In a democracy it is healthy to discuss and debate what is in the best interests of the Shire.

I believe the state of flux that our shire is experiencing at the moment is due to the need to adapt to new world markets and economic change.

Speaking with an economist recently she actually gave it a name; “Creative Destruction”.

A self-cancelling statement if ever I heard one but when explained to me it made sense. You stop doing one thing to make way for another.

We are the Horse Capital of Australia only if our facilities are at a level that is attractive to many sports that involve livestock.

To this end the previous council started the ball rolling on bettering the facilities and we are seeing the fruits of those hard works in the building of the undercover arena at White Park which will also have stadium style seating to create a great audience experience.

This will attract more sporting events and retail and tourism dollars that we are missing out on at the moment.

The down side is that when you’re building something like this it cannot be used for public events during the build. It’s just not safe.

Therefore, unfortunately the Scone Charity Rodeo had to be cancelled this year but we will see it flourish and thrive in years to come.

This is a blow for the town of Scone who has enjoyed this event for a very long time.

I congratulate the rodeo committee on making a very tough decision and can’t wait to see the rodeo in full action under the big roof next year.

Another piece of disruption that is bearing new fruits is the rebuilding of the Golf Course to make way for the bypass.

The golf course has been under construction for some time now but when people visit and tour the facility (under the watchful eye of the construction team) they realise that a small amount of suffering will be worth it in the end.

The Shire will be stronger both economically and socially after these projects are complete.