Guyra residents were out in force on Sunday to protest against the forced amalgamation of its council.
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It followed a decision by the state government to halt any proposed council amalgamations from going ahead.
But the decision came to late for Guyra residents, who last year lost its local council when it was amalgamated with the larger neighbouring shire, Armidale Dumaresq.
Residents hope the government can still reverse last year’s decision, and reinstall Guyra Shire Council.
The rally started outside Guyra Post Office, where letters of support from other councils facing a similar predicament were read out.
EARLIER
ANGERED by the state government’s decision to uphold the merger between Armidale Dumaresq and Guyra Shire Councils, the Guyra community piled into the bowling club on Thursday, February 16.
More than 80 people filled the room and Guyra resident Rob Lenehan led the discussion on a rally against the forced merger.
“Tuesday’s announcement was some of the most devastating news Guyra has ever had,” Mr Lenehan said.
“The Premier has announced that the amalgamation between Armidale and Guyra will go ahead, to the joys of some people but not many in Guyra.”
Mr Lenehan is responsible for a statewide petition against the merger and is positive it will garner the 10,000 signatures needed to have the issue tabled in Parliament.
“The idea of the petition is that they can’t back away from it,” he said.
“All the decisions that have been made right across the state on local government are only policies – without getting too political, those policies have come from a government that’s not listening to us.”
Mr Lenehan stressed that it’s only forced amalgamations that the group opposes.
“I think amalgamations probably are a good idea. Look at Brisbane now – you don’t see anyone complaining there,” he said.
“Now some big bum sitting on a chair has thought they’d do it all over the state and rationalised that, that’s a politician’s word and of course we all know what rationalised means – it’s going to cost you money.”
Guyra resident Gordon Youman said the efforts to disband the merger had the support of a number of communities down south.
“Think about the people down south, Arden, Holroyd, Cabonne, Gundagai, Gloucestor, Taree – they’re all behind us, they’re all in this network,” he said.
“This was never tabled in Parliament, this was a stroke of a pen.”
At a vote on the rally, every person who attended the meeting raised their hand in support.
The protest is on Sunday, February 26, at 12pm, from the Guyra Post Office to the Big Lamb.