Council employee named Victorian Young Achiever of the Year

Council employee named Victorian Young Achiever of the Year

Published on 26 February 2021

Gannawarra Shire Council Aquatics Officer, Kieran Schneider’s dedication to his work has been recognised, with the Council employee named the 2021 LGPro Young Achiever of the Year.

The award, which recognises high achieving Victorian local government staff aged 30 years and under, was announced during the virtual presentation of the LGPro Awards for Excellence, held last night.

“Since starting with Council in late 2019, Kieran has led a significant change program with aquatic services within the Gannawarra,” Council Chief Executive Officer, Tom O’Reilly said.

“Kieran has built local partnerships with swimming clubs and groups and developed risk management processes to ensure Council’s compliance with industry guidelines. Furthermore, Kieran’s response to recommend a management change of the service during the onset of a global pandemic has shown strong leadership and direction for management and Council to make key strategic decisions.”

The award recognises Kieran’s work in the following area:

Overseeing the return of aquatic staff management to Council’s control, resulting in the employment of 35 residents for the 2020/21 season; Implementing activation activities for Council’s pools including Fresh Fruit Fridays, Rhyme Time at the pools, pool parties and healthy eating options at pool kiosks; Development of a new swim school for Council’s indoor exercise pool, with the program’s initial launch in April 2020 impacted by COVID-19; Review and implementation of risk management processes for the aquatic facilities Providing operational advice in the development of Council’s municipal Aquatic Strategy; and Demonstrating leadership in coordinating the service response to COVID-19 and coordination of COVIDsafe planning.

“With staff from Victoria’s 79 council’s eligible for this award, I am honoured to receive this accolade,” Mr Schneider said.

“Thank you to Gannawarra Shire Council’s CEO, Directors and Managers for genuinely appreciating the work I have done to lead change and improve our aquatics service delivery.

“I am highly motivated by our fantastic team and the opportunities available to grow my skills.”

Meanwhile, the Koondrook CBD Redevelopment was a finalist in the Community Assets & Infrastructure Initiative category.

“This was the third consecutive year our Council has been shortlisted as a finalist in the LGPro Awards for Excellence, which highlight the best local government practices in Victoria,” Mr O’Reilly said.

ABOVE: Gannawarra Shire Council Aquatics Officer, Kieran Schneider, pictured with Council Chief Executive Officer, Tom O’Reilly, Manager Community Engagement, Paul Fernee and Director Community Wellbeing, Stacy Williams, is the 2021 LGPro Young Achiever of the Year.