Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is confident the benefits of its successful Move Eat Live Well program will be enjoyed into the future.

The program - which has changed the lives of thousands of people across the LGA - came to an end on 30 June.

Council has resolved to pursue opportunities to implement similar programs in the future.

Move Eat Live Well was established in 2009 in partnership with the Mid North Coast Local Health District with funding from the NSW State Healthy Communities Initiative. The second phase of the program commenced in March 2011 with funding from the Federal Healthy Communities program.

Subsequently, funding was also obtained through the Federal Indigenous Chronic Disease Prevention Fund for the Aboriginal Move Eat Live Well program.

The two projects - in combination - were targeted at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the unemployed, carers, older Australians, people with a disability and part-time or casual employees with a focus on getting them physically active and leading healthy lifestyles.

Besides physical activity programs such as HEAL and Heartmoves, Move Eat Live Well project achievements included the running of ‘Foodcents’ healthy cooking classes and promotion of Heart Foundation Walking.

It also saw the establishment of a community garden in Port Macquarie and the installation of outdoor gyms in Port Macquarie and Wauchope. A new outdoor gym is also planned for North Haven.

The program saw the introduction of a new exercise equipment and seed lending scheme through the Port Macquarie Library, as well the establishment of a small community garden for library members.

Key outcomes of the Aboriginal Move Eat Live Well program included the construction of an outdoor kitchen at the Birpai Local Aboriginal Land Council in Port Macquarie, the launch of the Dhanbaan Duumul Nyiirun community cookbook as well as cooking classes and breakfast clubs for local students, and a range of healthy lifestyle activities.

A community garden is still to be installed at the Bunyah Local Aboriginal Land Council in Wauchope.

Funding for these programs, as well as for ‘The Lost Plot’ community garden in Central Road, Port Macquarie, was completed on 30 June.

The Lost Plot will be managed on an on-going basis by Port Macquarie Community Gardens Incorporated.

Thousands of people have already attended events at the Central Road site with a number of partnerships formed with local organisations being seen as integral to the project’s overall success.

Mayor Peter Besseling said all three programs had been extremely successful with measurable benefits.

“We are confident that the activities and philosophies implemented as part of these programs will have a continuing benefit and residents of the Port Macquarie-Hastings LGA will enjoy healthier and happier lifestyles as a direct result,” Cr Besseling said.

MOVE EAT LIVE WELL CHANGING LIVES

MOVE EAT LIVE WELL ABORIGINAL MOVE EAT LIVE WELL

THE LOST PLOT COMMUNITY GARDEN

July-September 2014

FOOD

A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

The 2014-15 financial year will be another big one for Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.

As documented in Council’s One Year Operational Plan, we are committed to progressing a number of major projects across the LGA including the replacement of Stingray Creek Bridge and the upgrade of the Port Macquarie Indoor Stadium. There are also funding commitments to major road works on Hastings River Drive, Houston Mitchell Drive, Ocean Drive and Beechwood Road.

In total Council will be spending more than $90 million on capital works, which includes maintaining the extra $1 million funding allocated to local roads in last year’s budget, and an additional $1.4 million to be spent on roads and footpaths throughout the region.

The fact that Council is forecasting a balanced position at the end of the financial year shows that we are not spending beyond our limits and that Council’s long-term financial sustainability remains a key consideration at all times.

We are investing heavily in capital works but what we are delivering is within the community’s means and will not place Council under any undue financial stress in future years.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank

everyone who took the time to read Council’s Draft One Year Operational Plan and who made a submission.

All submissions were considered by senior staff and elected Councillors, and a number of changes were made to the draft plan as a direct result. One of those changes was to add the construction of Beechwood Road from Bains Bridge through to Rosewood Road to the capital works program. Another was to provide ongoing liaison and consideration of the Schools to School and Beach to Beach projects as part of Council’s ‘Place Making’ approach. This also reaffirms Council’s philosophy of supporting community groups and organisations that are willing to contribute to overall outcomes.

The fact Council has been able to program maintenance action or funding to address a number of specific issues such as lifeguard tower maintenance and footpath maintenance shows the importance we place on community feedback.

Obviously we have not have been able to respond to all of the community’s requests - particularly those relating to specific roads - but we appreciate that people have taken the time to engage with Council and to have input into its direction.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s Small Villages Sewerage Scheme is on track with the completion of the new Beechwood sewerage scheme.

The new Council gave a commitment to residents in the region’s outlying areas that their villages would be connected to the reticulated sewerage scheme by the end of the current Council term in 2016.

The completion of the Beechwood scheme is a case of Council delivering on that promise

SEWERAGE SCHEME ON TRACK

PROJECTS MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCEPort Macquarie-Hastings Council has celebrated the official opening of the Kooloonbung Creek Footbridge and improvements at Town Beach Reserve in Port Macquarie.

Mayor Peter Besseling said the footbridge had provided some “shine and sparkle” to the Buller Street entrance to Port Macquarie’s CBD - as well as a much safer crossing over Kooloonbung Creek.

“The final outcome is something that we can all be really proud of,” Cr Besseling said at the official opening on 11 June. “It is a community asset and I congratulate everyone who has been involved,” he said.

The footbridge was funded through the Federal Government’s Regional Communities Initiative and contributions from Port Macquarie CBD property owners through the Port Macquarie Town Centre Masterplan.

Improvements to the Town Beach Reserve were also undertaken with $400,000 in Federal Government funding and have included a new concrete path adjacent to the rock

EXTRA CAR PARKING The total number of parking spaces at Port Macquarie Airport has been boosted to almost 300.

Council has opened a new 110-space car park at the airport specifically for rental cars and airline, security and cafe staff who previously parked in the main public car park.

The new car park has been provided in response to the on-going increase in air services and passenger numbers at the airport.

It was delivered at a cost of $500,000 and was funded entirely from the airport business unit with no impact on other Council projects or services.

NEW e-NEWSLETTER Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has launched a new electronic newsletter to help keep local residents informed on key Council projects and initiatives.

The new e-newsletter, ‘eConnect’, is being emailed monthly to subscribers.

Those people who would like to subscribe to the new e-newsletter are asked to visit Council’s website at www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au and follow the links to ‘Contact Us’.

Mayor Peter Besseling said Council would continue to look at ways of communicating effectively with the community using a range of different mediums.

NEW BINS TO BE ROLLED OUT ACROSS THE REGION Residents across the Port Macquarie-Hastings LGA will soon receive their new garbage bins as Council gears up for the start of a new domestic waste collection service on 1 September.

All property owners receiving a domestic waste collection service were asked to nominate their new service before 30 April and the bins have now been ordered.

Following Council’s ‘Choose Your Bin’ campaign 94 per cent of all residents will receive a fortnightly bin service and six per cent will receive a weekly service.

Almost 40,000 bins will be rolled out over the new two months, with all ratepayers receiving a new red bin and those people who opted for the recycling upgrade also receiving a new yellow bin.

Residents are advised to continue using their old bins up until the start of the new service on 1 September. The new bins won’t be emptied until the new service commences.

The old bins will be collected and taken away for recycling from 8 September. Residents are asked to place their old red bin (and their old yellow bin if they have opted for the recycling upgrade) upside down on the kerb for collection between 8 and 19 September.

Those people who want to keep their old bins for storage purposes are welcome to do so but they are asked to remember that the old bins are easily identified and will no longer be emptied after 1 September.

Anyone who misses the one-off recovery run of old bins can drop their bins off (free of charge) to the JR Richards site at Kingfisher Road Waste Management Facility in Port Macquarie.

Those people who did not make their service selection will automatically receive the new corresponding service. Anyone wanting to switch services will be able to do so without incurring a changeover fee from 1 October 2014 through until 28 February 2015 by contacting Council on (02) 6581 8111. See www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au/bins for more details.

News in brief

Stingray Creek Bridge

The range of new bins

A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

everyone who took the time to read Council’s Draft One Year Operational Plan and who made a submission.

All submissions were considered by senior staff and elected Councillors, and a number of changes were made to the draft plan as a direct result. One of those changes was to add the construction of Beechwood Road from Bains Bridge through to Rosewood Road to the capital works program. Another was to provide ongoing liaison and consideration of the Schools to School and Beach to Beach projects as part of Council’s ‘Place Making’ approach. This also reaffirms Council’s philosophy of supporting community groups and organisations that are willing to contribute to overall outcomes.

The fact Council has been able to program maintenance action or funding to address a number of specific issues such as lifeguard tower maintenance and footpath maintenance shows the importance we place on community feedback.

Obviously we have not have been able to respond to all of the community’s requests - particularly those relating to specific roads - but we appreciate that people have taken the time to engage with Council and to have input into its direction.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s Small Villages Sewerage Scheme is on track with the completion of the new Beechwood sewerage scheme.

The new Council gave a commitment to residents in the region’s outlying areas that their villages would be connected to the reticulated sewerage scheme by the end of the current Council term in 2016.

The completion of the Beechwood scheme is a case of Council delivering on that promise

with Council’s attention now being turned towards North Shore, Comboyne, Long Flat and Telegraph Point. Herons Creek has already been completed.

Work on the Beechwood scheme was undertaken as two concurrent projects with a contractor responsible for the sewerage reticulation and pumping station works and Council’s Infrastructure Delivery group responsible for installation of the sewer rising main.

Work on the sewerage reticulation and pumping station was completed on 16 April at a cost of $1,765,000, while the rising main linking the new pumping station with the Wauchope sewerage treatment plant - a distance of more than six kilometres - was finished in mid-May at a cost of approximately $1,400,000.

All works were completed on time with construction of the sewerage rising main coming in significantly under budget.

SEWERAGE SCHEME ON TRACK

PROJECTS MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCEPort Macquarie-Hastings Council has celebrated the official opening of the Kooloonbung Creek Footbridge and improvements at Town Beach Reserve in Port Macquarie.

Mayor Peter Besseling said the footbridge had provided some “shine and sparkle” to the Buller Street entrance to Port Macquarie’s CBD - as well as a much safer crossing over Kooloonbung Creek.

“The final outcome is something that we can all be really proud of,” Cr Besseling said at the official opening on 11 June. “It is a community asset and I congratulate everyone who has been involved,” he said.

The footbridge was funded through the Federal Government’s Regional Communities Initiative and contributions from Port Macquarie CBD property owners through the Port Macquarie Town Centre Masterplan.

Improvements to the Town Beach Reserve were also undertaken with $400,000 in Federal Government funding and have included a new concrete path adjacent to the rock

wall at the northern end of Town Beach, replacement of part of the existing path with coloured concrete, picnic shelters, park benches, garbage bin enclosures and a new judging platform.

Elsewhere across the LGA, work is progressing on the construction of new toilet facilities at the Bonny Hills Community Hall Reserve.

The design of the new toilets is consistent with facilities installed over the past 18 months at Bruce Porter Reserve in Laurieton, Ferry Reserve on the North Shore and Narran Park at King Creek.

Other infrastructure projects completed in recent months have included a new footpath in Yarranabee Road (between Hillcrest Avenue and Palmgrove Place) in Port Macquarie; extension of the pathway and improvements to the stairs in Aqua Reserve, Lake Cathie; provision of kerb and gutter adjacent to the War Memorial in Castle Street, Laurieton and the installation of traffic signals on the corner of Boundary Street and Hastings River Drive, Port Macquarie.

CARNIVAL RETURNS Port Macquarie-Hastings will welcome the return of another major sporting event next year with the Women’s Bowls NSW BCiB State Carnival being staged locally in 2015 and 2016.

More than 1000 competitors are expected to descend on the region at the end of May next year as the largest event on the Women’s Bowls NSW calendar celebrates its 86th year.

The event will provide a welcome boost to tourism with around 500 spectators and supporters expected to accompany players for the week-long tournament.

Women’s Bowls NSW President Robyn Proctor said the carnival had enjoyed great success previously in Port Macquarie and expects it to continue to “thrive and grow” over the next two years.

Port Macquarie has established an enviable reputation as the host of major sporting events including Ironman and Ironman 70.3, the NSW Touch Association State Cup and Junior State Cup, the Australian Surfing Festival and more recently a round of the NSW Motocross Championships.

Later this month hundreds of people will descend on the region for the NSW junior surfing titles. The event will be fully mobile with venue options - depending on surf conditions - to include Town Beach, Flynns Beach, Lighthouse Beach, Rainbow Beach and Grant’s Beach.

NEW e-NEWSLETTER Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has launched a new electronic newsletter to help keep local residents informed on key Council projects and initiatives.

The new e-newsletter, ‘eConnect’, is being emailed monthly to subscribers.

Those people who would like to subscribe to the new e-newsletter are asked to visit Council’s website at www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au and follow the links to ‘Contact Us’.

Mayor Peter Besseling said Council would continue to look at ways of communicating effectively with the community using a range of different mediums.

News in brief

Construction of the rising main.

Kooloonbung Creek Footbridge

Stingray Creek Bridge

News in brief

Would you like to find out about new Council run initiatives and events? How about where your rate payers dollars are being spent to improve the quality of living right outside your Hastings doorstep? Then what are you waiting for, get connected and be part of our community at www.facebook.com/pmhc2444 and start engaging today.

News in brief

Would you like to find out about new Council run initiatives and events? How about where your rates are being spent to improve the quality of living right outside your Hastings doorstep? Then what are you waiting for, get connected and be part of our community at www.facebook.com/pmhc2444 and start engaging today.

Each week at the Glasshouse, under the careful and nurturing tutelage of local music identity Robyn Ryan OAM, the newly formed Glasshouse Youth Chorus is preparing to perform on stage during Opera Australia’s The Magic Flute this August.

The Glasshouse Youth Chorus, consisting of girls and boys aged 9 to 14, was carefully selected by an independent panel of trained music educators for their outstanding aural and intonation skills.

Side-by-side with some of Australia’s finest artists, these young singers will perform on stage with Opera Australia as the ‘three spirits’, the animals and in other chorus roles.

The Magic Flute is Mozart’s classic fairy tale featuring some of the most beloved and recognisable opera music, including the virtuosic ‘Queen of the Night’ aria, as well as timeless themes of coming of age, facing adversity, the importance of forgiveness and good triumphing over evil.

Directed by acclaimed Australian playwright Michael Gow, this magical new production

takes inspiration from adventure films like The Mummy and the Indiana Jones series. Featuring Tamino as an explorer on a mission to rescue the beautiful princess Pamina - trapped in an Egyptian tomb complete with buried treasure - this opera is for all the family.

“The Glasshouse Youth Chorus will be mentored in musicianship and performance skills as they work alongside Opera Australia’s team of world-class artists and technicians,” explained Glasshouse Venue Manager, Mr Craig Smith.

“They will be supported and encouraged on each step of their journey - a truly unique opportunity for our local youth.”

Mozart’s The Magic Flute, new production from Opera Australia

Sung in English | Performed with a chamber orchestra | Directed by Michael Gow @ Glasshouse, Friday 22 August, 7.30pm & Saturday 23 August, 4pm.

LOCAL YOUTH ON STAGEWITH OPERA AUSTRALIA

COURAGE TO CARE ORDINARY PEOPLE - EXTRAORDINARY ACTS @ Glasshouse Gallery, 18 July - 31 August 2014

Mozart’s THE MAGIC FLUTE OPERA AUSTRALIA, Friday 22 August 7.30pm & Saturday 23 August, 4pm

The Glasshouse Youth Chorus

2 One Another SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY Thursday 31 July, 8pm & Friday 1 August, 8pm

ALSO AT T

HE

GLASSHOUSE

Photo courtesy Port News