On Wednesday 12 October, two of the senior staff recently appointed to the evolving MidCoast Council structure visited the Cove for a quick tour and a meeting over an early lunch with members of the Residents Association committee. The Director Community Spaces & Services, Paul De Szell, had worked for Great Lakes Council prior to 2004 so he was able to refresh his memory of our village and catch up with the more recent developments. Daniel Aldridge is the new appointment to the role of Manager Community Spaces, Recreation and Trades. Both Paul and Daniel had been working with Greater Taree Council prior to the merger. Also visiting was Tracey Farrant, Community Engagement Officer who has become quite familiar with the Cove since her appointment.
This was predominately a familiarisation session but every opportunity was taken to highlight the needs of our village community. The council representatives were also quick to point out that in the new Council there were dozens of villages all with needs. This year's round of Stronger Communities funding had applications totalling around $2.5 million dollars for the half million dollars available! Clearly there is a lot of competition for funding.
They pointed out that, although no parts of the old councils' areas were supportive of the merger, this was imposed upon us by the State Government. The new Council team is therefore doing what it can to ensure the outcome is positive. This includes taking the opportunity to structure the organisation so as to maximise efficiency and responsiveness to community needs - within the bounds of the resources it has at its disposal.
