Bywong Community Association (Inc) and the Bywong Community

The Association organises a number of annual events including the biggest, the Bywong Community Car Boot Sale. More information about our events can be located under Events. You can find out more about joining the Association by clicking here and you can send your enquiries here.

Bywong is a locality within the Palerang Shire in southern NSW with a population of 1195 people. Wamboin adjoins Bywong and have a combined population of just over 2850 residents. Bywong  is located between Lake George and on both sides of the Federal Highway, about 30 km north-east of Canberra, ACT Australia. Click here for more information about the Bywong locality and history, including a MAP of the area. 

Information also available onthe Bywong and Wamboin Facebook group, which we encourage local residents to join.

Bywong Community Events 2016

• AGM - WEDS 17^th August 2016 at 7:30pm.   It was encouraging to see new faces and receive interest in helping the Community.  If you can't make it to evening meetings just email us president@bywongcommunity.org.au with your details and we'll keep you posted.  The new Master Plan for the Les Reardon Hall and Reserve was presented along with the plans for the playground. The President's Report is below.
• Trivia Night - Saturday 16^th July 2016 -ANOTHER GREAT  NIGHT- BYWONG (AND BEYOND) BRAINS BATTLED IT OUT!!! 
• Christmas Drinks Friday 9^th December 2016

 You are welcome to attend our Bywong Community meetings which are held on Monday nights every second even month (public holidays excepted) - Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct & December- at 7:30 pm at the Bywong Community Hall, Birrwa Road, Bywong.

2015-176 President's Report

This last year has seen significant generational changes happening in our community.  Sadly, we have lost several long serving older members over the past year.  We are seeing younger couples and families establishing in Bywong.  This means that the focus of the Bywong Community Inc. needs to appeal to and welcome this demographic.  While our main events provide for a broad cross section of the community – we have to now encourage and appeal more to this younger community. 

We welcome your input and ideas, e.g. we’ve been planning for a family fun day later in the year.  This was to align with the commencement of the playground - a major initiative of committee member Merle- to provide for our young community.  Since the Hall is owned and managed by Council- any alterations have to be approved and overseen by Council and the Hall Management committee.  The project has been accepted by the Council committee and planning and design work is underway.  Merle also applied for and won significant funding ($11000 from NSW Government and a further $5000 from the Bendigo bank) – an ongoing task if we want to achieve and build the preferred design. 

Having been President for just one year, despite being involved with the Bywong Community now for over twenty years – it’s gratifying to see the successful signature events that attract so many and give a profile to our little community.  Thank you to the Bywong Community committee who have put in over the last year.  Bywong is lucky to have such generous individuals who are prepared to donate their time and energy to serve their community! 

The 2016 Car Boot Sale (March) was well attended and the great weather made it a pleasant experience.  The active selling and buying prompted many positive comments and bargains! The event raised over $2000 for the Community itself- that’s separate from monies raised by local groups such as the Wamboin Fire Brigade and Landcare – for whom this is a major fund raiser!  The money raised will be distributed to local community organisations including the Wamboin RFS and the Bungendore Scouts (who assisted with the raffle at the CBS) as well as assisting with eth proposed playground at the Hall.  Special thanks go to the hard working committee in setting up and working on the day- as well as organising the raffle and distribution of prizes.  The event is a major attraction and provides a benefit for the community – a meeting place for old friends and neighbours- almost like a fair! Should it continue - next year would be its 20^th year – which should be special! 

The Trivia Night in July was another high point! (Really it is JPF’s Trivia night….).  Nine willing volunteers made things run smoothly through the night, with hot soups and bread rolls- prizes and mind wrenching questions!  Competition is fierce but funny -and you can almost hear the brains buzzing.  At the end and by public consensus, it was decided to make a small cash donation to Charlotte Barker, the 13yo ballerina who composed a round.  The rest of the income was to be donated to the playground project.

Our Annual Xmas drinks in December 2015 provided plenty of Xmas fare and beverage for around forty of our community – who obviously enjoyed the event, as they lingered and chatted for quite some time.  

Less successful was our Clean Up Australia – Bywong-which had been sensibly postponed to cooler times (May).  Unfortunately, the lack of clarity about insurance for volunteers meant that after so many years - it did not go ahead as planned.  Organisers were advised that volunteers working on arterial roads (such as Macs Reef and Bungendore Roads) were not protected with insurance cover – and Palerang Council could not assist.  So to date, nothing has happened about cleaning up the roads. Instead, we watch as the build-up of rubbish continues on the Macs Reef Road in particular- and wonder at what stage it will get noticed by any Council.  I recommend that the Association should write to the new QPRC and ask that the arterial roads should be cleaned up - given the lack of support for volunteers to do it. 

Work is continuing to update and simplify our website- thanks to committee member Steve Walker.  While the committee looked into creating a facebook page- managing social media requires constant monitoring- and to date, the website is our first priority. Virtual is no substitute for the on-ground, real thing when it comes to community!

Working with Bywong Community Inc has given me the opportunity to meet many sterling individuals who put in for their community.  I hope that the incoming committee and president will find their involvement as rewarding as I have over the years.

Hall Hire

 The Hall and grounds are Council property and are managed by a committee of Council- the s355 Les Reardon Reserve Committee. 

http://www.palerang.nsw.gov.au/community/council-committees/les-reardon-reserve-s355-committee

If you would like to find out about hiring the Bywong Hall at the Les Reardon Reserve, please email the Hall Booking Officer . If you are unable to contact the bookings officer, you can phone 62369815.

 If you want to see if the Hall is available, you can view availability by clicking HERE for the Bywong Hall and Reserve calendar

You can see a Google map of the Les Reardon Reserve and the Bywong Hall here

Keeping in touch with people locally

• Bywong and Wamboin Hub Facebook Group: 900 members strong, this is the place to go to ask questions & share local information
• Wamboin Electronic Noticeboard: Yahoo email group
• Sutton Chatter Facebook page

Emergency contact information

 

Service	Number	Service	Number
Fire/Police/Ambulance	Dial 000 all hours	Sutton Fire Brigade Duty Officer YASS SIDE OF BYWONG	0418 303 232
Bungendore Police	6238 1244	Bungendore Medical Centre	6298 9211
Queanbeyan Police	6298 0599	Ambulance Bookings	131233
Wamboin Fire Brigade Captain PALERANG SIDE OF BYWONG	0409 991 340	Bungendore Vet Surgery	6238 1133
Updated NSW Fire Incidents	website	Palerang Council	6238 8111

Sponsors

We would like to thank the following sponsors for their ongoing support:

 

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