FROM helping an elderly resident with garbage collection to the major renovations of Newcastle's art gallery and ocean baths were among the proudest moments for three Newcastle councillors who gave their valedictory speeches on Tuesday night.
Greens councillor John Mackenzie, Independent councillor John Church and Labor councillor Carol Duncan all gave farewell addresses at the final Newcastle council meeting of the term on August 27.
All three were elected in 2017.
Ward one representatives Cr Mackenzie and Cr Church have announced their retirement from council, while Cr Duncan will run at number two on the Labor ticket in ward two, considered an unwinnable position, after losing preselection to Paige Johnson.
Cr Mackenzie said a speech he heard from a former Lismore councillor at an induction event in 2017 coloured his approach as a councillor.
"She said 'the best advice I can give you is to undertake your work as a councillor in good humour'.
"I'd just come out the other end of a bitter and petty election campaign, as they all are always.
"All I wanted to do was smash Tories and fight climate change.
"I thought it was the most ridiculous advice I'd ever heard.
"By the end of the weekend I'd decided that perhaps she might be right.
"I think if I've been successful in this place I've been successful to the extent that I have undertaken this work with great seriousness and great application but also with a light heart."
He listed the council's action on climate change, including the Summerhill Waste Management Centre solar farm, sustainable waste strategy and environmental strategy, as highlights for his time on council.
Cr Mackenzie was also happy with progress on cycleways across the city.
"When I got here cycleways were mostly about putting meandering, circuitous concrete paths for children through parks and playgrounds," he said.
"The transformation of that to now a very serious piece of the transport portfolio of this council is extraordinary."
For Cr Church, the Newcastle Ocean Baths upgrade, Wickham masterplan, Carrington green space masterplan and sand replenishment on Stockton beach were among the council's top achievements during his two terms.
He said he was pleased to see progress on an indoor public pool after Newcastle independents raised the issue of "neglect" of inland swim centres and the lack of a year-round facility.
The Independent councillor said he was proud that he pushed for the upgrade of surf clubs, argued against rate rises and campaigned for transparency about the cost of the fitout of the council's administration building.
He expressed disappointment City of Newcastle did not nominate the ocean baths for state heritage listing "and the fact it it took a small community group to do what council decided not to do".
However he said the most rewarding part of the job was "often not what happens in this chamber".
"As a councillor you have the opportunity, and it's a rich and rewarding opportunity, to work directly with members of the community delivering either advocacy or providing a conduit into this large and sometimes cumbersome organisation," Cr Church said.
"I can remember the elderly lady in Warabrook who had not had her garbage collected in three weeks. I happened to have the right phone number of the right council staff member and that problem was fixed within hours."
Cr Duncan also cited helping community members with their problems among a long list of achievements she was proud of during her two terms.
The city's live music and after dark strategies, the art gallery expansion, cultural precinct masterplan, creation of Business Improvement Associations (BIAs), support of festivals, events and grants and park and local centre upgrades were among other crowning moments for Cr Duncan.
"I'm really proud to have driven the change to planning certificates to create a better balance between live music and other entertainment and the rights of residents," she said.
"The after dark economy strategy - hugely beneficial area for the city to continue to strive for because it encompasses so much that makes our lives worthwhile and it creates jobs.
"It is well and truly time to say that we're not going to bed with Big Dog anymore."
The Labor councillor also backed the city's record infrastructure spend.
She urged councillors not to "buy into the negative narratives" and said the council's capital works were "not vanity projects, they're people projects".
"They're people projects because they boost the economy significantly," Cr Duncan said.
She urged her colleagues to "be bold and ask for more".
"Because we don't get our share," Cr Duncan said.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes paid credit to all the councillors in her wrap up of the term, where she listed achievements including a record $375 million in infrastructure works and the $15.5 million economic stimulus program to help the city recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"None of this would happen without a really high-functioning elected council," Cr Nelmes said.
"I think particularly this term has seen a very different tone to last term and a level of respectful discourse and level of collaboration that didn't necessarily exist in the last term of council."
