Deputy Mayor Cr Bruce Kent here. I'll be taking over the Mayor's Message for the next few weeks while Cr Brett Tessari is away. It's been less than a week, but stepping up into the role of Mayor has really given me a greater understanding of the workload involved in the job. It's pretty non-stop!

Active April is done and dusted for another year and so is our 'Bass Coast 30 Ways in 30 Days' Facebook campaign. It is always a great way to promote not only being active, but also some of the great places in Bass Coast to enjoy while doing it. We have some wonderful walks and trails and attractions scattered throughout the Shire, and it's never too late to get out and experience them.

Throughout the month of May, Bass Coast's arts community will be opening its doors, as part of Creative Gippsland's 'Come and Play all of May'. The month long celebration of the arts was launched on Saturday at Archie's Creek. A highlight of the event this year is the Artist in Residence. Bass Coast's resident artist is ceramicist Varuni Kanagasundaram. An information day on the Artist in Residence will be held at Rescue Station Arts, at 95 West Area Road in Wonthaggi. There are plenty of other artistic endeavours to get involved in during the event so make sure you check it out.

We held several community engagement sessions on the Draft 2019/20 Budget last week. The Facebook Q&A session went well, with some really interesting questions and suggestions coming through. It is always great to hear feedback from the community, as it helps us to better understand what is needed and expected from Council.

This Friday, 10 May, make sure you turn on your headlights in support of the 'Shine a Light on Road Safety' campaign. This year, the campaign is a part of National Road Safety Week and helps to highlight the services provided by Road Trauma Support Services Victoria and how we can all play a part in road safety. Council does a lot of work in relation to road safety and through the Bass Coast Community Road Safety Committee, Council applies for funding to support community based programs that support road safety.

Phillip Island's surfers have continued to show-off their skills on the world stage. Junior surfers Sage Goldsbury and Codie Jeffery put in stellar performances at the Victorian Junior Challenge held at Winki Pop near Bells Beach recently. It was also great to see Nikki Van Dijk get through to the round of 16 at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach event held recently. She was knocked out by the American surfer Courtney Conlogue who went on to win the event. Amazing results!