Footprint for the future
Mayor determined to leave a legacy
FOR Aurukun Shire Mayor Dereck Walpo, leaving a proud legacy for the community’s next generation of leaders is his biggest passion.
Having spent six years at the helm so far, Mr Walpo said he and his council had plans to expand housing, tourism, employment and small business in the small Cape York community of about 1500.
“We’re looking at opening up another subdivision that can take 200 houses,” he said.
“Also looking at putting in a single persons’ village, trying to get our young people away from the family to lead their own lives.
“Part of our 10-year plan is looking at setting up a solar farm as well.
“We just want to put things into place now so whoever is going to come through can pick it up and run with it.
“We’re putting in the footprint now for the future.”
Mr Walpo said he also hoped to grow small business and boost tourism by opening a caravan camp ground.
“We’ve been saying this for a while, if any local people want to set up a small business, we’re quite happy to support it,” he said.
“We’ve got one mine north of us, we don’t know if there’s going to be another one northeast of us, but I think when the time comes, yes we’re going to start seeing more people come into the community.”
But, Mr Walpo believed council’s biggest achievement since its inception 40 years ago came in 2016, when Telstra connected Aurukun to an underground fibre optic network.
“We were struggling before,” he said.
“I think we’re the only community in Cape York that runs a bank and an airport, that’s why I was wondering why people were getting frustrated at that time.
“We only had wireless and for each transaction at the bank took 45 minutes per transaction.”