Patricia Gill, Denmark Bulletin

Shire president Ceinwen Gearon will resign after seven years in the job firm of the opinion that achievements over the time are not hers but the community’s.

Dr Gearon says ‘her’ achievements have been a collaboration between the community, the Denmark Shire Council and Shire administration officers.

She will depart proud that the Shire of Denmark as an organisation and the council, itself, has moved forward.

“Some of the things I find as an achievement, others might not recognise as so,” Dr Gearon said.

“They are not particularly sexy things; for example, we now have a plan to manage our roads.”

While the core business of council was rates, roads and rubbish, in order to achieve those, a strong governance structure was necessary.

An asset management plan has been set up, plus a plan for managing staff and a plan for continuity, making the activities of Shire officers far easier.

And with a robust governance structure, everyone in ‘the building’ (Shire administration building), knew what they were doing and what had to be done.

“There’s no bias that things get done because someone speaks louder than someone else,” Dr Gearon said.

These days being a councillor – previously out of reach to many people – had become more accessible and this was reflected in the composition of the council.

It was attracting younger people, a reflection of the post COVID-19 influx of population to the shire.

“I suspect, previously, some people couldn’t afford to be a councillor, couldn’t afford the time or the loss of a salary, and that’s not such an onerous thing now,” Dr Gearon said.

She describes the modest pay rates for councillors as ‘reasonable recompense’ though, in her case, in having a ‘proper’ job elsewhere, in WA Country Health Service, the remuneration did not compare.

In being shire president, the biggest challenge was everyone could not be kept happy at the one time, particularly in a committed community like Denmark.

“Obviously, some decisions are going to upset some people,” Dr Gearon said.

This sometimes led people to think that she was not on their side.

“I’m not on anyone’s side; I just want the best results for the community,” Dr Gearon said.

And the pattern of ‘taking of sides’, having repeated itself time and again, when the ‘chips were down’ the community did come together.

“I just wish they would just get over having petty squabbles over ‘things’ because the ‘things’ aren’t important, the community is important,” she said.

With this in mind the Shire had recognised the need for better communication, employing a media officer.

The Shire’s Facebook account was kept active and shared a lot of information, thus improving communication dramatically.

“The media officer makes a huge difference, rather than hiding in isolation in the admin office, which makes it hard for everyone,” Dr Gearon said.

An important lesson had been learning how to bring everyone together to a conclusion.

“Not everyone will support the conclusion, but they will understand how we got to that point,” she said.

Dr Gearon had also learned to listen better to people.

She admits to making quick decisions and in doing so might miss some of the ‘nuances’.

“It’s important to get the best outcome and to have the best possible discussion and to include everyone in that,” she said.

“I employ some of the tactics in my other job – not just listening better but trying to tease information out of people.”

Dr Gearon is proud of how the Denmark community had faced emergencies during her tenure.

Standouts include the February bushfires in 2021, and the adoption of the Bushfire Ready program, the Shire of Denmark having more Bushfire Ready groups in than any other in WA.

Other emergencies included the overnight flooding of the inlet in 2021 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In all these instances the community, Shire staff and councillors had been magnificent.

This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 14 September 2023.