MERRIWA HOSPITAL AUXILIARY
Merriwa and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry
General Meeting
Merriwa Chamber of Commerce Meeting – Wednesday, 26th February 2025 
What do you think we should be focusing on in 2025?
Date: Wednesday, 26th February 2025
Location: Merriwa RSL Club – Games Room
Time: 6pm
#MerriwaChamber #CommunityMatters #MerriwaNSW #CassilisNSW #UpperHunter #GoldenHighway #CommunityProjects___________________________
Merriwa Physical Culture Inc
REGISTER FOR 2025
https://www.revolutionise.com.au/merriwaphysie/registration
Giro de Cassilis & Triple Cown
EARLYBIRD TICKETS ON SALE NOW! https://bit.ly/3UpXkhf
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STALL HOLDER APPLICATIONS OPEN
Attention all store holders! 
Make sure to read the applications carefully this year, as we have some new changes! If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out at stallholders@festivalofthefleeces.com.au
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2025 Registrations are open – let’s go Magpies 
U6’s – U7’s Tag (Tackle Ready)U8s to U12’s mixed tackle
Girls League Tag teams from U12’s to U16’s
Girls Tackle from 12’s to 16’s (pending numbers)
Registration details:
NEW U6’s Players – FREE (email club for discount code)
All ages – $120
Registration for players includes training shirt, training shorts, playing shorts, socks and club polo shirt.
Register via the link below:
https://profile.mysideline.com.au/register/clubsearch
Active kids vouchers can be used:
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/…/apply-active-kids-voucher
All volunteers must have a Working with Children check (WWCC)
Click this link to apply.
https://www.ocg.nsw.gov.au/…/working-with-children-check
We look forward to seeing you all for the 2025 season
Please note the season has been opened early for those wanting to use their Active Kids vouchers prior to there expiration.
Club email: merriwamapiesjrl@gmail.com
State Matters – A Weekly Bulletin from Dave Layzell MP
Member for Upper Hunter – 17 February 2025
TRACKWORK WEEK – TRAIN COMMUTERS and motorists are encouraged to be aware of essential maintenance and improvement works on the Hunter Valley rail line this week.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will carry out the work from 6.30am Tuesday 18 February to 6.30am Friday 21 February, as part of its annual maintenance program.
During the work the track will be closed between Kooragang Island and Turrawan, and between Muswellbrook and Ulan with tunnel works being undertaken at Kerrabee.
Coaches replace NSW TrainLink services with travellers encouraged to visit https://Transportnsw.info or call 13 22 32 for assistance to plan their journey.
Signage and traffic control will be in place at locations where motorists may experience short delays due to crossing works or adjacent corridor works.
Information on road closures and alternative routes can be found at livetraffic.com: www.livetraffic.com.
HOSPITAL FUNDS – Hunter New England Local Health District has been allocated $750,000 for upgrades to three hospitals in the Upper Hunter Electorate.
The Regional Minor Works Program will enable Scott Memorial Hospital, Muswellbrook Hospital and Dungog Hospital to each receive $250,000 for improvements.
An Emergency Department expansion at Scott Memorial, Scone will convert a temporary overflow area into a permanent space and support for the continuation of clinical care.
Muswellbrook Hospital is to receive a new palliative care room with an ensuite and carer support space.
New staff accommodation at Dungog Hospital will enhance safety and improve capacity for temporary staff.
Hunter New England Heath plans to complete the projects in the 2025-26 financial year.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS – Year 10 and 11 History students currently have the opportunity to apply for the Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholarship.
Up to 20 students from across the state will be selected to participate in the annual study tour during the Term 3 school holidays, departing Monday 29 September and returning on Friday 10 October.
Accompanied by a military historian, the tour visits significant historical sites to learn about and commemorate the service of Australian men and women in the World Wars and other conflicts.
The 2025 tour visits historic sites relating to Australia’s military history in the Republic of Korea and Singapore including the Demilitarised Zone in the Republic of Korea and the Changi Prison Chapel in Singapore.
Eligible students can apply online by submitting a personal essay, a letter of recommendation from their school and a parent consent form.
Applications close Sunday 9 March with application information at: https://www.veterans.nsw.gov.au/education/premiers-anzac-memorial-scholarship/.
STORM ASSISTANCE – Residents and businesses impacted by storms that struck the Upper Hunter Electorate during mid-January may qualify for support from Ausgrid.
Residential customers, who experienced outages of 12 hours or more, can claim up to $250 for food spoilage with proof required, such as receipts or photos.
When you lodge your claim on the Ausgrid website you will receive a confirmation email with a reference number.
Ausgrid is experiencing high volumes of claim requests due to the recent storms and will appreciate your patience with claim processing taking around 90 days due to technical issues with its email system.
To make a claim go to: www.ausgrid.com.au/Contact-Us/Make-a-claim-Step-1
BRANXTON BOUNDARY – Branxton residents have until Sunday 2 March to have their say on a boundary change between Branxton and North Rothbury.
The Geographical Names Board (GNB) is seeking community feedback on a proposal by Cessnock City Council to amend the suburb boundary.
The proposed boundary amendment will extend the northern boundary of North Rothbury to include parts of the Hunter Expressway and the rail corridor.
The boundary amendment will facilitate the allocation of addresses to the new development precinct of Huntlee, support future growth and reduce potential confusion in the provision of services.
Residents of Branxton and North Rothbury can view the proposal on the GNB website.
All submissions will be considered before the boundary amendment is officially assigned, so find out more at: www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/proposed-suburb-change-cessnock-lga
INQUIRY REPORT – The Legislative Council’s Portfolio Committee No. 6 on Transport and the Arts last week tabled its report entitled ‘Use of e-scooters, e-bikes and related mobility options’.
The inquiry was established in June last year with the committee receiving approximately 85 short submissions from individuals.
A total of 34 recommendations have been made by the committee including that the NSW Government develop a comprehensive framework to integrate private and shared e-mobility into the state’s transport system.
Among the committee’s findings, it noted the current ambiguity surrounding the bikes, including a lack of a clear definition and uncertainty regarding their permissibility, which hinders effective regulation and enforcement.
To read the committee’s report go to the NSW Parliament website: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiries.aspx
GO4FUN FOR FAMILIES – Another new year’s resolution tip for those who have plans to make their household healthier in 2025.
NSW Health has the Go4Fun program now available on-demand to make it easier for families who want to make healthy changes to their lifestyle.
Go4Fun Online is a free, 10-week program for primary school-aged children and their families to learn fun ways to create healthier eating, exercise and wellbeing habits.
Based on the latest educational research it features games to play in real life, a call each week with your health coach and the ability to choose fun health goals that suit your family.
Also, you get to chat to other families participating in the program as well as earn reward tokens each week that can be swapped for a prize at the end of the program.
Be curious and join in at: https://go4funonline.com.au
SENIORS FESTIVAL COUNTDOWN – The 2025 NSW Seniors Festival is now just two weeks away with activities to commence from Monday 3 March and continue for a fortnight.
Tickets for the NSW Premier’s Gala Concert have officially sold out, so if your plans have unfortunately changed then please return any unwanted tickets because they are in high demand.
Don’t be disappointed if you are unable to attend or didn’t get a ticket because you will still be able to join in the fun by viewing the Premier’s Gala Concerts livestream.
Register to watch the concert which will be online on Wednesday 12 March at 2.45pm: www.nsw.gov.au/arts-and-culture/seniors-festival/whats-on/premiers-concert
PROPERTY LAW CONSULTATION – The NSW Government wants input on property law changes with improvements being proposed to conveyancing and real estate property legislation.
Proposals include strengthening protections for off-the-plan buyers and simplifying the process for removing obsolete restrictive covenants.
The Office of the Registrar General is exploring ways to improve these and other property laws to make buying off the plan more transparent, fair and certain for home buyers and simplify the process for removing out-of-date covenants on land titles.
Share your feedback on the Contracts and Covenants discussion paper by taking a survey or making a submission by 7 March: www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/offtheplan-contracts-covenants
REZ GOES TO THE SHOW – EnergyCo will hold its next community consultation on the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) at the Upper Hunter Show.
The upcoming opportunity will allow residents of the Muswellbrook and Upper Hunter shires to meet the EnergyCo team to ask questions and provide feedback.
The Upper Hunter Show visit at Muswellbrook Showground will be on Saturday and Sunday March 15-16, from 9am to 5pm.
For details about EnergyCo’s upcoming community engagement activities, see the pop-up schedule on its website: www.energyco.nsw.gov.au/ne/working-community
Contact:
Email address: upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au;
Phone number: 6543 1065;
Postal address P.O. Box 493, Muswellbrook 2333.
Upper Hunter Shire Council
Works Schedule – Week Starting Monday, 17 February 2025
Works Delivery
- Local Roads – Slashing
- Solleys Lane – Construction
- Depo Road – Resheet
- Road inspections as required
- Action requests as required
Parks and Facilities
- Amenities maintenance
- Cemetery maintenance
- Parks, sports fields, rest areas, entrances/approaches, Showground Passive areas and reserves mowing and maintenance
- Playground inspections
- Actions requests as required
Water and Sewer
- Water treatment plant operation and maintenance
- Sewer treatment plant operation and maintenance
- Water and sewer distribution systems and actions requests as required
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Draft Community Participation Plan
On display until 18 February 2025, 04:00 PM
Council is proposing to amend its Community Participation Plan to bring it into line with changes in legislation. The Plan is designed to make participation in planning matters clearer for the Upper Hunter Shire community. It does this by setting out in one place, how and when you can participate in the planning system, Council’s functions and the different types of proposals.
The Plan is available for viewing at Upper Hunter Shire Council’s Offices at 135 Liverpool Street, Scone, 42 Vennacher Street, Merriwa and 47 Mayne Street, Murrurundi during normal business hours.
Exhibition Period: from 21 January 2025 to 18 February 2025.
Submissions: Written submissions are invited from members of the public, and should be addressed to:
Mail:
The General Manager
Upper Hunter Shire Council
PO Box 208
SCONE NSW 2337
Email: council@upperhunter.nsw.gov.au
Submissions should be received by close of business Tuesday 18 February 2025
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AUSTRALIA DAY AWARDS 2025
Citizen of the year
Jane Hegarty
In recent years Jane has volunteered an enormous amount of her time for the betterment of the Cassilis district. She is the President of the Cassilis District Development Group and the driving force behind many of the committee’s current projects. These include the Giro de Cassilis bike ride which is becoming a growing tourism event for the town, and the Cassilis Ball fundraiser that injects over $20,000 in donations back into the Cassilis community.
Jane is involved with the Country Education Foundation and offers guidance and encouragement to many other groups & individuals in the community, including Cassilis Public School P & C and a group of young mothers trying to set up a childcare facility in Cassilis.
Jane is an inspiration for people living in small communities like Cassilis. It is thanks to Jane that we now have a small community that is working together to make Cassilis a great place to live, work & play.
We appreciate all that you do for the community Jane, congratulations.
Young Citizen of the Year (Under 25)
Hannah Gillett
Hannah is an outstanding young woman who has influenced many aspects of our school and wider community. Her musical passion has meant that she was able to play an active role in revitalising music at Scone High School as a founding member of the school choir as well as being the only senior student in the formation of the combined Scone Public and Scone High School Band. Hannah enjoys mentoring the primary school students which is also evident in her time spent volunteering with the Scone Public School junior cattle paraders. A passionate Agricultural student and recipient of the CWA Excellence in Agriculture Award, Hannah has an active history in being hands on including participating in Beef Bonanzas and Steer Leading.
This passion is also evident in Hannah’s entrepreneurial pursuit in raising and selling cattle. Her leadership has been recognised through being identified and selected as a representative of the Upper Hunter at the National Youth Leadership Summit in Adelaide. This provided a foundation of understanding that she was able to apply in her role co-developing and presenting the Upper Hunter Youth Leadership Summit held in Aberdeen. Hannah’s leadership has been on display at events such as ANZAC Day, raising awareness for Breast Cancer and promoting Where There’s a Will. Hannah will continue to influence students and our community as part of the Scone High School Leadership Team. Her academic efforts are also inspirational placing in the Top 3 of all subjects including securing first place in Agriculture, Music, English Advanced and English Extension. This dedication, drive and determination across all areas clearly positions Hannah as an outstanding Young Citizen.
Hannah’s leadership has been on display at events such as ANZAC Day, raising awareness for Breast Cancer, promoting Where There’s a Will and representing the Upper Hunter at the National Youth Leadership Summit in Adelaide. Hannah is a recipient of the CWA Excellence in Agriculture Award and mentors the Scone Public School junior cattle paraders, as well as participating in Beef Bonanzas and Steer Leading herself.
Aberdeen
Citizen of the Year – Joy Dallah
Young Citizen of the Year – Ciennah Sullivan
Local Champion of the Year – Casey Milton
Outstanding Contribution to the Community – Kate Jones
Merriwa
Citizen of the Year – Jane Hegarty
Young Citizen of the Year – Archie Constable
Local Champion of the Year – Cassilis Public School P&C
Sustainabilirty in Business – Merriwa NewsXpress
Sporting Achievement Award – Rihanna Hunt
Murrurundi
Citizen of the Year – Judith Wilson
Local Champion of the Year – Montana Rando
Scone
Hunter McLoughlin Citizen of the Year – Susan Scott
Young Citizen of the Year – Hannah Gillett
Local Champion of the Year – Gundy Community and Beyond
Outstanding Contribution to the Community – Helen & Leo Gardner
School Achievement Awards
Alexandra Brooks, Scone Grammar School
Kaylee Perks, Merriwa Central School
Finley Whitla, Scone High School
Mackenzie Williams, St Joseph’s Catholic College
Creative Arts Excellence Awards
Isabel Jack, Scone Grammar School
Mia Jacobs, Merriwa Central School
Quinn Thackeray, Scone High School
Mia Kelaher, St Joseph’s Catholic College
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MR358 Road (Coulson’s Creek Rd) Rehabilitation Update
Rock mesh protection complete
Completion of catch drains in several areas Ongoing gabion wall construction Final touches underway for upcoming drainage and batter stabilisation
Here’s a timelapse of the project team constructing gabion walls – a fascinating look at the effort driving this vital upgrade!———
Have you seen something that needs attention?
Please use the Customer Request Management Form available online by clicking here to lodge an action with UHSC.
Alternatively, you can download and use the Snap, Send, Solve app from the App store. This app allows you to submit requests with various authorities or Local Council with ease. Learn more about the Snap, Send, Solve app here.
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