May 2012

Bourke selected as an essential NBN gateway

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The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today announced that the north-west NSW town of Bourke will be one of ten towns across Australia that will have a satellite ground station. This ground station will act as an essential satellite gateway, helping deliver fast broadband to rural and remote communities across Australia

The Bourke ground station will be operational in 2015 and contribute to providing between 15,000 and 20,000 Australians with broadband speeds of up to 12 megabits per second.

“For too long, people living in rural and regional Australia have had to live with second class telecommunications infrastructure. Through the rollout of the Gillard Government’s National Broadband Network all Australians will have access to fast affordable broadband – either through fibre to the home, fixed wireless, or satellite services.

“Like water and electricity, the Gillard Government sees fast broadband as an essential utility that should be made available to all Australians, no matter where they live.

Water shepherding arrangements

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NSW Water Commissioner, David Harriss, today invited comment on the proposed water shepherding arrangements for the Barwon-Darling river system and its tributaries.

The proposed arrangements look at the feasibility of shepherding Commonwealth environmental water from the Barwon-Darling system and its tributaries, including those commencing in Queensland, through the Menindee Lakes to the River Murray system.

After considering various options an ‘end-of-system’ accounting and dealing framework for water shepherding is proposed. These proposed arrangements ensure a ‘transparent

rules’ based approach, utilising existing frameworks. Consistent with the MoU, one of the guiding principles in the development of the methodology is that there are no adverse impacts on third parties, such as irrigators.”

“We now invite all interested parties to review and comment on the draft proposed water shepherding arrangements during the consultation period. Submissions close on 2 July, 2012.”

Flying Padre program

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Schedule:
May

14-18 Pooncarie, Menindee C.S., Ivanhoe Community and Prison
19-20 White Cliffs Music Festival
21-23 Teaching for Adelaide College in Adelaide
25th Pastoralists Association AGM
27th Menindee Uniting Church Service
29th May to 1st June SOTA Mini School; Big W Patrol - Wanaaring, White Cliffs Wilcannia areas

June
8-11 Patrol South
12th Menindee Central School and Community
14-15 Possible Training in Cobar
18-21 Pooncarie, Menindee, Ivanhoe
22-24 On leave in Sydney for eldest son's 18th birthday!
24th Menindee Uniting Church Service
26-29 East Patrol

July
1-6 Various places for NAIDOC week
11-13 South/West towards Wentworth
15-21 Uniting Church National Assembly (Adelaide)

2012 Elyne Mitchell Rural Women's Writing Award

Date & Time:
Saturday, June 30, 2012 - 5:00pm

The 2012 Elyne Mitchell Rural Women’s Writing Award is offering prize money of $2000 across three categories for writing a story of up to 2500 words on the theme of ‘Leaping Into The Future’.

Entries may be fiction or non-fiction, but must have a specific reference to an Australian rural experience.

Categories for 2012 are:

  • Emerging (women aged 12 yrs to 18 yrs): 1st prize $500
  • Local (Residents of Towong or Tumbarumba Shires only): 1st prize $500
  • Open (women aged over 18 yrs): 1st prize $1000

All Shortlisted authors receive a bookpack from Harper Collins Publishers Australia
For more information, visit the prize's website: www.elynemitchell.com/2011-competition

Entries close 30 June 2012

Event type: 

Management of public land in NSW

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John Williams The Nationals Member for Murray-Darling welcomed the General Purpose Standing Committee No.5 inquiry into the management of public land in New South Wales during a Private Members Statement in Parliament yesterday.

Mr Williams said the committee will investigate a decision that was made by the previous Labor Government relating to the conversion of State Forests into National Parks.

'The process that was followed by that Government did not recognise the number of people involved in the industry and much of the scientific evidence that was raised by the Natural Resources Commission was challenged by locals.

'The Australian Bureau of Statistics was accurate in its figure of the number of people engaged in the forestry industry – in its last census, 1,300 people had stated they earned their living from forestry.

'As a consequence of the State Forest being converted to a National Park, the fallout has been felt throughout the Riverina communities and many find it difficult to accept that the industry is not sustainable given that a number of reports have highlighted its sustainability,' Mr Williams said.

RSD -- off to a flying start in 2012

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Wilcannia is about to get its own Men’s Shed with funding for the project having been provided by Wilcannia’s RSD office. RSD will fund the refurbishment and fitting out of a Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) owned shed situated at the rear of Wilcannia’s LALC office. When finished the shed will include a BBQ area for men and their families to enjoy as well as fitness, woodworking and general mechanical & maintenance equipment.

Local RSD Coordinator Zoe Dobson (photo tba) explains ‘RSD prioritises the importance of supporting the sustainability of community owned assets and that is why we’re fixing up an Aboriginal community owned property instead of funding a new agency or privately controlled building. The shed will provide all local men with a welcoming space in which they can make furniture, hold meetings, work out and share stories over a cuppa. The shed will also provide a male space from which men’s services and programs can be run in private avoiding any shame about men getting health, family, legal and wellbeing support if they need it’.

2012 May RFDS Clinics

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RFDS DOCTOR Wilcannia

Wednesday 2nd: Dr. Fabian Schwart

Friday 4th: Dr. Malcolm Moore

Monday 7th: Dr. Fabian Schwart

Wednesday 9th: Dr. Naomi Wall

Friday 11th: Dr. Erik Jangen

Monday 14th: Dr. Naomi Wall

W’day 16th: Dr. Solange Costermans

Friday 18th: Dr. Erik Jangen

Monday 21st: Dr. Fabian Schwart

Wednesday 23rd: Dr. John Russell

Friday 25th: Dr. Fabian Schwart

M’day 28th: Dr. Solange Costermans

Wednesday 30th: Dr. Fabian Schwart


RFDS DENTIST—WILCANNIA

Monday 7th: Sanjaya Gamage

Monday 14th: Sanjaya Gamage

Monday 21st: Sanjaya Gamage

Monday 28th: Lyn Mayne

Golf Club Trivia (26-4-2012)

1st: 6 And Out (Michael Murdock & crew—Bo’s old team)

2nd: The Wizards

Brain Teaser: The Dunno What’s (Ben, Vanessa & Horse)

Baffler: 6 and out

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