Heart of the Mount Lofty Ranges
We live in an expanding District, which still offers diverse lifestyle options for families and individuals of all ages. It’s a great place to live, work and play and only half an hour drive to the capital city of South Australia, Adelaide.
Our district is a beautiful region nestled within the heart of the Mount Lofty Ranges and has everything at its doorstep.
I am very proud to live here; it offers the best of urban and rural living in a setting where residents and visitors can enjoy clean air, open spaces and natural beauty.
We are also well known as a tourist destination, with one of our towns, Hahndorf, the oldest German settlement in Australia, being the number one tourist destination in the state.
We are also home to rolling landscapes, wineries, native parklands, charming villages and rustic vistas, a perfect cycling and driving destination as seen with the recent annual international Tour Down Under.
Mount Barker is also home to one of the most successful and diverse artificial wetlands in Australia, named Laratinga Wetlands from the native Peramangk people.
In addition to local sewerage recycling and the natural removal of pollutants from waterways, the area is a popular community recreation reserve with abundant wildlife and host of other natural attractions.
It has also been such a success for local wildlife that the Laratinga Wetlands is a bird watcher’s paradise with more than 140 bird species visiting the site every year and filmed recently for Australian television.
Grown and opportunities
The District Council of Mount Barker is going through a significant growth spurt and because of this we are seeing unprecedented changes.
Where people see challenges, I see opportunities.
We are seeking opportunities with all levels of government and have continued to commit significant resources to the management of growth with the objective to maximise opportunities and benefits for our community.
Significant progress has been made since I started my role as Mayor and Council has continued to advocate to both State and Federal Governments for funding for infrastructure and services, with funding commitment secured for a new freeway interchange and a new Park’N’Ride to name a few.
Council has continued to apply the beneficiary pays principle so the infrastructure required by growth is funded by developers.
Council has also raised separate rates to provide future infrastructure in the areas of recreation, water and transport.
Giving back to the community
I was raised in a family that always had an uncle or family member that was part of the Kangaroo Island Council.
Growing up I thought it was compulsory to be an elected member; it was just something you had to do.
Because of my career in nursing, I moved to Mount Barker and instantly fell in love with the area and the people.
It was the best time of my life in those early years raising a family and working in such a beautiful community such as Mount Barker.
I believe that was why I devoted all my time to helping local charities and community groups, chairing local boards and eventually working for Council as Mayor.
It’s just my way of giving back to the community.
When I was first elected to Council I was always aware that decisions we make will always have an impact on residents in many different ways and we must always do right by them.
I am always conscious of what is the best for the community, not just now but for the future too.
Thankfully we have very connected residents, amazing staff and elected members who work as a collective to provide our community with peace of mind
and respect.
As Mayor I have to consider each decision in terms of the community’s health and happiness, employment, adequate amenities and the safety and security of our locals.
To do the job properly you must put personal opinion aside and dedicate yourself to being there for the community.
Honesty, sympathy and compassion are very important attributes.
I think these are the values that help me and my fellow councillors when we work for the community.
We are here to serve and we know that at times when we try our hardest not everyone will be satisfied.
We accept that and we just keep trying regardless.
Maintaining a satisfactory work/life balance is difficult at the best of times and I would say different for different people.
I personally believe it is difficult for mothers to balance their career and their family and this could be a reason why females are underrepresented in leadership positions.
I have always lived in a male dominated arena, at times challenging and stressful, but I have never found males threatening.
Unlike most people I found it easy to differentiate between work and family. I always worked around my family and I had great support from my husband.
To me it was always about the satisfaction of working for the community rather than looking at the hours I worked.
My greatest achievement was the first time being elected as Mayor and my most memorable moment was receiving Order of Australia Medal for my contribution to community and Council.
