Upskilling staff from within paying off for Cobar Shire Council

Cobar Shire Council has recently welcomed Tom Martin (at centre) to their staff as
Infrastructure Manager while four other staff members, Brytt Moore, Victor Papeirniak-Wojtowicz, Sandra Davey and Carly Hunter have recently stepped up into new roles.

After 20-plus years working in the mining industry, local Tom Martin has made the move to work in Local Government as Cobar Shire Council’s new infrastructure manager.

Tom commenced with Council in January and is responsible for the workshop, parks and gardens, airport, Council depots and waste collection.

Council’s general manager Peter Vlatko said Tom brings a fresh perspective to their operational functions and has already impressed with his additional skills (electrical experience) which helped with recent pumping issues they had with the Cobar Water Board.

Mr Vlatko said four staff members have also recently been promoted within Council based on their performances and achievements.

He said the appointments of Carly Hunter to project coordinator, Sandra Davey to financial accountant, Brytt Moore to grants officer and Victor Papierniak-Wojtowicz to water & sewer manager were all very well deserved.

“I know they will be very successful in their individual roles to deliver fantastic outcomes for Council and the community.

“In this highly competitive market, I want to show that we are an employer of choice in Cobar and this demonstrates that opportunities for professional development at Council are available,” Mr Vlatko said.

Carly Hunter has worked at Council since 2008 beginning as a front counter customer service officer and later technical officer in the engineering department.

Carly’s new role as Council’s project coordinator will be a busy one as she manages a variety of community projects, a role Mr Vlatko said she is already flourishing in.

Sandra Davey started with Council in 2014 as a executive assistant in the engineering department and, after showing early that she had plenty of potential, she was given the responsibility for the financial accounting of the Cobar Water Board. After acting for five months last year as Council’s financial accountant, she was officially appointed permanently to the role in October.

Brytt Moore joined the Council staff in 2017 as an administration officer and worked across multiple departments.

Having demonstrated a range of skills, including outstanding event management skills to pull the 2019 Grey Mardi Gras festival together, Brytt was promoted to Council’s grants officer role last November.

Victor Papierniak-Wojtowicz commenced with Council in June 2018 as Council’s water & sewer graduate.

In December 2018, after well exceeding the expectations of a graduate, Victor’s job title was updated to water & sewer engineer as a direct reflection of his successes.

Last month he was appointed as Council’s water & sewer manager which, in Cobar’s current climate, will present him with a range of complex challenges and opportunities.