Mayoral Column - June 10 2020

Visitors returned to the Snowy Monaro over the long weekend with our towns and villages the busiest they’ve been since the start of the year.

Our business operators have worked hard to ensure they are complying with COVID-19 requirements and after six months without any visitors since the bushfires came through, I know many have welcomed the easing of regional travel restrictions.

Shared trails around Jindabyne were busy as the skis were swapped for bikes. I know there was disappointment with parts of Kosciuszko National Park closed for the long weekend but it appears visitors made the most of the other wonderful areas our region has to offer.

The easing of COVID-19 restrictions also saw the Bombala and Cooma Visitor Centres reopen. Both centres were busy over the weekend as staff provided helpful travel advice for our visitors.

The Cooma Visitors Centre has reopened back into their home adjacent to Centennial Park, with a refurbishment and upgrade to ensure it’s more accessible and appealing. We encourage you to visit and to share this with your visitors to the region too.

The Cooma Hub is receiving an upgrade thanks to a $169,000 grant through the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund. The Hub is a dedicated youth space where young people in the region can study, collaborate and participate in personal development activities.

A working group comprising Snowy Monaro Youth Councillors, high school students and young adults will lead the way in redesigning the Cooma Hub. The group had its first meeting last week following expressions of interest being called for the working group in May.

The project will see this much used community facility transformed into a modern, more accessible space for young people to meet.

Congratulations to Yvi Henderson who was recently awarded a Premier’s Harmony Medal. Yvi is the manager of the Cooma Multicultural Centre and received this honour for her efforts in bringing together people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

She is a wonderful asset to our community, helping people new to the region settle in by making a lasting contribution to their wellbeing.

With the temperatures dropping to well below zero in most parts of the Snowy Monaro, winter has truly arrived. We eagerly await the coming weeks with our snow season resuming, resorts opening and continuing to work together to ensure this very non-traditional version of the season operates safely for our community, employees and guests.

Councillor Peter Beer - Mayor of Snowy Monaro Regional Council