Posted 08 December 2025
With community members, on Friday, 5 December, Council had the honour of welcoming Her Excellency, the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, Governor of Tasmania and Emeritus Professor Don Chalmers AO, to Dorset for a memorable day in our beautiful region – the last municipal visit of Her Excellency’s term.
The visit began with a tour of the May Shaw Aminya Aged Care Facility in Scottsdale, where Her Excellency and the Professor toured the facility, interacted with residents and heard about upcoming redevelopment works planned to create a more dementia friendly space.
They then moved on to Bridport, where they met with staff and students at the Bridport Primary School, and were lucky enough to receive a sneak peek of the upcoming Christmas end of year performance. The next stop was the Bridport Information Centre Pavilion which is managed by Bridport Innovations and volunteers. Her Excellency and the Professor learnt of tourism and events in the region.
The group then moved to Tomahawk, where Mayor Beattie was in his element and could speak about his ‘day job’ as an agronomist for Simplot. Her Excellency and the Professor learnt about potato production and differences growing in sandy soils compared to rich volcanic soils in other areas of Dorset.
The group stopped for lunch in Derby at Lot40, where representatives from Council’s trail maintenance crew and the Blue Derby Foundation joined in to discuss all things Blue Derby mountain biking. After lunch, Her Excellency and the Professor visited the Derby Schoolhouse Museum where the rich tin-mining history was explained, along with the history of the schoolhouse.
Next up was a stop at CMTP Branxholm, where the group toured the sawmill operation and learnt about the production process, with the final stop on the tour being a visit to the Scottsdale Aquatic Centre. Her Excellency and the Professor toured the facility, met with staff and lifeguards and viewed the local swimming club training.
The day concluded with a civic reception at the beautifully restored Mechanics Hall in Scottsdale, where Her Excellency and Professor Chalmers spent time with invited guests from service and community groups, local businesses and sporting groups from all corners of the municipality.
Each stop offered an opportunity to engage with local students, educators, families and community leaders, reflecting the strong and vibrant community we have here in Dorset.
To read more about the Vice-Regal Visit to Dorset, visit the Government House Tasmania website https://bit.ly/GovofTasDorsetVisit
