Busselton mayor kept busy during long weekend

Busselton mayor Phill Cronin had a bloody busy long weekend — as did the popular tourist hotspots around town. Over the March long weekend, Busselton and Dunsborough were packed with thousands of tourists who visited the region, eager to enjoy the many activities and locations which make the area so popular. The roads began to get busy from late morning on Friday and many local accommodation providers reported there were very few spaces left. For Mr Cronin, the March long weekend really was a long weekend. He is no stranger to a busy weekend and is nearly always found at various events around town. Last weekend he barely had chance to unpack after arriving home from a three-day conference at Parliament House in Canberra — where he was a delegate at the Regional Capitals Australia meeting — before getting stuck into his local official duties. Friday afternoon saw Mr Cronin open the Dunsborough Arts Festival and make his selection for the Mayor’s Award. On Saturday morning, Mr Cronin was back in Dunsborough where he formally welcomed people to the Sculpture by the Bay and announced the winner of the Acquisitive Award. Formal engagements on Saturday included the opening of the inaugural Busselton Heritage Festival and the opening of the Beer Farm Rodeo, for which 3800 tickets had been sold. After running from event to event on Saturday, Sunday morning gave Mr Cronin a chance to unwind with his wife Eva and dogs Scout and Charlie at a border collie meeting. Despite getting wet, Mr Cronin enjoyed the downtime and had a chance to catch his breath before getting back to his civic duties, which included the Dunsborough Arts Festival concert and fireworks and the opening of Busselton Fringe Festival. On Monday, he joined a walk for PTSD organised by Dr Dan Talbot and the new MenAble group. “These guys deserve a big shout out for the work they are doing with first responders and veterans,” Mr Cronin said. Not content with being the mayor of a thriving city and a hardworking farmer, Mr Cronin is also a volunteer member of the Metricup Bush Fire Brigade. That role saw him called out to a power pole fire on Monday afternoon. “It was another couple of hours dealing with the fire, then it was back home to deal with another newborn calf,” he said. Reflecting on his intense weekend, Mr Cronin said there were many highlights. “The art sculptures were great to view, the rodeo was exciting but getting to relax on Sunday night and watch Aire Flamenco at the courthouse was just great,” he said. When Tuesday morning rolled around, the mayor was ready for a break, but with the weekend out of the way, it was time to focus his attention on his administrative duties. “I may be busy, but it’s an honour to hold the position and each day gets better with the experience,” he said.