| Mount Isa City Council has faced its share of challenges in the time since, but the future looks promising. “It’s easy to be a leader when things are going well – and that applies to everything from a local rotary club to the local council, all the way to the state and the nation,” Mayor McGrady says. “In my case, we just came through one of the worst draughts on record. Our lake – which the city and the mines rely upon for their water – was down to 20 per cent. We were forced to pump from another lake 70 kilometres away at great costs.” “So we’ve been through difficult times, just as a result of mother nature,” he continues. “But we’re still open for business, and as a Council we’re doing everything we can to encourage business.” In recent years, Mayor McGrady helped develop the North West Regional Plan in collaboration with the then-state government and all major employers and councils in the area. Under his chairmanship, they worked together to come up with a plan that recommends what can be achieved not just when it comes to mining, but water, agriculture, housing, tourism and more.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=