Over the next few weeks we’re sitting down with the new faces at Lithgow City Council to share their ideas and vision for Lithgow. Our latest is Cass Coleman.
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She’s one of the new faces on Lithgow City Council but Cass Coleman is heading into her new position with the end goal of making life better for the residents of Lithgow.
Cr Coleman has spent most of her life in the area, being born and educated here but spending her high school years in Blacktown.
She took up a hospitality trade at Jenolan Caves at 18, worked in local real estate, and eventually settled down in Portland where she is raising two teenage girls and now works as a public servant.
Cr Coleman said she sunk her teeth into policy and politics when she became part of the union movement in 2007, protesting against former Prime Minister John Howard’s controversial WorkChoices policy during that time.
“That really keened my political interests,” Cr Coleman said.
“We toppled a government. Politics can improve or not improve people’s lives and being part of that was inspiring.”
Listing the ways she’s been involved with the Lithgow community, Cr Coleman has a number of achievements to her name.
She said she set up the Ginndaay Youth Centre in Portland, has been involved with the Lithgow Show Society for a number of years, is president of Portland and Wallerawang’s Spirituality in the Pub, and was part of the Portland Art Committee some time ago.
She said most councillors will be singing from the same song sheet when it comes to finding new industry for the area, but it’s important to give people that balance between work and life as well.
“I understand the days of being in one job for fifty years is gone.
“A lot of [the area’s] young men are not even working here, they’re fly-in fly-out… a majority of their time is working and travelling, there’s no leisure time and no time for their families.”
For ideas that could get Lithgow running at full steam, Cr Coleman said council’s counterparts in the Blue Mountains and Orange had great ideas that were worth emulating.
“Blue Mountains City Council created a company and its main focus is attracting jobs and investment to the area.
“It’s been so successful that they now have enough capital to hire a CEO for that company… we don’t need to reinvent the wheel but there are councils we can learn from.”
But it’s still early days yet and Cr Coleman said for the next few months it’s really important she gets the time to take it all in and listen to the concerns of the community.
“I’m looking forward to a pleasant future, not only for me but for every working family in this area.”
