New Deputy Mayor appointed
Congratulations to Councillor Steven Rypp, who was appointed Deputy Mayor at Monday's Ordinary Council Meeting (17 November 2025).
Cr Rypp has lived in the Township for over five years with his wife and children. Over the last decade, he has worked in governance and executive support roles across the not-for-profit and public sectors, including the MS Society SA & NT and in both State and Federal parliamentary offices.
He brings to his role as Deputy Mayor a range of skills, including relationship-building, project delivery and community advocacy.
Cr Rypp will hold the position of Deputy Mayor until the end of the current Council term.
Council thanks Cr Jay Allanson for his service as Deputy Mayor for the past 12 months.
Q&A with Steven
Q: What is a fun fact about yourself?
A: I spent over 18 years as a goal umpire in the SANFL and Adelaide Football League, officiating 52 SANFL League games, a SANFL Semi Final, and representing South Australia in the NAB AFL Under-18s Tournament in Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as a SA vs QLD state game.
Q: How do you keep yourself busy?
A: Outside of my Council work, I keep busy with our young children, my new role as a Business Development Manager with an NDIS provider and following the sports I love, especially football, cricket, basketball and soccer.
Q: What is your favourite part or place within the Township?
A: With young children, we love the beautiful parks and reserves throughout the Town of Walkerville. We really appreciate how well they are maintained and how thoughtfully they’ve been upgraded over time.
Q: What is your key area of focus while on Council and what do you hope to achieve as part of this?
A: During my time on Council, some key highlights have included delivering the new Walkerville Bowling and Community Club, the Walkerville Recreation Centre (The W), and upgrading Walkerville Oval with improved lighting, an electronic scoreboard, and new cricket nets and court facilities.
My ongoing focus is to stay closely connected with our community and be a proactive listener, ensuring residents’ views are strongly represented in Council discussions.
Looking ahead, I want to continue improving community safety, advocating for residents' concerns on State Planning matters and continuing to review and upgrade our parks, reserves, and green spaces, so they remain high-quality, accessible places for all residents to enjoy.