If Labor councillor Karen Hunt has her way, Campbelltown’s motto could be “let’s get physical’’.
Cr Hunt wants council to get serious about installing exercise equipment in parks so everybody has access to an outdoor gym.
“I know you have to be careful with these things, with injuries and so on, but other councils have exercise equipment everywhere,’’ Cr Hunt tells the South West Voice in Macarthur during an interview at Rydges.
“You want people to get out and about and be able to exercise.
“Not everyone wants to go to a gym, and we’ve got beautiful parks.
“We’re building all these new kids’ parks, but who takes children to parks? The parents, so if you also installed gym equipment, they could be doing a bit of exercise while the kids were having some fun in the park,’’ she says.
Having watched Cr Hunt perform at council meetings during her first term, between September 2016 and December 2021, it was no surprise to hear her promote such an excellent idea or talk sense on most major Campbelltown issues.
It took her a while to gain the confidence to stand up and contribute to the debate on issues, but you could tell straight away this was someone who was focused on logic and reason.
After talking to her for almost an hour last Friday I also now know she is one smart cookie – but more on that later.
Two issues Cr Hunt got stuck into during her first term were how to properly protect the local koalas and what to do with a colony of 20,000 grey headed flying foxes, known as bats to most people, and which have made life miserable for some Macquarie Fields residents.
“I learned a lot about our local koala colony when I got on council and immediately decided I had to step up,’’ she says.
Three years ago Cr Hunt moved a motion, which was passed unanimously, that any development along Appin Road had to put in koala protection underpasses, and fences during construction.
None of it has happened, because the state government hasn’t yet given its approval for such measures.
“Once these underpasses go in it will be the best result ever,’’ says Cr Hunt.
“Lend Lease is stepping up to do that so all council can now do is keep pushing for the state government to approve the koala underpasses at Appin Road.’’
When it comes to the messy problems of the Myee Road, Macquarie Fields bats, Cr Hunt was one of two councillors who went the extra yard in trying to help the long suffering residents.
In the process, they have copped plenty of criticism from a small number of people who won’t hear a bad word about animals of any kind.
The bats are a protected species, so as far as Cr Hunt is concerned, the issue is about how to make the lives of the residents a little better.
“All the residents want is a bit of assistance so they can live their lives the same as everybody else – live in peace and healthy,’’ says Cr Hunt.
“I wouldn’t like to live there – over at my place [Minto] we get the occasional bat, and you hear them, one or two, I wouldn’t like to hear the noise of 20,000, especially at three in the morning.’’
Like most Campbelltown residents, Karen Hunt moved to the area around 40 years ago.
She grew up in Old Guildford, and when she got married in 1977 they had a look around and found a nice block of land at Minto.
They moved into the new home on Christmas Eve 1982.
Growing up, Cr Hunt says she wanted to be a teacher, but instead ended up as a court reporter in a career that lasted more than 30 years.
There was an ad in the paper from the NSW Government for a stenographer’s course and she applied.
There were 900 applicants for 60 spots, but the young lass from Old Guildford was good enough to be one of the lucky 60.
She had to learn shorthand and typing and finished the course with the highest shorthand speed of anyone up until then.
Which meant that she was quickly recruited as a court reporter.
“From then it was just a matter of turning up and doing the job,’’ she says now.
Cr Hunt was a court reporter from 1976 until 1992, then saw another ad, this time for a Hansard reporter in the NSW Parliament.
It was this part of her career, seeing the battle of the major political parties up close and personal in what is known as the “bear pit’’ of Australian politics, that triggered her own involvement in 2011, when she became a member of the Campbelltown branch of the Australian Labor Party.
Her Hansard career was in two parts because she left to go and work in the thoroughbred industry for five years.
“I took a big cut in pay to go from parliament to work there but it was something that interested me,’’says Cr Hunt.
“Unfortunately, the equine flu hit the industry, so I returned to the Hansard job.’’
She put in another eight years there before handing in her resignation the day before the 2015 state election.
“I was convinced Greg Warren was going to win the seat Campbelltown and I was going to work for him,’’ she says.
Which is exactly what happened, however about 18 months later Karen Hunt was included in the Labor ticket for the 2016 local government elections.
She was number seven on the ticket and far from being a certainty to get elected.
“I was surprised to get elected, and when I was I thought, well, now I have got to step up,’’ says Cr Hunt.
She quickly found out a steep learning curve awaits new councillors.
“There’s a lot of stuff you’ve got to learn quickly, so I think you’ve got to know more before you stand or before getting elected,’’ she says.
“I was a bit inundated with the stuff we had to learn quickly, having to get your head around things.
“So I was a little bit overwhelmed at first, but took a step back and thought, take your time and understand it, and if you don’t, ask questions.’’
Karen Hunt was again placed in the number seven spot on the Labor ticket for the December 4, 2021 council elections and the 2016 result repeated itself.
However, soon after the mayoral election in January, won by Liberal Party councillor George Greiss, the Labor candidate, George Brticevic, resigned from the party.
Cr Margaret Chivers, who was close to Cr Brticevic when he was mayor for five years, also resigned from the Labor Party.
Both will now sit as independents.
This has left Labor with five councillors, new leader Darcy Lound, Karen Hunt, Masood Chowdhury, Rey Manoto and Meg Oates.
“It’s a new era for us,’’ says Cr Hunt, who believes Cr Lound will do a good job in the Labor tradition.
“You know where you are with Darcy, he’s up front and calls a spade a spade,’’ she says.
“He’s someone that’s easy to speak to, he’s happy to listen to your point of view, and he knows what is required for Campbelltown.
“He’s confident and I feel confident with him; he’s a good representative for Labor – we’re in good hands.’’
Cr Hunt also has plenty of praise for the Liberal mayor of Campbelltown.
“He’s very approachable; I just had a meeting with him earlier today – he’s meeting with everybody,’’ she said.
