“It’s Pretty Hard To Steer A Car From The Backseat”

Recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of Mackay Isaac Tourism and current Whitsunday Councillor Al Grundy, caused shockwaves last week when he resigned from his position following an unsuccessful bid to become Mayor.

Cr Grundy said that it was a difficult decision to make but that ultimately, he “wanted to be a leader” and had “excess capacity” to create more positive change within the community.

“It’s pretty hard to steer a car from the backseat,” he explained.

“I’ve been learning for the last two and a half years and now I am ready to run, I want to be a leader.”

Cr Grundy said that he initially joined the Whitsunday Regional Council because he wanted to work with Andrew Willcox on a “journey of uniting the community”.

“When the mayor went to Federal, I thought – ‘I’m ready to run for mayor’ – and was looking forward to strategically planning how to improve and unite the region over the next 10-15 years,” he said.

“When I was unsuccessful, it took me a while to digest.

“Being a Councillor, the bulk of the decision making and advocacy falls to the mayor so I was left thinking – ‘what am I going to do’ – I have all this excess capacity.”

Initially surprised when he was awarded the role at Mackay and Isaac Tourism, Cr Grundy said that it took him some time accept the position.

“I understand there will be some people out there that feel frustrated and annoyed with my decision,” he said.

“But I still have the best interests of the community at heart and at the end of the day I’ll still be able to make a difference.”

Eager to unite the regions of Whitsundays, Isaac and Mackay, Cr Grundy said that he is looking forward to harnessing all his industry knowledge and thinking of new innovative ideas that can further enhance our overall tourism offering.

“I’ve got a great opportunity to help grow a really important economic driver for our Greater Whitsunday Area,” he said.

“With this new role, I can have a direct line back to the decision makers and the broader RTO network across the state.”

Cr Grundy will reside in Mackay during the week and aims to return to the Whitsundays to spend time with his family on the weekend.

He is unsure whether he will run for Mayor again in 18 months, but says he will always help the community in any way he can.

Image: Al Grundy, with his wife Ruth and their two children

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