COUNCILLOR ANNE FIELD

BA, Dip Ed, Dip Urban Studies

1991-1995 Councillor at Rockdale Council – Representing Third Ward

First Council Term

Member of the following Committees or a Council delegate to the Committees:

• Community and Environment Committee (Chairperson – 1992-1993)
• Heritage Advisory Committee member since 1992 (Chairperson – 1995)
• Access Committee (Chairperson – 1994–1995)
• Rockdale Community Mobile Nursing Service (1991-1995)
• Board Member of the Business Enterprise Centre, St George and Sutherland Shire Ltd (1992-1995)
• Regional Library Steering Committee (1993-1995)
• Sydney Coastal Councils (1991-1995)
• Member of Kyeemagh Infants School Council (1993-1995)

Second Council Term

Member of the following Committees or a Council delegate to the Committees:

• Community and Environment Committee (Chairperson – 1995-1996)
• Heritage Advisory Committee (Chairperson – 1995-1999)
• Access Committee (Chairperson – 1994-1999)
• SSROC Access Committee (Chairperson 1996-1999)
• Ethnic Community Advisory Committee (Chairperson 1993-1998) Member to 1999
• Regional Library Steering Committee (1995-1996)
• Sydney Coastal Councils (1995-1999)
• Lydham Hall Local Committee (Secretary – 1995-1997)
• Lydham Hall Management Committee Chair (1997-1999)
• Rockdale Community Mobile Nursing Service (1995-1996)
• Kyeemagh Infants School Council (1995-1999)
• Georges River Catchment Management Committee (until mid 1997)
• 125^th Anniversary Committee (Chairperson – 1996)
• Library Sub-Committee (Chairperson – 1996-1997). Member until 1999
• SSROC Heritage Forum (Chairperson – 1997-1998). Member until 1999
• Red Cross Committee (Chairperson – 1997-1999)
• Tourism Committee Chair (1998) Member until 1999

11 September 1999    Candidate in the Local Government Elections for North Ward –                                                       representing Kogarah North Ward Progress Association.

11 September 1999   Councillor for Kogarah Council – North Ward

Third Council Term

Elected to represent North Ward (1999-2003) 

Member of the following Committees or a Council delegate to the Committees:

• Member of Heritage LEP Task Group
• Member of Development Assessment Committee
• Estuary Management and Environmental Protection Working Party
• Urban Planning and Design Working Party
• Kogarah Community Services Board
• Member of Community Safety Committee
• Worked on updating Council School Kit with Council staff and local teachers
• Council delegate to SSROC Access Committee
• Council delegate to SSROC Heritage Forum

27 June 2000              President of Rotary Club of Bexley – First female Club President

2004-2008  Councillor for Kogarah Council

Fourth Council Term

Elected to represent North Ward (1999-2003) as the representative of the Kogarah Bay Progress Association. (Elected unopposed)

Member of the following Committees or a Council delegate to the Committees:

• Estuary Management & Environmental Protection Working Party
• Access Working Party
• Urban Planning & Design Working Party
• Kogarah Community Services -President of the Management Committee from 2001 onwards.
• Community Safety Working Party
• Georges River Combined Council’s Committee
• Economic Working Party

Recent community involvement 

Personal Details

Councillor Anne Field was a teacher of Economics, Commerce, Geography and Legal Studies at St George Girls High School, Kogarah, Sydney and has worked at this school since 1977.

In late 1998 she became the Patron of the Old Girls of St George Girls High School – The St Georgians.

Councillor Field was an Assistant Supervisor of a Saturday School of Community Languages, of which the major language taught was Greek, and worked at this centre from 1986 until February 1998.

Councillor Field had memberships of many community organisations, some of which included: The Australian Ballet, National Trust, Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Society of Genealogists and local Historical Societies such as Kogarah Historical Society, and the Rockdale District Heritage Association Inc, the Sydney Turf Club and the Australian Jockey Club, the Australian Federation of Business and Professional Women Inc (NSW Division), and the Rotary Club of Bexley after being a member of the Rotary Club of Rockdale from 1989-1999.

Recent profile

Anne Field retired from St George Girls High School on January 26 2012 after 35 years teaching at the school .

Anne has membership of The National Trust, Kogarah Historical Society, St George Historical Society, Malmsbury Historical Society (Victoria) , Australian Society of Genealogists, NSW Justices Association and the Australian Turf Club.

Anne resigned from Rotary on 5 February 2013, after having been a member  for 24 years.   Anne had been a member  of the Rotary Club of Rockdale, (1989-1999)  then the Rotary Club of Bexley, (1999-2002)  and finally the merged Club of the  Rotary Club of Rockdale City.

On Oct 13 2016, Anne launched the History of Moorefield Racecourse Kogarah (1888-1951). Please read the Moorefield category on this website and my facebook site Moorefield Racecourse Kogarah.

On April the 28th 2017, the National Trust Heritage Awards luncheon was held. Anne’s book on “The History of Moorefield Racecourse” was entered into the publications category.

TRIBUTE TO MS ANNE FIELD – 27 March 2012

Motion by the Hon. SHAOQUETT MOSELMANE agreed to:
1. That this House notes that:
(a) former Rockdale City councillor and Kogarah councillor Ms Anne Field has recently retired from her teaching position at St George High School after 36 years of service,

(b) from 1991 to 1999, Ms Field was a councillor at Rockdale City Council,

(c) in 1996, Ms Field became the first female Deputy Mayor, and from 1999 to 2008 Ms Field served as a councillor on Kogarah City Council,

(d) Ms Field has been acknowledged by Rockdale City Council and Kogarah Council in Mayoral Minutes for her 17 years of dedication to the St George community and all the girls at St George Girls’ High School,

(e) in 1991, Ms Field became the first female president of the Rotary Club of Rockdale, which made her the first female Rotary President in Sydney,

(f) Ms Field served as a Director of St George Hospital Board from 1985 to 1988 and was awarded the Edna Ryan Award in 2006 for feminist activity in the government sphere,

(g) in 2006, Ms Field was entered into the inaugural Who’s Who of Australian Women,

(h) Ms Field’s proudest achievement has been teaching legal studies, commerce and geography at St George Girls’ High School for 35 years, and with her passion in legal studies Ms Field ran the school mock trial team for 17 years, and

(i) Ms Field has been a patron of the Old Girls of St George Girls’ High and was Assistant Supervisor of the Saturday School of Community Languages, St George Centre between 1986 and 1998.
2. That this House:
(a) notes Ms Field’s community contribution,

(b) congratulates Ms Field for her long and dedicated service to the St George community, and

(c) wishes Ms Field all the best with her future endeavours.

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 For Councillor Field “It is Time.” 

I am now in the final months of my Local Government career, as I will not be nominating for the September 27 2008 Council elections.

I have seen many changes in the local political landscape in having served 4 Council terms of differing political makeup.

I have served with some Councillors, who have committed themselves to the long term, and those who stayed briefly. And, I have seen differing levels of commitment  from some people who have become Councillors. I have witnessed first hand the increasing difficulties in electing Independents to Council, and I have also witnessed how the community has changed over time.

Over the years, I have become personal friends with some of the residents I have represented on Council matters. Others, I sometimes see in the supermarket, or at social occasions, and we stop for a chat. I am now taking the opportunity to thank the residents of both Rockdale City Council and Kogarah  Councils for their support over the past 16 years. In addition, I must thank the Kogarah Residents Association, formerly the Kogarah Bay Progress Association, for supporting me as their candidate since 1999.

Whilst I can trace my political ancestry to Malmsbury,Victoria in the late 1880’s, I owe much to my late father.  I grew up in Newcastle , and from a young age I was brought up  to discuss local events, as well as other important national concerns. I have always followed my late father’s advice in Local Government “ treat the residents as you would like to be treated “ I  have done this since day one  in September 1991.

In the recent words of one of my Association members “ you may take the girl out of politics, but you will never take the politics out of the girl. “ I will always maintain an interest in the local political scene.

I would like to be remembered as a Councillor ,who treated the residents with respect; as someone who fought for fairness and justice on the Council floor; as someone who always did her homework on Council issues; and as someone who treated my Councillor colleagues and Council Officers with professionalism.

Councillor Anne Field

January 15 2008

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COUNCILLOR FIELD ANNOUNCES HER RETIREMENT FROM KOGARAH COUNCIL

 JANUARY 9  2008

As the first anniversary of my father’s passing, in late January 2008 approaches, I have decided to publicly announce my retirement from Kogarah Council at the 27 September 2008 Local Government elections. I now plan to move onto my next career, after politics, as a writer.

I will finish my Moorefield Racecourse (1888-1951) story. This has been long interrupted by the demands of looking after my 2 elderly parents at different periods of time, my career as a local high school teacher, and my Council duties. In 2006, I wrote a couple of its chapters for the Ron Rathbone Local History Competition. After my Moorefield Racecourse book is published, I will then move on to write other books.

I began my community career as a Director on the St George Hospital Board 1985-1988.Medical politics were a forerunner of what was to come for me, in the years ahead, in Local Government.

I was elected, in 1991, to represent Third Ward on Rockdale Council.  I served on many Committees during my two terms at Rockdale City Council, and chaired a number of them.

I consider that some of my biggest achievements at Rockdale Council were the production of the School Kit; pushing hard to see child care on the Council agenda; fighting to have heritage as a positive issue; and the establishment of SSROC Heritage Forum in mid -1997. I was elected the first female Deputy Mayor of Rockdale City Council in September 1996.

Political circumstances forced me to relocate to Kogarah Council in 1999 where I represented a resident action group , the Kogarah Bay Progress Association. I was re-elected unopposed in 2004, to Kogarah Council, to represent North Ward.  I have served on many Committees during my two terms at Kogarah Council.

At Kogarah Council, I was able to produce my Constitutional Convention in August 2001, to honour  100 years since Federation in Australia  This was a requirement of my Parliamentary Fellowship, which was awarded by the Federal Parliamentary Office, Canberra in October 2000.

Again, I helped to produce a School Kit for our local schools. Child Care and Community Services have been an area of  focus, as have heritage issues. I have served on the Management Committee of Kogarah Community Services since 1999, and have been their Chair since 2001.

I look forward this year, to working on the production of Significant People in Kogarah’s over the past 60-75 years. I see this as my final project for  Kogarah Council.

I have enjoyed “most” of my time on Council. There have however been some difficult times. I am honoured to say that I have become personal friends with some of the residents, in both Councils, that I have represented over the years.

I have remembered my late father’s advice to me; “always treat the residents, as you would like to be treated.” I have  tried diligently to do in my 16 years, to date, on Council. Representing the community for me has been a rewarding and challenging experience.

There however, comes a time “to move on” in politics. My late mother recognized, many years ago, my love of writing. I am delighted to be able to fulfill her wishes, and to begin a new career. I look forward to the challenges of the literary world in the years ahead.

Councillor Anne Field