STOCKISTS OF LEADING BRANDS
LIVING ON THE LAND
New strategy to promote water safety
BIG
DNA
BORN COMPACT
in the Hawkesbury
NEW MF 2800 SERIES NEW MF 1800 SERIES
MF GC1700
A young family enjoying a walk along the Hawkesbury River at Macquarie Park , Windsor .
The hope of a safe summer for visitors and locals on the Hawkesbury River is behind a new high-visibility and multilingual safety campaign from Hawkesbury City Council .
New river safety signs have now been installed at Macquarie Park in Windsor . These signs were developed in consultation with Royal Life Saving NSW using best practise design , and internationally recognised safety symbols . Versions of the signs have also been created in the five most common non- English languages for visitors to the Hawkesbury – Hindi , Punjabi , Simplified Chinese , Arabic and Filipino – which can be accessed by a QR Code via a smartphone .
Prior to Christmas , Hawkesbury City Council approached neighbouring councils to spread the message of safety on the Hawkesbury River . People from neighbouring Local Government Areas are the greatest source of tourism throughout the year . Messaging was also being provided to Western Sydney Regional Organisations of Councils ( WSROC ) to help promote it to Western Sydney in general .
“ We are encouraging our nearby Councils to help make visitors to the Hawkesbury aware of the need to be safe around our many waterways , including the magnificent Hawkesbury River ,” the Mayor of Hawkesbury , Councillor Sarah McMahon said .
Hawkesbury City Council is also conducting a multi-lingual awareness campaign on social media . The messages urge visitors to consider other fun activities around the river instead of swimming in local waterways . These include walking , camping , boating , fishing and picnics . Locals are also urged to consider visiting local pools over summer .
“ This campaign is about raising awareness to save lives so that we can all have a wonderful summer without seeing tragedies like we have seen in the past ,” Mayor McMahon added .
“ The water in the river can be unexpectedly cold , there are submerged trees and rocks and deceptively strong currents . Sometimes people may overestimate their swimming ability , may have consumed alcohol before swimming , or may be unfamiliar with local conditions or recent changes to the river .
“ Local rivers and other waterways can be dangerous places to swim , even for experienced swimmers . Unfortunately , drownings have occurred in local waterways over the years .”
Council is also developing a Public Water Safety Strategy to provide clear guidance for the effective short and longterm management of public safety around waterways throughout the Hawkesbury . For river safety advice see www . hawkesbury . nsw . gov . au / your-spaces / riversafety
For important tips from Royal Life Saving NSW visit www . royallifesaving . com . au .
The new water safety signs installed at Macquarie Park , Windsor .
MF GC1700 , NEW MF 1800 AND NEW MF 2800 . BORN FROM BIG DNA
Born from everything we ’ ve learnt over 175 years , with big history and big experience . Born for your smaller farm or lifestyle block , with the big DNA of Massey Ferguson straightforward dependability to get the job done . It ’ s a compact range that just got bigger .
5 Walker Street , South Windsor Phone 4577 4622 www . gwsmachinery . com . au
Dick Petrikas P / L Chainsaws , Mowers , Tractors Petrikas Lane , TENNYSON Ph : 4576 5555
RANGE OF FIRE PUMPS & HOSES
Easy to drive steering wheel Zero Turn Mower
Mahindra Tractors
STOCKISTS OF LEADING BRANDS
THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 165 // FEBRUARY 2024 31