Community, connection and kindness. These are the things that helped Kiama Council Deputy Mayor Melissa Matters find moments of light in the darkness that descended after her son’s suicide four years ago.

They are also the things she brings to her new role where she wants to promote cultural change, to hear all points of view and to weigh up what’s best for the greater good. 

“I believe in supporting each other, working as a team, I believe in connection, not division,” says Cr Matters who will never forget the kindness, compassion and support the community showed her family after her 18-year-old son Sam’s death.

It’s why she stepped up to be a voice for the people.

“I want to support the community that supported us,” Cr Matters says. “It took me a couple of years to come out the other side of Sammy’s suicide. But the community was there for us when we needed it. Now that I’ve adjusted to the reality of life without Sam, this is my chance to give back.” 

A third generation member of Gerringong’s Miller farming family, her community roots go deep. So do her connections. Cr Matters has been serving Gerringong locals since her first job as a teenager at Honey Surf Shop (now Natural Necessity) more than 40 years ago.

From the age of 23 to now, the mother of three boys has run several successful businesses, first in Gerringong, then in Sydney, before returning home to open The Hill Bar and Kitchen seven years ago, with husband Dean. 

“When I opened my first business in town my son Josh was 10 weeks old,” Cr Matters says. “He grew up in the shop. I’d be working with him by my side and realise he was missing again. He would bum crawl down the arcade to the chemist to ‘help out’.” 

Helping out appears to be a family trait. Cr Matters joined the Independent ticket to garner support for close friends, Cameron McDonald, who was elected mayor in October, and Erica Warren.

“When I signed up for this, Cameron told me I was safe at number three (on the ballot ticket) and wouldn’t get into local council,” she laughs. “So I saw myself as a support for Cameron and Erica, people I strongly believe in. I’m still wondering how I made that leap from running safely at number three, to becoming deputy mayor.”

But Cr Matters is never one to shy away from a challenge. She was voted in as deputy by her fellow councillors, a testament to their faith in her ability to get the job done.

“Since Sammy died I decided I was going to make the most of every opportunity I’m given,” she says, fighting back tears. “I’m like a sponge, I love to learn, I want to soak it all up. I find the council business papers fascinating and I read every one of them. I really respect the time and effort that goes into them.”

She admits she can get frustrated by the “slowness” of decision making in local government.

“In business you have to be quick on your feet, local government is a different process,” she says. “I’d like to see things done a little more efficiently, but I’m getting better at being patient.” 

Kiama Council was placed under a performance improvement order two years ago for failing to meet its legislative responsibilities in relation to its financial management. The council is now a step closer to having this order lifted. The NSW Audit Office, responsible for overseeing the council’s financial improvements, this month gave the organisation’s 2023-24 financial statements the tick of approval.

With the council’s finances back on track and a new team of councillors, Cr Matters believes this could be a “turning point” for the council.

“We are all quite young, six of the nine of us went to Kiama High School and many of our teachers were there to support us on election day,” she says. “We all have strong community connections. It is an opportunity for us as councillors to work together with council and the community to service the community’s short-term and long term infrastructure needs in an area that is rapidly growing, like all coastal towns.”

Housing development is a key issue for both local and state government and Cr Matters is keen to start working on strategies to “get the balance right”.

“We can’t say ‘oh no not in my backyard’ there needs to be considered and sustainable growth for new families moving into the area, and for retirees who want to downsize but still want a small yard or garden,” she says.

“I would love to look back, down the track, and say ‘we got this right’, we kept the village, the community and the connections while also making space for new families to join it.”

Cr Matters’ biggest concern is not having enough time to achieve all the things she would like to do for the community in her four-year term.

“There is a lot to do in four years and I hope we can fit it all in,” she says. “But I am confident councillors can work together as a team, with the council, to get the best outcomes for the community.”