JANUARY
JAN 8: The cost of storm which ripped through Lithgow on December 20, 2018 continued to be counted. The area was disaster declared after the event, which caused flash flooding, large trees to fall, damage to roofs and the council depot building to partially collapse.
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JAN 11: Portland Fire and Rescue's book of knowledge, George "Herb" Coleman decided to hang up his uniform after 54 incredible years of service to Fire and Rescue NSW. He looked back on his career and why it was time to hang up the helmet.
JAN 15: New South Wales One Nation leader Mark Latham visited Lithgow to join the ongoing debate of the future of the Wallerawang Power Station.
JAN 18: Tesla CEO and entrepreneur Elon Musk made waves with an offer to build a high-tech tunnel under the Blue Mountains from Western Sydney to Lithgow for an estimated $1 billion.
JAN 22: Craft Works Distillery owner Craig 'Crafty' Field celebrating a silver medal in the Independent Bottling Challenge.
JAN 25: After a downpour of rain and hail on Wednesday, January 23, cars became stranded in flash flooding at Coates Avenue, Lithgow.
JAN 28: Lithgow's high achievers and community driven volunteers were recognised at the annual Australia Day awards ceremony.
FEBRUARY
FEB 1: The Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum was recognised in the prestigious UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register for its industrial heritage significance to the nations development.
FEB 1: EnergyAustralia entered into an exclusive agreement with organic materials recycling business Bettergrow Pty Ltd to potentially repurpose the former Wallerawang power station site.
FEB 1: Merle Thompsons OAM award came after her dedicated service to the community through a range of organisations including Polio NSW, Australian Federation of Graduate Women and Australian Plants Society NSW (APS NSW).
FEB 8: Lithgow resident Jack Mitchell has dedicated over 40 years to the jazz scene in Australia, making sure that its legacy lives on and is remembered, which is why he been awarded an OAM.
FEB 8: Lithgow Lions Club was recognised as one of top 100 Lions clubs in the world for the number of service projects it completed in 2017-2018.
FEB 19: Cooerwull Public School treasurer Natasha Drury was recognised as a finalist for the NSW P&C Volunteer of the Year award for 2018.
FEB 22: A huge search came to a happy ending after a three-year-old boy was located in a vehicle three hours after he was reported missing to police. The boy was hot but unharmed.
FEB 22: EnergyAustralia applied to Lithgow City Council to demolish the remaining structures at the former Wallerawang Power Station site.
MARCH
MAR 1: Lithgow City Council reinforced its "long-standing position" to reject proposals for waste to be dumped within its borders, voting to object to a proposal to fill Bell Quarry with clean material from Sydney.
MAR 5: Site owner Glencore announced the Baal Bone underground mine would be closed and its site rehabilitated after negotiations for its sale did not progress.
MAR 8: The Coalition Government committed to the design and construction of a 31 kilometre duplication of the Great Western Highway.
MAR 8: Former Lithgow High School student Phil Duncan announced he would be gifting the school $100,000.
MAR 15: Lithgow's second ever Stars Dance for Cancer event raised more than $31,000 for the NSW Cancer Council.
MAR 15: The long-awaited Endeavour Park adventure playground opening was held.
MAR 19: For Kanimbla Valley residents the delivery of two new base stations in 2020 will see the end of the horror stories told by people who live without reception and reliable landlines.
MAR 22: Barbara Orr marked half a century working for Lithgow radio station 2LT.
MAR 26: National's candidate Paul Toole was re-elected as the member for Bathurst for the third time on Saturday, March 23, with just over 54 per cent of the total vote.
MAR 26: Lithgow City Councillor Maree Statham celebrated 50 years of hairdressing in 2019.
MAR 26: A crowd of people turned out in Cook Street Plaza, Lithgow, on Sunday, March 24, to remember the victims of the Christchurch massacre and share messages of peace.
MAR 29: $1 million of federal government grant funds were allocated to drought affected communities in Lithgow and Bathurst.
APRIL
APR 2: Calare MP Andrew Gee announced that Lithgow is on the path to being ableWALK FOR MS: Greg Chidgey is ready to keep going after a friendly pit stop in Lithgow. Picture: ALANNA TOMAZIN. to provide MRI services, with the delivery of a licence for the service.
APR 5: 64-year-old Greg Chidgey from Winmalee garnered a huge amount of support in the Lithgow region as he passed through with his 50 kilogram trolley on his epic journey to Cairns to raise funds multiple sclerosis (MS).
APR 5: An agreement between EnergyAustralia and Bettergrow to repurpose the former Wallerawang Power Station site into an eco-industrial park was extended.
APR 5: It's the show that's been captivating thousands of viewers across Australia, and our very own Collits Inn at Hartley had its 15 minutes of fame on Australian television thanks to Married at First Sight (MAFS).
APR 5: Club Lithgow marked 100 years in operation with a gala celebration.
APR 9: Ammie Douglass was sentenced to spend a maximum 26 years in jail for the Lithgow murder of retired school teacher Christopher Whiteley after being sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court.
APR 12: The viability of the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum (LSAFM) had been put in jeopardy, volunteers warned, following the introduction of legislation that could have resulted in the destruction of 70 per cent of the facility's artefacts.
APR 12: The unique Gardens of Stone landscapes offer an opportunity for a future which would strengthen Lithgow's economy, according to the new visitor plan Destination Pagoda.
APR 12: Lithgow City Council's Cassandra Coleman was elected as Local Government Women's Association NSW (ALGWANSW) president at the NSW annual conference.
APR 26: Ian Litchfield OAM spoke at the dawn service at Lowther on Anzac Day about his recent trip to Borneo and about its secret war, which claimed his brother's life.
APR 30: The first sod is turned on the Wallerawang Community and Sports Club's new auditorium and meeting room development.
APR 30: Lithgow hosts a hugely successful Ironfest event.
MAY
MAY 2: Lithgow High School principal Ann Caro was named as a recipient of the Harvard Club of Australia Principals Scholarship.
MAY 21: There was a slight swing away from Calare MP Andrew Gee, but he retained an overwhelming majority of voters' first preferences to claim another term at the federal election.
MAY 24: Lithgow's paramedics gave an insight into their work lives and celebrated the role of women within the service.
JUNE
JUNE 4: ICAC found that the former general manager of Lithgow Correctional Centre and five corrective service officers engaged in "serious corrupt conduct". In a report released on June 3, the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) stated the investigation had been carried out in relation to the use of excessive force on an inmate and the cover-up of the incident. You can find the full story here.
JUNE 7: Knight Street, Lithgow, was cordoned off after an irregularity in the road surface revealed something much more serious underneath.
JUNE 11: Lithgow City Council protested a 21 per cent increase in the annual Emergency Services levy, which would have seen the council billed $108,000 more than last year.
JUNE 21: After years of Lithgow community members pushing for more available services for young people, headspace Lithgow opened its doors on Main Street.
JUNE 28: Two of Lithgow High School's Shakespeare enthusiasts recently won through to the State Secondary Shakespeare Carnival. At the regional carnival, held in Penrith recently, Milo Michel and Darcie Daniel won the duologue section with a scene from Hamlet.
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