University hosts historic regional council meeting
The University of the Sunshine Coast today hosted the historic first public meeting of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council.
Hundreds of people attended the event in USC’s Innovation Centre auditorium at which Mayor Bob Abbot and the 12 newly-elected councillors took their oaths of office and addressed the meeting.
The University was chosen as neutral territory for the inaugural meeting of the merged council which includes representatives of the three previous local authorities of Noosa, Maroochy and Caloundra.
Many of the new councillors spoke with passion and emotion about the importance of their roles in establishing the new regional council.
Among them were two USC graduates – Keryn Jones in Division 3 and Chris Thompson in Division 4.
Cr Jones, who received special mention for her distinguished academic record when she graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science in 2005, spoke of her delight at being elected.
“Almost three years to the day I was standing here graduating from the University,” she said. “Never did I think that three years later I’d be standing here representing one of the largest local government organisations in Australia.”
Cr Thompson was one of the University’s inaugural graduates in 1999 after completing a degree in Bachelor of Business (Information Systems). His election has been closely followed by another personal milestone … the birth of his first child.
USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Thomas AM said he was pleased the Council had chosen the University as the venue for this important event.
“This reflects that the Council views the University as an important regional institution, and we are absolutely delighted to be hosting this historic meeting,” he said.
“It signals the start of a highly co-operative relationship in which the University and the Council will be partnering to address a range of regional issues into the future.”
Cr Abbot, in his opening address, thanked USC for hosting the council meeting and he committed the council to working closely with the University.
— Terry Walsh