2015

HAWKESBURY CITY COUNCIL

Community Newsletter

AutumnAnzac Day 2015 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first major battle undertaken by Australian and New Zealander forces which took place at Gallipoli during World War I. Importantly, it is also a time for us to recognise the contributions of all men and women who have served in the defence of our country.

ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICE – 25 APRIL 2015The Windsor and District RSL Sub-Branch and the Richmond Sub-Branch will hold a joint Dawn Service at McQuade Park, Windsor commencing at 5:45am to commemorate the Centenary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli this Anzac Day. The community is welcome and encouraged to attend to remember those who paid the eternal sacrifice. The special ceremony will be focused around a purpose built memorial installed by the RSLs for the occasion.

As a mark of respect, Council has arranged a number of exhibitions and presentations including:

WORLD WAR I WOMEN’S WEAR – Hawkesbury Central Library, Windsor. An exhibition of WWI women’s wear including a nurse’s uniform, mourning dress and wedding dress from the collections of Hawkesbury Regional Museum and Hawkesbury Historical Society,until September 2015.

GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918 – Hawkesbury Heroes, Hawkesbury Regional Museum. Hawkesbury families were affected by The Great War in many ways. Some lost their sons in battle; others were caught up in political and social changes. Personal objects including uniforms, medals, letters and equipment illustrate experiences of some of the more than 600 Hawkesbury servicemen and women who served in the Great War. Now on display until April 2016.

A CAMERA ON GALLIPOLI – Hawkesbury Central Library, Windsor.In 1915, soldier and surgeon Sir Charles Ryan captured the Australians’ experience on Gallipoli via a series of candid photographs. This Australian War Memorial digital presentation will be on display until 8 May.

LETTERS FROM THE FRONT – Hawkesbury Central Library, Windsor. Accounts of the sacrifice, courage and compassion between some who never returned from World War I and others who were forever changed. On display until 31 May.

For a detailed list of Anzac Centenary events taking place in the Hawkesbury, visit www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au or like Hawkesbury Events on Facebook. William Bowman Douglass of Richmond who died 1915.

Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.

COMMEMORATING THE ANZAC CENTENARY

A Camera on Gallipoli on display at Hawkesbury Central Library, Windsor. Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.

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Working out the best thing for an entire community and a large region like the Hawkesbury is a big task. It requires big ideas and even bigger thinking. Council has recently embarked on the first step of a journey to tackle that task. Known as Hawkesbury Horizon, this initiative is a significant step forward in clarifying what will trigger future sustainable growth for the Hawkesbury.

Council is pioneering better ways to identify the best investible projects for its region. It is engaging with the community to find big ideas, whilst at the same time meeting with State and Federal government agencies to source funding to transform the Hawkesbury in a way that is envisioned by the Hawkesbury community.

Work on Hawkesbury Horizon began in 2014 with community surveys and workshops to collect views about living in the Hawkesbury and unlock ideas to help revitalise key towns as part of the greater Hawkesbury region. The most recent workshop was part of a National Accelerator Program designed to deliver regionally significant projects that value community aspirations and support well-paid local jobs.

As a result of these workshops, a brief will soon be presented at a Council meeting, which will identify the best ideas and, subject to Councillors’ support, these ideas will then be presented to the community for broader consultation.

Community members are strongly encouraged to get involved and stay informed about the Hawkesbury Horizon initiative by using Council’s online engagement site www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au/hawkesburys- horizon. Here you can stay up to date with what is happening with Hawkesbury Horizon and find the latest Council discussions and decisions about this exciting initiative.

Recently, there have been a number of refurbishment and restoration projects initiated throughout the Hawkesbury, these projects include:

Wilberforce Cemetery – a full restoration of the Tomb Monument at the Bushell-Brown grave site in the State Heritage listed Wilberforce Cemetery is underway. This restoration is fully funded by the descendants of the Bushell-Brown family, with Council providing assistance with heritage approval and on-site project management.

Smith Park – reconstruction of the Stage 2 carpark in Smith Park, Richmond has commenced. The southern carpark of Smith Park has already been upgraded and this stage will seal additional car parking spaces as well as providing kerb, guttering and better drainage.

WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR THE HAWKESBURY?

Hawkesbury Horizon Project Team (from L to R): Kim Ford, Mayor of Hawkesbury; Robert Prestipino, Director Vital Places; Kate Charters, Regional Economic Development Policy and Practise specialist; Suzanne Stewart, Senior Strategic Environmental Planner (HCC); Matthew Owens, Director City Planning (HCC); Peter Jackson, General Manager (HCC) and Shari Hussein, Strategic Planning Manager (HCC).

Ham Common Fitness Trail – accessible outdoor fitness units are being installed alongside the existing outdoor exercise equipment on the Ham Common fitness trail, Clarendon. This equipment will provide additional amenities for users of the reserve with all levels of mobility and an environment which promotes inclusive healthy activity.

Freemans Reach War Memorial – this jointly funded project by Windsor RSL Sub-Branch and Council has improved the landscape design and also installed a flat, accessible pavement around the monument to allow for better access. There has also been the addition of a sandstone wall and fencing.

Kurrajong Streetscape – Old Bells Line of Road in Kurrajong recently received a facelift with the replacement of street furniture and bins and a footpath upgrade. This is a grant and Council funded project.

REFURBISHMENT AND RESTORATION PROJECTS UNDERWAY

Check out Council’s new Hawkesbury Events Facebook page where you can keep up to date on what is happening in your local area. If you would like to be featured on this page, email: events@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au.

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Ellie Roberts joins Mayor Kim Ford for the sod turning ceremony.

Autumn CommunityNewsletter

Council has received Australian Government funding of $150,000 under the Safer Streets Program to install a CCTV camera system in and adjacent to Richmond Park, Richmond.

The project is supported by both local Police and Council and is recognised as a major initiative in preventing and detecting crime in the Richmond Central Business District.

Council has engaged a specialist to work with Police, local business owners and the community to ensure the final design of the camera system meets the requirements of the broader community.

Comments were accepted by Council in early February as part of community consultation and a preliminary design was presented to members of the Community Safety Precinct Meeting at Windsor Police Station.

Works are due to commence later in the year, and will begin in conjunction with a park lighting upgrade.

Appropriate signage will indicate the areas where the cameras are being used. For further information or enquiries, please call Customer Service on 4560 4444.

Mayor Kim Ford, Federal Member for Macquarie Louise Markus and Police Local Area Commander, Superintendent Steven Eggington at the CCTV installation site at Richmond.

A turning of the sod ceremony was held at the Hawkesbury Senior Citizens Centre, Richmond to mark the commencement of a major upgrade.

A $2 million extension and refurbishment will transform the building into the Hawkesbury Leisure and Learning Centre.

The sod turning was carried out by the Mayor of Hawkesbury Councillor Kim Ford and Richmond resident Ellie Roberts. At 98 years old, Mrs Roberts has been a long time member of the Senior Citizens Centre. She first visited the site as a young child to watch silent movies with her mother at the theatre that formerly stood there. She also danced there with members of the RAAF when the theatre was replaced by the Blue Danube Dance Hall during the war years.

The construction of the Hawkesbury Learning and Leisure Centre will include an extension to the existing building to create multi-purpose activity spaces. It will provide a broad purpose community space which will support a range of recreational, learning and active lifestyle pursuits.

It is anticipated that the new Hawkesbury Leisure and Learning Centre will be completed in August 2015.

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON LEISURE AND LEARNING CENTRE

FROM THE MAYOR’S DESK Stay up to date with what’s happening at Council with a new weekly column ‘From the Mayor’s Desk’ which can be found on Council’s website at www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au.

The column features issues dealt with in Council and provides information from Council and other levels of government and bodies which is relevant to our community.

Council has suspended the acceptance of new planning proposals for rezoning under the Hawkesbury Residential Land Strategy within the Local Government Area until the key structure and development contribution planning (Section 94 Contribution Plans) has been completed for the Kurrajong/Kurmond investigation areas or until 31 July 2015.

Council now has 13 planning proposals for residential rezoning, (approximately 310 residential lots) and two for industrial, that are in various stages of processing.

Before rezoning for these areas can be completed, appropriate Section 94 Developer Contribution Plans must be put in place. These plans allows councils to charge developers a contribution towards the cost of providing local services and facilities which are required as a result of new development. This ensures that new developments contribute to the cost of maintaining or providing new facilities and services in the area.

Planning proposals (for which the application fee payment has already been received) currently lodged with Council will be processed. However, these applications will not be finalised until the relevant structure plan and/or Section 94 Plan is in place.

A progress report on Section 94 Contribution Plans will be presented to Council in July 2015 and completion of this work is scheduled for the end of August 2015. This suspension of new planning proposals applies only to changes to residential zoning applications; it does not apply to any development applications.

PLANNING IS KEY TO REZONING

LIGHTING IMPROVEMENTS AND CCTV MAKING RICHMOND CBD SAFER

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CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY A GREAT SUCCESS

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Contact us:Hawkesbury City Council366 George Street (PO Box 146)Windsor NSW 2756Phone: (02) 4560 4444Facsimile: (02) 4587 7740Email: council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.auWebsite: www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au

Printed April 2015 on Envi Recycled Paper. Envi Recycled Paper contains 50% recycled fibre. It is made from elemental and process chlorine free pulp derived from sustainably managed forests and non-controversial sources. Envi Recycled is certified carbon neutral, and produced by an ISO 14001 accredited mill.

If you would like to make a comment on this report please contact (02) 4560 4430.

An estimated 13,563 tonnes of rubbish was removed from streets, parks, beaches, waterways and bushland across Australia, thanks to the thousands of volunteers who turned out in force at this year’s Clean Up Australia Day.

In the Hawkesbury, there were 11 community sites, one business, one youth group and 14 schools registered for Clean Up Australia Day – an estimated 265 volunteers. This participation shows the interest of our community in preserving our environment.

As part of the event, Council coordinated with Clean Up Australia for the disposal of collected rubbish after the event. It also hosted a public education display at Richmond which included giveaways such as T-shirts, car stickers and car bags for smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts.

Environmental warriors – students from Bede Polding College take part in their first official Clean Up Australia Day.

Council has established an online community engagement site called Your Hawkesbury – Your Say which is another way you can become involved in Council’s decision making processes. The site can be reached atwww.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au or from the front of Council’s website www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au.

This online community engagement hub is a place for you to get involved, find out information and have your say about important issues and projects in the Hawkesbury.

Register now to share your ideas and participate. Your privacy is protected on Your Hawkesbury – Your Say to ensure a secure environment for idea sharing. The discussion forums and activities are moderated externally, independent of Council. It’s quick and easy to register – just simply click on the ‘register to participate’ icon.

Council is currently consulting on its position regarding boundary changes and mergers via a quick poll.

Council recently secured grant funding of $4,659,521 over five years through the Federal Government’s Roads to Recovery program which will help Council deliver a road upgrade program.

The Roads to Recovery funding will help initiate upgrades to sections of Terrace Road in North Richmond and Freemans Reach. Works between Kurmond Rd and Linden Drive, Freemans Reach are expected to begin in May 2015.

Roadworks snapshot: • As part of Council’s bridge replacement and rehabilitation program, the Upper Colo Road Bridge No. 8, Upper Colo and Wrights Creek Road Bridge, St Albans are now complete. Work has now commenced on Stannix Park Road Bridge, Wilberforce.• Upgrade of Racecourse Road, Clarendon is now complete.• To maintain the condition of our existing road assets, Council currently has a $1.6 million reseal program underway at various sites in the Hawkesbury.

• Current upgrade roadworks include: Scheyville Rd, Scheyville; Bull Ridge Road, East Kurrajong; Tizzana Road, Freemans Reach; Smith Park/ Francis St, Richmond; East Kurrajong Road, East Kurrajong.

KEEPING HAWKESBURY ON THE MOVE

Mayor Kim Ford and Federal Member for Macquarie Louise Markus inspecting Terrace Road in North Richmond.

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