By Cr Rick Firman OAM MAYOR – TEMORA SHIRE, NSW.
Temora Shire is a very special place! It could be because of our internationally acclaimed Temora Aviation Museum, our Rural, Ambulance and Railway Museums or being home to the legendary Paleface Adios. Perhaps it is due to our magnificent parks and gardens, our exceptional sporting fields or our ‘man-made’ and picturesque Lake Centenary.
Others might suggest it might be the extensive range of retail and general business outlets, our strong agricultural sector and the quality primary, secondary schools and TAFE College available; some might list our Aged care facilities, our new medical complex and imaging centre and our heated pool. Some might nominate our beautiful Churches, our modern Town Hall Theatre along with our great Hospital, while you might favour our cultural and artistic opportunities – and much, much more. Many believe it is because of our solid and keen sense of community and our sense of belonging.
All of my fellow citizens of Temora Shire truly do care for each other, regardless of any perceived rank and station – and we believe in our strong future. No wonder Temora Shire has been dubbed the ‘Friendly Shire’ – a title we hold very dear.
With a steadily growing Shire population of 6,300 – it is a thrill to see our community maintain our heritage and saluting our rich past. At the same time, we also warmly embrace our exciting future.
Our Shire consists of the township of Temora (which was founded on the back of gold-mining in 1880) together with the villages of Ariah Park and Springdale.
Visiting Ariah Park is like taking a step back in time, with the heritage main street feeling as though we have taken a trip back to the 1920s era. It boasts many impressive facilities and amenities. Ariah Park is a lot more than you’d expect, while Springdale also displays the results of a strong community spirit and a creative desire to offer a pleasing environment.
Temora Shire is home to many families that have been here for generations, which is very special indeed. However, we also have many ‘newcomers’ to the Shire, who bring their great gifts.
Volunteering is a vital part of the fabric of Temora Shire. We have countless community organisations where we can immerse ourselves, covering a broad spectrum of interests. If we wish to help others, there is something for everyone. This brings us to the well-known ‘spirit of generosity and kindness’, which runs very deep within the Temora shire community.
Temora Shire is proud of our vastly growing Aviation Estate. This has gone from strength to strength and has brought very good people to further enhance our community, in many and varied ways. We also have many other new streets being developed, which is most exciting to see.
We proudly boast more than 40 sporting clubs in the Shire, covering all options – from all four codes of football, golf, tennis, lawn bowls right through to Ultimate Frisbee! We are a sporting hub with many sporting greats hailing from Temora Shire – besides our legendary ‘Paleface Adios’, we also have Luke Breust (Hawthorn – AFL), Josh McCrone (St George-Illawarra NRL), Trent Barrett (Manly Coach – NRL), Scott Reardon (international waterskiing and athletics) to name but a few. Council has just approved an ‘Élite Sportsman’s Walk of Honour’, which will be located (appropriately) in Paleface Park, situated in our main street.
Temora Shire has a rich agricultural sector, which is part of the very backbone of our Shire and the Council is pleased to have the Temora Agricultural Innovation Centre, which is growing rapidly as a centre of excellence. We have many farming families that all contribute greatly to our community, but also, we have a tremendously successful Agribusiness sector, which employs a great many people and services extending even beyond our shire boundaries.
Our community was strengthened even more when we, as a Council, recently won the right to continue as a Local Government area. This didn’t happen without major effort; it occurred because we have a strong and united group of Councillors, Executive and general staff, but even more importantly, we have a Shire community that believe in us and each other, very deeply.
I am deeply honoured to be the Mayor, a Councillor, a businessman and a citizen of Temora Shire. I am also honoured to be a Commissioner on the NSW Boundaries Commission and, Chairman of Riverina Eastern Regional Organisation of Councils (REROC). Temora Shire is the home to my family and generations before us. My fellow Councillors, our Staff and I are proud to be a part of Temora Shire and we will continue to do all we possibly can to ensure this place is here into the distant future ensuring we remain one of the most successful Councils in NSW.
