Junior Council

Junior Council is run in partnership with local schools and meets eight times in the year, usually every six weeks between February and December. The Junior Councillors learn about leadership, responsibility, Local Government and the decision making process and public speaking.

Junior Council has been running for seven years, and since it began in 2003, school participation has increased from nine schools to 16 schools being represented in 2010. The Schools involved are:

• Beechworth Montessori school
• Wooragee Primary School
• Wahgunyah Primary School
• Upper Sandy Creek Primary School
• Stanley Primary School
• St. Mary's Rutherglen
• St. Joseph's Beechworth
• St. Joseph's Chiltern
• Rutherglen Primary School
• Osbornes Flat Primary School
• Middle Indigo Primary School
• Kiewa Valley Primary School
• Chiltern Primary School
• Beechworth Primary School
• Barnawartha Primary School
• Yackandandah Primary School

One Year 5 student from each school is on Junior Council for 12 months. Most Junior Councillors report to their assembly after each meeting or write report for the school newsletter.

Council recognises the importance of young people's views, and Junior Council gives young people the opportunity to make a difference by providing them with a direct link to Council where their ideas can be heard.

Each year, Junior Councillors organise fundraising for a charity. This year they raised enough money to purchase an outdoor table setting for Glenview Nursing Home in Rutherglen and the extra funds are going towards a composting toilet for Atauro Island in East Timor.

Junior Council Objectives

• Inspire students to make a positive contribution to their school.
• Motivate students to be great leaders in their area of influence.
• Empower students with practical skills of balancing study, school commitments and social life as well as managing the stress in these areas.
• Promote the value of inspirational and positive role models as examples to others, by exposing students to a diverse range of leaders and their views on leadership.
• Educate students about the need to grow in knowledge and practical skills in the areas of excellence and leadership Connect students with other students from other schools and develop long term support networks.

Cr Peter Croucher, Cr Ali Pockley (Mayor) and Noni Hemann (Executive Assistant - Sustainable Communities) organise Junior Council.

Junior Council Meeting in November 2011 - Middle Indigo Primary School

A Junior Council meeting was held on Thursday 10 November at Middle Indigo Primary School. The guest speaker was 13 year old Oliver Hendricks from Beechworth Secondary College who travels around Australia and overseas singing with the Gondwana choir. Oliver played his cello for the appreciative audience and spoke about his experiences with the choir. Indigo Shire’s CEO Brendan McGrath and outgoing Mayor Ali Pockley also spoke about their roles and responsibilities in the Council.

Above: Principal of Middle Indigo Primary School  Tammie Zuber, Indigo Shire's Mayor Cr Ali Pockley and CEO Brendan McGrath and Bridget Smits from St Mary's Primary School in Rutherglen.

Below: Indigo Shire's CEO Brendan McGrath, Bridget Smits from St Mary’s Primary School in Rutherglen, Zoe McLeish from Wahgunyah Primary School and Zoe Deacon from Rutherglen Primary School.

For more information about the Junior Council, please contact Cr Peter Croucher on 0438 273 260, Cr Ali Pockley (Mayor) on 0448 803 411 or Noni Hemann on 02 6028 1154.