Tuesday night marked the end of an era for Griffith, with the City’s longest-serving Mayor, Councillor John Dal Broi chairing his final Council Meeting.
After representing the Griffith community in Local Government for more than 43 years, 27 as Mayor, Councillor Dal Broi said his one wish for Griffith is that it continues to thrive.
“I am proud to leave Council with a strong balance sheet and a long list of worthwhile projects achieved that have helped make Griffith a great place to live,” said Councillor Dal Broi.
“My hope for Griffith is that we keep growing. When I was first elected we had a population of around 18,000 now Griffith is identified as a regional city. I hope we continue to grow and push our population to 35,000, once we’ve reached that both Federal and State governments will look at us in a different light and with that all of the others services such as higher education and expansions in processing and manufacturing will flow in.”
Making a surprise appearance at Tuesday night’s meeting via Zoom, President of Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Linda Scott, congratulated Cr Dal Broi on his lifetime commitment to Griffith.
“I commend John on serving his community over such a long period of time,” she said.
“His tireless dedication to Griffith and its people is a remarkable achievement and I wish him the very best in his retirement and in recognition of that, on behalf of Local Government NSW I would like to present the Mayor with the Outstanding Service Award – the highest honour from the LGNSW.”
Over the years Councillor Dal Broi has served alongside 7 general managers and 69 Councillors.
Among his many career highlights, Cr Dal Broi lists the Griffith Regional Theatre, the establishment of St Vincent’s Private Community Hospital Griffith, having Griffith declared a City by a special act of parliament in 1987, the Centenary Celebrations and seeing improvements to Griffith Regional Aquatic Leisure Centre, including the new 50m outdoor pool, as stand outs.
“There have been so many projects that I have personally seen come to fruition, but I’m probably most proud of the fact that I have been part of a team of elected representatives, who together with Council staff and the community, have been able to improve our City,” he said.
“When I came back in 2012 we were in deficit. But working in close cooperation with the General Manager and the Senior Management Team we’ve been able to run surpluses for the last 10 years and that is something I’m very proud of.”
Councillor Dal Broi paid special tribute to his family, in particular his wife Lurline.
“Without Lurline’s unwavering support over the years I couldn’t have done any of this. She has been my rock and my sounding board,” said Cr Dal Broi.
“I would like to sincerely thank the residents of Griffith and villages, who entrusted me to lead Council over the years. I would also like to thank all of the Councillors for their support and the staff at Council for their passion and dedication to serving Griffith.”
Following the elections on 4 December 2021 and the announcement of the new Council later that month, he will officially retire. Council is also farewelling retiring Councillors Mike Neville, Eddie Mardon and Brian Simpson.
Councillor Dal Broi said he looks forward to growing old gracefully while spending more time with family and travelling around Australia.
