However nobody should be encouraged by the recent vote at council to follow through on the idea. An examination of the minutes show that there was only eight councillors present. Council has argued consistently that it is not possible for less than 12 councillors to make a good decision. The headcount shows there were six councillors for and two against.

Followers of council need to consider who were the two councillors who voted against the idea, and to weigh up what influence they have. Is it sufficient to reverse last week's council's resolution, it has many times in the past.

I strongly support Brian Sainty's drive to have a purpose-built art gallery in combination with the visitor's centre. The memorial garden badly needs an upgrade not another rose garden in such a prime spot that will do nothing for the city but make more work for the already stretched council's Parks and Gardens.

Great idea to have a purpose-built art gallery! Another possible site could be to wrap the gallery around the Regional Theatre and create a cultural hub.

The report from Torrent Consultanting is inaccurate when they said in their June 2021 report "that based on flood mitigation works council has done" north Yenda will see lower flood levels than 2012.

Our concern is council to date has only reinstated the decommissioned flood gates capacity of 1:50 ARI or two per cent.

The remaining flood mitigation capacity will heavily rely upon the success of the Emergency Canal Breaching protocols which outlines a small window of implementation during rising "flood waters of between 1.8 metres and 2.3 metres". Over 2.3 metres it will become unsafe to breach the canal. Yenda Progress Association would have preferred the full 1:100 flood gates capacity as outlined in the NSW flood plain management guidelines.

Shearing time again for the Irvins at "The Homestead",

It's an annual event, last time seven days it took,

The team due on Monday for an early 7.30 start,

Mum Dot agrees again to be sharers' cook.

Scones and sandwiches will be the go at smoko,

Getting prepared, Dot found some of yesterday's scones in the tin,

She took them outside and threw them to the dogs,

But in hindsight, she should have put them in the bin.

The big greedy brown dog tried to swallow them whole,

One huge gulp and the scone got stuck in his throat,

Being unable to dislodge them the poor dog choked,

So, he was buried wrapped in an old work coat.

At morning smoko, lovely sandwiches and hot scones arrived,

Dot's son said, don't eat mum's scones, they killed out brown dog,

When told, they had a good laugh at what had happened,

Tucking into hot scones, sandwiches and a mug of tea in the morning fog.

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