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Lockyer Valley Regional Council CEO Mr Ian Church led the official ceremony at the Gatton Shire Hall on Tuesday.
Kelly McCarthy, custodial elder, delivered the Welcome to Country on behalf of Aunty Margaret McCarthy (Ugarapul tribe).
Mr Church said Australia Day was about reflecting on the nationâs past and present history, that stretches tens of thousands of years ago with the First Australians to now where waves of immigration have shaped Australia into being one of the worldâs great multicultural success stories.
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He added how pertinent it was to reflect on the year of extremes after fires, drought and the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
The region has certainly borne the brunt of the impact of the ongoing drought.
Australia Day will present an opportunity to reflect on recent challenges, respect those who put others before themselves and celebrate our nation’s resilience and unity.
The Lockyer Valley Regional Council will mark the occasion in many ways across the region and will also present its Australia Day Awards and Citizenship Ceremony as part of the day’s line-up of events.
Mayor Tanya Milligan said the awards were an opportunity to recognise the contributions made on a cultural, environmental, sporting and community level throughout the Lockyer Valley.
At the time council told the valuer-general s office that a yearly review of land valuations was necessary to avoid a repeat of the 2019 debacle. Cr Milligan requested that council CEO Ian Church follow up with the valuer-general and said let s up the ante a bit more . A Lockyer Valley Regional Council spokeswoman told the
Gatton Star (the) council believes regular valuations provide certainty to our community and will continue to work with the Queensland Government to help them appreciate the positive impact this has on our region . The 25 local government areas to receive new land valuations in 2021 are Balonne, Banana, Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Bulloo, Burdekin, Central Highlands, Charters Towers, Cook, Diamantina, Gladstone, Gympie, Isaac, Longreach, Maranoa, Murweh, Paroo, Quilpie, Somerset, Southern Downs, Tablelands, Toowoomba, Western Downs and Whitsunday.
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Subscriber only The outcome for a tender process for Lake Dyer Caravan and Camping Ground have been discussed by council behind closed doors. In a closed Lockyer Valley Regional Council meeting, Mayor Tanya Milligan removed herself from the room while the matter was discussed due to a conflict of interest that she declared at the start of the meeting. Council last year put the management rights for the caravan park to tender and specifically sought interest from people with previous caravan park operations experience.