A MOVE to scrap Tamworth Regional Council’s annual sports awards night has been blocked at the last minute following an influx of support for the event.
At this week’s council meeting, mayor Col Murray withdrew the matter from the council agenda and said there would be further talks with local sporting groups about canning the long-standing night of recognition.
Tamworth sports working group chair Mark Rodda said there was a number of groups who “pledged their support” for the awards.
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“The decision to defer the Tamworth Regional Sports Awards Event and Sporting Donations Program report from [Tuesday’s] council meeting has been made in response to a number of submissions by local sporting groups and associations, pledging their support for the annual awards program,” he said in a statement.
“The decision to bring the report to council has generated the necessary interest for us to actively engage with the local sporting community and breathe new life into the programs that support them.
“I look forward to receiving a new report for the sports working group to consider before making final recommendations to council.”
There is a chance the awards will now be retained, but it is too late for an event to be held this year.
The director of business and community, John Sommerlad, said the plan was to conduct more consultation with the community and bring a new report back to council.
He said if the 2018 calendar year awards were to be held, it would happen in the new year.
Tamworth BMX club member Emma Copper spoke at the council meeting about the need to have something for young sportspeople something to strive for.
“We need to encourage healthy, active children and we do need to value sport,” she said.
“We have a massive sporting hub with lots of talented sportspeople and the awards are an opportunity for those people to strive towards something.”
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
