By ANDY BENNETT*

THE new school year is off to a flying start and development of the Federation is keeping pace with the most obvious sign of progress - the building work currently underway on five sites. …more

BRIGHTON Council held its annual volunteers civic reception on Australia Day this year with the reception held at the Brighton Civic Centre and attended by in excess of 150 invited guests. …more

GRADE 8  Bridgewater High School student Tasmin (’Minnie’) Pullen is the latest of a string of Bridgewater High students to achieve outstanding success in Tasmanian art competitions.

Bridgewater High student Minnie Pullen with her prize-winning art work.

Minnie won both the grades 7/8 division and the overall first prize in the youth art competition held at the Royal Hobart Show last year.

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THIS year has once again seen students from Prep to Grade 6 at Gagebrook Primary actively involved in the ruMAD? (are you making a difference) program.

Students in Units A,B & D meet Brightside Farm pet pig with owner Emma Haswell.

Gagebrook Primary School’s ruMAD? coordinator Steve Robinson said students explored and researched a diverse range of topics over the course of 2009.

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LOCAL residents in need will benefit from increased funding for emergency relief organisations from both state and federal governments.

Looking over the items in the UnitingCare Op Shop are, from left, Jo Kelly (UnitingCare), Op Shop Manager Olive McVicar, Senator Carol Brown, Labor Candidate for Lyons Rebecca White and Minister Jenny Macklin.

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin visited UnitingCare Bridgewater/Gagebrook recently to announce additional funding for the church.

Tasmanian Senator, Carol Brown and State Minister for Human Services, Lin Thorp also announced additional emergency relief funding of over $134,000 for UnitingCare Tasmania.

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BRIGHTON’S long standing Mayor, Tony Foster has been re-elected with more than 60 per cent of the vote in the recent local government elections.

He was opposed by Cr Philip Owen who recorded 39.8 per cent of the vote for the top job.  Cr Foster has been mayor since 1993 after first being elected as a councillor in 1985.

Deputy Mayor, Geoff Taylor , who has been a councillor for 24 years and who was opposed in the position by Moya Jeffries, was also re-elected with 53.7 per cent of the vote.  Cr Jeffries received 46.3 per cent.

Sitting councillors, Tony Foster, Philip Owen, Leigh Gray, Wayne Garlick and Sonya Williams were all reelected.

SRT LOGISTICS has just completed a $600,000 truck washing facility that captures and recycles rain water at its distribution facility at the Brighton Industrial Estate.

From left, Robert Hazell of Hazell Bros, Brighton Mayor Tony Foster, Jim Miller of SRT Logistics, Brighton municipal engineer Heath MacPherson and David Beattie from STEPS Tasmania.

With the support of the Brighton City Council, SRT Logistics applied for funding assistance from the Federal Community Water Grants Scheme and received a grant of $190,000.

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THE proposed Bridgewater Local Area Structure Plan lays the future for Bridgewater to include focused development precincts, commercial opportunities, community centres and residential change supported by traffic and infrastructure improvements.

Over the past few months, strategic planning consultants from Aurecon and urban designers from Inspiring Place have been undertaking on-site investigations and targeted consultation with key stakeholders.  This has led to the development of the Bridgewater Local Area Structure Plan.

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By FRANK GIBSON

BRIGHTON residents Belinda and Richard Weston were thrilled to be awarded a silver medal for their olive oil recently at the Sydney Royal fine food awards.

Renaissance Olives won second prize for their Australian extra virgin olive oil in the Boutique Commercial class judged in early September.

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Brighton Council passed on the full savings of the transfer of water and sewerage services to the new State Government established authority, to ratepayers this year.

Brighton Mayor Tony Foster said Council had deducted the entire cost of its provision of water and sewerage services and due to its own sound financial management, the average rate increase in the municipality for 2009/10 was just 2.5 percent.

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