It looks set to be a year of major milestones for Western Downs Regional Council. Our organisation is on the cusp of delivering its most significant planning project and the community will be asked to have their input. Council has received feedback on this regional planning blueprint from the State Government and will now make changes before seeking public feedback.

The second Corporate Plan for Council has been adopted and will guide our organisation’s budget, services, strategies and projects over the next five years. Council looks forward to implementing the plan and delivering the goals it sets out for our organisation which will ultimately make our communities even better places within which to live and grow.

So far this year the extreme weather has tested and challenged our community’s resilience and spirit. We’ve experienced it all, from hot dry conditions and blazing fires to substantial rainfall and repeated flooding.

While the region has recovered well from the 2010/11 summer floods and is bouncing back from this year’s events, Council’s focus shifts to repairing flood damaged roads throughout our local communities.

The $30 million we’re spending on streets in Dalby over the next 18 months, as part of Operation Road Restore, and the $60 million throughout the region under the Regional Flood Recovery Works program, is a big part of our plans.

Council acknowledges the inconvenience that the intensive program of roadworks may cause residents, and we wish to sincerely

thank you for your patience and cooperation.

The short term pain will be worth it as

everyone can soon look forward to driving on

better roads in our community.

The Premier and three cabinet ministers

visited Pirrinuan in March to launch a global

sorghum breeding program to be run by

Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food

Innovation (QAAFI) and that has attracted

the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates

Foundation. We are proud to host such a

research program in our region.

Meanwhile, the region’s array of diverse

attractions, rural lifestyle, and ever

popular annual and biennial events

continue to draw tourists, such as the

Chinchilla Melon Festival.

I would like to congratulate the Chinchilla

Melon Festival Committee for once again

putting on a great exhibition showcasing the Western Downs during February. The Festival attracted thousands of people from across the region, interstate, and abroad, to the “Melon Capital” for three days of quirky fun and entertainment.

An enormous amount of work goes into organising an event of this size and I would like to thank all the local people who have worked alongside our melon growers in staging an extremely remarkable festival. They certainly pulled out all the stops to ensure a fun filled event that everyone will remember for a long time to come.

Cr Ray Brown Mayor Western Downs Regional Council

Message from the Mayor

Issue 9 – APRIL 2013

coMMunIty uPdAte

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Premier campbell newman and cr Ray Brown

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council in Harmony with community’s VisionTranslating the community’s long-term vision for the region, as laid out in the Western Downs 2050 Community Plan (WD2050), into measureable actions has resulted in the recently adopted Western Downs Regional Council Corporate Plan 2013–2017.

Council is one of several stakeholders within the community responsible for delivering WD2050 and we see ourselves as community leaders with the responsibility of governing our diverse region so as to provide services that support and enhance our lifestyle. This five-year Corporate Plan marks the maturing of Council as we enter our second term as an amalgamated council.

The high level priority strategies in the Corporate Plan directly link back to those outlined in WD2050’s eight theme areas, with ‘Effective and Inclusive Governance’ the centre of Council’s efforts (as shown in the diagram to the right).

From this plan, there are some key projects and initiatives that fall out, including:

• significant investment in essential infrastructure for water, wastewater and roads;

• finalisation of Western Downs Planning Scheme;

• implementation of a regional waste strategy;

• consolidation of health services; and

• the development of modern governance systems including Asset Management and Enterprise Risk Management.

Council also understands that there are significant challenges ahead to carefully manage the growth of our prospering region by balancing the competing demands of financial, social and environmental sustainability. These challenges include: managing predicted population growth; balancing the agriculture and resource sectors; addressing housing affordability; managing an aging workforce; and, keeping pace with technology to improve service delivery.

All-in-all, this five-year Corporate Plan will guide Council as we continue to work towards being an innovative and connected organisation, united in making our communities even better places to live and grow.

strategic and sustainable development inches closerBe ready to have your say about land classification across the Western Downs when the draft Western Downs Planning Scheme (WDPS) opens for public consultation.

Council has recently received comments back from the State Government in relation to the draft WDPS. Council is now in the process of making the relevant changes to the draft planning scheme. Once these changes are made Council will be able to release the draft planning scheme for public feedback.

The public consultation phase will be your 30 business-day window to formally submit ideas, observations, objections and suggestions on the draft planning scheme.

Council will review and respond to each submission after the 30 business-day public consultation period closes. The amended planning scheme will then be sent back to the State Government for their review, before ultimately being formally adopted by Council.

Council is keen to finalise the WDPS as it will provide clear direction on development, including guiding the expansion of utility networks in towns like Chinchilla, Miles and Wandoan.

The WDPS pulls together the six previous planning schemes that were used across the

region into one integrated and streamlined

planning scheme that will strategically guide the

region’s future development.

Several factors have been carefully considered

and balanced throughout the development of the

WDPS, including: population projections, road

networks, vegetation protection, open space,

cultural heritage, resources, social infrastructure,

flooding, terrain and catchment areas, and

utilities such as potable, storm and wastewater.

A critical component of the planning scheme

is the new flood study. The study is setting

a new standard for flood mapping as, not

only has it been developed by hydrological

experts, it has been peer-reviewed and

received high praise from academics. The

Queensland Reconstruction Authority

(QRA) is already using it to inform some of

their assessments.

Moreover, WDRC is one of the few

councils within Queensland that has

integrated a comprehensive flood study

into the planning scheme.

Subscribe online at www.wdrc.qld.gov.au to

Council’s email eNews and SMS alerts to stay

up-to-date with the progress of the Western

Downs Planning Scheme.

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iPad revolution delivers savings all roundWestern Downs Councillors have joined the

handheld device generation, swapping stacks of

paper for sleek Apple iPads to run Council Meetings

as part of a technology upgrade.

Councillors and executive staff are using this latest

technology to improve the way they conduct Council

business and significantly slash costs associated

with preparing meeting materials.

They are using the iPad as a tool that links to a

new, easy-to-use secure portal that streamlines and

simplifies the process of producing, viewing and

archiving all Council Meeting documents.

The switch late last year was a conscious decision

by Councillors to reduce their carbon footprint and

environmental impact.

The move is set to pay dividends as they are on

track to save about 350,000 sheets of paper this

year alone as agendas are sometimes over 1,000

pages and photocopied numerous times. Councillors

will save in excess of $30,000 a year in paper and

printing costs.

“Meeting agendas can be accessed and read from the iPad anytime, anywhere. This is especially helpful for Councillors when we are travelling as it is all we need to take with us.” cr Ian Rasmussen

“Being able to make notes and mark pages electronically, makes referencing and the recall of information an easy task.” cr carolyn tillman

“We no longer have to sift through piles of paper meeting agendas which makes Council Meetings more efficient. Everything we need is at our fingertips.” cr tony Brame

“All Councillors were able to cotton on to using the iPad with a minimal amount of training. The technology is so simple to use.” cr Greg olm

Enjoying paperless meetings Mayor Ray Brown, Cr Tony Brame and Cr Carolyn Tillman with their iPads

essential Workers to be AccommodatedThe Affordable Housing Needs Survey identified Wandoan, Chinchilla and Miles as the top three towns that need affordable housing to retain or attract essential key service workers like tradesmen, clerical, community, and emergency services.

The survey of approximately 1,200 businesses across the region was conducted by Advance Western Downs, a partnership of the Council and regional Chambers of Commerce, on behalf of the Western Downs Housing Trust Reference Group.

The survey’s higher than average response rate of 19 per cent has provided an initial snapshot of businesses that are affected by easy access to affordable housing.

The results indicated that 79 businesses were affected and that a variety of newly-built, one to four bedroom houses would be required if needs were to be fully met in Wandoan, Chinchilla, Miles, and Dalby and other towns across the region. This housing does not include social, community or resource sector workers housing needs, but is purely to attract and retain key service workers to ensure liveability in towns are maintained and/or enhanced.

Now that the Western Downs Trust Advisory Group has received input through the survey, it is able to begin purchasing favourably located land and building houses, with the aim that residences are available for rent from early 2014.

Potential tenants are likely to be identified by the Trust’s Reference Group, with support from Advance Western Downs and the yet-to-be announced Property Manager. They will work closely with locally based, small and medium-sized businesses, community organisations and government departments which are able to demonstrate that a key obstacle to them being able to hire and retain workers is a lack of affordable housing.

The Western Downs Housing Trust Reference Group will conduct ongoing surveys to continually reassess the provision of affordable housing within the region to ensure needs are being met.

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new Grants scheme more than meets the eyeIt’s now easier for not-for-profit community organisations, groups and individuals to get the financial backing they need to kick start projects thanks to Council’s revamped Community Grants Scheme.

Supporting and enhancing the valued contribution groups and organisations make to the development and wellbeing of Western Downs communities is at the heart of Council’s new improved Community Grants Scheme, which was launched in January.

The previous scheme was overhauled by Council’s Internal Auditor as part of a review aimed at streamlining Council’s various policies and improving administrative processes and accountability. Arising from the review, the new scheme has been designed to make the process more equitable for organisations and groups to access Council funding.

Council wants to make sure its grants, donations and sponsorship hit their target and help deliver projects that otherwise wouldn’t get off the ground. The range of programs on offer also encourages groups to work with other not-for-profit organisations and businesses to deliver their ideas, services, events and projects.

A key component of this new policy is how it will assist Councillors and Council employees to achieve consistency in corporate processes and procedures when developing, assessing, delivering, monitoring, acquitting and evaluating grants, donations and sponsorship.

More importantly, this means groups and organisations can look forward to an improved standard of grant administration from their Council as well as an easier-to-understand application process.

Bell’s new centre of attention Since opening in October the Bell Bunya Community Centre has quickly become a thriving social and cultural hub for the Bell district and a “must stop” for visitors to the town.

Situated on the corner of Maxwell and Wallace Streets, the multipurpose facility delivered by Council has been a long term vision of the local community.

Open daily from 10.00am to 3.00pm, the Centre offers a variety of services for both locals and visitors including a spacious art gallery, relaxing café, informative visitors centre and well-stocked library.

Bluebelles Art Gallery is spacious, modern and aesthetically pleasing showcasing the original art works of members of the Bell Art Group

with exhibitions held every three months. The workshop offers a space for art and craft classes held with qualified tutors. The function room area is available for groups, conferencing and small functions catering for up to 50 guests.

The Centre’s extremely popular coffee shop offers a comfortable lounge where you can enjoy full barista service of coffee, fresh country baking and light meals.

Visitor information is available to the traveller providing friendly advice on both local and regional sights and events. If you are seeking that perfect travel gift, a great range of local arts and crafts, gift lines, skin care, cards, postcards and stationery are also available.

Welcoming all travellers to stay a while in Bell, the spacious visitor parking area has ample room for coaches and caravans.

For book lovers, the Library which relocated from the Bell State School has Library staff in attendance on Wednesdays 1.30pm to 5pm and Fridays 9am to 12.30pm. The Library is open during centre operating hours and members are able to borrow items via the self-service station.

The fully air conditioned Centre also offers a respite room, WiFi access, large screen television, and disability access toilets.

Local residents are asked to stay tuned as plans are in motion to host an official opening in the near future to celebrate the addition of this wonderful facility to the community of the Bell district.

the eleven schemes available to community organisations seeking funding include:

• Sporting Assistance

• Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF)

• Community Support

• Sponsorship

• Minor Grants

• Community Loans

• Public Liability Reimbursement Scheme

• In-kind Assistance

• Local Community Festivals and Events Grant

• Major Events Grants

• Chamber of Commerce Grants

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Author visits inspire bookwormsLocal book lovers and aspiring novelists of all ages are enjoying the same opportunities as city folk to get up close and personal with their favourite authors, thanks to the popular Western Downs Libraries Author Visit Program.

The Library Service has proven that attracting high profile Australian authors to the region has a positive ripple effect with locals spurred on to achieve personal success.

Having face-to-face interaction with someone like Australia’s master of action adventure fiction, Matthew Reilly, and listening to his journey provides inspiration for others to achieve their own dreams. The Library Service says budding creative writers find the experience of meeting a renowned author exhilarating, giving them renewed confidence in their own writing abilities.

As part of the program, local library branches organise functions with authors to perform readings, answer questions from the audience, and sign copies of their books. Books are for sale at all appearances or residents can loan a copy from their local library.

Western Downs Libraries look forward to bringing more authors to the region throughout the year, so keep an eye out on the library website for more details. Space at author visits is limited and tickets will be available at the libraries.

To ensure you don’t miss any upcoming library events, get the latest library news at www.library.wdrc.qld.gov.au and subscribe to the monthly library eNewsletter via email.

Matthew Reilly competition WinnerThe Dalby Library has hailed a literary dinner recently held in Dalby featuring international bestselling author Matthew Reilly a resounding success with 250 die-hard fans turning out to meet their favourite author. The Library congratulates the winners of the Western Downs Libraries Matthew Reilly Competition,

Geordie Lillis and his team; and Dalby resident and runner up Mary Tierney. Participants were required to submit either a two minute movie trailer or an artistic representation for one of Matthew Reilly’s books. The winner’s YouTube entry can be viewed on the Western Downs Libraries website www.library.wdrc.qld.gov.au

new chapter opens for Bell LibraryBell bookworms started the year cheering when the Library opened its doors at new larger premises in the Bell Bunya Community Centre on the corner of Maxwell and Wallace Streets.

Locals and visitors to the town now have a comfortable place to read and meet.

The library’s improved layout is making it easier and more appealing for customers to browse the expanded collection and selection of resources thanks to the increased size.

The branch offers an array of programs and free access to the internet, electronic databases, library catalogues, and Microsoft Office programs through its public computers. Customers who bring in wireless devices such as laptops and smartphones will be pleased to know that free WiFi access is available in all public areas of the building.

New self-service facilities are a hit with customers, and staff are pleased customers are embracing the new technology, as it is giving staff more time to devote to providing personal service. Customers are actively using the convenient self-serve facilities during normal operating hours of the Centre, even on days the library is closed.

The library is also a popular hangout for children who have discovered the new Wii gaming platform.

The Community Centre is already a thriving hub of activity and with a coffee shop close by, customers are invited to enjoy a coffee while they relax in the library.

Putting rubbish in the bin — do the right thing!Have you been putting your rubbish in the right bin?

The increase in contamination in the yellow-lidded recycling bins means Council’s Waste Section is offering some extra tips and information to help make recycling easier.

The most common problems are the use of plastic bags for recyclable items and placing greenwaste in the yellow-lidded bin.

If you leave your recyclables in bin liners, plastic bags, or bags marked as biodegradable or compostable, then your recyclables will often end up in landfill and all that time you spent separating your recyclables will be wasted. This is because the plastic bags contaminate the recyclables so they can’t be recycled.

Greenwaste should be placed in your green-lidded bin or taken to a local waste facility where it can be mulched. If greenwaste is put in a yellow-lidded bin it contaminates that load of recyclables, meaning the greenwaste and recyclables will probably end up in landfill.

Meanwhile, as part of Council’s program to help reduce waste contamination, fortnightly recycling bin inspections are being conducted throughout the region. If you receive an orange sticker on your bin it means you have placed incorrect item/s in your yellow-lidded bin and they must be removed before the bin is placed on the kerbside the following fortnight for collection.

You can start making a difference to the environment simply by ensuring your household waste is sorted and placed in the right bin on collection day.

If in doubt, you can always refer to the embossed list of recyclable materials on your bin’s lid, the Council’s website, or contact Council’s Customer Contact Centre on 1300 COUNCIL.

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Don’t get left on the kerb! Find out more about accepted recycling bin items by visiting www.wdrc.qld.gov.au/services/waste_collection and downloading the fact sheet What Goes In My Recycling Bin?

What can be recycled?• Glass bottles and jars (no lids please)• Clean newspaper, paper, magazines

and brochures• Steel and aluminium cans, and

empty aerosols• Milk and juice cartons• Rigid plastic containers and bottles from

the kitchen, bathroom and laundry• Cardboard boxes and cartons

What can’t be recycled?• Nappies• Polystyrene foam• Plastic bags, packets and film• Syringes and medical waste• Light globes, mirrors and window glass• Food scraps• Gas bottles, batteries, paint and oil• Ceramics, crockery and glasses• Soil, rocks and grass• Chemicals and pesticides

education strategy a winner for local environment A series of free workshops and interactive activities about waste and recycling for local schools and the general community returned by popular demand in March.

The workshops are part of Council’s strategy to encourage the wider community to reduce waste and promote active recycling so as to improve our region’s future sustainability in a fun and interactive learning environment.

The sessions for primary school students are designed to persuade young people to take responsibility for the waste they generate and to understand the benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling as opposed to sending waste to landfill. In a fun and interactive environment, the young students learn what can and can’t be recycled, how much packaging waste their lunchbox holds, and how a compost system works.

The Community Outreach Workshops are aimed at promoting home composting and worm farming with residents who can then take positive action for their local environment.

Council encourages more residents and schools around the region to become recycling champions by participating in future educational programs.

The workshops are jointly organised by Council’s Waste Section and Western Downs Libraries, and presented by Waste Specialists EnviroCom. It is easy to participate, and best of all, it’s free.

Council thanks members of the community and local schools who have already supported the program and asks anyone interested in attending future workshops to look out for upcoming promotions.

Waste not want not at dalby Recycling MarketYou probably have some items lying around, cluttering your home that you no longer want or need, but they’re too good to simply throw out in the rubbish.

Maybe you’re redecorating, love reasonable prices, or are always on the lookout for a great bargain.

If this sounds like you, a trip to the Dalby Recycling Market is a must.

The Market offers pre-loved and near-new goods for reasonable prices and is the perfect place for unwanted items, including toys, bicycles, furniture and homewares. It is the only facility of its kind in the region and is redirecting tonnes of waste from local landfill by giving unwanted items a new lease of life.

Since opening in November, the market continues to prove the adage “one person’s trash is another’s treasure”, as the number of residents buying and using the unwanted goods that have been dropped off at the market has been growing steadily.

The Recycling Market further supports the community by donating 25 per cent of “profits” towards a grant program supporting local not-for-profit organisations.

If you’re donating saleable goods, please make sure items are in good working order, as acceptance of items is at the discretion of the market attendant. Undesirable items such as soiled clothing, mattresses, goods that may rot or decay, or items in disrepair will not be accepted.

The Recycling Market is located at the Dalby Waste and Recycling Centre, approximately seven kilometres west of Dalby on the Warrego Highway, and is open Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 4pm, excluding public holidays.

Upon arrival at the market, people should park in the designated car parks and refer all enquiries to the market attendant.

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Water reading moves with the timesThe days of Council officers walking house to house and reading your water meter will soon be a thing of the past in the Western Downs Regional Council area.

Council’s Utilities Section is rolling out new, automatic reading, drive-by meter technology as part of a 10-year asset replacement program. Beginning in 2008, the project is already chalking up impressive results by increasing the efficiency of Council’s meter reading capability.

Quicker read times and highly accurate Smart Meters have been shown to assist in the early detection of leaks. Another benefit of the automatic system is the elimination of human error in reading the meters. This should give customers confidence that the billing they receive is correct.

Now Council’s meter readers simply drive the normal route in a vehicle installed with the receiver and antenna prompting all Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) enabled meters to automatically transfer their readings.

Kaimkillenbun was the first town to receive Smart Meters in 2008 as part of a successful six month trial. This was followed by households in Miles and Condamine in early 2010 and households in Brigalow, Dulacca, Flinton, Glenmorgan, Kogan, The Gums, Moonie, Wandoan and Westmar later that year. During 2011 and 2012 the meter replacement occurred for households in the towns of Bell, Chinchilla, Jandowae, Jimbour, Meandarra, Tara and Warra. Manual read meters were replaced in Chinchilla by the end of 2012. Dalby, having the

largest number of water connections, is scheduled to have all meters replaced by 2018.

The Utilities team manages 22 water supplies and more than 11,000 water connections across the region. With such a vast serviceable area, the meter replacement program was a move by Council to improve its water meter reading practices by reducing the operating costs and improving efficiency.

Remember if you have a faulty or leaking water meter, please report the leak as soon as possible to your local Customer Service Centre or contact Council’s Engineering Services on 1300 COUNCIL. Council will require details of the leak or fault, the property address and your contact details to repair the fault.

Warning system to bolster region’s flood defencesLocal communities will be better prepared for floods with an advanced public warning system to be installed in the Western Downs before the next storm season.

Two years on from the unprecedented floods that wreaked devastation across the region, Western Downs Regional Council is working to strengthen the community’s defences against extreme rainfall events.

Thanks to an additional $260,000 State Government funding boost under the Local Government Grants and Subsidies Scheme, Council will extend the current flood warning system currently employed by the Bureau of Meteorology on rivers and major creeks in the region.

This is in addition to $160,000 Council received in January 2012 through the Cyclone and Flood Warning Subsidy Program towards rolling out the first round of stations as part of the Telemetry Systems (Flood Warning and Weather) project.

The first round of stations are to be installed in the Jandowae Creek catchment, upstream of the Jandowae township, and in the Charley’s Creek catchment, upstream of the town of Chinchilla.

Additional flood warning and weather stations will also be set up throughout the region to provide further advance warning of flooding to residents.

Road Restoration Work Rolls onRegional Flood Recovery Works to repair damage caused to the region’s road and infrastructure networks by the 2010/11 summer floods are well underway but the hits keep on coming.

Subsequent adverse weather events and recent rainfall have caused delays to the delivery schedules for both Operation Road Restore and rural road restoration works, as after each weather event the condition of all roads needs to be reassessed to confirm whether any further damage has been caused.

For the rural networks, the restoration works were temporarily delayed recently following the January and March flood events. Some rural roads needed immediate repair under the Council’s normal emergent works program, however, the pre-existing schedules have re-started and work continues to roll on towards a target completion date of late 2015.

Meanwhile, despite these disruptions, the tempo of works in Dalby’s urban area under Operation Road Restore will accelerate in coming months as the project completion deadline has been moved forward by three months. This means that all

works under Operation Road Restore now need to be finished by March 2014 instead of June 2014.

With this schedule being brought forward by three months, residents will see a noticeable increase in the amount of works underway at any one time. A project of this scale will cause disruption to the normal flow of local traffic in affected areas and Council appreciates the community’s cooperation and understanding.

It’s important to remember that any short term inconveniences will mean significant long term gains, by way of a safer and longer lasting local road and infrastructure networks.

So, it’s all hands on deck with both internal Council work crews and external contractors working hard to complete the flood recovery road restoration works across the region.

Council regularly updates the progress of these works schedules through letters directly to affected residents, print updates in local newspapers and magazines, on-location variable message board signs, and on the WDRC website www.wdrc.qld.gov.au.

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Wild dog BaitingWild Dog numbers impact on the region’s

agriculture sector and with numbers on the

increase, the only way to effectively control

this pest is by all landholders working together.

Council will commence its first Wild Dog

baiting program of the year from Tuesday

14 May and all interested landholders are

invited to participate. Further information

on baiting station locations can be found

on Council’s website and will be advertised

through local papers and businesses.

Alternatively, contact your local Council Rural

Services Officer on 1300 COUNCIL.

DMS 1303046

contact councilNo matter where you are located or the Council service you require just remember one number – 1300 COUNCIL, that’s 1300 268 624 – for enquiries during normal business hours, weekdays 8am to 5pm.

All correspondence should be addressed to:

The Chief Executive Officer PO Box 551 Dalby QLD 4405

By email info@wdrc.qld.gov.auInternet www.wdrc.qld.gov.au

You can contact Western Downs Regional Council in person at any of our Customer Service Centres.

uPcoMInG eVentsAnzac day servicesOn 25 April the communities of our region will

stop to pay tribute for one of our most important

national occasions, Anzac Day. A series of

commemorative services and functions will be

held throughout the region to mark this special

anniversary. Western Downs Regional Council see

these services as an important part of our history

and future, and in partnership with local community

organisations, work to ensure the long standing

tradition lives on in our communities and is passed

on to our future generations.

opera at Jimbour Saturday 20 July 2013

Opera at Jimbour is a biennial event hosted by

the Queensland Music Festival in conjunction

with Western Downs Regional Council and Jimbour

Station. This ever popular event is staged on the

grounds of Jimbour Station; home to heritage listed

Jimbour House, one of the nation’s most gracious

historical homes. Jimbour Amphitheatre comes alive

with the magnificent sounds of talented musicians, a

performance that is enjoyed by thousands gathered

on chairs and picnic blankets out on the lawn in

front. During the afternoon there will be roving

entertainers and a colourful array of market

stalls displaying and selling local arts and

produce. Admission is free.

tara Festival of culture & camel Races2-4 August 2013

Tara Festival of Culture & Camel Races is a

biennial event which promotes multiculturalism

and showcases the unique cultural diversity of Tara

and the Western Downs. With two days of Camel

Racing included in the program, it is a truly unique

event for the region. Over three days the festival

will feature different cultures through a variety

of cuisine, displays, workshops and non-stop

entertainment and you will be amazed by what’s

on offer. Free camping available on-site for tents,

caravans and motor homes.

For more information on upcoming events in the

Western Downs region, visit www.wdrc.qld.gov.au

or free call 1300 COUNCIL (1300 268 624).

sign up to be alerted in an emergencyResidents can now get the latest updates on local flood and fire events as they unfold simply by signing up online or by text message to Council’s SMS Alert service.

With only about 800 people subscribed out of the 30,000 residents in the region, Councillors are encouraging people to register for future emergency alerts to ensure they receive text messages from Council alerting them to potential extreme weather threats.

All you need to do is text ‘SUBSCRIBE’ and your postcode to 0408 063 733 or visit Council’s website www.wdrc.qld.gov.au and follow the ‘Connect with Your Council’ link on the homepage.

People who register for this free service can choose to receive only emergency or all general, updates on news and events from Council via text message to their mobile phone or landline as alerts are issued.

Residents who have signed up and no longer want to receive the SMS alerts can simply unsubscribe at any time.

Unfortunately an issue with our SMS Alerts system recently caused some concern for residents who registered but did not receive an alert until a few days later during the January floods. The online registration form on the website does not put the person automatically onto the SMS list to receive alerts. This has to be done manually by a Council officer. Council

apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have listened to residents’ feedback and are investigating a number of alternative broadcast alerting providers that offer a system that will automatically add you onto the list as soon as you’ve registered, ensuring that you receive alerts immediately.

Emergency Flood Text Messages – Clearing up the confusionThere was some confusion over emergency texts during floods in January and March, where a number of residents asked why they did not receive text messages from Council alerting them to the flood threat, despite receiving messages during the 2010/11 summer floods.

What residents most likely received in 2010/11 were Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) issued alerts, rather than the Council issued alerts.

Where required to be sent, an EMQ issued Emergency Alert will be distributed to all mobiles and landlines in a specified area. There is strict criteria that must be met to send messages via this system as it is limited to emergency use only. Residents who have subscribed to Council’s SMS alerts however will receive regular updates about the status of an event without the need for the message to meet these criteria.