Date: 30th July 2026

Bathurst Regional Council General Manager David Sherley has announced his retirement, bringing an end to more than two decades in the role.

Mr Sherley will retire on Friday, 29 January 2027. He has served as General Manager since 2004, having first joined Council as Director of Corporate Services in March 1998.

His tenure as GM began with the amalgamation of Bathurst City and Evans Shire Councils in 2004, and has spanned major infrastructure projects including the completion of the flood levee system in Bathurst and Perthville, sporting precinct developments at Hereford Street and Proctor Park, construction of the Rail Museum and Central Tablelands Collections Facility, and the Winburndale Dam upgrade and water harvesting project.

Earlier this year, Mr Sherley was recognised in the Australia Day honours with a Public Service Medal for service to local government and the Bathurst region, in recognition of thirty-seven years of public service in NSW.

Mr Sherley said the decision followed discussions with his family. “It has not been an easy decision. There is never the right time to step away from a role like this,” he said.

Mayor Cr Robert Taylor paid tribute to Mr Sherley’s leadership, saying his depth of knowledge of local government is remarkable and that his retirement will mark the end of an era for the Council.

Council will commence the recruitment process for a new General Manager in coming weeks.