Mayoral Message - January 2026

Published on 02 February 2026

2026 has kicked off in the Yass Valley with several cracker community events that showcase the spirit of our region. From celebrations to practical support during the summer heat, our community’s greatest strength remains its people - and Council is committed to playing an integral part.

Celebrating Our Citizens - could you be our next?

We began the year with our Australia Day celebrations, including a Citizenship Ceremony and Australia Day Community Awards at Coronation Park. It was a privilege to stand alongside our Australia Day Ambassadors, Ben McGuire AM and Marina Maguire OAM, our local Member Wendy Tuckerman, my fellow Councillors, and the dedicated volunteers from Rotary and the CWA to recognise those who give so much to our Valley.

Yass & District Historical Society volunteer, Jane Southwell, gave a respectful and thoughtful acknowledgement of Ngunnawal Country paying respect to our Elders, and Reverend Pierre van Blommestein offered up a heartfelt prayer for Yass Valley and our nation.

Councillors Allan McGrath and Cecil Burgess OAM were recognised for their 30 years of faithful service in local government.

Thank you to Federal Member, Michael McCormack, for joining the nominees at their celebration event on Saturday night, and for also presenting our Ambassadors with their official pins. The calibre of our citizens is such that I have not felt the need as Mayor to look further afield for inspiring people and stories. I hope to amplify the role of our Yass Valley's Ambassadors, Ben and Marina, throughout the year.

It is uplifting to know there is such a strong and varied commitment to serving others in our community - from our veterans in the Yass RSL Sub-branch to the Yass Swimming Club. If you have recently joined our community or feel the time is right to share your time and talents, why not reach out to one of our many community focused volunteer groups today?

Full details of the Australia Day Award winners and nominees are on Council’s website.

A Connected Community

Our village communities and Yass shone bright when they held the ‘all abilities and ages welcome’ Shine Shield swim meets. What a heart-warming, yet cooling way, to connect during the heat of summer for our local farming families and to support our towns and villages. With the 60-anniversary next year of this humble, yet ingenious, shield - forged out of a hubcap - I can’t wait to see how many grandparent-parent-and child family relay teams we can muster to make it an epic event.

The Murrumbateman Community Association also fired up the newly installed barbies at the Rec Grounds - inviting the community to spend time together and meet the hardworking team behind so many valued and outward focused events that make Murrumbateman a powerhouse of community connection.

Beating the Heat

During the recent six-day heatwave, I was proud that our Councillors and Executive Team backed the decision to open the pool to everyone for free. With agility, our Council team quickly put in place everything needed to communicate and provide free access to the Yass and Binalong pools - along with the air-conditioned refuge of the Yass Library (always free!). Supporting our families during climatic extremes is a priority we take seriously.

Back to School for Teachers & Children across Yass Valley

As school goes back today for students, it turns my thoughts back to last Sunday. Amongst my church congregation it was put upon our hearts over morning tea to spontaneously pray for the teachers and students well-being and care ahead of the return to school.

Our teachers have such a significant role in our children’s lives, particularly in an ever-growing technological world where influences on our local kids can come from all over the world. Teachers and carers' sensible guidance can be an anchor in this realm and can bear fruits of resilience and skills. But technology management can also be a burden and a battle. Digital bullying can turn up anywhere kids are connected, with tech now available from the bus to bedroom. The online threat to physical and mental safety is an added pressure I know all parents are concerned about.  Kids Helpline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone and online chat counselling service for kids, teens and young people. Call 1800 551 800

It is heartening to see Yass High School has a Community BBQ and Parent Expo today from 3pm, creating opportunities for families to learn more about online safety with presentations from police with ThinkUknow? Mission Australia, along with Mental Health services provider HeadSpace & PCYC. With children myself between the ages of 8 and flown-the-nest 22, I reflect on how grateful I am that Yass Valley is blessed with such strong sporting, cultural, faith-based and educational organisations looking out for our local kids  - all creating tech-free opportunities for social, creative, spiritual, and physical team work. They are strong networks with mentors where our kids can find grounding in who they are and how they are valued - right here in Yass Valley.

I was thrilled that Yass Valley Council could once again deliver a grant-funded diverse and rich children and teens activities program throughout the holidays - from designing and creating their own T-shirts, ACT treetop adventure bus trip, to learning how to broadcast on radio at Yass FM to an Indigenous bush tucker and fishing experience with Aaron Chatfield.  

Celebrating our Youth

I want to extend a special congratulations to our youth Australia Day Award recipients: Evangelique Aniversario (Sportsperson of the Year), Lilly Chatwin (Youth Citizen of the Year), and Johnathan Alley (Mayoral Special Award). These three young leaders represent the pinnacle of youth service and maturity. 

Lilly, Johnathan and Evangelique have seized with hands and humble hearts the opportunity to excel, to give back through service, to learn valuable leadership, teamwork and management skills that will see them succeed as well in other areas of life.

Evangelique Aniversario received the Sportsperson of the Year Award for the excellence she has achieved in rugby, along with her shining sportsmanship on and off the field, mentoring and coaching younger athletes in soccer. I wish Evangelique every success as she represents Australia in Honolulu for the International Junior Rugby Under 14’s this year.

Lilly Chatwin received the Young Australian of the Year Award for her volunteering and leadership within the community with both Yass Scouts, where she gives back through mentoring and leading younger scouts, and the Rural Fire Service. 

Johnathan Alley received the Mayoral Special Australia Day Award for his volunteering with the Rural Fire Service mentoring and teaching cadets, and services to Yass Football Club through his volunteer work on and off the field from umpiring to the BBQ roster. 

It was an extra special moment for Johnathan as he was presented his Mayoral award by his grandfather, Superintendent (Ret) Peter Alley, who also received the Mayoral Special Australia Day Award for his distinguished service in the Rural Fire Service, both in our community and abroad.

Congratulations Angelique, Lilly and Johnathan on your much deserved awards. And well done to all the recipients and nominees.

If you would like to learn more about the opportunities for volunteering for our local youth, look no further than the many nominee organisations celebrated this Australia Day.

Responsible Governance and Future Planning

Your Council is focused on long-term financial sustainability. We started 2026 with a strategic workshop into strategic property management, to ensure we fully understand the opportunities and issues of the land entrusted to our management on behalf of our community. Preparations for the 2026-27 budget framework are also already underway.

Councillors have been encouraged to consider pulling every lever to achieve financial sustainability and our Financial Road Map provides clear signposts to check our progress against.

I am pleased to share that the Auditor General recently issued Yass Valley Council with the two blue ticks possible for our ‘unmodified’ audit report - the highest marks possible for accuracy and timeliness.

Our committees will fire up again this year - which also brings an exciting field of knowledgeable, talented and passionate community members to add their voice in advising Council. 

I am also looking forward to our new dynamic community engagement platform Your Voice Counts (YVC) providing Council with a deeper understanding of community feedback. Listening is a big part of our planning processes. Our leadership team is also looking into further ways to communicate with our residents quickly and effectively, such as opt-in text message alerts.

We’ll also soon be heading out to our village communities and Yass Soldier’s Memorial Hall for direct community consultation on several policies and strategies. Please check in regularly on all our channels for announcements – website, social media, news releases and mayoral messages, plus keep an eye out for our announcements in the local paper and village newsletters.

Caring for Country 

I am excited about the opportunities that Council is exploring to collaborate on environmental improvements. Thank you Landcare, Friends of Yass Gorge, Ginninderry Conservation Trust, the Onerwal Local Aboriginal Land Council and our local Elders for your continued energy and focus as we share the challenges and opportunities to care for country and walk together. Council joins a renewed community focus committed to improving the health of the Yass River and surrounding catchment.

Crago Mill Precinct

This precinct, including our new library and Emergency Command Centre, represents a generational investment in our business and safety infrastructure. Final touches are underway with a move of the team (and the library books!) into the buildings by the end of February. I am also particularly excited to see our local Elders provide design input for the yarning circle at the Crago Mill Precinct, and lead with hands-on help choosing and planting the native shrubs and grasses within the Crago Mill Precinct. 

I’m looking forward to taking the Yass Valley Business Chamber and Local Emergency Management Commander, Inspector Dave Cowell for a tour of the Crago Mill precinct as we work towards completion - tracking less than 6 months out from the original finish date and less than 10% variation in cost.

Both the new administration building, as the Local Emergency Command Centre in times of natural disaster and climatic events, and the new library, with its varied and dynamic technology connected meeting spaces, provides many opportunities for local businesses to access from a neutral space. Whether it is for job interviews or team meetings, to bringing in live speakers from anywhere in the world to elevate our local training, or in reverse sharing our local talented skills internationally.

Mornings with the Mayor & Deputy

Got a good idea, need some help connecting the dots to get something done in your neighbourhood, or want to introduce your community group’s vision to the Mayor and Deputy?  Please book in for Mornings with the Mayor & Deputy - keep an eye out for details of the next one planned for March. 

Coming up 

Don’t miss the opportunity to see how much the Marchmont Trust have transformed the racecourse and surrounds at The Yass Picnic Races on the 28th of February.

We have an exciting Seniors Activity Program planned for March, and preparations are already underway for April’s Anzac Day events.

2026 will no doubt present us with both challenges and opportunities, but I have never failed to see Yass Valley residents rise to the task with resilience, compassion and the utmost good humour.

Jasmin Jones

Yass Valley Mayor