Spotlight : Councillor Paul Gleeson, Candidate for Division 9

I was born in Brisbane as one of three boys. My identical twin and I, Steve were born in 1973 and our brother, Brian, came along a little later. I would say we had quite a difficult upbringing. Owing to changing family circumstances, we moved around a lot, around Brisbane, down to Tassie, up to Nanango and back so we didn't have a lot of stability. For instance we went to 15 different schools. We moved to Tassie when I was about three. I was diagnosed with Systemic Idiopathic Juvenile Arthritis when I was 6 and so my family moved back to Brisbane for the warmer climate. (Systemic is the worst strain of Juvenile arthritis. It affects organs as well as joints and many die before they get to 30 from it. 10-20% of kids grow out of it and I was one of the lucky ones) When I was 10, Mum was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer - she was aged 29. She lived for another nine years and was in and out of hospitals and various homes. My brothers and I used to visit her regularly and by the time she ended up in a high care nursing home, she was in a really bad way. Dad was on the Carer's pension and we lived in public housing for a while. Mum's illness placed a lot of stresses on the family as you can imagine. The year I turned 15, I took up carpentry apprenticeship (Steve later joined the Army). That was 1988 and after I'd finished, there was a bit of a recession which meant there really was no building work. I had three bosses in two years and so in 1990 I went into retail.

When I was 23, I met my wife Nicky. In April this year we will have been married 15 years. We have two boys and one girl, Jake, 14, Deagen, 11 and Keira, 6. We operated a carpel cleaning and water damage restoration business for nearly 14 years. At one stage we had 12 staff. Why did I run for Council? I have been interested in politics for a long time. I became involved in campaigning on a local level when some residents in my neighbourhood were fighting against the Rhodes Development in Capalaba; I dabbled with the LNP before deciding that party politics was really not for me. I threw my name in the hat because the opportunity to run for Council came up and, to be honest, I was quite surprised when I won. I'd like to think that I have been a decent representative for the area since. I do think I work very hard as I have no other interests in my life! I am on call 24/7 and have really made my life about doing the best job I can for the people in my Division. I have achieved quite a few things I'm proud of: the war on graffiti; beautifications; infrastrucutre such as the new stage in Capalaba Regional Park; driving the establishment of the Bayside Blues Festival; bringing the giant Waterslide to Redlands. Ultimately my one goal is to keep working on building community pride in this Division. My goal is to better promote another image of Capalaba: as a great place to live for families, where there are great cultural events happening and there are beautiful and safe neighbourhoods. Given my background in small business, I also believe it is really important for Council to be run as as any good business. It should be run in a way that can future-proof the City against whatever market pressures come into play, minimising debt and controlling rates increases because many households in my Division do continue to struggle. Working to meet the needs of both businesses and residents in Capalaba is really important and I think it's something I do reasonably well. I hope the residents of Division 9 will see that on March 19.

Spotlight: Paul Branagan, Independent Candidate for Division 1, Wellington Point & Ormiston

I was born in the UK in an industrial city called Wolverhampton. The youngest of 5 children, my family made many financial sacrifices in order for me to be able to attend University, (not a common thing at that time for kids from Wolverhampton!) where I gained my Honours Degree in Political Science.

After University I was fortunate enough to work for some very large international companies in a variety of management roles, before taking over as Managing Director of a UK based IT company at the age of 29.  

Since then I have run and owned businesses, both here and in Europe.

 I have also had the pleasure of having extensive involvement in a great homeless charity called The Big Issue, helping it to win the Lord Mayor’s Community Event of the Year Award, in 2012.

At a local level I have been heavily involved in organising a number of charity events including for Flood Relief and also a function that is now becoming an annual Wellington Point charity day, supporting great local causes. The next one is currently in the planning stage and will hopefully be bigger than the last one which raised approx $14k for a great local charity!

Away from the commercial and charity worlds, I spend my downtime with my family, or enjoying sport. A fan of most sports, I have played, as well as coached soccer, at several local clubs including Mooroondu, Bayside United and most recently at Capalaba Bulldogs. 

I was also lucky enough to spend a few years running the Big Issue’s Homeless street soccer program.

Having been on many great holidays to Australia, my wife and I decided to permanently move here to Brisbane in 2002, and have been living in beautiful Wellington Point ever since. We are Australian Citizens, our daughter was born here and we love it! 

And that’s one of the reasons I am standing for Division 1 - because I want to see our community prosper into the future, and I believe I can help to achieve that for all of us. 

I am running for council because I believe that if we are going to continue to be a successful and vibrant city going forward, we need to move away from the politics of confrontation that has crept into our local government. 

Redland City is a large, beautiful, diverse, and growing area that will only prosper with professional and competent leadership, working together to make The Redlands even greater. 

I want to utilise my extensive national and international (commercial and not-for-profit) experience to help us meet the challenges of the next few years.

Our future does not have to be one of development versus environment. But recently, it seems that the council chamber is a divided chamber, between those who are pro the supposed extreme ‘greenies’ and those who are pro the supposed ‘anti-environment’ developers.  Not only is a divided council not good for any of us, but it is also a gross simplification of the vast majority of people’s views. 

Most residents understand that there is going to be some development, but they want it to be sustainable, without destroying the beautiful environment we live in, and to be supported by the right level of infrastructure.   

 We want our kids to be able to afford housing here, and not necessarily have to commute daily into the city for the majority of further education and job opportunities.                    

Some population growth is coming, but it does not have to be at the cost of losing what we hold so dear. It is therefore imperative that we have people in place with the experience to be able to manage this growth and change proactively, whilst protecting our great way of life.

 Being an area of Australia where the local government is not politically aligned, should actually make the task of working together to achieve this easier. But that is not currently happening and that is why, it’s time for a change.

Ultimately, I want to defend and enhance our village lifestyle and sense of community, to ensure our pristine Moreton Bay remains pristine for our children and grandchildren, to ensure we do not go back to the cost blowouts and massive rate increases we have seen previously, and to help us move forward as a great and united city.

My undertaking to you is that I will represent the needs of all Ormiston & Wellington Point residents and stand firm against the pressures of special interest groups. I do not intend to just ‘listen’, but to act for all local people, young or old, employed or unemployed, working families or community groups.

I stand for a transparent local government where what I say, what I do and how I vote will be open to public scrutiny. Your scrutiny. And that is exactly how it should be!

I ask you to vote 1 for Paul Branagan at the coming election.

Spotlight on: Corinne Tomasi, Candidate for Division 1, Wellington Point

I was born and have spent all but one year of my 48 years of life living in Wellington Point.  I grew up with two brothers, Stuart and James.

My dad worked for the railway and my mum was a businesswoman.  They met in Wello where my dad’s family had a holiday house.

Mum’s family, the Gorrings have lived here over seven generations.  My great great Grandfather had a pineapple farm on Main Road and that’s where my Da (great grandfather), Reg, was born.   My Da was a carpenter and I was 13 when he died so I still have very clear memories of him.  He was a beautiful man and many people I meet when door-knocking still remember him.

Da built quite a lot of homes such as the old Uniting Church.  He was buried there but 12 months later, it burned down.  That site is now the location of units.

Five generations of the Gorring Clan.  

In my early years I went to Wellington Point State School until Grade 5, before moving to Ormiston State School and then high school was spent at Mt Carmel College in Wynnum.

So you can see, my family has a very long connection to this area.

Back when I was young, Redlands was a big farming community as everyone knows.  In fact, I remember some kids at school used to be dropped off by tractor and many didn’t even wear shoes!

I enjoyed an idealistic childhood climbing the tracks at Wellington Point  and exploring the rock pools at Wellington Point Beach.   Like all my family I learned to swim at Wello. If you didn't come home with red feet and a red bottom you hadn’t had a great day!

After I finished school, my day job was as a Secretary for a lawyer but I wasn’t particularly good.  At night I used to sing at bars, clubs and private functions, sometimes for charity.

Mum says that I could sing before I could talk.  I have always had a very strong voice and, as I grew up in a very musical family, my singing was always encouraged. 

In fact, back around 1978 from memory I cam first in the Queensland Youth of the Year music competition.  I beat this young boy called Keith Urban.   Look where Keith is and look where Corinne is – yes, I know!

One of the biggest influences in my life is my mum.  She is a person who will pretty much have a go at anything and, over the years, she’s run several shops including a gift shop, antique shop and a dress shop.  She also ran the Clevetown Motel in Ormiston.  

She is and always has been a very progressive, forward-thinking woman who has brought me up to believe that there is nothing women can’t do.

My whole family has been told that it is better to have a go and give it your best shot rather than die wondering – so we rarely say die.  We  will give most things a go – like mum.

Mum was also one of the first members of the Redlands Museum and, as it turned out this would lead to one of the pivotal decisions in our lives.

As a volunteer for the Museum, she was asked to go for a tour Whepstead.  At the time, it was a private home, two families lived there and had just been closed as a convalescent home – the Bayview Convalescent Home it was called and many older residents will remember it.  

Anyway, Mum went up there with this tour, and discovered that the people who owned it at the time were going to sell it.   She was informed that they believed they would get more money if it was demolished.  

My mum didn’t like that idea at all so, when she came home that day, she told my dad and my granddad that we had to save it.

At that time, the family lived in the old house that was once the home of the local blacksmith in Wellesley Street in Wello Point.   Mum always felt she had saved that house’s life by choosing to do it up.

 (That house is no longer there and has since been subdivided into four blocks.  It was moved out   out somewhere in Toowoomba.  She lived there - felt saved that house’s life.)

Anyway, Mum put that house on the market and then Mum and Dad and my Papa bought Whepstead.  They paid $64,000 in 1977.

So when I was 10 I found myself living in this old house with two rooms downstairs set aside for a restaurant which my parents ran so they could afford to fund what turned out to be a massive renovation.

I would like to think my family saved the life of that Home, too.

Today I am married with four children:  Georgia, James, Ava and Chiara.  I also have a grandson, Harry who's basically the boss.I work in my husband’s carpentry business and also sell a bit of jewellery on the side – to be honest it probably justifies my habit for bling.

I am very proud of my roots and the contributions I feel my family have made to this area.

My family continues to live in the Redlands and wish to see the next generations be afforded the wonderful lifestyle I had.

I am running for Division 1 because, as I said, my mother taught me to have a go.

I ran for this seat in 2012 and lost by just 90 votes.  Who knows?  This year could be the year when the residents of Division 1 realise that I am the positive change it needs in seizing the future.

Spotlight on Julie Talty: Councillor and Candidate for Division 6, Mount Cotton

I grew up in the Redlands, spending my teenage years at pony club, skating at Rollercade and what is now YMCA at Victoria Point and travelling to Wynnum on the bus for many hours to go to school at Moreton Bay College.

My husband John and I were married in 1986.  We had a huge wedding reception in what was then the new performing arts hall in Cleveland, now known as RPAC.  And as it was the 1980s, this of course also included huge hair, puffy sleeves and matching bridesmaids and groomsmen! We are approaching our 30^th wedding anniversary.

My family have deep roots in the Redlands; I am a fifth generation Redlander.   My Dad was a Redland Shire Councillor for 18 years.

I am a teacher by profession and, as I love history, it seemed natural that I would become a history teacher.


It was also a natural profession for me, it seems, as I love kids, or more precisely the promise of kids, helping them to explore all that they might do and become through learning.  

My Great Grandparents on both sides were farmers in the late 18th century in Redland Bay and Mt Cotton and later at Cleveland.

We have two fabulous kids, who are now 21 and 18. We have lived in Mt Cotton for about 25 years.

My 2x Great Grandmother Sophia Routledge as she greets her grandson George 

at the family farm at Redland Bay with the bread delivery from the bakery at Cleveland. 

The Routledge farm was on land that now includes Sandy Cove, Redland Bay.

My Great Gran, Susan Pooley ran the railway shop and post office at Wellington Point.  I loved playing in the long closed old shop when I was little.

Her son, who was my Pop, John Pooley was in business in Cleveland, ‘Pooley and Crane’ it was called, and later he ran the Cleveland Post Office.

My Grandad on the other side and his brothers had a farm supply and hardware, ‘Burns Brothers’ in old Cleveland opposite the first railway line in Shore Street. 

Of course the War affected every family in the Redlands, mine included.
The eldest brothers of the Burns family left for World War I, all were injured and eldest brother George is remembered on the cenotaph at Cleveland, he along with so many others was lost to the Somme in 1917.

And then again, in World War II everyone was called for service.  My Pop went to New Guinea, where he was injured and returned. My Nan was a war widow.

But in between all of this, they lived full and fruitful lives here in the Redlands, and they saw a lot of change. They built strong communities and where connected; they also had a lot fun!


My great grandparents, Bill and Caroline Burns around 1886 in the orchard at the family farm in Mt Cotton.

Known as Burn’s flat it was on land that is now part of Sirromet. 

They would raise 7 children, the oldest George lost at the battle of the Somme 1917.

 
Growing up, my earliest memories include going with my Aunt, cousins and the big kids down past the old railway tacks to swim in the ‘nudie pools’ in Cleveland. I thought that was a magical place.  It is long gone now, but it is clear in my mind. 
When I left school, I had no clue what I wanted to do.

I was guided into a trade. ‘You’ll always be ok if you have a trade’ as they say, so I became a hairdresser.  

I couldn’t be more pleased that now, when my daughter now considers that she might want to do a trade, she is talking about electrical, plumbing or carpentry. Girls are no longer restricted but there is still work to do in breaking down those barriers.
 I completed my trade and progressed through various positions in that industry, until I found myself training others. That was the first indication that I was good at teaching.

I also travelled, spending time backpacking through the UK, Europe and North Africa during my twenties with my husband John.

When we settled back home in Redlands and our daughter, Claudia, was born, I returned to study and over the next decade I gained another child, two Bachelors degrees and a post graduate degree, while also being a working parent.

(My son is now a second year Bachelor of Science student, while my daughter is a success in her own right and will be off backpacking across the world; I couldn’t be more proud of the people they are).

As a result, I do understand how tough it is for young families to make ends meet and for young parents to support their family’s needs while also having dreams of their own.

Building caring supportive communities makes a big difference.

Now of course, my children have grown up in Mt Cotton, they have never lived anywhere else.  

I feel very connected here and care deeply about the future of Redland and our families.  

I have served this community as local teacher, and now as local Councillor sinec 2012. I have spent many years on committees for P&C, sporting clubs and being involved with council. 

Being able to be a small part of so many of those endeavours is one of the best parts of being a councillor.

I really enjoy being a Councillor and representing my Division.  Although I work very long hours, I believe that the work matters, so it doesn't seem a chore.

I have always believed if you find you are doing something you don’t enjoy, change it. I do try to keep some balance

I have a close family and I keep horses. I have a dear mare who is aging a bit now and she has a son. He is a strong beautiful young horse and I look forward to training him up to his full potential.

Me with my horse, Rory the Roman.

I am looking forward to entering a second term in council. If I am given the opportunity to represent the people of Division 6 again, I will be working hard again to implement the many great projects that have been started.

I have worked hard to ensure our community is resourced. There is still a lot of catching up to do, but we are on the right track.

I hope that on March 19, the community will recognise this and vote accordingly.

Spotlight on Mark Edwards, Councillor for Division 5, Redland Bay and SMBIs

I’ve lived in the Redlands most of my life and love it here.    

I moved here with Mum and Dad in 1974.  Dad spent 28 years in the Navy and Airforce which resulted in overseas postings so I travelled quite a bit when I was young.  We lived in Malaysia and Sydney and Amberley.    

I was one of four children.  My sister and mother live on Russell Island.  Dad died on Coochie Mudlo Island where he lived for several years. 

I know quite a bit about my family background  as my wife, Suzette, and I have had a long love affair with genealogy. 

For instance, I’ve traced my history back to o the first Fleet when my ancestor Thomas Harmsworth died at Port Jackson on  30 Apr 1788, just a few months after the fleet arrived. His wife Alice survived him and lived until 08 Oct 1830, and was buried at Green Point, Tasmania.    

My wife, Suzette has an interesting family history too, being a descendant of two first fleet Convicts and also of family from Germany in the 1800’s who sailed to Moreton Bay.  

My family ancestry is very much based in the military.  My grand father fought in World War II, most notably at Tobruk, and my great grand father was a World War 1 vet.  It’s something I’m very proud of. 

In my teen years I went to Cleveland State High when it was the only high school.  That's where I met Suzette.  We have been happily married for 35 years. 

Immediately after leaving school, I commenced a 20 year banking career that started at a local Cleveland branch of the Commercial Bank of Australia which became part of Westpac Banking Corporation.  

Back then the bank's offices were located opposite the Council Chambers  and most of our customers were farmers.  It was a small, close community.   

But from there, I rose through the ranks, as you do, to senior regional manager roles. I was transferred all around Queensland and found that I excelled at accountancy and Management.  

Over that time, we moved around quite a bit and Suzette and I really enjoyed the excitement of living in new places every few years. The outback of Queensland, looking after Birdsville and Boulia, was very special. 

But home is always home and by 2001, when our children’s education became a priority, we were back in Redlands and settled in to a new life away from banking.  

We have two daughters - Taylor, who successfully graduated and is employed by the State Government, and Tiffany who is now in her second year of university study.

Aside from my banking career, I’ve always been very interested in community issues.  For example, I have done a bit of work  to protect runaway kids when we were living at Yeppoon in Central Queensland.  

Trained by the State Government in a drug awareness program, we not only ran a youth program that was the largest in the Rockhampton area but also took runaway kids to live in our home until a permanent safe environment could be found. 

At times, my job took me to the outback where I was involved in remote communities, acting as a sentencing judge with the police outside the court circuit.  

It was pretty interesting to be both the local Bank Manager and also the official representing the Court outside their circuit.  

One of  my best experiences was helping the indigineous people write a submission to the Fedral Government seeking native title to the Simpson Desert beyond Birdsville. The success of this application lead to employment opportnities to the indiginoues people and expanding the tourism experience, a win/win outcome. 

To relax I love having some down time together as a family - I try to make it a priority. I also love the occasional game of golf with my friends at the Redland Bay Golf Club where I'm currently a Member. 

Mark makes spending time with his family a priority.

One of the best things about being a Councillor is the day to day social interaction with our community groups and residents.  I meet a lot of different people and have managed to  forge some great friendships with people who belong to lots of different organisations such as the Men’s Sheds, the local RSLs, Progress Associations and more. 

Politics was not something I had planned for and was a result of frustration with my Council dealings and seeing my rate notices spiral upwards year on year.  

The continuing Council budget deficits of the previous administration kind of set off the banker's brain in me.   I was led to believe that the Council financial management was out of control and I felt something needed to be done. 

I can remember complaining to Suzette about what I had learned about the way it was being managed and operated when she looked at me and said, “then do something about it”.  That was the moment I decided to run for Council. 

  Since being elected, the key thing that drives me is to deliver positive outcomes - I love being able to make a real difference to people’s lives. 

I think my banking background has certainly helped, particularly as the Portfolio Chair of the Office of the CEO which oversees the finance of Council, and has delivered our third year of surplus budgets and a net nil debt position.  That's an achievement most local governments could only dream of and I'm really proud of it. 

But there’s still a lot to do and a lot I’d like to have a chance to do. 

Now the financial position of the Council is sound, a  program of major infrastructure improvements can go ahead without impacting on the ratepayer. This includes traffic flow improvements, parking provisions, foreshore redevelopments, more boat ramps and improvements to roads.  

As a parent, I also believe that a university in the Redlands should be a high priority.  At present, a child at uni actually  creates a burden on our families as we try to manage the balance of long travel and costs for our children to attend.  

The good news is that Redlands has started to attract higher education facilities and that is an issue that I intend to pursue. 

Certainly Division 5 is without doubt  the most challenging of all Divisions in Redland City and more than one person described it to me, in the early part of this term, as a ‘ poisoned chalice’. 

This Division has diverse issues relating to the islands community and Redland Bay and it’s quite difficult to be able to meet everyone’s needs and wants. 

One way I’ve dealt with this diversity is to establish homes both on the mainland and on Russell Island.    I’m the only Councillor who has two residences, but I felt it was really important to be able to relate to the issues of the people I represent so I can better engage with the community.   

I would like to think that I have been successful in this.  I have worked hard on the ground and delivered some good results for both the mainland and island communities in my Division.  I hope that voters on March 19 will agree.