Congratulations to Fleur Flanery (1986) who was recently elected to the Yass Council !
. Her mother Gail Flanery (Bradfield, RB 1958) is an Alumna and her daughter Holly Johnson graduated in 2013. After graduation, Fleur attended the University of Canberra where she completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communication and Public Relations. Remaining at the University of Canberra, Fleur then completed a Bachelor Degree in Landscape Architecture with Hons and then complemented this degree with a Certificate in Horticulture (Parks and Gardens) and a Diploma in Horticulture (Arboriculture) from the Canberra Institute of Technology.
Fleur has worked at environmental organisations such as Greening Australia and Land & Water Australia and has held Executive level positions in the ACT Government as the Executive Director – Infrastructure Planning and Operations and Director – Place Management and Senior Manager – Urban Treescapes where she managed over a million trees in the public estate.
In her role at the ACT Government, Fleur managed and supported 480 full-time and contract employees who delivered municipal services in Canberra including horticultural services for parks and sporting fields, shopping centre and toilet cleaning, maintenance for over 500 playgrounds and delivery of a strategic plan for the urban forest. Fleur was also instrumental in introducing legislation to improve the use of open space and was the Registrar of Domestic Animals and the Animal Welfare Authority.
After a fulfilling time in government, Fleur decided on a change in career and is now owner and Director of Outlandish Pty Ltd that aims to ignite and stimulate ideas about designed landscapes and gardens. She seeks out world leading landscape designers and invites them to present at the biennial Australian Landscape Conference (ALC) in Melbourne. Outlandish also organises events and international tours that focus on contemporary landscape design, horticulture, urbanism and ecological thinking.
Fleur is a keen long-distance runner, a former winner of the Canberra Marathon, a two times Australian Mountain Marathon representative, and still runs an average of 20 kilometres a day.
Fleur is thrilled to be elected to Yass Council in October 2024 and is cognizant of the vital role Council has in supporting people in the region. Fleur has already shown her willingness to contribute to the Yass Valley, having been appointed to the Yass Valley Aged Care Board, a member of the Yass Valley Business Chamber, and Vice President of the Marchmont Trust.
As newly elected Yass Councilor, Fleur explains her objectives and focus below:
“The Yass Valley and Yass in particular, is at a juncture. As a group of towns we’re experiencing accelerated growth because of our location and lifestyle. The most important thing from my perspective is to retain and build on the elements of the towns that make them unique whilst managing for the future. For me, an essential element is the preservation of our natural resources, particularly water and distinctive landforms. In this respect, I’d like to see a greater focus on sustainability across all new developments. One of my concerns is having a ‘cookie cutter approach to development won’t provide the necessary planning to manage for a more resource challenged future. Left unchecked this style of development will diminish the things we like the most about where we live.”
We wish Fleur every success in her endeavours as a newly elected Councillor !