This week's Minute with Mayor McKibbin

November 7, 2024

The Oberon Outdoor Festival has kicked off with the first of many events for the month of November. 

The Black Springs Community Association hosted a movie night on Saturday 2 November 2024 at the Black Springs Hall. An enthusiastic group of community members, young and old, attended a showing of "Despicable Me 4". The inaugural event was a great success. 

The O'Connell community was a hive of activity over the weekend with the O'Connell Cricket Club hosting the first official match at the O'Connell Recreation Ground on Sunday 3 November 2024 between rivals O'Connell and Tarana.  A big congratulations to the O'Connell Team which won the first Fish River Cup competition at the new O'Connell Recreational Ground. The new amenities building will be completed by the end of the year and this facility will be an asset to the O'Connell Community and to future games to be played. Thanks go to the Council Outdoor Crew for their hard work in preparing the grounds, ready for the first match. The O'Connell Artisan Markets were held at the same time as the match at the St Thomas Anglican Church with the crowd able to move easily between the two events. 

During October, Oberon turned pink in support of the McGrath Foundation, raising an impressive $2,298.23 through community-wide events and activities! 

• PinkUp Our Schools: $796.40 - Lolly guessing competitions held at Black Springs Public School, Oberon Public School, and St Joseph's Catholic School brought smiles to many. The magic number was 282, with lucky winners Mrs. Blackburn, Tessa, Hannah, and Kyson taking home the sweet prizes. Oberon Public and St Joseph's also hosted pink-themed mufti days and canteens, adding to their fundraising efforts.
• PinkUp our Shops: $225.50 - Over 30 shops across Oberon joined the campaign, displaying pink posters with QR codes for direct donations. Additional donations came from collection boxes placed at the Council Administration Building, Library, and Visitor Information Centre. 
• Pink Skies Photography: $351.78 - Our "Pink Skies" Photo Competition drew over 30 stunning entries featuring vibrant sunrises, sunsets, auroras, and fireworks. Congratulations to our winners, Maddie, Sarah, and Janet, for their captivating shots! 
• Pink is the Colour of Fun: $750.00 - Local artist Madison Ryan hosted a popular "Paint it Pink" Afternoon Tea, with a special guest speaker, Kathy Packham from the Women's Health Clinic, who highlighted the importance of breast self-examinations and health awareness. 
• Pink is the Colour of Action: $70.00 - Although lightly attended, the Women's Wellbeing Workshop received wonderful feedback from attendees and provided an intimate space for discussion and learning. 
• Pink is the Colour of Care: $104.55 - Oberon Council staff enjoyed a donation morning tea with refreshments, offering a warm close to Pink Up October. 

A heartfelt thanks to the Finance and Community Services Teams for organising the largest Pink Up Oberon effort in recent history, and to everyone in the Oberon community who participated. Your contributions have truly made a difference in supporting breast cancer awareness and care, and to The McGrath Foundation. 

A reminder of outdoor festival activities coming up: 

• 7 Nov - Botanical Printing Workshop at Essington Park 
• 9 Nov - Guided Hike to Box Creek Falls in Kanangra Boyd National Park Sat 
• 16 Nov - Villages Historic Tour of Black Springs, Burraga and Mount David region. *Please note this event has been CANCELLED*
• 17 Nov - Teddy Bear's Picnic 10am-2pm 

Your Council will be meeting on 7 November to review Council policies and then to formally meet to appoint delegates to Committees and external organisations. 

Andrew McKibbin
Mayor

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