SALISBURY’S MOST MULTICULTURAL MAYOR

WHEN Mayor Gillian Aldridge OAM was elected to Salisbury Council three decades ago, she had a vision of making the city one of the most inclusive in the state.

Mrs Aldridge had a goal of turning the City of Salisbury into a thriving multicultural community where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures could call home without the fear of discrimination.

It was her dream to welcome hundreds of new arrivals to Salisbury each year, welcome new citizens, host multicultural events to showcase countries far and wide, and for the area to be rich in diversity, food and businesses.

“Salisbury has always been a place for me to call home,” Mrs Aldridge said.

“I grew up here and I have experienced so many wonderful things in this community – and I wanted people from all walks of life to have the same opportunities I had.

“Since I became Mayor, our city has grown tremendously. We are now one of the most multicultural cities in South Australia, welcoming hundreds of new citizens each year, hosting cultural events with amazing performances, food and art, and having a large number of businesses run by people from all kinds of backgrounds – Indian, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, Chinese. You name it.”

Mrs Aldridge was elected to Salisbury Council 30 years ago and spent seven years as Deputy Mayor before being elected to Mayor in 2008.

She married her husband, Robyn, 50 years ago and has two children named Mark and Kerry, who have each given them grandchildren who they cherish and adore.

Family has always been incredibly important to Mrs Aldridge and that is one of the reasons she stood for council in the first place.

“I wanted to make sure families loved where they live, they took pride in their area and their children grow up in a community where they feel at home, have plenty of job opportunities, a good education and access to community facilities,” she said.

Mrs Aldridge works seven days per week in her role as Mayor, meeting with members of the community to discuss their goals and concerns, speaking with her staff to make sure her resident’s concerns are solved, and attending many events.

Among those events is regular citizenship ceremonies were she welcomes people from all countries, including India, Iran, Pakistan and Cambodia, and annual the Diwali Festival, which is among her favourites.

Mrs Aldridge has achieved many things during her tenure as Mayor, including assisting with development plans for the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir – the Hindu temple – at Greenfields.

“It is such a beautiful temple and I am so proud and honoured to have been able to help, even in the smallest way, to get this stunning building off the ground,” she said.

“Salisbury is an inclusive city, filled with the most wonderful people, and this temple is one of the many representations of all the beautiful cultures we have here.”

She has also been heavily involved in other projects including the Salisbury Community Hub, St Kilda Adventure Playground, Para Hills Community Hub, sporting clubs, new businesses and shopping centres.

Mrs Aldridge is hoping to be re-elected to Mayor of the City of Salisbury at the upcoming elections in October, which will be done by postal vote.

She is hoping to achieve many more things if she is re-elected for another four years, including rejuvenating older suburbs, keeping residential and commercial rates affordable, creating more jobs and attracting investment to boost business.

“I want to be Mayor for another four years because I am not finished yet, there are so many things I still want to achieve. So vote for me and let’s get it done.”

For more information about how to register to vote, visit www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/enrolment