First Female Mayor of Cherbourg

History was made in Cherbourg, Queensland recently when the community elected its first female mayor, Ms Elvie Sandow.

‘I was raised by my two grandmothers and they were strong women,’ Mayor Sandow said.

‘So I dedicate this to them, my late grandmothers. I am strong because of them.’

Mayor Sandow brings to the job much experience in Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council procedures having worked for the council from 1993 to 2014.

‘Twenty one years as payroll officer so I actually know how the office runs. So that’s a plus for me,’ she said.

While working for the council, she was elected as a shire councilor in 2000 but due to new legislation couldn’t do both so she resigned as the payroll officer. She took up a position in the Gundoo Early Childhood Centre where she ended up as Chief Executive Officer.

Now that she’s mayor, Mayor Sandow said she can’t continue at the centre.

‘No, I will need to resign because I know I’ve got my hands full. You’ve got to understand being a Mayor in an Aboriginal community is a full time job, because we can’t run away, cause they know where I live,’ she said with laughter.

Mayor Sandow also brings leadership abilities to the job. In the previous council term, she served as Deputy Mayor.

‘I am here because the people in the community put me here and they put me here for a reason; they want honest answers and good leadership.’

‘First of all we need to get over this pandemic. My concern at the moment is the wellbeing of our elders and the people in our community,’ she said.

‘Our main priority is to get employment back into our community for our local people.’

She said that community wellbeing and mental health is essential and that people need to get back to interacting with each other face to face.

Every leader needs vision and Mayor Sandow’s is about the future of the community.

‘My passion is early childhood education, because you’re laying the foundation for these children and you’ve got to understand children are our future, to make a difference in their lives, that’s where you got to start,’ she said.

‘[Young people] need to understand education is important, getting out there doing traineeships. But its’ getting out there and wanting to do it and having support from family as well.’

A mayor’s responsibility is great but Mayor Sandow is not daunted by her new job.

‘It’s a long road but I say bring it on because I’m a community person. I know what we need here and you know, just being a community person, people know they can come and talk to me.’