Steve Peterson Orange City Councillor

Steve Peterson Orange City Councillor Orange City Councillor

Our dams are filled to 83.2% capacity as of the 29th of May. Here's hoping it's a fair bit higher by the end of the week...
02/06/2026

Our dams are filled to 83.2% capacity as of the 29th of May. Here's hoping it's a fair bit higher by the end of the week. However wet weather has affected planned works this week, with maintenance the main focus.
There will be footpath work on Wirraburra walk and Miriam Drive this week weather permitting.

1731 potholes were repaired last week as per the list below. Likely a few more next week.
Phillip Street East near Astill Drive
Ploughmans Lane near Boyd Place
Lone Pine Avenue between South Terrace and Adina Crescent
Byng Street between Park Street and Spring Street
Canobolas Road between Pinnacle Road and Ploughmans Lane
Gardiner Road between Apollo Place and Anson Street
Burrendong Way between Sunrise Way and Wiradjuri Place
Sampson Street between Byng Street and Summer Street
McLachlan Street between Caroline Street East and Churchill Avenue
McLachlan Street between Ellard Street and Palmer Street
Cecil Road between Railway Street and Park Road
Allenby Road near Icely Road West
Torulosa Way between Maxime Place and Willow Place
Laurel Avenue near Valerie Place
McLachlan Street between Bathurst Road and Moulder Street
Anson Street between Morobe Place and Sundew Circuit
Icely Road between Allenby Road West and Nile Street
Phoenix Mine Road near Blunt Road
Icely Road near Winter Street
Woodward Street between Brooke Place and Kara Place

Can I promote the currently ongoing ‘Bloomfield: 1925-2025’ exhibition that is on display at our museum. I find the history of medicine fascinating if occasionally horrifying. The exhibition touches on the evolution of mental health treatment over the past century and the impact of Bloomfield hospital on Orange. Bloomfield continues to makes a contribution today, I was working there today actually at the drug and alcohol detox. Hopefully not for 100 more years though.

Tonight I am at 'Stars of Orange' with 600 others raising money for the Cancer council. Cancer affects everyone in some ...
30/05/2026

Tonight I am at 'Stars of Orange' with 600 others raising money for the Cancer council. Cancer affects everyone in some way, and from my medical point of view treatments have improved greatly even during my 15 years of work. Those treatments require research which requires money, and well over $100000 will be raised tonight. I'm pictured with the JLW team, whom I do physical therapy with on Tuesdays. Tonight they will be one of 8 performances and I will watch them work for a change. Congratulations and thanks to all who made this happen!

Today I joined five other councillors to tour the Conservatorium and Planetarium construction. Whilst there is still ple...
29/05/2026

Today I joined five other councillors to tour the Conservatorium and Planetarium construction. Whilst there is still plenty of fit out remaining, one can definitely appreciate the scale of the building and the improvement compared with the old facility. The planetarium dome was actually pretty impressive and I look forward to seeing the end product. September is the planned opening. The tour started poorly when my wheelchair got caught up amongst the carpet optimistically laid to keep mud out of the building, so many thanks to everybody involved in releasing me!
Earlier today I had caught up with another volunteer to discuss first-aid and runner safety for the Lonely mountain ultra, and following the tour I popped in to visit Max as part of the Aged care visitors scheme. Last night was my first board meeting at OAMS, and I am genuinely very pleased to be back hopefully making a useful contribution to an organisation I’m quite fond of. One highlight was hearing about a surgical partnership that has seen over 50 Indigenous children receiving surgeries in recent months with the current public waitlist now being 0!

I attended the Council Health liaison community committee this morning. As always it was quite well attended by various ...
27/05/2026

I attended the Council Health liaison community committee this morning. As always it was quite well attended by various community members and service providers. We had a briefing from headspace and discussed Bloomfield hospital maintenance concerns. Research in the central West was debated especially the need for such research to be managed locally and not remotely in universities in Sydney Newcastle and Wollongong to maximise research validity. I discussed supervision I am doing on behalf of council for a Sydney University medical student research project into assessing shade suitability and requirements for our playgrounds. Indeed, I have to mark the literature review today. We are still waiting on briefings on local robotic surgery, urgent care clinic data and va**ng legislation all of which would be interesting to see.
Last night I was involved in a couple of community groups. The first being ‘Jesus club’, a church group for adults with an intellectual disability. I have gotten to know several members through work, church and volunteering at Wangarang which has helped make some friendships. Last night I was giving the talk, and God must have a sense of humour as the topic chosen for me to deliver was ‘patience’. Physician heal thyself.
After this I attended a committee meeting for Lonely Mountain Ultra, where I am the assistant first-aid and WHS officer. Registrations are going very well, and preparations are well underway for our fifth event. Interesting discussions last night included checking regimes for mandatory equipment given that one of the races is over 160 km in length. We also discussed prizes and sharing resources with other local running groups. The race is September 26, look forward to seeing you there!

Below is this week's road and footpath's update. Our dams are at 83% capacity as of the 22nd of May. Whilst the rain isn...
26/05/2026

Below is this week's road and footpath's update. Our dams are at 83% capacity as of the 22nd of May. Whilst the rain isn't helpful for the sporting precinct construction, this week's forecast rain should improve that percentage!

Roads
Whiley Road
Hydromulch batters and table drains
Install signs

Footpaths
Clinton Street – Prince to March (renewal)
Wirraburra walk – selected slab replacements
Kite Street – Peisley Street end (renewal)
Miriam Drive – Leeds Parade to #40
Footpath maintenance grinds and renewal at various locations

Airport – Taxiway Bravo
Remaining subgrade replacement
Base course gravel (weather dependent)

Pothole repairs
Cadia Road near Ballykeane Lane
Ploughmans Lane near Boyd Place
Autumn Street between March Street and Dalton Street
March Street between Nile Street and Autumn Street
Pinnacle Road between Pines Lane and Lysterfield Road
Woodward Street near Racecourse Road
Peisley Street near Kite Street
Beasley Road between Commins Road and Anderson Road
Rowan Street between Linden Avenue and Coronation Drive
Seymour Street between Lucas Street and March Street
Nile Street between Hawkins Lane and Summer Street
Sunny South Crescent between Cecil Road and Maguire Avenue
Kurim Avenue between Currong Crescent and Maroo Road
Connollys Close near The Overflow
March Street between Curran Street and Lords Place
Canobolas Road between Wrights Lane and Carthew Road
Currong Crescent between Pindari Place and Kurim Avenue
Yaraan Place near Panpande Crescent
Hale Street between Dalton Street and March Street
Ophir Road between Pearce Lane and Boundary Road
Canobolas Road between Pinnacle Road and Ploughmans Lane
Sampson Street between National Avenue and Lamrock Avenue
Total potholes repaired: 1459

Today I attended the Cancer Care Western Lodge for their ‘biggest morning tea’ fundraiser. Great to chat to the staff, volunteers and friends who make that crucial service function. Indeed it is crucial, the 16 bed accommodation for patients and their support networks whilst going through treatment can be the deciding factor as to whether the treatment happens or not. The whole Central West is lucky to have them.

Today the disability inclusion action plan 2026-2030 has been released for public exhibition. One in five Australians ha...
25/05/2026

Today the disability inclusion action plan 2026-2030 has been released for public exhibition. One in five Australians have a disability. When you add to the family members, friends, workmates, service providers, businesses and the host of other people that interact with those who have a disability I can realistically state that disability inclusion benefits us all. The document and survey can be found here and Council will benefit from your feedback to make this plan as good as possible.

https://yoursay.orange.nsw.gov.au/disability-inclusion-action-plan-diap-2026-2030
I received good news today that Orange will receive funding from the Australian government for unpaid landing fees from when REX went into administration. The $142,686 is close to the total amount owed. Whilst on airports, I had a notice of motion for the next council meeting approved today to investigate options for installation of an instrument landing system (ILS). These systems improve the range of weather where flights can safely take off and land. Between April and September the high probability of radiation fog frequently leads to flights being unable to land locally with all the additional costs and destruction due to this. Other regional airports that have these systems include Wagga, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour and Ballina so we should consider the costs and benefits for us to join them. Time to make flying here less exciting and more reliable than memories of doing fly in fly out medical clinics along the Gibb river road in the Kimberley.
This week is notable for my joining 2 additional boards. Corporate governance and finance were not something I intended to be part of my career, being a doctor was enough. However, the combination of my medical background, quadriplegia, younger age and a fair bit of experience and training with other boards and council means I can make a somewhat unique contribution in the boardroom. I am joining the board of the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS), where I used to work, have great fondness towards, and have many family and friends who work there still. OAMS is a large local employer and provides a range of clinical services very useful for this town. I have also joined the board of Living My Way (LMW), a disability support organisation that helps those with a disability live self-directed lives especially in helping participants to hire and manage their own support workers. Hopefully I can make a contribution to help both these organisations keep contributing well!

Today I was a volunteer Marshall at Orange Park Run. Park run is a free event where hundreds of people run, jog or walk ...
23/05/2026

Today I was a volunteer Marshall at Orange Park Run. Park run is a free event where hundreds of people run, jog or walk a 5 km beautiful course. There is no minimum commitment, just come when you can. Any age, speed or fitness are welcome and are present every week. 3 generations of my family often run in the same race and did today. Today was the 438th event with over 75000 course completions during that time.

I was there as part of the Lonely Mountain Ultra committee, who did most of the volunteering duties today. I am their assistant WHS / first aid officer, which should encourage people not to get injured in our race this September 26th. The Lonely Mountain Ultra is a trail race with distances from 11km to 163 km based around the amazing Mt Canobolas. Shorter races exist for the kids. It's a challenge but a fun one and early bird entries close this weekend. Join in here https://lonelymountainultra.com.au/

I was in my four-wheel drive wheelchair so afterwards went exploring and checked out near Brabham Way. There is no footpath on Brabham Way from Anson Street heading west down the hill. The existing footpath on the northern side of Brabham Way connects up to the footpath that goes to Sundew circuit. However, there is a track through the trees on the hill that could connect to Rifle range road. If that became a concrete path then one could walk from Gardiner road to the hospital only crossing traffic at a single intersection with traffic lights. Something to look into.

22/05/2026

I sit corrected - despite earlier pessimism I have a roads update for the week below.
Roads
Whiley Rd
Seal – ch540 to ch160
Continue batters and table drains
Driveways tie in and prep for seal

Kerb and Gutter
Woodward St kerb and gutter realignment completed and backfilled last week. Jetpatching seal in place until hot mix asphalt is applied.

McNamara St
Contract pavement rehabilitation works planned to start 25 May

Dalton St Level Crossing
Asphalt resurfacing works planned Friday night 6pm

Footpaths
Sampson St – Dalton St to Margaret St (new).
Clinton St – Dalton St to Perry Oval Shops (new).
Clinton St – Prince to March (renewal)
McNamara St – Kite St to Moulder St (renewal).
Wirraburra walk – selected slab replacements
Kite St – Peisley St end (renewal)
Miriam Dr – Leeds Parade to #40

Airport – Taxiway Bravo
Import select material
Area against runway (excavate, compact, rolls, sub-base)
Base gravel
Stabilise & seal (weather permitting)

Pothole repairs
Pinnacle Rd near Wallace Lane
Phoenix Mine Rd near Chapel Hill
Alan Ridley Pl near Windred St
Kenna St between Oleander Ave and Wentworth Lane
Phillip St East between Jilba St and Yvonne Cres
Torulosa Way between Willow Pl and Elliott Close
Phoenix Mine Rd between Mitchell Highway and Chapel Hill Lane
March St between Clinton St and Sampson St
New St near McLachlan St
Namatjira Cres between Mitchell Parade West and Mitchell Parade East
Burrendong Way between Springbank Lane and Beer Rd
Narambla Pl near Narambla Dr
Mazoudier Pl near McLachlan St
Total repaired: 2628

In addition, I have received questions about a burst water main on March Street opposite Dudley Hospital. That should be fixed next week. A bridge in Elephant Park needs replacement which will be a 6 to 9 month affair but engineers are seeing if it could be used at a load limit in the meantime. No heavy wheelchairs presumably. We had the concrete pour at the JD Stadium today which is marvellous! Thanks very much to council staff taking and sharing this video.

Yesterday I attended a Orange region su***de prevention network committee meeting, of which I am the volunteer treasurer. My homework was paying for insurance!

This week is the National volunteer week. Orange City Council has hundreds of volunteers in aged care, community support...
21/05/2026

This week is the National volunteer week. Orange City Council has hundreds of volunteers in aged care, community support, library, museums, botanic Gardens to name a few. I volunteer with the aged care visitors scheme, where individuals visit socially isolated older people each fortnight for companionship. A lunch was held today to thank the volunteers who could make it. It’s worth acknowledging that many hundreds of other people in Orange would volunteer through sporting clubs, scouts, churches, environmental groups, the hospital, schools and so many more. Orange and Australia is very lucky indeed that volunteering as part of our culture.
I do a lot of behind-the-scenes volunteering now as suits my quadriplegia and skills. I also volunteer on the board/committees for Wangarang, the Lonely mountain Ultra, Royal rehab, the Orange Easter festival, the Orange region su***de prevention network, the Orange Christian medical group, Bellum Est (a PTSD group), NSW health disability Den connect, the National party and various disability and church roles. I know at least half of the other councillors also volunteer with various sporting and community groups. Many of the best things in Orange rely on the volunteer efforts of others and thank you to them.
Speaking of efforts, we were told at the council meeting on Tuesday night that the council group as a whole has nearly exhausted our conference budget but we have substantial remaining funds for professional development. I maxed out my professional development allowance, I actually had to get permission to go over, and I think that’s important to develop skills to do this unusual job. I know others also do professional development but I am disappointed it seems to not be universal.

Last night’s council meeting began with debate on the Cook Park bird aviary. I’m comfortable with seeking community cons...
20/05/2026

Last night’s council meeting began with debate on the Cook Park bird aviary. I’m comfortable with seeking community consultation regarding potential upgrading, relocating or decommissioning of the aviary and I encourage those who feel strongly to give such feedback. One interesting takeaway was we were told of an agreement with relevant unions that council would not take away work from employed staff to give to volunteers, for instance if a local bird group was to take over maintenance of the aviary.
I was happy to see the draft disability inclusion action plan be placed for public exhibition. This is a mandated State government document made in collaboration with Blayney and Cabonne councils. One nice point from the discussion that stood out to me was that council regularly has work experience students from Anson Street school. Let me know if you want a copy or visit the council website.
We discussed lighting arrangements for the sporting precinct stadium. Lighting at 500 Lux was already included, but some of my colleagues wished for 1400 Lux lighting necessary for televised night games. It would cost substantially more which I felt was too much given that Orange would rarely host a televised night game and we could hire such lighting at $50,000 if needed. Only two other councillors felt the same way as I did so the more expensive 1400 Lux lighting was voted for. It is not clear where the additional money would be sourced and I believe some other councillors are trying to find that information out and push for community consultation.
I had some questions regarding the quarterly budget review statement, the most impactful being that general fund figures are only positive as depreciation has not been included. The depreciation costs are more than any surpluses we make hence my long-term concern about infrastructure renewal.
19 May is World inflammatory bowel disease day. These conditions affect friends and patients of mine. A few years ago I was able to liaise between council and interested people to commemorate the day each year. Yesterday the South court lights were lit up purple to mark the day.

Address

135 Byng Street
Orange, NSW
2800

Telephone

+61417914488

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