Once again the October long weekend has come and gone with wonderful weather (rain is needed badly) bringing thousands of visitors out on their way to shows, school holidays, Bathurst car races etc thus making the roads very busy, day and night.

Cowra does benefit from this influx with a great deal of money spent here on accommodation, food, petrol etc.

As a result of this regular traffic increase a great community facility is available to the travelling public in the form of “Driver Reviver”.

We here in Cowra are fortunate to have a new, modern building from which to cater for tired travellers.

This is due to fundraising to enable us to build this facility recently.

Cowra’s “Driver Reviver” is operating on a 24 hour roster and is open for the whole of all long weekends.

However, some of the groups/clubs who do this service have “opted out” resulting in some groups having to fill the void with double or triple shifts.

What we would like to see is for some new groups/clubs etc to put  their hands up for the four or five times a year to fill this gap.

It’s not hard work, all you have to do is serve a cup of coffee or tea with a biscuit and a chat, and maybe you will save a life or two on the road. Oh, I forgot, there’s no pay, it’s voluntary.

Whilst on the subject of “Driver Reviver”, it would be great if our council could repair the car park adjacent to the building and the pump stand used during the drought to fill water tanks, it’s not a good look for out of town visitors, when we boast that Cowra is proud of being a Tidy Town.

Don Reid, Cowra

The news that the Liberal Party will not contest the seat of Wagga Wagga at the next election confirms that Premier Berejiklian has little interest in regional NSW.

Their decision to give up on it is no real surprise because the Berejiklian Government, in their heart of hearts, just doesn’t care about regional communities.

It is a government obsessed with wasting billions on Sydney stadiums while also presiding over the shambles that the Sydney light rail has become.

This exclusive focus on Sydney follows the disastrous forced council mergers and the greyhound ban that were imposed on regional communities without any consultation.

In contrast, I guarantee that Labor will contest every one of the 93 seats in the NSW Parliament.

If Labor is elected, my priorities will be schools, hospitals, TAFEs and libraries, and creating local jobs with a $4.1 billion Regional Jobs Fund.

Luke Foley MP

Leader of the Opposition

On behalf of the people of the Cootamundra electorate, I wish all students in the region about to sit the Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams all the very best.

While the HSC is one indicator of academic achievement, we should remember it’s not the only one. Results are not a complete measure of a person’s overall ability or intellectual capacity. 

For those HSC students who do decide to pursue a university degree, I wish you every success with your studies and hope you are accepted into the course of your choice.

For those who choose employment or further training at TAFE, I hope that you are able to find what you need here in the Cootamundra electorate so that your community can benefit from your commitment and ability.

Once again, to all HSC students, good luck, you are a credit to your communities and schools and I can’t wait to see where the future takes you.

Steph Cooke, Member for Cootamundra