Dear Family, Friends, and Colleagues,
Can you believe three years have passed since Jane Crowley and I launched the LET’S GET IT RIGHT campaign for Council?
Ultimately the 2021 Wingecarribee Council election, already deferred from 2020 due to COVID, was cancelled when the NSW Government sacked the dysfunctional and incompetent Council and appointed an administrator.
A lot has happened in three years! Jane has expanded Dirty Janes into Canberra and Orange and although her business and travel commitments prevent her from running this time, she remains fully supportive of the campaign which I deeply appreciate.
Some things however have remained the same. It is still critically important for our community to elect a majority of competent and suitably experienced individuals to Council. Our Southern Highlands community needs and deserves people on Council that are by nature active listeners, possess common sense, gather facts and refer to evidence, and seek expert advice on significant issues prior to making informed decisions. We need Councillors that will serve the best interests of the community and preserve the unique character of the Shire.
I am exceptionally proud to be leading our independent LET’S GET IT RIGHT ticket running for the Wingecarribee Shire Council election on 14 September 2024. There will be more communications to come but right now I would like to introduce our amazing team of candidates, each person is ready and willing to serve if elected, as well as to share with you our 3 Policy Pillars for the election.
Please remember what is at stake when discussing the upcoming election with family and friends. This is our first opportunity in 8 years to elect representatives to Council. LET’S GET IT RIGHT – IT’S TOO IMPORTANT NOT TO.
Kind regards
Nicole Smith
Lead Candidate
LET’S GET IT RIGHT
MEET OUR TEAM
Nicole Smith, Lead Candidate
Nicole is a lifelong resident of the Southern Highlands. Growing up she attended Bowral Public School and Bowral High School and then University of Canberra where she attained a degree in Communications, majoring in Public Relations and Sociology. On reflection, from an early age Nicole displayed a desire to participate and make a positive difference through leadership. She was School Captain at High School and her active involvement in university life was recognised when she was awarded the University of Canberra Leadership Award.
Bronwyn Tregenza
Bronwyn is a long time resident of the Southern Highlands and for more than 20 years has been a champion for residents advocating to council for practical outcomes in relation to Renwick and the Development Control Plan. Bronwyn has two adult children and lives with her husband in Mittagong. She is currently a lecturer in Digital Technologies and STEM in the School of Education at Macquarie University. With formal qualifications in Bachelor or Arts with Diploma in Education and a Master of Education she is now completing a PhD.
Thomas Farquhar
Tom is the youngest candidate on the Let’s Get It Right ticket and at 32 years of age he is a born and bred local Highlander. Tom attended Chevalier College and is a successful entrepreneur who assisted many local businesses to survive COVID. Tom owns the iconic Seesaw Outdoor business. He deserves to be proud of major accomplishments in his early career including creating the Highland’s first billboard agency and erecting Bowral’s first covered digital billboard as well as pivoting during COVID to rapidly activate Send Eats a local food delivery service that provided a lifeline for cafes and restaurants.
Sam Jones
Sam was raised and schooled in Bowral after his parents moved to the Southern Highlands in the early 1970’s. He moved back to the Highlands with his wife Jackie and two sons in 2011. Sam is a high school teacher who has taught for ten years at Bowral High, Moss Vale High and is currently at Oxley College. He is immersed in issues relating to education, youth opportunities including employment, traineeships and apprenticeships through TAFE and higher education through university.
Alison Courts
Alison is born and raised in the Southern Highlands having attended Gumnut Preschool, Bowral Public School and Bowral High School. She has worked in event management which included delivering an Asia-Pacific event in Vietnam, and has run her own event management business, Tea Cup Events, for the past 10 years in the Highlands. She has worked in project management at Department of Finance & Deregulation in Canberra and office management at Waratah Building which won Business of the Year in 2023.
Kristie Phelan
Kristie is born and bred in the Southern Highlands. With formal qualifications including a BA Communications & Media, Kristie has had a distinguished media career. She is the most awarded creative director in broadcast media, which is a phenomenal achievement, having received more than 200 awards including Promax, BDA and Imagine Awards for Broadcast Excellence. Most would know her from her recent role as Head of Sturt. Kristie is a passionate supporter of, and advocate for, arts and cultural programs and initiatives and is proud to have served on the founding committee for Ngununggula, the Southern Highlands Regional Gallery, as well as the Arts & Culture Committee for Wingecarribee Shire Council.
Let’s vote for…
Positive leadership
- competent and respectful, leadership that residents can be proud of
- extensive small business and community organisation experience
- common sense, facts and evidence based, informed decision-making
Community Vision
- committed to actively listening to the needs of community groups
- preserve Shire character, the green between townships and villages
- support upgrading and maintaining sports and community facilities
Smart Shire
- proactively encourage innovation, sustainability, and resilience
- foster a smart ecosystem that creates skills and jobs of the future
- manage population growth with medium density close to services