Residents downstream from the dam have endured something of a rollercoaster ride since learning last year that an official council-commissioned safety report had found many were in grave danger should the water storage ever fail, and that council was putting a plan of attack in place that would have serious implications for many of them.

This week, though, the council will decide to put this plan on hold for the moment until it gets more information from the government and the water minister, and can evaluate the outcomes of a current review into the dams safety act. Armidale Dumaresq Council has adopted a similar course of action on its dams safety committee recommendations for Dumaresq Dam.

It would seem the best course of action for both councils, with millions of dollars of ratepayer funds at stake and, in the case of the Dungowan Valley, the futures of dozens of residents on the line.

It’s an appalling position for councils to be placed in – forced to weigh the expectations of bureaucracy with those of ratepayers.

In the case of the Dungowan residents who are facing the possible rezoning of their land to floodplain, the financial implications are drastic and they are justifiably angry.

This change of strategy may ultimately not be the answer to their problems, but at least they’ll know the council is making every effort to ensure its final response leaves no stone unturned.

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A BIG congratulations should go to the local community for its support of several big, and quite different, events in the area at the weekend.

Calrossy hosted its annual Cracker Night, which drew a big and appreciative crowd despite some threatening weather, while just down the road Jack Woolaston Oval welcomed two teams of former NSW and Queensland rugby league players, who showed age has certainly not wearied them. 

At Bendemeer, tractors were king at the annual Grey Fergie Muster.

They all deserved bucketloads of support from the community and it seems organisers would not have been disappointed.

You hear too often people grumbling about having nothing to do, so when so much effort goes into organising events such as these, they should be patronised – otherwise they may not come round again.