Wiigulga Sports Complex (26 February 2021)

I was delighted to see that we now have a name for the planned sports and community complex in Woolgoolga – the Wiigulga Sports Complex.

The name pays tribute to local Gumbaynggirr heritage and culture as it is the original name for Woolgoolga and refers to the black apple tree which is found locally and on the site. Honouring the Gumbaynggirr heritage and culture of the region has been a key consideration in all the decorative design work on the complex.

Confirming the name of the site at the start of the construction phase of the project will ensure the new name is proudly displayed throughout construction and on all permanent signage into the future.

And talking of construction, it’s fantastic to see that work will begin next month and is due to be completed in late 2022.

While the start of work is technically eight years earlier than we had planned to build the complex in our strategies, Council grabbed the opportunity presented by a pre-election promise and ran with it to ensure that the community had the benefit as soon as possible. I’m looking forward to seeing the work progress.

A Year of Recovery

It was heartening to see that the first full year update of the ongoing Bushfire Recovery Action Plan outlined a long list of infrastructure, economic, environment and community wellbeing initiatives that have already been undertaken in the Orara Valley since the Liberation Trail bushfire.

Having a dedicated Community Recovery Officer for the Valley and positive collaboration with the other levels of government, community groups, residents and non-government organisations has really helped to get things done on the ground, despite the challenges imposed by COVID-19.

But the real credit goes to the Orara Valley community which has proved to be extraordinarily resilient and engaged in the recovery process.

Having said that, we all understand that recovery can be a very long road. It’s worth remembering that some residents hit by the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009 are still rebuilding – something of which we are very mindful.