This month we caught up with Domenic Perre, Road Construction and Capital Projects Coordinator at District Council of Loxton Waikerie about his career, leadership journey and the Rural Management Challenge.

What is your role and what does it entail?

My role encompasses a mix of coordination of two road construction crews and four maintenance patrol graders, over a network of 10 towns and 3,000km of roads, as well as assisting the Director of Infrastructure with grants, council reports and dealing with public requests.

What do you enjoy most about working in Local Government?

I enjoy being part of a team that focusses on making our area a great place to live and having pride in our accomplishments. I also enjoy the networking with other similar rural councils to find solutions to issues that are too challenging to fix on your own, and the friends I have met along the way.

You are currently participating in the 2022 Ignite Program. How are you finding the program so far? Any highlights you’d like to share?

The Ignite program is aptly named as I find this program to be a spark to make me think about how effectively I can do my work. I have done leadership programs in the past, but it is great to have new ideas and practices that cater for today’s environment. There are a lot of people that can benefit from the Ignite Program, and I can only hope to spread the message it sends, which is to be a better leader.

You were Mentor of the 2021 winning Rural Management Challenge team from District Council of Loxton Waikerie - congratulations!  What advice would you give to others thinking of taking part in the future?

The honour of being part of this amazing Challenge was one to be remembered for decades. The main advice I would give is for the team to put everything about themselves on the table early in the training time, whether it is good or bad. That way the team can sort through, select their strengths and weaknesses, and get on with producing quality work, in quality time.

Finally, what do you like to do in your leisure time?

I have a family with two kids which take up most of my leisure time! I do lots of gardening and like to help my family with cooking and catering for events. I am also a 2^nd Dan Black Belt and like to help teach Chidokan Karate at my local Dojo. I read a lot, watch lots of movies, and tinker with computers.