July

NAIDOC Flag Raising

A well attended NAIDOC flag raising ceremony was held at the Council Chambers. The theme of Serving Country – Centenary and Beyond acknowledged and highlighted the role of Indigenous service men and women in the military. The RSL were involved in the ceremony with the raising of the flags and the laying of flowers at the cenotaph.

Display for Recognition

Art work created during National Reconciliation week at the ‘Walk the Talk’ event was displayed in the Council foyer during NAIDOC Week to promote and encourage support from the general public in relation seeking changes to the Australian Constitution in acknowledging Indigenous Australians.

NAIDOC Parade

One of the largest NAIDOC Parades to be held in Mossman (and Australia) attracted over 560 participants. The NAIDOC parade also coincided with the Recognise – The Journey campaign which promotes support and changes to the Australian Constitution in acknowledging Australia’s First Peoples.

Mossman Show

Staff liaised with the Mossman Show Society to co-ordinate the $15,000 in-kind support provided by Council. Show organisers praised all Council staff for their efforts, hailing it the most co-operative and seamless they could remember. The Council stall gave away more than 150 native plants from our nursery and provided information to hundreds of community members about Council services, in particular showing them what sort of information is available on Council’s redesigned website. Eight staff manned the stall over two days.

Council provided waste disposal as in-kind support for the Mossman Show in July.

In the Library a successful partnership was established with Birch Carroll & Coyle and Events Cinemas. Children entered colour in competitions and had a chance to win movie tickets and merchandise packs. Overall 175 entries were received and 30 people have had the opportunity to watch Rio2, Boxtrolls and for the adults Gone Girl.

Libraries celebrate NAIDOC week with a photographic and artefact display, along with storytelling and school holiday activities. Our appreciation to Tahlia Burchill for conducting a “Hip hop with Tahlia” workshop. (Left)

Council provided bins and waste disposal, 100 Chairs, and 20 tables which were delivered and collected by Council Depot staff from Mossman Shire Hall as in-kind support for the NAIDOC Family Fun Day at Bubu Kinkari (George Davis) Park in Mossman.

Rutherford Road water main

Due to several failures of the old 80mm asbestos cement main, the 1.3km Rutherford main was upgraded to a 100mm class 16 blue brute main. The upgrade commenced from the corner of Miallo and Rutherford Road through to Mossman Daintree Road with a total of ten new service connections and three new hydrant connections. It took DSC Water Reticulation staff a total of 10 working days to complete and was connected into the 225mm main on Miallo Road with a pressure of 600 kPa. This upgrade will ensure uninterrupted supply with increased volume to these rural communities.

Rex Creek Intake turbidity meter Installation

A remotely operated solar powered Turbidity meter was installed at the Rex Creek intake. Radio telemetry signals allow live data to be transmitted to the Mossman water treatment plant alerting operators of potential flood events and subsequent water quality issues that may impact on operations

Connolly cycle and pedestrian bridge was opened in July. The previous dilapidated wooden bridge was converted to a cycle bridge to form part of the route between Port Douglas and the infamous Bump track. Croc trophy entrants enjoyed the ride.

Sewer Manhole Refurbishment

It became evident that the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) will implement more stringent standards to control the infiltration into the sewer network in Mossman. Several sewer manholes and a pump station in the Shire were refurbished and fitted with safety lids to control water infiltration into the sewer system.

Finance

Rate Notices were issued on time.

Daintree Intake Access Track

The Daintree intake access track has been successfully completed. The access to maintain the Daintree water intake has become a safety concern in recent years and this upgrade will ensure safe access even after severe weather events. Below are before and after photos taken during the upgrade.

National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements

In July, Council formed a Project Control Group (PCG) for the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) to manage the large restoration process following the two declared disaster events.

To date, approved funding under the NDRRA is approximately $15 million. The PCG have engaged two engineering firms to assist in managing the process and appointed a contractor to complete restoration works on the Bloomfield Road. A NDDRA Finance Officer and Project Engineer have also been appointed to work for Council. The PCG provides a transparent decision-making process and overall governance of the NDRRA and has been working in consultation with Local Government infrastructure Services (LGIS).

At the Daintree Ferry and at the Port Douglas Markets, EFTPOS facilities were introduced to streamline cash handling processes. The improved electronic payments system made the receipting process more efficient and reduced the administrative time required to reconcile transactions and funds received.

General Operations Continue including transfer of tyres from Cow Bay Transfer Station to Killaloe

Our amenities crews (“we love our job”)

We send a big thanks to Dan (Poppy Dan) and Tim who keep our public amenities in Mossman in tip top shape, and to Peter’s crew in Port Douglas. Meet Dan and Tim here:

We Love Our Job – Dan & Tim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIr70D6q37Q