MANDALONG COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
Mandalong. Where the Forest She-oaks grow.
Mandalong Community Association INC
Incorporation No: Y2392125
BACKGROUND
The Mandalong Community Association (previously the Mandalong Progress Association) has a proud history of promoting and protecting the interests of the community.
The MCA is an incorporated association holding registration with the NSW Office of Fair Trading since 1996.
Our purpose is to support all members of our community and to build social cohesion and a sense of community amongst the people of Mandalong. We work together to support each other and to confront challenges to our life style and collective rights.
The MCA holds regular community meetings and organises social and informational events for all Mandalong residents.
The Association represents our community on the Mandalong Mine Community Consultative Committee.
The MCA owns and manages this web site designed to give residents useful information about many aspects of living in Mandalong and provide a portal to wider sources of information.
To get acquainted and stay connected with your fellow Mandalong residents attend the social events and meetings.
BUILDING MANDALONG'S FUTURE
Mandalong is a small rural community. Most of the properties in the area are between 10 and 50 hectares, some in traditional small farming blocks but many in environmentally protected areas. There was a population of just 433 people at the 2021 census.
Typical of rural locations, families had lived in the valley for many years and there was a strong sense of community and appreciation of the local environment.
In recent years Centennial Coal purchased more than 50 properties in the Mandalong Valley. This represented more than 30% of the landholders.
During this time the social profile of the community radically changed as long-term owner residents were replaced with tenants. The impact has been significant. This unavoidable sequence of events gradually fractured and weakened the community engagement.
In response to these circumstances the Mandalong Community Association set about an intense period of community-building activities. Central to these activities has been an ongoing ambition to procure a meeting facility to further enable the MCA to draw together and nourish the rebuilding of the community.
Presidents’ Report
Mandy Allen and Marton Marosszeky
1 November 2026
Mandy and I would like to thank the members of our committee for their contribution to the association. Robyn Hall and Zsofia Kennedy have continued as our secretary and treasurer, Julia joined the executive as deputy president, and Angela Besant, Tracey Corkery, Leonie Sweeney, Bek Smith, Mick and Angie Astles, Robert Seiler, Paul Sayer and Greg Barnicoat have all supported our work, thank you.
The past 12 months in Mandalong has seen the following
• Our efforts to stop the proposal to create an industrial estate at the mouth of the valley were supported by the findings of the LMCC Flood Study which confirmed that peak floods in the area proposed for the industrial estate would inundate most of the land by up to a metre. We need to keep an eye on this going forward though the risk of it proceeding seems to have lessened.
• The RFS fire shed was vacated and at a meeting in early 2006 LMCC staff indicted that LMCC would never support MCA’s use of the land. They agreed at the meeting that the MCA might consider approaching the NSW Department of Lands for a direct lease from the government.
• Furthermore the RFS is taking a long time to complete the PFAS study of the site At this point in time 2 rounds of investigations have been completed and the determination of required works has not been completed. We have written to the RFS and are waiting on further advice regarding the timing of further PFAS decisions.
• Last year the MMCTF declined to give the MCA any further funding requesting that MCA use up its backlog of unspent funds. The same has happened again this year. Peter Smith of the mine requested a meeting with Marton to have further discussions; this has not happened yet as we are waiting for a suitable time for the meeting to take place.
• The She Oak proposal developed by Leonie has continued with using the previously provided funds and sweat equity from the community. In the past year 250 trees were successfully planted. 95% have survived.
The committee has met regularly and organised a number of social activities such as the one we are having today, these have been held at some of our member’s homes. We thank those community members who have opened up their homes so that we can keep the MCA alive and moving forward with its purposes of protecting our valley and rebuilding social capital in Mandalong through our activities.
The executive has decided that we should have a half day workshop in February inviting the widest possible attendance, the purpose is to agree on the future direction of the MCA given the challenges that we have met to the development of the MCA Hub at 612 Mandalong Road. A date is to be determined today for that workshop.
Thank you to everyone for your tireless work and enthusiasm.
Mandy Allen and Marton Marosszeky
MEET THE TEAM
Your MCA Committee Members are:
President
Peter Russell
Vice President
Mick Astles
Secretary
Robyn Hall
Treasurer
Zsofia Kennedy
Mandalong Community Association INC
Incorporation No: Y2392125
Email: info@mandalong.net.au
