Deputy Mayor Donna Gates, part of Gold Coast’s Women of the Year
When she first came into council, Donna Gates was told she was a size six with a size sixteen mouth. Years later, not much has changed, except she’s now the city’s Deputy Mayor.
Women of the Year
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A SELF proclaimed accidental politician Gold Coast’s Deputy Mayor Donna Gates has built a reputation as a gutsy advocate for the city’s northern gateway.
As one of the Gold Coast’s highest ranking councillors, Ms Gates is known as a pocket rocket that packs a punch.
“When I first came onto council I was told I was a size six with a size sixteen mouth,” she laughed.
“People got really tired about us screaming about the north back then but at that stage the community was just starting, they had no where to go even for a playgroup.
“These days the focus is on congestion,” she said.
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Surprisingly shy by nature Cr Gates has always seen her political career as twist of fate, not a premeditated career goal.
In 2007 she was first made councillor for Division 1 in an administrative capacity, later winning the next few elections.
“I was an accidental politician, but after a while I decided to have a crack,” she said.
“I am really fortunate to have been able to work in this role, and with the team I have.
Cr Gates said her first employer at the Melbourne radio station 3UZ helped her first gain confidence in her career.
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“I had a wonderful boss that was way ahead of his time,” she said.
“He empowered a lot of women in the industry to take on management roles, which didn’t happen a lot at that time.
“It was the place I first learnt you had to be persistent.”
The Gold Coast Bulletin’s inaugural Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year campaign celebrates the city’s leading females.
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