River Murray Recovery Stories
Simone Bailey · 54 min
A brand-new mayor sworn in the day after a flood emergency was declared, Simone Bailey had to lead her community through one of the worst natural disasters in South Australian history before she had even learned the job.
Simone Bailey moved to Mannum in her twenties because she and her family could build a home mortgage-free and she could stay with her children. She fell in love with the small riverside town, its serenity, and its people. Years later, when she saw council spending she disagreed with, she stood for election as a councillor, then as mayor. She won in early November 2022.
The day after she was sworn in, a flood emergency was declared. Simone had never led a council before, but she had to immediately make decisions about where to build levees to protect parts of Mannum's main street. She had to knock on doors and convince business owners and householders to accept protection that would save some but leave others exposed, knowing the water would come. She coordinated with five other councils, most also led by new mayors. She gave 97 TV interviews in four months. She learned to call the Premier when a tourism voucher scheme threatened to hurt her community while caravan parks were still underwater.
What stayed with her was a specific image: people walking through Blanchetown with devastated faces, their holiday homes destroyed, places held in their families for generations. That image drove her advocacy during recovery. After Christmas, she started coffee and chat events where people could talk about their fears. She discovered that once someone said they felt the same way, people realised their worry was normal, not something to carry alone. The government saw what worked and funded similar events across the region.
Simone's children have made clear they will never enter politics. She will decide by November 2026 whether to seek another term. She knows she does not want higher office because she sees funding flow to areas based on population and voting patterns rather than need. What matters most is that communities keep telling their stories so people outside the region understand what help is needed.
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