The 26th annual Uralla Thunderbolts Festival was held on Saturday and what a fantastic day it was. There was fantastic support and large crowds of people from both the local community and tourists who all enjoyed the many things on offer. There were rides, food, music, demonstrations, entertainment, a parade, shows and market stalls as part of the Wild, Wild West themed festival.

Congratulations to the festival organisers for putting on another great event and I look forward to the 2026 edition.

Congratulations to Walcha Coffee

Congratulations to Cameron Hayton and his team from Walcha Coffee who won NSW Business of the Year at the statewide awards night on Wednesday in Sydney.

Walcha Coffee had already won the award for outstanding micro business but was then called up as the winner of the big award.

The win is such fantastic news, not only for Cameron but for the entire Walcha community.

It is well-deserved. I can certainly vouch for the quality of their coffee beans. They are a staple in my coffee machine.

Walcha CWA

There were 100 reasons to celebrate as Walcha’s CWA Branch held an event for their century on Saturday.

Since its inception, the Walcha CWA has had more than 500 members and held plenty of events, fundraisers and more which have benefitted the local community.

It was great to get along and join in on the celebrations.

New England Garden Festival funding

A $13,000 grant from the Community Building Partnership program was delivered to the New England Garden Festival to purchase gazebos and digital equipment which will come in handy at their coming event this weekend, November 1-2.

The festival is entirely volunteer-run and brings large numbers of people to our region.

They raise vital funds for local charities and organisations, so everything goes straight back into the community.

There will be garden tours as well as the main event at the Armidale racecourse on Saturday and Sunday.

Costa Georgiadis will be back, and the Grubby Bucket Show will also feature at 11am on both days.

For more information and a program, visit New England Garden Festival.

Pest and weed control funding

Two pest and weed control projects have been included in the NSW Government’s latest round of funding which will see $2.1 million split between 17 projects across the state.

Combatting feral pests in the Gwydir State Conservation Area and tropical soda apple management in the Armidale Regional Council area will benefit from this release.

This is good news for these projects, but far more is needed with many farmers fighting a losing battle against weeds and pests, particularly feral pigs.

We need ongoing local control campaigns to manage these pests effectively and protect both our natural environment and agricultural industries. So while the funding is welcome, the state government needs to make pests and weeds a priority.

Hunter New England Local Health District AGM

HNEH will hold its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, November 11 from 2pm.

Community members are able to attend via online meeting.

To register you interest, please email [email protected] before Friday, November 7.

Safe shooting program

Up to $800,000 of NSW Government funding is available to improve sport shooting facilities across the state through the Safe Shooting Program.

The grants range from $10,000 to $50,000 and shooting clubs, ranges and organisations can apply to for purchasing or upgrading equipment, storage, security and safety improvements, digital technology, amenities, range facilities and environmental sustainability initiatives.

Applications close Friday, November 17. More information available at Safe Shooting Program.

Adult Migrant English Program

The AMEP Volunteer Tutor Program is a sub-program of the Adult Migrant English Program.

It offers informal language tuition for migrants and refugees. This tuition is provided by trained volunteers on a one-to-one basis, either online or face-to-face, outside the classroom environment.

Volunteering with the AMEP at TAFE NSW will provide you with an opportunity to meet new people and understand a range of cultures; help new arrivals settle into their new life in Australia; and develop new skills or enhance existing knowledge and expertise.

Visit Adult Migrant English Program for more information.

Have your say on reducing the speed limit

The Federal Labor Government’s solution to reducing road fatalities is to reduce the speed limit to 80km on un-signposted roads.

This is a cop-out and a lazy excuse for not properly investing in the maintenance and safety improvements of regional roads.

We need safer roads to travel on, ones that aren’t crumbling under our wheels and that have the same safety infrastructure as roads in the metro areas.

Consultation on this proposal is open until November 10 at Regulatory Impact Analysis to Reduce Open Road default Speed Limits.

What’s on

November 1-2: New England Garden Festival at Armidale Racecourse;

November 1: Glen Innes Motor Sports Triple Challenge Show and Shine at Glen Innes Showground;

November 8-9: Bundarra Garden Festival;

November 8-9: Walcha Garden Festival; and

November 4: Melbourne Cup. Plenty of events at pubs, clubs and more around the region.

Commentary by Brendan Moylan, Member for Northern Tablelands