Mayoral Column - December 2023

Published on 21 December 2023

Christmas is my favourite time of the year and Light Up Leeton 2023 was a great way to start the festive season. The Light Up Leeton committee needs to be congratulated for all the work they do in making it such a success and it was great to see some people, who performed on stage back in the day as kids, now watching their own children perform. I spoke to Carl King on the night and he thought it was the biggest crowd of all time, so thanks to all those residents who supported it.

This time of the year also sees local schools celebrating their students’ successes with their annual presentation day. Most of the Councillors were able to get to at least one presentation while I had the pleasure of being able to attend Wamoon Public School, Yanco Agricultural High School and Gralee School. Some of our local students are doing amazing things and the talent and the ability they possess across the board in different fields is impressive. Well done to the teachers who do some pretty incredible stuff educating our kids.

Christmas time is always a time for reflection and looking back on the past year. This term of Councillors is determined to get all of our projects completed and finalised and it was pleasing to see the Wamoon sewerage scheme launched, along with the Leeton Early Learning Centre additional classroom. Our new slide at the Leeton pool has proven very popular too since the official opening. We are endeavouring to have Stage 1 of the Roxy upgrade completed in time for the Art Deco Festival, and Stage 2 by October 2024.The works underway at Chelmsford Place and Canal Street (heavy vehicle by-pass) are on track to be completed mid-year.

As a Council we constantly strive to deliver results while improving our performance. I'm proud that we are a generally cohesive group that can have fierce debate without making any differences personal. Thankfully, we don't suffer political party factions or personal agendas that can frustrate good governance. I would like to thank the councillors and staff for all the work they do, sometimes spending long hours of their own time, to ensure our community gets the service they expect.

Have a great Christmas and New Year, surround yourself with friends and family, enjoy a well-deserved rest, and let’s all come back next year to continue to make our Shire a great place to live, work and play.

Sincerely,
Mayor Cr Tony Reneker