Thursday, 21 November 2024
Subjects: Last Week in Parliament, Harvest and Cherry Season, New Coolamon Preschool, Remembrance Day, Shop Local for Christmas, Cherry Festival, School Presentations, Staying Safe on our Roads, Crown Land Improvement Fund Grant and Club Grants Category 3 funding.
E&OE…
Dave Eisenhauer: Well as we do each and every Thursday, fortnight we talk with member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, of course Steph joins us on the line from Parliament House in Sydney This morning, Steph, a very good morning to you.
Steph Cooke: Good morning to you, Dave, and it's lovely to be with you and your listeners again, this morning, you're right. I'm coming to you from Parliament House today, and what I hope will be the last sitting week of the year.
We do have a reserve week set down for next week, which is really set aside to mop up any standing pieces of legislation that the government might like to pass for this year, but at this stage it's looking pretty positive to have members of the legislative assembly like myself out of here after the sitting day tomorrow, which means that by tomorrow night I'll be back in the electorate and it can't come soon enough in my mind, and we've got a very, very busy time between now and the end of the year, as everyone does.
Dave Eisenhauer: No, look, what a busy time, Steph, and to be back home in the electorate, of course, and particularly in the electorate that you represent, the Cootamundra, Gundagai, out to Harden, all these big farming districts, and we're getting into right into the hay-making season, harvest season, or hay-making system are wrapped up, but it continues on some farm step with some of these farms that had a frost damage that continues, but I notice the head of the contractors are out moving their way gradually in towards the region, out there at the central west of the moment, there's some big operations underway.
Steph Cooke: Oh, they're sure are Dave, and even coming down to driving back down to Sydney ahead of this week's Parliamentary week, yes there were a lot of farming equipment out on the road, and you know, down in that Coolamon area, I happened to be in Coolamon last Saturday for the opening of their brand-new redeveloped preschool.
It's an amazing project that's now completed and families and their little ones are able to enjoy a wonderful brand-new facility out there, but getting back to your point, certainly making my way west through the electorate on Saturday and then back to Junee, there's plenty of farming equipment, big headers and the like on the roads and it's probably quite a timely reminder that we're conscious that they're out and about and pull over and give them a bit of space to make their way from one paddock to the next.
Dave Eisenhauer: My word because a lot of these days, I mean their farms have grown in size considerably over the years. Once upon a time a thousand acres was big these days, that's pretty small and that does involve transport between properties a lot of times and sometimes over pretty great distances.
So good advice there Steph, and we wish our farmers all the best, hopefully the season plays well. I know we always look for some rain around but around harvest time we don't, we want to get that crop out then it can rain all it likes onto the fallowed ground if they've got
some of that.
I know Tumut station at the top there around the upper Murray we've got some fallow ground there and you know that happens in summer time as well. Let's just hope for a good season Steph because the middle of the year we got those frosts rolling through which damaged crops considerably but we're making some hay that's going to feed some stock it's sellable commodity as well. Our farmers are a resilient bunch of boys and girls aren't they?
Steph Cooke: Oh, they sure are and look there's no doubt that that frost in early September was you know, it was unexpected, certainly the extent of it, and there were a lot of farmers that have been dealt a blow as a result of that incident, and I've spoken widely about that through the media since September, and it really, in sort of the Cootamundra electorate,
really did impact out, out in the Western areas of the electorate, particularly around Ardlethan and Barellan, Weethalle, Ungarie, those sorts of areas are pretty hard hit.
But they have, to your point, our farmers are resilient. They've made the most of it by literally making hay, and for those farmers in the east, their returns will be, or their yields will be a little bit higher.
They weren't quite as badly hit, so those harbours should go reasonably well. And Dave, We mustn't forget that it is also cherry season, so our orchardists are in full swing at the moment and certainly around Young there's that annual bugs that we've come to expect and we love at this time of the year, so we do wish our farmers, regardless of the crop that you're harvesting between now and Christmas and into the early new year we wish you all the very very best.
Dave Eisenhauer: Let's have a look Steph at some of the things that have been on around the region as well as we gear up towards a big busy time for our farms and of course Remembrance Day just past on the 11th.
Steph Cooke: Yeah gee it was lovely to see so many services conducted across the electorate. They're generally smaller services than what we know of our Anzac day services, but they're really important days, and, you know, huge news out of Gundagai in
particular with the awarding of a new VC posthumously, you know, a well-fought for outcome by the community talking to Ab McAllister and Helen Castles at the Gundagai Independent. there were tears all round with the announcement down there.
But look right up into Boorowa where I happened to attend on the day. We were fortunate enough to have Police Commissioner Karen Webb come home to her hometown of Boorowa, where we conducted not just a service, but unveiled new wall memorial boards and recognising more than 800 local men and women who served in the Second World War.
That is an extraordinary number for a community of the size of Boorowa, and you have a look at the sheer size of these boards, Dave, and the small fonts that's required to capture every single person's name on that, and you cannot help but be struck by the enormity of the sacrifice that that community, and so many others right across the Cootamundra electorate made during those times.
Dave Eisenhauer: Isn't that true, Steph? and as you said, it's not Remembrance Day isn't
quite the size of Anzac Day, but this year I felt that there was a lot more focus put on Remembrance Day, which is terrific to see. Of course, member for Riverina Michael McCormick from a federal level, he was there at Parliament House to announce that VC award.
There for the Norden’s and the Norden family were very proud, I know the whole town was proud from Gundagai to Coffs Harbour and beyond there, people were talking about that, so a very significant day in history, one we must never forget, that's the whole idea of Remembrance Day, Armistice Day, very important day indeed.
And those boards, Steph aren’t they lovely things to look back and see the families that are doing that. A lot of it we talk farmers, a lot of farming families there, a lot of people from towns and businesses, our towns were a little bit quartered during the war years.
Steph Cooke: Yes, absolutely Dave and it's wonderful that we have stalwarts as I think of them in each of our communities that are there year in year out to make sure that these services occur.
They are all volunteers, they generally, as we all do, have some connection, however small, with those prior conflicts, and it's, you know, that they really should be given a special mention because it's important that we keep those traditions going.
If anything, I would like to see a greater focus on Remembrance Day into the future. It may
never and is likely not to be the size of Anzac Day but I do think that it's a very, very important day on our calendar and I'd like to see the younger generations, I know our schools do turn out, but I'd like to see an extra special effort put on Remembrance Day in the years ahead to make sure that we never ever forget the sacrifice and service of those that have come before us and ensured the freedoms that we as Australians enjoy today.
Dave Eisenhauer: Oh, and a big way, Steph. So true, and there's so many people who will be saying, yep, absolutely, and one thing, one positive thing that I've noticed is the younger members turning up to these events like Anzac Day, like Remembrance Day, and actually not just turning out because Mum and Dad are own, but actually taking part in the services, Steph Cooke, that's isn't that wonderful to see.
Steph Cooke: It's tremendous and once again you know a real shout out to the organisers, the volunteers, the RSL sub -branches and others that are involved in these events to really embrace the role that young people are able to play in these services.
When certainly Dave, I'm not sure about your experience, but certainly our experience growing up, you were, you know, the sheer number of veterans, it sort of meant that the children were there to watch and reflect, you marched there, but you really stayed, you're in uniform and you really stayed in line.
Dave Eisenhauer: Absolutely.
Steph Cooke: And you didn't really play that part, you were part of a service by your present, but you didn't have an official role to play in. But as I move around, and I'm so pleased that that has changed now, and as I move around the electorate, and certainly at Boorowa on Remembrance Day, we had local school representatives, the captains and deputy captains, they stepped up and delivered beautiful speeches and poems and tributes.
And these days, thanks to people like Michael McCormack, there's an opportunity for young people to express their own thoughts on these conflicts and the sacrifice made through their writings, through other forms of expression, through art and the like, and it's really, really important and it's lovely to see children embracing that opportunity, supported by their teachers and parents and others, and long may that continue.
Dave Eisenhauer: I totally agree, Steph, and that turns back into localism and shopping locally, keeping things as local as we can as we move into the festive season, a big shout out to our local business operators who, like the rest of us, I mean, these people are also homeowners and raising families, but they're also running these local businesses. A great chance this time of year to support those local businesses.
Steph Cooke: Oh look absolutely, Dave and I acknowledge right across the Cootamundra electorate people are, their doing it tough in some areas at the moment, cost of living this year has really gone through the roof for a lot of people, whether that electricity bills or grocery bills or other expenses that people have to pay.
So, I know that there's some worry out there and concerns by constituents and people. They come up to me at events and talk to me about some of the challenges that they're facing. And so, it's always quite tempting at times like this as we head towards Christmas to worry about how you're sort of going to get through that time.
But there's One section of the community I think that we really need to do our very best to support. You might not be able to buy everything locally, but just anything that people can do to support our local businesses, they do a wonderful job 365 days of the year.
The one thing we know about small business people is they work every single day, even if the doors aren't open, there's always something that needs to be done when you're running a business, and I have personal experience of that, I've run three shops at the florist, so I know what that time feels like.
And Christmas is a very, very busy time for, particularly for retailers, so I just encourage everyone, please feel best to spend some of those dollars at the very least locally. It supports our local businesses, it supports local jobs and all of the money that then gets reinvested into local communities through donations and the other efforts that our small business people go to, to keep our communities strong and offer a good service.
Dave Eisenhauer: And then, of course, we look at those small businesses, those community members, and we look at festivals like we briefly mentioned there, Steph, with the Young being the Cherry Capital of Australia and, of course, the Cherry Festival.
My first station was 2LF and of course 1350 back in the AM days out there on the Moppity Road where the transmitters are and down there in that unusually shaped building. 2LF was an unusual, and it still is, it's the same station there, but we used to be a big part of the Cherry Festival and we had the Street Parades, and the Harmony Club came over from Canberra and I've still got the Stein glasses from all those years ago, get in supporting these wonderful festivals that are Steph driven by volunteers in communities?
Steph Cooke: Oh, look absolutely, it's a very exciting time and, look the Cherry Festival is that one event on the calendar for the Hilltops region and in fact the broader region. We welcome people from everywhere Canberra and Sydney and Melbourne and it's a really, really lovely weekend and we're looking forward to that again this here hopefully the weather will be kind to us.
You reflected a little earlier in the interview on rain and we always welcome rain. If the timing could be to our favour with Cherry Festival that would be tremendous. But yeah look it's a great time Dave and looking forward to the run to the rest of the end of the year. There's plenty going on across the region.
Dave Eisenhauer: And that includes school presentations, and of course, it'll be coming up to the end of the season, the kids are still coming in for their school news. We talk anywhere up towards, you know, there's 15 or 20 schools or more, if they're all on deck, every couple of weeks they roll through and all the schools and they're gearing up to those presentation days, end of school celebrations, presentation nights, end of school performances, and the teachers and the mums and dads, what a successful year for them as well too, but I mean, the mums and dads are probably thinking, "Oh, we've got six weeks now of no school being a bit of fun," but Steph, big congratulations to all the wonderful teaching staff and the students that have seen another year through.
Steph Cooke: Oh, definitely, and we've just got a few weeks of school left now, as you
say, and I think it's an opportunity, regardless of how busy it is, the school presentations are important because it's an opportunity to reflect back on the year, the achievements of our students, whether it's in force or academic or the arts.
There was just so many opportunities for our young people now, opportunities that didn't exist when you and I were at school, Dave, and so it's wonderful to come together and celebrate their achievements, which we also know would not be possible without the support of the principals, the senior leadership teams at each of our schools and the broader teaching staff and the P&C's across the electorate.
There are 82 schools in the Cootamundra electorate, I'm proud of each and every one
of them. I do my best to get to as many school presentations as I can, and I can't wait. They're all more or less locked into my calendar now so I will wrap up this week and head back and look forward to catching up with our schools and celebrating alongside them with everything that they have achieved this year.
Dave Eisenhauer: That's right and wonderful, you mentioned the teachers that's a big job and so there's classes being combined and because the teachers are really, really under pressure to perform and to get those educational, all those lessons all those you know even at sports and things like that well done you hats off to the teachers we catch up with them all the time with school news and there are a huge, huge part of our community Steph without a doubt, as of course as we start to wrap up because the news is coming up, driving safely around our regions.
We're going to mention that but Steph, funding is still available even though we're starting to draw towards the end of the year. There are still grants available at it, we always talk about
grants with their members of parliament and grants still available for various things.
Steph Cooke: Yeah there's just a couple still out there Dave, the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund and Club Grants category three, I won't go into all of the details now because we're short on time, but those deadlines are coming up. So, if people would like to
put in an application and you need a bit of help, please reach out to my office. I've already signed a number of letters of support from groups all over the electorate. I'm very pleased to have done that, and we're very hopeful that we will have some success with those programs, but it's not too late, so please reach out and we will help you in any way we can.
Dave Eisenhauer: Indeed, Steph, and then, of course, thinking caps on as they say for 2025 for people that have got projects underway, search the websites, have a look at all the different opportunities available in the new year. There's always lots of support out there. It's tracking it down, but it's got to look, I think it's become simpler these days, Steph, to try and find some of the ground. So, as you said, give the office a call, Eliza and the team there, but they'll help people out without a doubt.
Steph, you mentioned driving and you do a lot of it, a huge amount of it, tens of thousands of Ks every year with the job, the doubt and about supporting the communities as a member of the state, driving safely. Big message this time of year.
Steph Cooke: Absolutely, we know that there's a lot more traffic on our roads at this time of the year. People are looking to catch up with people they perhaps haven't seen for a little while and they've got to go to another town or community to do so. We've talked about the harvesters that are out and about on our roads at the moment, and we also welcome visitors to our region at this time of the year, a lot of them are towing caravans or they're in motor homes so it's really important, I think if everyone just is a little bit more conscious of both where they are on the road and those around them then we will hopefully get through this holiday season with no fatalities, Dave.
Ultimately, that's what we want. We want people to get home or to their destination in one piece and happy and healthy to be there. So, if we can all turn our mind to that, I think we've got a very good chance of achieving it.
Dave Eisenhauer: My word, we do, Steph, and of course, this is not our last chat. We're going to go Steph as we get closer to Christmas month will be because it'll be next month by the time we catch up next time in a couple of weeks, but Steph, anything else you'd like to
add this morning?
Steph Cooke: Dave, just to wish everyone a happy rest of the week and the weekend and the next couple of weeks in terms of whatever you're up to, and I just can't believe how quickly this year has gone, Dave, and my interviews with you every fortnight seem to roll around extremely quickly. So I look forward to our next catch up.
Dave Eisenhauer: Indeed, and Steph, thank you very much for your time joining us on the Sounds of the Mountains and Radio from Murray. Really appreciate it, Steph, all the very
best to you and to say travels back to the electorate.
Steph Cooke: Thank you so much, Dave.
Dave Eisenhauer: There you go. Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, right to the news there. Love catching up with Steph and talking all different things around our wonderful region.
Of course, out through Gundagai and surrounds up the Hume Highway, Steph mentioned with harvest time operations underway into school. Young's Cherry Festival, It's a big event that one, joins a list of big festivals right across the South -Western -North-East.
Steph will be back in a couple of weeks' time, and we look forward to catching up with her.