Council

The future of funerals is in the spotlight following community feedback showing increased interest in more eco-friendly burial options. Sunshine Coast Council is investigating natural burial sites within existing cemeteries.

Mount Alexander Shire Council is celebrating National Playgroup Week (24-30 March) by hosting a pop up playgroup in Victory Park on Friday 26 March. Families with children aged 0-5 years are invited to come along and see what playgroup is all about. They can also try a craft activity, listen to a story, learn a new song and connect with other families.

Community education, vet partnerships, and pet registrations are just some of the key items outlined in Council’s newly adopted Animal Management Strategy. The strategy was officially endorsed by Council this week and will now set the direction for animal management in the Rockhampton Region until 2023.

The first Ed Boyd knew of the Richmond Valley Council’s idea to turn five small parks into housing lots was when he read an article in the Independent at home on a Wednesday evening. He was stirred to action and immediately organised a public rally under the camphor laurel tree in Sunnyside Park on Sandilands St in Casino.

Geoff Helisma. According to Clarence Valley Council there are fewer than 50 coastal emus remaining along the east coast of Australia and only 36 individuals in the Taloumbi/Tyndale/Pillar Valley region, if the estimates in CVC’s Natural Resource Management Coastal Emus: Sighting Data Analysis, July 2020 are correct.

The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale has welcomed two recent announcements which show bipartisan support to grow the region’s local tourism industry ... “We welcome these funding commitments from the major political parties as we work to grow and enhance our local trails and tourism industry, together,” Cr Rich said. “Domestic tourism has never been more important, with Western Australians looking to their own backyards for holiday ideas.

Planting has finished with round one of Maitland City Council’s Community Street Tree Planting Program seeing 136 trees installed during February. Expressions of interest were called from residents in September 2020, and the positive level of response received highlighted people’s interest in environmentally driven projects and green spaces in Maitland.

Roper Gulf Regional Council would like to thank everyone who was involved in the emergency evacuation of the Jilkminggan community on Thursday 25 February 2021. The decision was made by the Local Emergency Committee to evacuate 211 people from Jilkminggan as flood waters continued to rise and surround the community.

Hon Keith Pitt MP joined local member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster and Senator Hon Bridget McKenzie, in Mildura today to talk water with the Murray River Group of Councils. Mayors of the six member councils welcomed the opportunity to directly raise their concerns about the impacts of the Basin Plan on the region on behalf of northern Victorian communities.

Nicholas Rapulo. The National Party’s efforts to suppress the release of a $500,000 feasibility study into the revival of the Narrandera to Tocumwal rail line has failed with the report set to see the light of day. A motion put forward by the Shooters, Fishers, Farmers Party in New South Wales parliament passed the upper house last month meaning the report, which has been hidden away, will be released to the public.

There are two ideas on how to use the rail corridor between Casino and Bentley. The newly formed Northern Rivers Rail Ltd wants to see trains on the track with a bike path alongside.

Geoff Helisma. Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan says he believes that the Clarence Valley Regional and Lismore airports are “still commercially viable”. The Independent emailed an enquiry to Mr Hogan’s office, asking for comment about Rex withdrawing from its Grafton and Lismore routes.

Geoff Helisma. Clarence Valley Council is hoping that Page MP Kevin Hogan can help fill the hole left by Rex regional airline’s announcement that it will cease operating its Sydney to Grafton and Lismore routes as of Friday March 26.

About 100 people were stranded for five days last week at Green Pigeon by the floodwaters of Fawcetts Creek. The usual wooden bridge access was gone. Matthews Bridge, known as Burgess Bridge by locals, was pulled down because Kyogle Council was building a new one in its place.

Geoff Helisma. It was a particularly sad day for Brooms Head resident Steve Otton when he discovered an emu he had been following and photographing had been killed crossing Brooms Head Road at about 6pm on February 19 near Tailem Drive ... "On top of this, not one but three NPWS Emu warning signs have been yet again ripped from their stakes overnight ... After finding the signs down late Saturday I then spotted, with delight and horror, a pair of emus about to cross the road. I waved down this red car as to the action ahead as the pair of emus tip-toed across the road at the 'Emu Crossing' half way along the horror 100km overtaking straight."

The Scenic Rim region is reaping the rewards of Queenslanders exploring their own backyard according to the most recent Tourism Research Australia data. Mayor Greg Christensen said that after a year of international and state border closures, the September 2020 year-end data shows that, while visitor numbers were down in the Scenic Rim, we fared much better than in other parts of South East Queensland.

Ahead of an event to encourage women to become councillors, we ask three current councillors about their experiences. Four of the nine Kyogle councillors are female. Richmond Valley Council has two out of seven.