Welcome to 2026. We have much to achieve and much to celebrate.
On Australia Day, we will welcome new Australian citizens and recognise our outstanding volunteers and community heroes. We will also welcome back homegrown musician Anthony Snape as our 2026 Ambassador.
Anthony will present the shire’s Australia Day Awards and perform Big Love in a Small Town, a song that celebrates the communities that moulded him. Since he left our borders for America, Anthony has covered a lot of ground and earned his reputation as an internationally recognised artist and award-winning songwriter.
He works closely with another former local whose name you may recognise – Tommy Emmanuel. Tommy is a Grammy Award winner and among many accomplishments, established Tommy’s Guitar Camp USA, where Anthony is an official songwriting mentor.
It will be very special to see Anthony back in the shire and I hope residents will make the most of the many activities planned for Australia Day, including free entry at the Gunnedah Memorial Pool Complex from 9am to 6pm, a DJ from 11:30am to 1:30pm, and a free barbecue lunch, served up by Rotary Club of Gunnedah West.
It’s great to see our pubs and clubs hosting events, and our villages getting involved by providing free events in Carroll, Piallaway, Breeza, Mullaley and Emerald Hill. You can see the full program on council’s website.
Thanks to the Australia Day Working Group for their support and the Australian government for funding contributions through the National Australia Day Council.
In the meantime, council is getting on with the job, and there’s plenty to do. The indoor pool is temporarily closed so the filter sand can be replaced to improve water quality and reduce the need for excessive chemicals. There will be more activity at the pool complex after council successfully applied for co-funded solar upgrades. This funding will also support projects at Gunnedah Sewerage Treatment Plan and Number 8 Bore on Orange Grove Road.
Council has many projects in the pipeline with a number of projects to be completed this year, including the new Animal Impound Facility and the much-anticipated Koala Sanctuary. These two projects alone will bring many benefits to our community, and I look forward to walking through the buildings when they are ready to open.
Our first council meeting for the year will be February 18 and I look forward to breaking ground alongside my fellow councillors. More than ever, we need to stand together and advocate for key issues including equal access to quality health care, the reinstatement of the Gunnedah District Hospital helipad and protection of our precious water supply.
While we are on the topic of water, I’d like to thank those residents who have tried to reduce their water consumption since the implementation of Level 1 Water Restrictions in Gunnedah and Curlewis on January 8. Your contributions have led to a decrease in water usage, bringing it below 10 mega-litres.
While this is a great achievement, in keeping with council’s Drought Management Plan, we need to maintain usage below 10 mega-litres for a continuous period of 28 days before council can consider lifting the restrictions. We encourage you to continue being water-wise. More details about what Level 1 Water Restrictions mean can be found on council’s website.
Let’s not forget there are also things to celebrate, like our valued seniors. I’m excited to see that the seniors who attend GoCo’s Social Support Groups on Mondays and Fridays
will be sharing their works in an upcoming exhibition at the Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have created when the exhibition opens 4pm Friday, February 13.
I look forward to sharing more news with you in a fortnight.
