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Glenhaven RFS’ 75th anniversary, and the 1975 bushfire footage lost for 51 years
I have three gifts for the Glenhaven community and its RFS to help celebrate its anniversary; footage of the 1975 bushfire footage lost for 51 years
Flood Safety Back Into Focus
Last night an important community meeting sponsored by the Hawkesbury Business Group was held at Windsor RSL to bring the issue of flood safety back onto the agenda. Here are my remarks, preceded by a message I read out from Mary Lyons-Buckett, Mayor of Hawkesbury.
Critical meeting about flood safety in the Hawkesbury
This Wednesday evening an important community meeting will take place. Convened by the Hawkesbury Business Group the purpose is to put the issue of flood mitigation back on the radar of government for the people who live and trade on the Hawkesbury Nepean catchment.
Happy 160th Birthday, Richmond School of Arts!
This month we celebrate the 160th anniversary of the opening of the Richmond School Of Arts, and I was pleased to represent the Mayor in attending a function on the weekend to commemorate this birthday.
Vale, Brett Wild (Scheyville National Park)
Recently I was saddened to hear of the passing of Brett Wild, Chairman of the Taskforce Veteran organisation and a tireless advocate for the restoration of the Scheyville Military Precinct at Scheyville National Park.
All the talks from the recent TEDx Hawkesbury event
Recently I was honoured to host the inaugural TEDxHawkesbury event at the Richmond School Of Arts. All the videos from the presenters are now online through the TEDx Global YouTube Channel and if you weren't able to attend the event, I commend them to you. Included in this post are my introductory remarks.
Major Update on Detached Dual Occupancy in the Hawkesbury
There have been many important developments on the question of permitting Dual Occupancy in the Hawkesbury, and I promised you an update.
How much debt is Hawkesbury Council in?
Do you know how much debt Council is in? No? Would you even know where to look?
With so much recent discussion around Council's financial management, I've managed to score a win for some transparency in the way we report this.
Hawkesbury Council bans two media organisations from the Chambers
Recently, Hawkesbury Council came to some very unwelcome national attention when the Mayor and the General Manager acted unilaterally to ban all 'representatives, volunteers or agents' of the Hawkesbury Gazette and of Hawkesbury Radio from attending Council meetings. I was appalled by this move.
The $72 million cost blowout for Richmond Pool
Richmond pool is at the end of its life, and few would argue that an upgrade is not needed. A recent visit taught Councillors that the main pool is leaking 15,000L of water a day.
But Council has a duty to manage its finances wisely. Any proposed improvement can't be rubber-stamped "at any price".
Oakville Public School pedestrian and traffic safety improvements a step closer
The business paper just published for next week’s Council meeting contains a significant update for those in the Oakville community. I have been fighting for upgrades to the footpaths, parking, traffic and pedestrian safety around Oakville Public School for many years. I am pleased to report is that detailed costings and engineering plans have finally been completed in an effort to make the project “shovel ready”, but the program is only partially funded.
Happy 215th Birthday to the Hawkesbury!
Happy birthday, Hawkesbury! Recently we celebrated the 215th anniversary of Governor Lachlan Macquarie proclaiming the names and locations of what we now know as the "Five Macquarie Towns".
Deputy Mayor Nathan Zamprogno
(opens in a new tab)The page of the Independent Deputy Mayor of Hawkesbury City Council, Nathan Zamprogno.
Glenhaven Rural Fire Brigade is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and I have three gifts for the Brigade and the Glenhaven community to help celebrate this milestone.
Our family have held a 16mm film reel of footage from the January 1975 bushfire that swept through the area, but never knew exactly what was on it. I've had it digitised. It is raw film recorded for the Channel 10 news. I offer the footage to you, seen for the first time in 51 years. Do you know any of the people appearing in this film or recognise a location?
We also held 8mm footage of Glenhaven in the 1960s and 1970s, and I've added it to the video.
Lastly, I have prepared a website presenting the entire history of the Glenhaven RFS Brigade, drawing on earlier work from 25 years ago but updated with new photos and the video. It paints a comprehensive picture of the history from the 1940s until the early 2000s and contains many scans of key documents and photos from the archives.
Happy birthday, Glenhaven RFS!
That can be found here:
councillorzamprogno.info/glenhaven_rfs_history/
Hills Shire Times
@hillsshirelibrary
Dr Michelle Byrne - Mayor of the Hills Shire Council
Councillor Mitchell Blue - The Hills Shire Council
The Hills Shire Council
Friends of Glenhaven
Emmanuel Church Glenhaven
Hills District Independent Magazine
Channel 10
This weekend the Glenhaven Rural Fire Brigade will be celebrating their 75th anniversary. I have been examining material from our own family archive and will make a series of posts with photos and video not seen for decades.
Some of my family history lays in the Hills district, with ancestors settling in Glenhaven in 1800s. Surnames in the family tree include Holland, Kentwell, Benn, Greenwood, Black, Brien and Gilbert.
Here are two photos we hold of members of the Glenhaven Brigade in 1976 and at the Castle Hill Showground at a field day in 1965.
My grandfather, Harry Holland was the first President of the Brigade and convened the foundation meeting in December 1951.
I’m looking forward to Oakville Public School’s fair day this Saturday, 10am-3pm.
My school. Sister, son, now nephews still there. Nearly 50 years of family association.
Look forward to seeing you there!
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𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝗸𝗲𝘀𝗯𝘂𝗿𝘆
Services are being held around the district to mark Remembrance Day – marking the end of WW1.
At Freemans Reach today I laid a wreath with my colleagues Councillor Mike Creed, Councillor Les Sheather and Robyn Preston MP. The well attended service was honoured by the participation of the 320 Unit of the Australian Air Force Cadets, Freemans Reach Rural Fire Brigade, 1st Oakville Scout Group, 1st Glossodia Scouts, and Freemans Reach Public School.
It was very satisfying to see several of my students present and active in the service.
𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗘 𝗞𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗬 — 𝗔 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗢𝗥
This morning we woke to the sad news of the sudden passing of Gae Kelly, a passionate advocate for Windsor and someone whose contribution to the Hawkesbury community extended over more than five decades.
Many people will remember Gae for her tireless efforts to preserve and revitalise Windsor’s historic town centre. But her record of community service goes back much further.
In the 1980's, Gae took on the coordination of Stimulus, an early intervention organisation supporting children with disabilities and their families. She worked with the Rotary Club of Windsor to secure dedicated facilities for its growing number of families.
Together with Mike Kelly, she operated Trentino’s on George, and she was involved in bringing people into our town through events such as the Sydney Blues and Roots Festival and the Windsor gas lamp Festival.
More recently, Gae was one of the driving forces behind the Windsor Experience Action Group, which she established in 2023 alongside former Mayor Wendy Sledge and Darren Pead.
I was always struck by her endless, positive energy and enthusiasm for the Hawkesbury, and we will miss her very much. My thoughts are with her devoted husband Mike and the family.
The Windsor Experience
I Love Windsor, NSW, Australia
Windsor, NSW - Gas Lamp Capital of Australia
𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗧𝗬 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗦
Last night an important community meeting sponsored by the Hawkesbury Business Group was held at Windsor RSL to bring the issue of flood safety back onto the agenda.
My view is that shelving the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam was a backward step. The proposal we heard about last night recognises that in the absence of political will to raise the dam, we must examine other alternatives. The new proposal the Business Group have introduced involves tunnels to shortcut the chokepoints of the river around Sackville and lessen the "bathtub effect". I do not know whether this will work, or whether it is cost-effective compared to other solutions. It is worth investigating.
The Labor government of Chris Minns promised to build levees within two years of their election in 2023, and haven't.
Then they completed a Disaster Adaptation Report that would provide crucial guidance, and have refused to release it for over a year. This is not good enough.
Here are my remarks, preceded by a message I read out from Mary Lyons-Buckett - Mayor of Hawkesbury.
I was joined by my colleagues Robyn Preston MP, Councillor Les Sheather, Councillor Mike Creed, Councillor Peter Ryan, Councillor Jill Reardon, Councillor Shane Djuric and Councillor Eddie Dogramaci. It was broadcast live by Kathryn Gene from Pulse 89.9FM Radio
Can’t attend tonight’s community meeting on flooding at Windsor RSL? I’ll try to webcast it here. It’s also being broadcast live on Pulse 89.9FM Radio
Just awful. I’m heartbroken.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.