It’s this sense of giving back to the community, a love of politics and her own background in small business that made the decision to run for Mayor of Noosa an easy one. “Politics, I’ve always been very interested in and at some point, (in) running,” she said. “(I want to) make a contribution and be involved and help the community at a local level.” Clare has lived in Noosa for over a decade and while she sees some need for change, she’s passionate about other aspects remaining the same. “What everyone loves about Noosa, that no one wants to change, is the environment,” she said. “It’s unique (and) I think the environment is something we need to maintain and preserve.” Clare says what does need a shakeup is the relationship between Council and the residents.
Clare Stewart By Justine Kearney
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reaming big is something Clare Stewart knows all about and a quick flick through her resume reveals that Clare doesn’t just dream big, she DOES big. Law degree, check, Business degree, check, masters of law degree, check. Clare is also a published author. Add to that the full-time role of wife and mother of three, charity work and two successful businesses under her belt and it looks like Clare’s life has been a dream run. But at age 23, tragedy struck and Clare’s dream was to walk again. 20 years and 37 operations later, Clare is now running….for Noosa Mayor. For Noosa, for a change. It’s what a lot of residents would like to see, according to Clare Stewart, Noosa local and the first mayoral candidate to challenge the incumbent Tony Wellington. Some may think it’s an impossible dream. But after nearly losing her legs, Clare isn’t afraid of impossible dreams. Clare’s life changed forever one morning, back in 2000. On her usual early morning jog, she was struck by a garbage truck on a pedestrian crossing. The ten-tonne vehicle knocked her down and the front wheels came to a stop
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on her legs, crushing them. She was pinned underneath for 37 minutes. Clare was awake the entire time. “There is nothing to describe that level of pain and that level of fear,” she said. Following countless operations and procedures and a brutal rehabilitation program over several years, the only obvious sign is Clare’s limp, a daily reminder of how far she has come. But how far will she go? “I think we should all dream big, we should all try and be the best versions of ourselves and be the best person we can be,” she said. “It’s never say never.” The word never was one Clare thought of many times. She may never walk again. She may never find love, may never have a family. But her ability to dream big has carried her through plenty of tough times. Clare met her husband Cam back in 2007 when she was working with Youngcare, a not-forprofit organisation which helps young people with high care needs. Clare was instrumental in the early days of the charity, as a funding and legal executive, and remains an active board member today.
“I feel that there is a big divide between Council and the community,” she said. “The people I’m speaking to on the streets feel there’s no accountability, there’s no transparency (and) they don’t know what’s going on.” According to Clare, residents and businesses alike are frustrated with the current Council. “What I am personally hearing is that Council are hard to deal with,” she said. Clare says despite significant opposition and a fair amount of community confusion, changes were rushed through the Noosa Plan to implement specific changes around short term accommodation in low residential areas. “I’ve spoken to people from both sides and my statement all along has been to delay the vote because there was no economic impact assessment done,” she said. If we change short term letting accommodation in low density residential areas from consistent to inconsistent what does that mean for tourism… for people wanting to stay…for house prices… for the market value of houses? “An economic impact assessment is crucial” Recent changes to signage laws for businesses have also been divisive for some 7000 businesses in the Noosa shire. One business owner Clare spoke with was particularly affected. “Because signage rules are changing, he has to throw out ten thousand dollars’ worth of signage materials,” she said. “Why aren’t we engaging with small businesses and saying how can we help you, not how can we hinder you?” When picturing Noosa in 2030, Clare is hopeful of striking the right balance between preserving what’s great and improving what’s not. “I hope Noosa environmentally hasn’t changed but I hope that the community is thriving, that small business is doing well, that our river is doing well, it’s safe, its clean, it’s got great initiatives around it,” she said. “An estimated billion dollars of our economy comes in from tourism, so you need that, but I’d like to see less congestion, more parking,” she said.