Elly Bird – “I have lived in Lismore for the last 15 years. I moved here to be a part of the Lismore Lantern Parade and I still to this day help with the show. Working on the Lantern Parade was where I really learnt to love the people of this community. I used to drive around to all the different Primary Schools, meet all the kids and make lanterns with them and then I got to work with all the different community groups. It was a great way to be introduced to the people of Lismore, to see the diverse, creative and proactive community that Lismore is. That was my role for a very long time.
I started seeing all these stories in the paper about Coal Seam Gas, the fact that CSG was coming to town and I went along to a meeting and decided that I wanted to a part of the fight and the helping to resist. So I did! I jumped in the deep end and that became my life for the next 4 years. I am really proud to be a big part of that. It’s been one of the most amazing efforts of community resilience and resistance I have ever seen. I think that we have been successful and become a beacon for other communities, not just here in Australia but around the world as well. People power can turn back the tide and turn the tide into a future that we can be proud of instead of one where we sit back and let these things roll over the top of us.
We won! And now I’ve decided to run for council on the ‘Our Sustainable Future’ ticket because I see it like this, I’ve essentially been serving my community for the last 16 years and this is just the next stage in my service to our community. I’ve seen the difference that the council has made, particularly in the CSG fight and I’m really excited by some of the things that council has poised, ready to take off and some of the achievements that the current council has managed to make so I would like to see those things cemented and made real. I want to work with the people here, to represent them and to solidify our reputation here in Lismore as a progressive and sustainable region. I’m excited to be able to work more closely with all the different aspects in our community, not just the people involved in the CSG fight but people across the whole region.
Our Sustainable Future is a party that’s very much about a local government party that’s all about working with community for sustainable outcomes.
I’m 39 and I’m not afraid of hard work, jumping in boots and all. If I believe something and I’m committed to something then I am determined to see those outcomes delivered and I want to see good things come for the people of this region. This is the way that I can do that.”