Mayor's Column: Leaders in the Leader 9-10-2020
Good to start this fortnightly update by sharing some happy news. It was my pleasure at the last Council meeting to present Disaster Management Coordinator, Craig Neuendorf, with the National Emergency Medal. I proudly presented it on behalf of His Excellency The Governor-General David Hurley AM. Craig has been awarded the medal in recognition of his sustained services during the 2019 North Queensland Floods.
Craig is jointly employed by five councils as their Disaster Management Coordinator: Longreach; Barcaldine Regional Council; Blackall-Tambo; Winton; and Barcoo. He does a great job and has vastly improved the preparedness of our communities in a very short time.
I’d like to thank everyone in the Isisford community who came out to our community consultation this week. Council held the consultation to discuss a proposal to offer a trustee lease, via tender, of the Isisford Crusher Paddock. The paddock is not part of the Isisford town common, however because it adjoins the common, people often assume that it is. The crusher paddock is in fact a state-owned reserve, part of the stock route, administered by Council on behalf of the Department of Natural Resources Mines and Energy (DNRME). The proposal, which has been approved by DNRME, is for Council to offer a trustee lease over the land via tender. Council decided it was important to consult with the community at Isisford before proceeding any further. Also on the agenda was the request from some sections of the community to erect a town boundary fence. Staff will now take the feedback gathered and make further recommendations based on our discussions.
The meeting was actually the second in two weeks for Isisford, as it followed on from a very positive consultation we had last week about plans to construct a new public ablutions block. It will be constructed between the Isisford Town Hall and the Outer Barcoo Interpretation Centre. The new facility will provide very important access to shower facilities for overnight visitors, as well as public amenities for day visitors.
It’s good to see the return of our annual residential bulk rubbish collection. The kerbside collection is only for residential households. Residents can place waste out for collection either in the rear laneway or on the front footpath. Just make sure anything you want to keep is removed from the footpaths and lanes or it’ll be taken away!
The collection starts in Longreach from 19-22 October in four zones – be sure to check which day is your collection day. We’ll be in Ilfracombe on 26 October, Isisford on 27 October, and Yaraka on 28 October.
Help is available, but only by prior arrangement, removing large, bulky and heavy items from your property (including car bodies). You can find more info, including what can and can’t be collected, on our website.
Until next time, please don’t hesitate to contact Council directly on (07) 4658 4111 (24hrs), or email assist@longreach.qld.gov.au. You can find also find email and phone numbers for me and all of my fellow Councillors on our website at longreach.qld.gov.au/elected-members.