With a strong record of community volunteering, standing for Ipswich City Council’s Division 1 was a natural decision to make for newly elected Councillor Pye Augustine.
Cr Augustine, who lives at Redbank Plains, migrated to Australia from South Africa in 1980. She has 30 years’ experience in leadership in sporting organisations, including close involvement with Western Pride and Springfield United football clubs, and a strong record of community volunteering.
But it’s the opportunity to take community service to the next level that led Cr Augustine to nominate at the recent Ipswich City Council elections.
“I’ve spent a long time in the community space working to get results, a lot of that working hand-in-hand with local, state and federal government representatives,” Cr Augustine said.
“I’ve always been passionate about community having a voice at the grassroots level. I saw (being a councillor) as an opportunity to be a voice for the community as well.”
Key facts - Cr Augustine
- Prior to being elected as a councillor for Division 1, Cr Augustine worked in the banking sector.
- Cr Augustine has 10 years’ experience in the financial sector
Cr Augustine’s priorities for the next four years are clear.
“When I’m standing here in four years and looking back, I want to be able to see how I’ve helped shift the big ticket items an inch forward,” she said.
“With some of the smaller things, I want to know they’re delivered or there’s a definite end date in sight.
“There are also a couple of things that aren’t necessarily directly in the local government space but are important to communities.
“Increasing safety around the city as it grows is important to me.
“One of the things I would like to look at is the current Safe City network to see if we can improve on that.”
As a grassroots community campaigner for most of her career, Cr Augustine is also aware that taking on a more public profile inevitably means being an example for others.
“I will represent everyone in Division 1 to the best of my ability,” Cr Augustine said.
If I can use this time to help other people to achieve greater heights, and particularly members of Ipswich’s multi-cultural community, then I’ll be over the moon.
Division 1 at a glance
- Division 1 is the largest division in Ipswich City Council, amalgamating both rural and urban suburbs in its 611 square kilometres
- It includes areas of significant current and predicted future growth, such as the Ripley Priority Development Area.
- The division has a current population of 63,633.
Ipswich City Council 2024-2028 Mayor and Councillors at the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, 2 April 2024.
