The Orange Podcast

The community of Orange loves a good story, but this week in town there two examples of two very different stories told in two very different ways.
This week street banners were erected which tell the story of wartime sacrifice.
And, two new public artworks are launched , hinting at why local councils should do more than build roads and roundabouts.

Orange has a reputation for its festivals. Every year we celebrate our local food and wine culture with FOOD Week and a Wine Festival: times that bring us together to enjoy the best of what we’re good at.

This week we’ve launched out latest festival. It’s the Orange Rainbow festival to celebrate local residents who can still feel excluded and on the edge.
And, first up ten years of green-lidded bins and the latest tweak we’ve all got to learn to keep using them…. 

This week we find out more about the project that Orange City Council has decided to contribute $18.5 million towards. It’s biggest ever single contribution to a project in Orange.

And on the eve of NAIDOC Week celebrations,  the annual celebration comes at a time of sadness and uncertainty in the indigenous community.

The Orange Regional Gallery has just wound up on what could well be its biggest ever exhibition.

A sculpture exhibition, by internationally renowned artist Laurence Edwards was shown at the gallery for a couple of months and during that time no less that 8,000 people came through the doors.

The good news is that one of the bronze sculptures will stay as part of the permanent collection.

And the awareness campaign around The Voice referendum  is stepping up. When a parliamentary inquiry into the legislation made their first stop for a hearing outside Canberra, they chose Orange.

In Orange they listened to evidence and questioned a number of witnesses on how The Voice could work and what difference it could make.

In this episode, a special look at what could be the biggest change to the future shape of housing in the city of Orange.

This week Orange City Council signed an MOU with state-owned developer LandCom to build a new suburb on the eastern outskirts of Orange. 

With space for 200+ lots, the key differences will see around 25% of the lots to be targeted for affordable housing and with many different sizes and types of housing.

Only a couple of years after the state government helped out with $3.5 million to virtually double the size of the Orange Regional Gallery, that extra space continues to attract some of the best exhibitions to be found in regional Australia.

And this week the gallery was a hive of activity unpacking a container just off the boat from England.

Inside, 26 giant and tiny human bronze statues, the work of internationally-renowned artist Laurence Edwards.

Orange City Council takes a range of approaches to grow the local economy.
At one end of the spectrum, its's exploring ways of building a new multi-level car park alongside the central business district.
And, at the micro end, the Council is helping potential new businesses get a start by providing low-cost shop-fronts, positioned just off the main street. 

This week:  How a 1920s vintage stock and station agent premises selling stock feed in Lords Place was transformed into a contemporary sun-drenched office while still acknowledging the building’s history.
And, how the Orange Aboriginal Lands Council took on the process of not only restoring a derelict former police station but also the community memories that came along with it. 

Work gets under way soon to design Orange's new sports stadium, and Mayor Jason Hamling believes it means 'coming to the table' late will mean the best in contemporary design.
Orange's Robertson Park is the latest location for art works in the FutureCity Public Art program.
We talk to artist Kellie O'Dempsey about the ideas behind her work.

In this edition, we hear how the life of an internationally-known Australian has taken on a very new direction after a life-changing incident.

Former Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page, wants to boost community awareness of AEDs, that can be the difference between life and death for some who experiences a cardiac arrest.
Orange City Council plans to work with Greg Page's charity 'Heart of the Nation' to save lives in Orange.