NINE councillors were sworn in today to serve Moree Plains Shire for the next four years.

The new council offers a touch of the old as well as a fair sprinkling of the new.

Returning councillors include Susannah Pearce, Brooke Sauer, Kelly James, and Kerry Cassells, who returns after a three-year absence.

Cassells served the Moree Plains Shire between 2016 and 2021, but missed by just a handful of votes at the 2021 local government elections.

Newcomers to the table are Dominique Hodgkinson, Debbie Williams, Fred McGrady, Peter Mailler and Wayne Tighe.

Kelly James, who failed in her bid to become mayor, is passionate about her home town.

“My vision for our Shire is simple: growth, sustainability, and unity,” James said.

“I want to see our community thrive, our businesses flourish, and our environment protected. To achieve this, I’ll focus on our shire’s economic growth through initiatives that support local businesses, attract new investments, and create jobs through development of the Special Activation Precinct.

“As a born-and-bred local, it pains me to see our population decline despite being one of Australia’s richest agricultural shires with abundant job opportunities.

“I believe we can turn this around by addressing our social issues and encouraging the development of adequate housing across our shire.

“I’ve called Moree Plains home for 47 years, and I’m eager to work tirelessly alongside my fellow councillors to make our shire an even better place to live,” she said.

Debbie Williams, also Moree born-and-bred, shares the same passion and is also keen to see the SAP become a major rail network hub.

“I love our shire and have lived here all my life, and have always been curious as to why it hasn’t gone forward,” Williams said.

“Everyone talks about neighbouring towns and how they have developed way more than ours over the years. I know a lot of things are out of Council’s control, but whatever we can control, to grow our shire and make it prosper again is the job we have to do.

“I am excited about the inland rail being here and the SAP developing and the difference it will make to our town.

“I look forward to working with the stakeholders and businesses that will come to Moree. This is a unique opportunity for our town and we certainly must make the most of what it has got to offer,” she said.

Proud Gomeroi man, Fred McGrady, said he is deeply honoured to serve the Moree Plains Shire.

“I am here for a vision of a Moree Plains Shire that is thriving, united, and forward-looking – a place where every resident has a voice, and every child has the opportunity to dream,” McGrady said.

“My family has lived here for four generations. Our roots run deep in this land, and I am committed to ensuring the voices of our community are heard and valued.

“I believe in the strength of inclusivity, a principle that should be embraced and supported by every resident in the towns and villages of our Moree Plains Shire.

“Our diversity is not just a feature of our community; it is our greatest asset,” he said.

Dominique Hodgkinson said all councillors had special talents to bring to the table.

“We have such a beautifully diverse group of people and what I really love about everybody sitting here, is that everyone is so different,” Cr Hodgkinson said.

“That is invaluable, and what it comes down to is a group of people who wants to see our shire thrive.

“We just want to do the best for our community. When you bring a group like this together, every person comes with something unique and with different skills and knowledge.

“We put all that together and amazing things can happen, and that’s what I’m really hoping to see,” she said.

Kerry Cassells said there was plenty of work to be done – and teamwork was needed.

“Particularly the pool and Memorial Hall – the biggest banes of our existence,” Cr Cassells said.

“We’re here for the community. We’re not here for self-glorification or anything else. We’re here for the community because they’re the people that elected us.

“My vision for Moree is to work with everybody. There are committees I hope will be reinstated and they will have a lot of community participation – we need to know what people out there are thinking.

“Let’s all work together. We are different and we all are unique. But together, we can make Moree better.”

Peter Mailler, who missed by one vote for the deputy mayor position, said residents in shire outposts need to be heard.

“One of my goals throughout the term ahead is to try and reinforce the notion that Moree Plains Shire doesn’t end at the town border, and that we are in fact a fairly spread-out community,” Cr Mailler said.

“What I’m hoping, is to bring some balance into those conversations because it’s very easy to lose sight of the people you can’t quite see.

Cr Mailler said transparency and standards of behaviour were paramount,

“One of the things I’m very passionate about is the standard of behaviour and, how we operate as a council needs to be beyond reproach,” he said.

“If we expect other people to adhere to standards and behave in ways we think are appropriate, we need to reflect that ourselves.

“There is a huge amount of work in front of us, in terms of understanding the plans that are in place and understanding the strategies for how those plans will be achieved, and contributing in a constructive way from this table,” he said.

Brooke Sauer said Moree Plains Shire was on the cusp of greatness, particularly the agricultural sector.

“My vison for Moree has always been around the support for economic growth and seeing this town become the future for our children,” Cr Sauer said.

“A few weeks ago we had some incredible people come to our town on the basis of agriculture, because ee grow amazing produce in this shire.

“We’re on the global stage at the moment, and there are opportunities to capitalise on that. However, that requires so much other infrastructure around us, whether it be roads, function centres and health facilities.

“We need to address our crime and the many issues we have, but we also need to celebrate what we do have here in town as well.

“My vision for Moree is how do we capitalise on what we’ve got and how do we grow potentially what we’ve got.

“We need to create a really positive future that benefits us today, but puts us in an amazing position for tomorrow.,” she said.

Earlier story featuring councillors Susannah Pearse and  Wayne Tighe here: https://moreeonlinenews.com.au/2024/10/15/pearse-and-tighe-elected-mayor-and-deputy-mayor