After some 46 years in local government, Wayne Chellis decided to call it a day earlier this year.
With a wealth of practical experience and outstanding commitment to the top Works & Infrastructure job at Northern Midlands, there has not been much in the way of new, renewal or maintenance of infrastructure that has not crossed his desk.
Northern Midlands is one of the most diverse municipal areas in Tasmania – it ranges from mountainous country on its eastern and western boundaries to extensive grazing lands renowned for fine wool production, the rich agricultural river flats of the Esk, Lake, and Macquarie Rivers; the historic towns and villages with distinctive heritage qualities including two world heritage sites, and small businesses to multi-million dollar enterprises.
Mr Chellis was nominated as a High Achiever by Northern Midlands Mayor David Downie, who said Mr Chellis proved an effective manager and that his “jack-of-all-trades” knowledge came in handy in his role.
As Works & Infrastructure Manager, Mr Chellis had the responsibility of maintaining, upgrading and creation of all infrastructure under the Council’s jurisdiction and the management of 30 permanent and ten part time staff and approximately 400 registered contractors and their employees.
Mr Chellis thanked all the Northern Midlands Council staff for assisting him and the councillors for the support they gave him in his role.
“Councillors, Managers and staff all working as a team is critical in regards to the efficiencies and effectiveness of council operations to deliver outcomes for the community,” he said.
A typical example of teamwork was implemented when Council was handed the responsibility of bridge maintenance and replacement in 1993 from the state government.
Northern Midlands Council’s outdoor employees were trained in single span timber bridge replacement and it was critical that the bridges were removed and replaced with a new one in a single day to ensure farming communities had access to their properties.
Council has replaced 110 timber bridges with concrete structures with only 12 timber bridges remaining across the municipal area.
Before joining Northern Midlands Council, Mr Chellis worked at Penguin Council. He is an accredited builder, and further to that an accredited building construction manager. He was one of the first people to be awarded with a Diploma in Front Line Management through TAFE Tasmania mostly due to prior knowledge.
In 2012 Mr Chellis was awarded with a Life Membership Service Award by the Local Government Association Tasmania for long and outstanding service to the whole of local government.
“Local Government is special as it provides an opportunity for you to be able to make a difference to the community that you live in and work for,” Mr Chellis said.
“I can walk through a River Reserve and know that I have made it accessible and enjoyable for the community, I can drive through the main street and know that I have made it safer and a more attractive streetscape, I can travel a rural road and know I have constructed it to a higher standard… I can see people enjoying the new clubrooms at the local recreation grounds, the new sporting facilities and play equipment, I can see the street trees growing, the list goes on and on, but most of all I am recognised and appreciated by the community for what I have tried to do for them.
“Of course Council offers job security and there is such a broad range of tasks and situations that make it a special workplace too, and even after 46 years I was still able to learn something almost every day.”
Into the future Mr Chellis said his plans extend to: “Family, fishing, further improvements to the landscaping of my 5800 square metre residential property. And, if time permits, undertaking some special projects for local government.”
