Articles published in July 2026
Finally, progress on the relocation of the Leagues Club
July 2, 2026 in Community and Sport  The saga of the new sports complex in Oberon has been dragging on for far too long, especially about the relocation of the licensed Leagues Club. At last, Oberon Council and the Leagues Club have signed the papers and the club can start moving to its new home.
See the media release here
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Action this day!
July 2, 2026 in General News There has been some good news about Victoria Pass. A decision has been made about who will be fixing the broken Mitchells Causeway. The NSW government had this to say: Contract awarded to reopen Great Western Highway, with further relief for impacted businesses   The NSW Government is today providing certainty for communities impacted by the closure of the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass announcing the successful contractor to deliver a new, more durable crossing at Mitchells Causeway, with major construction to begin in July, and the road expected to reopen in the second quarter of next year.
The Government is also announcing an expanded package of support for local businesses affected by the closure. The NSW Government knows the uncertainty of the past few months has been incredibly difficult for local communities. While this process has taken time, there could be no shortcuts when it came to understanding the cause of the failure and determining the safest long-term solution. Following an accelerated procurement process, Seymour Whyte has been selected to construct a new crossing that will restore the connection between the Blue Mountains and Central West while improving its long-term resilience. Extensive geotechnical investigations carried out over the past few months were critical to the procurement process, providing the evidence needed to develop the proposal for the safest and fastest reopening. You can read the complete media release here. Completion by April 2027 is a rather optimistic schedule so cynics can expect that the final date for reopening Victoria Pass will be "adjusted" as time goes on. No estimate of the cost has been announced, but it can be guessed as being $Lots. | | |
It's a new record!
July 2, 2026 in Community and Sport   What can you say about the 2026 Can Assist auction except "WOW!"? $80,000 raised to help support people with cancer in ther Oberon area. This annual event by everyone associated with rugby league in Oberon has raised $420,000 overt the years for the charity, and each year gets bigger than the ones before. The auction was held at the Oberon Leagues Club following a full day of action on the field, with the auction conducted by the auction experts - Bowyer & Livermore. The question now is "How much will be raised in 2027?".
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Emma takes on the world
July 2, 2026 in Community and People  The people at Fire and Rescue NSW Station 411 Oberon have a bit to say about an employee:
Emma has been with us less than six months and already making a huge impact on our station with her boundless energy and youthful enthusiasm! We’re very very proud to announce that Emma will be representing Fire and Rescue NSW FRNSW Sports Association when they take on NSW Corrections in July and rumour has it will be further representing the firies more this year. Emma is no stranger to the sport previously playing Union for Penrith Emus Rugby Club, League for Panorama Platypi Women's Rugby League and currently plays soccer for Abercrombie FC. We wish Emma and our league teams all the best! | | |
Let's help someone who needs it
July 2, 2026 in Community  Sharelle lives in Rockley. She is a single parent with two daughters. She also has cancer and has had to deal with a couple of shonky NDIS providers. (No, it doesn't cost $700 a week to mow a small lawn. No, a small bathroom update doesn't have to cost as much as a luxury car.) She thought it would be nice to have a patio out the back of her house where she could sit in the sun (and the quote for the bathroom suggested that getting a quote for a patio would be a stressful experience). She put out an appeal on social media and some kind person donated a heap of pavers.
The problem was that the pavers were in Raglan and her house is in Rockley and she had no way to get the stones home. Another social media appeal and an answer was found. Instead of the usual monthly barbecue in Oberon Common, Lincoln Briffa shanghaied the regulars at the men's mental health group Mr Perfect and with the help of Sharelle's family moved the pavers to where they are needed. The sausages intended for Mr Perfect provided the lunch for everyone. And that's what helping people is all about. There should be more of it. Keep an eye on What's On for the times and locations of the Mr Perfect events. | | |
Chalkdust Torture
July 2, 2026 in Schools  Well, the title of that song is a bit out of date these days because teachers no longer use chalk on smartboards and don't torture pupils with canes and straps. Life is sometimes better than it was "in the good old days", and this week at Oberon's schools was no exception.
See the tales getting told in school here
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If sport's your thing
July 2, 2026 in Sport  Specially for people who read the paper from the back page forward, here is this week's Oberon sports news.
Go here for the stories and results
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Oberon Council Mayor's Column
July 2, 2026 in Community This fortnight's column from Oberon Mayor Andrew McKibbin can be seen here. The Carers' Retreat is finally open
July 9, 2026 in Community  It's taken two years from the idea to the reality, but the Carers' Retreat at the Oberon hospital is finally here, with the official opening happening on July 7.
See the story here
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There was movement at the station ...
July 9, 2026 in Community  The train station, that is. Work is proceeding nicely on the construction of the station at Hazlegrove on the Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway. Getting the line running again is a slow process but that's the sort of thing that happens when the workers on the ground are volunteers and the professionals are in the bureaucracy, shuffling paper from one in-tray to the next. And often back again for another round of rule checking and obfuscation. The railway will run again one day but people have given up on predicting when because predictions have a way of coming up against train loads of red tape.
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Could this be Australia's warmest winter ever?
July 9, 2026 in General News  Hottest June day ever in the UK. Heat waves across Eastern Europe and the USA. Hottest ever start to winter across most of Australia. But don't mention climate change or someone will tell you that it was really cold in Oberon last Friday so global warming is a HOAX (the word is always capitalised). This article from The Conversation is written by a couple of academics who probably know what they are talking about.
Read the article here
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School's out! So sang Alice.
July 9, 2026 in Schools  The original song said "School's out for summer" but Oberon doesn't feel like summer right now, so we will have to make allowances. The last week of term was still filled with activities, with no winding down for the schools around the town.
Find the end of term reports here
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Sport. That's what the back page is for.
July 9, 2026 in Sport  People kicked things. People rode things. People chased little white balls around a paddock. People won things. Just another weekend of sport around Oberon.
See the score cards here
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Winter Seasonal Markets at Edith
July 16, 2026 in Community  It was definitely wintery at Edith for the Winter Seasonal Markets but that didn't stop a good crowd turning up to sample some local products and produce. Oberon Matters put on the winter woolies and wandered around pointing the camera at things.
See the pictures here
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How to stop fraudsters tricking disabled people out of their NDIS funding
July 16, 2026 in General News  There is a temptation to blame welfare recipients for fraud and wastage in government programs. There are almost certainly people claiming benefits to which they are not entitled, but almost all the fraud in the NDIS is being conducted by those people pretending to be the ones doing the helping. This report from The Conversation provides some details of the fraud involved.
See the story here
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Black Springs Community Association
July 16, 2026 in Community The Black Springs Community Association AGM results are in with the new elected committee being: - President: Andrew Sempell
- Vice President: Renae Barron
- Secretary: Michelle Swaan
- Treasurer: Renae Barron
- Ordinary Committee members:
- Lois Gibbons
- Leanne Knowles
- Christa Costa
Congratulations to all new committee members. We would like to extend a big thank you to the outgoing committee members for all their work and effort put in over the past year. Here's to another great year. | | |
Book review: "The Fibre Factor" by Dr Joanna McMillan
July 16, 2026 in Reviews  One of the most profitable niches in book publishing is the "Fad Diet", where someone writes at length about the dangers of a food component or the benefit of another. Into this milieu comes this book extolling the advantages of fibre in our diets, but the red flags start waving before you even open the book.
See the review here
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Left Behind: Transitioning to Work Getting Tougher
July 16, 2026 in Schools  Research carried out for the Smith Family points to a disappointing employment future for students who leave high school before Year 12. This is possibly a bigger problem for students in regional areas who might have an even narrower range of job possibilities than students living in more highly populated cities.
Read the media release from the Smith Family here
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A little bit of sport goes a long way
July 16, 2026 in Sport  Weather cold enough to freeze the balls off a golf green but that didn't stop Oberon's sportspeople from getting out there and having a go.
Look here for the results
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Community Event: Suicide Prevention, Depression and Anxiety
July 23, 2026 in Community and People  Suicide is a very worrying thing, and Oberon Men's Shed in conjunction with the Australian Men's Shed Association and the charity Talk to Me, Bro will be hosting a community meeting in November to consider and reflect on the issue.
See some preliminary information here
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New owners for Oberon's taxi
July 23, 2026 in Community and Business  When Ashdeep Nash brought a taxi service to Oberon last year it was very welcome. Ashdeep is moving interstate and NSW laws require that taxi owners live in this state so there was a possibility that Oberon would lose this valuable resource. But the taxi has new owners and will be staying in town.
See the good news here
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Thanks for the donations
July 23, 2026 in Community The Oberon Garden club have announced two donations to local recipients. $10,000 goes to the Oberon Hospital Auxiliary and $1,000 to Oberon Museum. The money was raised from entry fees at the Club's Autumn Open Garden Festival. Thanks and congratulations. | | |
Time catches up with St Dymphna's Church in Burraga
July 23, 2026 in Community  Not just time but a reducing population and smaller congregations have led to the closure of St Dymphna's Catholic church in Burraga. Unfortunately this sort of thing seems inevitable for small towns and villages where the cost of upkeep means that some things just can't be justified any more. The final Mass was conducted on Saturday, July 18, by Bishop Michael McKenna.
See more of the story here
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There are a lot of cattle around Oberon
July 23, 2026 in General News 
Thanks to Scott Hilburn at the Argyle Sweater
Oberon Council Mayor's Column
July 23, 2026 in Community This fortnight's column from Oberon Mayor Andrew McKibbin can be seen here.
School Daze
July 23, 2026 in Schools
 Schools were still closed for the holidays last week, but a book review I wrote (coming next week) reminded me of this article I wrote some time ago for Australasian Science magazine about a perennial and dangerous teaching practice which keeps arriving uninvited into schools.
See the article here
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School life gradually returns
July 26, 2026 in Schools  It's a slow start to the term but there are things going on behind the curtain.
See some of the action here
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Chasing things around paddocks
July 23, 2026 in Sport  Nothing but winners this week, in soccer, league and golf.
See the scoreboards here
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Two good to be true?
July 23, 2026 in Sport  It has just been announced that the NSW Rally Championship will be returning to Oberon in November, based at the Sports Complex and using Hampton and Jenolan forests. As the Australian Motor Sport Action Group (AMSAG) have a round of their series scheduled for Black Springs two weeks earlier we are facing a likely plethora of forest action. The two series attract different fields of competitors so all we have to do is hope that neither event is cancelled because of weather or some other manifestation of force majeur.
See more here
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