{"id":315732,"date":"2022-04-02T18:14:02","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T08:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=315732"},"modified":"2022-04-03T13:47:53","modified_gmt":"2022-04-03T03:47:53","slug":"erkens-to-run-for-division-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2022\/04\/02\/erkens-to-run-for-division-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Erkens To Run For Division 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Nanango Real Estate principal Jane Erkens, centre, has announced her intention to stand as a candidate for the up-coming South Burnett Regional Council Division 1 by-election on April 30 … she’s pictured with her great-nephew and great-niece, Ethan and Sophie Dean (Photo: Contributed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 2, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nanango real estate agent Jane Erkens has announced she will stand as a candidate for Division 1 in the South Burnett Regional Council’s upcoming by-election.<\/p>\n

The election was called following the resignation of former incumbent Roz Frohloff, who stepped down on March 23 after serving six years in the role.<\/p>\n

The poll is scheduled to be held on April 30, and nominations close at noon on April 11.<\/p>\n

Mrs Erkens announced her candidacy on her Facebook page on Friday night (April 1) and is the first person to put up their hands for the position.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(A Facebook post from CROW-FM announcer Matt Collins stating that he was going to run was later revealed to be an April Fools Day joke).<\/p>\n

Mrs Erkens told southburnett.com.au<\/strong>\u00a0she was standing “to ensure Nanango retained a strong voice in community affairs”.<\/p>\n

Her principal motivation was that she was not happy with some of the decisions made by the current Council.<\/p>\n

And if elected, she intended to speak out strongly and vote for what she felt was best for the community, both in Nanango and the region as a whole.<\/p>\n

Mrs Erkens has been a high-profile businesswoman in Nanango for many years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She was formerly president of the now-defunct Nanango Chamber Of Commerce, and until recently served as secretary of its successor, the Nanango Tourism and Development Association.<\/p>\n

Late last year she led a protest against a Council decision to increase standpipe water charges from $4.10 to $10 per kilolitre (the price increase was reduced to $6\/kl after her protest).<\/p>\n

Mrs Erkens established The Shed in Little Drayton Street as a venue for local and visiting performing artists, and created the town’s annual Halloween Night, which celebrated its seventh outing last October.<\/p>\n

She also initiated a year-long community fundraising drive that converted Nanango’s Butter Factory Park into the region’s first all-abilities playground, and is currently part of a committee planning the town’s 175th anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n

Mrs Erkens said if she was elected, she would turn over the day-to-day running of her Nanango Real Estate business to a family member.<\/p>\n

This would allow her to concentrate on the job of representing the Division full time.<\/p>\n

Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n