Mayoral Column - 24 April 2024
Published on 24 April 2024
It was fantastic to celebrate the opening of the new Neville Tomlinson Regional BMX Facility at Carmichael Park earlier this week, honouring local hero Neville Tomlinson, and his immense contribution to the Bellbird community. Neville was instrumental in establishing the original track that became a hub of activity for generations of residents, so it’s great to see this upgraded track come to life. The construction also includes other park upgrades, with the addition of four bay cricket practice nets, a full-size multipurpose court and hit-up/rebound wall, providing regional standard amenities for Bellbird. I look forward to seeing the community come together to enjoy these fantastic new facilities.
Speaking of celebrating openings, we’ve also seen work finished on the play equipment at Harle Street Playground, Abermain. The revitalisation of this community recreation area reflects Council’s on-going commitment to providing safe, accessible, and enjoyable community spaces, and our ongoing dedication to fostering a vibrant and healthy environment for local families to connect and thrive. I look forward to this space serving as a hub of joy and laughter, where children can create lasting memories.
The Sydney Writers’ Festival is coming to Cessnock Library for Live and Local 2024, bringing the best of literature, ideas and storytelling straight to our home town. It’s a great way for residents of Cessnock to be able to be involved in major events that happen outside of the region. Attendees will be able to witness some of the world’s finest writers and thinkers in thought provoking conversations, debates and discussions without having to travel.
The event will be live-streamed to Cessnock Library from Thursday 23 May to Saturday 25 May. Bookings for this event are essential and can be made by calling the Cessnock Library team on 4993 4399, or online via the Library 'What's On' page.
In exciting news, the popular Clothes Swap will return with its second event of the year, this time at North Cessnock Community Hall from 1pm to 2.30pm on Saturday 4 May 2024. The sustainability event is part of Council’s Less is More campaign which aims to change the way we consume products by encouraging participants to bring along good quality, pre-loved clothing items they wish to exchange with other like-minded individuals on the day.
Our last Clothes Swap event saw more than 37kg of textile waste saved from going into landfill, and around two thirds of clothing finding a new home. I encourage local residents to come along and join for a day of fun, fashion and finds! To find out more about this event, and more like it, visit the Sustainability Events calendar here.