Mayor's Column - Longreach Leader 21 May 2021

This column first appeared in the Longreach Leader on Friday 21 May 2021.

I’d like to start this fortnight’s column by offering my sincere thanks to everyone who helped to make the Longreach Show such a great success. The show society is a very hardworking community group supported by so many local businesses and volunteers. It was an honour for Longreach to also host the Queensland State Sheep show this year, and we had fantastic attendance on the Friday – great to see the show public holiday return after several years. Well done and thank you to everyone who supported our show.

I’m in Richmond at the moment for the Annual Assembly of the Western Queensland Alliance of Councils (WQAC). It’s the second annual assembly after the very successful inaugural assembly held in Longreach last year. The WQAC is an alliance of 22 local governments across central-west, south-west, and north-west Queensland. Together we cover 60 percent of the state and make a major contribution to the economies of Queensland and Australia. It’s no surprise that senior State and Federal government Ministers and departmental representatives also attend the assembly to learn about the issues we have in common.

One of the big ticket items on the three-day program, themed ‘Building Blocks for the Future’, will be challenges in the housing market being experienced across the west. We’ll be hearing a presentation on the first ever Western Queensland Housing Market Study commissioned by WQAC – which is being undertaken by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI).

Western Queensland punches well above its weight in terms of its contribution to the economy. By working together towards solutions for major issues like housing, we can truly unlock the amazing economic and social potential of Western Queensland.

We’re all set for another big weekend in our region coming up, with the Isisford Sheep & Wool show happening, and Opera Queensland bringing their inaugural Festival of Outback Opera to Longreach.

The Isisford Sheep & Wool show always promises a great time and this year’s event, held on Saturday, will be extra special. ABC Weather presenter Jenny Woodward will be presenting her one woman show ‘Weathering Well’ at 11am and 3pm – proudly supported by Council through our state Regional Arts Development Funding. There’s also plenty more fun to be had on the day, with sheep counting competitions, the working horse challenge, a sausage eating contest, and much more. I encourage everyone who came out last weekend to support our region again and head down to what’s known as ‘the best little show on the Barcoo’!

The Festival of Outback Opera is another fantastic addition to our annual event calendar and is making its debut this year. Opera Queensland is bringing two unique productions to Longreach as part of the festival. 

The first, Singing in the Night, will be presented this Saturday on the tarmac at the Qantas Founders Museum, with the heritage listed original Qantas Hangar as a backdrop. It features internationally acclaimed singer Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Eva Kong, and is supported by Camerata – a full Chamber Orchestra. Together they’ll be performing works by Handel, Verdi, and Puccini along side some much-loved musical numbers from shows such as South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady.

The following night, on Sunday, there’s a free performance of ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ out the front of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame in yet another uniquely Longreach setting. It’s a celebration of Opera and Country music, featuring arias and songs by composers such as Puccini, Verdi, Slim Dusty and Dolly Parton, to name just a few. This performance is free – another great event Council is proud to be supporting through our Regional Arts Development Funding. 

Next week Council has its monthly meeting on Thursday, the 27th, in Ilfracombe, at the recreation centre. As always, the meeting is open to the public, and you’ll be able to find the agenda and minutes online. Thursday the 27th is also the day for Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea, raising money for the Cancer Council, so we’re inviting the community to join us for an extra special morning tea break from 10:30am – 11:15am during the Council meeting at the Ilfracombe recreation centre.

Until next time, you can find email and direct phone numbers and email addresses for me and each of my fellow Councillors on our website at longreach.qld.gov.au/elected-members. If you want to know anything at all, reach out to one of us - or contact Council directly on (07) 4658 4111 (24hrs), or email assist@longreach.qld.gov.au.