NEWS
The artist formerly known as Councillor David Hinchliffe has thanked inner-city residents for giving him the honour of being city councillor for almost a quarter of a century.
"I want to begin by thanking The Independent for its assistance of many of those years in being able to communicate to residents about the many key issues of the area.
"Rather than writing about myself or my time in office however, I want to take this opportunity to write about the future and about the good within our community.
"Firstly, I want to congratulate the new councillor, Vicki Howard, on her victory. There are so many issues in our area – parking, development, traffic, public transport, parks, footpaths, etc – that will occupy her time in office.
"I'm sure Vicki will find, as I have that the people who make our communities and neighbourhoods great are generally not the people who get the most credit or the most pay or have the big titles.
"They’re not the politicians or so-called high-profile ‘celebrities’. They're the people who selflessly volunteer to work on the local P&C or coach the local soccer or netball team.
"They’re the community-spirited people who work in their local church or Neighbourhood Centre or who volunteer for a charity…or at times like the 2011 floods they're the people who roll up their sleeves to help out.
"There are fewer and fewer of these people. They are the ones who make sure the wheels of our neighbourhood keep turning. I know it's getting harder to volunteer - it's hard to find the time or to make the effort but there is as much need now for volunteers as ever there was.
"I would like to take the opportunity to encourage readers of the Indie to consider donating a few hours to a local group or a charity.
"There are times when a Councillor has to stand up to Council and to their own political party. When something is wrong, a Councillor should speak out.
" I wish you all well. It has been a pleasure and a very great honour. "
