From the Mayor's Desk - 19 January 2024

From the Mayor’s Desk

As this is the first Mayor’s column for 2024, I wish our residents a happy 2024. I trust the Christmas break was restful and enjoyable with family and friends. Council’s priorities for the year will again be focused on core service delivery across our region, with a particular focus on working with State and Federal Governments to improve the conditions of their respective highway networks.

There are dozens of Council community infrastructure improvement projects planned for this year, such as improving Inglewood’s Albert Street footpath and implementing a regional signage project. These are in addition to other scheduled Capital Works projects, such as the wild dog fence upgrade and the Yelarbon main street tree planting and irrigation, which will also add to the safety and aesthetics of the region for locals and visitors alike.

Monthly visits to Inglewood and Texas

My regular monthly Mayoral meetings in Inglewood and Texas ensure that the voices of our smaller communities are heard. I encourage locals to watch for the visit times, as it's important to ensure that the views and opinions of our smaller communities are recognised and valued throughout the region. As such, your councillors regularly travel to and attend events in all of our communities. Councillors are also constantly present at both the Yelarbon and Talwood Community Consultative Committees. Appointments are available in alignment with the Mayor’s visits to these towns, and residents are encouraged to call (07) 4671 7437 to make an appointment. Appointments are also available in Goondiwindi.

Australia Day celebrations in Goondiwindi and Inglewood

I would like to remind and invite all residents to join in the celebrations at our Australia Day Awards ceremonies at Goondiwindi Town Park or Inglewood Golf Club on Friday, 26 January. These Awards tell the story of our region, our achievements, and most importantly, our people and it is an honour to acknowledge the quiet achievers and volunteers. They don’t ask for recognition, but their peers and the community nominate them because they appreciate the effort these people put into making our region a great place to live and visit, and so do I.

Council is very proud to be able to hold the Australia Day Awards at two locations within the region and a Citizenship Ceremony in Goondiwindi. I encourage all Goondiwindi region residents to celebrate our national day and share what Australian citizenship means to them as we all reflect on our history, its highs and lows, and respect the stories of all our people. I will also have the privilege of inducting 11 new Australian citizens into our Commonwealth family at the Goondiwindi celebrations.

What’s going on in our region?

Council is always proud to support the arts and culture sector at the Goondiwindi Civic Centre Art Space and the Texas Regional Art Gallery. The Art of the Motorcycle Exhibition, run by the Goondiwindi and Warwick branches of the Historical Motorcycle Club, is a great opportunity for those passionate about motorcycles to browse the history of some of the most notable bikes from the early 1900s to 1993, such as Triumph, BSA, P&M, Honda, Suzuki, IZH, Moto Guzzi, and BMW, to name a few. The exhibition opens on Friday, 19 January, at the Goondiwindi Civic Centre Art Space and runs until the end of the month. More details can be found at www.goondiwindiregion.com.au

Artist Robyn Beeston's ‘Everyday’ exhibition is at the Texas Regional Art Gallery in the Texas Cultural Centre until Friday, 16 February. The exhibition showcases Robyn’s passion for storytelling through her words and images and is about the small details that make up our lives. Robyn created this exhibition as a reflection of her annual 100-day project, which she has been doing since 2019.