After watching Oberon grow and change from a quiet unassuming little timber town to a thriving tourism centre, the general manager of Oberon Council, Bruce Fitzpatrick, has decided to call it quits.
After 17 years in council's top job, and 47 years in local and state government, Bruce will soon retire, content that he has achieved all he can at the general manager's desk.
Bruce is on leave until July this year, when his contract runs out.
He said Oberon was a very different place when he arrived from Wakool Shire where he was a town clerk – from when it had power lines running above shops in the main street, the dirt roads to Jenolan Caves, the old “frog pond” swimming pool and no water treatment plant. Bruce said another huge difference was that most people from Sydney and other areas had heard of Oberon at that time, but did not know where it was.
He said that during the past 17 years there have been several changes including completion of the bypass around the town, roundabouts, improved television reception, new water mains and new roads, as well as the development of the Mayfield Gardens.
The Oberon community had helped itself develop over the years, with the development of new and expanding businesses, such as the new Mawhoods Mitre 10, the Supa IGA, and new Foodworks, extensions to the Royal Hotel, and the thriving timber industry.
Among a plethora of highlights, Bruce said the development of The Tablelands Way has been a huge achievement, which has brought many visitors to Oberon and put Oberon on the map.
Bruce said he is very proud of a number of achievements made by the community, including the fantastic work carried out by the volunteers of the Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway.
“I've got to give them all the credit under the sun. They have put in the hard yards,”
he said.
Among the highlights, Bruce said there have been some low points, most notably the threat of amalgamation.
“We had to work really hard to not be amalgamated,” he said.
Despite feeling like he has achieved what he came to achieve, Bruce said he hopes to see in the future that the Oberon aged care facility becomes a reality, and that Oberon’s water crisis can be sorted out.
Besides the stalling of the Local Environment Plan (LEP), which is a major deciding factor in Oberon’s growth, Bruce said he sees Oberon’s future as being very bright.
“Its just going to get better and better,” he said.
Bruce wishes to thank the directors at council, Leigh Robins, John Chapman and Ralph Tambasco and their predecessors that have worked hard for the community, as well as all council staff.
“I would like to thank everyone that I have had an association with while at council,”
he said.
“My best wishes to everyone in the future.”
Bruce plans to move to Bathurst where his wife Sheila works, and where his father grew up and members of his family live still.
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