Councillors and staff were available to listen to people’s thoughts, issues and concerns, and provide information on some of our current projects and initiatives.

It was wonderful to meet with our constituents in an informal way, where people were able to give us valuable feedback which we will use to help us in our future decision-making. 

The Wimmera Machinery Field Days, which has been operating since 1963, continues to bring thousands of people to our region each year.

We congratulate the Wimmera Machinery Field Days committee on yet another very successful event. 

The Horsham Fishing Competition, another of our long-standing events, was held last weekend, again attracting many people and anglers from outside our region to Horsham. 

Well done to the hardworking team of volunteers on delivering a great community event.

Last week I also attended a National Women’s Day luncheon in the Horsham Town Hall.

The luncheon was another fantastic community event and celebrated our local women and their achievements.

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a delegation to Canberra where we met with a number of federal politicians to discuss and advocate for a range of local and regional issues. 

The delegation was led by the Wimmera Development Association and included representatives from the five Wimmera regional councils.

On April 3, 2018, we will welcome our new chief executive, Sunil Bhalla, to the Horsham Rural City Council team. 

Sunil brings a wealth of experience and skills to the role and his appointment provides us with an opportunity to look at the way we conduct our business with fresh eyes.   

Graeme Harrison, council’s director of corporate services, has done an excellent job as acting chief executive for the past three months.

We thank him for the excellent way in which he has carried out the role during this time.

Cr Pam Clarke is mayor of Horsham City Rural Council.