The Bogan Shire Council is farewelling a leader who has become a household name as Ray Donald steps down from his position as Mayor of 25 years. 

As the November 4 deadline for nominations for the local government elections approached Mayor Donald confirmed he would not be nominating for council this year. 

“I’m leaving the council and the community in a very good situation, which has been brought about by good staff leadership and cooperation of the council. I think it’s time to leave on my own terms,” Mayor Donald said. 

Elected to the Bogan Shire Council in 1991, Mayor Donald quickly ascended to Deputy Mayor, a position he held for six years prior to becoming Mayor in 1997. 

According to him, his greatest achievements as Mayor are the everyday ones that sustain a community. 

“To look back on 25 years, there’s certainly been some big improvements in how roadworks are managed and the amenities for the town, particularly in more recent times when we’ve had so much government money come our way,” Mayor Donald said. 

“All that I’ve done is a result of council support and the finance being provided by council. I’ve just led them,” he said. 

What was most challenging, he says, was making improvements to the town while relying on government grants to stay financially viable. 

“There’s a lot of other things in the town we’d like to be able to do that we know the community need but that we haven’t been able to afford. That’s always been a little bit of a disappointment,” he said. 

It’s a humble response to a lifetime of being an active member of the community, and Mr Donald's contributions to the Bogan Shire were recognised with an Order of Australia medal in 2015. 

With elections just one month away, Mayor Donald believes that the new councillors will bring a lot to the shire. 

“They’ll bring fresh ideas, represent people in different ways, and understand issues differently to the current situation” he said. 

With eleven candidates in the race for Bogan Shire council, following the exit of both Ray Donald and councillor Kevin Ryan, there are just nine seats for the taking.

Armed with his unmatched knowledge of the town, Mr Donald believes that housing will be one of the biggest issues in the upcoming campaigns.

“We have a shortage of affordable housing in Nyngan, and we’re endeavouring to address that by making land available for housing development, but we can’t afford to do that ourselves.”

“The new council will see that as a real challenge to have more people move here to live permanently…also to remain financially viable as a council,” he said. 

Regulation, he added, will be one of the biggest obstacles to overcome, which has restricted the capacity of local council to carry out the wishes of their ratepayers. 

“I think that’s detrimental to local government performing as well as it can,” Mayor Donald said. 

Released from his mayoral duties, Mayor Donald is eager to spend more time with his children and grandchildren who are scattered across the state, and to focus his attention on his Nyngan farm. 

“There’ll be plenty to do, and I’m certainly looking forward to a change. I’ll miss local government, but it won’t be the end of the world," he said.

In parting advice to the candidates for council, Mayor Donald offered this: “We should always be transparent and accountable, and always be trying to do things better.”