Regional Hub
Situated approximately half way between Melbourne and Adelaide on the Western Highway is Horsham, with the Henty and Wimmera Highways also intersecting the Town.
The Horsham Rural City Council municipality is home to almost 20,000 people.
Horsham, the main population centre, is surrounded by smaller towns and localities including Natimuk, Pimpinio, Dadswells Bridge and, as the gateway to the northern Grampians National Park, Laharum and Wartook.
Horsham was settled in the 1840s at a river crossing of the Wimmera River.
Our country is largely flat plains, with ‘big sky’ views. On the western horizon is Mount Arapiles, and to the south is the Grampians National Park.
It’s a great place to live.
Our City has won many Tidy Town Awards over the years and continues to be a favoured rest stop for travellers and overnight stop for visitors with time to explore.
The River looks terrific, it runs right through the centre of town and is the focus for many of our community activities.
This year we hope to construct a new pedestrian/cycling bridge to create the opportunity for a walking/cycling loop.
Our Council is made up of seven Councillors, three ladies and four men, from a variety of backgrounds within our community.
There are no ‘Wards’, we all work together to represent our wide constituency.
Being the largest population centre in our part of the world, we have some ‘regional’ responsibilities and in recent years, we have been privileged to join Regional Cities Victoria.
We are surrounded by a group of smaller, but equally important municipalities, and there are often times when common interests and issues bring us together.
Horsham has its roots in farming and agriculture.
Traditionally ‘wheat and wool’, many of our farming businesses now grow a variety of crops and farm different livestock to feed and clothe the world.
In recent years, with investment by governments and private enterprise, Horsham is fast becoming the grains research centre of southern Australia.
The new Gene Bank, our Grains Innovation Park and the recently opened Bayer facility all have some very intelligent people doing great work to maximise the potential of our cropping programs.
Town Hall restoration
I am an Electrical Contractor with 39 years in the trade.
My first interest in local government was the push for a heated indoor swimming pool in Horsham.
The first visit ‘into the tent’ was as a part of the community fundraising committee.
We achieved our target and the Aquatic Centre has been up and running since 2006.
After being presented with a Citizenship Award, I ran for and was elected to Council in 2008.
It was a steep learning curve, and it still is.
My wife, Anne, and I have 25 years of marriage and three wonderful children, all working towards their dreams in Ballarat.
I am a Moke owner (’67 Little Wheeler), enjoy taking photographs, playing music, volleyball and bushwalking.
I am also a member of the Salvation Army, CFA and the YMCA Community Advisory Group.
I find that the people, both on Council and working for Council, are generally good people, they are there for the right reasons, keen to serve their community, and improve the place where they work and live.
Since being elected in 2008, I, along with others, have been working to redevelop our Horsham Town Hall, with a modern Performing Arts Centre and to refurbish the Regional Art Gallery.
The process has included public meetings, trips to VCAT, protest rallies, a Heritage listing and the challenge of completing the project within budget.
The final plans look fantastic and construction is well underway.
Generous grants from State and Federal Governments have created this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity for Horsham, both as a local and regional centre.
Challenges for the Horsham Rural City Council include:
- emergency management. Bushfire and Flood relief and recovery efforts in recent years
- mining issues. Safe storage of mining waste product in our municipality
- attracting and keeping professional people to work and live in Western Victoria
- adjusting to changing Governments at State and Federal levels and their funding priorities
- ensuring that Ratepayers receive value for their Rates.
Success as a Councillor
I think it’s important that all Councillors feel that they are valued, that their thoughts and opinions matter, and that they are making a contribution.
It is a big commitment for a short amount of time.
We should use our time wisely, set goals and work toward them, and above all, enjoy the experience.
That doesn’t mean that Council is ‘fun’ or that everyone will always agree, but Council is a big ship, and at the end of our term, it would be good to feel that we have tugged at the rudder a little bit, to make our communities better places to live.
