April 2015

President’s Message

ANZAC Day commemorations
With ANZAC Day commemorations now upon us, it is still appropriate to be mindful of the sacrifice of those who answered the call to defend our nation. I hope the Hugo Throssell VC statue will serve as a constant reminder that great things can be done when the need arises.

Art works on the CBH grain silos at Avon Yard
The art group FORM, in conjunction with the CBH group, commissioned some outstanding art work on the grey concrete silos at Avon Yard. If you haven’t seen them personally, please take the time to do so as they are well worth a look. The silos are on the Northam-Toodyay Road, just a few kilometres out of Northam. Be aware of traffic in the area as the speed limit is 90kph there.

Bushfire season ends
With permits to burn no longer being required, it is still incumbent on land owners to manage any fires on their property. If weather conditions are not conducive to burning e.g. high winds, please defer your plans to burn off. Also, please be considerate to other land owners and not smoke people out. Thank you to all our volunteer fire-fighters and emergency crews for another outstanding contribution to your community in answering the callouts when they occurred.

Elephant in the Wheatbelt
Residents may have seen a life size baby elephant touring around the Wheatbelt recently. The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has commenced a campaign to highlight the high road toll in the Wheatbelt and dismiss some of the myths as to the cause of accidents, such as it being city folk travelling on unfamiliar roads. In fact, the majority of accidents involve local people on their own local roads. Not wearing seat belts is still too common and a number of deaths might have been prevented if occupants of vehicles were correctly restrained.

Road reseals, drainage & cycleway construction
The Shire is concentrating its efforts in this last quarter of this financial year to complete a fairly substantial 2014/15 program of works. Please be aware of workers in your area and obey traffic management signage.

Banners in the Terrace Competition Closing Soon

Schools and community groups within the Shire of Northam are invited to participate by submitting their creative designs based on this year’s theme ‘Local Government Switched On’. Entries must be received by 01 May 2015.
The winning school or community group will also receive a sports voucher valued at $250. Please register your interest to participate by contacting Michelle Blackhurst from the Shire of Northam on telephone 9622 6129 or email
[email protected]

For more details, visit Shire of Northam Bulletin Board page - www.northam.wa.gov.au/news

Awesome prizes donated by Crayola to be won!

Drop your completed colouring-ins to the Northam Visitor Centre or post them to Northam Visitor Center, PO Box 613 Northam by Friday 24 July 2015 for your chance to win!

Click Here to Download the Artwork for Colouring Competition

Bulk Junk Collection in Regional Areas

For regional areas in the Shire of Northam skip bins are placed in specific communal locations for junk collection for approximately one fortnight twice a year. The dates and locations of the bulk skip bins for this year are:

Sea Containers

The Shire of Northam has a Local Planning Policy specific to the use and location of sea containers within the Shire of Northam. Local Planning Policy 5 – Use of Sea Containers and Other Similar Storage Structures can be located from the Shire website (Our Council > Public Documents > Shire of Northam Policies > 2013 LPP 5 - Use of Sea Containers and Other Similar Storage Structures )
Sea containers are an effective form of storage, but you may not be aware that Shire approval is required before they can be located on site.
The Shire encourages landowners to locate sea containers behind buildings, be appropriately screened and painted to blend in with surrounding buildings in accordance with the guidelines set out in Local Planning Policy 5 - Use of Sea Containers and Other Similar Structures.
Within the rural residential, rural smallholding and rural zones, there are limits on the size and number of sea containers. In residential areas, sea containers can only be used for storage during building construction for a temporary period of 6 months if approved by the Shire.
For further information, please visit the Shire’s website to view Local Planning Policy 5, or contact the Shire’s Planning Department on 9622 6113.

Community & Sporting Organisations

If you are part of any Community Groups/Sporting Clubs and would like to update any contact details/phone numbers in the Shire website under “Community Contact List” - www.northam.wa.gov.au/community-contact-list.aspx (Community > Community Contact List), please contact Communications Officer, George Paul on 9622 6150 or email [email protected]

2015 Regional Achievement & Community Awards

The Shire of Northam will be hosting the launch of the 2015 Regional Achievement & Community Awards which is scheduled to on 20 May 2015 at the Northam Recreation Centre. Nominations are made online at www.awardsaustralia.com
The categories for these awards include:
Sustainability Award, Teaching Excellence Award, Community Group of the Year Award, Leadership and Innovation Award, Events and Tourism Award and Regional Safety Award.