Mayoral Column 22nd October 2021
Published on 22 October 2021
End of Council term
This will be my final Mayoral Column for this term of council, an extended five year period, which has been an incredibly challenging but also rewarding time for our City and region.
Goulburn Mulwaree has been challenged by drought, bushfires, growth and a worldwide pandemic. So often I have seen our community come together to support each other through fundraising, working bees, events, campaigning and volunteering reinforcing how lucky we are to live here.
As a Council we set ourselves ambitious goals in 2016, choosing projects we felt would define Goulburn Mulwaree for not just five years but for decades to come.
One of these projects was the transformation of Victoria Park into one of the best recreational areas in Australia featuring sporting fields with great facilities, areas for our young people such as the Skate Park, rage cage and adventure playground, and space to just relax or have a picnic such as the recently completed mindfulness garden. This stage of the project will be complete when we open the brand new Goulburn Aquatic & Leisure Centre in early next year which I am confident will blow you away.
Council chose to challenge ourselves and our community in reinvigorating the CBD, and as COVID-19 restrictions lift it is wonderful to see Auburn Street looking green and full of life – as well as being full of people once again for our business owners. A key component of our vision for the CBD will be completed shortly, with the Goulburn Performing Arts Centre to open at the end of March 2022. Our community will be astounded by the architecture of this building, and the performances we have already attracted for next year.
A tour around our regions this week highlighted just how much we are investing in infrastructure for our rural residents, something we are incredibly proud of. Significant sections of Carrick Road, Mountain Ash Road and Windellama Road are being completely rehabilitated, while the final foundations of the Towrang Bridge are being poured with this to be completed in the coming months.
We have weighed up challenges such as the local government merger proposals, and more recently the Jerrara Power and Veolia Waste to Energy proposals and fought hard for our community each time – something that is a credit to all councillors and staff.
We now enter what is known as caretaker mode between now and the elections. Council will still function as normal and hold our regular meetings, but cannot enter into contracts for expenditure greater than $150,000, determine controversial development applications or appoint a general manager. For this reason I will not be writing Mayoral columns or undertaking radio or media opportunities in my role as the Mayor.
It is a nice opportunity to reflect on this five year period, all that we have achieved and how our City and region has grown – but there is still much to do. Local government elections will be held on Saturday December 4th. Councillors Denzil Sturgiss, Alfie Walker and Sam Rowland have decided not to stand again, while all other Councillors have indicated their intention to renominate. I will again be putting my hand up to serve this community as both a councillor and as the Mayor, and thank the community for the opportunity to serve over the past five years.
Statement on Kenmore Hospital
The NSW Office of Environment & Heritage, this week inspected Kenmore Hospital with staff of Goulburn Mulwaree Council following the fire that occurred on Saturday afternoon.
Kenmore Hospital is a state significant listed heritage site, therefore it is the NSW Government department who holds authority to require remedial action to be taken and the property to be protected.
The building is significantly damaged, and still under investigation by NSW Fire & Rescue and NSW Police forensics. Trespassing and vandalism is an ongoing issue at the Kenmore Hospital property.
Council has offered our full assistance with this matter, and will provide staff resources to assist NSW Office of Environment & Heritage if this will help.
It is critically important that NSW Office of Environment & Heritage act quickly in taking compliance action to have the site secured from further vandalism.
It is critical that Australia China International Holdings act to protect and preserve Kenmore Hospital. I am endeavouring to make contact with the owners, and will continue to lobby for the Office of Environment & Heritage to hold the organisation to account so that Kenmore Hospital can be preserved.