Gundagai Council has been successful in receiving a portion of the $50 million offered under the NSW Government Fixing Country Roads Funding.

Announced recently by Member for Cootamundra Katrina Hodgkinson, the former Cootamundra Shire Council (now Gundagai Council) applied for and was successful in obtaining $720,000 towards the reconstruction of Gundagai Road/Cowcumbla Street.

Gundagai Council interim general manager Ken Trethewey said the Fixing Country Roads funding is vital to allow necessary road upgrades to connect regional roads with state highways and key freight hubs such as silos and saleyards.
Administrator Christine Ferguson said it was pleasing to note Gundagai Council would also receive a portion of the REROC Regional Bridge Assessments Project of $208,175 allowing the assessment of the strength of three bridges in the Gundagai area.

This funding comes under Round Two of the program and is part of a $500 million commitment for Fixing Country Roads from Rebuilding NSW, with funding to be progressively made available by the NSW Government.

This follows Cootamundra and Gundagai communities both being successful in obtaining funding under Round One.
In Cootamundra, Round One funding went towards the reconstruction of Suttons Lane while Gundagai area funding was directed to the Gobarralong Bridge.

Buoyed by the success of recent fundraising activities, the Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre (ARTHC) plans to open a truck museum in a temporary home at Gundagai, New South Wales, this month.

ARTHC Chairperson Kerry Campbell and his team are assembling a collection of historic trucks and exhibits in a shed at the corner of Tor Street and Jack Moses Avenue, North Gundagai.

The ARTHC has over 100 members and the museum will be staffed by volunteers.

Treasurer Jim Morton says the ARTHC will open the doors of the museum’s temporary home when electricity is connected. An announcement will be made on the museum’s website, arthc.com.au

But Jim says the ARTHC remains determined to build a permanent museum at Middle Street, Gundagai. The committee will continue to raise funds and apply for grants for the $1.5million project.

The ARTHC raised $30,000 with events held at Gundagai over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.

A highlight was Sylvia’s Gap Road Run on June 12 which attracted 76 trucks. They travelled a section of the old Hume Highway which is now on private property. Landowners opened their gates, allowing trucks to travel through Sylvia’s Cutting and over Hannah’s Pinch.

The weekend began with the inaugural Gundagai Truck Show on Saturday, June 11. Scott Menz of Wagga Wagga won People’s Choice with his 1988 Kenworth T650. Paul Eccleston won the Vintage Choice section with a 1953 International AR130.

After the truck show, 217 people attended a Hume Highway Reunion Dinner and auction.

Last week the ARTHC accepted a donation of $2780 which was raised by an auction at the Finemore Livestock Transport drivers’ recent reunion at Wagga Wagga.

To donate to the ARTHC’s proposed truck museum, or to become a member of the ARTHC, phone Jim on 0408 441 495 or Daryl Weston on 0427 756 983.

A man will face court today following an attempted armed robbery in the State’s Southern Tablelands.

About 4pm yesterday (Friday 1 July 2016), a 37-year-old man entered a business on Laidlaw Street, Yass.

Police have been told the man approached a female employee and demanded drugs.

The man produced a modified razor and threatened the store manager.

At this point, two police officers attached to The Hume Local Area Command, entered the business and witnessed the attempted robbery.

The officers secured the weapon and arrested the man.

He was taken to Yass Police Station where he was charged with attempted armed robbery.

The 37-year-old man was refused bail and will appear in Goulburn Local Court today (Saturday 2 July 2016).