SYDNEYSIDERS will be given a glimpse of country life when they attend this weekend’s CountryNSW Expo at the Sydney Olympic Park.
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For the fourth year in a row Orange City Council will share a stand with Cabonne Council and work together to inform Sydneysiders of the benefits and opportunities of living and working in the Orange and Cabonne regions.
According to Orange City Council environment and economic development policy committee chair Neil Jones, the two councils share a joint stand because “what we offer complements each other”.
“A lot of Sydney refugees like the idea of a village lifestyle or village living, and the broader Cabonne area has a bigger range to offer than Orange,” councillor Jones said.
“Likewise, Orange has the range of jobs, education and services to offer people who make the lifestyle choice to relocate.
“Potential newcomers aren’t interested in local government boundaries and therefore we present as a united front in trying to attract people to the region.”
Cr Jones said the stand would display actual jobs on offer and houses for sale.
“The majority of the attendees want to talk about their specific circumstances in relation to employment, career advancement, health, childcare, rental options, business options, education, sports, leisure, cultural and recreational facilities,” he said.
Cr Jones said attendees were encouraged to visit the area first so that they could consider the practicalities of relocating.
Attendees are also offered advice about government-funded relocation grants.
Cr Jones said Orange would be highlighting being named the top regional suburb in Australia for family living in a recent Aussie Home Loans/RP Data survey.
“The stand will also highlight Orange’s healthcare sector and education providers,” Cr Jones said.
He said mining was always a hot topic of discussion at the expo.
“It’s always hard to specifically measure the impact of events such as this, but anecdotally a number of people have moved to the area in the last year who made contact at the last expo,” Cr Jones said.
Staff attending the expo include Orange City Council tourism manager Glenn Mickle and business projects officer Tony Boland, and Cabonne Council community engagement and grants officer Hannah Dunlop and the acting manager of economic development and the communications manager Dale Jones.
The 11th annual event is hosted by the non-profit organisation the Foundation for Regional Development.