The Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler will be back on the Hawkesbury River for Father’s Day, 6 September, offering COVID-Safe cruising. Captain Ian Burns is also celebrating the Paddlewheeler’s return with an official launch on 4 October and he says he has appreciated Council’s Business Bounce Back Program which helped him get back on track.

“Thanks to the help from the Business Bounce Back Program, the Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler is back in operation, and we’ve started taking bookings again.

“The mentors in the program have been absolutely responsive and now I’m putting into action everything I’ve learned in the one on one sessions and the webinars. I’ve adopted a whole new business mindset and now we can navigate through new challenges just as well we can navigate the Hawkesbury River.”

The Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler is a locally owned and family operated business that has been cruising the Hawkesbury River for over 35 years from historic Windsor.

“We offer an award-winning tourist attraction. I was so proud when we won the most outstanding specialised business of the year in the Hawkesbury for 2019,” Captain Burns said.

‘We’ve certainly taken some difficult blows from the bushfires, floods, the Windsor Bridge development and COVID-19,” he said.

“Joining in the Business Bounce Back Program has been a huge help to getting our confidence back and developing the business know-how to get back on the water.

“The marketing assistance included in this program is great; it’s a real boost like we’ve never had before,” he said.

“We’ve always taken pride in providing a family friendly, fun filled atmosphere at reasonable prices, and we’re back on deck to do it all again!”

The Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler is operating under COVID-Safe guidelines and Captain Burns is committed to doing the utmost to ensure that his crew and all passengers are protected on every cruise. To find out more visit www.paddlewheeler.com.auThis external link will open in a new window and www.facebook.com/HawkesburypaddlewheelerThis external link will open in a new window

The Business Bounce Back program is part of Council’s broader business recovery program that is offered to Hawkesbury businesses. The free program offers one on one mentoring and provides the business tools for resilience in the future.

To find out more about the program, please email City Design and Economic Development Manager Amanda Kearney via business@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au or call 4560 4444.

Council has also set up the Hawkesbury Business Hub at www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au/hbhThis external link will open in a new window to offer business community centralised business information, particularly as it relates to the impact of COVID-19 and bushfires on businesses.

Bookings are now being accepted for Upper Colo Reserve from 1 September 2020 onwards.

In the event that the reserve needs to be closed due to COVID -19 or any other factors you will be advised and a refund will be processed.

The following guidelines are in place to protect visitors and manage booking numbers to enable physical distancing:

• only the people who are booked can stay - additional people will not be allowed on arrival
• you are responsible for maintaining contact details of your guests
• by making a booking, you understand and agree that:
  • you have read information about the campground and determined its suitability for you.
  • you agree to bring your own cleaning supplies, sanitation products and plenty of water as water supply cannot be guaranteed
  • you will follow physical distancing and public gathering rules. Latest rules are available on the NSW government website www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19This external link will open in a new window
  • if you are unwell, please stay at home.

Campsites will be maintained to general standards however Council cannot guarantee that surfaces and touch-points are sterilised.

Please note bookings are essential. Important information:

• no mobile or wireless connection is available at the campground
• the road is a narrow winding gravel road that is not suitable for caravans
• no firewood is to be collected from the Reserve or the National Park
• personal transport to and from the Reserve is essential in case of emergency evacuation
• children under the age of 18 must be supervised by an adult whilst at the reserve.

The Upper Colo Reserve is isolated and surrounded by bushland, and thus in times of extreme weather conditions/fire the Reserve may be closed. If you are unsure if this will apply on the dates you are camping please contact Council on (02) 4560 4444 (between 8:30am and 5pm Monday to Friday), before leaving home or the Rural Fire Service on (02) 4575 1601 or check the RFS website www.rfs.nsw.gov.auThis external link will open in a new window outside office hours.

In the event of a Total Fire Ban

NO fires are to be lit at Upper Colo Reserve.

NO cooking facility with an open flame can be used...this includes gas BBQs.

For full conditions of entry and to book visit www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/services/places-and-facilities/upper-colo-camping

COVID-19 ADVICE | A spectator who attended Mileham Street Netball Courts in South Windsor on Saturday 22 August between 8:30am to 9am and 12:15pm to 12:45pm has tested positive for COVID-19.

People who were at this location at those times are considered to be casual contacts with risk to others who attended low. They should watch for COVID-19 symptoms and if any develop get tested and self-isolate.

Please remember:
• If you are unwell, stay in, get tested and isolate.
• Wash your hands regularly. Take hand sanitiser with you when you go out.
• Keep your distance. Leave 1.5 metres between yourself and others.
• Wear a mask in situations where you cannot physically distance

For details on your local COVID-19 Clinics, please visit the NSW Health website: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectio…/…/Pages/clinics.aspx

The newly renovated Hawkesbury Visitor Information Centre was officially opened today by Mayor Barry Calvert. The opening was attended by local councillors and invited guests.

Our team is excited to welcome locals and visitors into the newly renovated centre which showcases our beautiful Hawkesbury region.

We have a range of local produce proudly on display for sale. Plus we have an extensive collection of local and regional information to plan your next get-away.

Come in today, we are open 7 days a week 9am to 4pm.

Check out our website www.discoverthehawkesbury.com.au

From 12:01am Friday, 24 July 2020 the following rules will be in force as NSW enters a state of ‘COVID normal’.

Compliance measures introduced to pubs will be extended to restaurants, bars cafés and clubs. This includes:
1. limiting group bookings to a maximum of 10 people
2. mandatory COVID-Safe plans and registration as a COVID-Safe business
3. a digital record must be created within 24 hours.

COVID Safe is a NSW-wide program that supports your business to keep our community safe from COVID-19.

Learn how your business can register to be COVID Safe here: www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/covid-safe-businesses

Industry-specific advice is available on COVID-19 health and safety measures, along with updates to information about changes to health and safety rules.

We are excited to be reopening Hawkesbury Regional Gallery’s doors on Saturday 18 July 2020, with the major exhibition Fieldwork – landscapes west of Sydney. Fieldwork is an Art Gallery of New South Wales touring exhibition. It will be on display until Sunday 20 September.

The exhibition includes significant and seldom-seen paintings and works on paper from the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ collection by prominent artists including Hilda Rix Nicholas, Julian Ashton, Elioth Gruner, JJ Hilder, Sydney Long and Charles Meere.

A highlight is Gruner’s painting Spring frost 1919. This iconic and much-loved painting is seldom taken off display from the Art Gallery NSW. Another highlight is Sydney Long’s painting Midday (1896), which depicts the Hawkesbury River. We are one of only three regional galleries to welcome these treasures into our communities.

The exhibition includes other treasures from the Gallery’s collection that depict landscapes west of Sydney between the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. There is a focus on plain air painting at artist camps and on excursions organised to areas such as the Hawkesbury River, Blue Mountains and Sydney’s western suburbs. The exhibition reveals how these bucolic images fed into the development of national narratives at the turn of the century, and how this legacy both vexed and was embraced by modern landscape artists.

Hawkesbury Regional Gallery opening hours:

Monday, Wednesday - Friday 10am-4pm

Saturday - Sunday 10am-3pm

Closed Tuesdays.

The Gallery is located at 300 George Street, Windsor, on the top level of the Deerubbin Centre.

Entry is free.

Don't miss this special opportunity to enjoy beautiful and important Australian artworks, within the security and serenity of your local gallery. Hawkesbury Regional Gallery is implementing a range of measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of its visitors and staff and to facilitate physical distancing. The Gallery experience will be different but safety is the main priority.

What health and safety measures will be operating at the Gallery?

• physical distancing rules in place
• 1.5 metre floor markings to support social distancing
• maximum of 50 visitors
• hand sanitiser station at entry to the Gallery
• queue locations will be in place where necessary
• high contact touch points cleaned throughout the day
• signage displayed at the facility with COVID-19 messages
• vigilance in adhering to the most up-to-date State and Federal government guidelines
• no group bookings or public programs until further notice
• the Gallery Shop will be open for cashless transactions only
• no unwell visitors please
• a record of visitor names and phone number or email address will be kept for a period of at least 28 days. All information will be kept securely and only for the purpose of COVID-19 tracing if required.

The past two months of imposed isolation have shone a spotlight on the importance of Gallery exhibitions, activities and events for enhancing community and cultural life. The Hawkesbury Regional Gallery has also been able to keep in touch with everyone online. Staff look forward to welcoming everyone back to enjoy the Gallery exhibitions in a way that keeps everyone safe and strong.

Further easing of Government restrictions will see more Gallery activities become available in future. Please subscribe to the Gallery eNewsletter The Gallery Facebook pageThis external link will open in a new window is also available for further updates.

For further operational updates visit www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.auThis external link will open in a new window and Council’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/hawkesburycitycouncilThis external link will open in a new window

Connect with Hawkesbury Regional Gallery:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hawkesburygallery/This external link will open in a new window

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hawkesburyregional_gallery/This external link will open in a new window

Website https://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/gallery

Phone 4560 4441

Email gallery@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au

From 29 June Richmond Branch Library will be open to limited hours to offer a Click & Collect service and a limited computer service. Richmond Branch Library will be open from Monday to Friday from 9.30am-2pm, Saturday 9am-1pm.

Click and collect enables library members to borrow items from the library while complying with current health and safety directives. Click and collect service allows library members to pre-order items and collect during opening hours. Library members can reserve items online or over the phone on 4560 4460 during library opening hours. Contact the Library to arrange a suitable time to collect them.

Hawkesbury City Council is proud to announce a new business support initiative called the Hawkesbury Women Back to Work Program which will commence on Wednesday, 24 June 2020.

The free program aims to provide women who are looking for a job with all the necessary skills to get back into the workforce. It also hopes to help women to achieve increased financial independence through gaining and maintaining employment.

As part of the interactive program, there will be a series of five webinars which will cover preparing a great job-ready resume that stands out, preparing for job search, interview skills and being job-ready. The program is also supported with a personalised one-on-one coaching session.

Council is calling for female residents of the Hawkesbury to register to participate by going to https://howtojobsearch.com.au/women-back-to-work-program

The pilot program is being delivered by the Western Sydney based employment services agency How to Job Search on behalf of Western Sydney Business Centre. Council has engaged Western Sydney Business Centre to run the program which is being funded from the Community and Economic Development Resilience fund from NSW Government.

As mentioned above, the program commences on Wednesday, 24 June 2020. For more information, and to see FAQs, visit https://howtojobsearch.com.au/women-back-to-work-program or contact How to Job Search via email help@howtojobsearch.com.au or call 02 8006 0082.

Thousands of small businesses reopening across NSW after the COVID-19 shutdown will have the chance to receive funding of up to $3,000 each under a new Small Business Recovery Grant scheme from the NSW Government.

Applications will be open from Wednesday, 1 July until Sunday, 16 August to help businesses safely relaunch their operations and to assist in business recovery with funds remaining from the $750 million Small Business Support Fund.

Small business owners can also get advice from Business Connect advisors to help them innovate, pivot or take advantage of opportunities in the market.

The Small Business Recovery Grant can only be used for expenses from 1 July and where no other Government support is available. More information will be made available on the Service NSW website www.service.nsw.gov.au closer to the launch.

Background

Eligible businesses and not-for-profits must meet a range of criteria including:

 Australian Business Number as at 1 March 2020 registered in NSW;

 Have total Australian wages below the NSW Government 2019-20 payroll tax threshold of $900,000 as at 1 March 2020;

 Have fewer than 20 Full Time Equivalent staff (including non-employing businesses) as at 1 March 2020;  Have an annual turnover of more than $75,000 as at 1 March 2020;

 Have experienced a decline in turnover of at least 30 per cent from March to July 2020 compared to the equivalent period (of at least two weeks) in 2019;

 Are in a highly impacted industry as at 1 March 2020. These industries were impacted by the COVID-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement Order 2020;

 Have costs from 1 July 2020 associated with safely re-opening or scaling up their business.

Small business affected by drought or natural disaster or not in operation 12 months ago, but that commenced operations prior to 1 March have alternative time ranges for comparing the decline turnover to turnover.

Service NSW www.service.nsw.gov.au will launch the Small Business Recovery Grant online on Wednesday, 1 July and will accept applications until Sunday, 16 August 2020.

Our local Community Centres are now permitted to reopen with social distancing restrictions in place to ensure the safety of our community. Prior to opening to the public, each Centre will need to have their COVID-19 Safety Plan approved by Council.

Please contact your local Community Centre to find out when they will be opening and what services they will be providing.

ℹ️Follow this link for a list of our local Community Centres