Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton (second from right) pictured with Lachlan Shire Council General Manager Greg Tory, Citizen of the Year Dr Khaled Bardawil, Australia Day Ambassador Donna Burton from Coonabarabran, Australia Day Award winner Sue Nicholls, Sportsperson of the Year Dylan Bendell and Mayor John Medcalf OAM in Lake Cargelligo.
Australia Day celebrations
It was a pleasure to participate in Australia Day celebrations at Lake Cargelligo and Burcher this year. Australia Day is a day for all Australians to reflect, respect and celebrate everything that is good about our country, particularly our people and our resilience.
It’s also an opportunity to recognise those outstanding members of the community who have contributed so much over the past year. I’d like to congratulate all of the deserving individuals and groups in the Parkes electorate who received an Australia Day award this year. Thank you for all you do in helping make our communities the great places they are.
I was also particularly proud of the 10 extraordinary people from the Parkes electorate who were named in the 2022 Australia Day Honours List, including:
- Kellie Dickerson (Dubbo) who received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for service to the performing arts
- Norma Gallagher (Dunedoo) who received an OAM for service to the community of Dunedoo
- Ronald Gallagher (Dunedoo) who received an OAM for service to the community of Dunedoo
- Matthew Hansen (Dubbo) who received an OAM for service to recreational fishing, and to conservation
- Jack Hargreaves (Nyngan) who received an OAM for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020
- Patricia Irving (Warren) who received an OAM for service to the community of Warren
- Detective Sergeant Mark Meredith (Dubbo) who received an OAM for service to the community through a range of organisations
- Pamela Simpson (Bourke) who received an OAM for service to the community of Bourke
- Annette Turner (White Cliffs) who received an OAM for service to the community through a range of roles
- David Bosworth (Dubbo) who received an Australian Fire Service Medal (ASFM)
Congratulations to each of these selfless individuals on this incredible honour. You should all be very proud.
Exciting week of openings
It was great to get back on the road last week after the holiday period, visiting the communities of Dubbo, Condobolin, Lake Cargelligo, Burcher and Narrabri.
As well as participating in Australia Day celebrations and various meetings, it was a week of ribbon cuttings, with official openings for the Condobolin Youth Centre, the new amenities building at the Lake Cargelligo Swimming Pool and the Inland Rail Narrabri office.
The Condobolin Youth Centre was made possible thanks to $363,698 in funding provided under the Federal Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program. This renovated building will be a wonderful asset for Condobolin, providing a safe space for young people and a meeting place for the wider community.
The Coalition Government provided $825,000 towards the $1.1 million amenities upgrade at Lake Cargelligo Swimming Pool, which is a great improvement and already encouraging more people to use the facility.
Meanwhile, the opening of the Inland Rail office at Narrabri signals an exciting milestone for the Narromine to Narrabri project, which will bring enormous economic benefits to the entire region.
Flood recovery grants for small businesses
Our small businesses and not-for-profits were not immune to the impacts of storms and flooding that affected communities across the Parkes electorate at the end of last year, so I’m pleased they will now be able to apply for grants of up to $50,000 to help them recover.
The grants, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), can help pay for the costs of clean-up and reinstatement of operations for small businesses or not-for-profit organisations that suffered direct physical damage as a result of the storms and floods in November and December 2021.
The grants are available in the local government areas of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Cobar, Coonamble, Dubbo, Gilgandra, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Lachlan, Moree Plains, Narrabri, Narromine, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle, and the Unincorporated Area.
For more information, visit the Service NSW website or call 13 77 88.