Message from the Mayor - March 2023
Published on 10 March 2023
Someone told me once that as you get older time goes by faster – and they were certainly right! It feels like Christmas was only last week and here we are now preparing for Easter. To me that means taking a break to reflect on what is really important and avoid falling into the trap of being caught up in the day-to-day.
On that note, I thought I would have a look back at the past three months and talk about two or three highlights. Australia Day was a great day and started with breakfast at the Murrami Hall which I would thoroughly recommend. The ceremony in Mountford Park was well attended and the judges did a terrific job in coming up with well deserved winners in all categories. It was great to see all the people who received their Australian Citizenship on the day and the joy on their faces as well as their families was contagious. The Parkview School dancers were a highlight of the ceremony and I know for a fact that the Australia Day Ambassador, Peter McLean, was highly impressed by our cohesive and inclusive community.
About a week later Leeton hosted the “Bringing Back the Bunyip Bird: Australasian Bittern Conservation Summit 2023” and I attended as the representative of Leeton Shire. This was the first time such an event was held in the Riverina. I have to be a little honest and admit I had some reservations about spending all day at a bird talkfest, but it was a really interesting and informative day and I never realised how signifcant our area was to keeping the Bittern from extinction. Our own William Ingram was a guest speaker and his presentation was one that I enjoyed thoroughly. I spoke with a lot of the attendees, who were from all over Australia and New Zealand, and they were amazed by our shire and the facilities and recreational spaces we have on offer. I think some might have even thought they were coming to a sleepy, dusty backwards town and then received a very pleasant surprise when they arrived here!
The Councillors have met several times this year already, and with council staff, are working hard at continuing to look at ways at making our shire financially sustainable in the future. This is of vital importance to us all and we need to, and will, get it right. You can be assured that everybody has the best interests of the Leeton Shire at heart.
Our shire has been a lot more fortunate than other areas in the state, such as Lismore. That does not mean we were unaffected though, with a lot of our roads left worse for wear. After being declared disaster affected too, the State Government has provided some financial relief in regards to roads and pothole repairs. I imagine crews will continue to be busy over the next few months, as they have been, repairing our worst affected roads.
We have also recently celebrated, along with Griffith City Council, the NSW Government’s $19M investment in rail sidings at WR Connect, Wumbulgal. This project will be undertaken by the ARTC, with completion scheduled for end of 2024.
Lastly, I’m looking forward to the Fiesta La Leeton Festival which will take place on Saturday, 18 March on Wade Avenue highlighting Leeton’s diverse and multicultural character.
Regards,
Mayor Cr Tony Reneker