A meeting to allay fear about the proposed heavy duty road bypass was cancelled on Thursday.
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Letters stating an outdoor meeting was to be held by Berrigan Shire Council staff at the Recreation Reserve building on Thursday, July 23, were sent to landholders around Tocumwal.
The meeting did not go ahead as the crowd was too large for the building and the attendees refused to go inside because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Berrigan Shire Council did not have a safety plan for an outdoor meeting of the unanticipated size.
Please voice you concerns with Berrigan Shire Council about the routeing of heavy vehicles at speed, through rural residential areas.
If the aim is to attract young families to our area we must make their home surroundings safe otherwise they will stay in the city and miss all the benefits a rural lifestyle can give and we will miss out on their growing years in our community.
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It seems that Sydney people are starting to find out where Tocumwal is on the map, thanks to Coronavirus.
Police commissioner Mick Fuller was a surprise visitor to this area during last week, when on a whistle stop tour to inspect the border closures and the teams manning those stations.
Mick said he was pleased with what he saw and thanked the people of Tocumwal for being so hospitable to his staff while they were away from their homes in the Sydney area.
Your correspondent had a chat to the crew on Sunday afternoon and they also said how friendly everyone had been and how well fed they had been with home cooked food as well as the good meals from the Golf Bowling Club.
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Some nice human interest stories have come out of the road block on the bridge border this week, where the police and army members have gone beyond their duty to make life a bit easier for border people affected by the COVID-19 lockdown and the closures.
One concerned a lady, whose daughter is very pregnant and in Melbourne.
A family member came up from Melbourne to pick up the granny-to-be but could not enter NSW.
The team on duty, facilitated the transfer of the lady across the bridge and off to Melbourne she went, very happy with the care and treatment she had received.
Another story is a little bit similar but involves a dog.
This canine was a “rescued” dog from Queensland, who had new owners in Victoria.
He made it safely to the NSW/Victorian border but hit a snag when his new owners couldn’t come across the bridge to collect him.
The boys in blue came up with the solution to walk the dog across the bridge themselves and to hand him over on the Victorian side to his happy new owners.
The blockade team say that people being stopped at the border are generally happy and polite and appreciate the job they are doing.
Make their jobs easier by being patient and courteous if you have to stop
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The new Information Centre is coming along nicely thanks to a lot of hard work by Sergio and Mark.
They have been working hard on painting and making the lovely old building look fresh.
This week they will oversee the laying of carpet and the arrival of suitable furniture.
Meanwhile other members of the committee are busy writing submissions for grants to make this the best little centre for miles around.
A nice big sign on the highway will guide visitors in and they can take in lots of information about the area.
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Our schools have been hit by regulations about COVID-19 as well as the general public.
Special arrangements for before and after school apply for Tocumwal Public School drop off and pick up of children.
They will still need to occur outside the gates in Hennessey St, Boyd St or Morris St.
Here students will sanitise their hands upon entry through the school gate.
Parents and caregivers are still not allowed to enter the school during drop off and pick up times unless arrangements have been made through the office to purchase uniforms etc.
Please sanitise your hands at the front gate area prior to entering the office foyer.
During pick up, if parents park across the road could you please meet your child on the school side footpath as students are not allowed to cross the road unaccompanied.
At this point it is encouraged that parents contact the office via telephone to discuss any needs they may have or use the classes’ communication apps.
Drivers are also reminded to be careful of children on the road before and after school, especially on the dangerous Post Office crossing in Deniliquin St.
Drivers must stop for pedestrians of all ages on this crossing.
Small children can be obscured by the shrubs at the edge of the crossing so please be careful.