Reflecting On Quarter 2’s Highlights – Wollongong
As Lord Mayor, it has been a great privilege to meet with so many local people over the past few months. It was a very busy second quarter of this year and I attended more than 120 meetings and events. It’s been a pleasure to be part of many ‘firsts’ as Lord Mayor over these months like attending the National Local Government Conference in Canberra with a number of my Wollongong Councillor colleagues. The conference provided us with the opportunity to establish all-important networks and connections with other Local Government colleagues from across the country.
Another first was the opportunity to celebrate our mighty Illawarra Hawks and their 2025 NBL Championship through a community celebration held in Wollongong Mall. Celebrating this historic moment in basketball history was pure joy for our city and it was so great to meet so many fans, young and old, who have shared the Hawks journey over many years. It was also gratifying to announce that the Hawks will receive the Keys to City, and we are working on a plan to hand over the Keys to the team at the start of the next season. Stay tuned for details.
I also had the honour of presenting the Keys to the City to mixed martial arts world champion Alex Volkanvoski in Wollongong. As a proud local, Alex has always taken the opportunity to promote the region and to support local charities and initiatives and local health campaigns. Though the weather had other plans for us, it was wonderful to see so many people attend the event to witness another historic moment for one of our local sporting champions.
Though the last quarter was a time for a lot ‘firsts’, I continue to attend as many community and business events as possible whilst managing the day-to-day business of Council. Milestone events for Council like the adoption of the 2025-26 Council Budget and Our Wollongong Our Future 2035 Community Strategic Plan were key highlights for me in my first year as Lord Mayor.
Other special moments included the ANZAC Day Ceremonies, Sculpture in the Garden Exhibition Launch, the Wollongong Youth Week Awards Ceremony, ComicGong, and taking the time to visit Council’s hardworking works crews as they care for, maintain and build the vital infrastructure, facilities and public spaces that make our city shine.
I think you will agree it has been an action packed few months. And with some major events coming to the city soon I may need to invest in roller skates to keep up!
https://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/council/your-council-officials/from-the-lord-mayors-office/july-2025/reflecting-on-quarter-2s-highlights