WITH a new year beginning, the Western Advocate is looking back on some of the best-read stories of each month of 2023 - from wild weather and road closures to the opening of new businesses or development proposals for others.
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These were some of the stories that got readers' attention in September.
A HOLE-IN-THE-WALL cafe, ladies' lounge and an all-new menu were just some of the ways in which the new owners and management team at The 1880 Hotel were setting a fresh direction for the pub.
Greg Brimble, who bought the business in April 2023 with his wife Rebecca, had been working closely with management staff to create some changes to the iconic venue.
Hotel manager Robby Brownlee said there were a number of alterations planned for the hotel's downstairs and upstairs spaces.
"It's for a redirection of the hotel, basically," he said.
"We're aiming to be a female friendly, safe venue, where families are welcome."
He said there were plans to move the TAB to another area within the hotel and transform the current TAB into a ladies' lounge area.
"This room is going to become the rosé room," he said.
"The TVs will be gone, this room will be full of art instead, there will be lower lounging in this area, and this area will be specifically directed towards females."
A VOCAL and emotional crowd of around 1000 people was in Kings Parade to make clear its opposition to Bathurst Regional Council's proposed rates hike.
Bathurst Regional Council had announced in early August that it was proposing to raise rates by almost 70 per cent over the next two financial years, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts of recent weather events on local infrastructure as among the factors to justify the increase.
While council staff proposed a cumulative increase of 68.6 per cent over two years, council had put forward this and three other options for consideration during its community consultation phase, which started on August 23.
A community group, Figure It Out BRC, was formed in opposition to the rates rise and it organised a rally in Kings Parade, opposite the council chambers,
The crowd heard from one of the founders of Figure It Out BRC, Sophie Wright, and Stuart Pearson, a Kelso resident who ran as a candidate for Bathurst Regional Council in 2021.
Ms Wright said ratepayers should not be the first option to fix what she said was a mess of council's own making.
"The people of Bathurst are scared right now; anxious for their jobs, their houses and their businesses," she said.
"This financial mess didn't happen overnight.
"The fact council raised the idea of such a huge jump in rates to try to rectify the current financial issues faced by council is extremely tone-deaf given the current cost-of-living crisis."
MORE than 350 people flocked to Bathurst Goldfields on September 9 for the Carillon Business Awards.
A change in the program's format for the 39th instalment proved successful, according to Bathurst Business Chamber president Paul Jones.
While nominating for an award might come as a challenge for the humble businessperson, Mr Jones said the night was a celebration of all who entered.
"Sometimes people don't want to blow their own trumpet by submitting a nomination, but it's good to see them acknowledged for putting their best foot forward," he said.
"It's really quite interesting to see some of the innovation that happens in businesses in Bathurst. It's good to see someone doing something different, and doing it well."
AFTER 10 years on council, Jess Jennings was elevated to the position of mayor.
He successfully defeated councillor Robert Taylor in the mayoral election during the ordinary meeting of Bathurst Regional Council in September.
Cr Jennings received the required five votes through the support of himself, Ian North, Kirralee Burke, Ben Fry and Marg Hogan.
Given the numbers, a show of hands was not called upon to indicate the level of support for Cr Taylor, who had been the city's mayor since December 2021.
Following the election of mayor, an election was held for the position of deputy mayor.
Incumbent Cr Fry was challenged by Cr Graeme Hanger, but he was able to retain his position following the vote.
Cr Jennings later told the Western Advocate that he believed his years in the chamber would be an asset.
"Having experience as a councillor before you go into mayor is kind of like finishing high school before you go into TAFE or uni; I think it is a better option," he said.
"Obviously, politics, anything can happen, but I do think it helps if you know the organisation.
"It's not just because you know the town. If you know the organisation and you know how the political process works, then that's a massive advantage, and I do have that experience and have learnt the hard way in many instances."
IF you had told the Emily Whyte of 10 years ago that she would one day be brushing shoulders with the likes of Margot Robbie, Dua Lipa and Rob Thomas, she wouldn't have believed you.
But that's exactly what she's doing.
After being born in Bathurst and attending Eglinton Public School - where she "was school captain, thank you very much" - followed by All Saints College, she finished her education in the big city.
Following her high school education, Ms Whyte completed a bachelor's degree in theatre media at CSU Bathurst and, since then, the world has been her oyster.
She now works for Warner Music Australia in the publicity and promotions team as the national radio manager and national radio events manager.
"So I look after pretty much the entirety of Australian radio for Warner Music artists," she said.
This involves ensuring that Warner artists' music gets significant airtime on Australian radio and organising interviews for artists on specific stations.
It's a far cry from what she wanted to do when she was at uni, where her focus was all about performing, but working behind the scenes has revealed itself to be equally as exciting.
"And the pressure is off, if I'm honest with you," she said, laughing.
"But it's really interesting and I get to meet a lot of people and network and I get to do a lot of crazy, cool things that I never would have dreamed of."
