I simply can’t thank the councillors and council staff, led by GM Jane Redden, enough for their tireless efforts over the past 12 months. All these people have made major contributions to delivering the results that show a council on the move.

We are making things happen and not simply letting them happen.

The Levee bank has seen tremendous strides forward, significant work is being done to enhance the arrival of the Inland rail, already we have over 80 per cent of the value of all last year’s DA’S locked in highlighting the confidence coming back into the shire.

Up until the end of October we had managed to deliver 46 per cent of the total of last year’s road maintenance program and only used 23 per cent of the year’s budget.

Interest in council’s website has climbed to unprecedented levels again showing the interest that exists in our Shire. We have made the changes necessary to take our shire to the next level and our commitment is to ensuring the very best results possible.

Our welfare inclusion program for underprivileged girls will start in the new  year to be followed by the Clontarf Program for boys further down the track.

All in all is has been a year of success in so many areas.

During the past couple of weeks I have had the privilege of attending many of our local schools presentation days.

I am so impressed with the passion of the teachers in these schools and the results they are delivering. Some of the performances I have seen at the presentations have been of an excellent standard and are symptomatic of the dedication and  professionalism of those guiding our younger generation  through their formative years. They deserve our thanks and admiration.

I also wish to again thank the volunteers of our communities who are the backbone of the success we all enjoy in this wonderful shire.

These are the people who tirelessly give to their communities, do not seek the limelight and make such enormous contributions to the betterment of so many lives. They go about their good deeds quietly and I wish them the rewards they deserve.

In speaking to a dear friend in Trangie over the weekend I was warned of the bogus calls being perpetrated upon unsuspecting people in the Shire from the “ tax department”.

Please be careful of anyone claiming to be from this Department and demanding money. Also there are many scams coming via the internet in the form of emails that have the ability to contaminate computers. Again , anything suspect simply delete.

Finally, be aware of those wishing to be your ‘”friend “ on Facebook. Whilst this is an amazing medium it also has the potential to cause more trouble than it is worth and some of these “friends “ are anything but.