Big thanks for community
I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to the New South Wales community for their support of The Smith Family's 2019 Winter Appeal. In an inspiring display of empathy for the plight of Australian children living in poverty, we are deeply humbled by the generosity of the many Australians who donated more than $2m in NSW, to help us deliver vital out-of-school learning and mentoring support, for thousands of students living in disadvantage. This will be transformational for these children.
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With one in six young Australians living below the poverty line today, it is heart-warming to see so many community members join us, to change the educational outcomes of these children.
Research tells us that one in four children from our most disadvantaged communities start school already behind in areas like literacy and numeracy. Without intervention, the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students continues to grow. By the age of 15, this gap is equivalent to around three years of schooling. But if a disadvantaged child has access to the right support at the right time during their studies, they will have a much more positive future.
The donations we received during our appeal will help us reach more than 12,000 students in need nationally through programs such as iTrack and student2student, which encourage children to stay in school and make the most of their education.
So to everyone who has altruistically given their time and dollars to support us, and so provide a helping hand to children in need, we extend a heartfelt thank you.
Fiona Coluccio
NSW General Manager - The Smith Family
Water issues
I am feeling worn-down by being constantly lectured to by senior representatives of Armidale Regional Council for the supposedly irresponsible way Armidale people use our water because, we are told, we are not used to having 'drought situations'
We all know that we are experiencing a shocking drought, however, is the excessive water consumption really all our fault?
In March this year Armidale went onto water restrictions for the first time since Malpas Dam's existence, however, after confusing messages from Council, Armidale has gone from Level 1 restrictions in March this year to Level 6 now (Armidale Dumaresq Council Drought Management Plan 2005).
The Guyra storage dam and Malpas Dam are on the same water catchment and Malpas Dam hasn't been getting an overflow from the Guyra dam for quite some time so its level has been dropping and is down to 48 per cent capacity.
Guyra dam's water is no longer treatable so potable water is being carted daily from Armidale to Guyra, and whilst it's inconceivable to allow Guyra to run out of water, questions have to be asked as to why this has happened. Could past planning decisions by former Councils have something to do with it?
We want and need business and industry for employment and growth, however, there needs to be considered decision-making by Councils on development applications and water allocations, whether for residential, business or industrial development.
A full version of this letter will be available on the Armidale Regional Ratepayer's Association Facebook page.
Rob Richardson, Armidale
