Mayoral Column - 14 September 2022
Published on 14 September 2022
The Cessnock Local Government Area (LGA) is a vibrant and growing region and the events I attended over the weekend highlighted the incredible community spirit we have here.
On Saturday it was an honour to attend the flood appreciation event which brought together the organisations and individuals who contributed their time and effort during the two flood events we had this year. It was the first time the Cessnock LGA had two natural disaster declarations within four months of each other, and this event was an opportunity to thank those who were there for our community when they needed it most. Whether it was during the flood, or in the recovery phase, so many people played an important role including local police, SES, VRA, Rural Fire Service, Ambulance Services, Council staff, Resilience NSW, Legal Aid, Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council, Local Land Services and Ausgrid.
While the past few months have been tough for many, one of the positive things to come out of the disaster was what can be achieved when organisations and individuals work together towards a common goal. There were so many positive stories that came during the flood, many of which were shared on the day, and the common theme in each of these stories was people working together to ensure the safety of our community. The event was a wonderful opportunity to connect, reflect and celebrate what has been achieved.
It was fantastic to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Wollombi Sculpture Festival on Saturday evening. The Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival is unique. Not only is it NSW’s longest running regional sculpture festival, but it’s an arts festival that is put on by the community - the people of the Wollombi Valley. The capacity of this community to deliver an event like this reflects the kind of community spirit that the people of the Wollombi Valley have always relied on to get things done.
The people of the Wollombi Valley were hit hardest by the recent flood event, which caused obstacles for this year’s festival. The fact they were able to overcome this and have the event go ahead is testament to resilience and tenacity of this community. This event runs until Sunday 25 September 2022 and I encourage everyone to check it out.
To top off the weekend, I attended Our Bushland Festival at Poppet Head Park in Kitchener on Sunday. It was wonderful to see the community come out and enjoy our natural environment, along with the many stalls, walks, talks, animal encounters, food and live music on offer. Our Bushland Festival is an opportunity to better understand and celebrate our diverse bushland. The best thing about this festival is that it combines fun activities with education, and I look forward to it being an annual event on the Cessnock City calendar.
On a more solemn note, I had the honour of representing Council at the Mining and Energy Union’s 25th Annual Memorial Day Service. Sadly, there are 1793 names on the Jim Comerford Memorial Wall honouring mine workers who never returned home to their families. While mining has brought great wealth to our region, it has come at a significant personal cost to many. We must continue to improve working conditions to prevent any further names being added to the Wall.