THE Tingha community officially bade farewell to Armidale Regional Council at midnight on June 30, and slid into the Inverell Shire Council, after the sometimes controversial, 800 square kilometre, local government boundary adjustment came into effect on July 1.
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Armidale Mayor Simon Murray described it as a sad day. He and his wife dined at Tingha's Sport and Recreation Club on Friday evening, and spent some time with some of the locals.
"There was a sadness. They enjoyed the interaction between myself and Tingha, and they thanked me very much for the contribution we'd made as a council," he said.
"A lot of them were looking forward to the changes. Some of them were getting new garbage bins, etc.
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"However, I do think it is fitting that Tingha goes across there. The children go to school in Inverell, they get water from Inverell, they do their shopping in Inverell, and for a lot of people it's their real community of interest."
Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall said Monday marked the end of an almost four-year process, which started in 2016 with a petition launched by the Tingha Citizens Association.
"From today 963 new residents from Tingha, Georges Creek, Howell and Stanborough areas formally move into the Inverell Shire local government area," Mr Marshall said.
"The leadership exhibited by both Mayors Simon Murray and Paul Harmon, and their respective senior staff, on this issue is an absolute credit to both organisations.
"This boundary adjustment has been considerable in its scale and required much scrutiny by the NSW Office of Local Government."
