IN 1988, about 50,000 people called Wyndham home. Point Cook, Tarneit and Truganina were little more than farmland.
In Wyndham Vale, people were so concerned about the possible impact of nearby quarries on their houses that two members of the residents’ association put their hands up to contest the Werribee council elections.
Their names were Shane Bourke and Peter Maynard.
On August 6, Cr Bourke – an “absolute nobody” at that time – beat the sitting mayor to win a place on council, while Cr Maynard waited another 24 years before being elected.
Twenty-five years on, Bourke is a year into his sixth term on council and has been mayor five times. He was the last mayor of Werribee City and the first mayor of Wyndham City.
“I often think, how have I been so privileged to do it? Why me? How does it happen?,” Bourke says.
“I have met so many people in the community. They rely on me and they have supported me for 25 years.”
Bourke says Wyndham has changed immensely during his time on the council. The city’s population is projected to pass 190,000 residents by the end of the year.
“There were just farms where Point Cook and Tarneit are now,’’ he says. ‘‘Beyond old Wyndham Vale was farmland.”
He was on council in 1994 when the state government replaced councillors with commissioners and was returned to council when the commissioners departed in 1997.
Bourke was at the front of many of Wyndham’s biggest battles, including the 1997 campaign to stop a toxic dump being built at Werribee.
There was also the battle to stop One Nation holding a campaign meeting in Werribee and the fight to stop Laverton North from becoming part of Hobsons Bay.
These days, he says Wyndham’s biggest challenge is coping with growth. He would like to see governments help tackle infrastructure shortfalls.
“It is the roads. They are dreadful at school time.”
Bourke says he put his hand up all those years ago because he believed he could make a difference.
In 2000, he temporarily retired to spend more time with wife Kerrie and children, Amanda, now 26, and Cameron, 24. He gave life as a councillor another shot in 2005 and was re-elected.
“My life has been the council. Amanda and Cameron have grown up while I have been on council. They have seen dad in the paper and come out of it nicely. I couldn’t have done it without Kerrie and Amanda and Cameron.”
