Eve Jeffery
Love her or hate her, you can’t ignore her. (Oh no you can’t!) And soon you may actually have to listen to her if Mandy Nolan’s wish to become the member for Richmond comes true.
Ms Nolan began her post announcing she would be throwing her very stylish hat into the Green pre-selection ring with the words: ‘Stepping Forward’
‘What does your life mean?’ she asks. ‘What do you care about? What are you prepared to do to facilitate change? How well do you embody your values in your actions? How can you be of service to a greater good? What next?
‘These were some of the questions that I asked myself during 2020 on the long beach walks I did each morning. This was the upside to the uncertainty. It made me question my purpose. Perhaps my life wasn’t as certain as I thought? Perhaps I needed a shake up.’
Mandy says that being a 52-year-old comedian in a country town with a passion for her community and her environment, as a feminist committed to pushing uncomfortable conversations, and as a mother demanding a future for her kids, she wondered if there was more she could do. She wondered if there was more she should do.
So Mandy has decided to do something that terrifies her. ‘I have thrown my hat in the ring for pre-selection as the Greens candidate for Richmond.’
I am a comedian. I am not a politician
‘I am a comedian. I am not a politician. This is a long way outside my comfort zone. This is what I thought about when I walked the beach. I wondered if I was worthy. I wondered if I would be taken seriously. Could I change the narrative? In a landscape full of bullshit and hype, could I continue to have these real conversations with my community? Can I be of service to this place and to the people I love?’
Mandy says she believes she can work to change the narrative, have real conversations, can be taken seriously and can be of service.
‘I’m scared, but yes, in a weird way I feel like this has always been my destiny. To pay back my social debt. To save this place that thirty years ago saved me. So hello politics, Mandy Nolan is stepping forward.
‘Perhaps after the mess the dudes in suits have created, it’s finally time to send in the clowns. What do you think?’
Show of support on social media
By Sunday morning there were over 700 comments that told Mandy what they thought and 138 shares of the post.
Byron Shire Greens Councillor Sarah Ndiaye was one of the commenters on Mandy’s page. Ms Ndiaye has already endorsed Mandy even though she has already put in her own forms as a candidate.
‘Some great news for New Year and for the local Greens with Mandy Nolan announcing that she’s putting her hat in the ring for Pre-selection for the Greens, to run for the seat of Richmond.
‘I’d heard she wasn’t going to run so had put my forms in but Mandy will be an excellent candidate and I’ll definitely be supporting her 100%. I’ll leave my forms in for the first hurdles of S44 and probity because they can be complex (as we saw with so many having to step down a couple of years ago), but I’m really grateful Mandy is prepared to use her intelligence, heart, wit and profile to help make positive changes for our community.
‘She always has in her own way but we need people like her to help shift the paradigm we’ve all had to suffer through at a Federal level.
‘Go Mandy.’
Overwhelmed by response
On Saturday Ms Nolan posted that she was totally overwhelmed by the support and love she has received after her announcement. ‘I am honoured to have garnered such deep respect and trust from my community.
‘Thank You.’
Before any public voting takes place, Ms Nolan will need to be selected through a vetting process by the Tweed, Ballina and Byron Greens and they have to vote for who they want as their candidate.
It will be mid to late February before the process is complete.
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