Mayor McKinna
Mayor Lawrie McKinna was elected as Mayor of Central Coast Council in October 2024 for a term of two years.
He is committed to working hard to ensure council delivers on community priorities.
Persistence, teamwork and community are key themes for Mayor of The Central Coast, Lawrie McKinna.
Lawrie was born in Galston, on the West Coast of Scotland, and when he was two-and-a-half, his family moved to Australia. He lived in Sydney for two years then moved to Auckland, New Zealand, before returning to Scotland when he was five. At school, Lawrie was obsessed with football. He began his sporting career as a striker with Galston United, then was striker with junior side Darvel before signing with local professional club, Kilmarnock, in 1982.
Lawrie moved to Australia in 1986 and went on to play for several clubs in the National Soccer League and state leagues. His coaching career began in 1992 as Assistant Manager with Blacktown City. In 1995 he was a player/manager for Hills United before going on to hold the Assistant Coach role with Sydney Olympic, Sydney United and Parramatta Power Football Clubs.
In 2002, Lawrie’s management career took off with Northern Spirit and he won the National Soccer League ‘Coach of the Year’ Award after taking the team to their first finals campaign in three years. He has also coached Chinese Super League Club Chengdu and China League One side Chongging Lifan. Lawrie is credited with establishing the region’s first A-League sporting team, the Central Coast Mariners, who he coached to two grand finals, as well as winning a minor premiership and pre-season cup. He served as Head Coach from 2005 to 2010 and Director of Football for the Central Coast Mariners, winning the A-League ‘Coach of the Year’ Award during the 2005/2006 season, and became the Mariner’s Ambassador in 2014. In June 2016, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Newcastle Jets and was in the role until 2021. Lawrie is well known in football and business circles. He served as Chair of Regional Development Australia Central Coast from January 2021 to 22 October 2024 and is currently on the Board of Directors at Sydney Olympic Football club, formally the CEO from January 2022 to December 2024.
Lawrie’s political career began when he became a Councillor for the City of Gosford in 2012. He was elected Mayor and served until the amalgamation of Gosford and Wyong in 2016. Lawrie led Team Central Coast in the 2024 Council elections and is now Mayor of The Central Coast for the next two years. He is honoured to have been elected Mayor and is delighted to be serving the community he loves once again.
Lawrie and his wife Christine have been married for 44 years, have two sons and two grandsons and have lived on the Central Coast for 20 years. He describes making the decision to move his wife and two young boys to Australia to play football as one of the toughest, but most fortunate, of his life. Lawrie believes that he’s learned a thing or two about teamwork over his career. He’s keen to use his team-building skills to lead the new Council as they work together to serve the community.
Publications of the Mayor's diary
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Mayor
Deb is a true Community Champion
Deb Christian is our newest Central Coast Community Champion after being nominated for her voluntary support of women doing residential programs at The Glen. Deb became involved with The Glen, a rehabilitation centre in Yarramalong, after her daughter completed the program there.For Deb, the greatest gift was having her daughter home, safe, healthy, and thriving.-
26/11/2025
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Mayor
No excuse for online abuse
Each year, the United Nations global champion for gender-based equality, UN Women, lead a global campaign under the UNiTE to End Violence against Women initiative known as The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Throughout this event, that runs from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to 10 December (Human Rights Day), communities around the world join to prevent violence against women and girls.-
25/11/2025
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Mayor
New citizens take the pledge
Today we welcomed 360 of our newest Australian citizens across two Citizenship Ceremonies at The Art House, Wyong.People from more than 34 nations, including the Philippines, New Zealand, the UK, South Africa, India and more, took the citizenship pledge to become part of our Australian story.At the ceremony, we heard from guest speaker Tina Leaitua. Tina, originally from Samoa, is a Pacific Island dance teacher and an active member of her local theatre community.-
17/11/2025
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Mayor
See the Archibald Prize Exhibition at our regional gallery
With more than 150,000 visitors through the doors each year, Gosford Regional Gallery is one of the most visited regional galleries in New South Wales, and a treasure for our community. This year marks our gallery’s 25th anniversary, and as part of the celebrations, we’re hosting the 2025 Archibald Prize! Every year, Australians eagerly wait to see the finalists for this iconic portrait competition that engages the nation. Following its display at the Art Gallery of NSW, the Archibald Prize Exhibition will tour venues across NSW, and I’m excited that we’re bringing it to the Central Coast!-
17/11/2025
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Mayor
A Year of Progress and Achievement
We’ve released our Annual Report for 2024/25 and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved working hand-in-hand with our community.This year was significant for the Central Coast, with the return of Councillors and the development of our first Councillor-led strategic plans. We worked hard on our commitment to sound financial management, and improved our position, delivering a budget surplus. We ensured people had a strong voice in the development of plans and projects, and we delivered the actions in our Disability Inclusion Action Plan.Our community grew even stronger.-
10/11/2025
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Mayor
Proud to serve as Deputy Mayor
I’m honoured to have been elected Deputy Mayor of the Central Coast and to serve our community in this important leadership role through to October 2026.-
04/11/2025
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Mayor
The Matildas will take on New Zealand on the Central Coast
I’m delighted that our Australian Women’s National Football Team, the Matildas, have chosen to play the first of their Australian ‘friendlies’ games on the Central Coast.I haven’t been this excited since I presented the Mariners Ninja A-League Women’s Squad with the Key to the City after they won the 2025 Championships! This is a unique opportunity to see the Matildas play New Zealand Women’s National Team, the Football Ferns, on Friday 28 November from 7.30pm at polytec Stadium, a game that kicks off a two-match series between the teams.I can’t wait to welcome the Matildas to the Central Coast in the lead up to their campaign towards next year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and I’m encouraging football fans from across the Coast and beyond to come to polytec Stadium to cheer them on.This visit is important not only for the incredible night of football and community buzz it will create, it will also put Gosford on the map, promoting our magnificent region globally. In our Community Strategic Plan, people told us they want Council to support ‘all of the activities that create a dynamic and thriving region’.-
21/10/2025
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Mayor
Young people, it’s time to speak up!
Young people contribute so much to our community, and their voices need to be heard.As part of our strategic planning process, Councillors developed priorities that align with the interests of our residents, and our youth strategy is a key focus for us during our term. Throughout my first year as Mayor, we’ve acknowledged the outstanding achievements of young people in our community. We recognised Matilda Taylor as Young Person of the Year in the Central Coast Australia Day Awards for being the youngest person appointed as Deputy Captain in Fire and Rescue NSW. Through my Community Champions initiative, I’ve acknowledged Billy Isaacs, Lachlan Hobbs and Elijah Rae, three highly engaged young people committed to achieving their personal best while supporting others. And young people who demonstrated excellence in the arts, community service, sport, leadership and more were honoured for their contribution as part of Youth Week 2025.Our previous Youth Strategy explored what was important to local young people and delivered programs including Creative Engineers, Youth for Youth (Y4Y) Leadership, Skilled and Ready and School Holiday Youth Day Out.We’re now creating a new Youth Strategy for 2026–2030 and we want to hear from as many people as possible about the activities, programs and services we’re proposing. If you live, study or work on the Central Coast, I encourage you to take our online survey or leave a comment on the ideas board at yourvoiceourcoast.com by 31 October.-
07/10/2025
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Mayor
25th anniversary of Palm Grove Ourimbah Creek Landcare
I’m honoured to acknowledge the 25th anniversary of Palm Grove Ourimbah Creek Landcare, celebrated on 2 October.-
03/10/2025
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Mayor
Marion is a true champion
Marion Dreyer is the kind of Community Champion every community needs.-
30/09/2025
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Mayor
Congratulations, new citizens
We welcomed 170 of Australia’s newest citizens at a Citizenship Ceremony on 25 September at The Art House, Wyong.More than 33 countries were represented by the people taking the citizenship pledge, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Nepal, Brazil, India, Italy, Canada and many more.At the ceremony, we heard from guest speaker, Grace Nguyen, about her family’s decision to call Australia home. It was fitting that September is also the month we acknowledge Australia Citizenship Day, creating an opportunity for all Australians to reflect on the meaning and importance of citizenship and the responsibilities we have as citizens.Becoming an Australian Citizen is a significant milestone, and it was wonderful to see the genuine enthusiasm and excitement people’s faces as they pledged their commitment to Australia. On behalf of Council and the Central Coast community, I’d like to congratulate our newest citizens on this major step and wish them a bright future as part of our great nation. Mayor Lawrie McKinna-
25/09/2025
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Mayor
We’re partnering with Lake Macquarie City Council
I’m pleased to announce that we’ve established a strategic partnership with Lake Macquarie City Council, and I thank Mayor Adam Shultz for his work in progressing this initiative.Our two councils have a combined population of close to 600,000 people and we support more than 215,000 jobs and 40,000 businesses.-
24/09/2025
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Mayor
Barang celebrates 10 years
Congratulations to Barang Regional Alliance on their 10-year anniversary. Barang, a not-for-profit organisation, is a high achiever in our community. Working with all levels of government, and partner organisations, they’re making a significant impact by empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the Central Coast and improving outcomes.Through advocacy, input into local decision-making and the development of targeted community programs, Barang supports improved outcomes in key areas including early childhood development, youth empowerment, employment and health.They support people through advocacy, understanding the evolving needs of the Aboriginal community, and providing cultural, creative and leadership programs and opportunities.The Central Coast has a rapidly growing and largest Aboriginal population in Australia so organisations like Barang are essential to the success of our whole community. Their goals of ensuring people are healthy and well, providing opportunities for connection, encouraging economic and social independence and supporting families are the cornerstones for a robust and engaged community. By creating a unified voice, they are stronger together and better equipped to represent our region’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.Barang means ‘tomorrow’ in the Darkinjung language, signalling their commitment to building a brighter future.-
16/09/2025
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Mayor
Gosford Regional Library – A Dream Realised
It was absolutely fantastic to see so many smiling faces at our community open day for the new Gosford Regional Library!-
08/09/2025
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Mayor
Community Champion Roslyn walks the talk
Our newest Community Champion, Roslyn Greener, has been coordinating a Central Coast women’s walking group called Walkie Talkies every Friday for over 22 years through the Peninsula Women’s Health Centre. Roslyn’s walking program encourages women to explore the Central Coast’s tracks and trails while enjoying exercise, connection and community.-
25/08/2025
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Mayor
Kicking goals for Sport, Leisure and Recreation
When we were preparing our strategic plans, we devised a list of Councillor priorities that aligned with community feedback.-
11/08/2025
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Mayor
Welcome to Council Sister Cities Students
I recently had the pleasure of welcoming a delegation of 14 junior and senior high school students and their teachers from Edogawa, Japan, to Council along with their hosts from Narara Valley High School.During their time here, the students enjoyed home stays with host families, attended classes at local schools and experienced Central Coast life.For more than 35 years we’ve had a Sister City relationship with Edogawa City, and have benefitted from friendship, partnerships, and cultural exchanges.The beautiful Edogawa Commemorative Gardens next to the Gosford Regional Gallery is an incredible and enduring gift from our Sister City that brings joy to residents and visitors.-
04/08/2025
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