LOCAL LIFE
ONE OF THE HILLS FINEST...
by Lorna Gordon
In a time where job security is rare and changing jobs every few years has become normal for many people, spending four decades in the same profession is quite an achievement.
For Michael Edgar a career in local government has never been just a job, it has been an opportunity to serve communities, shape the places we live and work and help improve the lives of thousands of residents across Blacktown, The Hills Shire and the Blue Mountains.
This year, Michael celebrated his 40th anniversary in local government, a career that started when he left school to become a trainee at Blacktown City Council to his current position of General Manager of The Hills Shire Council, one of Australia’ s fastest growing local government areas.
Working quietly behind the scenes, many residents might not even know who Michael is, but if you do know him, you will see a calm and capable leader at the helm of The Hills Shire Council.
His journey into local government happened by chance. Like many students approaching the end of high school, he was weighing up his career options when a conversation changed the course of his life.
“ My dad was a butcher and one day a health inspector visited his shop,” Michael told me.“ Dad mentioned that I was trying to work out what I wanted to do after school. Through that connection I was introduced to someone who had recently qualified as a building surveyor at Blacktown Council.”
The suggestion sparked his interest. After researching local government careers and available courses, Michael secured a position as a Trainee Environmental Health Surveyor at Blacktown City Council while also studying a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Health at the University of Western Sydney.
“ I didn’ t realise how diverse councils were,” he says.“ I think people often take local government for granted. They don’ t always realise the incredible variety of jobs, services and functions that councils provide.”
Michael began work as a Trainee Environmental Health Surveyor. The traineeship combined practical experience with university study and provided a solid foundation for what would become an extraordinary career. Looking back, Michael admits he never expected local government to become a lifelong profession.
“ No, I didn’ t imagine I’ d still be here 40 years later,” he laughs.“ And I certainly never imagined I’ d become a General Manager.”
Michael puts his long career down to taking different opportunities as they came up. After nearly a decade as a Graduate Health and Building Surveyor at Blacktown City Council, Michael moved to Blue Mountains City Council. It was there that his career really began to take shape and help him move into leadership roles. He told me the move to the Blue Mountains broadened his horizons in unexpected ways.
“ Blacktown was a fantastic training ground, but the Blue Mountains offered
Michael has worked in local government for an incredible 40 years!
a very different environment,” he says.“ It attracted talented and interesting people who had varied backgrounds but made the choice to move away from large corporate roles to live somewhere quieter. I was fortunate to be given opportunities that were slightly outside my normal area of expertise.”
Those opportunities challenged him to think differently, develop new skills and gain confidence in his abilities.
“ My confidence started to grow in what
I could achieve. I realised I could turn my mind to things that hadn’ t necessarily been my strengths before.”
Along the way, influential mentors helped shape his thinking, one General Manager in particular challenged his way of working.
“ He really changed how I viewed local government, he thought globally but worked locally. He encouraged me to see opportunities differently and think beyond the immediate task in front of me.”
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6 ISSUE 133 // JULY 2026 theindependentmagazine. com. au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT