The Director of Environmental Services, Gerry Moran and I attended the Hunter New England Health District Community Forum held in Scone last week.

The day was informative and thought provoking with a session held on advanced care planning. Discussing care plans is confronting and something that makes most of us feel uncomfortable but it is so very important to have in place.

The plan takes away any uncertainty around decision making from your loved ones at a time when they will be under great emotional stress and ensures that your wishes are acted upon. You can speak to your health care professional regarding putting an advanced care plan in place.

Of concern at the forum was the announcement that Medicare Locals will cease from June 2015. Primary Health Networks will commence on July 1, 2015.

Medicare Locals activities will transfer over to PHN however, it will become a purchaser of services, not a provider of services.

I believe this change is one of real concern to our community, especially the remote areas where service providers may not be prepared to go or it is uneconomical for them to go there.

The inaugural Opera at Langford had it all, magnificent singers, brilliant musicians, dramatic storms circling all evening and 493 people taking advantage of the magical setting.

This event is significant to Walcha however its significance at a regional level is exciting. For this reason Council supported Opera at Langford as we consider it has the potential and capacity to grow.

I have been thrilled and appreciate the number of people who have taken the time to talk to me about the events in and around Walcha lately as they have created a real buzz and positive upbeat mood across the district. 

Following attendance at a Rural Council Model workshop conducted by the Office of Local Government in Sydney and a Fit for the Future workshop held in Tamworth we now await for the state government’s Rural Council Model template to be released toward the end of December. 

Council will then consider the functions contained in the proposed model and the need to consult with you, our community early in 2015 regarding the Fit for the Future submission.

This past weekend I attended a Mayors Conference conducted by LGNSW.

The conference had interesting and relevant content however the opportunity to spend time with mayors from across the state from councils where the population is over 4900 people per square kilometre to ones where there is 0.3 of a person per square kilometre was more than interesting. 

The diversity of local government and the benefits and problems of those variances are really quite staggering. I am glad that we are not the council that spent over $2m in four years dealing with Code of Conduct complaints!

We have now moved to Level 3 water restrictions and with the October usage being at 315.6 litres per person per day, above the minimum target of 250 litres per person per day, the move was more than necessary.

With water levels again being a real concern, Council has no option but to start monitoring use and taking action as necessary on households that do not adhere to the current restrictions.

Gravel re-sheeting will take place on Kangaroo Flat and Mooraback roads this month and heavy patching on the Oxley Highway continues. The work on Kings and Mansfield bridges also continues.

Council meet for the final time this year on Wednesday 17 December commencing at 2pm. Our meetings are open to the public and you are most welcome to sit in.

Please remember that all councillors are here to represent each and every one of you and you can call us at any time.