A former naval officer will help steer the West Coast Council as its new general manager. David Midson grew up in the north-east, joined the navy after studying law and zoology at the University of Tasmania and left in 2015 when his family moved to Sweden. While Mr Midson has never worked at a council, he gained an understanding of government during his time at the Department of Defence in Canberra. "Certainly local government is not the same as a military organisation but there are lessons you can bring, no matter where you've worked," he said. "It's a really important part of how great ideas spread: people moving around in different sectors." RELATED: Mr Midson said his priority was to pursue the goals and strategies laid out in the West Coast Community Plan 2025. "We've still got some things in '2025' that we can do more on," he said. "We're still working to improve education in the West Coast, we're still working on diversifying the industrial base, we're still working on mining and we're still working on increasing visitation." Mr Midson will be on deck for the next three years as West Coast Council pursues a range of major projects, including an aged care strategy and network of mountain bike trails. But education is of great interest to a serial student like Mr Midson, who has a PhD in regional fisheries management and international law, a masters in management and a diploma in military law. West Coast mayor Phil Vickers said he "couldn't be happier" to have Mr Midson join the council crew. "I'm very impressed with his style of management," Cr Vickers said. "He's fitted in really well and I think he'll do well." Mr Midson said he was attracted to the West Coast because of its beautiful landscapes, strong communities and the "exciting leadership role" at the council. "Leadership and management are important in any organisation and I think I have a lot of experience in interpreting strategy into action," he said. "And that's what I'll be focused on: taking that strategy from '2025' and turning it into plans we can actually deliver on."
