Toodyay Herald

She replaces former Cr Bill Manning, who resigned last month to move to Tasmania.

Audit Committee Chair Beth Ruthven (shown left being sworn in by Cr Brian Rayner JP) was elected new shire deputy president.

Cr Therese Chitty ran unsuccessfully for shire president in her third failed attempt in four years after saying publicly last February that she wouldn’t run again.

Cr Paula Greenway lost her second bid since 2017 to be elected deputy.

It is understood Crs Manning, Ruthven, Madacsi, Susan Pearce and Phil Hart voted for Cr Madacsi, and Crs Brian Rayner, Ben Bell, Chitty and Greenway voted for Cr Chitty.

Councillors voted 5-4 similarly to appoint Shire of York Corporate and Community Services Executive Manager Suzie Haslehurst (below) to be Toodyay’s new shire CEO.

It is understood Ms Haslehurst was one of four shortlisted candidates interviewed by councillors last month after the job attracted more than 20 applicants.

The result was a win for five new councillors who were elected last year for the first time by all Toodyay voters, and a defeat for a veteran minority (excluding Cr Bell) who were elected in 2017 under now-abolished rules that barred most Toodyay voters from having a say in their elections.

Nobody voted for Cr Rayner because he was the only candidate to nominate in the now-abolished North Ward.

Ms Haslehurst replaces former Shire CEO Stan Scott, whose contract was terminated last month after he failed to convince councillors last year to let him keep his job for another three to four years.

Mr Scott’s last day is Tuesday May 12 but he has been on extended sick leave for three months and is not expected to return to work.

The shire is currently awaiting the outcome of a year-long State Government inquiry into its operations and affairs, and “reasonable suspicion” that the council may have breached local government law.

The new shire CEO will be expected to manage a response to any recommendations arising from the inquiry, the result of which has yet to be released by WA Local Government Minister David Templeman.

His department sent a draft to the State Solicitor’s Office last December to decide if any part should be withheld as evidence for prosecution before the findings are made public.

IT IS understood the inquiry was reopened last February to examine a new $1.1 million shire contract awarded last year without calling for public tenders.

In answer to a public question in March, former shire president Manning said it was not advertised because the previous council had voted 8-0 last August for Mr Scott to “source a suitable contractor” under a State Government ‘common use agreement’.

It is understood the fresh investigation has delayed the release of a final inquiry report.

The council has appointed Shire Corporate Services Manager Chileya Luangala as Acting CEO to manage the Covid-19 emergency and budget review until Ms Haslehurst starts work in June or sooner.

Ms Haslehurst has worked for four years at the Shire of York, including earlier this year and previously as acting CEO.

She was previously Acting Director of Community and Economic Development and Manager of Community Development for four years at the Shire of Broome.

Ms Haslehurst also has a background in arts administration, chaired Country Arts WA for a total of eight years, was CEO of Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation for 11 years, chaired the Performing Arts Touring Alliance for two years, was national president of Regional Arts Australia for two years and Buzz Dance Theatre general manager for four years.

She holds a University of South Australia graduate diploma in management and studied at Mt Eliza Business School.

It is understood Ms Haslehurst has signed a four-year contract with an initial six-month trial and has started making plans to move to Toodyay.

From the photos, phone calls and messages we have received, even with the disappointment felt over the cancellation of services due to the Covid-19 no gatherings rule, most (including Toodyay Fire and rescue volunteers (right) and regular Anzac Parade leader Warren Hall (below) were able to commemorate this day in unique yet safe ways while adhering to the restrictions.

 

The sub-branch is very impressed and grateful with the way our members and the wider community embraced the driveway vigil and altered commemorations.

We look forward to the day we can meet again and share the camaraderie that would normally accompany this day.

Until then, take care and stay safe.

Our sub-branch would like to sincerely thank the Toodyay Country Women’s Association ladies for their generous and timely donation of freshly baked Anzac biscuits.

Due to Covid-19 social-distancing regulations, the wood raffle on Friday and Saturday May 15 and 16 outside the IGA has been cancelled as has the RSLWA Congress in June.

The map shows that Chalice currently holds 180sq/km of active exploration tenements (marked green) in the western part of the shire from Keating Road to Dewars Pool and has pegged a further 2300sq/km (blue) covering most of the rest of the shire from Hoddys Well to Wattening, and Nunile to Lower Chittering and the border of Morangup.

The company is chaired by mining entrepreneur Tim Goyder, brother of AFL Chair and former Wesfarmers, Qantas and Woodside chair Richard Goyder who owns Glendearg Farm on the Bindi-Bindi-Toodyay Road.

Initial results from about a dozen Chalice test holes drilled 500m south of Julimar Road to a depth of 250m on an 800-acre Keating Road cattle farm were described this month by Chalice Managing Director Alex Dorsch as “a once in 10 years discovery”.

“If this turns out to be what we think it is, it will be a pretty substantial find of strategic interest for Western Australia,” Mr Dorsch said in an exclusive interview with The Herald.

“It looks like it could be a sizeable deposit of hundreds of millions of tonnes.”

Local concerns

Lower Chittering residents say they are concerned about increased traffic on Julimar Road if mining proceeds.

The Avon and Hills Mining Awareness Group (AHMAG) says it also has concerns about the Julimar project and is keeping a close watch on developments.

Mr Dorsch said his company had pegged most of the shire as a precaution to prevent rival companies pegging nearby for the same minerals.

 

Mining Monthly and Stockhead magazines quoted Mr Dorsch recently as decribing the results of exploration drilling at the Julimar site (pictured above) as “spectacular”.

He said main ore body was thought to lie in the shire’s west and extend into Julimar State Forest, where Chalice conducted preliminary electromagnetic aerial surveys before seeking permits to start test drilling.

The expanded exploration area being sought includes part of the Avon Valley National Park and several conservation reserves which would require special State permission for further drilling.

Mr Dorsch said Julimar was unique because it was near an existing heavy freight rail link to a nearby port and close enough to Perth for miners to sleep at home in their own beds and commute to work instead of having to work Fly In-Fly Out at a remote minesite.

It was valuable also because Australia was a more stable country than Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo, where most of the world’s cobalt is currently mined.

Further drilling would determine whether the Julimar ore body suited underground or open cut mining.

Chalice currently has $25 million to fund further exploration.

Mr Dorsch said it would take 4-8 months to gain State Government approval to drill in Julimar State Forest, and two or three years to know whether the ore deposit was commercially viable to mine.

March rainfall was generally below average as well, however rainfall in the last week of February was above average.

Most farmers are all prepared and ready to start seeding programs.

Lime spreading and stubble burning duties are mostly complete.

Many livestock owners are still hand feeding sheep and cattle with no end to it in sight.

Lester Snooke, owner of Bolgart Rural Merchandise, commented recently that “most farmers are primed up and ready to go but most are standing on the sidelines to see what happens with the weather”.

He added “about 25 per cent of farmers have made a start on their 2020 seeding programs mostly seeding canola and lupins.

However, the rest have made a decision to sit it out until early May or until more promising signs of rain eventuate”.

Mr Snooke said that he expected canola programs to stay much the same as last year but expected a slight drift back towards wheat from barley due to grain prices.

Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions are still not having much effect on agriculture within our shire and within WA.

Intermittent delays due to social distancing and Covid-19 protocols are being experienced at some agricultural supplies outlets.

The delays appear to be an inconvenience more than a threat to productivity.

Covid-19 protocols have also affected the number of people who are able to attend livestock sales which has raised concerns about competition.

Some states within Australia have now adopted ‘computer selling’ of livestock via electronic means to overcome this issue.

There has been a general easing of sheep and wool values over the past few weeks.

Concerns over the impact of the coronavirus has added a cautious note to any buying of both commodities.

Seeding operations within our shire will be in full swing this month and in June which will result in increased movements of oversized agricultural machinery on our local roads.

All residents are urged to take extra care on the roads during this busy period while farmers transport equipment.

It is uncertain if schools will re-open after the three-week Easter break starts on Thursday April 9, and all local museums, indoor sports venues and libraries have closed for the next six months.

Visitors from outside the Wheatbelt – including Perth – can no longer travel to Toodyay, causing local job losses and cutting hours for workers in local businesses that rely heavily on tourism.

The Federal Government’s Centrelink welfare agency and some banks are offering temporary financial relief.

Supplies of essential products such as toilet paper which ran out in Toodyay late last month are expected to return to normal this month when fresh supplies arrive in WA after logistical delays of up to 10 days in eastern states freight deliveries to Perth.

Local doctors are telling patients with virus symptoms (left) – a cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or blocked nose, or fever – not to go to Toodyay’s medical centre but stay home and call 9574 2500 (or 1800 225 523 after hours) for help.

All callers will be offered a Telehealth appointment at home via their phone or various video apps.

Face-to-face visits will be available only by prior telephone request and with the approval of a health practitioner.

As in all other public places, medical centre visitors are required to stay a ‘social distance’ of at least 1.5 metres (five feet) from others (below), and waiting room chairs have been placed farther apart.

State health authorities are urging everyone to wash their hands thoroughly – front and back – for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice) as frequently as possible, particularly after touching door handles, money, benchtops, desks, chairs and other items touched by other people.

People are also warned not to touch their eyes, nose or mouth – particularly in public – unless they first wash their hands thoroughly with soap.

Shaking hands and unnecessary physical contact with others is to be avoided at all times.

The WA Health Department says people don’t need to wear face masks (below) unless they have virus symptoms and need to stop it spreading through coughs and sneezes.

Toodyay’s Wheatbelt Health Network says Covid-19 can seem similar to ordinary influenza and normal coughs and colds.

People with any such symptoms should stay at home and call the Toodyay medical centre for advice.

Caution is needed because people can have Covid-19 but not show symptoms.

New vaccines for ordinary influenza are expected to become available soon but a Covid-19 vaccine has yet to be developed.

Elderly people and those with lung disease, diabetes or suppressed immune systems as the result of cancer treatments or chronic illness are more vulnerable to Covid-19 than others in the general community.

About 30 per cent of Toodyay’s estimated 4400 residents are older than 60, and another 20 per cent are aged between 50 and 60.

Visits to aged care facilities are now restricted, and people wanting to see relatives and friends living in units for older residents such as at Toodyay’s Butterly Cottages should use special care.

Limiting social contact will reduce the spread and impact of the virus, and shorten the recovery time for a return to normal life.

Local restaurants and cafes are now allowed to sell only takeaway food and drink, and customers must leave as soon as they receive their purchases and stay at least 1.5m apart in doorways and queues.

Toodyay police are urging all local residents to stay home as much as possible unless they need to buy food, go to work or travel for other essential reasons.

There will be no local Anzac Day Dawn Service, Parade or Gunfire Breakfast in Toodyay on April 25, and no Moondyne Festival next month.

The shire is continuing essential services such as rubbish collections but now prefers payments by card or cheques, or bank transfers (call 9574 9300).

In safe hands ‒   Shire of Toodyay crisis management leadership team (from left): Works and Services Manager Scott Patterson, Acting CEO Chileya Luangala and Emergency Manager Kylie Neaves.

The council is currently awaiting the outcome of a year-long State Government ‘authorised inquiry’ into the shire during the seven years Mr Scott has been CEO.

The department said last month that the investigators’ report is still being examined by the State Solicitors Office before being referred to Local Government Minister David Templeman.

The new shire CEO will be expected to manage any recommendations arising from the outcome of the inquiry.

The job was advertised at between $160,000 and $250,000.

Shire President Bill Manning has sold his Hoddy Well house to move to Tasmania but was forced last month to delay his April 25 departure due to new travel restrictions.

“I still plan to resign from the council after we appoint a new shire CEO,” he said.

A shire recommendation last month moved by former shire president Brian Rayner not to hold an election to replace Cr Manning lapsed when there was no seconder.

When asked later why the council should operate for another 18 months with only eight members and give a new president two votes to break 4-4 ties, Cr Rayner said it would save the $22,000 cost of a new election.

Bacteria: A type of cell upon which nearly all biological life depends. Bacteria do not cause colds or influenza but can produce secondary lung infections.

Vaccine: a biological preparation that provides artificial immunity to a disease.
There is currently no vaccine for Covid-19.

Pandemic: The worldwide spread of new diseases such as Covid-19.

Quarantine: A period of time or place of isolation – such as a house, ship or hospital – in which people that have arrived from elsewhere or have been exposed to an infectious or contagious disease are placed.

Lockdown: An emergency measure to prevent people from entering or leaving an area such as their town, region or country.

President Manning said he will chair the next council meeting on Tuesday March 25 and wants to remain president to oversee the appointment of a new shire CEO.

CEO job applicants

A report on job applicants was presented to councillors on March 3 after the council engaged national recruitment agency Beilby Downing Teal to advertise the $158,000-$260,000 job on a four-year contract.

President Manning said he also wanted to oversee the council’s response to any recommendations that may arise from the State Government inquiry.

He listed the two items as “unfinished business” when he resigned from the council last October to recontest his seat under new rules which for the first time allowed all electors to vote for all candidates.

President Manning said publicly before the poll that he was selling his home and unlikely to serve a full term if re-elected.

Inquiry report pending

The WA Local Government Department says the investigators’ report is still being examined by the State Solicitors Office to consider any prosecutions that may arise.

It is understood Mr Scott did not re-apply for his current $243,000-a-year job after failing twice last year to convince the council to let him stay for another three to five years when his contract expires on July 22.

Mr Scott took three weeks’ sick leave at short notice before a council meeting on February 25 but did not inform President Manning of his absence after attending a morning briefing with President Manning and Deputy President Rosemary Madacsi.

His automated email says “I am out of the office until Monday March 16”.

New elections needed

A new election for a council vacancy must be held within four months of President Manning’s resignation.

It also means the other eight councillors must elect a new president at the first council meeting after President Manning resigns.

This can be done at the scheduled Tuesday April 28 monthly council meeting or if an earlier special meeting is called.

Unlike council elections that involve all voters, Toodyay’s president and deputy are elected by a secret ballot of councillors who must be in the chamber when the vote is called.

When eight councillors (Cr Paula Greenway was absent on approved leave) tried to elect a new president last October, it resulted in a 4-4 deadlock between former deputy shire president Therese Chitty and Cr Rosemary Madacsi.

Cr Madacsi was re-elected to the council last year after serving four years from 2011 until she lost her seat in 2015 to former North Ward Cr Eric Twine.

Cr Ben Bell – who won the most votes in last October’s shire elections – was the first to announce in October that he would run for president but withdrew a day before the new council’s first secret ballot.

The stand-off between Crs Chitty and Madacsi resulted in both withdrawing their nominations to enable Cr Manning to be elected president unopposed a week later.

Cr Madacsi – who polled the second-highest number of votes in last October’s shire elections – was then elected deputy with five votes, followed by Cr Chitty (two) and Cr Bell (one).

Madacsi to nominate for President

Deputy President Madacsi says she will again nominate for president when Cr Manning resigns next month.

She will need the support of least four other councillors (including at least one of her former opponents) to gain an absolute majority of five votes as required by law on the normally nine-member council.

If she loses to any challenger, she will remain deputy to whoever else is elected president.

Crs Chitty and Bell told The Herald last month that they would not run again for president though both voted against Cr Madacsi when she nominated for president last October.

Former shire president Brian Rayner also said he wouldn’t run again, though it is understood that he too voted against Cr Madacsi last year.

Rayner may run for deputy

Cr Rayner said he might nominate next month for deputy president, depending on who is elected president.

He was shire president for two years until last October after not needing to contest an election in 2017 when he stood for council unopposed in the now-abolished North Ward.

Cr Rayner has never faced an election by all voters under new rules adopted last year.

Audit Committee Chair Beth Ruthven, who – like Cr Madacsi – was elected by all Toodyay voters five months ago, said she would not nominate to be president but declined to comment on the deputy’s role.

Three other councillors – veteran Paula Greenway and newcomers Phil Hart and Susan Pearce – appear unlikely to be contenders.

Cr Greenway – who has also never faced an election by all Toodyay voters – ran unsuccessfully against Cr Chitty for deputy in 2015 after the previous council re-elected former Cr David Dow unopposed as president until his election defeat in 2017.

Recent council voting patterns suggest there is no obvious factional split to oppose Cr Madacsi’s new presidential bid.

However, last October’s stand-off when four current councillors voted against her becoming president suggests fresh behind-the-scenes jockeying may be underway.

If another challenger emerges and the council is again deadlocked in a new 4-4 split that cannot be resolved, the presidency will be decided by a lottery draw.