As you read this, I will be well on my way to Bourke having stayed at Cobar last night. There is nothing particularly unusual about that – many people travel the Kidman Way each day. The major difference is that I will be doing this on a bicycle in 38°C heat with an 8km/h headwind with a group of people raising money for the Macquarie Homestay. We are currently on day three of the Toyota Tour de OROC with the next two days the toughest with back to back 230+km days ahead of us. The highlight so far has been day one with the addition of Robbie McEwen to our peloton. Robbie sits in the same stratosphere as Cadel Evans in Australia’s cycling world yet he impressed everyone with his down-to-earth attitude and interesting stories from his days of success in the Tour de France. Keep an eye on the Tour de OROC Facebook page for regular updates.
A much more pleasant place to be was Eumungerie last week. We held an information session in Eumungerie in relation to the soon-to-be-connected town water supply. This has been a long time coming and the residents are excited that they will have access to something we often take for granted – clean and fresh drinking water.
The University of Sydney School of Rural Health continues to be a significant asset for the city of Dubbo. Having just said our fond farewells to the last group a new intake of students will arrive in Dubbo next week. To all of these students I say welcome and I look forward to seeing you immerse yourselves in our community.
The HSC exams start on Monday for the 70,000 students across this State. Best of luck to all Dubbo residents who will be sitting those exams and I look forward to seeing more brilliant results from our students.
The Australian Rugby League Knockout has been run and won. The public speeches at the end of the tournament described Dubbo as the benchmark for all future Knockout tournaments in terms of professionalism and facilities. Congratulations to the organisers and our staff for hosting such a wonderful event.
Keep an eye on the Mayor Of Dubbo Facebook page for up-to-date details of where the Tour de OROC peloton is located.
Councillor Mathew Dickerson
Mayor of the City of Dubbo