The View - January 2018 final

Susie Elelman (Boorowa), Zoe Naylor (Young) and Mark Warren
(Harden) will visit the Hilltops Region on January 26 as our local
Australia Day Ambassadors. See overleaf for details.
THE VIEW
from
HILLTOPS
COUNCIL
ISSUE 7, January 2018
Hilltops
COUNCIL
A note from the Mayor...
Happy New Year to all readers; I hope everyone
had an enjoyable break over the Christmas and
holiday period that has left you feeling energised
for the year to come.
2018 is certainly shaping up to be a big one for
the Hilltops Region, and as always, we’re asking
the community to be a big part of the work that
we’re doing.
From the outset, a key focus will be finalising our
Community Strategic Plan or CSP. As many would
recall, Council undertook a range of outreach
activities towards the end of 2017 to gather as
much information as possible from residents and
rate-payers about their vision for the future of the
Hilltops Region.
This has now been collated and put into a draft
CSP which is available for people to read and
provide feedback on.
I’m looking forward to a year of growth and
achievement for the Hilltops Region in 2018, and
to Council working with residents in our towns and
villages – and everywhere in between – to
continue building on the strengths of this region to
ensure we capitalise on our potential and secure
our reputation as a thriving and productive place
to live, do business and invest.
Mayor Brian Ingram.

Hilltops Council’s Engineering Delivery
Manager Mark Crisp accepting an
engineering excellence award on behalf of
the Council from IPWEA (NSW) Board
Member Bill Woodcock.
DID y o u
know...
• Regional Development Australia - Southern Inland,
together with Hilltops Council, is bringing the Retail
Skills Workshops back to Young on Feb 7! This time,
the workshop is all about customer loyalty and digital
marketing; all retail businesses are encouraged to
attend! Head to www.rdasi.org.au to register.
• Hilltops Council’s 2016-2017 Annual Report is available
to read online at www.hilltops.nsw.gov.au. It provides
an overview of what was certainly a milestone year for
Hilltops Council.
• The first Ordinary Meeting of Hilltops Council will
be held on Wednesday 28 February commencing at
5.30pm @ the Boorowa Chambers.
FAST FACT
There is a total of 62
bridges in the Hilltops
Local Government Area.
Harden skate park
has the edge
Harden’s skate park has edged out
some stiff competition to be named
as one of the best facilities of its
kind in New South Wales.
Hilltops Council was recently
presented the highly-regarded and
sought-after ‘Institute of Public
Works Engineering Australasia
(IPWEA) Excellence Award’ at a
ceremony in the Hunter Valley
recognising local government and
public works projects.
Council General Manager Anthony
McMahon said the skate park at
Newson Park was named as the
winner of the category recognising
excellence in design and/or
construction of a local government
project under $500,000.
“The award for this project – which
was started by the former Harden
Council – is certainly one shared by
the entire community, given the
significant efforts of the Harden
Skate Park Committee in raising
funds, securing grants, scoping
designs and generally helping guide
the overall project,” Mr McMahon
said.
“Hilltops Council’s Engineering
Delivery Manager Mark Crisp
(pictured above), along with Council
staff who worked on the project
should also be extremely proud of
this achievement, particularly
considering we were up against
Councils with much larger
populations and staff numbers who
were also vying for the award.
“There was a record number of
nominations for the 2017 IPWEA
awards which serves to underline
the high level of inspiration,
innovation and technical
management involved in the Harden
skate park’s development and
construction,” he said.

Toby Reynolds was
one of the talented
winners who took
home prizes after
taking part in
Council’s CSP art
and photography
competition.
Hilltops Council recently
announced sponsorship funding
for 19 community groups.
See overleaf for details.
FAST FACT
You can lodge your ideas
for the new Cultural,
Community and Education
Precinct online through
Council’s website.
THE
villages
Road works in your AREA
Southern Region
• Maintenance grading on Hartfield, Peakview,
Milgadara & Lynwood Rds, and Boyds Lane.
• Minor pavement patching on various roads.
• Tree island construction on Queen Street, Harden.
Eastern Region
• Maintenance grading on Corrigal, Wargeila and
Springvale Rds.
• Pot hole patching on Grassy Creek, Frogmore,
Reids Flats, Wargeila and Taylors Flat Rds.
• Garden trimming and maintenance in Boorowa’s
main street.
Western Region
• Maintenance grading on Good Friday Gully,
Maimuru School, Campbells, Quamby SS and
Mclaughlins Rds, along with Blairs, Boycott and
Quamby Lanes.
• Whitman Ave resurfacing and minor patching on
various roads.
Cunningar
Mayor Ingram joined the Member for Riverina
Michael McCormack for the opening of the
Cunningar Grain Rail Terminal upgrade in December.
“This project is an important economic driver for the
entire Hilltops Region; the enhanced freight
efficiencies it provides will help give our local
growers a competitive edge, while at the same time,
removing a lot of heavy trucks from some of our
smaller local roads,” Mayor Ingram said.
“Hilltops Council – and before that the former
Harden Council – has worked closely with GrainCorp
to see this project through to completion, and I
congratulate all those involved – from start to finish
– on delivering this outstanding piece of regional
infrastructure.”

Hilltops humming on AUSTRALIA DAY
Preparations for Australia Day
celebrations in the Hilltops Region
are underway, with three
ambassadors set to visit the area to
help residents and visitors mark
the annual event.
Author, television and radio
broadcaster Susie Elelman has
been announced as the Australia
Day Ambassador for Boorowa,
commentator Mark Warren will
be on hand in Harden, while
actress and journalist Zoe Naylor
will be in Young.
The National Australia Day Council
recruits over 300 Australia Day
Ambassadors who volunteer their
time to attend Australia Day
ceremonies across the country to
help inspire pride and enhance
celebrations in local communities.
Statistics provided by the National
Australia Day Council reveal 13
million participate in specific
Australia Day celebrations every
year. Further statistics reveal four in
five Australians see Australia Day as
being more meaningful than just a
day off, with 75 per cent of
Australians believing the day should
be a time to recognise and celebrate
the country’s cultural diversity.
Event information for Australia Day
celebrations across the Hilltops
Region – including Australia Day
Award ceremonies – are listed on
Hilltops Council’s website and social
media pages.
YOUR HILLTOPS
Let’s shape our future together.
2018 promises to be a busy one! You can be a part of the action
by participating in the planning and policy process.
There’s a few drafts on display right now:
• Hilltops Economic Action Plan
• Hilltops Community Strategic Plan
• Procurement Policy
• Licensing & Leasing of Council Land and Buildings Policy
• Boorowa Floodplain Risk Management Study & Plan
Copies can be found on Council’s website.
Written submissions must be made to Hilltops Council, c/o
General Manager, Locked Bag 5, Young NSW 2594 or via
email mail@hilltops.nsw.gov.au
Hilltops
COUNCIL
Supporting the COMMUNITY!
Sponsorship recipients:
Young District Antique Engine and Tractor Club $500
Jugiong Art Exhibition $2,000
South West Slopes Fire Cadets $500
Rye Park Progress Association $650
Boot the bag Hilltops $5,000
Young Dressage Association $2,500
Harden Kite Festival $5,000
Harden District Education Foundation $4,500
Young Darts Association $2,500
Young Bowling Club $2,500
Hilltops Choir $1,000
Dramatic Minds Festival $1,000
Boorowa Community Landcare $1,000
Young Rodeo Association $2,500
Young Aboriginal Education Consultative Group $1,000
Young Camera Club $1,380
Wombat Progress Association $500
Rotary Club of Young $2,500
Army Cadets Young $1,000
TOTAL $37,530
Psst...
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