This week's Minute with Mayor McKibbin

March 19, 2026

Published on 12 March 2026

Rotary Oberon hosted the Oberon Shakespeare Festival over the period 5th to 7th March 2026. Performances of Romeo and Juliet were held at the Oberon High School and two performances at the Malachi Gilmore Hall Malachi. I attended the Feast and Performance at the Malachi on Friday 6 March with guests being encouraged to wear Shakespearean garb. The evening was a huge success with the Shakespeare acting troupe entertaining guests with scenes from Romeo and Juliet, the Tempest and other works. Inner Wheel provided a sumptuous meal for guests, and the Malachi provided a magnificent venue to host the Elizabethan masterpieces.

International Women's Day afternoon Tea was held at the Oberon Library and Community Centre on Sunday 8th March. The dress code "Worthy of Today" brought out some fabulous dresses and fashions from Women attendees with the men attending being definitely upstaged. The Friends of Oberon Library (FOOL's) organised four fabulous female author panellists who provide insights into their life experiences which were the background to their books, and the driving force for seeking to improve the lives of women from different cultural backgrounds in their countries of birth and in Australia:

Mirela Cufurovic the book review editor for History Australia and the founding editor of The Australian Muslim Review. She is part of the Sweatshop Literacy Movement and sits on the board for The Suburban Review. She has published with Griffith Review, Sudo Journal, Mona Magazine as well as Oral History Australia, Public History Review and the Chicago Journal of History.Mirela also spends her time in conversation with Australian authors and historians about their writing lives on Instagram as part of Tea Time with Mirela. Natalia Figueroa Barroso is a Uruguayan-descended writer of Charrúa, Yoruba and Iberian heritage whose award-recognised work appears in Red Room Poetry, Griffith Review, Overland and Green Left. She works across multiple roles in the construction industry. Her debut novel, Hailstones Fell Without Rain, is published by University of Queensland Press (2025). Winnie Dunn is a Tongan-Australian writer from Mount Druitt. She is the general manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and the editor of several acclaimed anthologies, including Brownface (Cordite, 2018), Sweatshop Women (Sweatshop, 2019), Straight-Up Islander (SBS, 2020) and Another Australia (Affirm Press, 2022). Winnie's debut novel, Dirt Poor Islanders (Hachette 2024) won the 2025 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists Award and the 2025 Creative Australia Kathleen Mitchell Award. Dirt Poor Islanders was also shortlisted for two NSW Premier's Literary Awards and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Dr. Bee Lim is a clinical psychologist and trauma innovator she leads the Mind Health Collective, a clinical practice specialising in culturally responsive care, and co-created BeTuned, a gamified therapy platform currently in beta. Her work bridges psychology, design, and storytelling to help people recover from trauma and access new levels of clarity, capacity, and integration. Born and raised in Malaysia she speaks Mandarin and several Asian dialects. Being part of a multicultural community has shaped her clinical values. She is committed to therapy that is inclusive, culturally responsive, and respectful of each client's spiritual, familial, generational, and community context.

We were delighted that The Federal member for Calare, Andrew Gee, and the State Member, Paul Toole, both attended our International Women's Day event. Our Deputy Mayor Katie Graham thanked the authors and emphasised the importance of International Women's Day to Australia and internationally.

The Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass closed to east bound traffic on Friday 6 March 2026 and at that time it was advised by Transport for NSW (TfNSW) that it was not expected to reopen until the earliest Tuesday, 10 March 2026. On the morning of 9 March TfNSW advised westbound lanes are also closed with no expected date for reopening advised. This is due to emergency geotechnical investigations on a road defect at Mitchell's Causeway near the convict sandstone bridge. It is assumed that until the investigations are undertaken the duration and timing of construction activities to fix the issue will not be known. As has previously been highlighted by Mayors across the Central West, the NSW Government's White Paper on the east-west corridor across the Blue Mountains has been a huge disappointment recommending further investigations without any works to be implemented. Previous plans for a dual carriageway from Katoomba to Blackheath and then tunnels from Blackheath to the base of Mt Victoria Pass have been disregarded. The tunnel concept and design was on the basis that continued geological instability on Victoria Pass could not sustain existing or indeed future freight and passenger traffic. The 2022 paper noted that rockfalls and landslips on this section of the road and the rail line would continue to occur and the geology would not permit a safe and secure dual carriageway to be built above ground.

This most recent slump or sinkhole that has closed the road only reiterates the necessity for a long-term permanent solution to be implemented commencing now with no further procrastination.

Experience autumn in Oberon in March and April with the Field to Forest Festival - a celebration of forests, food, film and community. Running across two vibrant autumn months, the festival showcases the very best of locally sourced produce and handcrafted goods made from materials grown and gathered in the region. From gourmet delights to artisan crafts, everything reflects the rich character of Oberon and its surrounds. Events will include:

Special screenings of The Giants, featuring locally born environmentalist and former politician Bob Brown, sharing his powerful connection to forests.
4WD experiences, fishing and foraging tours
Cellar Door Inspired Truffle Tasting
Wander through towering forests, cycle scenic trails, explore nearby national parks, and savour the food these pristine landscapes help provide.

Andrew McKibbin
Mayor