Inverell Rugby Club received $73,656 to upgrade the lighting at fields 1 and 2 which will which mean they have an increased capacity to host more late training and evening fixtures.

The club has more than 200 members in women’s, men’s and junior grades and having a facility under lights will only help those numbers with increased accessibility.

Congratulations to the Inverell Rugby Club on their successful application and I look forward to watching a few games under the new lights.

Snow Gum schools leaders’ lunch

Every year, students from Bald Blair, Chandler, Black Mountain, Guyra Central and Ben Lomond schools all come together to celebrate leadership. It is a special event and a great chance to help the future of the Northern Tablelands grow.

Funding for Walcha Show Society

A sum of $10,000 was secured from the Community Building Partnership program to replace the old, portable tin shed with a brand-new kiosk at the entry gate of Walcha Showground.

The showground is used by many organisations for numerous events throughout the year and it is important the many volunteers who man it are comfortable.

The shed gets very hot in the summer months and around show time so having a new structure will be a welcome relief to those who spend hours manning the gate.

Congratulations to the Walcha Show Society for applying for and being successful for this funding.

New England Garden Festival

The thunderstorms held off, and Armidale was picture-perfect with the New England Garden Festival held last weekend.

There were huge crowds who certainly got involved in the demonstrations.

They bought from the local stallholders and travelled around the region, including Uralla, Glen Innes and Tenterfield, enjoying home gardens.

Well done to the festival committee for putting the event together. It was certainly a huge success.

The New England Garden Festival was a huge success for the whole region.

Guyra saleyards opening

The long-awaited, revamped Guyra stock selling centre was unveiled on Wednesday.

Funding for the centre was announced under the former NSW Coalition Government and saw the installation of 303 steel selling yards, the electronic identification (eID) system, three B-double ramps, expanded amenities, stock water troughs and other equipment which will make for a more efficient sale process.

This is excellent news for agriculture in our region. It is no secret the Northern Tablelands produces some of the best livestock in the country and the sale facilities need to be up to standard to accommodate that.

It is great to see a bloody good set of yards in Guyra which will benefit the local economy.

Rest area upgrades

The Tycannah Rest Areas on the Newell Highway are undergoing $12 million upgrades to provide significant benefits to all drivers, including heavy vehicles.

The pavement will be extended to accommodate for more long vehicles, longer deceleration lanes which will improve safety for vehicles exiting the highway.

There will also be solar lighting, flushable toilets, shelters and flushing toilets installed, better equipment the rest areas for all road users. These works are expected to take six months and the rest areas will be closed during that time.

Please take care while travelling through the area and look out for workers and vehicles at the site. The works will be conducted from 7am until 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am until 1pm on Saturdays.

Speed limit changes – Armidale to Invergowrie

Transport for NSW recently announced numerous speed changes for Bundarra Road, Saumarez Ponds and Invergowrie without consultation.

Numerous residential roads will have their speed limits reduced but the most notable change is the 13 kilometre stretch of Bundarra Road leaving Armidale which will have the speed limit reduced from 100kmh to 80kmh.

My office has received around 50 emails from residents and community groups who have not been consulted in this decision.

The local SES and RFS were not spoken to, and most residents have raised concerns around school bus times, fatigue and driver frustration.

This is yet another example of how the Minns Labor government neglects regional areas by band-aiding a problem rather than addressing the cause – instead of fixing the roads, they have just changed the speed limits.

The state government needs to fund local government properly so councils, like Armidale Regional and Uralla Shire, can maintain their road networks.

Crown Reserves Improvement Fund grant applications open

Applications for the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund are now open.

The CRIF provides support for the maintenance, improvement or development of Crown reserves. The projects will either have a high community impact or will target pest and weed management.

To check the eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit Crown Reserves Improvement Fund.

What’s On

November 7-8: Glen Innes and District Garden Club Flower Show

November 8-9: Walcha Garden Festival

November 8-9: Bundarra Garden Festival

November 8-9 & 15-16: Glen Innes Garage Sale Trail

November 8: Piddington’s Open Day

November 8: Black Gully Festival

Commentary by Brendan Moylan, Member for Northern Tablelands