Mayor's Christmas message 2021

Published on 23 December 2021

On behalf of my fellow Councillors and Mildura Rural City Council staff I’d like to wish our community the very best for a safe and happy festive season and what we all hope will be a great year ahead in 2022.

Despite the challenges of the past 12 months amid the ever present pandemic, it's been heartening to see the way our community has constantly risen to face every challenge that's come along.

It makes me so proud to call myself a local resident of this region when I see the sense of community, the resilience and the willingness to help each other and look at the bigger picture.

This is a time of the year when we catch up with family and friends, and given the restrictions of the past two years, it could be the first time some of us have been able to reconnect in some time.

I encourage everyone to embrace this opportunity, but also to do so as safely as possible.

We also need to be mindful that at this time of the year, not everyone has someone they can spend the festive season with.

Every year there are numerous residents in our community who may be struggling one way or another, whether it be emotionally or financially.

We're fortunate to have a long-running and strong support network in our region, including agencies such as the Salvation Army, that serve a critical role supporting these valuable members of our community.

They provide their time selflessly in the days leading up the festive season, and indeed on Christmas Day itself, to make sure support is available.

Thank you to all of you for your tireless efforts, and to those who may be doing it tough at the moment, I sincerely hope you find the support you need.

On a more positive note, the recent easing of COVID restrictions has provided us with a fresh injection of activity and hope, particularly for small businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors at this time of the year. Let's hope we've turned the page, despite the recent uptick in cases Australia-wide.

Looking ahead, we have a lot to look forward to in our community.

We have the return of our region's annual community New Year's Eve event at Nowingi Place to bring in 2022, followed by the first major music festival to stop in our region for years - SummerSalt2022 in March just to name a couple.

I hope you have an enjoyable and safe festive season, look after one another, and don't forget to support your local businesses throughout the holiday period.

Cr Liam Wood
Mayor
Mildura Rural City Council