Planning for a post-Bypass future and ensuring Coffs Harbour grows without losing its unique character are among the priorities for the City of Coffs Harbour’s new Director of Planning and Communities, Ian Fitzgibbon.
After serving as Acting Director for much of the past three years, Fitzgibbon has stepped into the role permanently, leading one of the City’s largest and most diverse directorates.
The Planning and Communities directorate includes almost 300 full-time staff, casual employees and volunteers working across town planning, libraries, aquatic services, regulatory services, sport, recreation and cultural facilities, including the C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Jetty Memorial Theatre and Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM).
For Fitzgibbon, who began his working life as a plasterer before building a career in local government, the role represents the latest step in an unconventional journey.
“I’m a plasterer by trade and I started out as an 18-year-old apprentice in 1994 on $164 a week,” Fitzgibbon said.
After joining Warrnambool City Council in 2006 as an environmental officer, one of his first projects unexpectedly attracted international attention.
Tasked with investigating whether Maremma sheepdogs could protect little penguins from foxes, Mr Fitzgibbon found himself at the centre of a global media story that later inspired the Australian film Oddball.
“I didn’t think too much of it at the time but my boss warned it might go global,” Fitzgibbon recalled.
“Next minute Channel 7 and Channel 9 were flying news crews in by helicopter from Melbourne and the story was covered by agencies from as far away as BBC London and the Discovery Channel Canada. This eventually provided inspiration for the movie Oddball.
“I was fortunate to have a number of influential roles at Warrnambool, with involvement in Oddball, its main street renewal, growth area and transport planning and coastal upgrades helping shape Warrnambool to be the most Liveable Regional City in Australia.”
Fitzgibbon joined the City of Coffs Harbour in 2017 as Group Leader Sustainable Places and remained in the role until 2024, while also serving as Acting Director during the past three years.
“I looked at that time as like my second apprenticeship, but it was a valuable experience,” he said.
“With three young primary school kids the move to Coffs was easy and we immediately felt at home. It takes a village to grow a child as they say and we got involved in the community – whether that was Nippers or soccer or Coffs Harbour Boardriders.
“Warrnambool is also a coastal regional city so we saw the move to Coffs not so much as a tree or sea-change but as a climate-change as the weather is so much better here.
“Coffs ticked all the boxes for us – an airport, great schools, a university, a good-sized hospital. My daughters are now aged 19, 17 and 15 and they’re all still living here. It’s a great community.”
Looking ahead, Fitzgibbon said the opening of the Pacific Highway Bypass would present a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the city.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see how that 10-kilometre stretch of road (of what will become the old highway when the Bypass opens in December) functions and how it presents,” he said.
“Change can be polarising but it’s inevitable when a community is growing fast.
“We want a place where our kids can stay here and find jobs here. There will always be that sense of nostalgia for how things used to be but it’s about growing sustainably and striving to keep that unique character of Coffs.”
Fitzgibbon believes several major projects are positioning Coffs Harbour for a strong future.
“We have the Coffs (State Government) Workplace Hub, the Jetty Strip (design) and the post-Bypass planning. Coffs is evolving into more than just a tourist destination,” he said.
Outside work, Mr Fitzgibbon enjoys surfing at Diggers Beach and walking his dog, but he says leading the Planning and Communities directorate also brings significant responsibility.
“I have a high expectation on myself to meet the community’s needs but understand resources are limited,” he said.
“Local government is an incredible space to work in as more so than State or Federal government it gives you a chance to engage directly with your community, and to help shape outcomes for community benefit.
“I often say local government is a team sport, I have a great team who also work and live in the Coffs Harbour community. From a kid who started out as a plasterer, then studied and worked hard in many different roles, I feel very privileged to have the job I have today.”
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