Mayor Rhys Williams | Public figure

Mayor Rhys Williams

Phone: +61 8 9550 3714

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25.01.2022 Come join me & some of your Councillors at Coodanup Foreshore on Sunday from 9.30am for a coffee & a chat about your vision for Mandurah. Just look for the Mandurah Matters caravan... See you there!

24.01.2022 Huge congrats to the dedicated volunteers at the Mandurah Southern Districts Bush Fire Brigade on the recent opening of their fantastic new facility in Herron. This brigade of almost 30 members provides first response to fires from Tims Thicket Rd to Mandurah’s southern border. The role these awesome people play to help saves lives & property in our community is vital. Thanks to DFES for joining us in making this new building a reality. And a huge thank you to the brigade volunteers your dedication to Mandurah’s safety is inspiring & I am grateful you are part of our local community

24.01.2022 Just have a look at this place! We’re so fortunate to live in such a special part of the world.

22.01.2022 Just when we thought the hard decisions around this pandemic were behind us, we’ve had to make another difficult decision on Tuesday night to cancel our beloved Community Christmas pageant for 2020. Based on Health advice & current State guidelines, the pageant just wasn’t going to work unlike ticketed events, such as the Caravan & Camping Show or the footy, we have no way of managing numbers, no way of enforcing any physical distancing & no way of doing any contact tracing... in the unlikely event of a Covid-19 outbreak. No one wanted to cancel the Christmas pageant, and obviously given WA’s record of community transmissions, the chances of a Covid-19 case is low, but as a local government it is important that we keep our community safe & we will keep following the advice of the Dept of Health as we have throughout the pandemic. Our New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations will still be held this year, but will include some changes to adhere to a Covid-friendly format. There will be fireworks displays at 9pm & midnight, however congregation points such as stages have been removed & attendees will be asked to use the multiple vantage points across the city to ensure the event can be delivered safely for all to enjoy. Although we have to try something different for our events in 2020, we haven’t lost focus on Mandurah becoming the ‘Capital of Christmas’ and making the most of the festive season. There are going to be plenty of Covid-safe activities over December, and I’m looking forward to telling you all about them over the next couple of months. Sorry to all those who were looking forward to the pageant. It’s one of my favourites, and we really are disappointed that it can’t go ahead (but don’t worry, all going to plan, it’ll be back bigger and better in 2021!)

22.01.2022 After what has been a pretty rough year, we set a goal to really warm our community with Christmas spirit this festive season. We’re so proud of how it’s all come together. If you haven’t already, make sure you get down and check out the trail, jump on board a cruise to witness the unique Port Mandurah canal lights, and enjoy the buskers, markets and events all across the City Centre. I promise it’ll bring a smile to your face. Special thank you to our City of Mandurah staf...f, and to those businesses and Mandurah residents who have contributed to making the City shine so bright. We’re definitely on track to fulfill our goal of Mandurah becoming WA’s capital of Christmas

22.01.2022 Thank you for your courage and for the sacrifices you made. Thank you for the freedoms we enjoy today. We are forever grateful. Lest we forget.

22.01.2022 Great day! Our new park is open, and it turned out even better than we could’ve imagined. Merry Christmas to all our local young crew who have been hanging out for this for so long- this one is for you! One of the best skate parks in Australia right here in our City... how good is that.

22.01.2022 2 minute Council wrap-up... actually under two minutes this time

22.01.2022 #ShoutOutSaturday to the awesome residents of Bencubbin Street in Dawesville! A few weeks ago it was Homelessness Week & the wonderful crew at WestAus Crisis & Welfare Service held a collection for items to help out those in our community who are currently doing it tough. Unfortunately, this year, donations of sleeping bags were unusually low. The residents of Bencubbin Street caught wind of this & took it on themselves to each buy a sleeping bag to donate to the cause. Thi...s is an example of Mandurah at its best. The way in which our community bands together in times of need to help out those at a vulnerable point in their lives is simply amazing & something we should all be proud of. To all those residents of Bencubbin Street thank you #citywithavillageheart #CommonGround

20.01.2022 Do you have a project, event or creative idea that will help our community? We have so many community champions doing great things to connect our community, like the crew behind The Fathering Project... This amazing program creates fathering groups in schools, helping local kids & families to build trust, improving attitude to school & to re-engage them as positive members of our community.... The Fathering Project has been working with 4 local schools in Meadow Springs & Lakelands thanks to the support of the City’s community grants - & more importantly, a whole lot of passion! If you also have a passion for our local community & have a project that could make a difference, then apply NOW for up to $5,000 funding through the Restart Mandurah Community Grants. Go to https://www.mandurah.wa.gov.au//Community-and-individual-g for details & to apply. #RestartMandurah #citywithavillageheart

19.01.2022 #ShoutoutSaturday to this awesome group of local young leaders! Last week Council was stoked to welcome our first ever members of Mandurah’s Youth Advisory Group. These legends have stepped forward to speak up about what's important to the young people in our city. They will help Council identify challenges our young people are facing, & will also encourage young people to address challenges relevant to them.... The input of our local youth on recent key projects such as the design of the Western foreshore & Falcon skateparks, has been vital in the success of these projects & we’re keen to see more of that. Looking forward to working with you team!

18.01.2022 Getting a drivers license for most of us is the start of a new found freedom, and for those with some struggles at home it can be the start of a whole new life. For some, though, actually getting a drivers license can be a tough gig. Our Ryde Mandurah program gives young crew the chance to link up with a volunteer to help complete their 50 hours of log book driving, helping to remove a major barrier to getting on the road. ... We’ve recently sorted out a second car for the project, which is a great partnership between Council and the awesome team at the Peel Volunteer Resource Centre. Just wanted to let you know about it in case you know someone who could benefit, and of course a big shout out to all the project supporters and volunteers. You do great work!

17.01.2022 Having the Mandurah Mazda Action Sports Games in Mandurah this weekend calls for shakas all round I’m stoked to have some of Australia’s (and the world’s) best action sports athletes in town competing in skate, wakeboard, scooter, BMX and motor cross... all happening on our beautiful foreshore

16.01.2022 #ShoutOutSaturday to the amazing team at Zonta Club of Peel Inc.! The work these women do to empower & support other women across Mandurah and the Peel region is simply awesome and I am so thankful we have this group in our community. For those of you that don’t know, the Zonta Club of Peel is a not for profit group run by volunteers who, since 1993, has raised funds and delivered projects that support our community across a number of issues, including domestic violence, br...east cancer awareness, mental health, homelessness and dealing with grief. On behalf of everyone who has had the honour of working with you, beside you, or at the receiving end of your support and compassion Zonta Club of Peel Inc, thank you #citywithavillageheart @zontaclubofpeelinc.

15.01.2022 Today is R U OK Day, and I’m really grateful to the community members who teamed up with the City to create the new R U OK conversation corner in the middle of town. It’s tough to talk sometimes, but it gets easier once you start, and can make a world of difference to someone who needs to know you care. R U OK?

14.01.2022 #ShoutoutSaturday to this legend... Kaylee Meerton! As our local Mandurah Mail journo for the last 2 yrs, Kaylee has been awesome to work with. Not only has she tackled the tough stories with fairness & integrity, she has also made it her goal to tell all the good stories of Mandurah. Her passion for this place & its people has truly shone through in her writing The role of our local media is so important... How we talk about Mandurah, its people & its stories truly m...akes a difference & I think we’re pretty lucky to have some amazing people, like Kaylee, advocating for our beloved city Kaylee is off up the freeway to start the next challenge in her career... So I wanted to say a big thanks - you’ve done your hometown proud @MandurahMail

14.01.2022 Good luck to our South Mandurah @falcons.aflw girls today in the big dance against Pinjarra. 11am today at Rushton Park. Bring it home girls! ( the very talented @shazza.j.photography)

12.01.2022 Grateful for my Country. Grateful for my freedom. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget.

11.01.2022 #ShoutoutSaturday to the super-inspirational Professor Lyn Beazley AO.. It’s National Science Week, & it’s fitting to do a shout out to our local legend & former Chief Scientist for WA! But this shout out is actually to announce that Lyn has agreed to Chair Council’s new Economic Taskforce. More detail on this taskforce will be released soon, but in a nutshell, Council has set up this taskforce to assist us with well-informed expert advice in relation to Mandurah’s economy.... Lyn will be joined by a group of other awesome local leaders with relevant expertise & networks, who are acutely aware of the current economic challenges faced by Mandurah & who are well positioned to help guide Council in its aspirations to create a more diverse & resilient local economy. For those of you that don’t know Lyn, she is a highly respected local resident, distinguished neuroscientist & 2015 West Australian of the Year, who has made a major contribution to the promotion & direction of science in Australia. As the former Chief Scientist for WA she championed gender diversity & science in the classroom, in addition to shaping science policy. Lyn has also led, reported to & been a part of numerous boards throughout her career, which will make her role as Chair of the taskforce a breeze! Creating new education pathways & local STEM career opportunities for our kids is a key focus of Council’s economic development agenda & we are so pleased to have Lyn on board to help guide us to making this a reality. On behalf of Council, thank you Professor Lyn Beazley AO, we look forward to working with you #RestartMandurah #TransformMandurah #scienceweek pre-COVID

10.01.2022 An important update regarding a pivot in our 2020/21 summer events season: - The Chief Health Officer of WA has not approved our New Year’s Eve festival, and therefore the event won’t be going ahead (in the interest of full transparency, I will post the advice from the Chief Health Officer in the comments below). This event was not approved because it is unticketed and therefore doesn’t meet contact tracing requirements, and because the event will attract more than 8,000 peop...le which means the event is classified as high risk. - Crab Fest 2021 would not meet current or anticipated restrictions, and therefore the Council has made the difficult decision tonight to not proceed with the event. Again, this is based on the fact that the event will not be able to meet contact tracing requirements or enforce other Covid-19 event requirements. Crab Fest requires significant investment in time and money from our local businesses in the lead up to the event and we have made this decision early to provide certainty. - The City is investing its events budget into a Covid-friendly events season that will see lots of smaller, exciting events & activations happening across Mandurah most weekends from now through to May. We’re obviously disappointed, and I know many of you will be too. Our first goal, though, has always been about the community’s safety. It isn’t for the Council to decide what is considered safe and what is considered high risk that is the job for the Chief Health Officer, and we will keep taking his advice. More info in the vid. We’ll keep you updated.

10.01.2022 This weekend may have been a bit different to what we had planned, but I hope you were able to find fulfilment at home with your loved ones, get into a good book, or tick a few house jobs off the list. In line with the Premier’s announcement today, most City of Mandurah services and facilities such as libraries, Seniors Centre and others will be back up and running again tomorrow but with some changes to operations to account for the 20-person capacity limits and 4 square met...re rule. The Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre will be opening on Wednesday for pool users, but the gym facilities will remain closed in line with the health advice. Local restaurants and cafes will be able to open for table service and takeaway, but must follow the 20-person capacity limits and 4 square metre rule. As you can imagine, this presents some really significant trading challenges for them, so if you can dig deep this week and give them some support by purchasing a takeaway dinner or two, I know they will appreciate it. Further information regarding rescheduled public events will be made available over the coming days. Well done to our community for doing the right thing this weekend and following the restrictions. It further reinforces the care and compassion that we have for one another that we're prepared to do what is necessary as a way of keeping each other safe.

08.01.2022 Exciting times! Works are well & truly underway for our new estuary pool on the Eastern foreshore. There’s going to be some disruption for a while and thanks to all our residents, visitors & especially the local businesses in the area for your patience it’s certainly going to be worth it in the end. I look forward to keeping you all updated as the project progresses. #TransformMandurah

08.01.2022 It’s official the new Falcon Skatepark is open! The design of this awesome new skatepark, including Mandurah’s first bowl, came about thanks to the input of local skaters... And we couldn’t have done it without your involvement. The skatepark upgrades are part of the City’s overall $1.2m Falcon Reserve Activation Plan, which is transforming Falcon Reserve into an exciting recreation precinct. ... Huge thank you to David Templeman MLA, with Lotterywest, for the State’s funding contribution to help make this project a reality. And to Zak Kirkup MP, for his efforts in helping to engage our local community throughout the process. We’re coordinating some skate clinics & workshops soon - so keep your eye out on social media for more info #falconskatepark #skateboardingwa #falcontheislandlionsclub

06.01.2022 Today marks the last day of Homelessness Week 2020... If only we could end homelessness so easily. There is so much amazing work happening to support these people who have found themselves in an extremely vulnerable point in their lives, and yet a very clear missing piece is housing. We should not accept that some people in our community are homeless & need support, instead we need to be bold and strive to end homelessness.... At last week’s Council meeting, councillors agreed to work with State Government in an effort to bring a Common Ground building to Mandurah, that would provide homes, financial empowerment & on-site support to help our longer-term unemployed & homeless get back on their feet. This really would give people a leg up to help break the homelessness cycle & I look forward to working with State Government to make this happen. Late last year, I was humbled to hear the stories of Jolina & Daniel, two local young people who had found themselves in a really vulnerable point in their lives. One of our amazing local support organisations, Passages, stepped in to help & provide support when it was most needed Jade Gillespie & the crew at Passages, and all those other amazing community support organisations across Mandurah, do such a remarkable job at the cold face of our community & I am very grateful to them all #HW2020 #BuildSocialHousing #CommonGround #endhomelessness ( pre-COVID-19)

06.01.2022 Great to see the positive story about Mandurah's future getting out there :)

06.01.2022 In light of Premier McGowan's announcement this afternoon, all City of Mandurah services and facilities will be closed from 6pm tonight, reopening Tuesday 27th April. This will include the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, libraries, CASM and the community museum. All public events being held across the City this weekend have been cancelled or postponed. Restaurants and cafes will either be closed or operating takeaway services only. Please support them where you can. ... Please ensure that you are receiving your information through official channels only. Further information will be provided on Monday or as more information comes to light. Please be safe and stay at home over the weekend, and hopefully we will be back to normal on Tuesday.

05.01.2022 Big 'thumbs up' to City of Mandurah Councillor Darren Lee. After fifteen years of service to the Council and Mandurah community, including a decade as Deputy Mayor, Councillor Lee informed us last week that he is hanging up the boots. Darren got elected in 2005 on a promise to deliver a new aquatic centre for Mandurah. He stayed passionate about this promise for ten long years, and worked hard with Council and City officers to eventually see the project delivered in 2015.... He holds the record as Mandurah's longest serving Deputy Mayor, and has been a stalwart supporter of Mandurah's environmental agenda. His list of achievements are extensive, and his care and compassion for his residents in the East Ward is an example of community representation at its very best. Darren's journey in life has changed direction, meaning he will spending time in Queensland and the NT. In true Darren style, he has made the decision to step down out of concern that he won't be able to represent his community to the extent that he would like to in his new work role. Personally, I've never known this Council without Darren, and I'm going to miss him. When I was elected to Council at 21, Darren helped to mentor me into my role, as he has done for many other newly elected Councillors over his time. I've been so grateful for the many laughs along the way, and for the ability to learn from him. Darren, thank you for your contribution to Mandurah. We are going to miss you.

05.01.2022 Great hanging out with more young legends this week from across our community, learning from them and yarning about the importance of being a good citizen. Slowly getting around to all our schools, and loving the conversations! So many great young people serving our community in so many positive ways. Best best best part of the job.

05.01.2022 Check out this great little vid showing 30 years of our city in just 2 minutes... What an amazing place.

04.01.2022 Happy Fathers Day to all the dads today, but especially to my own. Thanks for a lifetime of strength, wisdom and opportunity. I'm grateful every day. Happy Fathers Day also to the pops, carers, step dads, uncles, family friends, neighbours and teachers who step up and do their bit as male role models and supporters. This day is for you as much as anyone else :)

04.01.2022 Check this out! The new dual naming sign has just gone up at the Seniors Centre & it’s looking great. We are one of the first local governments in the state to be dual naming our civic & ops buildings, and this is something we should all be really proud of as we take exciting & bold steps in reconciliation. This is an important opportunity to really celebrate & uplift the revival of Noongar language. Huge thanks to our Reconciliation Action Plan steering group & the Dual Nam...ing Reference Group for coming up with some pretty cool & meaningful names: Council Chambers Boordiya Mia. Boordiya refers to the leaders & decision makers, and Mia is house or place Admin Building Yoolin Mia. Yoolin refers to the people who support the leaders to implement their vision Mandurah Seniors & Community Centre - Dandjoo Kaadadjan Mia. Meaning coming together to connect & share wisdom Billy Dower Youth Centre Moorditj Mia. Meaning safe & fun place. I had a bit to say about it at our brand launch not so long ago have a listen & let me know what you think... https://www.facebook.com/CityofMandurah/videos/594760157900721 #citywithavillageheart #reconciliation

02.01.2022 Congratulations to local Dawesville Member of Parliament Zak Kirkup MP on becoming the leader of the WA Liberal Party today. What a huge personal achievement! I know how much Zak loves Mandurah, and how hard he works alongside all of our other local leaders in fighting for the best interests of our community. We’re looking forward to working with our local MP's and the major parties to ensure that our community’s vision for Mandurah is front and centre in the lead up to the ...State election in March. On behalf of the Council, congratulations Zak. We wish you well in your new role.

01.01.2022 I cannot imagine the heartache that family & friends feel when a loved one goes missing. My thoughts go out to those that are faced with this reality every day. Thank you to Zonta Club of Peel Inc. for again organising such a meaningful & compassionate memorial service this morning to recognise those that are missing & to show our love & support for those that are left not knowing #NMPW2020 #citywithavillageheart

01.01.2022 #ShoutOutSaturday to the Peel Lightning Netball Club! Huge congratulations on your very first win in just your 2nd ever competition game! Awesome effort Our newest state level sporting club gave the WA Netball League a taste of the teams strength & determination following their win last night against the Demons I’m so proud to have you representing Mandurah & a HUGE thanks to everyone involved in getting the team’s first ever season off to such a successful start ... Sport plays such an important part in our community & it simply couldn’t happen without the commitment of the players, but also the hours & passion dedicated by the volunteers, coaches, staff, committees, parents, sponsors, spectators & everyone else involved in making Mandurah’s sporting community so strong Again, big congrats to the mighty Lightning! I look forward to following your journey