Media release –
New South Wales
Census Collectors completing a mountain of a task22 August 2011 | NSW/121Census Collectors are currently sweeping across the NSW snowfields collecting completed forms as part of the national Census of Population and Housing, which took place on Tuesday 9 August. Local Census District Manager Barbara Hill and her team of Census Collectors were a visible presence around the ski fields during the week of Census, wearing bright yellow bags and making sure that every skier and boarder was counted. "The ski fields pose a unique set of challenges for the Census every five years. Luckily I have a great team of Census Collectors who worked hard during Census week to get a good count of travellers and are still working hard collecting forms from locals,” Barbara says. "Sam Spencer, one of my Collectors, would get up early and head to the slopes first thing in the morning for a bit of boarding. He would send back daily snow reports by 7am which I used to plan the strategy for the day. "If the conditions weren't good up on the slopes that morning, I'd know that people would be inside their cabins and apartments having hot chocolate so we were able to get to them in daylight hours.” Barbara, who is long-term Cooma Monaro resident, is confident that the largest peace-time operation in Australia has gone well thus far in the Snowfields, but is reminding those who haven’t filled out a Census form to make sure they are counted. "Overall, things have worked out well for us so far. Weather wise, we have been very lucky,” Barbara says. "We have also been received by both locals and visitors to the region. Many Collectors are being invited in by wonderful householders to have a quick hot drink before jumping back out into the cold. “If you haven’t completed your 2011 Census form yet it isn’t too late. Census Collectors will be out collecting until the end of the month and the online eCensus option is open until 5 September,” Barbara adds. More information is available online at www.abs.gov.au/census or by calling the Census Inquiry Service on 1300 338 776. |