“It was a year where we, as a council, came together to support businesses and community groups with several grants,” he said.
“A year where we supported frontline health care workers; a year we got on with our business of delivering those critical services to our residents and continued to maintain our facilities in a timely and seamless manner.”
But it was also a year where the council had to make some tough decisions.
“Like closing libraries, closing pools, closing our parks and sporting fields and changing the way we interacted with residents,” the Mayor said.
“A year where we asked our residents to make sacrifices; no pubs, clubs, weddings or funerals and even our big events like Bankstown Bites and Ramadan Nights were put on ice, while those sacrosanct to our national identity such as Anzac Day, were pared back to but a shadow; though we all stood at our front gate at dawn along with 104-year-old Bert Collins to commemorate Anzac Day and remembered our fallen and those continuing to serve.
“It was a year where we relied more than ever on our community organisations, our charities and NGOs and their selfless commitment to helping those in need.”
The Mayor said highlights included volunteers who continued to deliver Meals on Wheels and the hundreds of other volunteers and community members collecting, packing and distributing food and clothing packages to those doing it tough.
“The spirit of goodwill and Christmas is very much alive in our city,” he said.
“From the Christmas trees springing up around our town centres or maybe even Santa cruising our streets in his Cadillac, we all deserve to end the year with joy and cheer.”
