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Council meeting · 16 December 2024

Mayoral training with neighbouring councils, Blind Creek and Knox Carols

2 min 23 s · Item 5, Reports by Councillors · Reported as Deputy Mayor

0:001:27:41

This report runs from 18:35 to 20:58 of a 1 h 28 min meeting. Watch the full meeting on the council webcast.

Summary

I reported on the MAV mandatory training program for mayors and deputy mayors, which the Mayor and I attended, and the conversations it allowed with the mayors and deputy mayors of our neighbouring councils. I also noted the memorial match at Knox United Soccer Club, the celebration of the reimagining of Blind Creek as an example of levels of government working together, and thanked staff for a well-run Knox Carols.

The memorial match at Knox United Soccer Club.
The memorial match at Knox United Soccer Club.
Photo from the month of this reportPhoto from the month of this report

Transcript

Edited from the meeting's auto-generated captions.

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you to Councillor Pearce for mentioning the memorial match at Knox United Soccer Club. It was a wonderful day, and I made a very early and very strong bid in the blind auction for a signed picture of Mary Fowler, so that is soon to take its place at our house.

I did want to speak to the MAV mandatory mayoral training program that the Mayor and I attended last Thursday and Friday in Melbourne. It was a fantastic opportunity to gather with mayors and deputy mayors from greater Melbourne and across Victoria to undertake the prescribed training. But I think really important were the conversations and connections we made, particularly with the mayors and deputy mayors of our neighbouring councils. We had good discussions with City of Greater Dandenong Mayor, Councillor Jim Memeti, Councillor Stefan Koomen, Mayor of the City of Casey. We caught up with Kylie Spears, Councillor and Mayor of Maroondah, Deputy Mayor Prue Cutts from Whitehorse, and I think Mayor Paul Klisaris from Monash. So almost all of our neighbours around the municipality. It was an intense couple of days. There was a lot to digest, about a 160-page workbook, but I commend and thank the MAV for putting on that program for mayors and deputy mayors.

I just echo mentions of the celebration of the reimagining of Blind Creek. It was a wonderful event, and I think a really good example of what different levels of government can achieve when we come together and leverage investment in projects that deliver community and green benefits for all. And I really encourage people looking to visit somewhere new, or somewhere they may not have been before, to put that on their list of local gems to check out over the summer break.

The Knox Carols was fantastic, and I had a moment of just feeling so proud of being part of a council that can put on an event of that size and scale and polish and quality. It was amazingly well run, and I just commend the many Council staff who live and breathe the logistics and the small details of those events to make sure that they run as smoothly as they did on Saturday night. And we were much more fortunate with the weather this year than last year.

And finally, just to echo my colleague Councillor Peter Lockwood's sentiments around Christmas. I think you said it perfectly, so I won't go there. But thank you.