Samantha Delmege: Southport Nurse to contest Division 6 in 2024 council election with Dawn Crichlow’s backing

A nurse and wife of a former NRL team owner will run for council at next year’s election with the backing of one of the Gold Coast’s best-loved former city leaders. FIND OUT WHO

Samantha Delmege, the wife of former NRL team owner and developer Max Delmege will run for council at next year’s election.

The 39-year-old, who made national headlines for her lengthy battle to have children via IVF, will aim to unseat incumbent councillor Brooke Patterson in Division 6, which takes in Southport.

And she’s already secured the endorsement of long-serving former councillor Dawn Crichlow – her sister in law.

The nurse and mother of two said she wanted to help Southport achieve its potential as the Gold Coast’s official central business district.

Samantha Delmege, sister in law of Dawn Crichlow will be running in Dawn's former Southport Gold Coast City Council seat at the next election. Picture Glenn Hampson

“Ever since I left school I have loved caring for people in the community and I just want to keep doing that,” she said.

“Southport has a lot of potential and I think it just needs to be brought back to the wonderful place it should be because it is the CBD of the Gold Coast.

“I have a few ideas of what I would like to achieve, including looking at how to improve Davenport Street and working with the state government to help solve the homeless issue here in Southport.”

Ms Delmege’s husband, a prominent real estate agent, was previously a property developer and is a former owner of the Manly Sea Eagles.

Dawn Crichlow represented Southport for 29 years before her 2020 retirement. Picture: Jerad Williams

Ms Delmege said Ms Crichlow’s mentoring had helped her prepare for the intensities of the campaign trail.

“Dawn has been a great mentor over the past six years, particularly knowing how much I love helping in the community and people.

“I have always liked politics and when I met Max 13 years ago, I got to see all the work his sister Dawn had done and I knew this was what I wanted to do.

“I want to help people the way Dawn did and I would love for people to feel the same way about me.”

Samantha and Max Delmege

Southport was declared the Gold Coast’s official CBD and named a decade ago but the dream has struggled to translate to reality.

Numerous city blocks in Southport remain dormant a decade after the area was given Priority Development Area (PDA) status in the hopes of kickstarting billions of dollars in major projects and jobs.

Instead, some developers gained council approval for development applications to lift the value of the site, before selling, leaving the area littered with closed or for-lease shops and a large homeless population.

Cr Brooke Patterson (left) won the 2020 election. Picture Glenn Hampson

Ms Delmege is the first challenger to announce a tilt at Division 6, which Ms Patterson won in 2020 following Ms Crichlow’s retirement.

With less than six months to go until the March 2024 election, few candidates have declared their intention to run.

However there are expected to be several changes, with the retirement of long-serving Helensvale councillor William Owen-Jones and uncertainty over whether murder-accused Arundel councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden will recontest his seat.