Each week, Katherine icons, leaders, and everyday residents will be answering our burning questions - from serious public matters, to things of a more trivial nature like 'what's for lunch', nothing is off limits . Here's what they have to say.
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Katherine Times: What have your first couple of weeks on council been like?
Kym Henderson: I am so humbled by the outpouring of support I have had from the community and the current alderman. These first few weeks have certainly been a great learning experience. I originally applied for the position thinking it would be an experience just to run but here I am now officially an alderman of the Katherine Town Council at just 28.
I am hoping to spend the next six months in the lead up to the next election reconnecting the community with council and sharing my experiences so that come August more passionate and dedicated community members understand what being on council means and are looking to run and work together to change the future of Katherine.
KT: What do you make of the returning International Women's Day march?
KH: I am very pleased to see the return of our International Women's Day (IWD) march in 2021, the theme for this years IWD is "Choose to Challenge", and personally this theme really resonates with me because from challenge comes change. I think it's really important to create awareness against bias and work together for equality, we can choose to challenge and call out gender bias and collectively we can all help to create a more inclusive world. Beyond that it's also a chance to celebrate the Women of Katherine, their achievements and their dedication to shaping our town.
KT: How do you feel about finally getting a decent wet season?
KH: This year's wet season has certainly been an improvement on past seasons, but speaking to a number of community members we still need more. Unfortunately, our seasons are quite different to those of our southern counterparts and I think because of that the drought we have been facing for almost the last five years now has not been recognised enough and I know many farmers are still struggling and needing to ship in water due to bores drying up.
KT: What did you think of the Katherine Doorways Hub opening on the weekend for the first time?
KH - The first trial of a weekend breakfast was held at the Doorways Hub earlier in February and it was evident from the number of people that attended that there is an obvious need for this kind of extra support for our community. I am very concerned with the number of people living in Katherine who are without a home and without regular meals, and it's organisations like the Salvation Army who actively continue to support our vulnerable community members and I think they should be commended for the work they do.
- Each week the Katherine Times will be putting your questions on the hot topics to a rotation of our leaders. Got something you want to ask? Text in your questions to 0439682920 or inbox us at editor@katherinetimes.com.au and we will endeavour to get them answered.
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