As part of Local Government Week celebrations last week, residents in the Manning Valley had a chance to meet with MidCoast Council administrator John Turner and MidCoast Local Representative Committee members during a morning tea at Taree library.
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It was the third committee community meeting in the council area during the week, with others in Forster and Gloucester.
Mr Turner and the committee chairperson Jan McWilliams gave a presentation on the role of the committee before taking questions and meeting community members.
Among those to attend were people from the Nabiac Village Futures Group, Killabakh Community Association and Manning Wallamba Family History Society.
Louise Collins from the Nabiac Village Futures Group said they were there to promote their strategic plan.
She, along with Kit Carson, also said the Nabiac community sees a positive in the amalgamation of council areas.
“We were a town divided by a highway, with one council area on one side of the road and another on the other. Now we are one, it is a good thing,” said Kit.
The committee is a merged group of representatives (former councillors from across the three former local government areas of Greater Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester) who were originally appointed to MidCoast Council’s Local Representative Committee (LRC) and Implementation Advisory Group (IAG).
“The IAG and LRC announced are now one committee with the IAG to be the executive of the LRC should it be required,” said Mr Turner.
A local representative committee was a mandate of the State government when it announced the merger on May 12.
Mr Turner said the committee had a number of roles; to be the eyes and ears of the community, attending workshops, being part of an outreach program across the communities, reporting back to him and attending social functions when he isn’t able to.
Ms McWilliams said committee members have bonded well.