Mayoral Memo - 29 June 2022
I always thought that the fictional masked former Texas Ranger who first appeared in a 1933 radio show was misnamed. He was known as the Lone Ranger but he didn’t do it alone. He had his trusty companion, Tonto, and they both had their horses, Silver and Scout.
As much as many people might like to believe they achieve great things on their own, the reality is that it takes many people to make even the simplest venture come together. The success of many a project is based on how well relationships are built and maintained. And relationships rely on effective communication. So it would seem that to be effective in Council seems relatively simple.
Build relationships with great communication!
Sounds simple but, it is not always easy to do. I once sat beside a helicopter pilot and watched her fly and it all looked incredibly simple - but doing is different to watching.
This week I saw a great initiative from the State Government. There are nine main government departments in NSW with each one headed by a Secretary. Under each Secretary sit Deputy Secretaries. As part of a regional tour, I attended and spoke at a dinner in Dubbo this week attended by almost twenty of these senior leaders. They were from a variety of departments such as Education; Transport; Health; Regional NSW; Treasury and more. While these staff members make decisions that impact the lives of people across the State, they don’t always see first-hand the impacts of those decisions.
These staff are building relationships with Council and other community leaders that were in the room. They were also communicating with our community to help them learn more about our regional areas and to help residents understand more of what they do.
There was nothing revolutionary that came from the dinner but relationships were forged that will allow better solutions to be developed. I can only assume this won’t be the last tour that this group will undertake.
While building relationships between the State Government and Council is crucial to our future success, relationships across our region are incredibly important as well. This Friday I will be in Nyngan attending the Alliance of Western Councils (AWC) board meeting. Dubbo was previously a strong supporter of Orana Region of Councils (OROC). Unfortunately that relationship broke down and the twelve Councils in our region ceased to gather on a regular basis. The new Councillors on Dubbo Regional Council are very interested in being a part of broader solutions so, after a motion moved by Councillor Lewis Burns at our first Council meeting this year, Dubbo has helped form the AWC which is effectively the new version of OROC.
Relationships and communication. Incredibly important for our Council and our region. Don’t hesitate to communicate your thoughts to me at mayor@dubbo.nsw.gov.au
Councillor Mathew Dickerson
Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council
Last Edited: 28 Jun 2022