Rob Pyne: Cairns and Tropical Gardening

Farewell Comrades

Fightback and Farewell

Champion of the Underdog » Fightback and Farewell

Table of contents

New Mayor and I win 5

Mayor Amy Eden

Councillor Amy Eden overcame the odds to become Cairns second female Mayor.

I also made a little history becoming the first Councillor to be elected to three separate Cairns Regional Council divisions (3, 2 and 5). It was also my 5th election win (4 as a Councillor and 1 as an MP).

New Council

The people of Cairns elected the following Council in 2020:

  • Division 1. Brett Moller
  • Division 2. Matthew Tickner
  • Division 3. Cathy Zeiger
  • Division 4. Trevor Tim
  • Division 5. Rob Pyne
  • Division 6. Kristy Vallely
  • Division 7. Anna Middleton
  • Division 8. Rhonda Coglin
  • Division 9. Brett Olds
  • Mayor: Amy Eden

Farewell

150 years after my descendants arrived in the Far North Queensland, there was more inequality than ever before. Our First Peoples remain deeply disadvantaged. Many minority groups still suffer under the heel of a capitalist superstructure that demeans and devalues them. As long as those in leadership positions continue to support capitalism and neoliberal policies, things will not improve.

I am proud of my record of political activism – on Council, in State Parliament, and in my community.

Generational Change

As I aged it caused me to reflect that our generation of progressive warriors. We had failed to save our environment from destruction and protect disadvantaged people in our community. However, the battles we fought matter,  even if we did not win the war.

These issues are all consistent with and in some respects dependant on success in the battle for Socialism.

The work we do is about standing up to the force of darkness, no matter how difficult the fight. In the words of Chris Hedges, “I do not fight fascists because I will win. I fight fascists because they are fascists”. Tony Benn put it best when he said, “Every generation has to fight the same battles, again, again, and again. There is no final victory and there is no final defeat.”

All Chapters

  1. Far North Queensland
  2. Growing up in Australia
  3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
  4. Queensland Political Culture
  5. Princess Alexandra Hospital Spinal Unit
  6. People with Disabilities
  7. Cairns Regional Council
  8. Conservative Cairns Council
  9. ALP Qld
  10. Abortion Law Reform
  11. Fighting Fossil Fuel
  12. Local Government Corruption
  13. Losing to Labor
  14. My Cairns Council Return
  15. Council Mayors Silencing Dissent
  16. Socialist Alliance and Fighting Fascism
  17. Jenny Pyne, Life and Pain
  18. Cairns Council Members Swing Right
  19. Fightback and Farewell

Struggle & Resistance in the Far North