From Griffith Council – Rina Mercuri

I am delighted to announce that Griffith Spring Fest will be going ahead in October this year. It will however be presented in a different way, but the important thing is that it is returning.

This means we will need gardens to feature, so if you have a garden you’d like to share to help make our festival bigger and better than ever please get in touch with the Tourism Team.

I can also confirm that the Citrus Sculptures will make a return this year with COVID-safe measures in place. We are also hoping to hold our Launch Party, dependant on the COVID situation of course. We are currently exploring all options for the best way to proceed. Please check Griffith Spring Fest website for any updates.

Celebrating the end of vintage each year is a tradition that we all look forward to in Griffith. This year we will do it in style again with our Easter Party.

The program and website is being launched next week, so please keep an eye out for that.

It is also wonderful to see the progress being made on the new community stage at the Burley Griffin Community Garden.

When finished, this outdoor stage will host a wide range of local events and hopefully attract some first-class entertainers and events from further afield.

This will be a fantastic community asset with so much potential for future festivities to be enjoyed there. In addition to the funding from the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund, a further $100,000 was generously bequeathed to Council by the late Mr Stuart McWilliam for the embellishments to the community stage.

The stage is just one of many exciting projects Council has underway at the moment that is helping grow and enhance our beautiful City.

When I see projects such as this come to fruition it reminds me just how rewarding it is to be a Councillor representing the interests of our residents.
Being a Councillor can be challenging at times but also extremely satisfying, especially when you see projects you’ve backed become reality.

If you have ever thought about becoming a Councillor, I’d urge you to do it. If you’re not sure what it involves, the Office of Local Government has a whole range of publications and resources available to potential candidates, which you can view at www.olg.nsw.gov.au or you can contact me or any of the other Councillors.

We particularly need more women. It’s astonishing to me that women represent less than a third of all councillors and mayors serving on the 128 councils in NSW.

I’d like to encourage strong local women to consider putting their hands up for the upcoming election in September to ensure that Griffith City Council is representative of our community. Women have a different perspective to men and I believe it’s important that we achieve balance.

The Australian Local Government Women’s Association (ALGWA) NSW will conduct a forum for women interested in standing for Council in the Local Government elections in Griffith on Saturday, 15 May 2021, 9am-12pm at Council Chambers.

Until next time, keep safe and God bless.

Cr Rina Mercuri

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• Local Council