Mayoral Matters | Cr Karen Hyslop, January 2, 2026

Published on 02 January 2026

On behalf of my fellow councillors, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas spent with loved ones and enjoyed ringing in the new year.

I was pleased to hear the Stawell Town Hall clock playing Merry Christmas in place of its usual tune this festive season, which I thought added a nice touch.

After such a busy 2025, particularly in the lead-up to the Christmas-new year break, I hope all our residents find time to relax and recharge for the year ahead.

2026 promises to be another big year for Northern Grampians Shire Council and our municipality in general, with the calendar already starting to fill up.

I was pleased to receive a copy of the latest Country Fire Authority Brigade magazine, which features a story promoting the CFA/VFBV State Championships in Stawell in March.

I enjoyed being interviewed for this piece, which touches on Stawell’s proud history of hosting major CFA events, having previously welcomed the State Championships in 1995, 2000 and 2006.

When the CFA approached council to host the 2026 and 2027 events, we couldn’t have been happier – it was a natural fit.

The championships will be staged at North Park, which, as we know, is a premier regional venue that continues to evolve as one of Victoria’s best community sporting hubs.

Hosting this event, which organisers anticipate will attract 900 competitors and more than 4000 visitors over two weekends, provides us with an opportunity to celebrate our community’s spirit, teamwork and resilience – particularly in light of last year’s devastating bushfire season.

It also delivers directly on our Northern Grampians Event Strategy 2023–33, which focuses on leveraging mature, high-impact events that drive economic and social benefits for our region.

Along with the estimated $2 million boost to our economy, the championships provide a fantastic opportunity to showcase what our town and our wider region have to offer, particularly from a tourism perspective.

We understand it might be difficult for visitors to take in all that Stawell and our surrounding region has to offer in such a short time – so we hope they will take up an invitation to return.

Now is a great time to get out and about and explore our own backyard, whether through a scenic drive, walk or cycle, or by keeping cool in our lakes, swimming pools and waterways.

In March, we also hope people will take up an opportunity to see these talented brigades in action.

There is already plenty of buzz surrounding the championships. Events such as this one bring people together and create a really positive energy around town.

The championships are an example of what Stawell can achieve when we come together as a community.