THERE was a momentous occasion in the village of Quambone last week but it passed without fanfare or fireworks.
After a marathon effort driven by a handful of local volunteers, a fuel outlet is finally operating in the village again after 13 years.
On Tuesday a free lunch was supplied at the Sundowner Hotel by Queensland-based fuel company I.O.R. as they introduced the community to their new service.
Nevertire-based IOR Representative Malcolm Smith was on hand to answer questions, set up account applications and provide tags to local residents.
Fuel had been delivered to the site and Mr Smith also tested the pumps on the day.
In total 53 applications for accounts were processed on Tuesday and residents could begin filling their tanks on Friday.
The fuel outlet is no small achievement.
The community’s campaign to reinstate fuel began in earnest in 2007, once it became clear that the local store would no longer be offering the service.
In 2010 a very well-attended public meeting identified FUEL as the number one priority for the Quambone community.
There were some unsuccessful attempts to gain government support and efforts by the new owners of the Quambone Store to reinstate fuel at the store were thwarted by high costs and red tape.
In January 2016 the Quambone Resources Committee and Quambone Community Health Auxiliary Trust decided they could wait no longer and set about purchasing land, finding a fuel industry partner and jumping through the many hoops to gain approval for the fuel outlet. The land was purchased using funds held in trust following the sale of the community-owned Community Health Centre in 2009.
The volunteer organisers secured a commitment from IOR to finance the above-ground costs of the self-bunded tanks, pumps and payment technology to the tune of more than $155,000 and to operate the facility.
The QRC finally gained approval and assistance from Coonamble Shire Council who allocated $60,000 to undertake site preparation including grading and gravel.
The QRC volunteers were responsible for organising surveys and design, submitting the Development Application, connecting water and three phase power, and installing the concrete pad.
“With the purchase of the land and all the other costs we’ve spent over $60,000,” Mrs Garnsey said. “We still have to fence a section of the perimeter to ensure privacy for the neighbouring house.”
As with any infrastructure project, it has not all been smooth sailing.
“We’ve had some teething problems,” Quambone Resources Committee volunteer Margaret Garnsey said. “Initially the tags issued in Quambone wouldn’t work and there’ve also been some administrative issues but they’re all getting ironed out.”
For some residents, the excitement of the new facility has been dampened by the discovery that the pumps will not be accepting EFTPOS payments.
“This was not our choice,” Mrs Garnsey said. “The committee only discovered it when everyone else found out.”
Instead of EFTPOS, the terminal at the pumps will use either an electronic tag which is attached to an account or an ‘app’ that can be downloaded onto a smartphone.
IOR has told the committee that the software that drives the facility was developed in the United Kingdom and that the mobile app will be launched in the new year.
It might seem crazy that a small community has had to fight and work so hard to achieve what is really an essential service, but Mrs Garnsey continues to look on the bright side.
“The mobile app will be a great bonus for travelers and other casual users,” Mrs Garnsey said.
“We’re looking forward to the new technology that will allow all users to access the site.”
“It’s been a wonderful step forward for people in and around Quambone,” Mrs Garnsey said. “It is giving everyone a choice and we’re 100% better off than we were before.”
