Residents of Bogan Shire have been left feeling unsafe of late as a spate of thefts have taken place in the town, forcing residents to review safety measures and install security cameras. Rural crime costs millions of dollars every year. Theft of livestock, produce and equipment, illegal shooting, trespassing and other crimes affect people's livelihood and well-being. “Obviously the current wave of theft in our community is a major concern,” said Bogan Shire Mayor Glen Neill. “All these offenders have absolutely no respect for anyone in our community and don’t deserve to be part of it." “We ask if anyone has any information on these people please come forward and talk to police. If we don’t continue to support the police to catch these offender’s this type of behaviour will continue.” “We all hope that the judicial system will issue appropriate punishment to them especially those who are repeat offenders. This needs to change urgently to support police who make arrests and then have to see the same people released on bail or with minimal jail time which is obviously no deterrent to them,” said Mayor Neill.Bogan Shire Mayor Glen Neill photo courtesy Nyngan Observer. With not only break and enters occurring within the town, the small communities around the shire have also been hit hard with theft of utes, four wheelers, tools, stock and farm equipment. Sergeant Tony Wood of Nyngan Police took to Facebook with an update on the crime in the town, acknowledging the community’s frustration and citing arrests that have taken place over the course of the last two months, assuring residents the police were working hard to combat the crime. “There are Police operations underway that I cannot comment on just yet as they are ongoing,” said Sergeant Wood. “I’m hoping that there will be some more announcements in the next week or so.”Nyngan man nabbed for rural crime spree “In the meantime, we have numerous people facing court in the coming months which should be sufficient to get them significant prison time. Our meth lab suspects from last June have spent the last seven months in prison awaiting trial.” “Our legal system moves slowly but it is moving. We have had crime spikes before – we’ve targeted the right people and got things back to normal. I have confidence that we will get our town back in order before to long,” he said.Police work hard to target criminals in Nyngan. After being questioned by a local resident about the seeming lack of night-time police, Sergeant Wood offered the following explanations. “Police are out all night and offenders are being caught. Not every time, but it’s been happening. "There are challenges we face – thieves head out and if they see another car or headlights behind them, they either won’t commit crimes, or they’ll drive at high-speed resulting in a pursuit which poses an enormous risk to the public – we have had a few of those over the last month.” “If they get out to a property and steal a heap of stuff, we can sit off their home/s and wait for them to get back, but they learn from that and hide the stolen goods in the bush to collect later. We’ve been recovering a lot of stolen property from bushland lately,” he said.Sergeant Tony Wood Nyngan Police photo courtesy Nyngan Observer Sergeant Wood stressed that although it is important to have police out at night, they also need to be around in the day for those who need to report any crimes that take place or to assist police with enquiries to apprehend the suspects. “We often have people discover the crime in the morning when they wake up and call police. We know it can be upsetting for people to be the victims of crime only to have no Police turn up because they’ve been out all night and/or taking prisoners to Dubbo.” “Local Police like to be able to provide an immediate response whether it is day or night. We’ve had numerous occasions where we’ve arrested people early and mid-morning with stolen property and stolen utes so it’s not just night-time we need to be out.” “It’s always a juggling act. Ideally, we’d have Police in Hermidale, Girilambone, Coolabah, the Marra, and south east towards Dandaloo and Buddabadah. – as well as covering Nyngan where local businesses get hit – but we would need hundreds of cops 24/7 which we simply don’t have.” What appears to be a solution agreed upon by all in the shire is the need for the community to work as a whole and if they see anything suspicious or have information that can be used to solve crime to call the Police and report it. “What has been working is vigilant locals who work with Police to provide good information on where and when to target our efforts. We’ve had great success with forensic evidence. DNA and fingerprints. Also, CCTV keeps getting better with night vision and high definition. We conduct search warrants at certain locations which has been successful in finding stolen property which results in arrests.” Residents thanked Sergeant Wood for the information to their queries and he assured them the Police were working hard to restore a sense of safety to the town. If you have anything to Report please call Nyngan Police on 0268311399 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

It’s nearly March. Can you believe it? So maybe now is the time to ask how we are going with our new year’s goals.The most common two goals people make at the start of the year are - getting fit and losing weight.These are very goods goals to have and by no means all about vanity - adults who are overweight and obese have an increased risk of developing chronic disease, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia.However, research from Edith Cowan University has shown most people abandon their new year's exercise plans within a month — so how do we get ourselves back on track?Maybe part of the problem is how just a “getting fit” goal might be too broad one fitness professional has told the Western Plains App.Gilgandra Youth and Recreation Coordinator Monica Mudford told the Western Plains App small steps are critical when starting or restarting an exercise routine.“I think the key is setting realistic, short-term goals. So for instance eventually you want to make a workout a daily routine, but at the start it doesn't have to be, so don’t beat up yourself at the start if you're not doing it,” she said.“If you want to look better and feel better, you definitely need to get moving more.”“A lot of people when they get started they can be a bit overwhelmed or just scared of starting a fitness routine. But every time you go at the start you need to remember every workout you do is good for body, you are doing a good for yourself, you are setting new behaviour patterns in place” said Ms Mudford.Renate Hume and other ladies get active each week at Aquarobics in Coonamble. IMAGE: Coonamble Times  Nearly 300 Australians were surveyed over two months at the start of 2022 as part an Edith Cowan University School of Psychology research project and answered questions regarding their exercise goal resolutions, different types of motivation, mental wellbeing and more. Lead researcher Professor Joanne Dickson said it was surprising what did and did not influence people sticking with their new year’s exercise resolutions.“Our research found — for the first time — distinct underlying motives that were favourable and unfavourable when it came to sticking with your New Year exercise resolutions.”Professor Dickson. Course: Edith Cowan University.Those favourable motives the researchers found included “exercise done for autonomous and intrinsic reasons such as fun, enjoyment, reward, purpose, or meaning, are beneficial to maintaining one’s mental wellbeing and beneficial in sustaining exercise adherence” Professor Dickson said.“Theoretically, pursuing intrinsically motivated goal resolutions is thought to fulfil fundamental psychological needs, such as a sense of competence, fulfilment, worth, and enjoyment, which in turn promotes mental health but notably we found it also helps to sustain exercise adherence” she said.By contrast she explained that extrinsic motivations such as meeting the demands or approval, feelings guilt or shame, or material rewards meant people were less likely to stick with exercise.The last Australian Bureau of Statistics' National Health Survey from 2017–18 revealed that 67 per cent of Australian adults were overweight or obese (12.5 million people), an increase from 63.4 per cent since 2014-15. If the current trend continues, more than 18 million Australians will be overweight or obese by 2030.The same data also showed that in 2017–18, around 1 in 4 (24%) children aged 5–14 were overweight (17%) or obese (7.7%).Gilgandra youngsters enjoy getting out and getting active as part of a group. IMAGE: Gilgandra Youth & Recreation Centre Monica Mudford from Gilgandra Council said there were other things people could do to help start a fitness regime or get even fitter.This included finding exercise you like, doing exercise with people you like and rewarding yourself for setting short-term goals.When told by this reporter he can currently only do 3 minutes on a treadmill before getting completely puffed out. She said “next time aim for four and just work yourself up bit by bit”.

Promising new evidence has emerged of waterbirds in the Narran Lakes and Macquarie Marshes are finally breeding again in high numbers.River ecologist and Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science at UNSW Sydney Richard Kingsford told the Western Plains App recent aerial surveys indicated that the recent floods had indicated waterbirds across all species have been breeding high numbers in this season. “We have 40 years of data, so we are able to see and we have significantly more breeding this season, but we won't know what really means until we get new data next October” he said. His research indicated for the first time in over 20 years, waterbirds have bred in the Gwydir Wetlands, Macquarie Marshes and Narran Lakes (Dharriwaa) simultaneously. The region’s endangered and threatened waterbird species are among the species who are breeding in higher than average numbers. CSIRO Senior Research Scientist and Flow-MER Researcher, Dr Heather McGinness has previously said 2022 was a special year for bird breeding. “There really is a sense of joy seeing large numbers of baby birds thriving. With conditions so good, you see many different species nesting near each other and the parent birds are much easier to see out and about during the day because they are so busy gathering food for all the chicks.” It comes after years of decline with reduced waterflows across the region. “Since 1981 we found stream flows declined by 53% at the Baaka-Darling River. Less than half of this decline could be explained by meteorological trends. This means the rest – more than half of the decline in stream flows – was almost certainly due to other factors: namely, increased water extractions” he said “The great advantage of 40 years of data is that we know what is causing. We have drought and floods. The overall long-term decline in numbers is really due to the over-allocation to irrigators and floodplain harvesting. We are not seeing the same declines in nearby basins which dont have the same water allocations”  He said surrounding basin's that do not have the same level of water extraction have not seen the same drop in waterbird numbers in previous seasons. “But in years to come climate change will have a big impact with less rainfall and we will see some of these areas dry up. Certainly Australia is getting drier and the temperatures are going up as well,” he added. The majestic Black swan. Image: River Guardians. Waterbirds feed on plants and animals that really rely on water, and in particular when it floods, so wetlands and floodplains are necessary for their survival. They also need the water to breed.   They tend to have webbed feet, legs further back in their body than regular birds and specialised beaks. Kingsford said it was particularly promising for some of the region’s more iconic birds such as the colourful pink eared duck which Kingsford explained feeds off invertebrates and crustaceans in the water, as well the short beaked, black and white ibis which he says are “efficient and hunters” which “play a critical role in the ecosystem by keeping insects at bay.”   “It’s also great to see breeding numbers in Black Swans,” Kingsford said which are among his favourite birds because “they are really elegant” and “we see them fly across the landscape they are really majestic." 

Providing suitable accommodation for visiting health workers is an ongoing issue across regional areas in Australia and the Western Plains is no exception. The opening of four new accommodation units at the Warren Multi Purpose Service (MPS) has been a bonus for visiting health professionals and also for existing staff who travel long distances to work. The four accommodation units are equipped with a kitchenette, living area, ensuite and air conditioning. They will be maintained by MPS cleaning staff. For Health Service Manager of Warren MPS, Lynette Harris, the availability of new worker accommodation is the reason she decided not to retire this year. “I used to travel between my home in Trangie and my work at Warren, a trip of 120 kilometres each day," she said. "This was wearing thin and I was seriously considering retiring but now I have a place to stay it has literally kept me in my job,” Ms Harris said. “As a HSM I can be called in at any time of the day or night so it really is a game changer for me to be able to stay so close. It’s my second home!” Warren has 32 aged care, 10 acute care and two emergency department beds and a large number of visiting medical staff who can now access the new temporary accommodation. Retaining long term staff is an added bonus."The fact that we have kept such a senior staff member in her job with this accommodation is fantastic," Acting Director of Rural Health Services for Western NSW LHD, Caren Harrison, said."They're fit for purpose, secure and safe and being so close to the hospital is great when staff members are on call. We're now lobbying for bigger pods in the health district so that doctors, nurses and locums can travel with their families."Minister for Regional Health, Bronnie Taylor, toured the facility's accommodation pods on Wednesday 22 February.“Addressing the rural medical staff shortage requires a holistic approach - from implementing the largest ever shake-up of the regional health workforce incentive scheme, to providing accommodation to health workers when they move to a new region,” Mrs Taylor said. “These accommodation pods have been such a success we’re looking to roll them out for other health services like paramedics,” Mrs Taylor said.

Yarnel Pastoral Co. had a convincing win in the annual Condobolin PAH&I Association’s Crop of the Year Competition, which was announced last night at the Don Brown Memorial Ewe Competition Dinner.  Wal, Brett and Olivia Dawson of ‘Yarnel,’ Condobolin stripped a paddock of Sceptor wheat in 2022 that yielded a whopping 6.2t per hectare with a gross margin of $1,143 per hectare. Their wheat was graded APW1. It was a tough act to follow, but Paul Sinderberry of Carawatha Farming claimed second prize with a crop of Illabo wheat that yielded 4.5t per hectare with a gross margin of $1,179.79 per hectare, including grazing income. His crop graded ASW1. HW Colless Partnership produced a 2.4t per hectare crop of Bonito canola that had an oil score of 46 per cent. Their gross margin came in at $1,214.98, placing them third in the competition. PICTURE: Will Colless (3rd) with Condobolin’s Young Woman of the Year, Allessandra Chamen. Fourth place was claimed by last year’s winners, Jock and Trini Coupland who this year grew a crop of Bonito canola that yielded 2.1t per hectare, with an impressive 48 per cent oil score. Their gross margin was $959.44 per hectare.  PICTURE: Jock Coupland (4th) with Condobolin’s Young Woman of the Year, Allessandra Chamen. Finally, the McDonald Brothers scored a spot in the top 5 with a crop of Lancer wheat that yielded 3.2t per hectare, with a gross margin of $797.71 per hectare. PICTURE: Condobolin’s Young Woman of the Year, Allessandra Chamen, with James McDonald (5th) and Crop Competition judge, Olivia Dawson.All costs in the competition were standardized, and grain prices were the Graincorp cash price on Monday 19th December. Livestock prices were courtesy of Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon and Co (KMWL) and insurance from AVS insurance.  “Running the competition in 2022 due to the nature of the season was actually a really interesting representation of what we as Agronomists and also you as Growers were seeing in the paddocks,” said competition judge and local Ag N Vet Agronomist, Olivia Dawson.  “The high canola price meant that canola was once again a really profitable crop to grow, and due to rain and disease issues in the spring, many cereal crops did not perform as well as they were expected, with the high cost of inputs really taking away from some of the lower yielding crops,” she added.PICTURE: Paul Sinderberry (2nd) with Condobolin’s 2022 Young Woman of the Year, Allessandra Chamen  In 2022, judges Ms Dawson and Lisa McFadyen judged each crop visually before taking into account gross margins.  “The visual aspect made up 80 marks of the score while the end gross margin made up the other 50 marks,” said Ms Dawson.  “We felt that this worked really well this season because some of the crops which didn’t end up yielding as well as they perhaps should have, still performed well in the competition.” The Crop of the Year Competition was supported by major sponsor of many years, Maurie ANZ, along with another major sponsor, GrainCorp. Other sponsors included Ag’n’Vet Services, Lachlan Agencies, Equipment & Service and Owens Rural Supplies.  The competition was well supported this year with ten entrants submitting their best crops for inspection, however due to the flood event a tour did not go ahead.  Ms Dawson and Ms McFadyen say they are looking forward to running the competition once again in 2023.  “Thank you again for your support of the competition and Congratulations to the winners. We welcome your feedback and look forward to running the Competition again in 2023,” they said. 

Based at Lake Cargelligo, local youth group, Down The Track Youth Enterprises runs an innovative program for young people who are aged between 10 and 20 and live in the communities of Lake Cargelligo and Murrin Bridge.The youth group focusses on early intervention for at risk young people and inclusive environmental and cultural camps are a big part of what they do.Larn Masterson is founder of Down The Track."We started back in 2016," she said. "After moving here in 2015 I couldn’t wrap my head around why our youth crime and incarceration rates were so high. "There comes a time when we need to stop talking about how bad an issue is and what should be done by others to fix it. There comes a time when we need to roll up our sleeves and have a crack ourselves. And that’s exactly what I did."Down the Track currently have seven staff and are open to all youth aged 10-20. Ms Masterson says Down The Track has gone from strength to strength since its inception."We have won some awards for youth service of the years and also regional youth service of the year," she said.The youth camp program is a highlight for young participants and takes place on a small island in Lake Cargelligo.Campers have the opportunity to learn about the environment and cultural significance of the lake, as well as participate in monitoring and reporting activities led by scientific experts.Ms Masterson said receiving recent government funding of $152,900 had been a hugely appreciated boost for the group."The funding is amazing for Down The Track," she said. "It will be used to take our environmental program which we have named Track Zero to the next level."One of the latest camps at Lake Cargelligo. IMAGE: facebookThe most recent camping trip helped with ecological monitoring of the big lake and the islands. Similar trips are held four times a year."It will give our young people the opportunity to experience potential career paths in environmental science and will also allow our kids to learn about and care for the environment while providing a cultural connection to country," Ms Masterson said."It’s learning delivered differently with the aim of every camp for our young people to reach their greatest potential."Lachlan and Western Regional Services Inc also received funding of $287,863. As part of this, they will work with the Condobolin and Lake Cargelligo High Schools to keep disengaged young people in school. The program has been successful in the past, breaking down barriers such as lack of uniforms and poor school experiences for parents. “These projects go a long way in helping to break down the barriers that prevent young rural and remote people from completing their education,” Treasurer of the Lachlan and Western Regional Services Anne Coffey said.“We are proud to be a part of this initiative and are confident that it will make a positive impact on the lives of young people in the Lachlan Shire."

A re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will invest $66 million into redeveloping the Warren Multi Purpose Service to support the health needs of the community for years to come.  Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor made the announcement while at Warren earlier this week, saying this will build on the government's track record in delivering multipurpose health services that are tailor-made for the needs of smaller regional communities. “Warren MPS is a key health service that has provided much-needed care and treatment to thousands of people over the past 22 years,” Minister Taylor said. “The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government has recognised that it’s time it was upgraded so that locals know their families will continue to get the care they need and deserve." Deputy Mayor Sarah Derrett said the promised funding was unexpected. “Minister Taylor’s announcement was a very welcome surprise. The promised $66 million investment by a re-elected coalition government would be a game changer for the Multipurpose Health Service and an incredible benefit for Warren," she said. "Additionally, we were able to tour the newly completed health worker accommodation units. It’s wonderful to see these units available now to make a positive change for health employees”.    Asked how the newly revamped facility would be staffed, the Minister said that was an issue she was well aware of. “We can’t stop and say it’s all too hard with staff. If we provide modern facilities we know that will help attract more health workers to the region. "We are also looking at innovative ways of doing things such as increasing the number of nurse practitioners, developing telehealth capabilities and virtual rural doctors,” Minister Taylor said. “In far western NSW we have recently seen an increase in new grads which is very encouraging.”Warren's Deputy Mayor Sarah Derrett (second from left) with Local National Party member Lachlan Simpson, candidate for Barwon Annette Turner and Cr Heather Druce during the Minister's visit on Wednesday. IMAGE: A Weston Minister Taylor said Warren MPS is the only aged care service in the community, and she wants residents to feel at home while receiving the best care from health staff. “In addition to delivering a complete redevelopment and upgrade of this facility, the project will improve service integration and enable best practice models of care to be implemented,” she said. “We will reconfigure and upgrade the inpatient zone including the emergency department and acute/sub-acute ward, with an increase in bed capacity, and an emphasis on renal care. “We will also upgrade and expand bed capacity for aged care, creating a ‘home-like’ philosophy of care that our residents deserve. “The redevelopment will also establish an expanded community health offering at the MPS, with therapeutic and preventative health and lifestyle programs,” Mrs Taylor said.  Warren MPS is a 41-bed facility that provides a range of services including emergency, acute and sub-acute treatment, as well as residential aged care and ambulatory care. The facility also has a 24 hour Emergency Department, networked to Dubbo Health Service for more critical care. The state election is on Saturday 25 March 2023.

Officers from the Central North Police District have charged a man following an investigation into a string of alleged offences in the Nyngan and Cobar areas.Strike Force Schwinghammer was formed in January 2023 by the Bourke Rural Crime Prevention Team to investigate increased rural crime related offences.Following inquiries, Strike Force Schwinghammer police arrested a 27-year-old man in Nyngan about 3pm yesterday (Wednesday 22 February 2023).A search warrant was executed at the home, where a large amount of suspected stolen property was located, consisting of power tools, ammunition, hunting equipment, a prohibited firearm, and prohibited drugs.The man was taken to Nyngan Police Station and charged with 29 offences, including:Seven counts of enter building/land with intent to commit indictable offenceFour counts of larceny value less than or equal to $2000Two counts of break & enter house etc steal value less than or equal to $60,000Two counts of damage property by fire/explosionOne of the items found at the property.Destroy or damage propertyBreak & Enter house etc steal value greater than $60,000Aggravated break and enter dwelling etc in company intend steal less than or equal to $60,000Possess ammunition without holding licence/permit/authorityFire firearm at other than dwelling disregarding safetyPossess unregistered firearm-pistolSupply unregistered firearm-prohibited firearmParticipate criminal group contribute criminal activityLarceny value greater than $5,000 & less than or equal to $15,000Illicit drugs were found at the premises in Nyngan where a man was charged.Goods suspected stolen in/on premisesGoods in personal custody suspected being stolenPossess prohibited drugSupply prohibited drug less than or equal to small quantityPolice pursuit - not stop - drive recklesslyPolice advise at this stage there is no apparent link between this arrest and the suspicious death of a man on a rural property outside Nyngan on 25 January.The death of 59-year-old Joel Carter is still under separate investigation by Strike Force Namadgi.He was refused bail to appear before Dubbo Local Court yesterday (Wednesday 22 February 2023), where he was formally refused bail to reappear before the same court on Thursday 20 April 2023.Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

The debate over the fate of the Darling River is once again heating up. With deadlines looming: the Commonwealth authorities, the state Government as well as The Dharriwaa Elders Group all began laying out their cards on the issue this week. New South Wales Water Minister Kevin Anderson said he will use a national meeting of water ministers on Friday to ask for an extension on our state's obligation to return to 450 gigalitres of environmental water to the Murray-Darling. The $13 billion basin plan's deadline for water recovery is June 2024. As it stands hundreds of gigalitres of water are yet to be recovered to Murray-Darling. This has sparked the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to warn the NSW plan won't be completed on time. The announcement comes with calls for more funding by the NSW and after the 2019 threats by the former NSW deputy leader John Barilaro that his Coalition Government would walk away from the plan. Minister Anderson wants a commitment from the Commonwealth that water buybacks won't be used to meet a 450 gigalitres of environmental water savings target. Returning 2,100 gigalitres of water to the environment since the Murray-Darling Basin plan was legislated in 2012, almost 50 gigalitres of water is yet to be recovered toward the "Bridging the Gap" target. MDBA authority has also said there is a major shortfall from state-run projects intended to recover around 605 gigalitres for the environment. ABOVE: NSW Water Minister Peter Anderson. Image: NSW Government. In 2018 all water ministers agreed to a plan with strict criteria to ensure “no socio-economic harm” would come to communities when returning water to environment. However, there are questions now over whether this plan is legally binding and South Australia says it no longer intends to follow this criteria. But Minister Anderson said he was against any attempts to remove the socio-economic test on water recovered to meet the 450-gigalitre target. "Not only does it permanently reduce the amount of water available for regional communities in the long term, it increases the price of water for other users, and reduces agricultural productivity in regional areas," Mr Anderson said. The MDBA anticipates less than half the of the 450 gigalitre target may be recovered on time and predicts it could take up to a decade beyond the June 2024 deadline for the Government to complete all water return projects.  Dharriwaa Elders Group asks for Water Resources Plans to be rejected Long before the target of 450 gigalitre is supposed to be met the NSW Government is required to submit periodical Water Resources Plans for the Darling-Baaka. The Western Plains App has learned the Walgett-based Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG) have urged the Federal Environment Minister to reject the NSW Government’s Water Resources Plan for the Darling-Baaka which they say hands “billions of dollars” in assets for free to big corporate irrigators.  ABOVE: Darling-Baaka in Walgett. Image: Visit NSW.  “There is far too much extraction going on upstream of Walgett,” DEG General Manager Wendy Spencer told the Western Plains App. The purpose of the Darling Alluvium Water Resource Plan (this Plan or Darling Alluvium WRP) is to set out how NSW will meet its obligations under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan). Under the basin plan, NSW is required to submit twenty 'Water Resource Plans' which set out how water is collected and divided within individual river systems.    Ms Spencer said the plan was not lawful because under Murray Darling Basin Authority and the Commonwealth Water Act, state governments are required to consult with first nations people and DEG were not consulted.   The NSW Government have submitted recently submitted an extensive set of documents setting out its Darling Alluvium Water Resource Plan to the Commonwealth.   In its submissions the NSW Government says “For the purposes of section 10.53 of the Basin Plan: - NSW consulted with relevant Aboriginal organisations about the process for engaging with First Nations to prepare the WRP…Native Title Services Corporation was contacted as part of WRP consultation activities”.  “We thank the Elders, representatives of the Barkandji and Maljangapa, Budjiti, Euahlayi, Murrawarri, Ngemba and Wailwan Nations, and Aboriginal communities who provided their knowledge throughout the planning process” However, Ms Spencer says the consultation was not wide-ranging enough to meet the legal criteria, that the levels of water extraction are still too high and that the regulation of the Darling-Baaka was the “biggest food security issue” facing the Walgett.  “The Commonwealth needs to reject the Water Resource Plan,” she told the Western Plains App. “We had great hopes that the Albanese Government would finally be the ones who could step in on this river. We still hope they can, but we have approached Tanya Plibersek’s office and basically been fobbed off." “I think the problem is that Plibersek’s office still has the same advisors as the previous Government and so they are getting bad advice.” A spokesperson from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water told the Western Plains App that:   Water resource plans must meet the 55 requirements of the Basin Plan and be compliant with water management law in NSW. Under the Water Act, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority must recommend a plan for accreditation if all requirements are met. First Nations advice is sought as part of the assessment process, and the Authority considers the advice in its assessment of each plan.  

A man wanted on outstanding warrants at Bourke has been charged.Officers from Central North Police District have been conducting inquiries to locate a 25-year-old man wanted on four outstanding warrants.Following inquiries, police attended a home on Mooculta Street, Bourke, about 2.15pm on Monday (20 February 2023), and arrested a 25-year-old man after he was found hiding in a cupboard.He was taken to Bourke Police Station where the outstanding warrants were executed for four counts of stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic), larceny and shoplifting.The man was also charged with aggravated break and enter and commit serious indictable offence - inflict actual bodily harm in relation to an alleged break in at a home on Mertin Street on Saturday 11 February 2023 where the occupant was assaulted.He appeared at Bourke Local Court yesterday (Tuesday 21 February 2023), where he was formally refused bail to appear at the same court at a later date.

A Narromine man hopes a project he is working on will help him quite literally get to the moon. 39-year-old Michael Barnett wants to become an astronaut and set foot on earth’s only natural satellite. An Australian has never set foot on the Moon. Barnett CEO/Founder at Barnett Space Technologies is also PhD candidate focusing on Direction Drilling on the Lunar surface at the University of NSW will be a leading a team at an international competition in the United States in June.  The 'Over the Dusty Moon Challenge' invites university teams to design and build a system to transport regolith (loose rock and dust) over the lunar surface and lift it into a rigger. Only six teams around the world are invited. “Last year we were also invited and we came third. This year our aim is to win,” he told the Western Plains App. Transporting moon soil is a difficult proposition. Moon soil is just in shards, often very fine and can tear equipment to shreds. While the average temperature on the moon is -110 degrees celsius and the gravitational force is one sixth as what it is on earth. “When you take things to the moon they have to be low weight and low power. So one of the challenges is to try to minimise the weight and power which is what have done," said Mr Barnett. "So what we have designed is just five kilograms in weight and uses the same amount of power as a low voltage light globe.” The competition is run by NASA through the Colorado School of Mines. So the judging panel includes three NASA representatives whose attention he hopes to get as lead researcher on the project. ABOVE: The trophy won by Barnett's team last year. Image: Michael Barnett.  Childhood Dreams of “Building Cities in Space” Barnett grew up in Narromine, but currently lives in Singapore.“I've always loved the idea of building cities in space. Ever since I was a little kid, right through primary school I can't even necessarily tell you why, I was fascinated with the idea of building a city in space.," he said."I loved Star Wars and the sci-fi genre, but that wasn't why, it's kind of a mystery why and I just kept pushing it. A lot of people doubted it. But I think after becoming the second person in Australia in 2005 to get my space engineering degree then I think people started to see how serious I was about it,” he explained   Image: Pixabay   “I want to be an astronaut there are no ifs, buts or maybes about it. In the last three years, I've looked at the clock - not getting younger - and so right now I'm going at all hammer and tongs,” the 39 year old told the Western Plains App He explained that many astronauts tend to be older and so the dream, he hopes, is not just lifelong, but within his grasp. He needs support from the Australian space agency or to be provided with private funding to do so. He says the Australian space agency is not currently looking at sending astronauts to the moon, but he hopes he can drum up support to “get Australians in space”. “I love the unknown, it's a completely new realm, it's nothing like it on earth, its a new world, it amazes me,” he said. “Mate I’d love to go the moon, but if I got a ticket to Mars my wife has asked me to give her a few month's notice to get her affairs in order and we’d make a new life there,” he joked.  

THE crossing at the Euronne Gully west of Coonamble is undergoing some serious improvements, as the installation of $800,000 of box culverts is well underway to replace the sealed causeway.Euronne Gully is located 11.5 kilometres from Coonamble on the Quambone Road and the improvements have long been called for by Quambone area residents due to repeated Quambone Road closures during wet seasons, most recently during the floods throughout 2022. Coonamble Shire Council's Acting Executive Leader - Infrastructure Dirk Jol said the Euronne Gully culverts are progressing well. "There are three culverts being installed, measuring 1800mm x 1700mm x 750mm. The culverts will be concreted within the next few days and are now past the point of no return - even if it does pour rain, the water will go straight through the culverts," Mr Jol said. "By installing the culverts at Euronne Gully, the Quambone Road will now be flood proof. Before the culverts, rain events upwards of 25millimetres would close the Quambone Road."The culverts are expected to be completed by the end of February". NSW State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service Captain for Quambone Division Cindy Delaney said the installation of the culverts will save peoples lives. "There were many times throughout the floods where the RFS and SES had to sit with sick patients whilst they waited for long periods for ambulance services to arrive. Quambone residents couldn't get to their doctors appointments, and this was especially concerning for our elderly residents," Ms Delaney said. "Once the culverts are installed, they will be a lifesaver for our community."ABOVE: Culverts are being installed at Euronne Gully to ensure the Quambone Road does not have any more road closures, following the 2022 floods. PHOTO: Coonamble Times.Rural resident, Rheanna Rae travels constantly between Coonamble and Quambone. Her two children travel on the Quambone bus to attend the Coonamble Preschool and Coonamble Child Care twice a week. She said the gully has been an ongoing issue for many Quambone residents who travel to Coonamble for work, education and shopping. "The Quambone Road was shut at Euronne Gully for at least 50 per cent of last year," Mrs Rae said. "Its constant closure had huge impacts on my family's everyday lives. My children couldn’t go to school, we were driving an extra 30 kilometres to meet the Combara bus twice a week. "We really struggled with day to day necessities. "I struggled to get groceries for my family of five, could not drive or go to work, and had little access to the doctors and the chemist for medication. "We did tele calls to doctors with limited internet for predominately most of last year." Mrs Rae says the Euronne Gully culverts have been a long time coming. "The installation of the culverts is great for both the Coonamble and Quambone communities." "I know that the Quambone community is thrilled. The culverts cannot come quick enough". 

Rural Fire Service crews across the North West Zone have been working around the clock since about 4pm on Saturday afternoon 18 February. "A lightning storm came through and started fires at the top end of Walgett Shire and at the bottom end of Bogan Shire," said RFS District Manager David Nicholson this morning. "Six fires started within the space of about fifteen minutes."While a number of the fires have been brought under control, a fire near Girilambone continues to burn and additional brigades have arrived from Sydney to allow local crews to rest.In particular, the Hermidale, Miandetta, Girilambone, Coolabah, Honeybugle, Nymagee, Geandale and Canbelego brigades have been working overtime."Two were in the far north, close to the Queensland border and they took a bit of a run to the east when they got into farmland," he said. "We got brigades onto it quite quickly and managed to contain it, although it did get into a bit of scrub so brigades are doing repeat patrols." The fire in the Nangerybone State Forest near Bobadah, south of Nyngan, was also started by a lightning strike. "Access there in the forest was very difficult," Mr Nicholson said. "We organised dozers and pushed our way in when the fire was a bit benign at about 9pm." "The Bobadah fire has been contained now. There's some timber still burning but we're happy with it and just keeping watch."Plenty of material to burn and tricky to access. PHOTO: Nyngan RFS HQ The fire on Booramugga Road, west of Girilambone, around 50 kilometres north of Nyngan, has continued to keep multiple units occupied. "That fire burned pretty hard in heavily timbered mallee scrub and it has continued to burn," said Mr Nicholson. "We got containment lines around it but the thick vegetation and rocky and sandy terrain has been causing quite a bit of a headache. We've been hitting it with planes and helicopters."Crews have been working around the clock around Nyngan. PHOTO: Nyngan RFS HQ By Tuesday afternoon (21 February) the fire had burnt out more than 4300 hectares of scrub country. To relieve the pressure, a 'strike force' of trucks and firefighters from Sydney arrived at around midday on Tuesday to assist local crews. "The relief crews will do three 12 hour shifts through until Thursday 23 February," Mr Nicholson said."They'll backburn out from the containment lines so it doesn't pass through the lines, even with a bit of wind."The strike force team from Sydney arrived at Nyngan RFS HQ earlier today. PHOTO: facebook. "We have a bit of a window now to get containment done and really lock in those lines as there's no bad winds expected for at least a week." The RFS do not expect the situation to remain stable for long with the region experiencing "typical summer storm weather." "It's a summer cycle of really hot weather with a bit of moisture leading to storm activity in the early evenings," said Mr Nicholson. "Every afternoon we're getting lightning strikes in some part of our area and without accompanying rain fires will ignite." "We had a small fire at Willow Downs, south east of Coonamble, last night but the brigade arrived quickly and it was extinguished."Girilambone fire. PHOTO: Nyngan RFS HQThe Girilambone fire was the only one still burning as of Tuesday lunchtime.Mr Nicholson urges all residents and travellers to keep an eye our for smoke and to report fires promptly.

Dreams of becoming a doctor without having to relocate to a major city for study is now achievable for local students.The introduction of University of Sydney’s four-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Dubbo follows years of research that those who train in rural and regional areas develop a love of rural medicine and ties to the community and so are more likely to practice in rural medicine in the long run.Professor Catherine Hawke, Head of the University’s Rural Clinical School, said: “It’s fantastic to see the growth of the school in Dubbo and an increasing number of students from our region.”Two Western Plains locals taking up the challenge are Adrian Anderson from Narromine and Helen Smith from Coonabarabran.A mature age student and qualified pharmacist, Ms Smith said she was Inspired and encouraged into study by local General Practitioners Drs Kerrie Stewart and Aniello Iannuzzi, and moved to Dubbo with the intention to study medicine."Studying medicine was always the dream, but with a family, a move to a city was not possible until I heard about the program at Dubbo," she said.Now a first-year student, Helen will complete the entire four-year postgraduate degree in Dubbo with clinical training centered on the newly redeveloped Dubbo Hospital.Already a health professional, Helen said she has a keen love for learning and is looking forward to immersing herself in study and the camaraderie that goes with a small cohort of just twenty-six students.“I have been overwhelmed by the support of my friends, family and the local community. I have loved how enthusiastic and encouraging my patients have been when I’ve told them I’m off to study medicine. We all know we need more rural doctors and I’m so excited that one day I might be able to help,” she said.Trainee doctor Helen Smith from Coonabarabran. PHOTO SUPPLIED.Already a trained paramedic, Adrian Anderson from Narromine has also recently embarked on his journey to becoming a doctor also and returned to Dubbo 18 months ago to be closer to family and to work as a paramedic with NSW Ambulance.Adrian said he was attracted to the rural focus of the program, the opportunity to study where he has grown up and the small cohort size which offers a more personalised study experience with more face-to-face time with clinicians and tutors.“I have been working as a paramedic for a while now and wanted to further the care I can provide for patients," Mr Anderson said. "I don’t think I can single-handedly solve the rural doctor shortage, but I want to do my bit to improve the access of country people to medical services. "I have been watching the development of the full four-year program at Dubbo and saw it as a fantastic opportunity to pursue the dream,” said Adrian.Adrian is passionate about developing skills to meet the needs of rural communities and has been encouraged by support from his managers, colleagues and his wife and parents on his decision to go back to study, as well as Dr Andy Caldin at Narromine Hospital, who has provided advice and been very supportive of his decision to study medicine.Doctor in training at Dubbo, Adrian Anderson of Narromine. PHOTO SUPPLIED.Adrian and Helen are part of the second cohort of students in the Dubbo Stream and will receive the same world-class medical education as their peers in Sydney, with the added benefits of living and studying in a regional location while gaining hands-on experience in rural and remote medical practice. The Dubbo Stream is only available to students eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place and pathways are available for First Nations students and those with rural backgrounds. For more information on studying medicine in Dubbo visit here.

Despite a softening of commercial goat prices in recent months due to a surge in supply, the annual Malleevale Contender Meat Goat sale lifted its sale average 20% above last year’s, selling to a 98% clearance.  Interfaced with AuctionsPlus, this year’s sale was held on property at “Malleevale,” Condobolin, NSW on Friday 10 March, and garnered bidders from Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales.  The online activity was strong throughout the sale with 154 users logged in to the auction and 14 bidders active across 79% of the offering, resulting in 47% of lots (23) sold to online buyers.  It was Lot 35, however, that attracted the heftiest price tag, selling for $6,200 to Brian and Keeleigh Allport of Grassland Goats, Moonie, QLD. Lot 35 was a classy smooth red buck with an impressive carcass shape and good softness. In a close second place, Lot 15 boasted one of the highest EMA and EMD score in the sale and sold for $6,100 to an online buyer in Western Australia.  The sale averaged $2,719; a 20% increase on last year’s average, with approximately one-third going to new buyers.  The sale’s success amid a substandard market highlights the quality of the Contender Bucks and buyers long-term confidence in the industry.  “It might be lean times for some, but presently Contenders are exempt from the reported slump,” said Vendor Paul Hamilton.  “It seems the word is spreading throughout the industry that these performance animals cannot be ignored.” The Contender Meat Goats are the product of a brave plan to improve the commercial viability of feral rangeland goats by lifting the carcass weights.  Mr Hamilton, together with Ian Manwaring of “Malleevale”, Condobolin, crossed Tennessee Meat Goats from the US with a Boer-feral female.  The end result is a goat that is hardy enough for a rangeland environment, but having better muscling and meat yields than any other breed of goat.  “We appreciate our buyer’s confidence in what these animals will make to their bottom line and we wish the best to all the buyers with what we hope are all game changing sires,” said Mr Hamilton.  Vendor Ian Manwaring was also pleasantly surprised in the performance of their bucks.  “It could have gone either way but I’m really happy with the result; it just goes to show that people see the same potential in these animals that we do,” he said. Forbes Livestock agent Sam Mackay said that the sale exceeded a lot of expectations.  “There was a great field of buyers onsite as well as strong online competition once again,” he said. “The bucks are improving year on year and its testament to the quality of the bucks that we are seeing repeat purchasers line up and buy them every year.”  Mr Hamilton and Mr Manwaring have pledged to continue breeding animals that are focused on weight and muscle and, in doing so, expect their offspring to be true contenders in the industry.  

Jamie-Lea Trindall, Executive Director of Outback Arts, has been named Chairperson of the Create NSW Artform Advisory Board and is diving headlong into the responsibilities, relishing the opportunity to represent her region's artists and communities along the way. The Board was formed by the NSW state government in June 2019, and made up of arts and cultural leaders. Their purpose is to assess applications made to the Arts and Cultural Funding Program and to provide recommendations to the Minister on the strategic directions for the sector. In September, Mrs Trindall was invited by the Minister for the Arts, the Hon Ben Franklin, to take on the Chairperson role, representing the Aboriginal Arts & Culture Board she has been a part of for the past three years. This invitation saw Mrs Trindall taking over from internationally acclaimed playwright and artistic director Mr Wesley Enoch AM. A Wailwan woman from Coonamble, Jamie Lea completed her schooling at Coonamble High School before heading off to Sydney to undertake a Bachelor of Art Education at the College of Fine Arts UNSW, with a major in Sculpture and a minor in Photography.She immersed herself in Art Education, Aboriginal history and the research roles of arts workers. In 2009 Jamie-Lea returned to her hometown to take on the role of Executive Director for Outback Arts, a not for profit arts organisation serving communities across the western plains region. She is also a practising artist, exhibiting her woven works and ceramics in prestigious exhibitions from the Museum of Contemporary Art to the Venice Biennale.Jamie Lea Trindall in the Coonamble Ceramics Studio. IMAGE: Koskela.com.au Since taking up her new role with the Artform Advisory Board, Jamie Lea has attended meetings in Sydney to assess the most recent round of applications from groups around the state competiting for grants. Mrs Trindall has also represented the Aboriginal Arts & Culture Board in a meeting with the Minister, joining representatives from the nine other artform specific boards that include well known names such as John Oddy - Contemporary Music, Karen Moses - FAICD Dance & Physical Theatre, Jennifer Byrne - Literature, Kim McKay AO - Museums & History, Simon Mordant AM - Visual Arts and more. “It’s an exceptionally daunting role, I am very grateful for the opportunity to take a seat at the table with such extraordinary people," Mrs Trindall said. "Funding assessments are rigorous and often difficult choices need to be made, I accepted the Chair's role with the support of a very strong Board as well as the support of the Outback Arts Board. I hope that I can represent the Artform Board well and highlight the strengths and challenges of our region in the process." The recent refresh of Artform Boards has seen 19 new leaders from the arts and cultural sector appointed, adding fresh talent and perspectives to help shape the future of the State’s arts and cultural landscape. Minister for the Arts, Ben Franklin, said the new board members encapsulate the expertise and diversity of the sector with new members representing education, government, and independent artists. “I congratulate the new members on their appointment and acknowledge their invaluable expertise and passion. The members’ combined experience and drive will inject fresh energy to shape the future of NSW arts and culture,” Mr Franklin said. The appointments bring the total number of board members to 97 across the 10 Artform Advisory Boards, regional areas are well represented with almost 30 per cent of members across the Boards being regional NSW. For more information on the Artform Advisory Boards visit the Create NSW website at www.create.nsw.gov.au 

A grass fire at Reservoir Hill in Condobolin that began on Saturday 18 February is all but out now, with local firefighters continuing to monitor the situation.  “We’re still having issues with it today like little trees and things like that causing problems but we had it under control by about 8:30pm on Saturday,” said Steven Brasnett from Condobolin’s Fire and Rescue team.  The fire started around 2:00pm on Saturday, east of McDonnell Street between Brady Street and Cunningham Street.  At the time, the temperature had reached 41 degrees. Firefighters were working on the scene to protect residential homes in the area until late in the evening, with many local and surrounding rural brigades called in to assist.  Rob Neal from the Mogandale Rural Fire Brigade was one of the first on the scene.  “It took a good four or five hours to really get it under control,” he said.  “We were working with about five or six other rural fire brigades including Derriwong, Borambil, Barratta and Boona, but luckily only a few houses came under threat and none were seriously damaged,” said Mr Neal.  In an effort to control the blaze a helicopter was sent to assist, but due to the fire’s location in a residential area a fixed wing aircraft couldn’t be used which resulted in one needing to be called all the way from Dubbo. “Unfortunately by the time it got here it needed to go back to refuel, so although the help was much appreciated it didn’t have a really big impact,” said Mr Brasnett.  At 3:38pm the fire was burning in a north easterly direction past the lookout on Brady Street where firefighters were attempting to hold it along Maitland Road. The fire was under control by dark and a number of firefighters remained on duty overnight to continue watching it.  The fire ended up taking out 31ha of bush land at Reservoir Hill, with no serious damage caused to houses or sheds. “It was certainly a big wake up call for the people who live in that area who really need to be prepared because they live in bush land,” said Mr Brasnett. “At Condobolin Mill the shed’s roof caught on fire due to a bit of rubbish in the gutters but we extinguished that and saved that shed,” said Mr Brasnett.  “He had a bit of gear out in the yard but I assume that gear probably wasn’t worth protecting so that sort of stuff would have got damaged but we didn’t lose a house or a shed or anything significant,” he confirmed. “Our top priority was saving residential homes which we were very successful in and it was just an amazing job done by everyone, particularly the Rural Fire Service who we wouldn’t have been able to do it without.”  Both Mr Brasnett and Mr Neal made special mentions to Ross Brothers who used their grader to install breaks around the fire to contain it, and to the Rapid Relief Team who catered for all the firefighters. At this stage it is unconfirmed how the fire started but it is expected that fire investigators and police will be on the scene today trying to ascertain that.

An alert has been issued to anyone considering driving through the Pilliga to exercise extreme caution on hazardous forest roads.Authorities are racing to fix up damaged roads now that rain and flooding has stopped.  Many of the access roads and fire trails are impassable and, with the bushfire risk high, clearing fire trails is taking priority.Visitors to the Pilliga are being urged to drive very carefully and keep their eyes open. There is signage up but the New South Wales Forestry Corporation has only been able to cover a fraction of the area so far.   Conan Rossler, Cypress Production and Fire Manager for the Northern Cypress District of NSW Forests says the repair bill is going to be huge. “Three consecutive La Nina events have really hammered the roads,” Mr Rossler said. “We've got quite a few machines out at the moment trying to fix the roads; four graders in the past couple of weeks, but there is a lot of work to be done.“We have put a lot of signage out, but quite frankly we have not yet got to the end of it in terms of identifying what all the issues are so there's is a whole lot of extra work to be done going forward. "However, the biggest consideration at the moment is that we have extreme fire danger warnings, so we need to get all those access roads open so we can respond to fires," Mr Rossler said. "The roads we are targeting for repairs are not the ones used by the public.  Obviously, we look after the timber harvesting roads, but there is not a lot of activity on these at the moment." Users of Pilliga Forest roads should exercise care at all times.“The other thing is that we have a lot of beekeepers in the Pilliga. A few months ago, when it was really wet and the nectar flow was on there was a lot of road usage by heavy vehicles.  However, the primary driver with us at the moment in determining our actions is the fire risk, which has kicked up a level.”CracksMr Rossler says that in 2020, the heavy rain right after the drought caused hundreds of deep cracks in the ground that brought timber logging to a halt.“We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fixing it up,” Mr Rossler added. “But I think that what has actually happened, given we have had three consecutive La Nina events, is that the soil has swelled. "We certainly did a lot of work back filling some of those cracks, but I think now that the soil has reached a field capacity, it's almost back to what it should be. I'm sure there is still some residual damage in places, but it's largely sorted itself out now, thank goodness."“The big issue is that road surfaces are in very, very poor condition, and the other concern is that when you get a lot of rain and the ground is saturated and if conditions are windy a lot of trees go over.  Multiple roads are now closed because of fallen trees.“We are asking the public to be very, very careful out there. People should not assume anything. We have put a lot of signage out, but, as I have said, don't assume that if there is a hazard that there will be a sign because we have just not got around to checking the hundreds of kilometres of road networks throughout the Pilliga. It is essential that drivers be alert at all times." Many roads in the Pilliga are closed due to damage from flooding.  “The message to the public, who don’t normally travel those roads, is to drive to the conditions. You might come around the corner and find a tree across the road, so you really need to proceed with caution because it's potentially very, very dangerous.“We are very lucky, we have got a very good relationship with our contractors, but everybody is screaming out for the same machines to fix roads. It's a very competitive environment at the moment in terms of getting equipment to do this remedial work.”  Mr Rossler says that it is difficult to give an exact cost of the road repairs. “I suspect we are well north of $200,000 already; there is very significant damage and we have a long way to go, we are not yet close to addressing the issue,” he concluded. 

The Castlereagh Macquarie County Council (CMCC) has entered into a contract with North West Local Land Services to spray Hudson Pear on private landLast week, the Western Plains reported that several landowners had asked the CMCC for free chemicals but were told the free chemical program no longer existed. Prior to this announcement, several expressed frustration at what they perceived as a lack of help from authorities to deal with what all stakeholders agree is a major problem - the growing spread of Hudson Pear. The Western Plains App has also previously reported the noxious weed has recently been sighted at Narran Lakes National Park.In a statement to the Western Plains App, CMCC Chairman Councilor Doug Batten said he was “delighted” by news of the State LNP Government’s newly announced “strategy to assist the local landowners with a program of select spraying to further support the highly effective bio control activity currently managed by the County Council".Another part of this strategy includes the release of the Cochineal bug, but results can be limited if heavy rainfall washes the bug off the plant.IMAGE: NSW Farmers“The County Council have for some time been advocating for additional resources to assist in the fight against Hudson Pear and this package will definitely go a long way to reduce numbers in the immediate Lightning Ridge area and contain the spread of this sinister pest onto adjoining lands. The County Council looks forward to working closely with the LLS, and landowners in delivering this important program” CMCC said in a statement.The "additional resources" come from a $2.6 million package announced late last year by the Minister for Agriculture and NSW Dugald Saunders of which $600,000 was made available almost immediately. In the last month since that announcement it was not clear how that money would be spent.Walgett Shire Council General Manager Mike Urquhart told the Western Plains App “Council had now entered into a contract with North West Local Land Services to deliver the first element of the LLS Hudson Pear control program around Lightning Ridge and the opal fields at Grawin.""In addition to engaging licensed spray contractors, Council will also have chemical packages that will be made available to landowners for their own Hudson Pear spray program”.“In the meantime, CMCC staff shall continue to produce the bio control agent that is best applied to the core infestations, that in time will see an increase in cochineal insect population and a destruction of the Hudson Pear plants,” Mr Urquhart said. CMCC Chairman Doug Batten. Image: Gilgandra Council. Chairman Batten told the Western Plains CMCC “had an obligation under the Bio Security Act to ensure landowners made an effort to control and limit the spread of the plant.""We have an appalling situation in the Lightning Ridge area, so all parties need to stop the blame game and work collaboratively as a team if we are going to make this project work”.