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Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders is urging people across the Dubbo electorate to nominate outstanding women in the community for 2022 Local Women of the Year Awards. The Local Woman of the Year Awards is an annual program which recognises and celebrates the support women give to their local communities across NSW. Previous recipients include Gulgong’s Joy Harrison and Wellington’s Pip Smith, while Dubbo’s Joh Leader, Lucy Samuels, Lucy Taylor, Izzy Kelly and #buyfromthebush founder Grace Brennan were honoured at last year’s NSW Women of the Year Awards. “These women make a massive contribution to their communities, and […]

Unfortunately we couldn’t upload ALL of the entries as it threatened to bring down my entire website! 😬 A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who entered and congratulations again to all our winners!

Local not-for-profits will benefit from a funding boost to ease financial pressure and help them recover from impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown. Member for the Dubbo Electorate Dugald Saunders said the NSW Government’s ‘Social Sector Support Fund’ is providing organisations with grants of between $10,000 and $200,000. “The social services sector has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to support people doing it tough, and this funding will provide our frontline organisations with a hand-up,” Mr Saunders said. “The funding will support not-for-profits who have seen a decline in their revenue, and can be used to assist with brokering services and

Country show organisers across the Dubbo electorate will be able to make plans with certainty, thanks to a NSW Government program providing financial support to ensure these much-loved community events come back bigger and better than ever. Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said the $5 million Country Shows Support Package can provide funding for a range of reasons, including to make sure shows are COVID Safe, subsidising stall fees, equipment hire, upgrading facilities or engaging local artists or musicians. “Country shows are the heartbeat of our communities,” Mr Saunders said. “After years of drought, COVID and now flooding,

The world’s first driverless ute is one step closer to reality, with the Ford Ranger now retrofitted with automated driving capabilities as it enters the next trial phase on Dubbo streets in the weeks ahead. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said regional NSW was leading the way in exploring how automated vehicle technology could deliver a more reliable and accessible public transport offering. “The Smart Ute uses drive-by-wire technology fitted with radars and cameras to collect data to allow it to drive mapped distances on the road and recognise and respond to a variety of obstacles, including kangaroos,” Mr Toole

Landcare groups will be able to help restore riverbanks that have suffered from recent natural disasters to their former glory, thanks to a new NSW Government $3 million support program. Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW Adam Marshall announced the Landcare Small Grants Program today, which is part of the NSW Government’s $200 million Regional Recovery Package. “The program will fund grass-roots projects that will both restore and future-proof damaged riverbanks, while also providing immediate economic stimulus,” Mr Marshall said. “Whether it was the bushfires, drought or repeated flood events, our riverbanks and waterways have been severely impacted over the

State-of-the-art irrigation screens will be installed along the Macquarie River as part of the NSW Government’s $200 million Regional Recovery Package delivering benefits for farmers and native fish alike. Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Western NSW Adam Marshall announced the $13.5 million package in Dubbo today and said the projects would deliver significant economic, social and environmental benefits for regional towns, particularly those in the Central West. “This program of works will ensure 70 per cent of extracted water is screened, clean and fish friendly, saving more than 2 million native fish every year in the Macquarie River,” Mr

The vital work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has received a $140,000 boost thanks to the generous NSW residents who donated their refunds from recycling bottles and cans through Return and Earn. RFDS, which provides accessible and equitable healthcare to rural, regional and remote NSW, was added as a listed charity to Return and Earn earlier this year. Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said this was an impressive achievement, particularly considering lockdown restrictions. “The Flying Doctors deliver vital healthcare to outback communities and $140,000 will make a real difference to the important services they provide,” Mr

The children of the Dubbo electorate unleashed their creativity in this year’s Christmas card design competition, according to Member for the Dubbo Electorate Dugald Saunders. Each year Mr Saunders calls for primary-school children across the electorate to help design his Christmas card, and this year 12-year-old Aaron Devenish has brought the title back to Mudgee Public School. Hot on his heels were 10-year-old Zeon Berger from St Mary’s Primary School in Dubbo, and 9-year-old Emily Lucan from Orana Heights Public School. “This year saw a record number of entries with the theme ‘Let Loose from Lockdown’ – and the kids