Farewell to Council
Sue Brooks April 29th, 2012
Well it is as obvious as ever that when times are tough politicians are held responsible. Can I thank all my supporters from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honour working for this wonderful community and I wish the new Councillors the very best. Please take good care of our region, our cities and our towns. Look after this magical place I call home. Care for it well please because it is unique and it is a very special place. I look forward to a new more relaxing life. My dogs will be utterly pleased to have me home more and I am so looking forward to a rest and some time off now. Writing is high on my agenda and it will be a very pleasant change to become a constituent again rather than a candidate. See you soon, Sue
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- Comments(17)
It is a shame that the political winds have shifted so far to the right in Queensland and doubtless will also in Australian Federal politics soon. Moderates are no longer supported in the headlong rush for change. We will miss your input Sue, particularly in the area of keeping some of the good features of the Hervey Bay that was, but it seems that as usual ‘money rules’ and development will now be king here too. Vale the old values – we will just have to get used to being more ‘progressive’ .
Enjoy your time outside the insanity of politics.
I don’t want to be the one to kick you while you’re down, but it is clear from what you have just written that you still don’t get it. When you ask the incoming council to “please take good care of our region” and “Look after this magical place I call home” and “Care for it well please because it is unique and it is a very special place”, you obviously think that this is what you and your council have done pver the past 4 years. Surely after last nights results where not one single one of you were re-elected, it must be starting to sink in that the ratepayed were not happy with the way you “looked after” our region. You “looked after” it the way YOU wanted it, instead of how WE ratepayers wanted you to look after it. After all, to my knowledge, the FCCC is the only council in all of QLD where the voters have sacked the ENTIRE lot. That’s not something voters do lightly, nor is it anything to be proud of I wouldn’t think.
Well, sorry to see you go Sue. You have done a lot for “The Bay” and the people in it. Yes, you may enjoy some time off to spend with your family (4 legged and 2 legged) but I can’t see you letting the grass grow under your feet! I hope Colin is wrong in saying that “development will now be king here too” and we can only hope that the new Council will attempt to keep some of our unique features. At least we won’t have a gerrymander in place with the “change” team, thank heavens for small mercies. Good luck with the future Sue and I’m sure we will all still love to read your blogs, even as a constituent.
Sue,
Irrespective of our different positions on various issues – you of all the councillors took your job seriously. I would have to say had great patience with constituents and really put the time into business like responses to enquiry.
Getting a respose was far better than none.
This was far better than most councillors who did not seem to have the confidence to pen a response themsevels nor the work ethic to investigate issues and form an independant informed view.
As Colin says you tended to supported a balanced view .
It seemed to me that you understood the needs of business and progress your family are small business people – but valued the area for what it is not what can be made from it or extracted from it today, at the expense of future residents and the children of tomorrow.
Enjoy your break it was comforting to know that there were sincere faces in the FCRC political team.
Cheers
Esther
I heartily agree with Colin, we will miss you Sue. Thank you for your tireless efforts, they did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Now that you have some “free” time, I’m looking forward to reading some of your writings. Wishing you all the very best – Paul
So sorry that you did not make it across the line this time. We will all miss your tireless devotion to all things that make this area such a wonderful place to live. You now have the opportunity to buy Arkarra Gardens and make a lovely little restaurant out of it. It would flourish between Graham and yourself. Enjoy your retirement from Council.
Sue,
I to will miss you and more to the point, I’ll miss the chance to express my views on council issues directly to yourself via this site. It will be interesting to see if your replacement opens up to the electorate as you have done. Sadly, the local papers did not give the same insights as your blog has.
Please disregard Patricia’s comments, I don’t think even she knew what she wanted, if she did she never expressed it on this site.
Likewise, based on many comments regarding “which division am I ïn?”, many in our region gave little thought to how our region was going or why!
Most people, sadly, think with their hip pocket and due to many reasons people are hurting, politicians at all levels will have to carry the blame.
Robby Burns once said “I wish to God the gift were gee us to see ourselves as others see us”,if you can do that Sue, you need not worry about the likes of Patricia.
Sue
You were one of the only Councillors that i wanted in! Why having all these new divisions has caused a lot of confusion for a lot of people. I am glad that some of the old council have gone especially the ones who were talking quietly about working together as a group! Supporting each other and the their groups interests! I hope the person who takes on your role works with the vigor you did!
This place we call home is precious, we are here because we did not want to live on the Gold coast, we live here because we did not want to live in a big town with big problems. Hervey Bay is a quiet, town with very few issues compared to most big towns!
Let us stay that way, we do not have to run with progress, we can have it our way. We just have to make it clear!
Even though you are not on the council this time around, i am sure you will have as much input as you can to keep our little piece of paradise as it is.
I am not against change, or growth, but it needs to be monitored carefully and considerately. I hope these new Councillors will consider the opinions of all the people who live here and work with us, and not in their own best interests!
Enjoy the rest, you will be with us all for a long time and i know your voice will stand with us as a constituent <3
I am not down Pat. I only ever represented the views of my community. If you wanted the region looked after differently you failed to let me know what you wanted. You also seemed totally stuck on one issue when communicating anonymously with me via this blog. Maybe some direct, open and honest communication would have helped us all serve you better. But mark my words this Council is in good shape because of the work done particularlyin the last 12 months. The new Council does ot have much to do other than keep the positive momentum going. If any new Councillor thinks they can lower rates etc… Well I just wish I could see their faces when they come to grips with the budget. Me thinks a reality check will be quickly announced to all of us. I am so looking forward to life after politics Pat. My new life will be so much less stressful.
# Colin Burton 29 Apr 2012 at 6:21 am
“It is a shame that the political winds have shifted so far to the right in Queensland”
If shifting to the right means that we look after our countrymen first,
and not leave them in the street,
whilst the Govt pays households $300 to support the illegal economic migrants, then I’m all for that. Twenty years ago Hervey Bay was the fastest growing City in Australia. Now it is an untidy snake ridden and rat infested rubbish dump thanks to the majority Labor/Socialist Alliance of Brooks,Arthur, Dawes and McNevin who deserved to be drop kicked out the back door for what they did. What a joy it will be to see Mayor O’Donnell
cut the “Green Tape”and start claning up the foreshore of broken twigs and branches and get rid of the local environmental laws and send them packing back to bankrupt Socialist Europe where they belong along with the dead “Coyote”
You are so absolutely wrong. Can you please advise on just one policy that a minority of 4 Councillors could foist on 7 other Councillors. I think you will find that all the policies you refer to our mainly State Government policies. Policies that prevent Council undertaking coastal erosion contorl works and also define a fallen tree as a marine plant!
I want the foreshore to remain natural not manicured but unless you are very bad at maths, one Councillor a decision does not make.
One Councillor has absolutely zero power! Me thinks you have been hoodwinked into beliving conspiracy theo,ries tht simply do not exist.
Sue,
I am amazed you took the bait, Colin is just a troll, his ranting has no substance what so ever.
Hervey Bay grew fast because land was cheap and regulation slack.
The town is now a mess; true, the reason being the town never had a town plan, the place just grew like Toppsie.
Sadly for some, this town will never be other than a tourist and retirement centre, logistically there is no place for
industry here, we just don’t have the infrastructure. As I wrote council some years ago any industry around here
would have to be in the Aldershot, Torbanlea and Howard region, close to both rail and the Hwy.
Sue,
My apologies to Colin Burt, my post related to L Gallagher’s post, but the rest still stands.
So sorry Colin once again.
Thanks John for your correction. I was remiss in not asking you for clarification as I didn’t otice either that you had the name wrong. I think Colin is anything but troll like! LOL. Take care, Sue
Sue,
First of all I have to agree with
“# Patricia on 29 Apr 2012 at 7:35 am” when she said
“The FCCC is the only council in all of QLD where the voters have sacked the ENTIRE lot. That’s not something voters do lightly, nor is it anything to be proud of I wouldn’t think.”
Secondly it is about time you updated your blog and removed the word “Councillor” from your blog title.
You said that the Qld state Govt.
environmental policy classed a dead branch on the the beach as a “Marine Plant”. I dont know if you have noticed but in the past month “Can-do” has sacked the entire Climate change Dept.and given Anna’s
hubby the task of unravelling
the expensive and useless Green funds and policies.
It is good to see the only surviving member of the previous Council cutting the
“Green” tape. Oficially a dead branch on the beach is now classed as a “dead branch” and should be removed which is what happened to the previous
council.
I have a joke for you. What is yellow and has as many seats as a Toyota Tarago? The answer is the Qld Labor party.
What is red and has no seats at all? The answer is the “Green machine”
So what the State Government does to unravel the green tape will help Council. This can be a very good thing if done properly. Do you somehow think I am not happy and supportive of this? I have never been in favour of gree or red or any other coloured tape. Why do you tend to pigeon hole me? I have done more than most to argue for change.
I am still a Councillor officially till the declaration of the poll but seeing as my email was cut off on the Monday after the election and we had returned all Council equipment I agree with you about updating my blog because in every way that matters I have not been able to function as a Councillor since Friday the 27th April. But I can’t update it myself and will get around to advising those that can fix it for me ASAP.
I look forward to the new Council having a very much easier time of things than the old Council had. I do hope better times and more sensible legislation are ahead of us all.
Glad that you care about our future also.
One has to ask is L. Gallagher for real, worse is the writer a relative of Patricia?
What makes either of them think “voters sacked the entire lot”. The fact is the voters promoted Gerard!
Based on comments made L. Gallagher does not even vote here! As it is not “anything I would be proud of” the post says.