Charles Impey is a first-term Tamworth councillor and school career adviser. He’s passionate about youth development, education and infrastructure delivery to local residents. Cr Impey last year walked 70 kilometres in one night as part of Tamworth Relay For Life, fundraising for the Cancer Council, and is also heavily involved in the Tamworth Marsupial Park. Meet today’s Face of Tamworth.
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Family: Father of three wonderful children, who live in Sydney, Decklan 16, Tahlia 15 and Aiden 12
When and why did you get involved with council?
Like the vast majority of people who put themselves forward to be in a community leadership role, I wanted to be more involved to help grow our region and see it prosper even more. Over the years through community volunteer and employment, I'd partnered with Council to help make things happen, such as the work I'd been doing with youth and with the Tamworth Marsupial Park. The opportunity to help others across the entire community who also wish to make a difference is a focus of mine, as is seeing infrastructure for those people who call the Tamworth region their home. I'm a strong believer that if people are happy living somewhere, everything else like crime and some of the other social challenges will drop.
What did you do before council, and what do you do now (occupation if still working)?
In September 2016, I was blessed and fortunate to be elected to our Tamworth Regional Council, a role I enjoy immensely and one which I particularly enjoy being on the ground and helping people who in most instances just want a listening ear and a sensible explanation. I have worked in the career development and advisory space for the past 18 years. Working at Calrossy Anglican School over the most recent 2 years as the school's career adviser, I look after the career development needs of the students and work to ensure all our students have a career plan to help guide them in that important first couple of years after they leave school. Prior to this I operated in a variety of career development roles in schools facilitating & delivering career programs, with business & industry developing resources for schools and helping people to find employment or change employment and create new career paths for people across northern NSW. I moved to Tamworth in April 1992 with Grace Bros and later a transfer across to Coles on Peel Street as part of a fulfilling and thoroughly enjoyable 12 year retail and retail management career, I remember those Grace Bros and Coles days very fondly, and I'm one of those lucky people who loves their job, or in my case jobs, Calrossy and Council.
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What are your top three local issues you're passionate about?
Youth and opportunity for youth to grow up in our region, study and be educated in our region and live life in our region. Infrastructure for those people who live here.
How long have you lived in Tamworth?
25 years, moved to Tamworth from Sydney in April 1992
Why did you decide to make a life here?
I was fortunate to meet some people who moved from Manilla to Sydney, with whom I become very close friends with. The husband worked as an electrician and the wife (or fiancé as they were engaged to be married at the time we met) was offered a role through a Retail Cadetship with Grace Bros at Sydney's Chatswood Store, where I worked. It was a friendship which changed my life forever and thus shaped my life to be where I am today. Through their involvement in an annual hockey carnival at Manilla and the opportunity to travel to Manilla for the each year, Manilla and Tamworth as a region really grew on me, so I decided that Tamworth will be my home and the place I love to live. An internal Grace Bros transfer gave me the chance to move to Tamworth, and I've loved it here ever since.
What do you love most about Tamworth?
Everything !!! The people are friendly, I can walk down Peel Street or in any shopping centre and say hello to people, even people I don't know and they always say 'G'Day' back, can't do that walking down Pitt Street Mall in Sydney !! I love the surrounding countryside, the ease in which I can go from work to home or home to any part of Tamworth without having to negotiate peak hour traffic or other challenges people in metropolitan areas face daily. I love the opportunities people have to play sport and be active and live a healthy lifestyle, and with so many sports opportunities for young people and those around my age (47) or a little older, there really is no reason why people can't be an active part of our community. We've got great parks, the Tamworth Marsupial Park of course is one of my favourite destinations and close to my heart, it creates so many memories for people in our community.
You know you're from Tamworth when...
A good friend of mine once said, if you pronounce Tamworth, Tamwuth, you're a local!!
