It is not often, as Cr Anne Smyth observed, that one gets a smile out of reading the Nambucca Shire Council meeting papers but those from July 11 proved a happy exception.
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Top of the list was a proposed donation to Clancy the horse, who along with his owner Jim McKenna, played a very popular and important role in the recent Macksville railway centenary celebrations.
On Sunday June 30, Clancy ensured the safe arrival of the mayor and general manager to the railway station and a day later offered the same service to the Governor, Margaret Beazley, her husband Dennis Wilson and the Member for Oxley, Melinda Pavey.
The general manager, Michael Coulter, noted in his report that no reimbursement for costs had ever been asked of the council, "but Clancy is a big horse and requires a lot of good quality feed".
He went on to note Clancy's environmental efforts: "Clancy works hard not to drop manure on the road" and his social skills: "Judging by the pats, Clancy is more popular with school children than the Governor".
He said that the experienced team of horse and driver ensured the Governor's security details were well satisfied.
The proposed $250 donation was doubled by Cr John Wilson and then passed unanimously by the councillors.
The financial implications of the $500 donation were noted as the first of the new financial year, well spent on the welfare of a horse.