Natural attractions
The Southern Downs region is conveniently located within two hours’ drive from Brisbane and in the high growth region of Southern Queensland. The region services a growing population of approximately 35,800 and covers an area of about 7,120 square kilometres. Our region is renowned for producing high quality agricultural products and also offers an ideal environment for business and industry growth. The Southern Downs celebrates four distinct seasons, which is unique in Queensland. With clean, crisp country air, a low crime rate and a wide range of community facilities, the communities of Warwick and Stanthorpe, and the delightful surrounding villages, offer a terrific lifestyle.
Our outdoors is superb. We have wonderful natural attractions from waterfalls in the northeast through to the granite balancing rocks in the south. We have events on every weekend that span the seasons, from Campdrafts and Rodeos to motorsports and equestrian events for the horsepower fans, and our acclaimed winter festivals Jumpers and Jazz in July and Snowflakes in Stanthorpe.
Providing strong leadership
I was elected to Council for the first time in March 2016. I stood for Mayor because I felt our Council needed strong leadership in order to improve our financial management, develop business opportunities, better engage with our residents and promote our region.
My background includes over 25 years of service with the Australian Army and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and 14 years in the private sector. My family is now in its seventh generation in the region and I returned home after almost 40 years working elsewhere in Australia and overseas. I am a full-time Mayor, which I feel is important for our region at this time, as we work to raise our profile as a location of choice for businesses, residents and visitors.
I relax away from the job by spending time with my husband, my family and my two border collies. We are in a prime location in Queensland with sunny days, cool nights and occasionally…snow. I love the outdoors; I run several kilometres each day and have just taken up horse riding. What’s more, I’m blessed because the wine produced here on the Granite Belt is some of Australia’s finest and I need a glass or two most evenings.
Encouraging population growth
We have good infrastructure here on the Southern Downs but right now our population growth is low. I see one of the main challenges facing our Council is to encourage young families to stay in or move to our region. We have low unemployment and a low cost of living but we also have an aging population. It is imperative that we bring more businesses to our region, and encourage those that are already here to expand. At the same time we need to manage the expectations of our residents and deliver the best possible services within the constraints of our budget.
For the first time in many years, our Councillors and Council staff are advocating for our region, to bring focus on what we have to offer as a horticultural, agricultural, livestock, processing and logistics hub. We are moving forward instead of standing still and the Southern Downs will be a key contributor to the successful future of Queensland and particularly South East Queensland.
