Getting the job done in Wattle Range

When Wattle Range Mayor Des Noll reflected on 2024 it was not hard to find his highlight.

“Penola winning Ag Town of the Year – receiving that award, that was fantastic,” Mayor Noll said.

“It has done so much for the Penola community. It really injected some life into the community who worked hard to achieve that.”

From a more buts and bolts point of view, two of Wattle Range’s prime industries – cray fishing and wine – received boosts when the export markets in China re-opened.

“That was a really big thing,” Mayor Noll said. “It is so important for the economics of those industries.”

He conceded it had been a really tough 12 months for primary production and the challenges of drought.

“The season was definitely not the best but our farmers are so resilient,” he said. “I know they’ll bounce back and you see them bring innovation to their business as they continue to fight.”

One of Wattle Range Council’s big decisions in 2024 was withdrawing from the Limestone Coast Local Government Association – that decision taking effect in August.

“It is not a decision that was been made lightly,” Mayor Noll said. “We have a strong desire to continue collaboration with all regional councils, both individually and as a collective, through a range of alternative formal and informal networks. Likewise, we understand that it is vitally important that we continue to provide, and advocate for, key infrastructure and services across our wonderful region with a united voice.

“The good news is, we did not see any negative impact from that decision and have definitely moved forward.”

The construction of the new Wattle Range Council Service Centre in Millicent is well underway with the Mayor only receiving positive feedback on the long overdue project.

“Knowing that is underway is really important – it is a project that had to happen,” he said.

Council also adopted a new model for community consultation – replacing the morning and afternoon coffees with the Mayor and CEO with Community Vision Sessions.

“That saw us still going out to all our communities to talk about their communities and what they want their community to look like and what they want to achieve,” Mayor Noll said.

“They were very worthwhile and attracted a lot more people and we were able to hear from a bigger cross section of people.

“We also took our council staff to the sessions so that communities could talk to the people with the expertise on specific issues.

“I also get around as much as I can to talk to people.”

And when the Mayor looks forward to 2025, it is very much the basics that are at the top of the Wattle Range agenda with roads heading that list.

Council has a clear vision for road rebuilding and maintenance and are already working hand-in-hand with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to see what work council can undertake on the SA road network.

“We are already contracted to do the Southend turn off,” Mayor Noll said. “And we will be looking to do more of that. It is a pilot scheme but we are really hopeful it will be successful. We’ve got the professionalism to do it and we want to take on some of those infrastructure road building.”

Housing is also a top priority as council looks into what can be done to provide more affordable housing in the area.

“We will be looking at the opportunities that exist for new, affordable housing, whether that is developing land or releasing land to developers or whatever might work,” Mayor Noll said.

The Gladys Smith Early Learning Centre will also be in the spotlight as the future of the service and the need for its expansion and the need for investment are all under investigation.

“We will review the current operating procedures and look at ways to increase our capacity,” Mayor Noll said.

Working with the Beachport and Southend communities on the ongoing issue of coastal erosion will also be on the 2025 to-do list.

Health care is also another priority area and Wattle Range officials have recently met with South Australian health Minister Chris Picton to start tackling the issue, especially the attraction and retention of GPs.

The opening of the new service centre looms as a highlight for 2025, with that opening earmarked for July.

But more generally, Mayor Noll is committed to continued to develop trust – a core value of the Wattle Range Council.

“We want to keep communicating with our community, being transparent with our community and building that trust because that creates partnerships,” he said.