March 22, 2024
Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council has paid tribute to outgoing mayor Elvie Sandow and councillors Leighton Costello, Bronwyn Murray and Fred Cobbo who missed out on being re-elected at Saturday’s poll.
“We stand together to recognise and honour (their) dedication, leadership, and heartfelt service,” a post on Council’s website reads.
“Their time in office has been marked by resilience, innovation and unwavering commitment that has seen our community advance in many ways, especially during the challenging times brought about by COVID-19.”
Outgoing Mayor Elvie Sandow said it had been “a good journey”.
“We’ve come a long way, we’ve made some hard decisions, and I can honestly say, none of us had a disagreement,” she said.
“We’ve always respected one another’s decision; we have not always agreed but we always respected and got on with each other.
“We could ring one another any time of the day or night, and I think that’s the main thing, communication, relationship and working together for the betterment of our community.
“At the end of the day, we do it for our community, so thank you all.”
Former councillor Fred Cobbo acknowledged it had been a fantastic opportunity.
“It has opened my eyes to a lot of stuff around local government and to the support of the team who have showed me a lot over the last four years,” he said.
“Experiencing so much personal sorry business, I have been supported by everyone. We have worked together as one and supported each other.
“Some of the things that I am proud of is the laptop program we have done with our kids, helping our young ones see the big picture and going to university. They want to be doctors and lawyers now. And also the digital story-telling program that has promoted positive stories from our community.”
Former councillor Bronwyn Murray said she had thoroughly enjoyed her term.
“I was always excited about coming to Council meetings, especially if there was something on the agenda that I wanted to discuss,” she said.
“I believe, we did what we could in the time we had, especially in our capacity during the COVID period, and the way we supported our community, bringing them through those hardship times, particularly in the area of mental health.
“There were some stresses, but they were overcome quickly. The work here has been really good, and we can get better and do things at a larger scale.”
Former councillor Leighton Costello said his first term on Council had opened his eyes.
“I have learned a lot about governance, local government,” he said.
“A thank you to Mayor Elvie for your guidance and leadership.
“(There’s) so many people I have met and things I have learned, which would not have happened if I had not sat at this table.
“Just looking at the community, from when I was a child to now, it has changed a lot. I am grateful and thankful that I have had a say in the progress of the community from where we have come from to now.”
CEO Chatur Zala also paid tribute to Mayor Sandow.
“On behalf of my council team, it has been an absolute pleasure working with all of you,” he said.
“Thank you Mayor Elvie and your team for your ethical approach, hard work, and strong commitment. The success of this council was teamwork.”
