Wendy said that in her time as Town Coordinator she had seen many projects come to fruition and more and more volunteers come forward making her job very rewarding.

“I think our best achievement as a community is that we have learnt to work together not as separate organisations and groups but as a community.

“So many towns have different groups all working in different directions but in Kurri Kurri we decided that if we all worked together we could make a bigger impact,” Wendy said.

Wendy said that getting the mural project off the ground was challenging at first but the significant reduction in graffiti and the increasing number of visitors coming to see them made the effort very worthwhile.

“I felt when I came here that I wanted to tackle something quite ambitious and the mural project has certainly been that, but it has been successful on so many levels both from an economic perspective and from one of community pride as well.

“The Nostalgia Festival is in a very strong position now and that we have very good support from businesses and volunteers so whoever comes into the role will be in a position to see it continue to grow.

Wendy counts the Visitor Information Centre as one of her great achievements but says it is the people she has worked with that have made her time so enjoyable.

“The people of Kurri Kurri are such wonderful community minded people and I could never have achieved as much without their great support and friendship, they are truly extraordinary,” she said.

Wendy’s new role managing the Tocal Field Days will be something of a homecoming as she grew up there where her father one of the first staff members.

Farewells will be said at the next Towns With Heart meeting at the Kurri Visitor Centre at 6.30pm on July 7.