The Warrumbungle Shire is gearing up for a huge year ahead of them, as the newly elected council gathered this week to elect the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor to get the upcoming term underway. 

Elected for his second term as Mayor, Ambrose Doolan said that the first council meeting saw instant progress, drawing attention to the shortfall of medical services in some towns in the shire. 

“We set up a health committee…some of the smaller towns like Dunedoo and Coolah are a bit short staffed when it comes to doctors,” Mayor Ambrose said. 

The committee will be chaired by the new Deputy Mayor and local doctor Aniello Iannuzzi. 

“We’ll see what we can do to improve the situation going forward because I think a good number of doctors are being trained, but we need to bridge the gap in the meantime,” Mayor Doolan said. 

The vast plains of the Warrumbungles Shire is matched with a vast array of needs, and much to get done in the coming years. 

“In the north we have the Inland Rail, so there’s some opportunities there that we need to take advantage of, getting construction workers to be living in the shire…that’s very much a priority in the short term,” Mayor Doolan said. 

A government-planned bypass of Coonabarabran is also proving as an opportunity rather than a problem for the town, as they attempt to capitalise on the new road. 

“We’ve got to make sure that we make the best of that for the town, and not just treat it as a road project but as a regional development project as well. What can we get out of that, how can we best shape that project so that it’s not just about getting trucks around Coonabarabran quickly,” Mayor Doolan said. 

Plans for the shire feature on a long list, including renewable energy development, the redevelopment of Coonabarabran's residential and industrial areas, and focusing on building attractions to the area for both tourists and potential residents. 

“A big lifeblood of the Shire is tourism, whether it's cycle tourism, Pilliga Pottery, the Warrumbungles or the Sandstone Caves. We’ve got to be really letting people know what we’ve got and publicising that,” Mayor Doolan said. 

The agenda for the shire will be led by the newest council, where five new councillors will sit for the term. 

“I’m really pleased about the mix of experience we’ve got with the new councillors…we’re really, really pleased to see that mix of experience and interests,” Mayor Doolan said. 

In such a geographically large shire, Mayor Doolan said that balancing the interests and needs of each town requires a dedicated and fair council.

“You’re not the councillor for Dunedoo and you’re not the councillor for Coonabarabran, you’re the councillor for the whole shire. If we stick to that, I think we’ll do a good job.”