People In Our Hood – Shayne Sutton

Our local Council representative Shayne Sutton is a busy working mum, and motherhood is a great conversation starter. In our recent chat we swapped stories that included the shared experience of our two-year-olds repeating swear words that were muttered quietly in a moment of frustration (and generally repeated in front of someone really inappropriate, like grandma). Projectile vomit, mess and mayhem – all in a day’s work.

Shayne says being mother to Sarah (almost 3) gives her a sense of completeness, and a realisation of what life is all about. On balancing work and family (with husband Stephen), she says it’s about managing chaos.

“You can’t get everything done in a day. It’s about juggling balls, and making sure that the one that drops is not that important. As I often tell people, I’m Catholic and I’m a working mother, so I have more guilt than most,” she laughs. “But you have to give yourself permission to let it go.”

Shayne was elected to Brisbane City Council in 2004, and at the tender age of 25 was the youngest woman ever to be elected. She is currently the Leader of the Opposition and Labor Spokesperson for Infrastructure.

A favourite thing to do locally?

I really love taking Sarah to one of our local parks. Becoming a parent almost three years ago has really opened my eyes to the importance of having a variety of great local playgrounds and we both love them!

Something only a local would know?

You can always tell the long term multi-generational Bulimba families because they refer to living “on” Bulimba as opposed to “in” Bulimba. It goes back to the days before we had bridges across the creeks and Bulimba was considered an island. I’m told that before Canning Bridge was built at Norman Park, if people wanted to get to Bulimba they had to go down to Stones Corner to cross Norman Creek or use the rowing service across the River.

Is there a local issue that needs public attention?

I’m currently campaigning against a development application seeking approval for eight storey development in Byron Street Bulimba. It would add an additional 350 units to just one side of Byron Street and make local traffic worse for all of us. I have a petition in my office available for signing if anybody wants to support me.

Best thing about your job?

I love the people in this area. And I love working with them to get good results for our suburbs. I also love seeing families enjoy the events I host around the place. In this busy world it’s so hard to find good quality family time, I hope some of my events assist people find that time.

Worst thing about your job?

Bureaucracy! I have never understood why we have to make things that could be really simple so difficult. My job is to find a way around that bureaucracy so we can still get a good result on the ground but it does frustrate me enormously at times.

Something most people don’t know about you?

I grew up in a small country town on the Darling Downs called Pittsworth. Everybody there knew my Mum & Dad, so I was always caught out if I was being naughty because everybody knew who I belonged to. It was a great place to grow up and on the very rare weekends I have nothing on I love heading out there with Stephen and Sarah to chase sheep around the farm, catch up with the extended family and my old friends. I met my best friend there when I was four and we are coming up to celebrating 30 years of friendship next year. It’s so wonderful to have her!

If you could be a superhero, what powers would you like to have?

Space and time travel, so I could relive historic moments and visit fabulous places without spending hours in transit.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional with whom would it be?

Fictional: Mary Poppins – I’ve love to be able to clean my house with just a spoonful of sugar.
Real: Susan Ryan, Former Federal Government Minister during the Hawke Government in the 1980s. She was at the forefront in pushing through the landmark Sex Discrimination Act in 1984 which has created so many opportunities for women that we just take for granted these days. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be responsible for developing such important legislation in the face of such incredible opposition. But I would have loved to have been there helping on the way!!

If you had unlimited money for one week, how would you spend it?

I’d give as much as I could to Amnesty International, the Red Cross, the Smith Family and Abused Children’s Trust. Nothing upsets me more than the thought of children suffering here in Australia or abroad.

Let’s say you could travel back in time and talk to yourself from ten years ago. What would you tell yourself?

It all works out okay. You’re going to do just fine.

Melanie has lived in the local area for 16 years. As the founder and editor of Bulimba Connect, she enjoys entrepreneurship and small business. She has run a retail shop on Riding Road, Balmoral, as well as a marketing and web development business. She has also worked at the corporate end of town in marketing, web management and training roles. Mel holds a Masters degree in Business and is the mother of three small children, aged 6, 4 and 15 months, and tries to squeeze in time for reading and renovating.

Melanie Phillips

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