February 18, 2016
For most of the election campaign it looked like Division 6 councillor Ros Heit would be elected unopposed at the March 19 election, but a late challenger has put up his hand to make sure a ballot is held.
Uwe Nowack – better known as Tom – is a small businessman who also has cattle on a 300 acre property at Inverlaw. He also has a vision to run free-range chickens as a commercial enterprise.
Mr Nowack bought the block four years ago, and for a while he and his family were splitting their time between Caloundra and Inverlaw.
However, he and his wife Wendy are now full-time South Burnett residents, and two of their three children go to school here.
It was the experience of his third child that helped to convince Mr Nowack to stand for council.
“He tried to get an apprenticeship here but there are just not many jobs,” Mr Nowack said.
“So he has just started an apprenticeship on the Coast.”
He said his slogan was “jobs for your children and grandchildren”.
“I love this area. I love Kingaroy. I love the South Burnett and I want to raise our family here,” he said.
“But it is very hard for young people to stay in this area.
“Some friends had four sons and they all left to get jobs.
“The old people stay on the farms. Eventually there will be no one on the farms.”
Mr Nowack is an accredited solar installer and has relocated his business, Australian Green Power Company Pty Ltd, to Inverlaw.
“Most of our work was on the Coast, Brisbane and Caboolture but we have now done quite a lot of work here, concentrating on off-grid work,” he said.
Mr Nowack said he saw a lot of potential in the South Burnett “if we have the right councillors”.
He said there were many things Council could do to help create jobs.
“Council could encourage farmers to produce more, and help them to sell their product. They could facilitate share-farming and encourage value-adding,” he said.
Mr Nowack said he admired the way Ipswich Council had been encouraging local business.
“My belief is Council can do a lot more than just put committees out there,” he said.
“It can facilitate value-adding in the area, that will create jobs.”
He said another key issue in the Division was wild dogs, and he had been forced to shoot one just recently that had been attacking a calf.
Mr Nowack said he would like to see the 1080 baiting program organised in a different way.
He would also like to see the South Burnett Regional Council introduce recycling, even if the scheme would only break even or cost a little money.
“There are other benefits out of it,” he said.
Mr Nowack said it would be nice to be able to say he was against the $200 road levy, but he thinks Council will have to keep it.
“The road levy brings in $3 million so it would be hard to cut it off completely,” he said.
