It was heartbreaking to see first-hand the devastation caused to the historic Downside Hall from last week’s storms, but at the same time, it was inspiring to see how quickly the close-knit community rallied around to clean up and begin the repair process.

After a site visit this morning with the hall management team, Stuart Meiklejohn , Debbie Condell and Pat Condell, I’m looking forward to working with the community and Crown Lands to get this magnificent hall back to its best as soon as possible.

I’m also working with Wagga Council and the NSW Government to seek a Disaster Declaration for the Wagga Local Government Area, to make it easier for eligible victims of the storm to get the help they need to continue their recovery journey.

As always, community spirit has shone in tough times so my thanks go to all community members, volunteers and emergency services who pulled together to help their neighbours in the aftermath of the storm.