Mayoral Column - 8 March 2023

Published on 08 March 2023

I am pleased to share some exciting news about initiatives that will benefit our community, from supporting students to promoting tourism and improving our roads, these programs demonstrate our commitment to the people of Cessnock.

I am delighted to announce that the 2023 Mayoral Scholarship Program opened for applications on the1 March 2023. This year marks the Programs 21 year and I am thrilled to say it has awarded 235 scholarships to students in our local government area, totaling $588,000 in that time.

The aim of the program is to provide financial support to students pursuing their educational goals at TAFE or university, particularly in industries that offer gainful employment in our area such as hospitality, tourism, education, engineering, medical, mining, communications, and manufacturing.

Education is crucial for an individual’s economic security and for the growth and development of our community and I want to extend a big thank you to our previous sponsors, local businesses, individuals, and families, who make these scholarships possible.  I would also like to invite and welcome new and previous sponsors to participate in our 2023 Program, more details can be found on Councils website.

I encourage budding students in our community, if you are eligible, to apply for the program, which will provide successful applicants with $2,500 in two payments. The applications are open until 23 April 2023, and more details can be found on the Cessnock City Council website.

We also have the development of the first-ever Hunter Valley Monopoly Board Game. This game features tourist attractions from Laguna, south of the Cessnock Local Government Area (LGA), all the way north to Lake St Clair, in the Singleton LGA.

The game is a unique way to showcase our stunning Hunter Valley as a destination and provide an opportunity for residents and visitors to learn more about the many experiences in our area.  You can pre-order the game online or purchase it at the Hunter Valley Launch event on 23 September.

Cessnock Council will be receiving $2.37 million dollars from Transport for New South Wales’ as part of the Fixing Local Roads Funding Program - Round 4.  

This funding will be used to rehabilitate 1.32km’s of road at Sandy Creek Road, including pavement renewal, installation of safety barriers, and improvements to sight distance. The program aims to reduce the maintenance backlog for local roads and provide smoother, safer trips for our residents and visitors.

We are grateful to Transport for NSW for recognizing the importance of this project, and we look forward to delivering the upgrades and improvements to Sandy Creek Road.

These initiatives demonstrate our commitment to supporting the people of Cessnock and our dedication to improving our community. Let us continue to work together to make Cessnock an even better place to live, work, and visit.