Robert Fish, who arrived at the council building two weeks after the Valley was declared a disaster zone, is ready to roll up his sleeves in the wreckage.

“There is a lot of work to do so residents need to understand it will take some time for us to attend to all matters,” he told the Tribune. 

“Thankfully, the area was declared a natural disaster, so funding through this will give us the best opportunity to get our roads back to a reasonable condition.”

Having worked for the past eight years as the Manager of Operations at Great Lakes Council, responsible for approximately 130 staff who delivered capital and maintenance works, he is no stranger to hard work.

“I have had to deal with emergency scenarios on a number of occasions,” he said. “The response is a team effort and we are lucky to have great staff here.” 

His goal for moving forward in his new role has been to ensure access to natural disaster provisions, to restore assets back to the previous condition.

“Ultimately, I hope to be able to limit any impact on council’s budget so that we can perform all works that were originally planned to be undertaken,” he said.  

“The timing of me coming to Yass Valley Council is good. We have recently had Council elections so I’m quite excited to be able to start fresh with the new Council.” 

Having lived on the coast for most of his life, he says the country atmosphere has been a welcome change.

“When I came to the area, I loved the natural beauty, particularly with the recent rains, the landscape has come to life,” he said. 

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the number of community events and initiatives run by local businesses.”

In 2013, his wife Amy had a stroke, which would change their lives forever. 

“… We are now both strong advocates of stroke and aphasia awareness. This is something we hope to do more of into the future.”

Aside from enjoying the country life, he is a keen hockey player, golfer, and sails on Lake Burley Griffin.