Campbelltown now has a mayor who is also a doctor – of philosophy. But don’t worry, Councillor George Greiss won’t be expecting anyone to address him as doctor now that he has been awarded a PhD.
“Oh no, I won’t be doing that,’’ he tells the South West Voice this morning when we called him to discuss this high academic achievement at Western Sydney University.
He’s naturally proud of being awarded the PhD, but he’s just as chuffed that at last week’s ceremony he became the first School of Social Sciences graduate to deliver the traditional address.
“Yes, that was rather special being asked to be the keynote speaker at the graduation,’’ he said.
In his speech George Greiss thanked those close to him for their role during the five years it took for him to graduate with a PhD in Geography and Urban Planning.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me on this journey. Studying a PhD requires a lot of sacrifice at times, so I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the family and friends who have encouraged me along the way or the mentors who have guided me through work,” he said.
Cr Greiss told the university media unit that the decision to undertake his PhD journey at Western Sydney University was driven by his passion and advocacy for the people of Campbelltown.
He says the significant amount of urban growth in Campbelltown region inspired him to focus in town planning policy and practice.
“In my early years as a councillor and after a few spirited debates in the Council chamber, I realised that in order to effectively advocate for the people of Campbelltown and make informed decisions for the betterment of our city going forward, I would need to increase my own knowledge base and skills,” he said.
“My passion for Geography and Urban Planning stems from my passion for Campbelltown, and the desire to make decisions that will ensure our community benefits from the many opportunities that are coming our way in the future.”
Cr Greiss’ doctoral research investigated the causes of community resistance to apartment living in Sydney, revealing interesting insights into community opposition to high density living.
Now he says that achieving his PhD has had a significant impact on how he understands the operation of the wider city and how people utilise and interact with their built environment.
“It’s been a journey of discovery that has inspired me to think in new ways about how to approach and solve problems,” he said.
“I’ve developed skills that encourage me to look at the bigger picture and consider any decision through a variety of lenses, hopefully enabling me to be more effective as Mayor in advocating for the needs of our city as we plan for the future of Campbelltown.”
There’s one more thing about this story that readers may be interested in, and it involves George Greiss getting a haircut for the first time in five years.
On launching himself at the start of his study for a PhD in 2017, he made a decision to get his next haircut when he had finally handed in his thesis.
Naturally his hair grew quite long and so he kept it neat by way of a ponytail.
When the thesis was signed, sealed and delivered late last year it was also a reminder that the mayoral ponytail had to go.
Realising it would be an opportunity to raise money for a local charity, it became a bit of a local media event when the “chop’’ was done at the Campbelltown arts centre.
The fanfare may have been a tad over the top, but it was for a good cause, raising more than $11,000 for the Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre at Campbelltown Hospital.
