Exciting ideas at Gracemere gathering

Published on 18 November 2019

Touch of Paradise Gracemere

Residents of Gracemere came together last week to discuss their vision for the future at a roundtable hosted by Rockhampton Regional Council.

Rockhampton Region Mayor, Margaret Strelow, said close to 50 people turned out for the first roundtable.

“We know that the residents of Gracemere are proud and passionate, and it was fantastic to see the community out in force,” said Mayor Strelow.

“We have done a lot of work in Gracemere in recent years, working with all levels of government to deliver projects worth over $45 million since 2012.

“This has been on a range of projects from the stunning upgrades at Cedric Archer Park, improvements to roads and footpaths across the community, and of course a significant investment into the Gracemere Industrial Area.

“It was time to sit down with the community and make sure that we were continuing in a direction that reflected their own ambitions for Gracemere. 

“What began with a Mayoral minute in August has now reached the second stage thanks to this roundtable.

“We will use the ideas and discussions from the roundtable to feed into our draft Growing Gracemere strategy, which will be reviewed and contributed to at a second roundtable next year.

“Residents who were not able to attend last night can still submit their ideas online over the next two weeks.

“From all of this we will publish a Growing Gracemere strategy, outlining our plans to ensure Gracemere has the opportunity to live up to its huge potential.

Divisional Councillor Ellen Smith thanked everyone who came out to share their thoughts on the future of their town.

“It was incredible to hear from so many residents,” said Cr Smith.

“At one stage in the night we asked participants to share what they think makes Gracemere so special, as well as their big takeaway from the night.  

“They told us that they loved how peaceful it is, how affordable it is for families, and that they felt a real sense of community.

“These characteristics are something we can be very proud of, and will definitely shape the future of this town, whatever that may hold.”

Gracemere residents can submit their ideas by completing a survey at https://engage.rockhamptonregion.qld.gov.au/growing-gracemere before Friday 29 November.