Date: 23 July 2026

Gilgandra Shire Council has appointed Kathryn Larkin as interim General Manager, following the resignation of former General Manager David Neeves. Ms Larkin will officially commence in the role on 31 July 2026.

Mayor Doug Batten said council ran an internal expression of interest process to identify a suitable interim leader ahead of a full recruitment for a permanent General Manager. He noted Ms Larkin has been part of the Gilgandra Shire Council team since 2017, working across a range of leadership positions, and said she has “consistently demonstrated strong leadership, sound judgement and exceptional management capability.”

Mayor Batten said several executive leaders within council were considered capable of filling the role, which he described as making the decision a difficult one, and thanked Mr Neeves for his service to the community.

Council has engaged specialist local government executive recruitment firm Leading Roles to manage the search for a permanent General Manager, a process expected to take several months. The recruitment will be overseen by a panel comprising Mayor Batten, Deputy Mayor Cr White and Cr Bunter, alongside an independent panel member from Leading Roles, and will be conducted in accordance with the NSW Office of Local Government’s guidelines for the appointment and oversight of General Managers.