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Home>About Council>Councillors
The 2008 Council elections are over and your new Councillors have been sworn in.
The official results were announced on Monday 1 December and the Councillors were sworn in at a special ceremony on Tuesday 2 December.
Cr Bill Pearson was elected Mayor for 2008–09 on Monday 9 December.
Mobile numbers and email addresses for your new Councillors are shown below and email addresses will be available as soon as possible for all Councillors. Please contact Council's Customer Service on 1300 787 624 for any further information.
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Mayor 2008–09
Cr Bill Pearson – Bunyip Ward | | Email Cr Pearson
Telephone: 0437 852 208
Fax: 5629 5697
Cr Bill Pearson is Cardinia Shire Council’s Mayor for 2009.
Now in his second consecutive term representing Bunyip Ward, an interest in community welfare and a desire to try and gain better outcomes for residents prompted Cr Pearson to seek election.
He sees his primary role as Councillor is to consider the interests of the entire Shire with a particular focus on rural areas.
Cr Pearson believes in giving honest and fair consideration to all in the Cardinia community and places importance on Council working constructively as a team, with staff, Councillors and ratepayers all working together for the common good.
Cr Pearson’s goals for this term in office include:
• the construction of a multi –purpose auditorium in Bunyip
• the completion of road works in Wattletree Road and Hope Road Bunyip
• a long–term debt reduction strategy
• new road sealing and drainage for Nar Nar Goon township
• success in Council’s efforts to have powerlines for the desalination plant at Wonthaggi placed underground.
Cr Pearson and his family have lived on a farm at Bunyip North since 1979. He served a term with the former Pakenham Shire Council in 1989.
Cr Pearson was born and raised in the Woodside/Yarram area of South Gippsland. He has worked in the banking and marketing sectors as well running his own building construction business.
He has an interest in sport and played and coached football in the 1960s and 70s.
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| Cr Brett Owen – Central Ward | | Email Cr Owen
Telephone: 0418 993 370
Fax: 5940 1683
Cr Brett Owen is Cardinia Shire’s youngest councillor and a strong advocate for youth issues.
Cr Owen has an active interest in community safety including graffiti reduction and road safety issues, disability access and service and the provision of recreation facilities and open space for the growing shire.
He has lived in Cardinia Shire all his life and has always had a keen interest in local issues.
A Victoria Police officer for the past 12 years, Cr Owen said being a Councillor gave him the opportunity to be directly involved in decision making and to provide a voice for residents and ratepayers.
Cr Owen has a youthful perspective and is passionate and enthusiastic about the future of the Shire. He believes all Councillors can work positively together for the betterment of Cardinia Shire and regards the greatest challenges for this term as addressing Council’s debt while planning for rapid growth in Officer and Pakenham.
During the current term Cr Owen would like to see the creation of a dedicated youth facility, the development of the major new recreational reserve at Holm Park Road, Beaconsfield and completion of Oval 2 at Officer Recreation Reserve.
The new regional tennis facility in Webster Way, Pakenham, the new athletic and soccer facility in Henry Road, Pakenham, and improved parking in the Pakenham CBD are also top priorities.
Cr Owen is in his second consecutive term on Council.
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| Cr Collin Ross – Central Ward | | Email Cr Ross
Phone: 0428 598 491
Fax: 5940 9147
Cr Collin Ross was elected to Cardinia Shire Council in November 2008.
The Central Ward representative has lived in Pakenham for nearly 12 years with his family and has worked in the local area for almost 17 years.
Cr Ross joined Council to provide a voice for residents and to genuinely engage with the community on a personal level.
In his first term, Cr Ross would like to make Cardinia Shire a place that people are glad and proud to live in.
His special areas of interest as a Councillor include: keeping rates as low as possible, developing sporting and recreation facilities, the McGregor Road upgrade, advocating strongly for a second public high school in Pakenham, supporting police to reduce crime and improve road safety, enhancing youth services and activities and establishing an appropriate motor sports facility.
Supporting increased carparking, advocating for the needs of disabled and elderly residents, encouraging local business and employment and retaining public open space are also priorities.
Cr Ross began his working life as a butcher and meatworker. He was department manager for Coles and worked as a union organiser. He is President of the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council and has been Chairman of the Victorian Food and Training Board.
Cr Ross feels he brings a strong worth ethic and great enthusiasm to the role of councillor.
Cr Ross said: “I believe this team of Councillors can do great things for Cardinia Shire. We are working well together and the team has a unified and progressive feel to it. As in all good partnerships, the team is certainly bigger than the individual.
Cr Ross has in interest in sport, playing Super rules football for Beaconsfield and captaining the Victorian team during a recent trip to Darwin. He plays tennis and has a private pilot’s licence.
Cr Ross is also actively involved in a local Christian church community.
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| Cr George Blenkhorn – Central Ward | | Email Cr Blenkhorn
Phone: 0429 139 902
Fax: 5942 8453
Cr George Blenkhorn was elected to Cardinia Shire Council in November 2008 with a focus on taking an active role in representing his community. He brings to the role strong local knowledge of Pakenham and surrounding district and his experience of owning and running a successful business.
Cr Blenkhorn was born and grew up on a farm in Yorkshire, England. He went to school in York (founded in 627AD) and graduated from Edinburgh University in 1964 as a veterinary surgeon. He came to Pakenham in 1977 where he worked until selling his veterinary practice in 2005, and continues to work part time for Racing Victoria.
He is married and has two daughters who live in Cardinia Shire and a son who lives in Burwood, all of whom have children.
As an elected representative of his community, Cr Blenkhorn will work to ensure financial responsibility by Council, obtaining support for children with special needs and their parents, and supporting local business to increase local employment. He believes his role is to serve as a conduit between the community and Council and to ensure that Council is responsible in all its dealings.
Cr Blenkhorn says he has no personal ambition while serving as a Councillor, but his goals for the Shire include maintaining it as a place where people want to live and work; retaining its green spaces; and having both active and passive pursuits available to people of all ages.
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| Cr Stuart Halligan – Port Ward | | Email Cr Halligan
Phone: 0429 435 091
Fax:
Cr Stuart Halligan was elected to Cardinia Shire Council in November 2008 with a focus on town planning, road construction and maintenance and community issues.
He believes in representing the community fairly and impartially.
Cr Halligan has been involved in the community for many years and sees being a Councillor as a natural extension of his involvement in the local community.
The achievement he would most like to see in this term of Council is the Koo Wee Rup bypass being constructed within the timelines set, to improve road safety for the Koo Wee Rup residents and business and those who travel through the township.
Cr Halligan is keen to meet and work with the community members in his role as Councillor.
He feels his goals for his term in office will be set by the listening to the people and he wants to achieve their wishes for the betterment of the community.
Cr Halligan feels he has a broad knowledge of community uses throughout the Shire which he brings to the job along with the ability to interact with all sectors of the community including politicians and council officers.
He thinks assisting in the debt reduction strategy will be the great challenge for the current councillors’ term.
Cr Halligan wishes to work with all for the common good of the Cardinia Shire.
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| Cr Graeme Legge – Ranges Ward | | Email Cr Legge
Telephone: 0418 318 392
Fax: 5968 3961
Cr Graeme Legge, a lifelong ‘hills’ resident, was born in Belgrave to grow up in Emerald where he has resided almost his entire life. The son of a local storekeeper, Graeme Legge became a primary school teacher and school principal.
With a proud history of community service, ranging from the provision of a reticulated water scheme and a sewerage scheme, protection from fire, splendid youth work and local history, Cr Legge’s fondness of the ‘hills’ is evident.
A strong interest in environmental issues, fire and other emergency protection, the strengthening of communities and community building initiatives is maintained. Cr Legge is also a member of South East Palliative Care, the Inter-Council Aboriginal Consultative Committee and the Cardinia Foundation.
Cr Legge is Cardinia’s only ‘foundation councillor’ having served since the first local representatives were elected (1997). He has recently commenced his fifth term as an elected councillor. Cr Legge has previously served as Mayor.
Cr Legge has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), the Centenary Medal and he serves as a Justice of the Peace.
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| Cr Ed Chatwin – Ranges Ward | | Email Cr Chatwin
Telephone: 0400 920 551
Cr Ed Chatwin has been a Cardinia Councillor since November 2005 and is a member of the Cardinia Audit Committee, Parks Focus Group, Emerald Lake Park Advisory Committee and the CEO review panel.
As an elected representative of his community, Cr Chatwin holds the following goals for Ranges Ward and Cardinia Shire:
• maintaining the unique lifestyle of Ranges Ward
• assisting residents and ratepayers with positive help in their quest for an active voice at Council
• actively seeking solutions for the long-term needs of Ranges Ward
• understanding the financial workings of Council.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Cr Chatwin has lived in Australia for 38 years, holding various management positions, working in the glass container manufacturing industry (internationally) and being a self-employed management consultant, and lecturer.
He is a passionate believer that education is never wasted, seeing it as the key to Australia’s future. Cr Chatwin’s personal goals include maintaining an open mind, being free from prejudice, and providing leadership for the community.
Cr Chatwin’s qualifications include Chartered Engineer (C. Eng.) and Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (M.I.Mech.E.) and he is a member of St Mark’s Church, Chairman of the Friends of Emerald Library, CRRA member, and the RSL. His personal interests include family, gardening, being an eclectic reader, English history and computers.
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