Councillors

Cr Kate Redwood AM – Birch Ward

kredwood@hepburn.vic.gov.au
0428 285 673

BA, BSW Hons. and MBA studies Melbourne Business School

Cr Redwood was elected to Hepburn Shire Council in 2012. She was Deputy Mayor in 2014 and 2019 and Mayor in 2015.

Cr Redwood has represented Council on a range of committees including the Hepburn Shire Audit and Risk Committee from 2012 to 2016. She has chaired the Hepburn Shire International Women’s Day Committee since 2012 and has represented Council on the Grampians Region Waste Resource Recycling and Recovery Forum in 2019. Cr Redwood is also a Director on the Hepburn Health Services Board and has chaired its Audit and Risk Committee and currently chairs the Fundraising Committee. She is a member of the

Committee of Management for Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre and of the Cornish Hill Committee of Management.

Cr Redwood has previously served two terms as a Councillor for the City of Melbourne. She has held board positions with Melbourne Health (9 years), State Trustees Limited (9 years), Walter and Eliza Medical Research Institute (4 years) Orygen Youth Mental Health (4 years). She has held a range of senior management positions in health and community services organisations.

In 2013 Cr Redwood was awarded an Order of Australia, AM, for services to the Victorian community and a Centenary Medal in 2001 for services to local government and the community.

Cr Fiona Robson – Birch Ward

frobson@hepburn.vic.gov.au
0428 322 454

Cr Fiona Robson has expertise in community development, strategic planning and project management. She has worked in a large multinational corporation, small business, not-for-profits, education, health and local government, as well as volunteering with a variety of community initiatives.

Cr Robson has co-owned and co-operated a successful local small business and is married with two school-aged children.

Cr Robson has a Bachelor of Science (Melbourne), a Graduate Certificate in International & Community Development (Deakin), is an Internationally Certified Project Manager (Project Management Institute) and has commenced a Graduate Diploma in Communication (Deakin).

Cr Neil Newitt – Cameron Ward

nnewitt@hepburn.vic.gov.au
5321 6423/0400 906 599

Cr Neil Newitt and his family decided to move permanently to Clunes in 2006 after many years as weekend visitors. Cr Newitt is a professional photographer and runs a gallery in Fraser Street, Clunes, and recently opened a wine bar in the expanded business.

Cr Newitt has thirty years’ experience as a professional photographer working in newspapers in Queensland and Victoria, including regional and metropolitan mastheads. Cr Newitt was a Senior Photographer and Pictorial Editor with The Age until 2005. Currently, Cr Newitt is a contributor to national media magazines. Since moving to Clunes, Cr Newitt has been involved with many community, tourism and economic development committees.

Cr Licia Kokocinski (Mayor) – Coliban Ward

lkokocinski@hepburn.vic.gov.au
0447 446 412

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science & Masters Degree in Public Policy and Management

Cr Licia Kokocinski has lived in Trentham since 1999, living with her family and establishing a farmlet in Fern Hill, then moving to the Trentham township in 2019. Cr Kokocinski was a Victorian State Labor Member of Parliament in the Legislative Council from 1988-1996, serving on a number of joint Parliamentary committees, Secretary to Shadow Cabinet and holding a number of Labor Party Policy Committee positions. Her political and community activities were predominantly in the fields of local government, ageing, disability, multicultural affairs and education. Cr Kokocinski was elected to the Coliban ward during the year following the retirement of Cr Sebastian Klein.

Cr Don Henderson – Creswick Ward

dhenderson@hepburn.vic.gov.au
5345 2638/0427 559 684

Cr Don Henderson was first elected to Council in 2008. He is a qualified carpenter and joiner. Cr Henderson also had a long career in the building and construction industry as a tradesperson, safety and industrial relations consultant, former Secretary Building Workers Industrial Union and advisor for Australian Workers’ Union (AWU). Cr Henderson was a founding Director of Tripstop group of companies.

Cr Greg May – Creswick Ward

gmay@hepburn.vic.gov.au
0409 251 743

Cr Greg May worked for many years in the telecommunications sector but in recent years has been an organic farmer producing vegetables and wine. He has a keen interest in sport and recreation throughout the Shire and enjoys involvement with local sporting clubs and community groups. Cr May has been the Chair of the Hepburn White Ribbon Committee (HWRC) since 2016. The HWRC was established in 2016 to join the International White Ribbon Day (WRD) campaign to eliminate violence against women in our society. HWRC works with all sectors of the community to create social awareness and cultural change around the issue of violence against women. Cr May lead the recruitment of Hepburn Shire White Ribbon Day Ambassadors – men who are considered to be exemplary role models and inspiring and motivational leaders in our community.

Cr John Cottrell (Deputy Mayor) – Holcombe Ward

jcottrell@hepburn.vic.gov.au
0429 094 023

Cr John Cottrell is retired and lives in Glenlyon. He is a member of Council’s Audit and Risk Advisory Committee; Chairman Disability Access Advisory Committee; Municipal Association Victoria (MAV) Representative and member MAV Professional Development Reference Group. He is Chairman External Compliance Committee Powerwrap Limited, a researcher in corporate governance and extensions in ethics and evolving capitalism, a member of the international peer review panel journal of Corporate Governance. He holds an MSc (Strategic Foresight) from Swinburne University of Technology, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Fellow Governance Institute Australia.