FEATURED

Mayoral Message

WORDS: Tom Tate PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied Gold Coast City Council

I love Ocean Road Magazine because it is so quintessentially Gold Coast: stylish, aspirational, entertaining and something you just want to be associated with. It’s the perfect framing for the marvellous lifestyles we are privileged to enjoy in the nation’s favourite holiday playground.

Just like the city that is its focus, it has come a long way over the past decade. It is bigger, bolder, better. It has adapted to our digital way of life and offers a great online showcase that perfectly captures the buzz and vibrancy of the things we love.

None of us are total strangers to adversity, but we share a passionate positivity that gives us the spirit to dust ourselves off when things are grim and work hard to overcome the challenges that are inevitable in life.

Who would have dared imagine our tourism, education, entertainment and other core sectors of our economy being shut down almost entirely due to COVID-19? It was tempting to believe that things like that happened elsewhere, but not here. Well, now we know we are not immune.

Yet, just as we have weathered cyclones, floods and bushfires, we keep proving our resilience. We have known Mother Nature’s capacity to devastate, but where else would we want to live? So, we push on.

Our economy has taken a beating, but it will bounce back. Prudent economic management has put the boom and bust cycle behind us. We have developed new wealth and employment generators like the film and television production industry and nurtured our capacity to educate. Our Coomera Marine precinct has become a best-practice illustration of how a determination to achieve excellence can deliver us a global reputation for being every bit as good as the absolute best.

These are the new jobs that enable our young people to stay here and create a great life. It keeps families together, and it strengthens our community.

Nothing is beyond us if we keep imagining how things can be even better. I am excited to look forward, with Ocean Road, to continue learning what is new and attractive about our city and all the very many ways we can enjoy it. I love this place.

TOM TATE

MAYOR