the university and the City. Through the growth of Dubbo and the university we will see additional professionals and talented youth in our City.  Read More...

I remember the day well. It was 24 January this year when I received a somewhat random phone call. Meagan from triple j introduced herself as a Content Director and asked if I would be interested in a One Night Stand in Dubbo in April. I quickly explained that I had a wife and kids – I am joking of course. I admitted I had no idea what she was talking about, so she explained the annual music event that she thought Dubbo might be interested in bidding for. What was immediately apparent to me was the potential exposure that Dubbo could benefit from by hosting an event run by a radio station with 1.5 million listeners. It had me very excited and I was convinced that we simply had to have this for Dubbo. Read More...