Message from the Mayor: 25 November 2022

This week's Message from the Mayor comes to you via video. 

Hello, I'm John Connors, Mayor of the Dungog Shire, bringing you this week's Mayoral Message.

Monday, sees the opening of Archinals Bridge in the Upper Allyn on Masseys Creek Road. The route is going to be officially opened at 11 o'clock and the ribbon will be cut by the lady who, as a four year old child, cut the ribbon of the replaced bridge in 1940. So it's a quite memorable occasion to have one of the Archinal family cutting ribbon and opening the bridge.

This particular bridge is significant in the total scheme of things because we have now reached 65% of the 23 bridges that are to be replaced - they're either commenced or completed. They're all part of what's become a $19 million state government program, which financed the reconstruction and replacement of 23 of the 24 timber bridges in the shire. That, together with funds that were both borrowed by Council and state government funds in the four years prior to receiving the 19 million Fixing Country Bridges, will see all of the timber bridges in the shire replaced. So it's quite significant and I, like everybody, look forward to Monday's event and the recognition of Mrs. Lawrence and her role that she played back in 1940 and the role that she will play again on Monday morning.

This weekend is a busy weekend throughout the Shire. The weekend starts off with the Starry Starry Nights Street Party in Dungog, which has been organized by the Dungog District Chamber of Commerce. It starts at four o'clock I gather runs into the night with food stalls and entertainment and activities for children.

Then on Saturday, at Clarence Town is the William River Festival, which again starts off at four o'clock with stalls food music and other entertainment.

On Sunday, the activity moves to Vacy for the Vacy Village Country Carnival, which kicks off at 9am and runs through the day with all sorts of events including dog races, wood chopping, working dog displays, and the like. So it's a busy weekend and there's activities I'm sure that will interest all those throughout the Shire from Dungog, Clarence Town, and Vacy. So enjoy your weekend. and until next week, good luck, goodbye.