OPINION | Town Hall brings ideas and ideals together

For me, it is an incredibly exciting and diverse field in which to work, where no two days are the same and there are opportunities to work with people from all backgrounds.

Launceston was first declared a municipality in 1853, and construction work on the Town Hall began just over a decade later, on a rainy April morning in 1864.

At a small ceremony, the foundation stone for the Town Hall was laid in St John Street by the then-Governor of Tasmania, Thomas Gore Browne.

In the time since that foundation stone was laid, the world has changed an awful lot.

The people who came to that ceremony on that stormy morning could not possibly have conceived of the trials and tribulations Launceston and its residents would encounter in the future.

But they understood that their city deserved such a building, as much for its symbolism as the resting place of the city's democratic heart, as for any practical use it might provide.

The Town Hall was designed as a place to debate issues of the day, to hear different viewpoints and new ideas.

Most importantly, it was designed as a place where citizens and their elected representatives could come together to discuss ideas and proposals for the continued progress and betterment of this great city of Launceston.

It remains such a place today.

The Town Hall, to me, is a place of ideas and a place of ideals.

What the Town Hall has been for the past 150 years is a venue for the discussion of the ideals of what our city might be, and ideas for how to get us there.

The people of Launceston have come to this place to improve our economy, to improve our health and education systems, to improve our planning systems and roadways and parklands.

So to me, the Town Hall represents the future potential of Launceston, and our proud past.

Local government elections will be held in October next year and we will see a new raft of candidates stepping forward to serve their communities.

For those of you who have an interest in the future of our city, I hope you will consider putting your hands up and using your ideas and ideals to help make Launceston a proud and prosperous city, well into the future.