Murray River Council chief executive officer Terry Dodds has been awarded the Public Service Medal as part of the King’s Birthday Honours List.
Mr Dodds was recognised for his outstanding public service in local government leadership through emergency management.
“I was very emotional when (wife) Fiona woke me up on Sunday night and told me I was on the national news,” Mr Dodds said.
“It means a great deal; it is the proudest moment of my career.”
During 40 years in local government, Mr Dodds has held various leadership positions across nine local councils in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia.
He was recognised for visionary leadership and service delivery that has resulted in significant organisational change initiatives, public sector infrastructure delivery projects and critical community recovery following floods, bushfires, cyclones and drought.
“It is never what you do individually, but what you do with a team of people,” Mr Dodds said.
“I have never achieved anything working alone. All worthwhile things are more far-reaching, more influential and more memorable when conquered by a team.
“I’d like to thank all the managers and directors who have taken up the challenge along the way during those difficult periods.
“An example which springs to mind is particularly the flood crisis last year. We have 216 staff at Murray River Council and 208 were working with the community during the floods.”
Bushfire emergencies at Merriwa in the Upper Hunter and Tenterfield still live with him today.
“I’ve had three what they call Section 44 declarations, two in Tenterfield and one in Merriwa,” he said.
“In 1997 a wind change blew a bushfire around the town of Merriwa and it looked as though we were going to be a direct hit.
“One of the times in Tenterfield our house was only 350m from the fire front and it looked like we were going to be toast.”
During his tenure as Tenterfield Shire Council chief executive officer, Mr Dodds was confronted with many challenges in the wake of several environmental disasters.
His leadership during the 2019 drought was recognised as one of his most significant achievements when Mr Dodds directed a multimillion-dollar project to drill for more water and lead advocacy efforts with the NSW Government.
Those efforts led to a legislative change to the Water Management Act to enable critical ministerial support and emergency funding.
In doing so, Mr Dodds achieved a solution that will underpin the town’s water supply in future droughts.
During his time in local government, he has brought significant workplace reforms to improve staff morale and collaboration.
Mr Dodds’ problem-solving abilities and expeditious operational skills are a testament to his reputation as a leader.
He has been and continues to be a driving force for the nationally acclaimed Waste-To-Energy initiative.
Mr Dodds paid tribute to his wife, Fiona, for her unwavering support, and said even after more than four decades in local government, he remained as committed as ever to the cause.
“I’m more passionate as I get older,” he said.
“I see the opportunities and the differences we can make.
“Local government is the only form of government that delivers things on the ground.
“An old general manager I knew was asked a question about councils when he retired back in 2006.
“He said small councils are efficient and large councils are effective, I love working on medium-sized councils because they are the best of both.”