I'm Parkes born and educated and started my working career with the Parkes Bank of NSW branch. During this time, I was transferred to Peak Hill, married a local, Danny O'Leary and started a family.
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I had to change my profession in 2000 and retrained as a Nurse (my lifelong goal) and have worked as an Enrolled Nurse within NSW Health (Peak Hill MPS) for the last 18 years.
I'm very passionate about my Community Health role, which provides me the opportunity to run Healthy Lifestyle activities and provide care to my clients that help them out of hospital.
I have played hockey since I was eight and have been proud to represent Parkes at different levels in the game. I'm a very committed Masters Hockey player and look forward to continuing to play and be involved in the Hockey family for many years to come.
I'm also a keen gardener and find pulling weeds very grounding (pardon the pun).
The last five and bit years has seen so many things that have occurred within our shire, and it is hard to place the importance of a new playground over an Inland Rail system, as residents sometimes need the smaller pleasures in life.
Having said that, the exciting developments, and future economic possibilities that the National Logistics Hub, Inland Rail, the Airport Business Park, and the Special Activation Precinct (SAP) will bring to our Shire cannot go unnoticed.
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Our council has an amazing and dedicated team, led by our GM Kent Boyd, and with their forward thinking has provided improved assets, increased water security, business, and growth opportunities.
If re-elected, my focus will be on making sure project ideas that have been suggested during the recent Community consultations, are prioritised, and developed into planning phase.
There are several community and village projects that are still being finalised, so their completion will also be at the top of the list.
The next term of council will =be a short term, and there will be several new faces around the table, so helping new councillors adapt to 'all things Council' will take a good 12 to 18 months.
As a council, we also have responsibility to "do our bit" to maintain a happy and healthy environment. The recent Low Carbon Economy Forum had some creative and effective ideas, that I'm sure council could embark upon.
I'm also committed to continue to work with the members of the Parkes Sports Council with the prospect of hosting a Masters Sporting event in Parkes in 2023.
The Parkes Shire has excellent sporting facilities, with many recent upgrades to amenities and playing fields and with a variety of accommodation, has the potential to be a sporting mecca.
Being a councillor in Parkes is important to me for a number of reasons:
- Community - being a Councillor for the Parkes Shire gives me the opportunity to give back
- Peak Hill - living in the village of Peak Hill, I believe it's important that the smaller communities have a voice with Council decisions to provide true representation of the Shire.
- Women Power - we need more women in Government roles and Local Government is a good place to start
During my 13 years on council, I have met some very interesting and inspiring Shire residents and joined many community group meetings and it's heart-warming to also experience their passion and vision about the communities they live in - it makes our job easier.
If you are a Parkes Shire Council election candidate and haven't yet been contacted for a profile, please contact kristy.w@parkeschampionpost.com.au.
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