The 2021 NSW Local Government Elections on Saturday 4 December is getting closer. This also means my service to the community in local government is drawing to a close. While I am looking forward to retirement and exploring more of this wonderful country of ours in my caravan, it has been a very rewarding 11 years as Tamworth Region Mayor and 17 years as a Councillor. I have enjoyed contributing to giving our region the firm footing it needs to build a prosperous future. It has been quite an interesting journey. There have been challenges along the way but, there were always positives and many good outcomes achieved for our community. The Tamworth Region is a wonderful place to call home with many great attributes - not the least of which are its hard-working residents who are innovative and enterprising in how they are going about making a more vibrant and stronger community.
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I can't begin to count how many times as Mayor I have heard praise for our region's can-do approach and our ability to get on with what needs to be done. I have been proud as Mayor to hear many positive comparisons of our Council against similar ones around Australia. Our success rate in securing NSW or Australian government funding for major infrastructure projects is one area where our achievements have been noted by other Councils.
A highlight of my years at Council has been our increasing ability to have big projects shovel ready. This has been a game changer in securing funding for major infrastructure from the other two levels of government. A good example of this is the Northern Inland Centre of Sporting Excellence - a $17.2 million project for stage one and $9.6 million for stage two. It delivered top class cycling, athletics, hockey and equine facilities capable of staging state, national and international standard events.
Also notable is the work in progress to create the Tamworth Global Gateway Park from the ground up. This started in 2016 when Council took the entrepreneurial step of buying a 146-hectare site at Westdale to meet the demand for industrial and business land to grow local employment in the years ahead. To date, the NSW Government has committed a total of $55,496,000, with $6,734,291 from the Australian Government and a $16,556,250 investment from Council. Later this year we will see the first stage of its development complete with strong buyer interest shown in the first sites up for sale.
I can see it will only be a matter of time before Blueprint 100 is understood to be the singular most significant initiative of Tamworth Regional Council since its formation in 2004. I can tell you we are seen as a leading light in the way we have put together a planning strategy with such vision.
When meeting Mayors from across NSW as part of the work I have done with Regional Cities NSW and nationally through Regional Capitals Australia, I hear how highly Tamworth Regional Council is regarded. While the support of the majority of our community is an important part of our success, credit is also due to the great work of our staff. We have a highly trained and dedicated team of staff working across a huge diversity of roles from airport operations to the art gallery and road maintenance to water treatment plant operations. In many ways, they are our greatest resource. Likewise, the people who put their hand up to serve their community as Councillors are also an asset for our community. I know the hours of effort put in by Councillors is largely underestimated and not fully acknowledged. Each Councillor does strive to do their best on behalf of their community.
While I am about to head away to enjoy some exploring with my caravan, I will be continuing to advocate for our region through my appointment to the University of New England Council. The Council is the governing body of the University and is chaired by the Chancellor. It has been exciting in recent years to see the UNE grow its presence in the Tamworth region and I look forward to playing a part in that and seeing the Tamworth University Campus come to fruition.
