HOLIDAYS? TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

GERALDTON CROQUET CLUB : INTRODUCTION TO CROQUET COURSES 20-14-15

Special Offer:

• Four 1 ½ hr sessions for anyone interested in learning to play
• Total fee of $20, payable on the first day
• All equipment supplied
• National and State accredited coaches
• Casual dress/sporting attire, sneakers or flat soled shoes

DATES & TIMES

DEC 2014:-  9am – 10.30am :  Sun 28th, Mon 29th , Tues 30th ,Wed 31st.

JAN 2015:-  6pm – 7.30pm : Thur 1st , Fri 2nd , Thur 8th , Fri 9th.

If these times are not suitable, let us know and some alternative times can be arranged.

Contact coaches to book in – Col or Kay colchyn@hotmail.com or ph  9938 3619

Check out the Geraldton Croquet Club at http://croquet.myclub.org.au

Broome and Geraldton get ANZAC Centenary grants

ANZAC funding in the electorate of Durack has again been boosted with the announcement of two further projects that have been successful in attracting ANZAC centenary grant funding.

The grants program is a key element of the Australian Government’s ANZAC Centenary program through which funding of up to $125 000 shall be allocated to successful applicants in Durack, which extends from the Kimberley to the northern Wheatbelt.

Melissa Price, Federal Member for Durack said that she was pleased that applicants in the regional hubs of Broome and Geraldton had met with success.

“We have already secured funding for projects in Carnamah, Mt Magnet, Mullewa, Koorda, Meckering, Mukinbudin and Wongan Hills amounting to more than $36 000,” Ms Price said.

“The new funding for Broome and Geraldton takes the total to date for Durack to more than $50 000.”

• Broome: a new memorial wall in Bedford Park shall be installed to recognize the centenary of ANZAC campaign with the Shire of Broome securing $10 000 for the initiative.
• Geraldton: three honour rolls will be framed and the 1918 Victoria District honour roll will be reprinted, with the Geraldton RSL Sub-branch securing $5 500 for the works.

“I hope to be able to see all of the ANZAC projects in various stages of development or completion as I travel throughout the electorate next year,” Ms Price said.

“Next year, 2015, is very special in Australia’s history, and the communities in Durack are truly embracing the opportunity to plan special ANZAC events, to remember, to commemorate and to pass on the knowledge and tradition to the younger generations.  They should be very proud,” Ms Price said.

City of Greater Geraldton calling for tenders to construct final stage of the West End Revitalisation project

The City of Greater Geraldton Council endorses a plan to allow the West End Revitalisation project to proceed to the next stage.

At last night’s Council meeting the Councillors authorised a motion to call for tenders for the construction of the Multi-User Facility and Youth Precinct.

City of Great Geraldton Mayor Ian Carpenter said these two elements formed the final stage of the redevelopment of the Geraldton Foreshore.

“The revitalization of the Geraldton Foreshore commenced in the early 2000’s, with the vision of turning an industrial brownfield site into an integrated public space that the whole community could enjoy,” Mr Carpenter said.

“The final stage of the West End Revitalisation project will see the creation of a new Multi User Facility, which will house various community groups as well as having an open stage area and public open space for community events such as the Australia Day celebrations.”

The Multi-User Facility will be home to the Geraldton Volunteer Marine Rescue Group, TS Morrow and the Geraldton and Districts Offshore Fishing Club. There will also be a function room available to the community and three classrooms for hire.

Mr Carpenter said the design of the Youth Precinct resulted from extensive consultation with the City’s young people. 

“We held several workshops to find out exactly what should be included in the Youth Precinct. The area will consist of a high level climbing structure and a ‘rage cage’ that can be used for various sporting events and functions, as well as a DJ booth and outside table tennis and foosball tables,” he said.

“This project will see the completion of the redevelopment of the Geraldton Foreshore, activate the West End and help cement Geraldton as a must see tourist destination.”

Mr Carpenter said as part of the tenders the City is now implementing separable portions to the tender process.

“This means that the tender will be broken into sub sections. The benefit of this is that more local contractors can be involved in the work.  When the City has received all tenders, the item will then go back to Council to get approval on the final spend and whether the works should be staged,” he said.

20 Million Trees continues to grow across the country

In a major step forward for the 20 Million Trees Programme, the Australian Government has released a Request for Tender that seeks to engage service providers to undertake large-scale re-vegetation projects across Australia.

The Australian Government’s 20 Million Trees Programme is a key election commitment, providing $50 million over four years to deliver tree planting projects across the country.

The Request for Tender process will engage one or more service providers to deliver large-scale tree planting projects across Australia, benefiting both the environment and local communities.

Melissa Price, Member for Durack said that service providers engaged through the tender process will work with community groups and landholders to deliver large-scale tree planting projects.

“These projects will re-establish green corridors and urban forests, improving habitat for our threatened species and creating green spaces to improve the liveability of our cities and towns.”

Ms Price encouraged local service providers with relevant skills and experience to get involved in this significant government initiative.

“Successful service providers will make an important contribution to the community while providing valuable environmental benefits,” Ms Price said.

Information about the 20 Million Trees Request for Tender is available on the AusTender website.

The Request for Tender follows the recent 20 Million Trees Programme small competitive grants round, which invited communities in to get involved in the programme by applying for grants of between $20 000 and $100 000 to undertake native tree planting projects. Successful applicants from this grant round are expected to be announced shortly.

More information about the 20 Million Trees Programme is available at www.nrm.gov.au/20-million-trees.

Midwest Fishing report by Tackleworld Geraldton

XMAS IDEAS

OFFSHORE

Well yesterday was the official day the demersal ban was lifted and a few angler’s braved the wind and got amongst some Dhu fish on the flat coral west of town, with all the windy weather, trolling has been hard but those checking their pots have managed the odd Mackie and Tuna

ONE DRIFT TWO FISH NICE ONE MITCH

OS SIM WITH A GREAT DOUBLE

LUNK WITH A NICE HALL OF CRAYS

Cray fisherman have had the best start to the season for many year with most boats getting their quota of whites in the first pull. With the whites on the move,numbers have dropped but fisherman are still getting their bag of Cray’s

LOOKS LIKE CRAIGO IS GOING TO HAVE A NICE XMAS

BEACHES

Our very own Les got some nice land based Snapper to 70cm north of Drummonds, Les braved the wind to fish broken reef structure, they also lost a few big fish throughout the night. The Tailor were also on the bite with fish from 80cm, taken on the strada Tournament 120 popper. Greenough first point is fishing well at the moment with Tailor to 60cm early morning and some nice mulloway to 15kg, there is also a lot bull herring around Tarcoola beach and Point Moore and most of the rock groynes. 

FISHERMANS WHARF

The wharf has been fishing extremely well with good size bream to 35cm and as always big cod playinghavoc with anglers, if you’re looking to improve your skills at soft plastic the live Cray factory is the place to be with small Pinkies providing plenty of fun. Whiting tailor and herring can be caught behind the lives

CRAIG WITH A NICE CHAPMAN VALLY FISHING PARK BARRA

DREW WITH A THUMPER OF A BREAM CAUGHT ON A ECOODA LIVE SHRIMP

THESE ECOODA LIVE SHRIMPS DOING THE DANAGE WELL DO DREW

WEEKEND FORECAST

THIS WEEKS VIDEO

Midwest Fishing Report by Tackleworld Geraldton 

20 ANZAC TERRACE GERALDTON WA

08 99216822

Saudi's Impressed with Australia's Agricultural Relationships

The Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) of Western Australia recently hosted 11 senior leaders from the Saudi Arabian agricultural and natural resource management (NRM) departments.

Their visit was funded by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to better understand how Australian agricultural industries work with farmers in poor soil quality areas.

The Northern Agricultural Catchments Council’s Sarah Jeffery and Violetta Pristel, the Department of Agricultural and Food Western Australia’s Adele Killen, Farmwood’s Peter Ritson and local farmers Gary and Kerry Butcher played host to the Saudi Arabian leaders while they were in the NAR, walking them through a project measuring the carbon stocks in trees growing in saline soils.

The Saudi leaders expressed some amazement at the collaboration between industry and farmers, identifying such collaboration as one of the great accomplishments for Australian agriculture. They lamented that partnerships between the sectors was not well established in their country.

“It was great to be able to show them one of the regions six carbon salinity sites to compare, share and discuss international practices,” said Ms Jeffery.

While Farmwoods’ Mr Ritson explained that, at the site visited, the quantity of carbon sequestered was not high, but land owner Mr Butcher explained the importance of the vegetation to the whole farm’s system. “The stubble, the pasture, the saltbush and the trees all work together,” said Mr Butcher.

The Saudi Arabian leaders also showed particular interest in understanding Australia’s approach to revegetation on farms, including species are used and the carbon sequestered.

A species that created a lot of discussion was the bluebush (Maireana brevifolia) as the visitors had not come across this species before and were interested in how the species self-sowed without having to be planted. The common species oldman saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) was also major talking point at the site as Saudi Arabia also use this species for revegetation of saline land.

Ms Jeffery said, “Another interesting discovery was learning that in Saudi Arabia, much like Australia, they have little success with direct seeding for revegetation and also use seedlings over seeding”.

“This was actually quite fascinating. They explained to us that they had been using seedlings as a preferred method to seeding but were under the impression that this might be seen as correct practise and almost seemed relieved to find out that we actually do this too”, Ms Jeffery said.

Fracking exploration permit granted over Jurien Bay and the Pinnacles - National tourism icon under threat

Conservation groups, local communities and farmers have reacted with anger and alarm at the issuing of a new oil and gas exploration permit covering tourist icons, towns and nature reserves on the Mid-west 'Turquoise Coast'.

The new exploration permit has been granted to shale gas fracking company Norwest Energy and covers the towns of Jurien Bay, Green Head, Cervantes and Lancelin as well as several nature reserves and national parks including the iconic Pinnacles Desert (Nambung National Park).

Conservation Council spokesperson Chantelle Roberts said: “It’s astonishing that an exploration permit for unconventional gas has been granted over communities and tourism icons with no community consultation and no environmental assessment. This area includes 4 towns, 4 Nature Reserves and 3 National Parks including the Pinnacles Desert tourism icon.”

“Generations of Western Australians have surfed, fished, camped and holidayed in these areas, so to see them turned into gasfields would be horrifying and will be strongly opposed.”

“National parks and nature reserves are intended to protect nature. The issuing of oil and gas exploration permits over these areas is totally unacceptable and totally incompatible with the intended purpose of these areas.”

“These fragile coastal areas need to be protected and treasured for their conservation and tourism values, not opened up for oil and gas exploration.”

“If the State Government did not intend for gas companies to be drilling and fracking in national parks and towns, they should not have granted this exploration permit over these areas.”

Speaking on behalf of the Clean Water Healthy Land Alliance, Piers Verstegen said “The community at Green Head are already fighting to protect their drinking water reserve from fracking plans by AWE Energy.  Now they are faced with an exploration permit over the town itself.”

“We are supporting communities to defend their farms, groundwater, health and local environment against gas fracking proposals across the Mid West.

"Several communities have already declared their towns ‘gasfield free’, and a growing number of local Shires, farmers, and businesses are speaking out against gas fracking.

“The gas fracking industry does not have a social license to operate in Western Australia and The Council will continue to support and work with local communities to resist this unwanted and unnecessary industry.”

“We applaud the Premier’s call for more action on climate change – but opening up our iconic tourist locations and holiday towns to dirty fracking is not the answer – it could ruin the very things we want to protect.”

Mid West local residents tell Norwest at company AGM: fracking not welcome on the Turquoise Coast

The gas fracking company which has been issued a controversial exploration lease over the Pinnacles, Jurien Bay, Leeman, Cervantes and other Mid West coastal towns has been challenged by local residents opposed to fracking at the company’s AGM today.

In an open letter to Norwest Energy shareholders, 275 residents from the small coastal communities said they were strongly opposed to gas fracking in the region and would work together in efforts to protect their land and water against the industry. 

The letter urges shareholders to withdraw investment support for Norwest Energy and warns that “any attempts by Norwest Energy to explore or develop unconventional gas resources in this area will be met with strong, organised and united community opposition.” (full text of letter below).

The latest action comes after two Mid West Shires adopted policies to protect their land and water from gas fracking, and to support the growing number of communities opposed to the practice. 

Conservation Council spokesperson Chantelle Roberts, who delivered the letter at the meeting on behalf of residents, said "Local communities are sending a clear message today to Norwest Energy and its shareholders that the company does not have a social license to operate in their region.

“The people of this region are horrified that their beautiful coast, national parks, nature reserves and their farms and water reserves are at risk from unnecessary drilling and exploration.”

"Gas fracking exploration leases have been issued over towns, national parks, farmland and groundwater areas with no community consultation, no environmental assessment, and no adequate controls to protect land, water, public health or the environment.

"Fortunately, these strong communities are coming together against gas fracking, uniting to defend their land, water and health against this unwanted toxic industry.

“Gas fracking is one of the most polluting industries in the world and will be strongly opposed in the Mid West, Kimberley and other regions of WA where it is planned.  

Mid West residents, some of whom have been working to fight fires in their own areas over the last 24 hours, sent their photos and quotes to the meeting so shareholders could hear their voices. (more quotes and pictures are available on request)

Jim Clarke, veteran, Jurien Bay
“We don’t need it, we can’t take the risk. Fracking is first class stupidity in every aspect, no sane reason for it.”

Clem Winton, Green Head
“I’m dead against fracking, it is morally wrong. There are too many unanswered questions and no one will guarantee to protect our environment”

Judy Briggs, Business Owner, Jurien Bay
“I want your guarantee our water will remain clean and healthy for my children, grandchildren and their children”

Andrea Gray, Jurien Bay
“Climate change, water security - withdraw your investment NOW for our communities and your community’s future.”  

Comment: Chantelle Roberts 0416 363 027  

Open letter to Norwest Energy Shareholders  

Dear Norwest Energy Shareholders,  

We the undersigned local residents are from the area including Cervantes, Green Head, Jurien Bay and Lancelin. This area has just been granted to Norwest as an exploration permit for unconventional gas.  

We are horrified that Norwest is planning to extract unconventional gas by fracking in our farms, our nature reserves, our groundwater resource areas and in our communities.  

The area granted for exploration includes 4 coastal townships, 3 nature reserves and 3 national parks including the iconic Pinnacles desert (Nambung National Park). The permit area also contains a number of groundwater resource areas which our farms, businesses and communities depend upon.  

We understand that Norwest applied to the State Government and was subsequently granted the exploration permits over these areas, however no community consultation has been done either by the company or by the government agencies.

We write to advise you that Norwest does not have a social license to undertake exploration for unconventional gas in this region. We do not want to live in an unconventional gasfield and we will vigorously defend our right to clean water and healthy land.  

We will be actively opposing exploration activities by Norwest Energy in this area in order to protect our water and land, and to preserve our iconic tourism sites.  

Any attempts by Norwest Energy to explore or develop unconventional gas resources in this area will be met with strong, organised and united community opposition.  

We urge you to withdraw your investment support for Norwest Energy and instead invest in industries which do not cause pollution and which can demonstrate the support of the local communities that they operate in.  

Signed by 275 residents from
Cervantes, Green Head, Leeman, Jurien Bay, Wedge Island and Hill River

Leaning Tree Community School first in WA for Australian Chamber Orchestra Music & Art Program

Amber Vanags, Leaning Tree Community School Teacher Danielle Vanags, Laurence Yerex, Willow McAuliffe, CGG Arts Marketing Engagement Officer Alexis Zahner and Lucy Murdoch.

The Australian Chamber Orchestra has partnered with the Queens Park Theatre and Leaning Tree Community School to present the Music & Art Program. 

The Leaning Tree School is the first school in Western Australia to ever be part of this global initiative and are the first school nationally to come on board the 2015 program with students from Kindergarten through to grade six participating in the global classroom initiative. 

Established in 2012, the Music & Art program is designed for primary school students, with a focus on helping them to realise their creative potential and hone in on their learning in these areas. 

Students will cover a number of units that incorporate elements of visual art and musical works.

The students also benefit from gaining collaborative skills that they are able to develop through participating in group projects using web-based applications. 

Students will have access to the ‘global classroom’ via the latest Polycom technology through the Queens Park Theatre’s Auditorium. 

City of Greater Geraldton Director of Creative Communities, Andrea Selvey, said it was very exciting for the program to be brought to Geraldton in 2015.  “The program has had much acclaim and we look forward to our local students being involved,” she said. “To be able to partner with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) is such an amazing opportunity.”

American acclaimed musician, teacher, artist and violinist, Sharon Roffman, facilitates the Music & Art lessons via video conferencing, offering fun and engaging classes designed to expose students to her busy international performing life, including conversations with other musicians and glimpses of back stage preparations before concerts in European and American venues. 

Leaning Tree Community School Education Manager, Lara Sampson, said the program was a unique opportunity her students.  “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to engage with professional musicians from the ACO and to use the excellent facilities at the QPT,” she said.  “The program will enhance Leaning Tree’s arts imbedded curriculum and will further extend our student’s love of music and art.” 

To complement the Music & Art lessons, the ACO Inspire Quartet will visit Leaning Tree Community School in June 2015, offering students the opportunity to experience a live performance by musicians from one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. 

Other local primary schools interested in the program are invited to contact the City Arts Marketing Engagement Officer, Alexis Zahner, on 9956 6649 to find out more about exciting opportunities in 2016. 

ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA 

Founded in 1975, the Australian Chamber Orchestra is recognised as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. It is renowned for the integrity and excellence of its programming, and the loyalty and enthusiasm of its audiences. 

A dedicated troupe of diverse musicians, the ACO performs all over the world, from red-dust regional centres of Australia to New York night clubs, from Australian capital cities to the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Southbank Centre and Vienna’s Musikverein. 

The ACO’s dedication and musicianship has created warm relationships with such celebrated soloists as Emmanuel Pahud, Steven Isserlis, Dawn Upshaw, Imogen Cooper, Christian Lindberg, Joseph Tawadros, Melvyn Tan and Pieter Wispelwey. The ACO is renowned for collaborating with artists from diverse genres, including Jonny Greenwood, Tim Freedman, Neil Finn, Katie Noonan, Paul Capsis, Danny Spooner and Barry Humphries, and visual artists Michael Leunig, Bill Henson, Shaun Tan and Jon Frank. 

In 2005 the ACO inaugurated a National Education Program including a mentoring program for Australia’s best young string players and education workshops for audiences throughout Australia. 

For further information about the ACO, please contact Mary Stielow on (02) 8274 3812 ormary.stielow@aco.com.au

Delron Cleaning: Winners of the Best Regional Cleaning Company in Western Australia

Delron Cleaning: Winners of the Best Regional Cleaning Company in Western Australia

Delron Cleaning Geraldton has been servicing businesses in the Mid West and Gascoyne for over 15 years.

The business has been awarded the fastest growing Delron franchise for 8 of the past 10 years, 2010 Mid West Business Excellence Awards Judges’ Choice Award and Best Regional Cleaning Company in Western Australia by the Building Services Council of WA for the past four years.

The award-winning team specialises in:

*Customised cleaning services to fit your business requirements

*Graffiti removal and pressure cleaning

*Hard floor maintenance

*Windows, partitioning and glass

*Carpet care and periodical deep cleans

*High level access cleaning

*Building site cleaning

*Emergency response cleaning

To find out how Delron Cleaning Geraldton can help you and your business, contact the professional and friendly team today

(08) 9921 5950

www.delger.com.au

Would you miss the Sunshine Festival if it was gone?

The team behind the sunshine festival would love 30 seconds of your time to fill in this short 3 question survey. 
Click here to complete survey: http://evth.in/1sEU7do

Wandina and Mt Tarcoola residents will love this new road

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor, Ian Carpenter and Chairman of the MWDC, Murray Criddle were the first to drive on the newly opened Verita Road today.

The seven kilometre stretch of road connecting Highbury Street, Mount Tarcoola, to Columbus Boulevard, Wandina, is now open to traffic.

Stage one of the project commenced in September 2013 and has finished under budget at $15,495,323.44 with stage two on track for completion in September 2015.

Funding for stage one of the project included the seven kilometre road measuring 10.6m wide along with three roundabouts, alteration to existing services, lighting, drainage, signage, design, clearing and grubbing, environmental and dust suppression, vibration and dust monitoring, surveying and setting out, construction of three sumps, safety management consultant services, quality management and testing, water bores, standpipes, water storage tanks, fencing, site management and supervision.  

Around 86 percent of the $15 million was spent using local contractors. Of the construction part of the contract, 96% went to local suppliers.

An estimated $18.5 million is projected for stage two of the project which will extend Verita Road to Abraham Street, Karloo, and will include a 65m bridge over the Geraldton Southern Transport Corridor.

The City has contributed over $9 million in funding to the project with an additional $13,970,000 from the State Government’s Royalties for Regions through the Mid West Investment Plan, $9 million from Australian Government’s Building Better Regional Cities program and a further $2 million from Asia Iron. 

On inspection of the new road, Mayor Carpenter, said the project was a perfect example of a good working relationship with the City, the MWDC, Federal Government, a resrouces company and local suppliers to deliver greater connectivity for the people of Geraldton.

Verita Road provides a link from the south to the northern suburbs, and also links to the industrial areas.

“This is one of the City’s biggest infrastructure projects and our investment will  create greater connectivity within the community,” he said.

“By taking cars off the Brand Highway, and onto a service road, we will reduce the traffic on the highway making it safer, and reduce travelling times for many people.”

Opinion: Regarding the current financial situation at the City of Greater Geraldton, and a brief overview of the last 8 years

For those of you late to the scene, you might wonder why the Geraldton public are so distrustful of the local council. 

---

Flash back to 2006

A recommendation was made to the Minister for Local Government by the Local Government Advisory Board in August 2006 to amalgamate the Shire of Greenough with the City of Geraldton.

At that time the Shire of Greenough had a pretty good reputation in the community. They were fair to deal with and were very prompt when it came to building approvals and the like. 

The City of Geraldton did NOT have a good reputation, and many community members feared the mess that was the CoG would become the burden of the residents from the Shire of Greenough. 

But the policitians and bureaucrats felt they knew what was best for the simple citizens of the Midwest, and the Shire of Greenough residents had to petition for a referendum to be held. 

The Greenough electors managed to successfully petitioned for a referendum to determine whether the amalgamation should proceed. 

This was held on 2 December 2006, and of those who voted a majority of around 80% voted against the proposal.

However, the politicians and bureaucrats had a loophole. The Local Government Act 1995 (clause 10 of Schedule 2.1) stated as the vote did not attract 50% of registered voters, it did not meet the requirements for a valid poll.

The referendum only had a participation rate of 28.74% (much like councillor elections which still get counted).

So despite having an extremely clear picture of what a majority of people felt, those in charge at the time found a way to do what they wanted rather than what the residents wanted.

Trust was lost. 

Millions of ratepayers dollars was spent on the rebranding. Fancy new number plates were seen around town. 

But things weren't smooth in the newly created city. Building approvals banked up. Builders complained. Developers complained. 

City staff complained. Some of the good ones left. 

The mood in the town was "they don't listen to us any way", and animosity toward the council grew. 

---

GFC

Then after all that money was spent on rebranding and "gaining efficiencies" the global financial crisis hit and it emerged that the city of Geraldton Greenough had invested substantial amounts in sub-prime derivatives through Lehman Brothers Australia. 

Why on earth was our rate payer's money being invested in high risk complex securities? Geraldton residents were again furious, and no investigation was launched by the WA Department of Local Government. 

Council had invested $2.45 million.

Yes. Million.

---

Chapman Valley

After this there were discussions between the Shire of Chapman Valley and the City of Geraldton Greenough about merging. But this was under the looming threat of forced mergers from the state government. 

As soon it became clear there would be no forced mergers by the state government, the Shire of Chapman Valley said "Thanks, but no thanks". 

So like any respectful neighbour, the City of Geraldton Greenough tried to enact an aggressive boundary readjustment on the Shire of Greenough to get a chunk of rate paying land from them and of course the coveted area allocated for the Oakajee Port and Industrial Estate. 

The president of the Shire of Chapman Valley, John Collingwood, said the aggressive boundary readjustment would have destroyed the Shire of Chapman Valley, taking around 37% of the rateable income. He also told the ABC that the City of Geraldton Greenough was "trying to destroy us". 

Those were his actual words. 

So the City of Geraldton Greenough wasn't making any friends. 

The community was again in shock. Who ARE these people!?

More trust was lost. More people up in arms. People in Chapman Valley were vehemently against merging with Geraldton Greenough, and they made it clearly known to their council and the State Government. 

The border readjustment did not succeed by the City of Geraldton Greenough. 

---

Mullewa

Throughout 2010 and 2011 more negotiations were held. This time between the City of Geraldton-Greenough and the Shire of Mullewa, as to whether the two entities should merge.

After a long period of negotiations they decided to merge. 

A poll was requested by both communities and was held on 16 April 2011. 

Again, an overwhelming majority of voters said NO to the merger. 

In fact, in Mullewa it was 83.24% NO.

And in Geraldton-Greenough it was 72.39% NO.

It did not take a university education to realise once again the people who had actually chosen to make the Midwest home did NOT want this merger. 

However, as with EVERY local government election or poll, there was a lower than 50% turnout. 

So Mayor Carpenter, CEO Tony Brun and the rest of the team pushed forward with the unwanted merger. Because of that loophole mentioned earlier. 

The new weirdly shaped mega region was called Greater Geraldton. 

Most people were perplexed by the odd name. Greenough residents felt ripped off that their brand had now been permanently relegated to the annals of history and would no longer be a noun in daily use by the council and its staff. And many residents asked what we were "greater" than?

Surely folk who live in Mullewa don't tell their friends they live in the "Greater Geraldton" region.

It seemed the only thing the unwanted name had going for it was the ability to keep the same initials.

Most of that earlier rebranding was now money down the toilet. More was needed to be spent on the new rebranding.

The citizens of Geraldton, Greenough and Mullewa were told to drink their medicine because the educated bureaucrats knew what was good for us. There would be "efficiencies" and ultimately everyone would get more stuff for less money.

So to restate the obvious, Geraldton residents didn't want to merge. Greenough residents didn't want to merge. Mullewa residents didn't want to merge. Yet it was forced upon everyone anyway. 

---

The final straw

Trust toward the council and the city was at an all time low. No one believed the people at the city really had the interests and wishes of the residents at heart. It seemed like Geraldton was a grand experiment for them all to practice what they'd learned at "City Planning School". 

Then the icing on the cake. 

The 2012 rate increase. 

People were in shock. Their annual rates bill came in at a 27% increase. Some people and businesses saw increases up to 30%. 

The line from the city was that this increase was needed to cover the shortfall of rates that had been charged for years. Essentially council wasn't leaving enough money in the kitty to fix stuff, and now they needed to. And the best way to do that was put the rates up 27% in one year. 

Businesses were flabbergasted. Home owners were in shock. The Member for Geraldton Ian Blayney said he was speechless (an oxymoron to be sure, but you get the point).  

Yours truly at that point had two houses in Rangeway and a block in Wandina. In part because of that alarming rate bills along with the promise that rates would continue to increase by 7.2% for the foreseeable future, my wife and I realised we couldn't afford to keep those properties, and sold them all.

Many residents shared similar stories.

If people distrusted the council before this, they hated them with a passion afterwards.

Community groups formed. The Chamber lobbied. Meetings were held.

And the CEO Tony Brun, who was perceived as the main energy behind it all resigned and went to Perth. 

At the next council elections only 6 of the 12 councillors were up for a vote. All 6 were replaced except for Shane van Styn who was endorsed by the community group "CGG Ratepayers Demand Change" as he promised to fight for lower rates and reduced council spending. 

The position of Mayor was not up for reelection. 

---

That's a broad overview, but it brings us up to today. 

The $25million backlog

Now we're being told that decisions made by past councils and CEOs have left us with bills we cannot afford to pay. 

Never mind that the people of Geraldton complained loudly every time money was being wasted and were shut down with intelligent arguments about how necessary that particular piece of artwork or infrastructure was. 

The unwanted mergers that were rammed down our throats came with the promise of efficiency gains that never manifested. 

Instead the city is going to have to take drastic measures to curb spending. Redundancies will have to be made within the City staff. Every area of expenditure will have to be looked at to remove waste and the reduce rate payer burden.

But this is NOT drastic. It should be standard operating procedure. 

Ratepayers money should always be treated with the respect it deserves. It should have ALWAYS been the goal of the council and City staff to find ways to reduce the amount of money they need to take off us each year. 

Do we want sealed roads? Sure. 

Do we need yet another fireworks display funded by ratepayers? Not so much. 

Do we want our rubbish collected each week? Absolutely. 

Do ratepayers want to pay for free wifi for backpackers at the library when there's a perfectly good Internet cafe two doors down? Maybe not. 

---

The current financial situation

CGG CEO Ken Diehm (if you're not paying attention the CEO is the person who the councillors and mayor employ to run the city) understands this thoroughly. 

His media briefing regarding the CGG's current state of affairs was frank, thorough and humble. He should also be commended on the obvious care he has for the wellbeing of the employees of the City. 

It was clear that he understood that the proposed rate increases for the coming years of 5.2% are too high. He, the city staff and the council say they're going to do everything in their power to get them below that number. 

But he didn't over promise either. He was frank about the fact that there was no way future rate rises would be kept as low as the CPI (consumer price index), as the major costs incurred by the council, like power, were generally rising much more than the CPI. 

Moreover, Ken and his team had commissioned auditors to physically go out to the roads and parks, the highways and byways, to inspect all of the assets of the City.

What they came back with wasn't pretty. 

There's essentially a $25 million backlog of urgent maintenance work that needs doing. That's not the kind of news a CEO who's inherited a position following a 27% rate increase wants to hear. 

Worse than that is the projection for the future. In 2027 and 2028 there will be a spike in road infrastructure expenses that the current CGG budget simply doesn't accommodate for. It might seem like someone else's problem because it's so far away, but kicking the can down the road is what has led to the problem we have now. 

So they're facing the music. Which is something. It could all be buried in an obscure public notice  full of technical terms that would cause anyone other than an accountant to glaze over. 

But to Mr Diehm's credit they've chosen to let everyone know the actual state of the union. 

He also explicitly pointed out that every time we build something new, we inherit the costs of maintaining that item and that is hurting us. Even if the funding to build the new hotness comes from another agency, Geraldton ratepayers still bear the burden of maintaining the infrastructure. For every $10 million in new infrastructure, operating costs increase by around $300,000 a year. 

(Yes, this is logical and many of you have been pointing this out for some time.)

---

Crisis

I don't think this demonstrates a "crisis" like other media headlines have read. 

I think this actually represents a positive turning point in Geraldton's timeline. 

A "crisis" is having leaders who don't or won't listen to the public they're supposed to serve. 

What Ken is doing is showing he has been listening, and is prepared to make the changes needed to help relieve the burden on the ratepayers even if it makes his job a lot harder and a lot more stressful.

The "crisis" is what would happen in 10 years if we don't make some changes now. What the City is doing by offering its staff voluntary redundancies, going over expenditure with a fine tooth comb and aiming to keep rate increases as low as possible is not a crisis. 

It's good news. 

For the first time in a while it feels like Geraldton is in good hands. 

---

So what's going to happen? 

There will be cut backs at the city. Staff are going to be offered voluntary redundancies. Ken says these will only be granted where the job can be done by someone else, and won't be granted to poor performers. They're looking for at least 20, and will assess the situation in the new year. (To their credit, the city acknowledges this could be an anxious process for some staff members, and has a free employee assistance program in place. Also credit for announcing now and not a post Christmas shock.)

Then the city directors and managers are basically going to look at all the services that ratepayers currently fund. From the Aquarena, to the Queens Park Theatre, to your rubbish being collected, roads built and maintained etc etc. Everything. 

These services will be categorised into "mandatory" and "non-mandatory" services. Expect things like your bins being collected to be mandatory. But things like free wifi at the foreshore isn't exactly a mandatory service. 

Once it's clear what is mandatory, a budget will be done based on these services.

Then non-mandatory services will be rated in order of priority. The city says it will look for input from the community and city staff to do this. 

Any available funds, less around $7.5million needed to fill the gap immediately, will be applied to the non mandatory services in order of their priority. 

This is where it could get messy. One man's mandatory service is another man's waste of money. You might want more shows at the QPT. Another person might prefer more books at the library. Getting a cohesive list of priorities for non-mandatory services might be a challenge, but at least it's being addressed. 

Any services that are unfunded basically don't make the cut, and will be recommended to council for discontinuation. 

The city is also going to look at the "level" of services it offers. For example (and this is our own example, not a prediction) the city might deem the tip is important to keep running, but might reduce the number of hours it is open. 

In addition to this, the city will be assessing what it does with its current assets. In early January it will be reviewing all its assets to determine if they need to be replaced or can be sold or disposed of. 

New capital works (that's code for "building new stuff") will also be reduced, unless a prior community commitment has already been given. 

Revenue

Other non-rates revenue streams will be looked at. 

There are lots of services that rate payers are essentially subsidising at the moment which might be able to be charged for, and these potential streams of income will be looked at. 

---

So what does this all mean? 

For most of us, we won't notice a thing. The services we know and use will carry on, and hopefully any future rate increases will be reasonable and bearable. 

For some of us there's a chance a beloved ratepayer funded service may reduce or disappear. That seems to be the reality of the financial situation we currently have. 

But long term what would be most exciting is if a culture of genuinely listening to community feedback and acting on it becomes the pillar of how the City of Greater Geraldton operates. 

EVENT COMPANY GOES MOBILE

Geraldton’s premier events management company is going mobile.

Event Nation has moved out of its office space at the Bill Sewell Complex in Geraldton and taking up a mobile office.

Given the ever-increasing demand for Event Nation’s services across the state, the move will provide the utmost in flexibility and service to clients.

And it will enable the Event Nation team to add still more quality events to the Mid West social calendar.

This year alone, Event Nation managed and coordinated events from its Geraldton base for the Shire of Upper Gascoyne in the north to the Shire of Boddington in the south east, and everywhere inbetween.

“Between holding events and hiring meetings rooms, it is now a regular occurrence that we work seven days including late on Sunday nights, then have to open the office bright and early on a Monday,” Ms Reilly said.

“This is just not sustainable in anyone’s language, and we absolutely love everything about events – so events are what we will dedicate ourselves to.

“We are really excited about this next phase in the business as it means that we really can focus on our core passion - coordinating, creating and managing outstanding events throughout regional WA.”

Event Nation’s renewed focus on all things events since its rebrand 12 months ago has provide more time for the event management business to create its own events

“This year we introduced three annual events to our event calendar – The Leah Mainwaring Let’s Kick Cancer Fundraiser, The Christmas Comedy Feast and the decadent Melbourne Cup Day Event,” Ms Reilly said.

“These have added a much-applauded injection to Geraldton’s social calendar.”

Ms Reilly said the business would continue its increasingly popular free online regional event calendar on the Event Nation website. The calendar promoted more than 1000 events this year alone and helped showcase them on radio, newspaper and through social media. Event Nation also helps calendar users by providing free advice on how to best display their content.

Event Nation’s move to mobile means it will no longer offer onsite meeting rooms for hire. However, given a rise in new meeting room venues on offer, Event Nation will continue to coordinate quality venue hire for clients’ functions and events, and also offer meeting room equipment for hire, including projectors, screens and flip charts.

“We are excited about 2015 and have great things planned,” Ms Reilly said. Event Nation – “We are heading to Perth early next year to meet with some great companies and entertainers so we can get a full understanding of their services – this will help us in planning our own OUTSTANDING events for everyone to enjoy. Watch this space.”

Geraldton Croquet Club’s Fun Day Presentations and Awards

The following presentations and awards were made at the Geraldton Croquet Club’s Fun Day, annual presentation and dinner on Sunday 14th December 2014.

Trevor Hansen Trophy (Golf Croquet Handicap Singles) - Arthur (Sharkey) Ryan

Bill Barnes Cup (Association Croquet Handicap Singles) Winner - Peter Clift 
Runner-up - Anne Bunter                    

Alan Marsh Shield (Golf Croquet Handicap singles) - Sheridan Stopps

G.C.C. Golf Championships Open Division - Peter Clift

G.C.C. Golf Championships Second Division - Jenny Morris

Geraldton Croquet Club Association Championship - Trevor Hansen

George & Mollie Brown Shield (Association Croquet) Handicap Singles - Wilf Gregory

Anne Bunter Golden Mallet (Golf Handicap doubles) -  Ken & Jenny Morris

Bob Scott Memorial Trophy (Novice player encouragement award) - Paul Dodson

Gratte Cup (1 Day Golf Croquet Competition) - Jenny Morris

Blanche Martin Shield (Association Handicap Doubles) - Ruth Shave & Trevor Hansen
Runners-up - Beryl Scott & Peter Clift

Captain's Trophy - Sheryl Cant

President's Trophy - Peter Clift

Trevor Hansen and Kay.Chynoweth scored their 1st 12 hoop breaks in Association at G.C.C. in 2014 They were presented with stamped key rings. This is not Kay’s first 12 hoop break but the award is for a break at Geraldton.

‘Parking Fine Paranoia’ Burning a $1.9m Hole in Motorists’ Pockets

Western Australian (WA) motorists are wasting an estimated $1.9 million every year through ‘Parking Fine Paranoia’, according to a study by parking app provider, CellOPark. 

With parking fines in WA costing an estimated $16m each year, motorists are living in financial fear, resulting in many drivers deliberately overfeeding parking meters to avoid being hit with a costly fine.  

On average, ‘Parking Fine Paranoia’ leads drivers to pay approximately $1.90 extra every time they park, which soon mounts up throughout the year.

“Drivers are being hit with fines left, right and centre, so it’s no surprise they’re guestimating and over-feeding the meter, says Michael Doherty, General Manager at CellOPark.  “Taking out this form of ‘parking insurance’ shouldn’t be necessary.  There is a real need to update and revitalise the country’s parking systems to make it easier and fairer for motorists,” says Doherty.

The study also found that about a quarter (23%) of WA motorists have been unfairly hit with a parking fine due to faulty parking meters or machinery and, of those, just under half (43%) still had to pay for the fine. In many cases, these parking meters are either broken, inaccessible or carried poor signage leading to confusion among motorists and unfair fines being issued.  

“The way we pay for parking has changed very little in over the past 40 years and it’s time for City Councils to address the issue. Over 80% of the motorists we surveyed believe current parking systems need rejuvenating,” said Doherty.  

“People just want to pay for the time they use and modernising the parking payment process will eradicate the unnecessary overfeeding that is currently occurring, saving motorists hundreds of dollars in the process,” he added. 

Old ticket machines are also a frustration to drivers, with over 75% of respondents supporting the use of modern smartphone technology to update current parking systems.  With 90% of Australian motorists owning a smartphone, Doherty believes that the Government is missing a trick if it fails to put mobile first. 

“We believe there is a better way to pay for parking. Many industries have gone paperless and are becoming mobile centric. There is no reason why parking can’t be brought into the 21st century too,” says Doherty.  

“We have designed a modern, more efficient and cheaper way of dealing with growing parking demand. Our system is pay-by-the-minute and allows you to only pay for the time that you use through your smartphone,” Doherty concludes. 

CellOPark is currently available for use in many locations around Australia. CellOPark supports tens of thousands of its members, who are already enjoying the benefits of  Pay-by-App, Pay-by-Phone and ePermit parking technology.

Today is the last day of the West Coast Bioregion Demeral Ban

Today is the last day of the West Coast Bioregion Demeral Ban. 

Craig Wise from Tackleworld Geraldton confirms that the ban is in place each year from 15th October till 15th December inclusive. 

Demersal fin fish generally live on or near the ocean floor, usually at depths of more than 20 metres and include our most popular fish here in the Midwest of Dhufish, Coral Trout & Snapper. 

The bans form part of the Dept of Fisheries strategy for sustainable fishing for the future. The opening of the season is a great chance to checkout your fishing gear and the boys at Tackleworld Country are ready to help you stock up and save at the same time. There is a huge range of lures and soft baits on clearance, plus the new range of fishing clothing from Pelagic & Tackleworld are now in stock. 

Spotters latest range of sunglasses is also in store with bargains galore across the store. Get in now to make sure you are well stocked and we look forward to sharing fishing stories and Christmas stories over the coming weeks.

Family focus on New Year's Eve event

Party Time: Sun City Cinema owner George Scicluna, Dome Manager Graham Sertorio and City CEO Ken Diehm.

There will be a family friendly feel on the Foreshore this New Year’s Eve with activities, entertainment and fireworks.

The Panaceum Sun City Cinema in conjunction with Dome Café, will host the entertainment and the City of Greater Geraldton are sponsoring the fireworks display.

From 6pm, there will be live music, games, a bouncy castle, face painting, a fish and chip special from Dome and once the sun sets, the film Rio 2 will be playing on the big screen next to Dome.

The young ones won’t have to stay up until midnight to bring in the New Year with the fireworks predicted to get underway around 9:30pm. 

City of Greater Geraldton Acting Mayor, Neil McIlwaine, said the City was happy to support the event.

“Bringing in the New Year is something that everyone should celebrate, no matter what age,” he said.

“We’re glad that there is a community event that families can participate in to celebrate the New Year and we are proud to be part of it.”

Sun City Cinema owner, George Scicluna, said the event initiated from community feedback.

“We had a lot of feedback from the community about the lack of family activities on New Year’s Eve,” he said.

“Sun City Cinema has had such success throughout the year among local families with the cinema that we thought we would take that feedback on board and create a fun event for families this New Year’s Eve.”

The event will kick off from 6pm on the Foreshore next to Dome on Wednesday, December 31. Entry is $3 for children and $5 for adults. 

For more information about the event, contact Sun City Cinema on 0408 643 494.

People urged to use caution when slashing paddocks

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is urging semi-rural property owners to take care when slashing paddocks, with a number of recent grass and bushfires caused by sparks from machinery.

DFES Metropolitan Assistant Commissioner Brad Stringer said bushfires can start suddenly and spread very quickly, potentially putting lives and property under threat.

"In the last few weeks more than 10 bushfires have occurred in outer metropolitan areas, including Chidlow, Chittering, Bullsbrook and Gidgegannup due to machinery striking rocks,” Assistant Commissioner Stringer said.

"Fortunately these fires were brought under control relatively quickly due to favourable weather conditions and the outstanding work of firefighters and property owners, however we might not be so lucky next time.

"We strongly urge contractors and property owners to slash paddocks early in the morning or late afternoon, ensure their machinery is in good condition and has been serviced regularly, and have firefighting equipment on standby.

"People also need to take care to ensure machinery isn't getting too hot or causing sparks.”

The Fire Danger Rating should be taken into account before slashing paddocks and under no circumstances can slashing be carried out when a Total Fire Ban has been declared. Heavy penalties apply for breaching a Total Fire Ban, which include being fined up to $25,000 and/or jailed for 12 months.

"This is a timely reminder that everyone should have a bushfire survival plan in place, outlining what they will do if a bushfire threatens their area,” Assistant Commissioner Stringer said.

"Bushfires can happen anywhere, anytime and it's essential everyone is prepared.”

Improving literacy in Durack’s remote schools

Students at seventeen schools in Durack will get a boost to help them with reading and writing under the $22 million flexible literacy for remote primary schools programme in 2015.

Melissa Price, Federal Member for Durack said 34 remote schools Australia-wide will participate in the programme which introduces two approaches: Direct Instruction and Explicit Direct Instruction.

“The Federal Government is wanting to ensure every Australian student gets the educational opportunity they need to succeed,” Ms Price said.

“Central to a good education is literacy, the ability to read, write and understand.

“These ‘back to basics’ approaches which will be delivered to the students in our remote communities from next year have proven successful in the US and in Australian pilots.

“I am proud to be part of a Government that is expanding direct instruction to students in distant parts of Durack, in places like Carnarvon, Fitzroy, Halls Creek, Magnet, Meekatharra, Lombadina and Nullagine,” Ms Price said.

Teachers at participating schools will receive professional development and support to gain the knowledge and skills they need to use the direct instruction approaches.

The Flexible literacy for remote primary schools programme will be managed by Good to Great Schools Australia and is part of the Government’s Students First approach. Under the Students First approach, the Australian Government will work with the states and territories on four key areas that will make a difference to students:

• teacher quality
• school autonomy
• parental engagement
• strengthening the curriculum.