NEWS
ORANGE
ORANGE’S HINDUS
Orange’s Hindu community reaches a new
milestone when members of the World Hindu
Council, Australia and the Sydney Murugan
Temple travel to Orange for a special event.
The CWA Hall in Robertson Park was
the venue for the formal inauguration Lord
Ganesha’s idol to be the first for the Hindu
community of Orange NSW’s religious
ceremonies.
Orange Hindu Association President, Binu
Nair, said the specially commissioned idol was
made in Sri Lanka.
“Our community has been meeting together
for prayers and other religious ceremonies for
several years now, gathering in members’ homes
and community halls such as the Senior Citizens
Centre and CWA Hall,” Binu Nair said.
LOCALECONOMY
Orange’shigh-profilereputationasa food
andwinedestinationis beingmatchedby
itscapacitytohostmajorsportingevents,
attractingparticipants,spectatorsand
supportersacrosstheyear.
Orangehosted 15 sportingchampionships
duringthelasttwelvemonths,bringingmore
thaneleventhousandpeopletotown,according
toa reporttothelatestOrangeCityCouncil
meeting.
Thisfinancialyear,it’scostOrangeCity
Councilaround$83,500toattractandstage
these 15 sportingevents,butit’sestimatedthe
flow-onimpacttolocalbusinessesis worth$5.2
milliondollars.
OrangemayorCrRegKiddsaidsports
tourismwasbecominga keypartofOrange’sFUNDING
Orange City Council recently granted more
than 20 community groups and 10 proposed
events, funding to help them continue to
provide services and entertainment for the
Orange community.
Council voted to award more than $30,000
to community groups and $24,000 for a range
of local events.
Orange Mayor Reg Kidd said he was proud
Council could play a part in keeping these
worthy causes going strong into the future.
“The groups are the fabric of our
community,” Cr Kidd said.
“They enhance our everyday lives and
especially the lives of those who need a littleextra help.
“It’s good that the broader community
can now see which groups are getting some
funding, what the funding is for and how
much we’re giving but in many cases, it’s not
a financial donation.
“Often it’s allowing groups to use facilities
for free or waiving or reimbursing rates
payments.
“There are always more requests than we
can manage but I think we’ve reached a good
balance.”
Some of the events that received funding
include the Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry
Festival and City of Orange Eisteddfod.business economy.
“There’s a common misunderstanding about
the value of hosting key sporting events,”
Cr Reg Kidd said: “When a family comes to
Orange to watch someone compete in a state
championship, there’s a lot of time between
games. People visit a local café or supermarket.
They eat out at a hotel or restaurant. They
buy petrol or browse at a local boutique retail
outlet.”
“It all adds up.”
Some of the major events hosted in
2018/2019 include Cycling NSW Masters
Road Cycling Championships and the Classic
Wallabies v Central West Barbarians match.
The Council also said that it would continue
to seek new events which would also boost
the economy.Blue Mountainslife 19