Flood recovery, digital uplift and rising star earn LGPro recognition

Published on 14 May 2025

Two Gannawarra Shire Council projects and one of its staff members are in the running for major annual local government sector awards.

Council’s efforts to support the community’s recovery from the 2022 floods and the transformation of its website are finalists in categories for the 2025 LGPro Awards for Excellence, with Governance Officer, Dylan Taylor a finalist in the Young Achiever Award.

“Council has a renowned history with these local government sector awards, with various projects and staff members either named as finalists, receiving high commendations or taking out category awards,” Council Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Rollinson said.

“We are proud to be the first council to win the inaugural Outstanding Small Rural Council Initiative Award in 2022 for the Koondrook Retreat, with that year resulting in Council being recognised in three categories.”

Council’s multi-year effort to support the community’s social recovery form the 2022 floods is a finalist in the Disaster Readiness and Recovery category.

“Council incorporated a place-based, community-led recovery model for our communities impacted by the 2022 floods, which resulted in 44 per cent of our municipality inundated by riverine flooding,” Mr Rollinson said.

“By using this approach, Council’s Flood Recovery Team has assisted our communities in hosting more than 200 community-led events, programs and activities, which have enabled residents to connect and build capacity to withstand future emergencies.”

The transformation of Council’s website has also been recognised, with these efforts a finalist in the Digital and Technology category.

“In February 2024 Council launched its new-look website, which was the culmination of four years of effort to make it easier for residents to engage with Council,” Mr Rollinson said.

“The project featured two stages: Improving how Council engages with its residents online, achieved by improving its online form capabilities; then improving the design of Council’s website to provide ease of access.”

Meanwhile, Council’s Governance Officer, Dylan Taylor is a finalist in the Young Achiever Award category, which recognises local government staff members aged 30 years and under.

“Dylan has been a significant contributor to our organisation since starting with Council in June 2024,” Mr Rollinson said.

“In what is his first full-time position in the local government sector, Dylan was instrumental in developing and implementing Council’s new Councillor induction program, whilst his Information Communications Technology expertise has also helped Council develop new SharePoint sites for the new group of Councillors and Audit and Risk Committee, as well as ensuring Council is adhering to all governance requirements.”

Category winner will be announced during the 2025 LGPro Annual Conference Dinner, occurring in Melbourne on 5 June.

ABOVE: The transformation of Gannawarra Shire Council's website, efforts to support the community's recovery from the 2022 floods and Governance Officer, Dylan Taylor are finalists in the 2025 LGPro Awards for Excellence.