City of Greater Bendigo councillors Elise Chapman and Helen Leach will seek their fellow councillors’ support to build a memorial to former mayor Daryl McClure, OAM, at tomorrow night’s council meeting.
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Mr McClure, who also served as state member for Bendigo between 1973 until 1982 and published several books on the city’s history, died in March last year after a long illness.
Cr Chapman said she had been working on the project to remember the man she said had been her mentor when she first joined the council for about a year.
“We were extremely close and I miss him dearly,” she said.
Cr Chapman said the memorial would be a simple plaque overlooking one of Mr McClure’s favourite Bendigo landmarks.
“It’ll be situated in a place overlooking Rosalind Park, which was obviously Daryl’s pride and joy,” she said.
“He fought to hard for Rosalind Park so his monument will be placed up there if it’s approved and I think it’s a very fitting place.”
Cr Leach said she expected the idea to be well received by the other councillors.
“He was a wonderful person who dedicated his life to Bendigo and selflessly served this community for probably all of his life and I think it’s his due,” she said.
Cr Chapman said if no money could be found in the city’s budget for the plaque she would be happy to raise the money herself.
“I’ve had a number of people that are willing to donate and so I guess if council decide they can’t afford it and we have to raise the funds ourselves I’ll be putting my hand up to organise that as well,” she said.
The council will also decide whether to endorse the city’s housing, public space, rural communities, cultural diversity and environment strategies, and council officers will recommend the city continue to provide home and community care food and property maintenance services.
The recommendation to continue the Meals on Wheels program comes after a feasibility study found there was no “alternative provider that had the willingness, capability and capacity to provide food services”.
Council’s last chance to award contracts
The City of Greater Bendigo council will have one final chance to award a number of multimillion-dollar contracts at tomorrow night’s meeting before it enters caretaker mode next month.
If councillors do not vote to award the contracts for the Bendigo Tennis Centre and White Hills Botanic Gardens redevelopments, the projects will be put on hold until the new council is able to vote on them in November.
Tender prices are valid for 60 days and the contractors would be within their rights to revise their price if the tenders are not approved by the current council.
Council officers have recommended the $3.9 million contract for the Tennis Centre be awarded to Nicholson Construction and the $4 million contract for the botanic gardens be awarded to Ace Landscape Services Pty Ltd.
Caretaker councils cannot award contracts with a value greater than $994,210.