Ivy young

candidates_ivy_1

I am a country woman, brought up on a cattle farm on the NSW south coast, and have lived in The Channon for 14 years. I studied Naturopathy at SCU, travelled, then came back to settle in The Channon  – raising my family, managing my husband’s small business, Tree Shape, and working part-time in Lismore.

Running a small business that services hundreds of families throughout the Lismore region gives me insight into the needs of our local people and businesses. They are really important  to our community, and Council plays a significant part in supporting them.  My business has also given me the ability to communicate with a wide variety of people, and to coordinate and prioritise my work and family life.

I love rural life, and work hard at home and in the community, and understand the issues for people who live in rural areas. It’s not all about roads and potholes, but they do rate pretty highly! Over the years I’ve been involved in building our home, gardening, and volunteering with various local community groups, including as President in the management committee of the preschool committee and P&C for many years.

In 2015 I coordinated the Lismore Greens NSW election campaign, which saw Adam Guise come very close to winning the seat. This was a large and intense campaign, and really tested my ability to deal with people, organisations, and follow a demanding regime – much like being a councillor!

When our home was under threat from the Mt Nardi bushfires in 2019, I was a volunteer coordinator in supporting the RFS to control the fire, creating dirt lines and patrolling the fire-grounds. After the fires I became the contact person for The Channon and Surrounds Disaster Resilience Action Group. We have created a plan to improve our local preparedness and ability to respond to various natural disasters.

Our Council, with the community, have done a great job preparing for future floods after the big 2017 flood, and as a Councillor,  I will work to see Council support all its communities to be prepared and resilient in the face of disasters.

I’m a firm believer in sustainable development and feel privileged to be running as a Green’s candidate. I love the diversity of people and environments in the Northern Rivers and see them as our greatest assets. As a councillor I would support the prosperity and well-being of our local people while protecting our precious environment. I believe this to be the primary principle of local councils.