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Orange City Council News
Consultation has concluded
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Orange Civic Theatre wins national award
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The Orange Civic Theatre has been named the best regional theatre in Australia.The Orange theatre took out the ‘Drover Award’ for the ‘Performing Arts Centre of the Year’ at a presentation ceremony in Melbourne last night hosted by the Australian Performing Arts Centres Association.The theatre, operated by Orange City Council, was one of four finalists competing for the prestigious award, including Manning Entertainment Centre in Taree, Bendigo’s Capital Venues and the Cairns Civic Theatre.Orange City Council’s Community Services Committee Chair Ron Gander said the honour was well deserved by the staff at the theatre.“The Drover Award is a leading, industry award, and it a big deal for the staff and recognition of all the hard work they do to attract and retain producers and audiences,” Cr Gander said.The Drover Award for Performing Arts Centre of the Year recognises the achievements of outstanding presenting organizations in regional areas.It is awarded to the theatre that works with producers to provide consistently outstanding production, marketing and management services and community engagement.Cr Gander said because the venues up for the award were nominated by producers, the Civic Theatre’s win was “a real boon for the Orange community”.“It affirms the theatre’s reputation in the eyes of producers as a fantastic venue to host a production,” Cr Gander said.“It makes the Orange Civic Theatre even more attractive for producers.”Orange Civic Theatre Performing Arts and Venues Manager Michelle Pearce said the theatre’s success at the award ceremony on Thursday night in Melbourne was down to all employees at the venue.“From the front of house staff to back of house staff, to the cleaners and fantastic volunteers we have,” she said.“Everyone works so hard and just gets in and does the job and they’ve all had a hand in this.”Ms Pearce has also accepted a board position with the Australian Performing Arts Centres Association.“I’m going to be able to have a seat at the table to make decisions about the future direction of performing arts,” she said.“Again, it’s a real honour and I’m delighted to be offered that position.”
CONGRATULATIONS: APACA President Anne-Marie Heath, Orange Civic Theatre Performing Arts and Venues Manager Michelle Pearce with APACA Principal Partner CEO Ian English.
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Council to elect Mayor
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Orange City Council will elect its Mayor, Deputy Mayor and committee chairs on September 6.Despite the possibility of council amalgamations, advice from the Office of Local Government says the Council should hold a mayoral election in September.Many Councils across the state will have general council elections in September, however there will be no general election in Orange because a decision on a merger with Cabonne Council and Blayney Shire Council is still pending.But Orange councillors will vote for the position of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and committee chairs at the next council meeting on September 6.Orange Mayor John Davis said an extra meeting would be held on the normal committee meeting night but at the earlier time of 6pm.“Because we’re waiting on a decision regarding mergers its business as usual here at Orange City Council,” Cr Davis said.“We’re getting on with the job.”At the last general council election, the people of Orange voted to have a popularly elected mayor, but because there are no general council elections this will not occur.“The advice from the Office of Local Government is that we proceed as we have in the past, whereby councillors chose the Mayor,” Cr Davis said.
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Renowned artist honoured at Orange Regional Gallery
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Respected and renowned artist Roy Jackson is being honoured at Orange Regional Gallery with a retrospective exhibition.The official opening of the exhibition Roy Jackson Retrospective 1963 -2013 is 2pm on Saturday and will be opened by Terence Maloon, Director, Drill Hall Gallery Australian National University.The retrospective will feature a range of Jackson’s work spanning the last five decades.Orange City Council Services Policy Committee Chair Cr Ron Gander said the retrospective honoured the career of the late artist who was known as the “painter’s painter”.“The exhibition includes a collection of Jackson’s beloved books, diaries, and photographs of his travels, which give insight into the ideas and passions that underpin about 60 paintings and drawings that are on display,” Cr Gander said.Roy Jackson’s work has been widely collected and is represented in the National collection and state and regional galleries of NSW.Cr Gander said Jackson was commonly described as one of the most distinctive abstract painters in the country.“His was a rare talent that challenged and explored abstraction,” Cr Gander said.The exhibition is curated by Sioux Garside and Terence Maloon and it opened at theAustralian National University, Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra in late 2013, after the artistdied.The exhibition has toured Tamworth and Wollongong and will head to Maitland after itsstint in Orange from September 3 to November 6.
PROLIFIC PAINTER: Roy Jackson's career spanned 50 years.
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Youth dedicates spare time to others
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At 12 years old, Ryan Downie, is the youngest member of Orange City Council’s Youth Action Council and the latest Youth of The Month.The Catherine McAuley Catholic Primary School student spends his spare time advocating for the Council’s Merge program while planning and organising free, fun events for young people.“I really like helping out with free events because a lot of people can’t afford to do things that cost money,” Ryan said.Orange Mayor John Davis presented Ryan with his award and a $50 gift voucher at a presentation in the Mayoral Suite on Tuesday.“Congratulations to this young man who really goes above and beyond,” Cr Davis said.“The Mayoral Youth of the Month award is designed to highlight good deeds and accomplishments of young people in the City of Orange who sometimes go unnoticed in our community.“The award is aimed at recognising and celebrating young people who have and are currently making significant contributions, particularly in the areas of education, community work, sport, culture, the arts and the environment.”Orange City Council’s Community Development Officer Lynda Bowtell said Ryan was chosen as Youth of the Month because of his dedication to spreading the word about programs and services available to his peers.“He is a real advocate in helping his friends join programs like Merge, giving kids something constructive and helpful to do with their spare time,” she said.“He has really taken it upon himself to get involved and go that extra step.”The Merge program is free of charge and is aimed at a targeted group.It gives identified young people the chance to do some fun, local activities like sports, ten pin bowling going to the movies or swimming lessons.“I love going to Merge and I tell my friends about it,” he said.“It makes me feel good and happy when my friends come because it’s for free and they give you food and you don’t have to pay.“Some kids don’t get that opportunity.“The best Merge [excursion] was at Burrendong Dam.”Ryan is planning a free trivia night for primary school aged children in Orange because, he said, he wanted to give people something to do but also give them somewhere to eat good food and meet good people.
DEDICATED: Orange Mayor John Davis, Youth of the Month Ryan Downie, Ryan's grandmother Kathy Downie and Orange City Council Community Development Officer Lynda Bowtell.
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Council donation sparks fireworks
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The McCormack Barber NYE Party Under the Stars is set in stone after Orange City Council donated $25,000 towards the annual event.The Council contributed funds to the event, hosted by McCormack Barber, along with OCTEC, Pigot Miller Wlson and in-kind support from Kennards Hire.Orange Mayor John Davis said the success of the New Year’s Eve party, held at Waratah Sports Ground, was a credit to organisers and an event valued by the community.“It’s fantastic and it’s great the Council is donating the money through this sponsorship so the organisers can get on with making sure it happens,” Cr Davis said.“McCormack Barber have been fantastic over the last four or five years. They are the instigators of this event.”Cr Davis said he was proud the Council could contribute to a community event, so well-received and attended.He said $25,000 towards a New Year’s Eve party worth upwards of $80, 000 was good value for the Council.Peter McCormack, Principal at McCormack Barber, said the money would go towards a “world class display” of fireworks.“There’s a big difference between setting off some fireworks and having a choreographed display,” he said.Entry to the Waratah Sports Ground on New Year’s Eve is a gold coin entry and money raised will be donated to Orange Health Service.“I want people to know that the gold coin they donate could very well go towards something at the hospital that they might very well use one day,” Mr McCormack said.
PARTY: Orange Mayor John Davis with McCormack Barber Principal Peter McCormack, Craig McMahon and Luke Compt of Kennards Hire and OCTEC CEO Andrew McDougal.
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Kedumba Collection expands by seven
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The prestigious Kedumba Collection of Australian Drawings has expanded by seven artworks after the 2016 Award was launched at Orange Regional Gallery recently.Usually, only four or five artworks are picked each year to join the collection.Orange Regional Gallery Collections Manager, Brad Hammond, said the calibre of entries was exceptionally high and the new additions meant there were 227 artworks now in the collection.“The Kedumba Drawing Award is an annual award that has been going for nearly three decades and about three years ago Orange Regional Gallery became the home of the collection,” he said.“It’s the longest running and one of the most highly respected awards for drawing in Australia.”A different judge is selected each year for the award and this year’s entries were judged by Paul Delprat, Principal of the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney.Orange City Council’s Services Policy Committee Chair Cr Ron Gander said the collection featured a diverse range of drawings because it was judged each year by an eminent artist whose only guideline was to enrich and enhance the collection.“This means even if you don’t know a lot about art there will be something for everyone” he said. “It is an honour and a privilege that the Orange Regional Gallery is home to such a distinguished collection.”The works chosen by Mr Delprat to be included in the collection are by Tim Allen, Chris Casali, Maryanne Coutts, Todd Fuller, Edgar Schilter, Heather Vallance and Peter Wegner.The Orange Regional Gallery is open from 10am to 4pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday.
PRESTIGIOUS COLLECTION: Orange Regional Gallery Collections Manager Brad Hammond with one of the entries for this year's Kedumba Drawing Award.
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Orange City Council on track to meet goals
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Orange Mayor John Davis has congratulated Orange City Council staff for their efforts in meeting key corporate goals.According to a report put to the latest council meeting, Orange City Council has achieved all but six of its goals for the end of the June 2016 quarter.There were about 150 tasks the Council aimed to achieve by the end of the quarter. Of those only three were not completed or had not been started.Of those three, two of them were stalled only because outside funding, needed for the project, could not be secured.In this setting a ‘task’ can include a goal such as :- communicating with the community by ‘ensuring the council maintain an internet and social media prescence.’ The report stated that the council’s Facebook likes had grown during the quarter by 13.5% and there’d been more than 200,000 visits to the council website.
- delivering an annual performing arts program. According to the report, the Civic Theatre hosted 40 performances during the quarter attended by 10,789 people.
“The goals are the checklist that the council staff use to make sure the aims agreed in the big-picture Community Strategic Plan are spelt out in measureable, practical goals,” Mayor John Davis said.“It shows that the Council is meeting its obligations to the community”.
“Each quarter this goals-report is a summary of where the Council is at in terms of completing the tasks it said it would, and whether those tasks are on time.”The report uses green, amber and red traffic light symbols to show whether goals have been achieved. The report, acknowledged at last week’s Council meeting, shows only three tasks were in the ‘red light’ category and another three were in the ‘amber light’ category.Amber meant the task was in progress and not yet completed.“Because of the huge quantity of services delivered, council staff realise that there’ll be a range of community reactions to the work of a council from the community. This report is a reminder that staff are getting a lot of things right.”“The community can be proud of the team-work and good management to ensure the ratepayers dollars are being spent where it should be,” Cr Davis said.The highlights for the quarter included:- New fitness/gym equipment installed in Moulder Park catering for accessibility needs.
- Link bridge over Ploughmans Creek creating useful cycle link in Belair.
- Development application approved for the subdivision of the land purchased for therectangular playing field.
- Lake Canobolas Mountain Bike Track open and fully operational.
- Gallery exhibited “Best in Show: Dogs in Australian Art” featuring 80 works with some 8000 visitors to the Gallery
- Completion of the Orange Regional Museum building.
- Delivery of 4780 meals as part of the Meals on Wheels program.
- Occupancy rate of 84.2% at Council’s Child Care Centres.
- Airport expansion project finalised.
- 132 development applications determined.
- Suma Park Dam upgrades performing well.
ACCESSIBILITY GYM: Anson Street School students try out the accessibility gym at Moulder Park.
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Teen debate rings out across Council chamber
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After listening to students from four of Orange’s high schools battle it out in the annual Mayor’s Cup Debating Competition today, Deputy Mayor Chris Gryllis said he looked forward to the future, knowing these students would be its leaders.“Our future is in good hands,” Cr Gryllis said.In round one, James Sheahan Catholic High School beat Kinross Wolaroi School, debating the topic ‘Bigger merged regional councils are better’ .Last year’s winners, Orange High School were beaten by Canobolas Rural Technology High School with the topic ‘Councils should introduce financial incentives for recycling waste’.The final round of the annual competition was between James Sheahan and Canobolas High where the teams debated whether Councils should fix local roads before spending on sports, arts and culture.Canobolas High narrowly defeated the James Sheahan team, which was down a team member.The first speaker for the winning side, Kane Mitchell, said he knew it would be down to the wire given the arguments were strong on both sides.“We did a lot of preparation… and we’re very keen to come back next year,” he said.Canobolas High argued for “keeping the colour in the colour city” and said the city’s sports grounds and community buildings such as the Orange Regional Gallery, the Orange City Library and the soon-to-be-opened Orange Regional Museum were more important assets.They also argued that fixing the roads would mean ripping them up entirely and rebuilding them, which they said, was not practical for a productive city.James Sheahan students nearly won with their argument that everyone uses roads so therefore they should be a priority.First and third speaker, Bridget Miller, said it was the first time she had debated with her team mates. “These guys aren’t in my usual team but it was good because everyone brought different skills to the table,” she said.Mayor John Davis said the students captured the difficulties of budget decisions well.“It’s always been something we have to take into account, do you spend money on something that only some people will use,” Cr Davis said. “They all spoke very, very well.”Adjudicator Margaret Brown, who has extensive experience adjudicating debates, said the final was one of the best she had seen.
ARGUED THE POINT: Councillor Kevin Duffy, Mayor John Davis and Deputy Mayor Chris Gryllis with the four debating teams who participated in the Mayor’s Cup.
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Pool closures explained
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Orange Aquatic Centre manage Beth Shea is just as frustrated by the temporary closure of the pools, after a contamination, and she would like to explain why the procedures are in place:
It’s incredibly frustrating for everyone when the Orange Aquatic Centre pools are closed because of contamination. I can assure you that frustration is shared by staff as well as pool customers.
There’s a perception that the Orange pool is closed more often than other centres.
We can’t speak for other centres, but we can assure pool users the decontamination process we complete is in accordance with the NSW Health guidelines, which can be read here.
The other contributing factor to this perception could be our policy of transparency. We want to let the public know when the pool is closed as soon as possible to avoid any added inconvenience. Giving a priority to keeping our community aware, might also give the impression that the Orange Aquatic Centre is affected more than other pools.
According to the NSW Health guidelines, following the finding of a loose stool in the water, the pool must be closed and it must go through a decontamination process for at least 24 hours.
This is done to avoid the chance of spreading diseases such as Cryptosporidium, which can involve two weeks of vomiting and diarrhoea, Adenovirus, Hepatitis A, Norovirus and Giardia, just to name a few.
Before the pool can be opened again the chemicals in the water must be at safe levels. This is a manual process and there are many variables which can affect how long that will take.
When it comes to the Toddlers’ Pool, higher than usual chlorine levels might cause skin irritation for young children.
This might seem over-zealous but we must operate to the guidelines. These guidelines have changed over the years and didn’t used to be so stringent, which is why people might assume we’re going a bit over-the-top.
If we remove a solid stool from the water, the pool must be closed for at least 20 minutes.
Staff do their best to ensure all small children are wearing a swimming nappy when using the pool and we try our best to educate people about coming to the pool if they’ve been sick.
The rule is, if you’ve been sick do not come to the pool for two weeks.
We’re relying on our customers to be mindful and respectful of the rules.
-Beth Shea, Orange Aquatic Centre.
Further information on the guidelines can be found on the Public Swimming Pool & Spa Advisory Document. -
Council considers pros and cons of Conservatorium location
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Orange City Council is hoping to tap into the expertise of Australia’s leading architects to design a community building for a prominent part of town.
Orange City Council’s Planetarium committee chair, Cr Chris Gryllis, said the Council was seeking expressions of interest from architectural firms to design a building to be the home of the Orange Regional Conservatorium and the Planetarium.
The proposed location is at the civic precinct north court.
“The plan is to tap into an architect’s professional expertise and experience about what kind of building and where it would be best positioned to deliver the best result for the conservatorium, planetarium and the wider community,” Cr Gryllis said.
“The brief that’s given to architects will include the current uses of the site.”
For example current uses of the site include the monthly Orange Region Farmers Markets and the annual Carols by Candlelight.
But Cr Gryllis said the Council had done a lot to reinvigorate the civic precinct and the amphitheatre created by the new museum is an important part of that.
“Whatever happens with future development in the area there will always be a place for community events and celebrations,” he said.
“The proposal to re-locate a new home for the Orange Regional Conservatorium and Planetarium is at a very early stage.”
While there is some in-principle support for the idea of a new building along the March Street side of the northcourt space, the council is nowhere near a final decision, Cr Gryllis said.
He said the project’s future is dependent on a range of variables including funding from other sources such as the state or federal government.
The council is currently seeking expressions of interest from architectural firms to design a building.
“Another great building on that site will add to the precinct and frame better locations for open air events,” Cr Gryllis said.
