Mayor & Councillors

Mayor

Councillors

About
I was elected to the Douglas Shire Council in November 2013. I reside at Shannonvale, south of Mossman, with my partner Roisin Allen.

I have called Douglas home since late 2005.  My professional background includes over 30 years as a local government senior manager,  (including 10 years as Chief Executive officer), three years as owner manager of my own retail business and two years as manager of a NSW Police Local Area Command.

I possess significant knowledge and expertise in strategic organisational and financial management having restructured and evolved a number of Council organisations to optimise their fitness for purpose and customer service outcomes. I have also produced medium to long term financial plans
for several local Councils. I have post graduate qualifications in business and local government management.

I am a member and past treasurer of the Douglas Shire Sustainability Group (DSSG), a member of the Port Douglas Yacht Club, the Port Douglas Combined Clubs, Paws and Claws and the Clink Theatre.

I was also a member of the steering committee of Friends of Douglas Shire and a key contributor to the successful submission to the State government proposing de-amalgamation of Douglas from
Cairns Regional Council.

At a community level I have donated my time and talents as an amateur musician to fund raising events in the community.

About
Born and raised in Melbourne I moved to Far North Queensland in 2002 and I met my loving partner.

In 2009 we built our home together in Port Douglas and in 2011 in front of over 100 of our close family and friends we dedicated our love for each other with a fantastic wedding ceremony.

I spent my teenage years working as a volunteer with the St John Ambulance Brigade with well over 1000 hrs of voluntary service. I successfully gained an award from then Governor of Victoria, and competed and won many state championships.

At the age of 19 I completed my first European adventure and have been fortunate enough to not only travel whilst working through our great country but also around the globe on many occasions.

As a Manager within the hospitality Industry I have operated businesses from Tasmania through to London. At the age of 21 I was operating one of Melbourne’s biggest entertainment venues. From here my career went on to ownership of a heritage country establishment.

Currently I am the President of the Douglas Theatre Arts Group, President of the Homeless Animal Society and Boarding Kennels Inc (Paws and Claws Kennels Port Douglas), President of the Douglas Animal Welfare Group Inc (Paws and Claws Refuge and Boarding Centre) and the Treasurer of the Low Isles Preservation Society. I enjoy working in the community immensely and find each day brings new challenges and rewards.

I am passionate about our shire and look forward to assisting in taking it through the next stages. I look forward to meeting with you in the near future and hearing what you want for our region.

About
I was born here and did all my schooling attending the local schools. I always believed that growing up here I was one of the lucky ones compared to my big city counterparts, I still believe that today.

After high school I attended university in NSW at Southern Cross University doing postgraduate studies in Exercise Physiology. I had been accepted to do my PhD when an opportunity to play soccer for the Australian University team in the USA came up so I decided to defer for a year or so.

After playing in that tournament I realised I was pretty good and thought I could make a semi living from this so I decided to pursue a career in football in Europe. I was quite successful in this and I went on to live in Europe for ten years, playing soccer then teaching English and Physical Education.

After a decade I decided it was time to come home and I thought I could work on the family flower farm until I found a ‘serious’ job. Eight years later I was still there because I realised I liked the honesty of the job and the healthy lifestyle it afforded me. In 2013 when we had the referendum to de-amalgamate I didn’t think to run for council but it was an idea that grew slowly until about August 2013 when I decided I wanted to give back to the shire that I considered a fine place to live.

I currently continue to work on the flower farm and make fine decisions for the Douglas Shire as a councillor!

About
I was born in Mossman and have lived in the Douglas Shire for all of my life.

I am married to Nadia and together we have raised our three children, Talia, Amina and Karl, in the shire.

I am a qualified plumber and have also worked in bridge building, road construction and hotel and supermarket management.

I have been involved in my community organisations throughout the shire for most of my adult life.

I was a member of the Mossman Primary School P & C for 11 years, five of those as president.

I have been involved in many sporting codes in the shire, both as a committee member and a coach.

Through my work and community endeavours I have forged strong relationships with people from all sectors of the community. I have always had a passion for the well-being and prosperity of the Douglas Shire.