Ray White and Kevin Woolfe are great mates who’ve been encouraging each other to be active and healthy by getting outside and going for a walk together.

Orange City Council’s Community Services Committee Chair Ron Gander said the men were introduced to each other as part of Council’s Choice at Home, Friendly Visitor Program.

“The Friendly Visitors Program pairs volunteers and clients based on mutual interests and hobbies and the pair then spend time enjoying each other’s company,” Cr Gander said.

“It means clients can rely on a regular visitor who pops in to see how they’re getting on and it’s a great social outlet”.

Choices at Home client Kevin Woolfe said he eagerly awaits visits from Mr White.

“I enjoy my discussions with Ray, he is easy to get along with and talk to. We go out for lunch sometimes and we have the same interests,” Mr Woolfe said.

The home visits usually last about an hour and occur once a week or fortnightly.

Mr White, who is a volunteer, said he enjoys spending time with Mr Woolfe because they have a lot in common and it means he also gets out of the house, spends time with his new friend and they solve the world’s problems together.

Mr Woolfe used to be an avid walker but after a heart attack he was advised not to go walking on his own.

His pairing with Mr White means he doesn’t miss out on his regular exercise.

“I can go out of my home and he can take care of me as I’m not supposed to be walking by myself,” Mr Woolfe said.

Choices at home is calling on people to sign up as volunteers for the Friendly Visitor program as well as the Community Visitor program.

The Community Visitor program gives people an opportunity to share their skills and knowledge by running workshops for clients in aged care facilities.

Cr Gander said becoming a volunteer for the visitor programs was a win for everyone.

“You feel good because you’re giving back to the community by volunteering, but it isn’t very strenuous and you get to make friends,” Cr Gander said.

“It’s the best type of volunteering if you ask me.

“So if you have a hobby, interest to demonstrate or like to chat, you will be providing quality life and companionship to others. “

Volunteers will need to have a criminal record check and complete the Orange City Council corporate induction.

For information about the Friendly Visiting Program or the Community Visitor Scheme, please contact Claudette on 6393 8966 or email candrie@orange.nsw.gov.au.

FRIENDS: Ray Wright and Kevin Woolfe have become good friends after meeting each other through the Choices At Home Friendly Visitor program.

BOOMING: Cr Jeff Whitton in front of the Mid City Motor Lodge, the site of one of the proposed accommodation development applications.

FRIENDSHIP: They stay for the friendship. Members of the Orange Men’s Group prepare lunch together during their weekly gatherng. (l. to r.) Shane Fardell, Wal Thorncraft, Ray Bartimote, Brian Copeland, Ted Mortimer and John Peters.

Kaluumn Maple is a 15-year-old university student who says anything is possible with a little determination.

With that in mind, he is calling on the youth of Orange to come together to make Orange the best place for young people to grow up.

Kaluumn is a member of the Orange City Council Youth Action Council and is using his talents to create ways to keep kids off the streets.

“I’m organising a free art workshop for kids aged anywhere from eight years old to 20 years old,” Kaluumn said.

“I’ve found art to be a great way to express yourself and I hope to get kids using art in the same way rather than doing things which get them into trouble.”

The Youth Action Council is a great way to meet friends, throw around ideas and create events for young people, Kaluumn said.

“And there’s free food,” he said.

“It’s really welcoming, you get accepted by everyone and all ideas get taken on board.

“It’s a really safe space.”

Kaluumn knows a thing or two about perseverance after spending the last eight years in a wheelchair following a bout of disease.

But through hard work and determination he has been working on strengthening his leg muscles and is hoping to be wheelchair free in the next six to 12 months.

Afterwards he hopes to continue his law and medical degrees at the University of New South Wales, on campus.

He said his art has helped him through the tough times and given him some perspective on life and he hoped to pass on that knowledge to others, through the workshop.

“I’ve always been passionate about art, it so peaceful when you’re doing it,” he said.

“It takes you away.”

Kaluumn will show workshop participants how to use a pencil correctly for sketching, how to shade and how to “measure up” for a sketch.

The workshop is expected to be held in October and anyone interested in attending, or anyone interested in being part of the Youth Action Council is urged to contact Orange City Council Youth Development Officer Katrina Hausia at khausia@orange.nsw.gov.au

INSPIRATIONAL: Kaluumn Maple wants to share his talent with others.

Car enthusiast and Orange Mayor John Davis is looking forward to welcoming around 200 members of the latest car club to visit Orange this weekend.

The Jaguar Car Club of Australia will be visiting Orange on Sunday September 18, bringing a collection of pre-1950s classic Jaguar cars.

“There’s been a string of car clubs who’ve found Orange to be a fantastic place to come for a day or a weekend,” Cr John Davis said.

“They love the food and hospitality.

"There’s nothing like a drive through the beautiful Orange countryside. It’s just a great destination.”

“When car buffs come for a visit, there’s often a club dinner or they stay in local accommodation, so there’s many benefits for local businesses.”

“And local motoring fans like nothing more than a slow walk amongst the cars at Brabham Park.”

About 80 early Jaguars are expected to be on display with a range of newer models displayed by Tony Leahey Motor Group.

The show is on from 9:00am to 12:00 noon at Sir Jack Brabham Park

Around 200 participants are expected for the event.

EXCITED: Along with Mayor John Davis, local jag owners like Graham Barrett (at left who owns a 1964 Mk II) and Gwyn Mulholland (who owns a 1970 Series 1 XJ6) are looking forward to checking out the collection of pre-1950s classic jaguars during this month’s car club visit to Orange.

Orange City Council has unveiled the list of locations for road works in the coming road-building season.

Weather-permitting, road work worth $15.2 million has been planned.

Orange Mayor Cr John Davis OAM said he’s looking forward to the new round of work beginning during warm months.

“It’s been a record wet Winter and that weather has left its mark on our roads,” Cr John Davis said.

“As recently last weekend we’ve had three crews out in all kinds of weather making the roads as safe as we can, but this road-building program is aimed at making a major contribution to the quality of local roads.”

Orange City Council Infrastructure Policy Committee Chair Cr Glenn Taylor said the roads program is a sign of Orange’s growth.

“It’s important to remember that streets like Clergate Road were built as narrow rural roads.

"They’re now a path to a major industrial area and it’s showing the impact of a lot more traffic than it was originally designed for,” Cr Glenn Taylor said.

“Clergate Rd will be re-built.”

• Re-building Clergate Road from the northern bypass to Strathgrove Way ($2.65 million)
• Building a new rail overpass bridge in Forest Road ($2.5 million)
• Re-building Forest Road from the southern feeder road intersection to the hospital ($3.1 million - This project is subject to a successful ‘Resources for Regions’ grant.)

Burrendong Way will be re-built with a sprayed bitumen seal from the bypass to Wiradjuri Place ($600,000)

The list of 12 local streets which will be re-habilitated and re-surfaced with a bitumen gravel seal at a cost of $574,000 includes :

• Summer St East from Summer Lane to the bridge
• McNeilly Ave from Elsham Ave to Edward St
• Caroline St from Edward St to Rose St
• Endeavour Ave from James Cook Cr (east) Hill St
• Endsleigh Ave from Warrendine St to Franklin Rd
• Hargraves Cr from Heatherbrae Pl to Friendship Place
• March St from Clinton St to Sampson St
• Maxwell Ave from Tobruk St (south) to Brunswick St
• Maxwell Ave from Moad St to Tobruk(north)
• Moad Place from Maxwell Ave to Glenroi Ave
• Paling St from Icely Rd to Austin St
• Churchill Ave to from Tobruk Cr to Fitzroy St

ROADS: Orange Mayor John Davis with Technical Services Director Chris Devitt at Leeds Parade.

Orange Mayor John Davis has moved to quell speculation land in Orange was fast running out.

He said Orange has about 15 years’ worth of land to be developed, despite comments that available land in Orange would be bought up within six months.

Cr Davis said, the council has recently re-zoned the Shiralee area in south Orange, which opened up 1600 residential blocks.

“In general terms it’s estimated that Orange has around 15 years’ worth of land in private hands that’s zoned residential that’s able to be developed, Cr Davis said.

“When developers choose to do that, and which agents they choose to manage sales, is a matter for their market judgement.”

Orange City Council controls the zoning of land, and from time to time re-zonings happen in consultation with the community and state authorities, Cr Davis said.

Unlike the state government, which releases large tracts of land for residential development in Sydney, in Orange the timing surrounding the release of new residential blocks is largely up to the market and property developers

But because Orange City Council is very keen to attract jobs to Orange, it’s a slightly different story with industrial land, he said.

“Staff keep a close eye on the demand for industrial land and we work to make sure there is enough land to meet the needs of businesses which want to move to Orange,” Cr Davis said.

Cr Davis said it was common practice to ask developers to fund part of the infrastructure needed for new estates and that Orange City Council charged the same rate as any other area in NSW.

“The cost of building new parks, traffic roundabouts and sportsgrounds around new housing developments has got to come from somewhere,” he said.

“When developers are making a profit out of creating new residential subdivisions, it’s fair that those developers and the people who buy the property pay for those facilities instead of putting the cost onto other ratepayers who aren’t directly affected.”

The council sets its Section 94 contributions after consultation with the community. They are capped by state government regulations.

EXPANSION: Orange is expanding at a constant rate.

Mayor John Davis is calling on residents to keep a look-out after the latest spate of vandalism in the Somerset Wetlands.

Council staff discovered 12 trees, each between three to five metres tall, had been felled by a vandal with a machete over the weekend.

The incident, the latest in a series of weekend attacks, has been reported to police.

On the previous weekend, around fifteen smaller trees, put in during community tree-planting days, were chopped down.

“The Somerset wetlands are hugely popular with residents of the neighbourhood, and it’s tragic when this kind of mindless vandalism leaves it mark,” Cr John Davis said.

“These wetlands are a green corridor that runs alongside housing areas between Molong Road and Burrendong Way.

"They’re a breeding hot-spot for native birds and the paths attract hundreds of dog-walkers and cyclists every week.

“If someone’s trying to see how strong they are with a machete, I wish they’d try weights or find some exercise gear rather than take it out on the community’s trees.”

Vandals have also removed sections of a wetlands structure that’s designed to prevent rubbish getting into the first of the wetland ponds.

“The structure is called a ‘gross pollutant trap’. It stops rubbish like plastic bottles or other material that’s washed down the creek making it into the pond," Cr Davis said.

"It’s about improving the water quality, and it’s designed so that it doesn’t interfere with the flow of water when there’s minor flooding. It’s another waste of time for staff who have to re-assemble the structure again.”

The weekend attacks have disturbed nearby residents.

One could be seen taking photographs of the damaged trees, as council staff began the clean-up.

While some tree trunks were left next to stumps, others were carried and thrown onto nearby native bushes.

"The Somerset wetlands are one of the few places in Orange where the native swamp hens have been breeding in recent years," Cr Davis said.

"The wetlands have been planted with a range of water-friendly shrubs and rushes, providing cover and breeding habitat for native birds."

The Somerset wetlands are part of Orange’s system of constructed wetlands which includes the Ploughman’s Valley wetlands and the Brooklands wetlands, just east of Burrendong Way.

The Somerset wetlands were opened in 2012 and have since gone on to include a range of passive recreational facilities such as a playground and walking/bike path.

The wetlands supply Orange’s award-winning stormwater harvesting scheme. After water flows slowly through the wetlands ponds, it emerges cleaner and is pumped for further treatment near Orange City Council’s Waste Water Treatment plant.

Council has a policy to offer a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the successful prosecution and conviction of anyone found vandalising public and private property.

STUMPED : Orange City Council Wetlands crew member David Shea is baffled by the latest in a series of machete attacks on trees at the Somerset wetlands, which saw 12 trees cut down.