From the Mayors Desk: A massive week for Kempsey
Published on 14 November 2024
It’s been a big week for Kempsey. Last Friday I was at the Kempsey Cup, enjoying a great day of fashion in the fields and the horses on the track. This is a big day on the Kempsey calendar every year and it marked the start of a big week.
This week I’ve represented Council and our community at the Country Mayors Association at NSW Parliament in Sydney. This is a chance for Mayors from around the state to come together to discuss pressing issues, share ideas and advocate to the government. It is an important part of being mayor in a regional area, as we face distinct challenges to our metropolitan counterparts.
The focus of this meeting was skills and education, and we heard from The Hon. Steve Whan MP, NSW Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education which is a cause close to my heart and of vital importance to our community and in particular giving brighter futures to our young people.
The events aren’t over yet as in the coming days I will be joined by many of my fellow Councillors at the Local Government NSW annual conference in Tamworth. This is a great opportunity for us all to meet councillors from across NSW, many of whom are also recently elected, enabling a genuine coming together of minds and experience.
This conference also brings Councils together to work on advocacy plans for local government. Some of our biggest challenges including cost-shifting, funding and resource support are best addressed through this unified group.
For those interested in the financial issues faced by Council, please consider submitting an Expression of Interest for the Revenue and Review Taskforce. Details can be found at www.ksc.pub/RevenueEOI
This week also marks National Food Safety Week, which allows me to give a shout out to Council’s environmental health staff who do so much to keep our community safe.
Finally, and most importantly, this week began with Remembrance Day. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the ceremony in East Kempsey due to my travels, however Deputy Mayor Julie Coburn represented Council in my place. I pay tribute to the many servicemen and women, past and present from our Shire. We will remember.