Since my return to my hometown earlier this year I have been smitten with its beauty, charm, people and its inspirational Blue Lake. I’d been away for so long that I wanted to play catch up and soak in everything it offered by first of all visiting the institutions which nurtured and sustained us, then cared for, educated and amused us. I couldn’t get enough of the place, threw myself into its clubs, churches and organizations. My six week stay extended to three months, then five and the reality hit home to me that I was’nt going back to Brisbane at all, this was where I belonged, this place held my history, I saw myself as a local with an essential link to this community. As early pioneers of the area, both the Bigham and Flett families (on my Father’s side) are listed as amongst our first two hundred to take up settlement. Our current family home has been in Bigham hands for 100 years or so.
Dale and I have shifted our thinking towards settling in Mount Gambier and have taken the first steps towards the huge task of moving a couple who have had a huge interest in the heavy vehicle industry.
When local council elections were announced and I became aware that the Mayor was retiring, I could see that this largely ambassadorial role was one very suited to my outgoing personality and hence put my name on the ballot.
Apart from my writing, I have had two vocations, first as a teacher of business in the TAFE system and then later managing our own heavy vehicle repair business. Planning, budgeting and building have been the focus of my business life, culminating in the ownership and running of a large heavy vehicle repair workshop and an investment portfolio which included ownership of thirteen properties, our own workshop, high rise apartment on the Gold Coast, land and other residential townhouses and residences
There is a lot of good work being done by all local authorities right now. I look around with fresh eyes and like what I see, but there is always room for improvement, just as it is easy to look backwards critically. Mistakes with appropriating funds hit already cash strapped ratepayers heavily. I see a future for the city where we keep treading along the same path with a bit of tweaking here and there. We must preserve that which makes us unique at all costs. Quite apart from the brilliant way of life we have here, we must protect our heritage, and our fragile environment. We must be the tourism jewel in the crown, the limestone coast at the end of the Great Ocean Road.
Seeing the big picture here is important, rather than plowing funds into projects like the newly revamped Railway precinct which does not have popular appeal. We have the attraction which everyone wants to come to see, but we have not yet been able to present our lake in the five star manner which it deserves. There is a lot about ones lakes experience which needs to be improved.
I think that one of the bigger things is about motivating our community to really care about the preservation of what they hold sacred about their location and to share in its development. We need to put the community back into the community. We have a wonderful brigade of volunteers shoring up our local nursing homes, hospital, clinics, service groups, churches, sporting organizations, but I’m wondering when we close our doors, do we think about the people next door, those down the street and those living in our block. I think that we’re at risk of riding along on a wave of complacency about how well we’ve done and are losing our grasp of the basic fundamentals of self sustainability that has and always should be the backbone of this far flung stretch of the coast. Too many of us have the big city syndrome. I would like to see us all pull together and get back to the large country town syndrome where caring and sharing and working for the common good was the norm.
Please contact me at any time with any suggestions regarding ideas, help or encouragement. Your voluntary help to get my campaign across the line at the Polls would be much appreciated.
I have been looking for a challenging position like being the mayor and I look forward to taking up the challenge. My natural friendly smiling disposition suits this ambassadorial role and I look forward to promoting goodwill now in a formal way.
Congratulations to all my fellow mayoral candidates, who have made the decision to take a leadership role in working for the betterment of our community. I look forward to meeting you in the near future and fostering friendships with you.
