There has been more of a winter bite in the air this past week, although we have certainly been fortunate to have had such a mild winter to date. I travelled to Parkes with my children for sport on Saturday, and was a little underprepared for just how cold it was! I was thankful for the protection of what is a quite excellent stadium they have over there.

I'm sure that all those who took part in the Winter Solstice Swim on Sunday were very aware of how cold it was. Well done to everyone who took part, and by the looks of the shots from our photographer, Henry DeRooy, there was quite a crowd out at Gosling Creek. I first wrote something about the event eight years ago, when there were just a dozen friends who went for a dip at Lake Canobolas. Maybe this will really be the start of something that continues to grow in Orange, and that would be fantastic, especially if it raises awareness of the fantastic and important work done by Lifeline.

This weekend, our local art gallery will be revealing its latest major exhibition, and from all reports, it will be well worth experiencing. It has been a huge effort from the gallery staff to put this exhibition together, and I'm looking forward to seeing the end result. We hope to bring you more about the whole process in a future edition, but 'Nike Savvas: Purple Haze' will be unlike anything seen in Orange before. The exhibition opens on Saturday, June 27 and will run until November 15.

Inside this week's edition, you'll find photos of the Winter Solstice Swim, questions on the future operation of the Orange Planetarium, and a little piece I found interesting on the origin of names you'll find on maps of the central west.

Until next week!