Newcastle Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge to return to work after cancer diagnosis

18 January 2026

newy.com.au – Newcastle Lord Mayor Dr Ross Kerridge says he will return to work on Monday 19 January 2026 after taking medical leave to undergo treatment for B-cell lymphoma.

City of Newcastle announced in October that Kerridge would step away from his duties from Monday 27 October until early 2026, with Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Charlotte McCabe to assume the responsibilities during his absence.

Kerridge said he was “unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer (B-cell Lymphoma) last October” and had been on medical leave for treatment since then. He said his treatment had progressed “as well as can be reasonably hoped” and, after discussions with his treating specialist, he would return to the role.

Kerridge said the past three months had been “a journey of challenges and learning” and that he had been “totally humbled by the support that I have received from so many people in the community”. He also thanked his family and the healthcare workers involved in his care.

He said his treatment was continuing and that he would need to manage his workload “particularly to avoid fatigue”, adding that he had a tendency towards “over-work and taking on too many things”.

Kerridge said the Lord Mayor’s job involved “meeting lots of Newcastle people doing lots of interesting things” and described the role as “a privilege and honour”, but added: “But this is not about me. It is about Newcastle.”

He said Newcastle was in “an exciting time” and contrasted past economic conditions with what he described as growing interest from people and businesses wanting to move to the city and start enterprises. “In the past we learned to accept second best,” he wrote, before adding: “Well – I say “bollocks” to that!!”

Kerridge said he wanted to be part of “a ‘new’ Newcastle that takes control of our future” and argued the city should not allow others to make decisions on its behalf. He said major challenges would require the community and community groups to work together actively, rather than relying on “bureaucrats or […] politicians”.

He said a major part of the Lord Mayor’s role was supporting and advocating for community groups and providing “a voice for the community to government, the bureaucracy, business groups and others”. Kerridge said the community should ensure Newcastle was “never taken for granted”, and pointed to his election as an independent as evidence that “Novocastrians cared about our city’s future”.

Kerridge was declared elected on 1 October 2024 . He defeated the incumbent Lord Mayor, Labor’s Nuatali Nelmes, who had held the position since 2014.