Online Access Centres back in business

Viv Cardwell, left, being assisted by Sam Cowley at the Derwent
Valley Online Access Centre in Charles St, New Norfolk.

THE reopening of the Derwent Valley Online Access Centre in the New Norfolk Library yesterday morning means that all three centres in our region are now back in business following their temporary closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Derwent Valley Online Access Centre, in Charles St, New Norfolk, reopened on Monday and will be open on most weekdays from 10am to 1pm, and 2-5pm. It will be closed on Thursdays and the weekend. "Using the centre will be a different experience now that we are re-emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, and safety measures have been put in place," centre co-ordinator Sam Cowley said.

“We’re keen for community members to start using the centre again so just call us on 6261 1155 to book the use of a computer and/or printer," Sam said. "Bookings of up to one-hour blocks of time can be made.

"We’ll provide hand sanitizer and ask that all visitors use it when they enter. We also ask that if you have any flu-like symptoms, please don’t attend your appointment. We’d like to keep everyone safe and healthy.”

Online Access Centres at Glenora and Ouse have been open for several weeks. The Glenora facility is open Monday-Wednesday from 10am-3pm, phone 6286 2094; and the Ouse facility is open Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm and on Saturdays from 10am-1pm, phone 6287 1411.

The Derwent Valley's three Online Access Centres are valuable community resources open to the community and offering a range of services free of charge or at a minimal cost.

River Derwent minor flood warning

Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania

Initial Minor Flood Warning for the River Derwent

Issued at 10.41pm on Monday 22 June 2020

Flood Warning Number 1

Minor flooding may develop in the Rivers Clyde, Ouse, and Derwent below Meadowbank Dam during Tuesday, based on observed and forecast rainfall. Strong river rises are also occurring in the lower Derwent tributaries, including Tyenna, Styx and Plenty rivers.

A strong east to southeasterly flow is bringing persistent rainfall to eastern, southern and central Tasmania.

In the 24 hours to 10pm Monday widespread rainfall totals of between 30-45 mm have been recorded in the Clyde, Ouse and lower Derwent catchments.

Additional widespread rainfall totals of 10-30 mm are forecast overnight and during Tuesday, with locally higher totals possible.

Strong and dangerous flows will be a hazard over the next couple of days.

River Derwent above River Ouse: River rises are occurring along the upper River Derwent and Florentine River.

River Ouse: Minor flooding may occur along the River Ouse, based on observed and forecast rainfall. The River Ouse at Ashton is currently at 0.48 metres and steady. The River Ouse at Ashton may reach the minor flood level (2.40 m) during Tuesday. There are currently no river level observations for the River Ouse at Ouse. The River Ouse at Ouse may reach the minor flood level (4.00 m) during Tuesday.

River Clyde: Minor flooding may occur along the River Clyde, based on observed and forecast rainfall. The River Clyde at Bothwell is currently at 0.21 metres and rising. The River Clyde at Bothwell may reach the minor flood level (2.00 m) during Tuesday. There are currently no river level observations for the River Clyde at Hamilton. The River Clyde at Hamilton may reach the minor flood level (2.40 m) during Tuesday.

Tyenna River: River levels are rising along the Tyenna River during Monday evening.

Styx River: River levels are rising along the Styx River with minor flooding likely from overnight Monday into Tuesday.

River Derwent below Meadowbank Dam: Minor flooding may occur along the River Derwent below Meadowbank Dam, based on observed and forecast rainfall. The River Derwent below Meadowbank Dam is currently at 2.46 metres and steady. The River Derwent below Meadowbank Dam may exceed the minor flood level (4.10 m) late Tuesday morning.

Flood Safety Advice:

• FloodSafe advice is available at www.ses.tas.gov.au
• Road closure information is available at www.police.tas.gov.au
• For emergency assistance call the SES on telephone number 132 500.
• For life threatening situations, call 000 immediately.

Next Issue: The next warning will be issued by 10am on Tuesday 23 June 2020.

Latest River Heights:
Location Height of River (m) Tendency Date/Time of Observation
River Derwent below Lake St Clair 1.09 Steady 05:30 PM MON 22/06/20
River Ouse at Ashton 0.49 Steady 09:45 PM MON 22/06/20
River Ouse at 3B Weir 0.70 Steady 09:30 PM MON 22/06/20
River Clyde at Bothwell 0.21 Rising 08:00 PM MON 22/06/20
River Derwent below Meadowbank Dam 2.46 Steady 09:45 PM MON 22/06/20
River Derwent at Macquarie Plains 1.38 Steady 09:58 PM MON 22/06/20
Tyenna River at Newbury 0.96 Rising 08:00 PM MON 22/06/20
Styx River at Bruces Bridge 1.73 Rising 10:14 PM MON 22/06/20
River Derwent at New Norfolk 1.45 Steady 10:16 PM MON 22/06/20

This advice is also available by dialling 1300 659 210. Warning, rainfall and river information are available at www.bom.gov.au/tas/flood. The latest weather forecast is available at www.bom.gov.au/tas/forecasts.

More work on the Lyell Hwy

ROAD surface repairs at Lawitta just outside New Norfolk are scheduled to take place from today until July 5.

The Department of State Growth says repairs to the Lyell Hwy surface will be carried out between 7am and 5pm, with a reduced speed limit and frequent road closures.

Construction works continue on the highway at the Blair St/Montagu St roundabout, with a reduced speed limit in place, and warnings of delays of up to 15 minutes due to frequent lane closures between 9am and 2.30pm.

More information about the roundabout repairs is available here.

Details of emergency road closures are published on the Tasmania Police Community Alerts webpage or TasAlert.

Lions Club news: Meet Denise Smith

Denise Smith.

DENISE Smith has been a member of the New Norfolk Lions Club for almost three years. She has a "can do" approach to life and likes to keep busy.

As well as being part of Lions activities such as the Chocolate Wheel, Carols in the Park and operating the entry gates at Baskerville, Denise is a board member and the current club treasurer, roles that she will continue next year.

Born and raised at Waitara in the Taranaki region of New Zealand, Denise learned about hard work on the family dairy farm where she and her four sisters and two brothers milked cows for their allowance before and after school each day.

“It was a hard life but looking back it was great. Mum and Dad had an open house so our friends were always welcome," she said. After finishing school, Denise trained to be a nurse at New Plymouth.  “I specialised in children’s medical nursing. It was the most heart-breaking yet rewarding job that I have ever done.”

In 1975, Denise married Steve, whom she met in Year 8 at high school. They had two children, Toni and Garry, who spent their early years in New Zealand. Denise and Steve spent 12 months in Townville in 1988 and moved back to New Zealand in 1989 for two years before making the move to Australia permanent in 1991.

Their adventures in tropical Queensland in the next 26 years included managing motels and holiday units in Townsville, Innisfail and Mission Beach. At the end of January 2011, when Cyclone Yasi struck, Denise and Steve were operating a fishing and tackle business in Cardwell, between Cairns and Townsville.

Their stock survived the storm but they lost their boat, along with many others in the community. Sales plummeted and the business closed. Yasi is one of the most powerful cyclones to have affected Queensland since records began.

It was in Cardwell that Denise first joined Lions. “The Lions Club rooms were huge and were located next to the sports ground," she said. "We raised funds by having barbecues, a weekly market and operating a bar during sporting events.

"After Yasi, our club rooms became the headquarters for donations from all over Australia. We spent months sorting through and distributing mountains of donations. In March that year, Prince William, who was in Australia, visited Cardwell, his helicopter landing on the oval, for a barbecue with the whole community. It was awesome.”

Denise and Steve were living back in Townsville when their children moved to Tasmania. Three years ago, this intrepid couple were drawn to our island state by the arrival of grandchildren. When they settled in New Norfolk, Denise met Troy and Margaret Bester and was introduced to our Lions Club.

“I always wanted to joins Lions again. I love mixing with people and I love that we help people, we make a contribution to the community,” she said.

If you would like to know more about the Lions Club of New Norfolk contact membership officers Greg Hudson on 6261 1329 or Troy Bester on 0401 064 172. Lions Australia. We serve (more than sausages).

Young bushwalker dies at the Sentinels

POLICE this morning reported the death of a young bushwalker in the South-West National Park beyond Maydena.

"Sadly, a young man has died while bushwalking at Sentinel Range, near Strathgordon," a police spokesman said.

"Police believe the 19-year-old from Hobart fell from height during a bushwalk yesterday."

The teenager’s family raised the alarm last night, after the experienced bushwalker failed to return home from a day trip as planned. The Westpac Police Rescue Helicopter flew to the incident site last night and a ground search and rescue team was also deployed.

Weather conditions overnight forced the helicopter to return to Hobart about 2am. The air search resumed in the early this morning, with the helicopter crew locating the man’s body shortly before 9am.

Police offered their condolences to the young the man’s family and loved ones.

Doors remain closed for council meeting

SOME councillors will return to the New Norfolk Courthouse for tonight's monthly council meeting but the doors will remain closed to the public. Council meetings have been held in an online format since the outbreak of COVID-19, with only the mayor and key staff being present in the council chamber.

Some councils have provided live broadcasts of their online meetings during the coronavirus pandemic but the Derwent Valley Council has opted to record the sessions and publish them several days later. Last month saw several councillors decide to meet together in the administrative offices for the monthly meeting, along with several staff, while other councillors continued to dial-in from home. The public remained excluded.

  

In a Facebook post earlier this week, a council spokesman said tonight's meeting would remain closed to the public due to the COVID-19 restrictions and density limits still in place. "For community information and transparency, we will be video recording the council meeting and will make the recording available on our website as soon as possible afterward," they said.

The council posted the following points on Facebook:

• The June 18 meeting will start at 6pm and will be video and audio recorded and made available on the council website
• Members of the public will not be able to attend the meeting in person
• Public questions can be submitted to the Executive Assistant by email up to 5.30pm on June 18 
• Public Question Time forms are available from the council website
• The chairman of the meeting may may refuse to accept a question from a member of the public or  require it to be writing to be answered at a later meeting
• The agenda for the meeting is available on the council website 
• More information about the council's response to the COVID-19 pandemic is available online.

Geese question remains unanswered

Cr Paul Belcher.

A COUNCILLOR has repeated his request to see a copy of the complaint that led to last year's culling of birds at Tynwald Park.

In response to an outcry over the lingering deaths of several bird species last June, a council spokesman said the cull had been conducted in response to a number of complaints from the community about excessive bird droppings and ongoing damage to the Tynwald Park playing field.

Subsequent investigations found no wrongdoing by council staff but recommended action against an independent contractor for alleged breaches of the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemical (Control of Use) Act 1995 and the Wildlife Regulations 2010.

During councillor questions at last month's Derwent Valley Council meeting, Cr Paul Belcher said two months had passed since he was told he could have a copy of the original complaint that led to the decision to remove the birds by poisoning.

"At the March meeting I asked about the geese cull at Tynwald Park and was told by the acting general manager, Mr Barrett, that I would have the complaint that come to council given to me, and why we acted on that complaint," Cr Belcher said. "It's now been two months and I still haven't received that, and I just wanted to see if I can still get the copy of that complaint that come to council, thanks Mr Mayor," he said.

The mayor, Cr Ben Shaw, asked Cr Belcher if he would like the matter followed up. "I'm not aware of former acting manager Barrett's intention of how he was getting that to you, and certainly haven't been involved in any correspondence, so would you like me to follow that up with the executive management team and the current acting GM, or wait until the new GM starts on Monday?"

Cr Belcher said he was happy to wait until the new general manager started work, but reminded the mayor that Mr Barrett had said he would provide a copy of the complaint and information about why the council acted the way it did, in response to the complaint about birds at Tynwald Park.

Cr Shaw said he remembered the matter being raised. "I'm just saying that I wasn't aware of any correspondence, either negative or positive, so I'll chase that up, obviously Brian [Barrett] isn't in that chair any more but I can chase it up if you like on your behalf with the new general manager, but also I know that you will probably be catching up with the new general manager next week as well, so you might like to raise it."