Local news for local people
Articles published in August 2024
 | A bit of Oberon's history Take a walk back in time to the Highlands Steam & Vintage Fair, part of the 2011 Oberon and Villages Summer Festival. See ancient tractors and other examples of how life used to be. Like the slogan says - "Simple pleasures". |
Seasons of the Earth and Heart Sunday, July 28, brought another excellent afternoon of Music to the Malachi Gilmore Hall, a performance by the Allegri Singers. The publicity for the concert promised "a widely varying program of choral and solo pieces" and the promise was kept. |  |
 | This Sporting Life The golfers got out on the course, but the real sporting news of the weekend was the $64,000 raised by the Tigers in aid of the Can Assist charity. |
August 1, 2024 in SportThe wind farm issue keeps the breezes blowing TagEnergy and Stromlo Energy returned on August 25 and 27 with two more community information sessions about the proposed wind farms in the pine forests near Oberon. The sessions were held in the Oberon Community Centre and attracted good crowds on both days, including a group from OAWT with something to say. |  |
 | School's back and buzzing The holidays are over and everyone's back at school. There's travel, new clothes for teachers, bowling, some science, culture, book reading. And pyjamas!! |
What's happening at (to?) the Oberon RSL Club? It's hardly a secret around town that there are problems at the RSL Club. Changes to opening hours, restricted nights for the bistro, some regular activities cancelled, ... At a meeting on August 7, the extent of the Club's financial problems were revealed and some options to save the club were brought forward. The news was not good. |  |
 | The play's the thing Shakespeare will be coming to Oberon in March 2025 (on the Ides of March, as it happens) when Come You Spirits bring their unique versions of some of The Bard's works to town. |
A big win for a local business Massive congratulations have to go to the team at Highlands Motor Inn for being declared the 2024 Motel of the Year in NSW. That was a lot of competition to beat. |  |
 | Up in the morning and out to school Another week of action at the schools around Oberon. There's learning things, sport, awards and lots more. |
Meet the candidates The Oberon Business and Tourism Association Inc is hosting a "Meet the Candidates" evening at the Oberon RSL club on Thursday, August 29, commencing at 7pm. All residents in the Oberon LGA who will be voting in the upcoming local government elections are invited to attend. This will be an opportunity for the residents of the Oberon LGA to meet the candidates, hear what they have to say and ask them questions about their plans if elected to Oberon Council. The elections will be held on Saturday, September 14. Pre-polling opens on September 7. |  |
 | Positive progress on the printing project The move to a print edition of Oberon Matters took a step forward in the first week of August. A flier was distributed to businesses around Oberon putting the case for support for a printed publication to fill the hole left by the disappearance of the Oberon Review. |
There's more to sport than the Olympics Nobody knows who first said "It's not that you won or lost but how you played the game", but the principle applied this week to Oberon's teams and players. Some won, some didn't, everybody will be back next time. |  |
Letter - Oberon's heritage This week's Oberon Matters was a wonderful look back at a fantastic heritage event that almost consumed the village of Oberon during February for more than ten years. |
Candidates for council election There are 18 nominations for election to Oberon Council. The election will be held on Saturday, September 14, and remember - voting is compulsory |  |
 | Let's think about mental health It's hardly a secret that there's a crisis in mental health management and treatment, particularly away from the major cities and centres of population. Resources are limited and tend to be focused at the extreme end by addressing suicide, with little help for those with non-suicidal depression or anxiety. |
2024 Community Expo On Thursday, August 15, the Oberon community got together in the Community Centre for a Community Expo, where local organisations and businesses could tell the public about what they do and why they do it. The annual 356 grants from Oberon Council were presented on the night. |  |
 | August 2024 Oberon Council Meeting The August Council meeting was held a week earlier than usual this month. This was to ensure that any decisions would not be made during the "caretaker period" before the September 14 elections. |
More fish for Oberon Dam 5,000 sub adult rainbow trout about 225 mm long were recently stocked into Lake Oberon. Bred and grown at the DPI Ebor Dutton Trout Hatchery, they arrived in two separate tankers purposely made for fish transportation. These fish will grow fast and provide anglers with excellent fishing in the future. |  |
 | Running, jumping and standing still. The week in sport. Some seasons are winding down, but there's still plenty of sport going on around Oberon. |
Running for a good cause On Sunday, August 11, Geoff Swannell represented Oberon and the 411 Fire Station in the City to Surf run. His effort raised $2,500 for the FRNSW Beat The Burn campaign to raise money for the burns unit at Westmead Children's Hospital. Congratulations!!! |  |
 | There's movement at the O'Connell Rec Ground There are signs of progress at the O'Connell Recreation Ground on the corner of Beaconsfield and O'Connell Roads. The plumbing is in and the formwork is ready to take the concrete for the base of the amenities block. Out on the field the wicket is ready for play. |
What did you learn in school today? Numbers, podcasting, making things, mixing with the community. All in a week's work for Oberon's schools. |  |
 | Whole lotta schooling going on There's lots been happening in and around Oberon's schools |
Tag, you're it! Creative Community Concepts (CCC) are back in Oberon with a non-competitive six week sports clinic for young children. This clinic features mixed league tag. |  |
 | One step at a time Sunday, August 18, saw a small group assemble in the Oberon Community Centre for the monthly Walk'n'Talk For Life meeting. The purpose of these meetings is to raise awareness of the problem of suicide and to give anyone touched by suicide a chance to talk about it. |
Oberon Business Awards The finalists for the 2024 Oberon Business Awards have been announced. Congratulations to everyone on the list. The awards will be announced at a gala dinner on September 6. |  |
 | Turning to the back page for some sport It's nearing the end of some competitions so there are awards and congratulations, although the weather interfered with some games |
After sixty years of service, Peter Ryan hangs up his helmet On Sunday, August 25, Oberon turned out for Peter Ryan's last day as a fireman. Attended by local dignitaries, senior officials from Fire and Rescue NSW and the Union, the FRNSW Band, representatives of the other emergency services and a large number of well-wishers, the event was a fitting send off for someone who has devoted his life to serving the people of Oberon. | Picture here |
 | Climate symposium Over the weekend of August 24 and 25 three sessions of a symposium on climate change were held at Lake Oberon Estate. As a lot of issues were raised over a short period of time (see here), a full report will have to wait until some research has been done. Also, a review of speaker Professor Ian Plimer's book Green Murder will appear after the time needed to read and digest the almost 600 pages. It will be paired with a review of Humanity's Moment, the latest book from climate scientist Joëlle Gergis. (See the reviews here.) |
The Three Rs - reading, running and revegetation Lots of athletic sports, celebrating Book Week, a bit of gardening, an excursion into the wilderness and even some normal schoolwork. It's been a busy week for the schools around Oberon. |  |
 | An excellent afternoon tea On Saturday, August 24, the Oberon Community Centre was the venue for an afternoon tea to raise money for the Oberon branch of Inner Wheel, with the main fundraising activity being a "paper bag auction" where people bid for things without knowing what they might get! |
Scams Awareness Week It's Scams Awareness Week from August 26 to 30, but you need to be aware of the problem for the other 51 weeks of the year as well. |  |
 | If they were horses, they would win at a canter It was a week when the women blitzed the opposition, with the "soccer mums" finishing the season undefeated and heading to the semis and Jenn Capel showing the men how to swing a golf club. |
Let's acknowledge the sponsors Oberon is noted for its generosity, and one way that this is shown is by the level of support for things happening around the area. The Oberon Business and Tourism Association Inc is very grateful to the businesses of Oberon which generously sponsored the 2024 Oberon Business Awards. |  |
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