THE TWEED SHIRE Volume 1 #7 Thursday, October 9, 2008 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 Fax: (02) 6672 4933 [email protected] [email protected] www.tweedecho.com.au LOCAL & INDEPENDENT p12 Joan beats Bless all creatures great and small them at their own game New Tweed shire mayor Joan van Lieshout reveals to The Echo how she survived the recent election campaign and came out trumps. Madeleine Doherty ‘It absolutely brought me to where I am today. I think my conservative Newcomer Joan van Lieshout outwit- colleagues (Warren Polglase and Phil ted and outplayed the political veter- Youngblutt) thought I was just an- ans of the Tweed, taking the mayoral other woman. crown and the all-important casting ‘Th ey underestimated me. Having vote on the Tweed Shire Council. been through an abusive marriage Seven-year-old Pirie Outridge, of Murwillumbah, with her blessed little guinea pig Ella at Sunday’s ceremonial Liberal Party candidate Cr van your antennas go up around people blessing of the pets at All Saints Anglican Church in Murwillumbah. Photo Jeff ‘Dolittle’ Dawson Lieshout said she did not run for you don’t trust. You learn to keep one council to play party politics or to step ahead,’ she said. Saint Francis of Assisi would have lowed themselves to be displaced by Reverend Colin Tett blessed more become mayor. As a very recent member of the been touched to see his work be- a donkey. than 50 animals including dogs, cats, ‘I married a millionaire – I don’t Liberal Party she was whisked off to ing carried out in Murwillumbah’s Keeping in custom with St Francis’s chickens and guinea pigs for the third need the job,’ Cr van Lieshout said. Sydney to be vetted by the party heav- Anglican church last Sunday. love of all creatures, a procession annual blessing of the animals. As a woman, she has done it tough, ies before nominating as Liberal Party St Francis, whose feast day is of animals was led into All Saints The well behaved congregation raising four children alone aft er es- council candidate. October 4, loved the larks fl ying about Anglican Church in Murwillumbah were reportedly crowing about their caping an abusive marriage. She was surprised when her con- his hilltop town. He and his early last Sunday for a special ceremony day out with no reports of any being ‘I was out on the street with my servative National Party colleagues brothers, staying in a small hovel, al- called the Blessing of the Pets. barking mad. children and had to get a Centrelink did not off er the help and support loan to pay the bond on a house,’ she she expected. sacked. I didn’t know him and I didn’t ‘I did no deals with anyone and Lieshout invited her conservative col- said. But she turned her life around Th e baptism by fi re came quickly want to be labelled by the past.’ gave no preferences,’ she said. leagues, Mr Polglase, Mr Youngblutt working and raising her children with when, on the fi rst day of the cam- She was soon to learn the rules However, she did pull preferences and Kevin Skinner into her den Jesus the only man in her life until she paign, Mr Polglase made it clear to of the Tweed’s political playground, from independent candidate Harry (with her husband Peter) for a chat met and married Peter van Lieshout, her that he would be mayor and make saying one of her fundraisers was Segal who is keen to build a shopping the Sunday before the mayoral vote. a millionaire. her his deputy. sabotaged by the National Party complex at Chinderah. Stuart Cahill, who ran on Youngblutt’s Being described as a woman who ‘It was then that I realised that if dominated Tweed Heads Chamber ‘I’ve always said I support the con- team, also attended. married a millionaire and a developer they think I’m that good I’ll go it of Commerce. cept but I have to see the details before ‘Th ey gave very little away but it doesn’t bother her because ‘it’s a fact’. alone,’ Cr van Lieshout said. Going alone meant she was on her I decide.’ had been very clear at the start of the ‘But they defi ne me by my hus- She distanced herself from Mr own. On polling day Mr Polglase had Making it through the campaign campaign Warren wanted to be may- band, ignoring the previous 58 years Polglase and Mr Youngblutt not want- 105 booth workers while ‘I had 23 peo- without any major hiccups paved the or. I just didn’t trust them and it wasn’t of my life,’ she said. ing to be tarnished by their past. ple’. Th ere were some National Party way to the more difficult negotia- clear what they wanted.’ Her life experience has been invalu- ‘It was not my place to vindicate friends who did help, but she fears they tions. Once she made her intentions clear able for her survival and success. Warren (Polglase) because he’d been have paid a price for their support. With the dust settled, Cr van continued on page 2 HUGE CLEARANCE M[Êh[H[beYWj_d] Cel_d]jeW8_]][h IWb[9ecc[dY_d]D[njM[[aWjEbZIjeh[ 8[jj[hIjeh[7jJ^[$$$ EdboWlW_bWXb[Wj HARVEY NORMAN TWEED HEADS HUGE DISCOUNTS THE GOOD GUYS CENTRE KFC SHOP 7, HOMEMART Greenway Drive Sth, GREAT BARGAINS ON TWEED, Tweed Heads JACKS DON’T MISS OUT HUNGRY MINJUNGBAL DRIVE FROM 31/10/08 PH: 5523 2055 AutoQLDNO2083 Local News Dummy spit aft er deal rejected Ken Sapwell UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT Veteran councillor Phil Young- blutt agrees that he lost his cool when mayor-to-be, Joan van ALL AREAS OF Lieshout, rejected all overtures for an alliance with his fellow conservatives. TWEED SHIRE ‘It was a dummy spit al- right,’ recalled Cr Youngblutt, UÊKingscliff UÊMurwillumbah who stormed out of the meet- ing between Ms van Lieshout UÊCarpets UÊVinyl UÊTimber Flooring and others including himself, UÊLaminate Flooring UÊBlinds Warren Polglase and Kevin Skinner at Ms van Lieshout’s house on Sunday night prior to the mayoral elections. He said he walked out aft er LAMINATE 1300 $19 sqm Ms van Lieshout fi rst turned OCT ONLY down a suggestion that she serve as deputy under Warren 555 435 Polglase for 12 months before swapping positions, but then 6/58 Machinery Drive rejected a reverse back-up (Loop Rd) Tweed Heads South plan where she would serve as Crs Warren Polglase and Phil Youngblutt in a lighthearted mood moments before the mayoral mayor with Cr Polglase as her vote last week. deputy. ‘She wouldn’t have a bar of than the individual,’ he said. Cr Polglase said the Liberal require the allegiance of both it. I said wait a minute, what But she had made it clear Party councillor may well de- sides. the hell is going on here,’ Cr that she wanted the job her- velop the skills and knowl- ‘At the moment she’s im- Youngblutt recalled this week. self despite her inexperience edge needed to run a coun- mature, unsure of herself and ‘Here she is with no experi- and lack of skills at a council cil but some big issues were doesn’t know how to handle ence and no knowledge of local level, and would only enter- looming in which she would it,’ he said. government turning down an tain Kevin Skinner or one of FLOORING CENTRES idea that would have allowed the Greens being her deputy, her to become mayor with the he said. How Joan beat them… help and support of someone ‘I suggested at fi rst that she CATALOGUE who knew the ropes. serve a term as deputy fi rst to FREE OUT NOW ‘She told us that she would get some experience before MEASURE only agree to Kevin Skinner taking over as mayor and then & QUOTE being her deputy, but when the that I serve as deputy but she vote came in the council, she wouldn’t have a bar of it,’ he voted for Barry Longland in- said. stead. ‘She had already met with ‘To my mind she has a huge the Greens and it was clear ego and is very arrogant,’ said that she was determined to be Cr Youngblutt, who disclosed mayor and she was prepared to that he was so incensed with do a deal with them to achieve Ms van Lieshout’s attitude he her ambitions. approached community coun- ‘But in this game you need cillor Barry Longland to pledge the support of both sides of his side’s support for him as council and I think she may mayor. have gone out on a limb in ‘Barry nearly fell off his supporting Cr Longland for 63 Wollumbin Street, Murwillumbah chair when I told him that she the deputy’s job in return for (02) 6672 1493 wanted Kevin as deputy. Barry the Greens’ support for her as seemed keen to be the may- mayor.’ cushions or but there must have been Cr Polglase denied he had something going on for him to discussed his mayoral ambi- Mayor Joan van Lieshout met with Bill Lovering this week at give up the $45,000 and a car,’ tions with Cr van Lieshout Coolangatta to see fi rst hand the work being done with the said Cr Youngblutt, who read- during the campaign, saying Tweed and Coolangatta homeless and those doing it hard. ily admits his side had been it wasn’t until she had sum- outsmarted.