THE Land and Environment Court judgment on the proposed Bathurst and Oberon merger could not have been better timed to show our neighbours just what they stand to gain from the deal.
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The thousands of race fan flocking to this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 will deliver a multi-million dollar boost to the economy and attract priceless international coverage for the region.
It is a race of legends that has made Bathurst a household name across Australia.
Motor racing fans live for this weekend each year while even those who don’t think twice about the sport for 51 weeks of the year will take a passing interest on Sunday.
Bathurst Regional Council, as the joint promoters of the event, are also major beneficiaries through the hire of Mount Panorama – a facility the people of Oberon can soon call their own.
Oberon residents will soon start sharing in the spoils of the Mount, along with the spoils that come with being part of one of the fastest growing regions in NSW.
They may have lost the court case after a long, passionate fight, but second prize in this instance is not such a bad consolation.
For starters, Oberon locals now have thousands of new ratepayers to help pay their legal bills, not to mention the hundreds of kilometres of roads that will now come under joint care.
But petty rates distribution aside, Friday’s decision signals the start of a new era for both council areas and the time for fighting is over.
Oberon Council should be congratulated for fighting so doggedly for what it believed in, but the town’s community leaders must now move on from that battle and take the rest of Oberon with them.
Oberon needs a voice on the interim council and needs strong community leaders to speak for their wants and needs.
Villages in the former Evans Shire have benefited greatly from a merger with Bathurst City – following another long, passionate fight – and there is no reason Oberon will not do the same.
A merger of Bathurst and Oberon is chance to further promote the fantastic attractions of both centres and gives our new council area an even greater presence in regional NSW.
Oberon and Bathurst councils have both achieved great things for their communities in the past. Working as one in the future, they can achieve even more.
