Dear fellow Royalla residents,
As you know, Royalla is a wonderful place to live, with its green pastures, beautiful bushland, clear skies, stunning panoramas and great neighbours. With most of the blocks of land in the area now occupied, a strong sense of community is starting to emerge.
We already have a Landcare Group, and a group of horse lovers is working to establish a horse arena at Royalla Common. What is now needed is a Royalla Community Association.
Will you consider becoming involved?
A Community Association is an association of local residents incorporated under the NSW Associated Incorporations Act 2009. It would represent the wishes of the community to state and local governments, run functions and activities of benefit to the local community, and provide a legal/insurance umbrella organisation for other local community groups, such as Landcare, or playgroups, or sporting groups, or horse riding groups. The Community Association would manage its own finances, and would be well placed to apply for grant funding for community projects or facilities.
A Section 355 Committee (which refers to the relevant section in the NSW Local Government Act 1993) has been established under the auspices of Palerang Shire Council, to actually develop and manage the facilities at Royalla Common (at 317 Royalla Drive). The Committee has organised working bees and functions at the Common, and has also worked with an architect to develop plans for a community hall/meeting facility. The plan, a copy of which is attached, provides for an energy efficient building which can be constructed in two stages. Also, if you have been to the Common recently, you may have noticed the trucks and earthmovers beavering away there, establishing a platform for a horse arena. This is all being achieved with donated fill and earthmoving effort from Charman Excavations. And if you walk through the Elm Grove at the Common, you will see a path and an amphitheatre under the trees. More work of volunteers.
The S355 Committee will continue to work with the Council to try and get the first stage of the building constructed within the next year – though it may be only a bare shell, depending on how far the existing funding (which came from funds provided by the land developer to both Palerang and Queanbeyan Councils) stretches. The Committee would be pleased to hear from any builders or tradesmen who would be interested either in tendering for some or all of the project, or who are in a position to volunteer some of their goods or services. We are delighted to report that the Holcim Quarry at Queanbeyan has agreed to provide all gravel required on the site at no charge (though we have to supply the transport).
There was a Working Bee at the Common on the morning of Saturday 30 August, which focused on gravelling the path in the Elm Grove and inside the ruined cottage. A second Working Bee/information session and, hopefully, the launch of the Community Association, is scheduled for Sunday 2 November. Your assistance at either or both of these occasions would be greatly appreciated. For more information go to the new Royalla Community Association page
And another big date for your diary – the inaugural Royalla Roundup will be held at the Common on 29 March 2015. It is hoped to build the event into an annual mini- field day, so it is proposed to offer a car boot sale, a display of classic cars, stalls by local businesses and community organisations, musical events, horse riding and, of course, food stalls. If you run a business, maybe you’d like to have a display or a stall. Local resident, Chris Smith (ph 0412 530 803), has agreed to coordinate the event, but he would love to hear from you if you can assist.
If you have a business and would like to advertise it to the local community please contact:
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We, the undersigned residents of Royalla (who are also current members of the S355 Committee), are interested in establishing and participating in a Royalla Community Association but this cannot proceed unless there is interest and participation from a number of other Royalla residents. Will you consider helping the Royalla community to grow and flourish by giving some of your time and energy to get a Community Association up and running, or by assisting with one or more of the activities described above?
Please feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions and/or would be willing to be involved in some way. We would like to have the first meeting very soon.
Maryke Booth Paul Bombardier
32 McDonald Rd, Royalla 30 Trail Place, Royalla
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Ph 0407 283 718 Ph 0402 288 143
Mike Jaggard Steve Wilson
31 Trail Place, Royalla 20 Spur Place, Royalla
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Ph 0400 309 980 Ph 0407 064 527