Lovely to see the trees in blossom, the canola in flower, and the paddocks looking green.

It won’t be long before we are out on our mowers every week!

The Companion Animals Advisory Committee held its first meeting on Wednesday, 13 August and we are fortunate to have some amazing people on board, bringing a wealth of knowledge and passion for companion animals. I’m looking forward to seeing what exciting ideas we can come up with together.

Council Rangers often receive negative feedback from the community due to the regulatory nature of their role.

However, it’s important for the community to see the positive work they do.

Here’s a quick snapshot of our pound statistics over the past 12 months:

• 144 dogs were seized, with over 50% returned to their owners.

The remainder were rehomed or sent to rescue, meaning no rehome-able dogs were euthanised.

• 60 cats were seized, and again, no rehome-able cats were euthanised. All were either rehomed or sent to rescue.

This is an outstanding achievement by our Rangers. Some city councils aren’t reaching these kinds of rehoming results which are a credit to our Rangers’ dedication, always exhausting every avenue to return animals to their homes before bringing them to the pound.

This is why it’s so important to ensure your animals are microchipped, registered, and that your contact details are up to date - so if they do get out, you can be contacted quickly.

Council has plans for an upgraded kennel block and off-leash area for the pound animals, so that while in care, they can be warm, cool, and comfortable.

A huge congratulations to our Rangers, Shawn and Isobel, on your amazing work!

From Friday 22 to Sunday 24 August, I was lucky enough to attend - and supply billet cattle for - the 9th Southern All Breeds Handlers Camp, held at the Harden Showground.

The camp attracts over 137 competitors, along with teachers and parents, with some travelling from as far as Victoria and the Mid North Coast. One guest speaker even came all the way from Canada!

The camp is designed to teach both children and adults all aspects of cattle care, including showing, grooming, nutrition, and husbandry.

It was a great success and a huge thank you must go to the committee for organising such a great event in Harden. I am already look forward to next year’s camp, which will be the 10th year.

If you would like to sponsor next year’s event, please reach out to the committee as soon as possible.

A huge congratulation to Brian and the entire team at Hilltops Council for raising money for the Vinnies Western Region Community Sleepout in Young last week.

With donations open until the end of September, there is still time to donate if you haven’t done so already. Go to Shout For Good at:

https://shoutforgood.com/fundraisers/WesternRegionCommunitySleepout2025.

Finally, the Harden-Murrumburrah Camera Club invites you to their 2025 Photographic Exhibition & Competition at the Courthouse, Murrumburrah. The exhibition will be open from Saturday 20 to Sunday 21 September, 10am to 4pm with the official opening on Saturday, 20 September at 2.30pm.

Entry is just $2.00.

Stay safe and drive carefully, with tourist numbers expected to be in high over the next month as people come to visit the canola fields.

Councillor Michelle Gallo