From the Mayor's Desk - 16 March 2021

Inglewood aged care committee gets to work - meanwhile the Show goes on and $3.2 million upgrades begin at Goondiwindi Pool

I’d like to begin with a brief update about the aged care situation in Inglewood: Council helped to establish a community steering committee to research options for aged care services last month, and that committee held its first meeting last Monday. While the group is community-led, they were happy for me to act as Chairman, and Council has also agreed to provide secretarial support. The committee has now agreed upon its next steps, which will be to approach Churches of Christ Queensland about its intentions for the former Casa Mia site, and to start to research the operational costs and logistics of a low- to medium-care facility in Inglewood. Hopefully, further updates will follow soon.

It’s certainly been a busy few weeks over in Inglewood, and last week I was invited to attend a horticulture-networking event held onsite at local farming enterprise Qualipac, which specialises in growing high-quality fresh horticultural crops in our region. Hosted by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, I was interested to hear from local growers and industry experts about emerging opportunities for vegetable production in the east of the region in particular. I look forward to seeing what further opportunities arise.

Of course, the Inglewood Show was a highlight of this past weekend, putting on a fantastic display of classes and demonstrations. Not only was the Inglewood Show the only show to go ahead in our region last year due to COVID-19, but it was also the first to confirm that they were back in business for 2021. The Inglewood Show Society just recently won the Community Event of the Year in the area’s Australia Day Awards, and I wish to warmly congratulate the committee for all their excellent work and service to the local community.

We are fortunate to have so many community-minded residents in our region who volunteer their time to various causes, events, facilities and sports. Your councillors and I met with Volunteering Queensland this fortnight to hear how Council can best support our community groups and volunteers, and Council is now developing a plan to assist those groups. I know that this past year in particular has been tough for our community groups, with some struggling to recruit the volunteers they need. However, we were delighted to hear from Volunteering Queensland that, proportionally, a much higher number of people volunteer in the Goondiwindi region than across the State. This report is a credit to our residents and a prime example of what makes us Regional Australia at Its Best.

Over in Texas, I was delighted to be able to attend the official handover of 32 musical instruments to the Texas State School earlier this fortnight. It was part of the ‘Growing Creative Communities’ program by Topology and came about following a four-day music workshop funded by Council’s Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) last year. Sincere thanks are owed to Topology and the instrument donors for their generous donation that will ensure Texas students have access to a quality music program. Meanwhile, Council’s RADF budget has increased for 2020-21 due to COVID-19, and I strongly encourage any residents with an arts project or cultural activity in mind to apply for funding.

Finally, our Goondiwindi residents will know by now that $3.2 million worth of upgrades have begun at the Goondiwindi Memorial Swimming Pool. I’m very pleased to report that Council will pay for less than one quarter ($768,547) of that total cost due to success in securing and utilising external funding opportunities. Council has sought extensive community feedback over the past few years to determine a ‘wish list’ for the Goondiwindi pool and received dozens of suggestions, from heated swimming to children’s play areas. Quotes for those ‘wish list’ projects have reached up to $18 million – unfortunately, I’m sure most residents would agree that cost is something our Council just cannot  afford without significant external financial support. The Goondiwindi Pool has already served our community for 60 years; the current upgrades will ensure its longevity and mean it can continue to do so, hopefully for another 60.