Council’s role in spotlight for Local Government Week

COLLEEN FULLER, MAYOR, GUNNEDAH SHIRE COUNCIL

Have you ever stopped to think about how much your local council does in a single day? It’s NSW Local Government Week, so it’s the perfect time to find out.

This week on our social media platforms, council is featuring six employees from town planning, parks and gardens, governance, works, GoCo Community Care and the library to celebrate some of the dedicated people working behind the scenes to keep our community connected, supported, and moving forward.

I have been in local government for more than 20 years and I know first-hand how vital local councils are to the communities they work for. Your council is made up of people you know – your family, your neighbour, or someone who helps out at a local event.

These community members work across a wide variety of areas, fulfilling a multitude of roles including engineering, horticulture, business support, event organisation, records management, and mechanics.

We are all here to do a job – to help Gunnedah Shire thrive.

I was pleased to show two of our young people the inner workings of Gunnedah Shire Council this week through our Local Government Week initiative Mayor for a Day.

Katie Spinks from St Mary’s College and Steven Walters from The Armidale School accompanied me as I met with staff and councillors, visited council facilities including the Gunnedah Regional Saleyards on sale day, and found out the latest on council projects such as the Koala Sanctuary.

It was a pleasure to host young people who are so eager to learn and get involved in their communities. The Mayor for a Day program is such a valuable initiative to teach our young people about the significant role of local government and what can be achieved through hard work and civic leadership.

The Cultural Precinct team are always trying to bring fresh new events to Gunnedah, so don’t forget to check The Civic website or sign up for the What’s On newsletter through council’s website.

The precinct hosts everything from film and comedy festivals to live theatre and music, art exhibitions and community events such as the Youth Expo, so I encourage you take advantage of all we have on offer in the Gunnedah Shire.

While we are talking about events, AgQuip is fast approaching (18–20 August) and council staff are on site preparing the grounds for the biggest event on our shire’s calendar. It’s our largest influx of visitors in the year, providing a welcome boost for our local economy as people from across NSW fill up our hotels and motels, pubs, clubs and eateries.

We have been fortunate to host the premier field days for 53 years and we welcome the Agri Events (previously ACM Rural Events) team back again to run this substantial agricultural event in 2026. We wish the hardworking team every success and encourage you to head out and see the latest in agricultural innovation and technology.

If you are older, a carer, living with disability, or have difficulty accessing transport, get in touch with the team at GoCo to find out if you’re eligible for the community transport service running to AgQuip. The service makes it easy to enjoy one of the nation’s biggest agricultural events without worrying about driving or parking. You can call GoCo on (02) 6740 2240.

I’ll have more news to share in a fortnight.