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Consultation has concluded

Orange City Council News

Orange City Council News

Consultation has concluded
  • Last chance for entries in 2017 heritage awards

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    There’s still time to place an entry in this year’s Cultural Heritage awards, run by Orange City Council to encourage local restoration projects.

    Orange City Council’s Services Policy Committee chair Cr Ron Gander said the awards acknowledge the commitment that property owners have put into maintaining and conserving the city’s heritage buildings using heritage conservation principles.

    “Orange has some fantastic examples of restored buildings that have won awards in recent years,” Ron Gander said.

    “The Wilson-Piggot-Miller office in the old Dudley Hospital on the corner of Summer and Hill Streets is a good example of adaptive reuse of an existing building. The Orange Dermatology on the corner of Moulder Street and McNamara Lane is another good example.”

    “There’s been a good response to nominations for the awards but there’s still time for more. Entries can come from family, friends and relatives who have watched a restoration project develop.

    It could also be a builder or tradesman who has worked on a project who can make the nomination.”

    “There are many projects completed over the last few years that you drive past daily,” Cr Gander said.

    “Fancy Dish at 109 Moulder Street and Factory Expresso in Kite Street are good examples of conservation principles and were winners of awards in recent years. “

    “The Awards not only acknowledge conservation work, but are about building community interest in the design and construction of sympathetic infill development, alterations and additions to buildings.

    Categories for awards are :
     Restoration of a Residential Heritage Building,
     Streetscape Element Restoration,
     Best Infill Development,
     Best Heritage Treatment of a Commercial Building,
     Best Improvement to a Building under 50 years old,
     Best Landscape/garden Design which is appropriate to its environment, and
     Best Contribution to the Cultural Heritage Environment of Orange; Best interpretation or publication.

    Telling the stories

    “The last category recognizes the importance of encouraging people to tell the story of their restoration
    they’ve done,” Cr Gander said.

    “It could be small sign on their building. It might be an extra page on a business’ web site. It’s about going the extra mile of telling the story of a building’s history or how a restoration pro0ject was done.”

    Projects must have been completed within the last 5 years.

    The Cultural Heritage Community Committee established the awards criteria that enables judging of the
    nominated properties.

    All sections of the form must be completed and should be accompanied by before
    and after photos. Nominations need to be returned no later than 5.00pm, Friday 7 April 2017.

    Judging will be held in April and the awards presentation will be held at the Orange Regional Museum on
    Friday, 5 May 2016 at 5 for 5.30pm.

    Nomination forms are available from www.orangemuseum.com.au/heritageawards/ or the Orange Visitor Information Centre.

    Completed forms can be emailed to Orange Regional Museum or for further information contact Museum & Heritage Coordinator Alison Russell – 6393 8170 museum@orange.nsw.gov.au or delivered to the at Orange City Council, Byng Street, Orange.

    PREVIOUS WINNER: This house in March Street was recognised in previous heritage awards.

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  • Turn back time these school holidays

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    Turn back time to 140 years ago these school holidays at Orange Regional Museum.

    School aged children across the region are invited to come along for a free school holiday workshop to recreate the railway journey from Orange to Blayney, as it happened 140 years ago.

    Orange City Council’s Services Policy Committee Chair Ron Gander said the program was a great hands-on activity designed to teach kids about the early railway journeys through the region.



    “The first school holiday program run in January was a huge success with hundreds of kids and their carers joining in to build a volcano,” Cr Gander said.

    “I’m expecting this one called Rolling Railways, to be well received also, as children in each session get to add scenery, buildings and tracks to the large scene on the floor depicting the journey from Blayney to Orange.

    “It will be a collaboration between all the kids as they piece together the journey over the three days the workshops will run. And they get to take home their own hand-made little train.

    “The Rolling Railways workshop coincides with the 140th anniversary of the first steam train rolling into Orange on April 19, 1877.”

    Sessions go for up to an hour, from April 19 to April 21, are suitable for children aged 5 to 11, and bookings are essential.

    Call the Orange Regional Museum to secure a place on 6393 8444 or email museum@orange.nsw.gov.au

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  • New direction for Orange pound and RSPCA partnership

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    Orange City Council will be seeking a new operator to run its stray animal services after the RSPCA decided it could no longer support the service.

    RSPCA NSW CEO Steve Coleman met with council managers this week to outline the decision, which will continue to see RSCPA involved in re-homing animals in Orange into the future.

    Orange City Council’s Development Services Director David Waddell said the RSPCA had provided the stray animal services under a council contract for many years.

    “The change of contract gives the council the opportunity to review some of the areas of the pound operation that have been difficult over the years, such as the ‘after-hours’ cages which were closed some time ago, but we’re looking to continue cooperation with the RSPCA where we can,” David Waddell said.

    “We’re looking forward to the RSPCA playing an ongoing role in rehoming cats and dogs.”

    “We’re confident when the provision of services for stray cats and dogs goes out to tender, another local provider will step up.”

    Orange City Council’s Companion Animals Committee chair Cr Neil Jones said the welfare of animals is the most important factor.

    “In any new arrangements, the welfare of stray cats and dogs that are picked up by council rangers must be managed carefully,” Cr Neil Jones said.

    CHANGES : RSPCA CEO Steve Coleman tells reporters the details of the new role future for the agency's pound in Williams St.

    RSPCA NSW CEO Steve Coleman said the RSPCA faces a number of competing needs in the Orange region.

    “While the number of animals received on behalf of the council has decreased, it’s been difficult for us to balance the responsibility of the pound contract with our core business of investigating cruelty matters and providing animal welfare support to the community,” Mr Coleman said. “In stepping away from the pound contract, we believe other partnership opportunities will emerge.”

    The William Street animal shelter is owned by RSPCA NSW and will continue to play role in transporting animals from other RSPCA facilities in western NSW.

    “While we won’t be involved in providing pound services, RSPCA NSW continues to be committed to supporting Orange City Council with rehoming companion animals as well as other community welfare initiatives and looks forward to developing partnerships with the council in these areas,” Mr Coleman said.

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  • Could you offer family day care from your home?

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    Orange City Council's Family Day Care scheme is looking for local residents who want to offer child care in their home.

    Family Day Care is a unique form of childcare where you can provide professional care in a family environment.

    You need qualifications in child care, but the opportunities are available for people of all ages.

    Family Day Care is a popular system that offers child care throughout Australia.

    You can :

    • work from your own hours from your own home
    • work while caring for your own children
    • have a great earning capacity
    We will offer :

    • Full training provided in-house
    • Ongoing support from professional team in running your business

    This resource page has some general information about getting started in Family Day Care.

    To find out more about Family Day Care in Orange, ask for a prospective educator pack by calling call Orange Family Day Care on 6393 8670

    or email familydaycare@orange.nsw.gov.au



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  • Third time the charm for Bathurst artist

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    Bathurst ceramic artist Peter Wilson brings his work back to Orange Regional Gallery for exhibition for the third time in 22 years.

    Orange City Council’s Services Policy Committee chair Ron Gander said it was great to see an artist from the central west come back to showcase work at the Orange Regional Gallery time and again.

    “There’s a lot of talent in the region and it’s great when we get a range of exhibitions at the gallery from artists across the globe, but it’s very special when the space is used by a person in the central west,” he said.



    In his latest exhibition Form & Surface, Wilson, will showcase a range of ceramic forms and he says the exhibition is a culmination of 40 years of experience in his craft.

    “I think people are always interested to see your development and what directions you’re taking with your work… and also a refinement of your work,” he said.

    “This exhibition is everything I’ve learned. It’s about craftsmanship and workmanship.”

    Form & Surface will open Friday night, along with Private Treasures and Public Pleasures and will run until May 21.

    EXHIBITION: Bathurst artist Peter Wilson sets up ahead of his exhibition opening on Friday.

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  • Gallery exhibition throws light on private collections

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    One of Orange Regional Gallery’s most diverse exhibitions opened Friday March 31 and it’s a variety of works from the private collections of art lovers across the central west.

    People collect art for a range of reasons such as the monetary value of the artwork or the theme of the work but often the reasons for purchasing art come down to personal taste, says Orange City Council’s Services Policy Chair Ron Gander.

    Private Treasures Public Pleasures reveals to the community the range of tastes, collections and styles of artwork proudly displayed in homes across the region.

    Cr Gander said the beauty of Private Treasures Public Pleasures was its ability to get people talking about art.



    “Everyone has different tastes and that is what makes art so wonderful,” Cr Gander said.

    “This exhibition brings together art that people have loved so much they have bought it, and they’re so proud of it they want to show the rest of the community.

    “Art is there to be enjoyed, to be talked about, to divide opinions and this exhibition achieves that like few others can.”

    The exhibition is in its fourth year and is curated by Orange Regional Gallery assistant director Brenda Gray.

    “We're thrilled to be able to include paintings by major Australian artists such as Donald Friend, Lloyd Rees, Brett Whiteley, John Olsen, E Phillips Fox, Elisabeth Cummings, Nora Heysen and Ray Crooke,” Ms Gray said.

    “Our earliest work, dated 1759, is an engraving by the English social satirist William Hogarth, titled The
    Cock Fight. We also have a work by early Australian portrait painter Joseph Backler, dated 1854 and an
    1895 landscape by Sydney Long.”

    Other popular contemporary artists include Mambo legend Reg Mombassa and Archibald Prize winner
    Adam Cullen.

    Another highlight is a selection of artifacts from different cultures such as the Khoi San Bushman of
    Southern Africa.

    “It is pleasing to see many art collectors supporting our regional artists. We have terrific works by Martin
    Coyte, Tim Winters and Loretta Black,” she said.

    “The people of Orange should feel proud to see the quality and quantity of artworks that are owned by
    their fellow residents. An exhibition such as this will further establish our city as a cultural centre with a
    reputation for art, in the same way Orange enjoys a reputation for fine food and wine.

    “The fact opening night is the same night as the FOOD Week night market is a bonus. Come along from 6pm, see the art and take your opinions over to Robertson Park while enjoying local food and wine.”

    The exhibition is on display 1 April – 25 June 2016.

    For details of the exhibition go to www.org.nsw.gov.au

    SET UP : Staff are busy setting up for the exhibition openign this Friday night, March 31.

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  • Latest chance to 'Try2Wheels' on Wednesday

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    The latest Try2Wheels event will be held on Wednesday 29 March.

    Try2Wheels is a series of lunch-hour events, to be held near workplaces around Orange.

    You come along, get a free sausage sizzle and expert advice on what sort of push bike would suit you to ride to work.



    So Try2Wheels Wednesday, March 29, Orange Regional Museum forecourt from 12 pm to 2pm. Ring 6360 4040 to book or simply turn up.
  • New ‘Friends’ group to support Orange Regional Museum

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    Orange residents will have more opportunities to support the work of the Orange Regional Museum with a new ‘Friends of the Museum’ group set to be formed.

    The chair of a new interim committee that’s been working on the new project, Cr Neil Jones, has welcomed the decision to form the new group.

    “Since it opened in November, it’s been fantastic to see so many taking their first steps inside the new museum,” Cr Neil Jones said. “As the next step, the establishment of a ‘Friends’ group will help the museum deepen its connections and build awareness. The friends group will seek to support the museum to fulfil its role in the community and raise public awareness of its activities and collections.”

    Cr Neil Jones

    An interim committee has been working closely together over recent months to establish the new community based group. The interim committee has drawn representatives from :

    • the Orange Regional Museum Advancement Association,
    • the Orange and District Historical Society,
    • the Orange Regional Museum Fund Ltd,
    • the Orange City Council Museum Community Committee and
    • the Orange Regional Museum.

    “Today’s announcement is the culmination of many weeks of hard work by a small group of community representatives to develop the necessary background information and protocols to form this group. It’s been important to get the new group off to a good start, and so the committee has worked very closely with the museum to ensure that the Friends group can support the museum and bring together interested members of the Orange community."

    “The regional gallery has had a very active friends groups for some time, and I’m expecting it could be a model of what the new friends groups could explore,” Cr Neil Jones said. “It could be fund-raising events to help acquire new objects for the museum. It might be other activities that help lift the profile of the museum in the wider community. There could simply be the social benefits of mixing with like-minded people.”

    READY : Orange residents are keen to be a part of the new 'Friends' groups. Pictured (l. to r.) at the announcement of the new group are Phil Stevenson, Marie Hammond, Museum Director Brad Hammond and Elizabeth Griffin.


    Director of the Orange Regional Museum and Orange Regional Gallery, Brad Hammond, said the development of the new support group is a very positive step.

    “Orange City Council and the museum staff are very pleased to see the formation of this group,” Brad Hammond said. “Community input and support is vital for the future of museum.”

    “For the last couple of years, the ‘Friends of the Gallery’ group has brought a high-profile speaker to Orange, like this week’s speaking visit by Shakesperian acting legend John Bell. I’m looking forward to close cooperation with the new friends group and seeing what kind of projects they might explore.”

    The benefits of becoming a ‘Friend of the Orange Regional Museum’ include:

    • Discounted (25%) entry to all ticketed Orange Regional Museum events and programs
    • Priority booking for all bookable Museum events and programs
    • Invitations to all exhibition openings and special events
    • Free entry to Wentworth Mine
    • Access to member exclusive events
    • Email or posted (if requested) copy of Orange Regional Museum’s quarterly newsletter

    The public launch of the Friends of the Orange Regional Museum will take place on Wednesday 5th April from 5.30pm at Orange Regional Museum.

    Members of the community are invited to attend. RSVP to Jessica Dowdell at museum@orange.nsw.gov.au or 02 6393 8444 by Thursday 30th March.


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  • Gates re-open after Bloomfield campus roads upgraded

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    The long-awaited re-opening of the Huntley Road entrance to the Bloomfield hospital campus has happened after the completion of major upgrades to internal roads.

    The 1.4 km road upgrade was completed by Orange City Council with $638,000 joint funding from :

    • Orange City Council ($224,000)
    • Orange Ex-Services ($175,000)
    • Health Infrastructure ($160,000)
    • Mission Australia/Cockrams ($80,000) Cockrams are currently building a new accommodation facility for Mission Australia in Huntley Road. The new facility is alongside the Huntley Road entrance.

    PROJECT COMPLETE : Representatives of the project's funding partners check out the upgraded roads on the Bloomfield campus.

    The roads upgrade project included upgrades of Park Road (from the first entrance gate in Forest Rd to the Ex-Services Country Club) and Transport Drive (from the Huntley Road gate to the sporting oval).

    City of Orange Traffic Committee chair, Cr Russell Turner said the project was a great example of government, business and community organisations working together to deliver improved infrastructure.

    “Apart from patients, hundreds of staff are working every day at both the Health Service and the Bloomfield Hospital, and this road upgrade is going to make a significant difference to the task of getting people to and from work safely and conveniently.”

    “With the completion of the internal road upgrade, the long-awaited re-opening of the Huntley Road entrance can happen”, Cr Russel Turner said. “This will give another access point for hospital staff, and take the pressure off other gates on Forest Road.”

    “These internal roads were never built for large traffic numbers, however the works undertaken will ensure these roads play an important ongoing role in the safe and efficient movement of traffic within the site, to the point where the Huntley Rd entrance can be re-opened safely”

    OPEN AGAIN : Mayor John Davis talks with Member for Orange Phil Donato, after the Huntley Road entrance re-opened today.

    Mayor John Davis has paid tribute to those who pushed for the re-opening of the Huntley Rd gate.

    “When he was the state MP, now Member for Calare Andrew Gee campaigned solidly for the Huntley Rd entrance to be re-opened, along with other local residents, and the Orange community will now benefit from that work,” Cr John Davis said.

    “The improvements to the internal roads balance the previously completed upgrading of the Huntley Road entrance which includes a dedicated right turn lane into the Bloomfield campus and improved visibility for motorists exiting the site.”

    The internal roads on the Bloomfield campus will continue to have a 30 km/hr speed limit. The section of Park Road closest to the first Forest Road gate will be marked for one-way traffic so that cars leaving the campus will use other exits, including Huntley Road and the main Health Service entrance.

    Orange Ex-Services Club CEO Cameron Provost said the project was a good example of partnership.

    “Both members of the club and the wider community are regularly using the sporting facilities on the Bloomfield campus,” Cameron Provost said. “It’s great that the club can work with other organisations to deliver better long-term infrastructure.”

    Western NSW Local Health District’s Director of Corporate Services, Jeff Morrissey said he was pleased that the Huntley Road works have been completed.

    “The reopening of the Huntley Road will improve the traffic flow throughout the Bloomfield Campus, which will benefit patients and clients of the Orange Health Service and other providers residing on the campus,” Mr Morrissey said.

    Mission Australia General Manager of Aged Care Jill Bicknell welcomed the work.

    “We are proud to share in the cost of these long-term infrastructure costs,” Jill Bicknell said. “The road upgrades will enable ease of access to Mission Australia’s Benjamin Short Grove, Orange’s new aged care facility for the homeless and disadvantaged.”


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  • Game of football to bring all together

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    People from a range of different cultures and backgrounds will come together on Friday to vie for the honour of winning the annual Harmony Cup.

    Two friendly games of soccer, the world game, will be played with Orange Indigenous teams taking on multicultural teams as part of national Harmony Day.

    Orange City Council’s Services Committee Chair Ron Gander said soccer was a great way to bring people of different backgrounds together.

    “It’s good we can explore ways for Orange’s Indigenous community and Orange’s multicultural community to get together, relax, have fun and importantly get to know each other,” he said.

    “Soccer is such a universal game and this Friday’s competition is a way to help build bridges between Orange’s many cultures and communities.

    “The Harmony Cup is in its third year and was won by the Sudanese United team in 2015 and the Indigenous team in 2016 so in a way, this game will be a decider.”

    The under 16s game kicks off at 5.15pm at Waratah Sports Club followed by the opens game at 6.45pm but there will be a mix of free food and entertainment throughout the early evening.

    Cr Gander said the purpose of Harmony Day nationally was to celebrate the diversity of culture in Australia and in Orange, there was plenty to celebrate.

    “As well as the football, there will be multicultural performances, singing, dancing, music making, drumming in Irish and Latin themes,” he said.

    “There will also be themed food with a range of tastings on offer from several cultures.”

    The Harmony Cup is put together by a range of community groups including Orange CultureHub , Orange Social Justice Group, NSW Regional Islamic Centre members as well as Orange Multicultural Network.

    HARMONY: Christian Dietiker, Balaji Chakaravarthy and Julio Cesarr are looking forward to Friday's clash

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