Geof moved to the Northern Rivers in 2010 while working with ABC Kids TV hit ‘dirtgirlworld’. Attending Tropical Fruits for the first time in 2008 and the Lismore Lantern Parade in 2009 were defining moments in his decision to make the tree change after two years in Sydney, three years in Melbourne and 16 in London.

The son of Salvation Army Officers, who came from farms in country Victoria, Geof grew up in Melbourne and Adelaide; training and working as a music and drama teacher in Melbourne before heading to London in 1989. He planned to be away for two years but stayed much longer, carving a career in communications and public administration.

An opportunity to join the education team at The Body Shop International offered him the chance to work on major sustainability, fair trade, and animal welfare campaigns until he transferred his skills to the public sector. Leading national health promotion programs on topics ranging from Skin Cancer prevention and the National Drugs Helpline; from childhood immunisation to falls prevention, was great training for his final role in the UK in education, leading the annual campaign to recruit 45,000 candidates into initial teacher training.

On returning to Australia in 2006, after a year travelling in North and South America, Geof was unable to find a job in teaching so studied for his Diploma in Remedial Massage Therapy. Since then he has applied his knowledge, skills and experience in roles with VicHealth (Arts and Social Inclusion), as the Brand Manager for dirtgirlworld, which included working with local government organisations on Waste Education, Community Gardens and as a grant writer; as the communications lead for RDA Northern Rivers, and as the Communications and Engagement Manager for Social Futures. He still works part-time as a consultant to an Animal Health company providing advertising, marketing and social media services.

Geof returned to his first love – music teaching – last year and now teaches piano/keyboard and voice at the Northern Rivers Conservatorium in Lismore and at Bangalow and Mullumbimby Public Schools. Growing up in a musical environment, Geof has been a musician for as long as he can remember. He is regularly seen and heard as tenor soloist and chorister with Vox Caldera and Byron Music Society; has been in three NORPA productions; and is the pipe organist at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Bexhill, where he lived until he moved into East Lismore last November.

His current community service includes serving as a Church Councillor and on the Property and Finance Committee for the Lismore Region Mission of the Uniting Church. He has also been a volunteer for ACON and Tropical Fruits.

His daily activities include walking the Wilson’s Walking Track with his dog Snowey, and turning his new garden in East Lismore into a food forest.

What is your vision for Lismore over the next 3 years?

A vibrant centre of culture, commerce and community that is the foremost city in our region and the envy of the nation.

What are your objectives being a councillor?

• To bring common sense – free of party politics – to the table.
• To support proposals that can grow our population and enhance our financial position in a sustainable way.
• To improve local services and introduce measures to make Council staff accountable to the community for the services they provide.

What was your motivation to become a councillor?

Lismore is burdened by the tyranny of low expectations, which is evident in many workplaces, community groups and council services. I have now been waiting two months for Council staff to replace the lid on a wheely bin they broke while collecting my rubbish. It’s unacceptable. There’s no accountability and I’m not going to call the 1800 reception number to be fobbed off again.

We have the potential to be the most prominent city in our region, not a poor cousin to our coastal neighbours. To achieve our potential, we need leaders who have experienced excellence in other places and walks of life who can share that expertise at the table.

How does Lismore become a vibrant, prosperous city?

First and foremost, we need more people, and they need homes to live in. We need people of working age who will pay rates and support local businesses. We need children to populate and contribute to the life of our schools. We need people to participate in and use the excellent sports, arts, cultural and community facilities we already have.

Secondly, we need more people actively involved in public life and fewer social media commentators. A citizens’ jury that is trained in deliberative decision-making processes could ensure community needs and expectations are being represented and make important decisions about major issues such as how public funds are spent. This would be modern democracy at work.

Do you hold any concerns for the region that have not been addressed?

Progress is currently held back by misguided but well-meaning people who think they have the right to decide what Aboriginal people want and need. ‘Giving back’ land may assuage their ‘white fella’ guilt, but it does not right the wrongs of the past; nor will it address the systemic racism, intergenerational trauma or poverty they have created.