East Gippsland: Farmers Sonia Buckley and John White top council election poll

Farmers make up a third of the East Gippsland council with two of them well placed to become mayor and deputy mayor.

Farmers make up a third of the nine-member on East Gippsland Shire with two of them set to become mayor and deputy mayor.

Wairewa’s Ian Trevaskis is the latest farmer to be elected, joining Benambra’s Sonia Buckley and Lindenow South’s John White, who finished first and second in the order of election.

Mr Trevaskis, a fourth-generation farmer, believed the election result reflected swing back to the “conservative side of politics” that has been angered by the closure of the timber industry by the Victorian Labor Government.

“The people who voted for us are probably more just conservatives, not necessarily farmers,” he said.

“Farmers are an aspect of that, but not necessarily only farmers.

“My vote was probably a fair few timber people because I’d like to see the timber industry come back.

“Tasmanian timber is being milled in Swifts Creek. That is crazy.”

Ian Trevaskis on his Wairewa farm in East Gippsland. Picture: Laura Ferguson

Ms Buckley said she would support Mr White becoming mayor again.

She was keen to become deputy mayor, a position her late father Ben held in 2019-20 when Mr White was previously mayor.

She said the strong showing of candidates with farming backgrounds proved voters “want new leadership that is going to resonate with their belief systems”.

“The last council, in my view, was very left, green leaning,” Ms Buckley said.

“I think the way the votes swung was a clear indication people are concerned about the cost of living and ensuring we’re being fiscally responsible.”

Mr Buckley, who died in early 2022, was an East Gippsland councillor from 2003 to 2020 and also served on the former Omeo Shire before the 1993 amalgamations.

“After being in the game for four years I admire the fact he was in there for 40,” his daughter said.

The farmer trio polled more than 30 per cent of first preference votes.

Ms Buckley said the “tyranny of distance” would prevent her devoting the time to being mayor, but wouldn’t rule out relocating to Bairnsdale to do the top job in the future.

“I’m a grazier as well as running an eco-tourism business,” she said.

“I’m really busy and would have to put a manager into that role.

“To do the job 100 per cent you’ve got to kick in full-time.

“(John) has been mayor before during a crisis (the 2019-20 bushfires) and I know he’s keen to do it.”

DAIRY FARMER TOPS SOUTHERN GRAMPIANS POLL

Farmer and first-time candidate Adam Campbell has blitzed the Southern Grampians Shire election by topping the poll.

The Branxholme dairy farmer has been joined by another rookie candidate with a rural background, Glenthompson’s Jayne Manning, with Mr Campbell declaring a possible take away from their strong showing was that “the rural voice wants to be heard a little bit more”.

Southern Grampians remained an unsubdivided council unlike some of the major regional centres including Ballarat, Bendigo, Warrnambool, Shepparton and Wodonga that changed to single ward structures for the first time this year.

“Maybe the constituents wanted a bit of a change,” Mr Campbell said.

“We need to speak to the smaller towns, the Balmorals, the Glenthompsons, the Penshursts, the Branxholmes, Coleraine, all of these places.

“The main priority to start with is get back to the basics.

“Let’s get the roads right, let’s get the rubbish situation right, let’s spend the rates wisely.”

Southern Grampians council candidate Adam Campbell was successful in being elected. Picture: Kate Dowler

Mr Campbell, who has been back on the family dairy farm for seven years, polled 18.5 per cent of first preference votes, slightly ahead of Katrina Rainsford, a vet who has been on the shire since 2004.

John Pepper was another farmer and first-time candidate who had electoral success in Glenelg Shire.

Warrnambool mayor Ben Blain stood unopposed in his newly created ward of Russells Creek.

But Wodonga mayor Ron Mildren wasn’t so fortunate when he was beaten by schoolteacher Hannah Seymour in a three-way contest that also included another last term councillor, Graeme Simpfendorfer.

Benambra’s Sonia Buckley topped the poll in East Gippsland Shire.

In East Gippsland, brumby advocate Sonia Buckley topped the poll with 12.9 per cent of the first preference vote despite living in one of the shire’s most remote townships, Benambra.

It was a result her late dad Ben achieved in the final election he contested in 2016 before his daughter was successfully elected for the first time four years later.

Ben, who had one term as deputy mayor in 2019-20, died in early 2022.

Former mayor Mark Reeves stood and missed out on being re-elected, but the shire’s most recent mayor Tom Crook was successful.