Mayors message: festival a big win for Glen Innes

In the last month and a bit since I wrote we've had several huge events. The first was Dancing for the Chopper, a great night at the Services Club which raised approximately $50,000 for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

The other of course was last weekend's Celtic festival, one of the biggest events of the year. It was a smashing success, drawing a crowd of thousands with this year's Scottish theme.

I personally made friends with Brisbane's Jacobeans group. They were very helpful with advice as to how to expand the festival with other influences in future.

The mental health organisation batyr, visited Glen Innes and held a very informative evening for parents, carers and grandparents in March as well. This was helpful for those people worried about their teenagers and how best to communicate and to seek help, with guest speakers from Centrecare and the Glen Innes Health Service. This event was funded by Red Cross.

Calendar Girls was a roaring success at the Chapel Theater; thanks to all the professional players and supporters.

In personal news I have been to a professional development course in Sydney, working on chairing meetings.

The deputy mayor, Dianne Newman, and I will also be attending the national general assembly 2019 in Canberra in June where we will be networking with many other councilors across the nation.

Anzac Day was also a very memorable occasion, with huge crowds, and many young people taking part in the ceremonies.

The general manager, Hein Basson, has resigned and will take up the position of General Manager at Coonamble Shire Council. We wish him all the best for the future.

I also spent some time with Bob Brown talking about climate change and some of his experiences in politics. Bob charged his Tesla car at the visitors information centre before heading to Armidale for dinner. He drove from Tasmania to far north Queensland. The trip cost him around $6 for electricity.