April 13, 2022
The fourth candidate who hopes to make a mark on the South Burnett Regional Council after the Division 1 by-election is Tony Edwards.
southburnett.com.au spoke to Mr Edwards recently to learn more about his hopes for the region and for Division 1 in particular.
He has lived in Nanango for 25 years and his wife Sonia works at Nanango Hospital.
Mr Edwards has worked for SB Waste Management for the past three years.
The company manages the waste transfer facilities at Wondai and Murgon for the South Burnett Regional Council so it’s not surprising that Mr Edwards’ big passion is … recycling!
“I would like to see more recycling done in the South Burnett,” he said.
“At the moment I see thousands of wine bottles and milk cartons going into landfill.
“I would also like to see something done with the cardboard. The bins fill up too quickly.
“We salvage what we can, but the waste is unreal.”
Mr Edwards was formerly a concreter and ran his own business but had to change careers after a knee operation put paid to his trade.
But why is he now thinking about running for Council?
“My daughter Illisha is studying political science in Tasmania and told me that she wants to run for the Senate,” Mr Edwards said.
“I told her that one day I would like to put my hat in the ring for Council.”
The pair were planning to make their bids in 2024, but then Cr Roz Frohloff resigned and the Division 1 Council seat became vacant.
“It was two years ahead of schedule,” Mr Edwards joked. “But my daughter said ‘Go for it!’.”
As well as recycling, Mr Edwards would like to see Council attack the issue of causeways that regularly flood, particularly the one in Arthur Street, Nanango.
“That is something that could be fixed,” he said.
And his other big hope for Council?
“One day I would like to see our town water being drinkable,” he said.
Mr Edwards is also a big Broncos fan and has a massive collection of coins, stamps and other collectibles.
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The Nanango Tourism and Development Association (NaTDA) will be holding a “Meet The Candidates” night from 6:00pm on Thursday (April 14) in the Long Hai Room at the Nanango RSL Club.
The election will be held on Saturday, April 30.
A polling booth will be open at Nanango State School from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
Pre-poll voting will also be available at the Council offices in Drayton Street from 9:00am to 5:00pm on April 26-28; and 9:00am to 6:00pm on April 29.
Telephone voting will not be available.
The by-election has been called due to the resignation of Cr Roz Frohloff on March 23.
Voting is compulsory for all people enrolled to vote in Division 1.
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