“Wisdom is gold.”
Those are the words of East Gippsland Shire election candidate Joanne Eastman who says she has met many inspiring people over the past two weeks.
Those people include Brenda Murray OAM. Brenda was a councillor with the Orbost Shire for 17 years and went on to become the first Mayor of the newly formed East Gippsland Shire in 1997.
“Brenda was a trailblazer overcoming a lot of resistance to women in local government and going on to become one of the most respected councillors East Gippsland has ever seen. Not only did Brenda represent the more populated areas very well, she was also a fierce advocate for small communities and outlying areas,” Joanne said.
“Brenda is an incredibly astute woman with a lot of wise advice to offer. According to Brenda the most important things for any council are transparency and accountability. I couldn’t agree more.
“I also had a very interesting catch up with Denise Knight OAM, who moved here from New South Wales four years ago.”
Before retiring to East Gippsland Denise spent 33 years as a councillor in New South Wales, including 13 as mayor and six as Deputy Mayor. Denise also had 10 years with the Jindera Fire Brigade, joining at the age of 55 and being on active fire duty until she was 65.
“Denise has been trying to draw attention to the plight of the Senior Citizens in Bairnsdale,” Joanne said.
“Members are between 70 and 95 years old and have been looking for suitable accommodation for their gatherings since their old meeting place was damaged many years ago. The insurance payout from the damage has not been directed towards the seniors and they are now forced to meet in venues that are completely unsuitable to their needs and physical abilities.
“The issues include heavy tables and chairs having to be set up and put away each meeting as the venue is hired out for other functions. As you can imagine that is incredibly difficult due to the health conditions of the members and it’s just not good enough.
“But I have to say Denise is the best advocate the senior citizens could possibly have. Let’s hope there are solid plans in place to give them the accommodation they need and deserve.”
The campaign trail has taken Joanne to Omeo region where she caught up with friends and met new people up in the Omeo Valley.
“People stressed the importance of the farming sector and the need to support it – especially now the valley has lost the timber industry,” she said.
“When you vote in this election please spare a thought for the communities east of Bairnsdale. Cann River and Orbost districts have enough to contend with, with the loss of traditional industries and council increasing farm rates over the past four years (despite the impacts of the drought and the fires).
“The district is filled with huge potential and empty promises and needs a lot more attention. The community has identified what’s needed to invite people to ‘Linger Longer in Cann’ and should be supported by council. Council can lead the way in showing it can work with other agencies to meet those needs – quickly and efficiently.
“I am here to represent the community — to make sure that their knowledge, lived experience, and needs, are fully considered, in decisions that affect them.”
