Council
16 August, 2024
Cr Cole eyes off another term
CORGANGAMITE Shire Council North Ward councillor Nick Cole has once again put his hand up for nomination in the upcoming council elections this year.
Cr Cole will be running for the new-look Mount Elephant Ward for the October elections, which will be the start for Corangamite’s new seven-ward structure.
He said there were some “exciting” projects coming up, and unfinished projects he wants to see through.
“I’m enjoying representing the area too,” he said.
“It’s got its few challenges, but it’s got a lot of good things going on.
“I think council has been ticking along pretty well - we’re living within our budget and a bit of a profit there.
“We’re going along in the right direction.”
Cr Cole said the work council has done this term has been “good”, and he’s looking forward to doing more.
“I’ve really enjoyed doing the council work this term,” he said.
“We’re trying to advocate for lots of things, like fixing the roads, which is a never-ending battle.
“We seem to be fighting a losing battle now because all the roads around the state are deteriorating rapidly, and the government has spent all their money in Melbourne.
“Unfortunately, we’re left out here by ourselves.”
Serving on council is not the only way Cr Cole uses his time, with his Corriedale sheep and cattle farm also part of his life.
Cr Cole also participates in various community groups, including serving as president of the Darlington Cemetery Trust and the Darlington CFA brigade, and as a member of the Kilnoorat Cemetery Trust and the Camperdown Hospital Auxiliary.
He also plays the bass in The Not Dead Yet Band, which practices in the woolshed of his Bookaar property.
Cr Cole said he hopes council will continue in the same steady way it is going now, taking off projects as they are completed.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was the North Ward – which will be now called the Mount Elephant Ward,” he said.
“We’re getting things done – we’d like to do a lot more, but we’ve got to live within our budget, so unfortunately, we can’t do everything we want to do.
“We’ve got to keep going, and there’s a few ideas I’d like to see through and a few ideas to bring to the council.
“It’s a really hard thing – there’s all the other wards, all the other towns, all the other places that want all their things done in the same time.”