Councillor Column - 14 January 2026 - Cr Don Henderson

Published on 14 January 2026

Summer has come with a vengeance. The extreme heat and weather conditions make life very challenging and a cause to be cautious in what we do.

To those around us and throughout the world, I can only hope that peace can be found. To those who have suffered recent losses, and that includes our people in neighbouring shires, our thoughts will be with you. I am sure no matter what our shortcomings may be, we have plenty as a community when it comes to generosity and care for others, and we will dig deep to assist in whatever way possible.

The quiet time for Council has meant plenty of time to be out and about throughout the Shire to listen to what is being said and looking with a critical eye as to where Council is headed this year.

I know that grass took a long time to cure this year and it seems that we need to focus more on cleaning up our roadsides and towns. Tourists are great but many do not understand that things are different here, compared to the city. Tourists have the same expectations regarding tidiness of our streets and parks as we do. We really do need to concentrate this year on our roads and rubbish. The idea that if a place is good for residents then tourists will want to be part of the goodness is so true. On my trips around I have encountered many locals enjoying the outdoors, gained a great insight as to how they feel and the things they see as a priority. Part of this will be to see how we can do better.

A huge shout out to all our emergency service personnel as well as many Council staff and volunteers at all manner of emergencies. Our community greatly appreciates the effort that is being put in.

I have observed quite a number of our wildlife also under stress and simple things such as a cool source of water can help. Be sure to remember that the pavements can be very hot when walking the dogs and they cannot always communicate their situation.

If you are having issues the best way is to put in a service request as Facebook is only a stop gap.