You can now lodge your application electronically through the Planning Portal managed by the NSW Government. For more information visit our website.

I'd like to congratulate Jr. Miss Australia Ava Da Silva who has been awarded a mayoral grant to help prepare for the Regency International Pageant in June.

I'm proud that we have young people like Ava representing Cumberland City and wish her the best of luck.

The focus of Regency is to help young women learn skills to excel in humanitarian and community work and volunteering.

Ava uses social media to encourage children to read, participate in community activities and publishes videos promoting wellbeing for children and teenagers through The Youth Effect. Keep up the great work Ava.

A minute of silence was observed in the Council meeting last week to remember footy legend Tommy Raudonikis. Tommy was part of our community’s fabric. His debut season with the Western Suburbs Magpies was at none other than our very own Lidcombe Oval in 1969.

In a Mayoral Minute, I recommended naming the Lidcombe Oval grandstand, the ‘Tommy Raudonikis Grandstand’ in memory of his debut season and sporting contributions. It will be open for public comments from next month.

The expression of interest for use of Lidcombe Oval closed and is coming to council for consideration in the next four weeks. It’s for the use of the velodrome and football field. It asked applicants what capital contribution they could make to the ground. I’m a supporter of allocating funds to make improvements to the grandstand. Raudonikis had a long career, spearheading the Western Suburbs Magpies team for over 200 games, as well as Newtown Jets for three seasons. I send condolences to his family and loves ones.

We’ve appointed a new Acting General Manager, Peter J Fitzgerald, to take the helm at Cumberland City Council. It marks the departure of Hamish McNulty who served as General Manager for nearly two years and is stepping aside for medical reasons.

I had a strong relationship with Hamish and personally thanked him for his service and wished him well with his health journey. Hamish demonstrated great innovation and leadership and supported Cumberland City Council throughout the pandemic and managed the many challenges that it brought. I definitely have learned a lot from Hamish and have thoroughly enjoyed working with him.

I welcome Peter as the new Acting General Manager. I’ve worked with Peter for close to four years and know him to be a solid leader with a head for strategic decision making. I believe we’re the youngest Mayor / General Manager team in NSW, bringing a fresh perspective to our community. The recruitment of a permanent General Manager will begin immediately.