Councillor Doug Gordonis fighting for Brewarrina’s Youth
“My job on this earth is to try and make people feel welcomed and loved because the world can get tough,” Councillor Doug Gordon said, eyes gleaming with compassion.
“I’ve been a mental health worker specialising in drugs and alcohol for a long time, and through that, I’ve seen the dark side of the world as well as the bright, and I feel blessed to have known both.
“And I am blessed to be able to bring some light into the darkness that sometimes pervades our life.
“I deal with suicides; I deal with death and grief, and I am thankful for my own family support system that gives me the strength to deal with these sad things and help these people.”
There are some people that you meet in life who, for whatever reason, exemplify leadership and virtue.
You rarely find them in positions you’d want them in, like politicians or world leaders, but you see them in small towns, working in humble roles to bring about change that really affects people – in Brewarrina Shire Councillor, Doug Gordon, I found such a person.
The son of a fellow councillor and Pastor, Isaac Gordon, Doug grew up in Brewarrina with his five siblings before moving to Sydney to finish High School.
He then moved to Newcastle and Walgett before returning to the town he loves.
“Brewarrina’s always been my home,” he said, “I am passionate about this community, and I remember every holiday I used to cry to come home when I was at school in Sydney.
“Brewarrina is a special place, and it always has been; we have people from all walks of life come out here, saying, ‘Brewarrina’s different; Brewarrina’s special,’ I think it has a lot to do with our past and present leaders.
“I am blessed because of my family background; my grandfather was Ronald Gordon, and everyone always used one word to describe him – a gentleman – and my father, a pastor and councillor who works alongside me, has taught me everything I know.
“The core values that my mother and father taught us was that we weren’t above anyone, everyone is equal no matter their walk of life, and that we all have a job to do on this earth, no matter how great or small, and that we should do it the best we can.
“I am blessed that my parents taught us these values and kept us grounded, because people can get ahead of themselves, but when you have a family like me, you get humbled very quickly.
Councillor Gordon has taken these values into his professional life, working for the Clontarf Foundation and running a youth ministry group with his father; he has dedicated his life to the service of Brewarrina’s youth.
“I love working with the youth, and it has always been my passion,” he said, “I try to give them a better life than what they see their life as.
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