Victorian Electoral Commission’s official by-election results were announced in April<\/a>.<\/p>\nA joint message of condolence on behalf of the council was released earlier this morning by mayor Cr Thomas Prince and City CEO Andrew Cooney.<\/p>\n
“Although she had only been a councillor for a short time, Donna took to the role with great enthusiasm and a genuine commitment to serving her community,” the statement said.<\/p>\n
“She was excited to represent the residents of the Lockwood Ward and quickly immersed herself in the responsibilities of Local Government, eager to learn and contribute.<\/p>\n
“She was committed to attending community meetings and events, and had a wonderful, natural way of engaging with people that quickly endeared her to fellow councillors, staff and members of the community. She approached every interaction with kindness, authenticity and a genuine interest in others.<\/p>\n
“Our thoughts are with Donna\u2019s husband Drew, her son Cody and his partner Ella, and her beloved granddaughter, Stella. Beyond her role on council, Donna was a devoted grandmother and had a passion for her animals and horse riding.<\/p>\n
“It was a privilege to know Donna and to welcome her to the City of Greater Bendigo team.<\/p>\n
“Although brief, we acknowledge her wholehearted service and contribution to our community, and we are grateful for the care, enthusiasm and dedication she brought to the councillor role.<\/p>\n
“May she rest in peace.”<\/p>\n
Cr Nicholas nominated for council and ran a grassroots campaign aiming to be involved in the community, to help out, and “vote on things that matter”.<\/p>\n
She said she was “passionate about the everyday person…in the Lockwood Ward”.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make change, you\u2019ve got to put yourself in a position to be able to do it, and that\u2019s why I did it,” she said in April.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put in 100 per cent and so did the people that helped me, including my husband Drew,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked on it tirelessly. I\u00a0thought, I will not regret it if I don\u2019t get in because I\u2019ve given it my best, I\u2019ve worked really hard, I\u2019ve stepped right out of my comfort zone, time and time again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all I can ask of myself \u2013 to do my best and be proud of what I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Donna Nicholas, the City of Greater Bendigo’s Lockwood Ward councillor, has died. The late Lockwood South resident and former catering business owner joined the council after the Victorian Electoral Commission’s official by-election results were announced in April. A joint message of condolence on behalf of the council was released earlier this morning by mayor Cr […]<\/p>\n
Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":115877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"featured_section_post":"main_featured","home_featured_section_post":"main_featured","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-115869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBendigo council mourns Cr Donna Nicholas - Bendigo Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"City of Greater Bendigo Cr Donna Nicholas has died. 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