2024 was a year full of many wins, both big and small, for Murray River Council.
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It was also a year of change, with an election seeing a change in community representation on the council.
Now Murray River Council Deputy Mayor Neil Gorey is looking back on the past 12 months, which he described as a particularly strong year for tourism development.
Deputy Mayor Neil Gorey reflects on Murray River Council’s year.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
“The year has been marked by significant achievements across various areas of the business, such as tourism development,” he said.
“We have become industry leaders in this space, recognised through many awards, most notably for our sound and light show, Moama Lights.
“Whilst the curtain has drawn on this event for now, council is proud of the social and economic impacts it made to the local region, leading the way for sound and light shows since we brought it to life four years ago.”
Moama Lights injected millions of dollars into the local community.
Photo by
Contributed
Moama Lights was originally introduced as a way to support the local community after COVID-19.
It had a huge economic and social impact on the region, with the 2024 event alone bringing in $7.9 million.
However, due to rising costs and the resource demand required to bring the event together, council decided to call an end to the event.
Since the discontinuation of Moama Lights, council has continued to push forth with other projects such as the River Country Art Trail project, which was launched in November.
The all new ‘Live, Work, Invest’ platform, a lifestyle and investment website that showcases everything the region has to offer, was launched in December.
Moving forward, council is eager to explore fresh ideas and events that will continue to benefit the wider community.
Mathoura water tower art as part of Murray River Council's River Country Art Trail, painted by Spanish artist Dulk.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
Outside of tourism development, Cr Gorey said council had made progress in key areas such as the flood recovery capital works.
“Our teams made remarkable progress in an extensive flood recovery capital works program following widespread destruction from the October 2022 floods,” he said.
“We delivered the largest capital works transport program in our history, mostly in-house, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining high standards of public service in the face of adversity.”
Other major projects included the initiation of the Meninya St Precinct project, the council's biggest redevelopment venture to date, and the opening of the $5.9 million Moama Preschool.
Federal Senator Deborah O’Neill, NSW Department of Education director of commissioned programs Peter Harvey, Moama Preschool Committee president Alison Wright, Moama and District Preschool director Narelle Blachford and Murray River Council Mayor Frank Crawley at the official opening of the Moama Preschool.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
The council’s carbon capture initiative was also introduced at the Moama Landfill, contributing to council’s environmental objectives and supporting the national goal to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
A major milestone was also reached after the NSW Government committed $67 million towards the design of a new Swan Hill Bridge, a project for which council has advocated for many years.
The second half of 2024 was an especially busy time for council as local government elections took place.
As a result, Mayor John Harvie and Councillors Kylie Berryman, Joy Lorraine Allan, Gen Campbell, Bianca Hurn and Gary Pappin officially joined council's ranks in October.
Murray River Council’s newly elected councillors — Gary Pappin, Dennis Gleeson, Geoff Wise, Joy Allan, John Harvie, Kylie Berryman, Biana Hurn, Neil Gorey and Gen Campbell.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
Alongside the recruits, Councillors Neil Gorey, Geoffrey Wise and Dennis Gleeson were re-elected.
Despite the many achievements, there were some challenges along the way as financial sustainability remained a prominent topic.
Although the issue was not exclusive to Murray River Council, Cr Gorey said necessary steps had been taken for council's future.
“Like many New South Wales councils, financial sustainability has been a strong focus for the Murray River Council this year,” he said.
“We have undertaken extensive evaluation of current practices and spend and commenced a staged approach to streamlining our assets and services.”
With 2024 now in the past, Cr Gorey said council was already planning for the year ahead.
“Looking to 2025, council will kick off the year with the finalisation of the 2025-2035 Community Strategic Plan,” he said.
“This is an important step in council’s decision-making and planning processes because it guides all the other plans we need to introduce, such as our yearly program of works.
“We will also begin working on a new four-year delivery program in the new year, which will outline the projects and commitments to be delivered over this current council term. This will all also feed into budget preparation for the 2025/26 financial year.”
Residents are encouraged to keep an eye out for opportunities to have their say on these draft plans to ensure they continue to reflect the communities’ vision for the area.
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