News and Reviews
Challenges face next Clarence mayor
Challenges face next Clarence mayor
By Tim Howard
By this time next week the Clarence Valley will know which of its nine councillors will be mayor for the remainder of this term of council.
The election for Mayor will be the first order of business of the September 26 Clarence Valley Council meeting, with at least four councillors including current mayor Cr Ian Tiley, nominating.
Three other councillors, Debrah Novak, Peter Johnstone and Steve Pickering have also nominated.
Cr Tiley, the first Clarence Valley mayor after the 2004 amalgamation, did not comment about his decision to run, other than to say councillors were well aware of what he had to offer.
Cr Novak has been a councillor since 2016 and Crs Pickering and Johnstone were elected in December 2021 poll.
Nominations for deputy mayor are not so clear cut, with current deputy Mayor Cr Greg Clancy yet to decide if he’ll run.
Cr Jeff Smith has expressed interest in the deputy’s job and enjoys popular support from the community.
Cr Novak has also ruled herself out of the deputy mayoral race if her tilt for the mayor’s job proves unsuccessful.
She has fashioned herself as a people’s champion and as Mayor has promised she would be advocating for community interests.
Debrah Novak.
Cr Karen Toms, who ran for mayor unsuccessfully in 2022, said she would not be contesting either position on Tuesday.
Cr Johnstone said as mayor he would focus on service provision in line with community wishes without cost increases and try to build trust in the council.
“Developing trust and transparency across our community is an essential task for whoever is the next mayor and I commit to achieving this,” he said.
He said he had learned a lot in a little under two years on council.
“During Ian’s term as mayor I have watched, listened and learnt from Ian, our community, council staff and the other councillors and believe that at this time I am best placed to lead the council forward,” he said.
Cr Pickering said he would focus on unifying the council after a fractious first half of its term.
Whoever is elected, he or she faces a Herculean task uniting a council that has failed to live up to hopes and ambitions talked up after the election.
And with the next council elections due in September 2024, he or she has limited time to do it.
Peter Jo
In January 2022 Cr Tiley talked of “reimagining the Clarence Valley” and said a “goal … for this council to be a leading council [in NSW] … admired and respected [across] the community/“
Most would agree the council has fallen short of these aims, although leading during a pandemic and dealing with a massive flood disaster in its first months was a massive challenge.
As Mayor Cr Tiley has instigated changes that have streamlined council’s operation.
Abandoning committee meetings in favour of more intense pre-meeting workshops and overseeing more sprightly debates during the monthly meetings has been a positive.
But Cr Tiley has not been able to create a unified council.
In-fighting began almost immediately as the new council dealt with issues handed down from the previous regime, such as sale of the South Grafton Visitor Information Centre.
This issue cost Mayor Tiley some skin when some off-the-record comments found their way into the local media.
And it set a pattern of infighting and squabbling within council.
It has meant issues such as the Treelands Drive Community Centre and the 2022 closure of the Grafton Olympic Pool continue to be controversial as council fails to settle on a position.
The new mayor will get a look at both these issues as they are sure to be in same business paper as the mayoral vote.
Steve Pickering
For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.
New development planned for Woolgoolga Retirement Village
Woolgoolga and District Retirement Village Ltd are taking steps to add a collection of modern retirement residences and amenities to their village in High Street. They are in the early phase of planning a new development to be called Callisto Coastal Retirement.
Sasha Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of Woolgoolga and District Retirement Village Ltd is excited about the plans. “We are very proud to be adding Callisto Coastal Retirement to our community.” Ms Andrews said. “We are part of a great community in a fantastic location and aim to set the benchmark for premium retirement living in Woolgoolga.”
At this early stage, they are keen to get input from the local community of future residents to help create the perfect coastal retirement. A Feedback Forum is being offered to eligible potential residents aged 55+, providing an opportunity to learn more, convey their thoughts, ideas and insights around design and services, features, amenities and priorities.
The new development has the support of the Board of Directors of the not-for-profit, community owned organisation. Chairperson, Ian Wade said “Woolgoolga and District Retirement Village has played an important role in the community for many years and we want to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of our seniors for years to come. We have a great opportunity to provide quality retirement living, built with future residents in mind.”
A community Feedback Forum is planned for Tuesday 7 May. For details and to register to attend, go to the website here. For more on the Woolgoolga Retirement Village, visit here.
For more Coffs Harbour news, click here.
Memory Run Walk Jog – My Way Lismore
Albert Park Baseball Grounds
Keen Street Lismore
8am Sunday 19th May 2024
Join a fun community activity to fundraise and raise dementia awareness. Last year, more than 10,000 people walked, jogged and ran in cities and towns across Australia for people impacted by dementia. Dementia awareness
Lismore events include a 10km run, a 5km jog/walk or a 1km walk so that the day is inclusive of all levels of physical ability.
There will be information stalls providing details of supports, local resources and services to help those impacted by dementia, as well as food and drinks.
Form a team from your workplace, local club, friends or family (dress up to make it fun!) and enter the 1km walk, 5km jog/walk or a 10km run. Get lots of sponsors!
To register a team or take part as an individual go to:
www.memorywalk.com.au/event/lismore-myway
Dementia awareness
Currently, dementia is the leading cause of death in women and overall, it is the second leading cause of death for all Australians. In 2024, it is estimated that more than 1.6 million people in Australia are involved in the care of someone living with dementia.
Dr Jones says ‘The ageing population in the Northern Rivers is growing at an exponential rate. Our region is one of the highest ageing communities in NSW and this comes with increasing rates of those impacted by dementia in our community. I’m quite keen to see that we adopt more preventable approaches against dementia in our region’. Dementia awareness
Dr Jones says ‘There are many things we can do to prevent dementia or delay your risk of developing dementia. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits, in particular regular exercise can make a significant difference’.
“We encourage the whole community to come together, not only to raise money for
Dementia Australia, but also to exercise together and to fight this disease” says Dr Jones.
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