20 January 2020

Cumberland City Council gives condolences to the Rahme family
Meet your Mayor
I’m really excited to have the opportunity to meet Cumberland residents over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be at Stockland Mall, Merrylands opposite the food court on level 1, see sessions below. Please share with me your thoughts and ideas on topics that interest you.
I’m a firm believer in engaging with the community and listening to their experiences and stories. These are the types of initiatives that will help Cumberland grow.
No appointment necessary, just drop in!
Sessions details:
- Thursday, 23 January (10am to 1pm)
- Thursday, 6 February (10am to 1pm)
Looking forward to meeting you!
In addition to these sessions, residents are free to make appointments to meet with me or Council staff to discuss any concerns or ideas during business hours.
To make an appointment, please contact me directly on 0419 651 187.

Commuter parking in Pendle Hill
Commuters need more parking near the train station in Pendle Hill and as the Mayor, it’s my job to take issues like this to a state level and advocate on behalf our community when it’s needed.
Council have been in discussion with Transport for NSW since 2015 to increase parking spots for commuters at Civic Park carpark and to build a new commuter carpark on Council owned-land in Civil Avenue and Billabong Street in Pendle Hill.
After three and half years of consultation, however, Council has been informed that Transport for NSW is now walking away from this project. Transport authorities have instead determined that they want to allocate parking to Wentworthville train station. I look forward to seeing the details around where and when that will happen.
I would urge Transport authorities to reconsider their decision around parking in Pendle Hill.
Commuters need this parking, the State Government promised more parking in Pendle Hill as an election commitment and our Council is ready to move forward with this.

New Garden for Volunteer Park
School holidays are in full swing and I’ve really appreciated the help of my daughters Isabella and Nicola in preparing new garden beds in Volunteer Park, Merrylands.
Council will be planting a mix of native and exotic plants and we hope to have the new garden beds complete in the next few weeks.

New accessible playground one step closer
I think it’s important for our children to play in areas that are accessible and our play spaces should reflect this. With this in mind, I’m delighted that the Abilities Playground in the Central Gardens at Merrylands West is nearing completion.
Works at the playground include the installation of a water hand pump for water play, shade sails, accessible foot paving and new planting. There are also existing BBQ picnic areas and animal enclosures in the area.
The All Abilities Playground was funded by the NSW Government Stronger Communities Fund and the Everyone Can Play Grant Programme.
Children and families can start to use the site for the rest of the school holidays and I’m looking forward to this playground being complete and ready for the official opening in February.
