Early in the week I dropped into Gulgong and Mudgee and finished the week off with visits to Stuart Town, Wellington and Geurie to hand over cheques for projects under the Stronger Community Fund.

This week I joined Duncan Gay the Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight in Dubbo to announce the rollout of the Towards Zero: TAFE Road Safety program.  

This program to be rolled out across the state from next year in partnership with TAFE NSW is aimed apprentices across regional NSW teaching them lifesaving road safety skills.

Each year thousands of regional TAFE NSW students including tradie plumbers, sparkies and mechanics travel significant distances, some up to several hundreds of kilometres, for work or to attend training.

Out here in the bush, things like fatigue and wildlife on the road can have tragic outcomes if young drivers don’t understand the warning signs or how to handle themselves behind the wheel, which is exactly why this program is so valuable.

Gulgong’s renowned ‘The Greatest Wonder of the World and The American Tobacco Warehouse & Fancy Goods Emporium’ has been named on the State Heritage Register. 

These sights which both stand side by side in Mayne Street make up the Holtermann Collection, which is undoubtedly one of the gems of the very rich collections of the State Library of New South Wales.

I have had the privilege of visiting this magnificent site and was extremely impressed with the condition and the way it has been looked after. It clearly means a lot to the community and is a reminder of the rich history of the town.

Calling talented architects and building designers

Architects and building designers are being called upon to showcase their visions for the future of housing in New South Wales through the Missing Middle Design Competition.

This competition is seeking high-quality, innovative design solutions for low-rise medium density housing. The competition has a prize pool of $50,000 and seeks entries in three categories: terraces, dual occupancies and manor home.

Entries will be used to road test the NSW Government’s new draft Medium Density Design Guide, which is currently on exhibition.

I encourage anyone who has a keen interest in this field to have a crack and enter the competition. Visit: www.planning.nsw.gov.au/missingmiddlecompetition

Till next week,

Troy