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Meet the team

Our locals are our strength

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

Candidate

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 (Tom) Farquhar

Candidate

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.

Samuel (Sam) Jones

Candidate

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

Candidate

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. Career highlights for Alison include delivering an event in Vietnam, working on the ‘Wolverine’ movie premiere in Sydney, and volunteering in backstage audio for 5 years at the ARIA Awards. Alison has formal qualifications including a Bachelor of Commerce (Tourism Management), a Bachelor of International Studies and a Diploma of Government.

Read more about Alison

Kristie Phelan

Candidate

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.