COMING into a leadership role not knowing the community or its people can be an intimidating experience for anyone, but Dan Rose is the first to admit he loves a challenge. It is a challenge he appears to have met, leaving behind a quiet legacy in his relatively short three year tenure as the chief executive officer of the Forster Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC).
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“Dan has given us a clear direction of where to go in the future,” Worimi elder and current LALC board member Donna Hall said.
“He has set up infrastructure and development. He has cleared our large debts. He negotiated at length the deal with MidCoast Water to our benefit, which will also help the Medika Nursery get up on its feet... He has done a lot in a short time.”
Dan Rose came to the job in 2012 after roles at state and federal levels of government followed by private enterprise in project management in the building industry.
“Then this mob rang me. A lot of people were surprised I took the job,” Mr Rose said.
“This land council was in debt when I got here. It owns a substantial amount of land in the region, but only 20 per cent of its rentals were paying. They had the attitude of why should I pay when this house is in such terrible condition? I thought fair enough really. So I negotiated to get some funds to renovate 41 homes (over $2 million) then arranged for a registered Aboriginal housing provider to take care of the rentals. The builders and property manager did a fantastic job. We’ve now got 100 per cent rent collection,” he said, adding he had also applied for and gained money for ongoing housing maintenance for two years.
Incoming rental money has been going into a trust account and Mr Rose hopes the LALC will gradually become its own accredited housing provider. Mr Rose also said that a subdivision on Cabarita Avenue will transfer stormwater and road responsibilities to Great Lakes Council.
“I am 5 foot 11 and I could jump into some of the pot holes on that road. But it’s quite actually quite a pretty place if it’s kept tidy,” he said.
“Dan has added great value to the local land council and has attempted to strengthen the relationship between it and Great Lakes Council. I hope we can continue the dialogue into the future,” said Great Lakes Council’s general manager Glenn Handford.
Mr Rose said the LALC’s membership records have been completely updated, and now counts 357 members across a region spanning from Forster to Gloucester, Seal Rocks to Hallidays Point. Mr Rose himself hails from ‘out west’ and is not a Worimi person, which has caused some consternation amongst the community.
“To some extent I agree that the person in this job should be local but with the proviso that the person has the qualifications to carry out the duty. You have to know how to navigate your way through the political fortress that comes with this job,” he said.
In terms of his own future, Mr Rose said he had ‘tidied the office’ and it was time to move on. The self-title ‘Mr Fix It but on the cheap’ is heading to the larger pastures of Liverpool’s troubled Gandanagara Land Council.
“The most important thing is ensuring land with significance to Aboriginal people is never sold. It’s about finding the balance between economic development and cultural heritage,” he said.