Mayoral Column - 13 May 2026

Published on 13 May 2026

There has been some exciting news in Cessnock LGA lately, with the appointment of Natalia Cowley as Cessnock City Council’s new General Manager. An award-winning General Manager and Fellow Chartered Accountant with a proven track record of leading large and complex councils through financial recovery, organisational transformation and sustainable growth, she has a reputation for delivering strong community outcomes. Among the feathers in her cap: she led Central Coast Council through one of the largest financial recoveries in NSW local government history.

As a proud Cessnock LGA resident, she’s no stranger to our part of the world. Natalia will join us on 29 June from Moree Plains Shire Council. I’m looking forward to working with Natalia to achieve positive outcomes for our community, as we continue our important journey towards financial sustainability. I’d like to thank Peter Chrystal for keeping ‘the ship’ on course as Interim General Manager since last June.

Meanwhile, it was wonderful to mark 175 years of the Wollombi General Store earlier this month – an incredible milestone! Wollombi was buzzing for a weekend-long street party celebrating everything that makes the historic village so special. Congratulations to Wollombi Chamber of Commerce for delivering the great event. Council is proud to support initiatives like this that keep our communities vibrant and thriving!

I recently had the honour of leading 37 members of our community through the pledge to become Australian citizens. Those new Australians came from across the world – Austria, Bangladesh, Burundi, China, France, India, Iraq, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkiye, UK, USA, Wales, and Zimbabwe. They enrich our community with the cultures they bring and it was a joy to officially welcome them. If you’d like to know more about Cessnock LGA’s citizenship ceremonies, click here.