Leeton Shire is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

in the

Riverina The Riverina () is an agricultural list of regions in Australia, region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, a climate with significant seaso ...

region of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The Shire is located adjacent to the

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

and falls within the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. The Shire includes the town of Leeton and the small towns of Yanco, Gogeldrie, Whitton, Wamoon, Stoney Point, Murrami, Corbie Hill,

Amesbury Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settl ...

, Merungle Hill, Fivebough and Stanbridge and the suburbs of Parkview, Wattle Hill,

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...

, North Leeton, Gralee and Willimbong. The shire was created on 6 January 1928 under the provisions of the '' Irrigation Act 1912'' from land previously part of Yanko Shire and was originally called Willimbong Shire. It was renamed as Leeton Shire on 10 July 1946. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Leeton Shire is Cr George Weston.

Council

Current composition and election method

Leeton Shire Council is composed of nine

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s elected proportionally as a single

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The

is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council is as follows: The current Council, elected in 2024, in order of election, is:

History

The first election of council took place on 8 December 1928, electing eight councilors from four ridings (A through D). The first mayor of Willimbong Shire President was Major J.S. Dooley (1874–1946), who was elected at the council's first meeting by "draw from the hat" after the council vote between himself and Mr. W.J. Adams resulted in a tie.

Election results

2024

2021

2016

1931

1928

Heritage listings

Leeton Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Gogeldrie Weir * Hydro Hotel * Koonadan Historic Site * Leeton District Lands Office *

Leeton District Office artefacts The Leeton District Office artefacts is a heritage-listed collection of artefacts at a waterworks at Chelmsford Place, Leeton in the Leeton Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is also known as Leeton District Office ...

* Leeton railway station * Roxy Community Theatre * Yanco Weir

Notes

References

Leeton, New South Wales Local government areas of the Riverina Local government areas of New South Wales 1928 establishments in Australia {{Riverina-geo-stub