What a Punish last weekend! On Sunday, our largest ever Panorama Punish took place around the Mount Panorama circuit and it was such a great morning. Looking around the field, I could only pick out around 100 or so locals. That means a huge number of people travelled to Bathurst specifically to run the Mountain, stay here, eat here and experience our great city, and that is exactly the sort of event tourism we should keep building on!
There’s something pretty special about seeing Mount Panorama used this way. One weekend it’s race cars, another it’s runners taking on 6.2km of one of the most iconic circuits in the country. There's plenty of room to keep making this event bigger and better each year, so watch this space. Well done to Council staff, Event Ambassador Jenn Arnold and the dedicated crew of volunteers who pulled it all together! It's certainly a well-loved event.
This week, it was an honour to meet with Kylie Shead of Arts OutWest to launch the inaugural Tracy Sorensen Writing Residency. Established through a partnership between the Bathurst Writers’ & Readers’ Festival and Arts OutWest, the annual residency will provide emerging and early-career writers with the opportunity to spend dedicated time in the Bathurst Region developing new work in a supportive regional environment. The residency reflects Tracy’s enduring commitment to creativity, storytelling and nurturing new voices in Australian literature - she was an extraordinary writer and creative thinker whose generosity and passion for storytelling inspired countless people. This residency will help ensure her legacy continues by supporting the next generation of writers and giving them the time and space they need to develop their craft - it's certainly a fitting tribute to a writer whose work was deeply connected to place, imagination and community. Head to the Arts OutWest website to read more about the residency.
Coming up this weekend, there are some great events happening around town as always. On Saturday, I'm looking forward to heading to the Australian Fossil & Mineral Museum for their Halloween event – Bugs and Beasts. I've been assured this will be a day jampacked with spooky fun for kids and adults alike. Kids can meet creepy-crawly critters, explore live animal and bug displays and come face-to-face with roaring dinosaurs. I'll be there in my best Halloween attire, so grab your tickets at the door and I'll see you there.
Plus, Sunday is our final New Resident Welcome Lunch for the year. This is taking place at Morse Park from 11:30am, come along to meet your next coffee pal, golf buddy or book club colleague and discover everything our Bathurst Region has to offer!
Ben Fry
Mayor of Bathurst