{"id":256431,"date":"2020-04-08T19:09:51","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T09:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=256431"},"modified":"2020-07-11T11:29:20","modified_gmt":"2020-07-11T01:29:20","slug":"first-priority-keeping-covid-19-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/04\/08\/first-priority-keeping-covid-19-out\/","title":{"rendered":"First Priority: Keeping COVID-19 Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mayor Elvie Sandow … first the community has to get through the COVID-19 pandemic (Photo: CASC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 8, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

There’s only one priority in Cherbourg at present, and that is keeping COVID-19 out of the community, newly elected Mayor Elvie Sandow says.<\/p>\n

Mayor Sandow and her team of four councillors – Bronwyn Douglas, Leighton Costello, Tom Langton and Fred Cobbo – were officially sworn in for their four-year term on Wednesday afternoon by Cherbourg Council CEO Chatur Zala.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Mayor Sandow said she felt very honoured to be the first woman elected to lead the Cherbourg community.<\/p>\n

“I was raised by my two grandmothers and they were very strong women … I’m strong because of them,” she said.<\/p>\n

Mayor Sandow was Deputy Mayor during the last term of Council while also working at the Gundoo Early Learning Centre.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, she will be resigning this position now as being Mayor is a full-time job.<\/p>\n

Mayor Sandow knows how Council works. She was first elected to Cherbourg Council back in 2000 and has served several terms since then.<\/p>\n

She also worked as payroll officer with the organisation for 21 years.<\/p>\n

“First of all, we need to get over this pandemic that’s around at the moment,” she said.<\/p>\n

“My concern at the moment is the wellbeing of our elders in our community, and everyone else – our people – in our community.”<\/p>\n

She said the government was introducing the restrictions for a reason.<\/p>\n

“Once it gets into our community, it’s not going to get out,” Mayor Sandow said.<\/p>\n

“We have to think about our Elders, we have to think about our young people. This is very important and people have got to start listening.”<\/p>\n

Mayor Sandow said she expected challenges ahead but her aim was to make the right decisions for the Cherbourg community.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I always remember … I’m in here because those people out there in the community put me here. And they put me here for a reason,” she said.<\/p>\n

She said her passion was for early education, which laid the foundation for children.<\/p>\n

“Children are our future. To make a difference in their lives, that’s where you’ve got to start,” she said.<\/p>\n

Another challenge would be employment.<\/p>\n

“We have to look at our young people and train them up. That’s opening the doors for our young people,” Mayor Sandow said.<\/p>\n

She said the idea she was the first female mayor anywhere in the South Burnett hadn’t yet sunk in.<\/p>\n

“I’m happy. I think my family is more happy. My mum is happy for me.<\/p>\n

“It’s a long road but I say ‘Bring it on!’<\/p>\n

“I’m a community person. I know what we need here. Being a community person, people can come and talk to me about anything.”<\/p>\n