The City of Greater Bendigo wished David Lloyd well on Monday, his last day in the position.

City strategy and growth director Bernie O'Sullivan thanked Mr Lloyd for his service to the arts and the community.

"Under David's leadership, the Bendigo Venues and Events unit has delivered a vibrant and interesting program of performing arts and other experiences, including the highly regarded Bendigo Writers Festival and Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music, which have engaged people of all ages," Mr O'Sullivan said.

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Mr Lloyd said he was most proud of contributing to strengthening the City of Greater Bendigo's relationship with the Dja Dja Wurrung community - efforts he knew would be continued through the role of First Nations Art Officer.

"I would like to thank the wonderful Bendigo Venues and Events staff for their support and commitment to celebrating and promoting the arts," Mr Lloyd said.

"I would also like to acknowledge our loyal patrons and fantastic industry professionals who help make an experience at the theatre so special and memorable."

Mr Lloyd planned to take a break for a while before looking to new opportunities.

"COVID has been a pretty tough time for the arts and I reckon coming out the other end of it there are lots of opportunities that are going to open up," he said.

"I'm really wanting to spend some time with family, have a break for the first time for a long time, and see where life takes us from there."

He joined the City of Greater Bendigo in 2004, having come from Alice Springs.

"I had some very specific conditions about what I wanted out of the next city I moved to and Bendigo ticked all of those boxes for me," Mr Lloyd said.

"I couldn't have landed in a more supportive and arts-focused place and I think between The Capital and Ulumbarra and obviously the art gallery, we've really built art and culture as a huge brand for Bendigo going forward.

"Whoever takes on my role has some great opportunities to build on what have been some great outcomes."

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In his time at the city, Mr Lloyd has seen the expansion of the business, a huge restructure of the organisation, and what he said were a lot of achievements.

They included the development and opening of the Ulumbarra Theatre - a project he believed had been significant in recognising and honouring First Nations people and culture.

"Bendigo has always had a huge arts and cultural history that dates back to mining times and before that, of course, with the First Nations," Mr Lloyd said.

"But I think to a great extent our First Nations weren't being recognised and given the opportunity to show what they're capable of and part of my legacy, I hope, is that I've provided that.

"It started with simply the first ever civic project that was given a First Nations name, being Ulumbarra, meaning gather together."

The venue was named the Performing Arts Connections Australian Venue of the Year in 2017.

Other achievements included being a Regional Centre for Culture.

"I always said I wanted to leave Bendigo in a better place than it was when I came," Mr Lloyd said.

"I hope I've done that."

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He said he had loved the opportunities Bendigo had offered him.

"It's opened a lot of doors for me to have a national and statewide profile through my work, with whether it be as president of Performing Arts Connections Australia or as president of the Victorian Association of Performing Arts Centres," Mr Lloyd said.

His hopes for Bendigo in years to come included a stronger focus on community participation in arts and culture, particularly First Nations culture.

"There's a real thirst within our First Nations community, the Dja Dja Wurrung, to build on their cultural history, heritage and language," Mr Lloyd said.

"I also think public art is a great opportunity for Bendigo and I'd hope to see that is built on as well.

"I guess my big ambition has always been to have work that's produced locally that tells the story of Bendigo and has a national or even international focus. We've started that process, I think, with things like the Bendigo Writers Festival and the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival and the Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music.

"I would like to see all of those have an opportunity to thrive and gain more of an international and national profile."

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Mr Lloyd was hopeful Bendigo's performing arts profile and status could achieve levels similar to that of the visual arts.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic posed a challenging environment for the performing arts, given the lack of certainty for the sector.

"This is a community that is desperately in need of a return out of COVID and into a sense of normalcy and I wish the person who takes over from me and leads from here every confidence," Mr Lloyd said.

"We've established ourselves as a place people want to move to both professionally, but also because of our cultural ambition and we'll just continue to build on the work I've done to this point."

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