The extra traffic around town signals that school has officially started for the year.
While this is an exciting time for many children and their families who are achieving new milestones, it’s also important to remember that safety is a priority, so council is reminding all road users to slow down, stay alert, and drive safely around school zones.
Road users need to keep the safety of not only children but also the broader community in mind as they move around town throughout their day. School drop-off and pick-up times are especially busy and it can sometimes be frustrating to get where you need to go, so this is a good time to accept that you might need to take some extra time to keep everyone safe.
Be familiar with school times and zones and parking restrictions, and most importantly, practice patience. We all want children to get to and from school safely each day.
You may see council’s compliance officers out and about in the next few weeks as they carry out patrols around school zones, focusing on education and awareness.
While we are talking about awareness, a quick reminder that Level 1 water restrictions are still in place for Gunnedah and Curlewis. Due to the ongoing heatwave, there has been a significant increase in water usage. If this high usage continues to increase, council will need to review water eestrictions as per the Drought Management Plan guidelines.
A big congratulations to all the winners and nominees of Gunnedah Shire’s 2026 Australia Day Awards.
Michael Broekman is our Citizen of the Year (21 and over) and Steven Hopwood is our Young Citizen of the Year (20 and under) for the second time. Lachlan Finnerty is Sports Person of the Year and the Multicultural Women’s Association won the Community and Cultural Achievement Award for the second consecutive year.
A big thank you to our ambassador, award-winning singer-songwriter Anthony Snape, for his involvement at the Australia Day Awards ceremony under the gums in Anzac Park. Anthony and his cousin Sam Snape treated us to a live performance of Big Love in a Small Town, a tribute to Gunnedah and Boggabri where they grew up. This was a special moment amidst the celebrations.
Another significant part of Australia Day was the citizenship ceremony as we welcomed Sherwin Galeon Camarin, Cyril Joules Matias Lim and Reynaldo Saludes as our first new Australian citizens for 2026.
I’d also like to extend my congratulations to Fire and Rescue Gunnedah’s Captain David Welch who was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) as part of the Australia Day Honours.
David has dedicated 16 years to keeping our community safe and we thank him for this commitment.
On a final note, I was honoured to receive the Medal of the Order of Australia for my service to community organisations and local government. It was very unexpected, and I am humbled to be included among many wonderful people who give so much to their communities.
I love the Gunnedah Shire – it is part of who I am, and it is my life’s work to give what I can to make it a better place to live, to grow families and businesses, and to make a home.
