With great pride I gave a tribute to our outgoing General Manager Craig Milburn at the November Council meeting, the last of his term. I wanted to take this opportunity to reproduce it here.
On behalf of Council and the community, I would like to recognise Craig’s contributions to Kempsey Shire Council and to local government more broadly for over 30 years. Your service is to be commended. Local Government to me is the level of government that most impacts our day to day to lives. It dictates the wellbeing of the community, shapes our everyday experience and quality of life.
Craig, you have positively shaped the wellbeing of communities across Australia. You have contributed to, and built, legacies from which future generations will benefit.
You don’t need to go far to see this. Whether it’s bridges, sporting fields, or the beautiful laneways in the CBD – under your leadership, Council has delivered projects that have shaped our community for the better.
Craig, in your time you have built something big and wonderful. A career over 30 years that spans across Australia and has made an impact on many communities. You chose a career that seems to have the most challenges. When you want to do something, there always seems to be someone else telling you no, you can’t do that. After being a Councillor for only a term, I understand why you don’t have any hair – local government makes you want to pull it all out.
There is an appreciation from staff in the legacy of leadership you have left, a sense of pride and appreciation for working for this organisation. Just last week in Tamworth at the local government conference, so many people came to me and said Craig is fantastic and Kempsey Shire Council is a level above.
I hope you leave knowing that you left Kempsey Shire Council in a better place than you found it. Which is the most any of us can ever hope for in our lives.
Since I have known Craig, he has repeatedly said that we are “Better Together”. This was never just about Council, but about all of our community. It was about bringing everyone together.
Bringing us together in events like the music muster, sky stories and a long list of things that have made the fabric of our community richer. These events make those difficult and challenging times we go through easier. Because while we all may not agree, we are in this together. When we have bushfires, floods or pandemics, the only thing we really have is each other.
Thank you Craig for always reminding us of the bigger picture. Your steadfast, honest and kind approach will be remembered.
Craig, now is the time for you to pursue a new adventure with your beautiful partner Karen. Instead of coming in to look over more than 300 staff everyday, you can look after those nearest and dearest to you first and foremost.
We wish you every happiness in this time.
