The refurbishment of the toilets by the council is a job that we all should be proud of. They have not been vandalised since the refurbishment.

However, the locked disabled toilet is a cause for concern because we have had, on a number of occasions, visitors come into the shop and ask how they can access the toilet.

We explain that, after producing relevant documents plus payment of $10 to the council, a key is issued and they can access the toilet.

This is very unsatisfactory as the person asking is disabled or a friend of the disabled person and the trip to the council seems too much when they are just passing through and/or wandering the main street to browse in the shops or have to eat something. Sometimes this happens when the council is not open, namely weekends.

Given that the visitor traffic is increasing exponentially, especially on weekends, and given that we want to be a welcoming town for all, whether disabled (permanently or temporarily), taking a group of children to the toilet safely or struggling with a heap of groceries, opening the disabled toilets at least at the times the adjoining toilets are open would be a good thing.

They all get serviced at the same time, so the state of the disabled toilet can be monitored.

Crookwell/Taralga Aged Care (CTAC) will be holding a series of information sessions in early 2017 to inform people of the Australian Government’s changes to care in the home. CTAC’s local service Upper Lachlan Community Care is currently preparing for these reforms. Stage 1 of the reforms forms a broader part of the Government’s response to the 2011 Productivity Commission report ‘Caring for Older Australians’.

If you are involved in a group or club and would like presentation from Upper Lachlan Community Care to find out about the choices older people will have to stay at home longer please call Grace Stephenson on 4832 2437 to arrange a time.