As a young kid on the Coast, some of my best memories were of the city show, a local theater production, school fetes and even just a BBQ with the neighbors. I used to love the sense of belonging to something special, the school, the community, the neighborhood\u2026\u2026 a developing sense of pride for being (as we call it) a Coastie.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure if it comes from getting older and having more responsibilities and pressures, but that feeling hasn\u2019t been around much over the last 10 or so years. I often hear young people talk about \u2018getting out of here\u2019 as though staying means surrendering to a life of monotony. Then there are the letters to the editor in the local paper, some calling for more jobs and infrastructure and others complaining about changes and development. At times it seems like a double edge sword, you can\u2019t have progress without change, but you can\u2019t change things without progress.<\/p>\n
I was lucky enough as a kid to experience what happens when someone is passionate enough about where they live, to want to make a difference themselves. My dad has spent over 20 years now doing just that, making a difference as a local councilor. Public office, even in a small community can be a largely thankless job. But watching my fathers passion for our local area has reignited my desire to be part of something special.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to sit on the sidelines and critique a council on what they should or shouldn\u2019t be doing. It is far harder in reality to be that representative and look beyond the individual naysayers to a bigger more promising vision for the community at large. Building a sense of community is hard, but boy can it be worth it. There is nothing better than the sense of solidarity you can get from your local community and its something that I think is important to invest in.<\/p>\n
I love where I live. We are blessed with beautiful surrounds, lush forests and golden beaches. So much do I love the Coast that I\u2019ve decided to stay right here and raise my family. This is where our family business is and where our kids go to school. And this is where I want to give something back.<\/p>\n
I want to help build a sense of pride in our community that I think many have forgotten is possible.<\/p>\n
Lets see how I go.<\/p>\n
Councilor Gabby Bowles<\/p>\n
Gosford City Council<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As a young kid on the Coast, some of my best memories were of the city show, a local theater production, school fetes and even just a BBQ with the neighbors. I used to love the sense of belonging to something special, the school, the community, the neighborhood\u2026\u2026 a developing sense of pride for being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[72],"tags":[14,105,74,73],"yoast_head":"\n