Thursday October 6, 2022
Volume 37 No. 38
$1
inc. GST
The Cobar Weekly Cash and drugs seized by police Pg 2
Former Cobar boy returns home permanently Pg 3
Cobar Rodeo results and photos
Pg 8, 9, 14, 19 & 24
Re-furbished centre is “pretty special”
The Cobar Youth and Community Centre was officially opened on Tuesday and it’s quickly looking like the refurbished ‘Youthie’ will be a popular place to hang out. The centre has been refurbished thanks to $2.1 million in joint funding from the NSW and Australian Governments. NSW Member of the Legislative Council Sam Farraway and Federal Member for Barwon Mark Coulton were in Cobar on Tuesday for the official opening. After previously seeing what the centre looked like before its renovations, Mr Farraway praised Cobar Shire Council’s general manager Peter Vlatko and his entire team on delivering “something pretty special”. Mr Farraway said total funding of $1.79 million through Rounds Two and Three of the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund and Round Eight of the Resources for Regions program had allowed Council to make significant upgrades to the facility. He said the Resources for Regions program is one that works. “That’s all about the royalties State Government collects from the mining operations here and making sure that Cobar people get some of that money back and, it is invested back into the community of where that commodity/ resource is extracted from. “The mines here are supporting this community and the government are turning around and re-investing in it and that’s really important.” “This is a great win for the Cobar community as the upgraded centre features a new gym, two squash courts, and mixed-use community rooms,” Mr Farraway said.
“The upgraded centre will offer something for everyone, expanding on the service offerings of the former facility, and providing a safe place for children to play and be supervised while adults partake in sport and meet new people,” he said.
Mr Coulton said an extra $304,371 in funding through the Australian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program was used to install a lift to enable the upstairs area to be used. Continued Page 2.
Key players in the Youthie’s renovations: Cobar Shire Council general manager Peter Vlatko, Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton, Cobar Youth and Community Centre’s manager Brytt Moore (and former grants officer), the project’s architect Ashley Dunn, NSW Member of the Legislative Council Sam Farraway and Council’s Project Coordinator Carly Hunter at the official re-opening of the refurbished centre on Tuesday.