22 May 2017

As the autumn leaves fall to the ground, wood fires across the city spark up.

The smokes from these fires can cause serious problems for asthmatics.

At this time of year, Orange City Council’s health staff are on the road most mornings looking for signs of high-levels of woodsmoke in residential areas.

When a problem is noticed or when there is a complaint, staff knock on doors and leave information on how to operate fires correctly.

There are mixed signals at present. For this time of year, there’s been fewer complaints than usual and that could mean the community is learning to operate their wood fires better.

But, in the lower valleys of Orange, the large amount of smoke that can still be seen is a concern.

There are potential health issues when a wood fire is not operated correctly. But, when the right wood is burnt in the right way the risks can be much, much lower and your heating bill can be much lower.

The following link contains several useful tips on how to save money, and reduce the amount of smoke coming from your fire.

www.orange.nsw.gov.au/woodfires

Dark or sooty smoke that’s coming out of a fire or a chimney is the most obvious sign that a fire is burning the wrong way. The dark smoke is tiny particles that aren’t being burnt in the fire box.

19 May 2017

Orange mayor John Davis OAM, met with local indigenous elders and community leaders today in a low-key recognition of the annual ‘National Sorry Day’ event.

Because the Orange NAIDOC Committee are organizing an event to recognize the 50^th anniversary of the 1967 indigenous referendum in the Orange Regional Museum precinct on 27 May, a separate event was held a week earlier for Sorry Day.

Mayor Davis met with the Chair of the Community Working party Jason French, Gerald Power and local elders today during a regular morning tea held each fortnight at the HAC Centre.

“This annual milestone is marked Australia-wide on 26 May, and it’s important the community takes time to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the country's indigenous population,” Cr John Davis said. “It is estimated that between 1883 and 1969 more than 6,200 children were forcibly removed from their families and communities in NSW alone.”

“It’s important that we take time to remember the past injustice to Aboriginal peoples and policies of forced child removal, as well as recognising the signs of resilience, healing and the power of saying Sorry.”

"It was very interesting and moving to sit around together and hear some of the personal stories of this groups of elderly Orange residents. They generously shared their stories of how they moved to live in Orange from many different parts of Australia, and have now raised their families here."

Orange City Council’s Central West Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer Jordon Moore facilitates fortnightly gatherings with a number of local Aboriginal Elders who meet regularly for a yarn and social support activities at the HACC Centre at 286 Lords Place Orange.

CONVERSATION : Mayor John Davis met with elders of the Orange Aboriginal community. Pictured (l. to r.) are Mayor John Davis, (sitting) Paul Oates, (standing) Alice Williams, Muriel McMahon, (standing) Wayne Langlo, Ellen Rose, (sitting) Donna Dodds, (standing) Daphne Monaghan, John Frail, Pat French.

The stories of an Austrian artist who roamed Australia capturing little-known scenes of life on the goldfields, will be outlined in the latest event at the Orange Regional Museum.

Stories of the gold rush and its impact on the Australian landscape were brought to light through the work of landscape artist Eugene von Guérard who travelled Australian for thirty years beginning in 1952. The artist is the topic of the latest in a series of public lectures this weekend.

Drawing on new research, art historian and von Guérard specialist, Dr Ruth Pullinexamines how Eugene von Guérard’s precarious and itinerant experience of living and mining on the goldfields laid the foundation for his artistic practice in Australia.

Orange City Council Services Committee chair, Cr Ron Gander is pleased the museum is involved in throwing the spotlight on the gold rush in new ways.

“Starting in 1852 von Guérard recorded, in his pocket-sized sketchbooks, in drawings and in a written diary, every aspect of life on the diggings”, Cr Ron Gander said. “His career, starting on the Victorian goldfields, saw him travel through NSW and across the country capturing the landscape during a period of dramatic change.

“He journeyed throughout Australia and got as close to Orange as Hartley in the Blue Mountains.”

“The Orange community has close connections with the start of the gold rush and it’s important that these are told”, Cr Gander said.

In 1851, just 30km from Orange in Ophir, William Tom, James Tom, James Lister and Edward Hargraves found payable gold on the banks of Summer Hill Creek. This discovery marked the beginning of the Australian gold rush, an historic event which was to become the subject matter for some of Australia’s most significant paintings.

The gold rush changed the face of the colonies and helped establish Australia as a nation. What occurred at Ophir was the catalyst for national change. This is a common theme in the history of the region – we are at the centre of a much larger Australian story.

The Public Lecture will be held at Orange Regional Museum on Friday 12^th May from 6pm. To book visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/ or contact the Museum on 02 6393 8444.