Mayor Val Schier
Val Schier made history in March 2008 when she became the first woman to be elected to the position of mayor of the Cairns Regional Council: a new entity formed by the amalgamation of the former Cairns City and Douglas Shire Councils.
Originally from Falmouth, a small village in the north-east of Tasmania, Val came to Cairns in 1982 after working in Western Australia and the Northern Territory in such diverse jobs as hotel manager, treatment plant operator in a gold mine and secondary school teacher.
Prior to becoming mayor, Val worked as a TAFE director and senior manager in the Queensland government departments of Employment, Training, Families and Communities. She also operated a small business as a management and training consultant.
With organizational and leadership skills and experience in strategic planning, networking and change management, Val brings a wide range talents to her new position.
She is passionate about the Cairns region which has a population of 153,000 living between the Bloomfield River in the north and Bramston Beach to the south, and a growth rate of over 3%.
Val believes that the region’s competitive advantage lies in its stunning natural environment with two world heritage areas – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforests – on its doorstep. The key challenges are to conserve and enhance the environment, diversify the economy and maintain the well-being of the region’s diverse communities.
Val has a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Diploma of Education and a Graduate Diploma of Business Management. She has one son, James, who lives in Cairns with his wife Kim. She lives at the seaside community of Machans Beach and each day feels blessed that she lives in the best region in the world.
Read more about Mayor Schier on the Cairns Regional Council website