World heritage and mining history
The West Coast Council covers over 9500sq km and is located on the West Coast of Tasmania. With a population of approximately 4500, the municipality has a Gross Regional Product of over $300 million.
We have coastal populations, inland communities and small historic townships all within a short distance from magnificent lakes, rivers, rainforests, dunes and historic sites.
The region has an extensive mining sector which, combined with world heritage landscapes, burgeoning arts culture, convict heritage and a drive for innovation, create the unique West Coast region.
I enjoy everything about the West Coast, particularly the bush and coastline and the people.
Insight into the local area
I was basically born into local government – my Dad was a Health Inspector for thirty years. I can remember as a child people knocking on the door at home with problems.
After leaving school at 15, I worked briefly in the mining industry followed by nine years in banking. I then moved to local government working at the Queenstown Council where I studied at night school to become a Council Clerk. I moved on to become General Manager of the West Coast Council for six years, leaving in 1999 after sixteen years as a local government employee.
In 2009 I stood for election as a Councillor and was elected Mayor 2014.
I became involved in local government to use my work skills to create a change I believed the West Coast people wanted.
For ten years I have also worked for West Coast Heritage as an Executive Director and I have been Chairman/Director since 2001.
The company operates the West Coast Heritage Centre (Museum) at Zeehan.
Being part of the West Coast tourism scene gives me an insight into the complexities of growing the West Coast tourism industry.
Likewise I had a six-year period in private enterprise owning/operating a supermarket newsagency – making your own living gives perspective on things that many take for granted.
These life skills and an understanding of how hard it is when the work is simply not there when you want to work, and the devastating impact this can have on families and individuals, I believe helps me be a good councillor and representative for West Coast people.
Outside of work hours I enjoy going out to the bush to cut wood, not that I do it much now, but it gets in your blood – a great West Coast pastime. Likewise, being out in the shed working on projects, namely Land Rovers as I currently have four on the go. I also enjoy a social drink and spending time with my wife, children and three young grandchildren.
Diversifying the economy
Mining has been the lifeblood of the West Coast, employing the vast majority of the population for over a century. The region has set itself a challenge to diversify its economy and develop industries such as tourism, aquaculture and renewable energy.
It is really only a recent realisation that the West Coast has economic potential outside of mining – there is a strong willingness to innovate and position ourselves as the premier destination for those looking to move to a smaller community, as well as for visitors.
This, along with a declining population and trying to make the dollar go as far as possible, is a key challenge for West Coast Council and our community however we are determined to create opportunities to ensure the sustainability of our Council and the region.
With Council’s existing Strategic Plan due to expire, Council embraced the opportunity to reach out to its community for direction in creating a new Community Plan – one that will not only drive Council business over the next decade but also provide a solid framework for other stakeholders.
The Council facilitated an extensive community engagement process in 2015. The community embraced the opportunity to become involved with planning for the future, with a 22 percent survey return rate and 40 percent of the West Coast population participating in the process.
The West Coast Community Plan 2025 (WCCP2025) is a true reflection of what the West Coast wants. The project bought the community together and gave Council the mandate to move forward – it demonstrates exactly what a whole of community plan can be and what can be achieved through working together.
All Council business is now based around achieving the vision outlined in WCCP2025, for example the creation of an Economic Development Advisory Committee and the key actions for 2016-2017 detailed in Council’s Annual Plan.
