Hindmarsh Shire Council held their annual Youth Council Launch on Wednesday 7 February 2018 at the Nhill Memorial Community Centre.

The evening began with an address from Hindmarsh Shire Council CEO and master of ceremonies Greg Wood and Hindmarsh Shire Council Mayor Cr Ron Ismay.

The Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council for 2018 is made up of representatives from each Ward:

West Ward (Nhill College)
  • Ruby James
  • Brodie Kennedy
  • Elena James
  • Nan Da San Bleh Dah
North Ward (Rainbow College)
  • Nickolas Roll
  • Bridie O'Halloran
  • Aiden Gelligen
  • Jordan Leach
East Ward (Dimboola Memorial Secondary College)
  • Kynan Clarke
  • Danni Haebich
  • Teo Haines
Hindmarsh Shire Council's Youth Citizen of the Year Thablay Sher is also a member of the Council.

Mayor Ismay said that they enjoyed two guest speakers on the evening.

"We were all captivated by the two guest speakers, the first being Ms Shannon Smith, a teacher at Nhill College who spoke about her life growing up in the Wimmera and her journey to landing her dream job and why she chooses to call Hindmarsh home.

"Our second guest speaker for the evening was Taylah Ryen. Born and bred in Dimboola, Taylah talked about the reasons why she comes home to work and see family on weekends whilst undertaking her studies in Nursing and Paramedicine at ACU.

"Both guest speakers encouraged attendees to challenge themselves and step out of their comfort zone."

Cr Ismay said that Council is looking forward to seeing the initiatives that the 2018 Youth Council leads.

"We are really looking forward to seeing some of the initiatives that the 2018 Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council comes up with and the resulting positive outcome.

He said that the launch evening was an enjoyable one.

"It was lovely to spend an evening with our new Youth Councillors and their families and to celebrate their new role as leaders in our community. We were given a glimpse of youth success in the speeches presented by our guest speakers and appreciate the effort both made to inspire our new Youth Council."

"On behalf of Hindmarsh Shire Council I congratulate all newly elected Youth Councillors. It is an honour to work with such passionate young people."

The next engagement for our Youth Councillors will be at the Little Desert Nature Lodge for the annual Youth Council Retreat.