From the Mayor's Desk 23 July 2024

It’s been another eventful fortnight in the Goondiwindi Region, and it is a reminder of what a fantastic community we all live in.

Texas Hospital Auxiliary 75th anniversary celebrations

On the weekend the community of Texas celebrated 75 years of the Texas Hospital Auxiliary.  I pay tribute to the tireless dedication of countless volunteers and the generosity of our community's sponsors. Their unwavering support has transformed our hospital grounds into tranquil havens and equipped our healthcare professionals with state-of-the-art equipment. The impact of their contributions is immeasurable. The Texas Hospital Auxiliary is also the longest continuing auxiliary in Queensland. This milestone is a testament to their enduring commitment to enhancing healthcare in our community.

The celebration also included the presentation of a cuddle bed by Belinda McGowan Foundation to the Texas Hospital. This is the third cuddle bed that has been donated to hospitals in the Goondiwindi Region, with beds having been donated to all three of our region’s hospitals.  This generous gift will make a significant difference to those spending time with loved ones in palliative care.

NRL star Greg Inglis visits Inglewood

I along with several of my fellow Councillors, attended the recent Greg Inglis event in Inglewood.  Greg and his team from Goanna Academy are focused on removing the stigma surrounding mental health for Australians, in particular at-risk groups.  The team also visited Inglewood State School students earlier in the day, along with attending the Inglewood junior rugby league training.  Greg’s personal story on the challenges of breaking the cycle, finding the right people to support him and persevering to make his way into the National Rugby League is one he can be very proud of, and no doubt inspired others during his visit to the region.  Thanks to the local community members who worked to bring this opportunity to the Inglewood community.

Goondiwindi Chamber of Commerce breakfast

This morning, I along with fellow Councillors and senior council officers, had the pleasure of joining the Goondiwindi Chamber of Commerce to discuss opportunities for local businesses to provide goods and services to Council.  As I mentioned in my last column, there was more than $55 million of Council’s budget that went directly to local Goondiwindi Region businesses in the last financial year.  Council has a local preference margin of 5% - 10% for all businesses within the region.  We are committed to ensuring value for money and having clear and transparent processes in place, but also ensuring that the local business has the best opportunity to quote for Council’s work.  Key messages from the discussion were that if your business is interested in getting more work from Council, reach out and contact us to ensure that we are aware of the full suite of services or goods you provide, and follow-up if you don’t win the quote, as we are happy to provide feedback to assist with the next opportunity.

Telstra

Last week, I personally spent the day travelling with the Telstra technical team to undertake testing of the reported black spots across the region as a result of the recent 3G to 4G mobile tower transitions.  We criss-crossed across the region from near Texas to Goondiwindi.  There was an issue identified within the Goondiwindi township near the Goondiwindi Waggamba Community Cultural Centre that has now been prioritised for action and other reported problem areas are now being investigated. However, it was also clear that basic technical support, like assistance with phone booster updates or proper antennas is sometimes the issue rather than network.  I thank the Telstra team that visited and offered support to so many of the local residents to resolve their issues, often on the spot.  Telstra will be returning to conduct forums in Goondiwindi, Texas and Inglewood in early September.  As they will have senior technical people at the forums, I implore the community who have raised issues and want updates and advice to take advantage of this opportunity when dates are confirmed.