The night will be held on Thursday, 25 May at the Western Plains Cultural Centre from 6pm. The evening is a great opportunity to meet new people and also learn about the services and facilities Dubbo has to offer.

This event is for the whole family and I’d encourage anyone new to Dubbo to attend. Or if you know someone who has recently moved here don’t forget to let them know about the New Residents’ Night.

Dubbo Regional Council is encouraging the community to take part in Yellow Ribbon National Road Safety Week.

This week is not only about raising awareness, it is also about generating commitment to safer driving. From May 8 to 14 all road users are invited to display a yellow ribbon on their vehicles as a mark of remembrance for all families and friends lost to road trauma each year. Dubbo Regional Council is showing its support of this event by displaying yellow ribbons on fleet vehicles.

Council is trialling a new method of controlling the starlings that are trying to make a home in Dubbo’s CBD. Previously council has employed falcons to keep the starling population down but due to scheduling this year we are using a “sonic net”. Sound will be projected over Macquarie Street which will hopefully deter the birds from roosting in the main street. So far the trial has enjoyed good results and hopefully this will lead to a cleaner CBD for us all.

Don’t forget that Mother’s Day is just around the corner and council has the perfect gift solution for you. The myDubbo shopping card is an EFTPOS based gift card that works like any other gift card or voucher based system and is the perfect way to make sure your mum gets exactly what she wants for Mother’s Day with the added bonus of keeping money in the local economy.

The participating stores all offer a range of goods and services so your mum could treat herself to anything from a meal, to a book, to a new outfit, a haircut or even some new jewellery. There are seven stores where you can buy and load up the card and 64 shops who accept it. For more information go to http://dubbo.com.au/shop.

Time is running out for you to nominate a local legend to carry the baton in the Commonwealth Game’s Queen’s Baton Relay when it passes through Dubbo and Wellington. Nominations close on May 15 so if you know someone who inspires others and is a great contributor to and ambassador for the community, go to gc2018.com/qbr and put their name forward.

Batonbearers are people of all abilities who inspire others to be great and will represent a community with pride. The eyes of the Commonwealth will be on our region when the baton passes through and it is a great opportunity to showcase the area to a large audience.

The Queen’s Baton Relay is not only a symbol of the Commonwealth Games but an event that will connect our community with communities across Australia and the entire Commonwealth.