By Dominique Tassell
Cynthia McDonald is a first-term councillor on Southern Downs Regional Council.
She was raised on her Grandfather’s farm in Gloucester, a small town in New South Wales that she said reminds her very much of Killarney.
Her family farmed both dairy and beef cattle on several properties.
I grew up with very little and learned early to appreciate life and make the best of every opportunity I was given,” she said. “My humble foundations set the grounding for how I live my life today.”
“We are all born and we all die and it is what we do in between that makes the difference.
“I believe that all of our strengths and weaknesses formed from our experiences provide the diversity of thought needed for local politics.”
By the age of 18, Cr McDonald joined the Australian Army at the Australian Defence Force Academy and graduated with a BA in Arts (Hon Politics).
She spent one year full-time doing Officer Study at the Royal Military College Duntroon and graduated to the Royal Australian Medical Corps.
She then continued her study into Logistics Management and a suite of Human Resource Courses.
Cr McDonald spent 16 years in the Army with service with the United Nations in East Timor and a memorable posting as a Guard Commander at Australia’s Federation Guard.
“My life has almost turned 360 degrees and I find myself once again enjoying my family and the land,” she said.
She said the four-year drought was the catalyst that spurred her into political life.
“I was watching a community suffer and had become very involved with charity organisations in an effort to help the community,” she said. “I realised my skill sets would be better utilised from within SDRC, rather than trying to influence it externally.”
When asked what she is passionate about in our community, she said it’s the determination and spirit of our community.
“Having been in the Army and travelled to many countries in the world I have never seen the determination and spirit of a community like the Southern Downs”.
“The resilience to endure so many catastrophic events such as those we have faced over the last five years shows me the ‘True Grit’ of our Community,” she said.
“Whether dealing with droughts, fires, or floods, I’m very proud to work with the local community and to call the Southern Downs my home.”
When asked how important she thinks representation and having diverse voices is in Council, she said “the term diversity takes on many forms”.
“While it is extremely important that we continue to have balanced gender representation on the Council, we also require representation from the full diaspora of our community”.
She said that, being the youngest Councillor in Southern Downs Regional Council at present, she would like to see some nominees from for younger generation nominate at the next election.
“The broader the range of opinions, the better we can represent our community and achieve positive outcomes for all.”
