With a bit of rock, Moree's ex-mayor is hitting the road

She's not even mayor, officially, but she's still making sure Mungindi residents are safe and no dirt-riding bike has tampered with the strength of the river levee.

The new local government election rules means all the mayoral powers go to the council general-manager until the new mayor is elected. But that's not stopping Katrina. She's always been hands on.

"How bloody slow are these local government elections results," she complains, having another throw at the stumps.

She is as much Moree as its famed artesian baths and she's now hung up the mayoral duties after 13 strong years as the longest serving Moree mayor - and the first female one.

She's battled state premiers (notably Queensland's Annastacia Palaszczuk), ministers and anyone who may have accidentally walked into her line of fire when she has strong views to express.

She's ready to hit the road with her husband Gregg and do the grey nomad thing. She's put the for sale sign up on her fish shop, and already has a woman strongly interested "she just needs to sort the finance", says Katrina.

As always, she's confident of the process and the outcome. She's never held back on telling the truth, even the trickiest questions her kids asked about life.

The Moree fish shop was where she did most of her work during her term, not the Moree Plains Shire mayoral office.

"I was never a big one one for hoop-la," she says. "People wanted to see me, they'd just come in here for a cup of tea."

She is the daughter of the late and former NSW Nationals leader and Garah farmer Wal Murray, who passed away in 2004. But she has fashioned her own style of politics - and it crosses traditional political divides.

She doesn't care about people's politics, just how they behave.

One of her besties in that time was the most unlikely of people given Katrina's one-eyed love of the bush and her big sympathy for farmers.

City of Sydney Labor councillor Linda Scott was as inner-city Sydney as a latte, but when Linda was starting her interest in the local government association, eventually becoming its president, she was keen to get some advice from Katrina many years ago.

"I just said 'well 'let's do breakfast'." Any they did, but not sure if Katrina had a latte.

Katrina says they'll stay friends for life.

"Our politics of course are worlds' apart, but Linda will often ask me for some advice on the bush. She also became a great friend of country mayors." And she came to the bush to listen.

"I don't care how people vote, but I care how people behave."

Also read: Look elsewhere for business than Queensland: Moree mayor

Katrina's forthright comments often landed her on national television. She is still disgusted at the closing of the Queensland border due to COVID-19 and the heartache it caused families in northern NSW. "That was abominable," she says. "It was shamefully unAustralian."

She says one of the greatest things she respects is loyalty. "I love loyalty, I'm old school. I will fight people up hill and down dale for my opinions, but I've always remained loyal to the office of the mayor."

She has made some strong friendships in her time as mayor. The term started with her fellow ticket runner for council Sue Price, another person she says is a lifetime friend.

"We went on to council together. She is a wonderful, loyal, dedicated person. She wanted to pursue the inland rail concept and I had full confidence in her. She should get huge recognition for what she has done there in my opinion." The Moree Special Activation Precinct (SAP), is another project she's proud of.

Once talking to this journalist she was incensed that city people did not understand about clearing regrowth timber on farms and why it was necessary.

"The saddest thing I've seen in my time is the disconnect between city and country," she says.

There are many people in the public service she admired. Ken Gillespie (NSW' first regional infrastructure co-ordinator) and Don Murray. She admired Gary White from Planning NSW, an "the most open thinking, mindful person I've ever come across".

Working within Moree council, was another of her good friends, Mark "Sparky" Connolly, whom she knew from pony club days until he entered council, heading community and economic development. "He is an absolute champion, especially managing our SAP unit."

She also admires Federal Parkes MP Mark Coultan who also pops into the fish shop to say hello. The connection goes way back to when Katrina's dad Wal bought rams off Mr Coultan's dad. In her term as mayor, she was also chair of the Country Mayors Association from 2016 - 2020. They even changed the rules so she could have two terms.

She's had some new career offers, but for now she's going to hit the road, putting on her Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Bob Marley and Blondie music and enjoying a break with Gregg. "I'm not keen on doing anything else for a little while."

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