Category Archives: News

Rain falls once again

Deniliquin residents enjoyed the rain today with the town receiving good rainfall for the second time since last Friday.

The rain may have forced many people to revise their outdoor plans for Mothers Day but a day of watching movies or doing other indoor activities would have no doubt be deemed a suitable replacement for some.

This rain is good news for the town as the farms gets the water its fields needs, water tanks fill up to ensure long term supply and lawns spring to life which is a far sight better than front and back yards as well as farm fields of brown.

The above pictures which were taken by Dan Clark and that DNS are always grateful for, show the rain doing it’s thing in town.
A closer inspection of the photos shows puddles, cars with headlights on, the mist like appearance of rain in the distance and the recent hot topic of local roads not in the greatest of shape (picture taken in the North side of town).

The rain is expected to reappear in the early hours of Monday morning and possibly on and off until Tuesday before the weather goes back to it’s previous pattern but after two great days of rain, nobody can be blamed for hoping for a little bit more.

The pressures on Business

Businesses are under pressure more than ever thanks to the recent advances in social media that puts businesses and customers closer than ever before.

Let’s take game making as one example, game companies used to be able to quietly make games and consumers had to wait until release to post grievances, now gamers can follow progress, ask for game content to be added, show their impatience with game development speed and really trash a game if there is mistakes in it.

A perception of a business could can with a single message, one message of discontent can inspire others to post about their experiences and it may inspire change in the business but there is also the risk that the discontent could get really nasty in a short period of time.

If a Pizza is cooked badly or you get a badly made Bun or something else from some store that just isn’t up to standards from product to opening and closing times not being followed as advertised, talk to the manager first because it is more likely than not they will happily refund you or get you a replacement item to ensure the regaining of your satisfaction.

If that is not possible, take pictures of what is not up to standard and privately contact someone higher up, If that is not an option just post a polite message to the Facebook page with the pictures, it may shame them but they will work to rectify the bad experience.

It is good to alert a business of something they have or are doing wrong but always make sure to be polite about it, unless the workers love to be sloppy it is usually a case of human error and they’d happily fix things for you.

Perhaps together we can do well for businesses and their employees by helping them lift standards the polite and helpful way.

Should locals get lower Ute Muster prices?

The Ute Muster, a couple of days of people with Utes paying big prices to see some of the best bands and solo artists on offer and of course seeing how many singlets there is and how many utes are in the area plus much more.

There’s been suggestions that Deniliquin residents should get a much lower ticket price which makes sense to some because it is a local event and nobody wants to be priced out of an event situation on home soil.

So here is some of the pros and cons of the ticket prices as they stand right now and we say some because there’s probably more pros and cons out there.

Pros of current Ticket prices

1. Early Bird tickets lower costs
2. Payment plans ease the financial burden
3. Kids are spared from expense
4. It’s about right when artist fees etc are factored in
5. There’s a stack of artists on the bill so crunched down it’s considered fair
6. Ensures the Ute Muster keeps on going into the future

Cons of current Ticket Prices

1. Still considered very costly regardless of option
2. You might only want to see a portion of the event
3. Parents may not want to go just for the kids
4. Travel Expenses (not if local)
5. Accommodation (not if local)

What would be a fair price for a local to go if such a discount was in operation? Somewhere between $150 and $200 probably be a logical area because if you dip towards $100 total admission people would be very unimpressed at local bias.

So a lowered local price would draw local people in but as mentioned above you don’t want the discount lowered to a point it would make travellers unhappy at the price tag because if they stay home there would be a profit loss.

There’s also discussion on lowering prices for everyone to attract more people, it’s been a passionate debate for some time and many people have valid points for example artists cost money and so you got their fees, insurance premiums to ensure nothing happens to them on stage etc.

On the other hand, artists have been saying that some shows just cost too much and are fighting to keep the costs down to enable everyone to have a shot of seeing them.

The counter to that is that somebody can see Keith Urban for $200 at one of his concerts (see a support act or two too) and then go to the Ute Muster and pay around $30 more to see him plus a whole  bunch of others performing for the people if music is your reason for going to the Ute muster.

DNS’s conclusion is it’s a complicated mess and may the right balance be found to suit everyone so everybody can have a great start to October.

Jolly needs You

A higher than usual amount of sick and/or injured Dogs in recent times has required Herd2homes to make an urgent appeal for donations as they bring the sick and injured Dogs back to good health and ready for adoption by loving and caring Dog owners.

One example of a Dog that has been unfortunately sick and injured is Jolly, Jolly has joined Wilson on the recovery list but only after the young dog endured a Biopsy on his nose, a case of Lupus and the misfortune of rupturing the cruciate in his left hind leg, the total cost of all the medical dramas is $1600 and so the public’s help is needed.

Donations can be made by going to http://www.givenow.com.au/herd2homes or by going to a CBA branch and depositing any amount to;

Herd2homes Dog Rescue
BSB: 062533
ACC: 1020 7520
Reference: Jolly

All amounts over $2 can be made tax deductable and DNS hopes that the public will respond enthusiastically to the call for help and also that Jolly will be 100% in a short period of time.

DNS will report on Jolly’s recovery as further news  comes to hand.

High rates not equaling high service?

Deniliquin residents are becoming very unhappy at the increasing rates with the view by many that the rates ($1700 and up a year before water bills) are too high and also that there is the feeling the money is not going to where it’s supposed to be.

Residents have stated that rate increases have been given without proper notice and the rates model has been inconsistent as people with similar sized blocks have found themselves to be paying different totals.

Residents are unhappy at the state of the roads with the Deniliquin Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Group having lots of comments and photos from residents showing that roads have crumbled, roads that have potholes everywhere and in some cases there are mentions of streets that don’t have a paved road yet and are difficult to travel on in the dry and near impossible in the wet.

There are also reports that the filling of potholes does not get complete with some streets only having a percentage of the potholes filled before they move on to another street and doing the same there and so on and so forth.

A review of comments made by residents gives the conclusion that confidence in Deniliquin Council is not high and this may make many of those on Council very nervous if they are looking to stay in the job and if the merger between Council and Shire happens they’ll be even more nervous with new players from outside of town expected to enter the field.

The potential merger between Deniliquin Council and Conargo Shire is expected to bring in lots of money and better infrastructure though some have pointed out that this new council will encompass more than Deniliquin therefore things may not really change but hopes are always high change will be the order of the day.

Regardless of what happens merger wise, the rates must be reviewed and action on the roads must be done sooner rather than later or there will be an electoral landslide as change becomes more and more desired.