“There’s excitement at the amount of NSW Government money coming to the Albury Electorate now. So many projects are on the go,” he told The Free Press.
“That’s something I get to hand on to my successor. Until the election I will be busy continuing to serve the people and businesses of the Albury Electorate.
“So much is happening, and we are currently looking after $250 million in NSW Government spending here. We’ve never seen anything like it – and the funding is spreading right across the towns, villages and countryside. I am working with five councils which are flat out trying to spend the money!”
The 66-year-old Member of the Legislative Assembly representing the Liberal Party since 2003 was born in Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, obtained a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of Cape Town and worked for the Rhodesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before doing national service with the British South African Police from 1975 to 1977. He was awarded the General Service Medal.
After a three-year posting to Sydney the office was closed and he returned to newly independent Zimbabwe.
In 1981 he moved to Australia and worked in television, in Wollongong, Orange and Albury, as station master. A Rotarian, he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship.
Of his Local Member for Albury role, Mr Aplin said people are what made the job satisfying. “There’s nothing more satisfying than working with your own community, facing down the challenges and getting things achieved together,” he said.
“My mantra or slogan, if you like, has always been just three words: Community. Teamwork. Results.”
Mr Aplin’s highlights have been that plans have materialised, projects achieved and people’s problems solved. Satisfying local projects include a safe pedestrian bridge across the Mulwala Canal, new netball court surfaces at Lonsdale Reserve, assistance with funding for a new Corowa Swimming Pool and the significant tourism developments for both Corowa and Mulwala.
“These have lasting community benefit,” he said. “Overall, mental health and health generally have been the greatest highlights for me. Having secured funding of more than $160 million for health we have set about replacing all our mental health facilities to enable better care and safety, and to enable better programs to take place to aid in treatment and recovery. Basically half of Albury hospital is being replaced.”
Mr Aplin said he has been pleased to help bring major expansion to Corowa TAFE, to provide education opportunities for all – but particularly to help local businesses train and retain motivated young people who might otherwise have had to leave to pursue opportunities.
“I’ve met many of these young people at school functions and there is a lot of sporting, musical, academic and practical talent being nurtured at Corowa High,” he said.
“I have thrown myself into supporting organisations such as the Mulwala Water Ski Club, helping secure funding to, in turn, attract international events.
“Communities based along the Murray River have to find new ways to balance competing interests in areas as diverse as farming, tourism and protecting our local environment. Challenging times can produce smart leadership and innovation.”
Today’s calibre of some candidates seeking election has been questioned by the retiring politician. “Now we are seeing a trendy rush of people standing for public office who don’t like politics but who have few or, in some cases, seemingly no plans or policies,” Mr Aplin reasoned.
“You get by in this role, and achieve ongoing success with project after project, only if you can establish personal credibility and connectedness to decision makers in Sydney. I will miss the friends, the communities and their remarkable events. It has been an honour to represent all these people and businesses for such a long time and through many shared difficult times. There are a lot of positive outcomes to show for this effort.
The retiring member predicts “a terrific future” for Federation Council. “Your councillors have embraced the opportunities offered by the merger rather than got stuck in the past,” Mr Aplin said.
“A new generation needed to break through, bringing new ways of thinking and of working. And the NSW Government has poured millions of dollars into this area to facilitate change and to renew and expand community facilities. In 2004 the Labor Government pushed through a forced merger for the creation of Greater Hume Shire Council. And how much funding did that government give us here, to make the transition easier or to fund new infrastructure? Zero.
“We have been in a golden period in Albury and Federation with funding flowing in from a smart government in Sydney which has been managing budgets and the economy exceptionally well.”
Tennis, hiking and skiing are keen interests of Mr Aplin’s. Spending more time with family, travelling, reading more and working in the garden will become part of his life after politics.
“I hope to catch up with many of the friends I have made in Corowa, Mulwala and right across Federation,” he said. “See you around.”