About Me

I’m Nick Cooley, I am putting my hand up for the Derwent Valley Council elections.

I’m a local. I grew up in Lachlan, went to New Norfolk Primary and New Norfolk High School. Most of my working life has also been spent here in the Valley — from starting out at Woolworths, pouring beers at many of the local pubs and clubs, GN Electrical, Boyer for 8 years and for the past 10 years working in and around the Valley with an essential service provider.

I also volunteered for many years with the New Norfolk Fire Brigade. Giving back to the community has always been important to me.

Today, I live at Molesworth with my young family, and my son attends school locally. The Derwent Valley isn’t just somewhere I live. It’s where I grew up, where I’ve worked, volunteered, where my wife and I are raising a family and where we have built a life together.

I’m passionate about our Valley and believe Council needs a fresh perspective.

We should acknowledge and respect our past, but we also need to invest confidently in our future. We need a Council that is accountable, transparent and genuinely focused on serving the community and the people who pay its rates.

Most importantly, I believe residents deserve to be treated with respect. There needs to be a shift away from a culture where community concerns can feel dismissed or disregarded, towards a Council that listens, engages and works with its community.

Divisive politics and blame are easy. Bringing people together is harder. And I want to help bring our community together.

The Derwent Valley is made up of many different communities, perspectives and priorities. We won’t always agree — and that’s okay. But I believe we can disagree respectfully, listen to each other and still work towards the same goal: making the Derwent Valley a better place to live, work and raise a family.

I’m not running because I think everything is wrong. I’m running because I believe the Derwent Valley has enormous potential — and I want to help make sure we realise it.

Over the coming months, I’ll be talking about the issues that matter to our community, listening to what residents want from their Council, and sharing what I believe we can do better.

Our Valley has a proud past. Let’s build an even better future — together.