The Mayor-elect is Cr Andrea Metcalf and the Deputy Mayor-elect is Cr Abhishek Awasthi for the first year of the 2024-2028 Council Term.
This is the fourth time Cr Metcalf will serve as Mayor, after serving as Mayor for the previous three years as part of the previous Council term.
Cr Metcalf said she looked forward to remaining visible in the community and listening to residents.
“It is a privilege to lead the Greater Bendigo community and I am delighted to have this opportunity again and thank my Council colleagues for their support. I am also excited to work with Cr Awasthi in the Deputy Mayor role,” she said.
“Council will soon start developing the next Council Plan and I look forward to the community being part of this process and helping to shape this important document that guides the work of Council and City of Greater Bendigo staff over the next four years.
“It will be necessary that we balance both community expectations with the financial capacity of the organisation and where Council does not have a direct role on various matters, that we consider what we can do to best support our community.
“There are also long-term priorities that need continual advocacy to other levels of government, big picture projects that are often many years in the making and part of our advocacy efforts. Projects such as the Bendigo Art Gallery redevelopment, future investment in the Golden Dragon Museum, various recreation projects such as stage two of North Bendigo Recreation Reserve and redevelopment of Brennan Park Swimming Pool, and securing UNESCO World Heritage status for the Victorian Goldfields.
“However, what I look forward to most is joining with residents at community celebrations and milestone events that make Greater Bendigo such a wonderful place to live. I am excited and energised by this new term and the enthusiasm of a new Council, and I look forward to leading this passionate group and seeing the Councillors actively engaged across their wards and supporting our residents.”
Cr Abhishek Awasthi is a first-time councillor, who migrated to Australia as an international student and will be the first Indian-born Councillor to serve as Deputy Mayor.
He is a senior executive and has previously held roles with La Trobe University, Bendigo TAFE and in various State Government departments, and is a qualified engineer specialising as a biochemist.
He is currently on the Board of Bendigo Community Health Services and the Department of Health’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Interim Regional Body, and has previously sat on the boards of several local organisations including Lead Loddon Murray and Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services.
Cr Awasthi thanked his Council colleagues for the opportunity to be Deputy Mayor and support Cr Metcalf, and said his commitment to the community was to listen, follow up and turn up.
“I have lived in Bendigo for more than 14 years and I have loved this community from the first day I moved here from Melbourne. I am passionate about sustainability, enhanced biodiversity, fostering a green urban environment and creating healthy lifestyle opportunities for residents,” he said.
“I want to see Greater Bendigo continue to develop into an inclusive and sustainable community, while ensuring we preserve its rich history, celebrate its diversity and promote social equity, and I hope to advocate for continued access to local food security services and affordable housing.
“I am a strong regional advocate and describe myself as optimistic and forward thinking. While Deputy Mayor, I also look forward to growing Bendigo’s credentials as a globally connected regional city by celebrating the many cultures that call it home and promoting the economic opportunities that can be found here.”
The Mayor-elect, Deputy Mayor-elect and all Councillors will be formally installed in their roles in a ceremony at the Council Meeting on Tuesday November 26 in the Bendigo Town Hall at 6pm.
The meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast via Phoenix FM and livestreamed via the City’s website.
