Saint Patrick’s Day 2018 will be remembered in the western Victorian Shire of Corangamite as a black day.
The bush fires that raged through the district left 15,000 hectares of rich farmland a barren wasteland. Losses included 24 houses and 63 sheds, hundreds of livestock, pasture and silage.
Corangamite Shire is the home of the renowned Twelve Apostles – a natural rock formation created by the erosion of the limestone cliffs by the Southern Ocean.
The lush hinterland of fertile grasslands, internationally recognised wetlands, volcanic cones and rolling hills, is not only attractive, but also forms the basis of an important agricultural industry.
Covering approximately 4,600 square km the Shire extends from the spectacular coastal towns of Port Campbell and Princetown to historic Skipton, in the north, near Ballarat.
The name ‘Corangamite’ is said to be derived from the local aboriginal word for ‘bitter’ or ‘salt water’, referring to the high salt level of the water in Lake Corangamite, the Shire’s eastern boundary.
Council’s Customer Service Team remember well the bitter days that followed the terrible fire.
They played a pivotal role in the district’s recovery, assisting residents deal with the wide range of issues that the fire created.
The team became councillors for a community that had in some instances lost everything, needing someone to talk to and assist with their grief.
In the first few days the team received a huge increase in calls, and requests for information and council assistance continued for the two weeks following the fires.
Manager Growth and Development, Rory Neeson said his Customer Service Team were more than happy to go above and beyond to make sure each request was followed up and someone was dealing with residents’ concerns, some on a highly sensitive and private nature.
“The feedback we received in the debrief following the fires was that the team did a great job in assisting our resident access relevant services to help fast track the recovery efforts from this traumatic event.”
Mayor, Jo Beard, noticed the extra mile of service given by the team, nominating them as LG Focus council high achievers for ‘the pivotal role they play on behalf of Council, connecting and supporting residents and particularly during the recent St Patrick’s Day fires and their aftermath’.
The Customer Service Team, which includes full time employees Tammy Young and Simone Bell, part time staff Narelle Belyea and Angela Rippon and casual staff member Jennifer Anderson, has been rated above the State and Large Rural Council average in the past five years of the local government community satisfaction survey, in most cases by over 10 points which is an incredible achievement.
The team is proud that the number one thing residents continue to rate highest about Council is the level of customer service they receive when accessing information and services.
Always seeking to rise to a new challenge, the team is continually adapting to new forms of technology ensuring that Council can respond promptly to queries received from a variety of sources.
The active use of social media by Council coupled with a new website last year has ensured this occurs.
The team take pride in knowing they are helping members in the community by making their experience with Council a memorable one.
In some cases a resident’s contact with Council may be their only contact with a person for that day so taking the time to ensure they feel their needs are met is an important part of the job.
The customer service team at Corangamite Shire enjoy their work and are committed to providing an outstanding service to
residents.
They are always happy to go over and above to see that customers’ needs are met and to promote an internal culture that ensures the great service they provide is continued by all other departments at Council.
