RURAL AND REGIONAL
Walgett welcomes first female mayor Councillor Jane Keir has become the first female mayor in Walgett Shire’s history. Cr Keir was elected unopposed at the first meeting of the newly formed Walgett Shire Council in early January. She has a distinguished local government career serving as both a councillor and deputy mayor previously. Mayor Keir said she was excited and honoured to take on the role as Mayor of Walgett Shire Council in 2022 and thanked her fellow Councillors for electing her. Two nominations were received for the position of Deputy Mayor and Councillor Greg Rummery was successful after conducting a ballot. Priorities for the new Council will include economic development, tourism and completing key infrastructure projects that aim to make Walgett Shire a great place to live, work, visit and invest. “We wish our new leadership team well and look forward to working with them to achieve great outcomes for the entire community,” Council General Manager Mike Urquhart said.
Grit and heart Rural City of Wangaratta’s Grit and Resilience team are delivering their third Heartbeat event this February. The Grit and Resilience Program is a community-led initiative that aims to better address and improve mental health and wellbeing, and support for those affected by suicide in the Rural City of Wangaratta. Community members from across the Rural City are invited to join the Heartbeat event for a chat about the program and find out how to get involved. “For the upcoming Heartbeat, the team has some great mental health resources to give out and a travelling community art project we’ll be asking people to add to,” Program Coordinator Bek Nash-Webster said. “There will also be the chance to go in the draw to win two tickets to see the band U Can Cry perform at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre and Convention Centre,” she said. “There are so many opportunities to get involved, I encourage all members of our community who are looking for opportunities for social connection or who are interested in community mental health and wellbeing to come and meet with the team for a chat.”
Music hero Mayor Jane Keir.
Exchange moves up the list The Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange (NRLX) continues on its path to becoming one of the leading facilities not only in NSW, but across Australia. The latest Meat and Livestock Australia saleyard survey moved the NRLX to the number three spot in NSW, with cattle throughput at 103,700. Dubbo held top spot with 115,836, followed by Wagga Wagga 113,401. NRLX Operations Manager Brad Willis said the positive relationships being built between all stakeholders who use the facility were an important factor in this result. As the current boom in cattle prices showed no signs of abating, Mr Willis said the NRLX was well positioned as a modern, industry-leading facility which vendors and buyers could rely on.
NRLX Operations Manager Brad Willis.
New team for Goldenfields The Goldenfields Water Board welcomed three new members to the board during their first meeting late last month. It was the first time since local government elections the newly formed board had met. New members to the board included, Coolamon Shire Cr Alan White, Hilltops Cr John Piper, and Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council Cr Abb McAlister. Re-elected members to the board included, Temora Shire Cr Graham Sinclair, Bland Shire Cr Liz McGlynn, Junee Shire Cr Bob Callow, Narrandera Shire Cr Kevin Morris, and Hilltops Cr Matthew Stadtmiller. The Board appointed Cr Matthew Stadtmiller as the new Chairperson, with Cr Bob Callow appointed as the new Deputy Chair. Chairperson Cr Stadtmiller welcomed his appointment, stating he was humbled by his 12 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOCUS February 2022
election to Chairperson and was looking forward to working with the new Board. “I am humbled by the support of my fellow board members, and I hope to follow in the footsteps of our previous Chairperson, Mr Dennis Palmer, retired councillor for CootamundraGundagai Regional Council,” Cr Stadtmiller said. “I will assist Goldenfields Water in conducting a professional business which services the community to the best of its ability, and I look forward to working with the Board, Deputy Chairperson Cr Bob Callow and Goldenfields Water General Manager, Aaron Drenovski.” The Board will meet again on the 24th of February 2022.
Cr Matthew Stadtmiller.
Local Iwadja man Damien Narul is a bit of a hero to the younger members of his community, helping to bring singer-songwriter Kennyon Brown. The Minjilang and Warruwi communities, particularly the young ones, were excited by Brown’s recent visit to the region. The West Arnhem Regional Council’s (WARC) Youth, Sport and Recreation team took the opportunity to thank Damien Narul, who is a local Iwadja man. Damien is currently upskilling himself in the music industry aiming to become a professional DJ. According to WARC, throughout his journey he has met great people that have become family to his community. WARC Well-being coordinator Leah Holt said Damien had grown a great connection with Misimoa Auelua and the famous Kennyon Brown who have become very close brothers to him. “Through their bond, we have had the opportunity to have Kennyon Brown visit both of our communities Warruwi and Minjilang,” Holt said. “Thanks to Damien and Misimoa for the memorable moment you have created with bringing Kennyon over to us”. To celebrate the visit, the community held an opening ceremony and performed their traditional singing and dancing for Kennyon. The youth performed a freestyle dance for him, and 18 of our young men and women performed a dance to one of his songs ‘Senorita’. In support of the event, the Night Patrol team cooked two pigs in a traditional underground oven, and the Youth, Sport and Recreation cooked salad rice and turtle stew. The Minjilang community thanked Minjilang ALPA CDP for funding the flights for Kennyon and his team as well as funding the food for the opening ceremony of the night. Leah and the Youth, Sport and Recreation team would like to wish Kennyon all the best for the future. LGFOCUS.COM.AU
