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Monday, 16 November 2026

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Canterbury Bankstown

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NEW MAYOR TO LEAD OUR CITY

Councillor Bilal El-Hayek has been elected the new Mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown following an extraordinary Council meeting held tonight.Mayor El-Hayek, 36,

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Canterbury Bankstown Mayoral Message

There’s no love like a mother’s love.
And this Sunday is a time for us all to show our mothers how much we love and care about them.
As I reflect on the true meaning of Mother’s Day, I’m thinking of one
of the greatest Mother’s Day songs
ever written, Johnny Chester’s
‘The World’s Greatest Mum’.
An old favourite, and how true are
the words:
“I remember oh so clearly, when I was just a little boy, how mum was there to guide me, to turn sorrow into joy. And no matter what the problem, she could always put it right – Be on call for twenty-four hours, through every day and night.”
That’s what mums are all about. They’re the nurses, the counsellors, the teachers, the protectors, the story tellers, the best friends… the backbones of our lives. Mums can take the place of all others, but no one can take the place of our mums.
I feel very blessed to have such an amazing bond with my own mother. And even more blessed to have my wonderful wife, Sally, be an inspiring mum to our three beautiful children.
I want for every child in Canterbury-Bankstown exactly what I want for my own, which includes the benefits of having positive female role models in their lives.
This Mother’s Day let’s all “put
our hands together and join in” celebrating our mums, motherhood and the influence of mums in
our society.
Whether it’s taking her out for lunch, making her breakfast in bed, or simply giving her a hug, make sure you take the time out of your day to make your mum feel special.
And for those who are no longer
with us their memories will live in our hearts forever.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Yours sincerely,
Clr Khal Asfour
MAYOR
10 May 2023
Dear Residents
Mayoral Message

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Canterbury Bankstown Mayoral Message

Recycle is not a dirty word, so let’s
do it right!
It’s simple everyday actions like recycling, which can contribute to
a better and cleaner environment.
Council collects approximately
22,000 tonnes of recycling per year, and I’m proud of our residents for doing the right thing.
But there is much more to be done as we are still finding ‘unusual’ items in bins meant for recycling products. Contaminants like batteries,
household appliances, and even on one occasion, a whole car engine.
We must all continue to think twice before closing the lid on our bins, because what you put in your bin,
could end up causing serious injury or damage and at great cost to Council.
Many common household cleaning products contain hazardous chemicals that can be harmful to both people and the environment if not disposed of properly. That’s why Council is taking proactive steps to address this issue.
We hold two household chemical clean out days a year, where residents can safely dispose of items that cannot usually go in the red or yellow bin.
It’s the perfect opportunity to get rid
of those pesky household items like leftover paint, car oil, batteries and gardening insecticides.
I encourage you all to come down to Bankstown City Paceway this Saturday 6 May, from 9am-3.30pm, and take advantage of this fantastic initiative.
And if you can’t make it this weekend, you can also drop off your household chemicals any time of the year at one of the community recycling centres in our City. Find one near you online at cb.city/ChemicalCleanOut
Remember that dumping hazardous chemicals down the drain, or into
the garbage, can have serious consequences for our environment, our waterways and our health.
I urge all residents to take advantage
of what Council offers and properly dispose of hazardous waste.
Let us all take responsibility and work together to maintain a clean and healthy community.
Clr Khal Asfour
MAYOR
3 May 2023
Dear Residents
Mayoral Message

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Canterbury Bankstown Mayoral Message

Keeping the community safe is at
the forefront of everything we do here at Council.
And I know our local Police work tirelessly day in and day out to keep our community safe. We should be proud of the work they do for us
and not feel threatened or anxious walking past a police officer in
the community.
We’ve been joining forces with local Police to reduce crime rates, and
I’m proud to see the latest statistics show a downward trend of crime in Canterbury-Bankstown. We’re also under the NSW State average for
the number of criminal offences
in our City.
Just last year, I joined our new commander of the Bankstown Local Area Command, Superintendent Adam Johnson, to meet locals and hear any concerns. It was great to see so many people wanting to express their gratitude for the work Police do and reinforce how much they enjoyed seeing Police out and about.
And we will continue working together to engage the community and achieve our shared goal of keeping Canterbury-Bankstown
safe for all.
Council staff, along with local
Police officers, will be doing the rounds to each ward in the City to chat to locals about crime prevention initiatives in their area. Throughout the year, they will be visiting all the town centres in our City, starting today at Roselands Shopping Centre.
I encourage you all to come along and meet the Council staff and Police at these outreach sessions, chat about any concerns you may have and learn about what initiatives are happening in your area.
To find out when they will be
at a location near you, visit
cb.city/LocalSafetySessions
Keeping the community safe is a
joint effort and we must all do our
bit to stay informed and achieve the best outcome.
Yours sincerely,
Clr Khal Asfour
MAYOR
26 April 2023
Dear Residents
Mayoral Message

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Canterbury Bankstown Mayoral Message

As Anzac Day draws closer, it is a reminder to pay tribute and honour the brave men and women who lost their lives and who served our country at war. It is a day you will hear the phrase “lest we forget” repeated many times. But have you ever stopped to think about why we say those words?
Borrowed from a line in an 1897
Rudyard Kipling poem Recessional,
the phrase “lest we forget” means
“it should not be forgotten”. The English poet wrote Recessional for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee,
and it became more common across Australia and New Zealand after
World War I.
The words “lest we forget” hold a special significance for me when
I talk about World War II veteran
Reg Chard.
The now 99-year-old Villawood
local joined the army as soon as he turned 18 and in 1942, after the fall of Singapore, he and his fellow soldiers were sent to Papua New Guinea to
fight in the treacherous Kokoda
Track campaign.
After returning home with a serious case of malaria and tropical dermatitis, Reg has continued to serve his community long after the war.
His passion remains sharing his experiences with school students
and visitors at the Kokoda Memorial Track Walkway.
He has been, and still is, very active in the local community and is dedicated to keeping the memory of our fallen heroes alive.
That’s what “lest we forget” means to me. It’s about honouring the memory of our fallen heroes and learning from them. It’s about being inspired by them and keeping their stories in our hearts.
I am very proud of our resilient community and pleased that our residents are keen to keep the ANZAC tradition of mateship, courage and sacrifice alive.
This Anzac Day, I encourage you all to attend a local dawn service and pay your respects to those who have sacrificed their lives for us today.
We must never forget.
To find an Anzac Day event near you, visit www.rslnsw.org.au

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