But, in probably the forerunner of today’s so-called ratepayers’ and protest associations, a group of pushy people got together to complain settlers on the perimeter were encroaching on the proposed village boundaries, which weren’t gazetted until November 1846.

Every now and then since there’s been some sort of single interest association formed in Orange, generally most of them with an axe to grind or a wheelbarrow to push.

More recently these include groups that have campaigned against the proposed army base, relocation of the saleyards, the new dump, the heated swimming pool, relocation of the showground, the Macquarie River pipeline, council amalgamations and, right or wrong, now an industrial site near the airport.

Back in the 1970s the council except four aldermen was shot out because it approved construction of the Civic Centre, which was built anyway.

And ignoring protests the council went ahead and built the art gallery and library and what an asset it is today.

It’s a wonder there isn’t an anti-museum mob.

So the question should be asked: When will an organisation be formed in Orange to promote the best city in NSW, its lifestyle, amenities and attractions?

Without denying the right of people to campaign against something they don’t like, the negativity needs to be balanced.

So, let’s go Orange.

MOST new cars now have those flash infotainment systems installed but you’d be shocked to know how distracting they can be?

And a GPS navigation system is fine but not if it’s going to cause you to crash.

Research suggests that the amount of time drivers take their eyes off the road or hands off the wheel to set these things is 12 seconds for each instruction.

 That means at 100km/h you travel more than 320 metres down the road in the 12 seconds it takes you to change the screen. Anything can happen in that time.

 You can’t look at the road and your screen at the same time so taking your eyes off the road for even several seconds in town cuts your safe following distance and the way some people drive could result in a crash.

So, what about these things? Are they safe?

Not if it takes your concentration off the road and especially if it’s taking longer than 12 seconds to punch in basic commands.

AREN'T we lucky we live in Orange?

You can wander across busy streets in front of cars wherever and whenever you like.

You can ignore the red don’t walk pedestrian lights without penalty.

You can stop and chat in large groups right in the middle of footpaths without thought of anyone else.

 You can stop and chat in the aisles in the department stores, blocking the way and forcing other shoppers to climb through the clothes racks to get past.

You couldn’t get away with doing any of those things in Sydney.

So, isn’t it great to be a bushie?  

IS it spring or what? Wattle, our national floral emblem, is coming out weeks early in the Orange district with Wattle Day not until September 1.

It would have been right on cue if Wattle Day had stayed on August 1 where it had been celebrated in NSW since1916 because that enabled the Red Cross to send the earlier flowering Cootamundra Wattle overseas during the war and present it to homecoming servicemen and women.

But wattle still represents a big part of our life, especially in sport, since green and gold officially became our national colours with a proclamation by the governor-general in April 1984 and then becoming our national floral emblem on September 1, 1988.

Blue and gold had also been put forward as national colours because blue represents a clear Aussie sky as the background to flowering wattle.

Wattle and Wattle Day can be anything we want it to be but generally relates to the beginning of spring.

IF all that snow and rain hasn’t been bad enough for drivers, we now face a new weather-related menace. Some of our well-paved roads and streets have been turned into potholed minefields.

The newly rebuilt section of the distributor road between Molong Road and Forbes Road is a classic example with long sections breaking up after the snow.

There’s also streets in town like Kite busting up although we’re not alone because the surrounding Cabonne and Blayney shires also face the same problems with their roads.

Drivers hitting even a small pothole can damage the wheels, tyres and steering alignment on their cars.

Let’s hope there’s not too much more rain before the patches are patched.

IS there anything more annoying than things that beep all the time?

There’s a beep on mobile phones for pretty much everything. Fully charged. Beep. Low on battery. Beep. Text message received. Beep.

Computers beep when you get an email.

Cars beep when you don’t put your seatbelt on. Cars beep when you leave the lights on. Cars beep when the central locking is turned on or off.

Trucks beep when they reverse.

Microwaves beep when the tucker is cooked.

Smoke alarms beep when the battery is flat. Washing machines beep when they’ve finished the cycle.

And so the list goes on.

The supermarket checkout barcode scanner beeps for every item.

So this high-pitched alert that’s so grating pings us from every direction.

Ear muffs seem to be the only answer.

TWO Irish potatoes are sitting on a chopping board. 

“I’m about to change my nationality,” one says to the other .

“How?” the other potato asks. 

“By becoming French fries.”