September 3: In an unspeakable act of animal cruelty a man in an alcohol-fuelled rage allegedly threw a litter of puppies at a fence, killing three and critically injuring a fourth that later had to be euthanaised by a veterinarian. The lactating mother dog and her sole surviving puppy were cared for by the RSPCA at an undisclosed location after being seized by police from a home in Forbes.
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September 4: Orange and Millthorpe set a new standard as destinations of culinary excellence. Orange restaurants Lolli Redini and Racine, and Millthorpe's Tonic received hats in the 2014 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awards at Star City.
September 7: Orange City Council was going green with the introduction of hybrid bikes for staff. Council purchased two hybrid bikes, which can be run on pedal power, but also have a rechargeable battery, for $3000 in the hope staff will use them for small commutes around Orange.
September 9: An Orange primary school teacher was charged by police with the possession of child abuse and child pornography material on his home computer. The 42-year-old man was recently removed from the classroom in Orange after police allege he downloaded pornographic child abuse images on to his computer at his home in Cowra.
September 11: John Davis was set to continue as mayor for at least 12 months following the mayoral election where he was returned with nine votes. Cr Russel Turner and Cr Reg Kidd nominated for the position but missed out. The deputy mayor role went to Cr Chris Gryllis when Cr Scott Munro and Cr Kidd failed to attract enough support from their fellow councillors.
September 12: A proposal revealed the corporate training nd education support services division, which had an office on Orange, was to be decentralised as part of planned streamlining of TAFE NSW's corporate functions. Several TAFE NSW staff members said they expected the move to translate to job loses.
September 13: Police told parents to be vigilant about their child's whereabouts after a seven-year-old girl was approached by a stranger as she walked home from school. This was the second time a child had been approached in the past four months, although police did not believe the incidents are linked. The girl was walking alone down Nashdale Lane when a man allegedly approached her and offered a ride home, when she declined and continued walking, the man left a short time later.
September 17: John Cobb was disappointed to miss out on the role of agriculture minister to lowerhouse newcomer Barnaby Joyce in Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbot's new cabinet. But Mr Cobb said he knew the ministry was out of his reach when he lost the vote for deputy leader of the Nationals.
September 18: Rural residents in the Orange area were banned from burning piles of tree branches and garden trimmings in bonfires after a tightening of Rural Fire Service regulations. Locals showed concern that they would have to lug excess vegetation waste to the Ophir Road resource recovery centre if they can't fit it in their green waste bins.
September 19: Shoppers at Orange City Centre were treated to something out of the ordinary when 65 Canobolas Rural Technology High School students started dancing from all directions. Students had less than five hours to put their routine together, with the purpose of publicity for the school in mind for principal Chad Bliss.
September 21: Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner visited Orange to officially open Orange's Service Centre - only the fourth in the state. Mr Stoner said $600,000 to $700,000 was spent on fitting out the leased building but it was a worthy investment with the costs expected to be recovered as the government is more productive and efficient. He said Orange was chosen as part of the first roll-out of service centres as it was a large, sophisticated, regional centre, a reasonable distance away from Sydney.
September 23: The troubled Kurim Shopping Centre's owner Eddy Eid revealed a proposal to convert the building into a multimillion-dollar childcare and community centre. This comes just days after Councillor Neil Jones suggested purchasing the shops may be the only option to make the area safe for the public, while Councillors Kevin Duffy and Ron Gander disagree.
September 25: The parents of Eliza Wannan and Will Dalton-Brown broke down as they told a coroners' inquest how their lives changed following the death of their children. Miss Wannan and Mr Dalton-Brown were killed on a Belgravia property on Australia Day 2010 when a ute reversed over the swag they were sleeping in.
September 26: Alarm spreads as community members notice that forensic mental health patients who have killed or committed violent crimes, but found not guilty on the grounds of mental illness, are training in Orange as part of their rehabilitation, through an arrangement with TAFE and Orange Health Service.
THE TEN MOST READ STORIES ON THE CENTRAL WESTERN DAILY WEBSITE IN SEPTEMBER, 2013:
1. VIDEO: Orange City Centre taken over by flash mob
2. Enough's enough: crime victim packing his bags
3. Elderly man seriously injured in accident
4. VIDEO: Three out of four the sweetest equation for CYMS
5. Orange teacher charged over child porn
6. Police questioned over swag deaths
7. Old hospital site goes to the wall
8. Inquest hears of devastating loss
9. New owner steps up to plate at restaurant
10. Car smashes through shop window
THROUGH MY EYES: COBB ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AISLE
By CLARE COLLEY
IT can be hard to provoke reader interest when covering a federal election for such a safe political seat especially in an environment where most voters were well and truly tired of the prolonged nationwide campaigning.
But Member for Calare John Cobb's reelection in September did at least mark one milestone event, it was the first time in 20 years Orange's local representative was also a member of the government.
After years of being left out of the action, Calare's local representative would finally be a senior voice in government.
Unfortunately some of the excitement was short lived as Mr Cobb was later sidelined for his much-wanted role as Agriculture Minister after years of holding the position in the shadow cabinet.
But in some ways the reshuffle was good news for Calare.
Yes, our local member doesn't have a seat on the front bench, but it means that 100 per cent of his job is about looking after the interests of his constituents with no distractions from other ministerial duties.
For the Coalition the honeymoon period in government has been short lived.
Nationally the Holden factory closure announcements hit the government hard just months after they assumed office.
Calare too was dealt a blow with several major closures announced including Electrolux in Orange and Simplot Downer EDI in Bathurst.
While the area's future may still look uncertain, hopefully having a local member with only his constituents to worry about will act in our favour.
One thing that was interesting about the election for the seat of Calare was the diversity of candidates.
There is no doubt all walks of life and all political persuasions were represented.
In some safe seats, and even in some past Calare elections, parties with little chance of being elected parachute in candidates with no knowledge of the local area just to keep the seat warm.
But for last year's election, all the candidates contesting Calare were serious about trying to be elected and genuine Calare residents.
