Gazette - Golden Plains Shire

Your
Council
Bannockburn Customer
Service Centre
2 Pope Street,
Bannockburn,
Victoria, 3331.
P: 03 5220 7111
F: 03 5220 7100
Linton Customer
Service Centre
68 Sussex Street,
Linton,
Victoria, 3360.
P: 03 5344 6444
F: 03 5344 7302
Postal Address
Golden Plains Shire
PO Box 111,
Bannockburn,
Victoria 3331.
Emergency Contacts
P: 1300 363 036
P: 03 5220 7111
(24 Hours)
From the Mayor
Welcome to the
April edition of
the Gazette.
Council is
conducting a
new Advocacy
and Lobbying
initiative
calling on local
politicians. Working to build rapport
with State and Federal members, both
Government and opposition, to broaden
their knowledge about Council’s vision for
future projects helps to shed light on each
project’s unique significance in Golden
Plains Shire.
Project priorities highlighted have
included; new secondary school provision
for Golden Plains, Sustainable Water
Management Strategy for Recreation
Reserves, Smythesdale Well Upgrade and
Bannockburn Civic Heart Precinct. During
the first round of discussions, this initiative
has been well received by all politicians
involved and has already provided Council
with positive funding solutions and valuable
first-hand information.
On a more personal note, I urge you all
to look out for those residents who may
be challenged mentally or financially as a
result of the industry based restructure
in the Geelong region. There are people
and services that can help. Ballarat Rural
Financial Counselling Service 1300 735
578, Diversitat 5221 6044 and Community
Health Services 5338 4500 all offer excellent
counselling and support services.
Buy local and buy your kids a job.
Cr Jenny Blake - Mayor
From the CEO’s Desk
The Golden Plains
Gazette forms part of
Council’s commitment
to strengthening
communication and
consultation with
residents.
The Golden Plains
Gazette is produced
on stock which is FSC
Certified; 100% recycled
post consumer waste,
Process Chlorine Free
environment, 100% FSC
certifed fibre and ISO
14001 EMS accredited.
As Golden Plains Shire Council’s 20th year
progresses, it is a good time to reflect on the
decades that have shaped the community of
Golden Plains we have today.
In the 1990s the State Government reduced
the number of local councils across Victoria
from 210 to 78. Following the amalgamation,
a new ‘Southern Rural Shire’ was created
incorporating Leigh and Bannockburn Shires
with portions of Grenville and Buninyong
Shires.
Mrs Claire Barton Barber was appointed
sole Commissioner to undertake the duties
otherwise the responsibility of elected
councillors, and I was appointed to the
position of Interim Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) in May 1994.
Later that year, with advice from
Commissioner Barber that she believed
the Shire was viable in the long term,
Local Government Minister Roger Hallam
announced on 23 September that the Shire
was here to stay, and on 1 October 1994
the municipality was renamed to Golden
Plains Shire.
Personally, I am very proud that Golden
Plains Shire has remained a strong and
vibrant community and that it has remained,
through all of the changes in population,
climate and the economy, a financially
viable and sustainable Council. Its success
is a tribute to the people that live here and
contribute within their local communities.
The active participation and engagement
of community in Golden Plains is envied by
many other councils.
Rod Nicholls - Chief Executive Officer
2 | Golden Plains SHIRE Gazette - APRIL 2014