New chief a fan of region
Warm welcome for city’s boss
MARTIN Cutter has yet to put his feet under the chief executive’s desk at City Hall but he has been inundated with calls from Geelong well-wishers.
The bureaucrat was confirmed as the City of Greater Geelong’s next administrative boss by Mayor Bruce Harwood this week.
In his first interview with the Geelong Advertiser, the outgoing City of Melbourne operations director said his links to the region stretched back to his childhood.
His father bought a Jan Juc paddock in 1969 with the proceeds of a family inheritance, initially parking a caravan on the site. Three years later, the Cutters built a holiday home, which is still in the family.
“Torquay and Jan Juc way back then were nothing like the busy tourism centres they are now,” Mr Cutter said.
“It was just a sleepy seaside town that was popular with surfers. So I’ve been driving up and down for many, many years to spend the holidays down in Geelong and along the Surf Coast.
“That’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided to relocate. I know that freeway well but being chief executive of the City of Greater Geelong for me means that I should be located close to where I work.”
Former city chief Kelvin Spiller retired last month and senior bureaucrat Brett Luxford remains in the hot seat until Mr Cutter takes up the $400,000-plus position in June.
The local government boss is married to Fiona, a senior marketing officer at Small Business Victoria — a branch of the State Department of Economic Development.
They have two adult sons who live independently.
Until his new role was confirmed by Cr Harwood on Tuesday, the peak of Mr Cutter’s municipal career was as acting chief executive of the City of Melbourne.
“There’s been two places I’ve always wanted to work — the City of Melbourne and the City of Greater Geelong — so I’ve been fortunate to have served at one and be on track to serve at another,” he said.
“I have many great memories of coming down to Geelong with the family — taking the boys to Adventure Park when they were younger, hanging out at Kardinia Park and playing miniature golf at Wallington.
“Geelong’s many great attractions as a place to live and work are becoming better and better known, that’s why there’s been such a growth in population in recent times.”