Yesterday was a lovely event, where our council was formally awarded the AR Bluett Award for the most progressive non-rural council in NSW.

The Bluett award is an amazing achievement for a regional council, being up against the best in the state including city councils.

As was said by the judges yesterday, it’s a once in a generation event, if ever. It is something everyone in our area can be proud of.

Officially, council received the award for its performance during 2016-2017.

But as was noted yesterday, it was specially awarded for council’s tremendous progress since 2012, after coming out of four years of external administration.

Focus for that achievement is of course the general manager, but credit must also go to the hundreds of council employees.

Former mayor Peter Besseling attended yesterday and rightly noted that the incoming councillors of 2012 took the bold step of changing the general manager a few months into our term, and that made a huge difference.

The present general manager, Craig Swift-McNair, has performed brilliantly these past five years and looks set to continue his strong service to council and the community.

Council is never perfect and can always improve, and there are always people wanting more from council, and that’s not a bad thing.

It’s still a great disappointment that so many people were taken in by misrepresentations about council during the last election.

But right now let’s take a moment to recognise that, in the scheme of things, we have a great council to this point … and keep it going.

Council is not like other levels of government. At its best it’s nine councillors working together as a team, and it’s a great privilege to serve at the level of people’s everyday lives.

These are Cr Intemann’s opinions and not necessarily council’s.