Mrs Hester has worked at council for almost 16 years in the finance department, but after much consideration she has decided to officially retire, leaving big shoes to fill.

After starting in October 2005, Mrs Hester has remained in the same role for that time, but with some title changes and other responsibilities added along the way.

Her last official day as finance and customer service co-ordinator was on Friday, but she will be returning here and there to ensure the transition can be a smooth one.

"The role has evolved to a certain extent, there's been slight changes in names and a little bit in duty, but nothing dramatic," Mrs Hester said.

"The role involves quite a few things. From processing of bank statements to handling of investments and then doing all of your taxes like BAS, GST, payroll tax - all of that area.

"It's been very interesting over the years."

Working in council's finance department is one of the vital wheels that needs to keep on turning in order for the shire and community as a whole to remain operational.

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Working in such an important role was something that hasn't been lost on Mrs Hester.

She joked it was a role that left little free time, but at the same time she found it to be extremely rewarding and interesting.

"It can be stressful, but one thing about council is all our processes have checking behind them, so everything is always checked, especially in the finance team to make sure there aren't any errors," Mrs Hester said.

Prior to working with council, Mrs Hester worked for many years with FLT Transport.

She was looking forward to easing into retirement life and hoped once lockdown was over and restrictions done with that she could spend more time with her family and grandchildren.

"I'll definitely miss the team at council, everyone works so well together and you make many friends over the years," Mrs Hester said.

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