Councillor reflects on the good, bad and the ugly after nine years

Gladstone Councillor Kahn Goodluck has spoken about the power of community, the impact of social media and even the benefits of cage-fighting after his nine-year stint comes to a close.

Gladstone Councillor Kahn Goodluck has decided to step down after nine years serving his community. Pic: Steve Vit

Gladstone Councillor Kahn Goodluck has decided to step down after nine years serving his community.

His resignation will be made effective on March 13 this year.

Cr Goodluck was a strong advocate for numerous issues, including reintroduction of fluoride into town water and workers rights.

Kahn also holds noteworthy roles in other organisations as the President of the Boyne Tannum Arts Business and Community Association, a Director on the board of Apprentices and Trainees QLD and Chair of the Roseberry QLD Gladstone Headspace Consortium.
First elected to council at the age of 27, he was proud of his time serving the Gladstone community.

Gladstone Regional Councillor Kahn Goodluck, pictured while Deputy Mayor, is now stepping down. Pic: Supplied

“I’d just like to thank everyone for the faith that they put in me – I walk away with my head held high,” he said.

“I’ll always stay true to my values, I always fought for what was right and I just tried to make sure that I respected every person, and tried to help as many people as I can.

“I’ll miss a lot about the job and the people, but I’ll still be around.”

Kahn also spoke about the difficulty of working in the public eye while raising a young family.
“My kids are getting older, I’ve got an 11 year old, a nine year old and a seven year old – they’ve never really known a time where I wasn’t on council,” he said.

“I told them a couple of days before I announced (my departure) – they all said ‘yay, does that mean we don’t have to go to any more late-night meetings?

“I knew then that I’d made the right decision.”

Gladstone Councillors Peter Masters and Kahn Goodluck will take part in this weekend's drought fundraiser at Calliope Roosters Rugby League Club.

 Kahn said one of his proudest moments as councillor was the approval of a swimming pool for the Boyne-Tannum area.

“When I was running for election in 2016, I was doorknocking in the Boyne-Tannum area and literally everyone said to me that we need a public-access swimming pool,” he said.
“I moved a motion in 2018 to start the project, and we’ve done a hell of a lot of work over that six or seven year period.

“We’ve got $15 million in funding from the Federal Government thanks to Gladstone Mayor Matt Burnett when he ran for the seat of Flynn, and we’ve got an approved development application, designs and we’re just about to go to tender.”
Even though Kahn will have resigned by the time the pool is ready, he said he would not miss the opportunity to be present for the opening ceremony.

“I told the councillors that I’m still coming to the opening when it finally happens.”
“For me, it’s a great concept of what people power can do.”

Gladstone Councillor Kahn Goodluck is in favour of fluoride being in the towns drinking water. Supplied: Steve Vit

Kahn has suffered public backlash for his motion to reintroduce fluoride into Gladstone’s town water supply, with some disgruntled locals calling him a “demon, a grub and a sellout” after first making the motion to remove it so people could have a “right to choose”.

“When I voted against it (in 2016), I never argued that the science wasn’t legitimate – it was about the ethical decision of whether people should have the right to choose,” he said.
Kahn said his decision to depart from his role as councillor was not a direct result of backlash from his fluoride motion.
“(The backlash) was particularly ferocious, but that’s not the first time I’ve dealt with fluoride in my time on council – I think it was the third time, and each one has been the same,” he said.

“It was nasty, but I guess it always is when people are passionate and emotive about an issue.”

During his time as Gladstone Regional Council Deputy Mayor, Kahn Goodluck and tradesman Mathew Clark raised money when they went toe-to-toe for a good cause at ‘Tradie Wars’.

Kahn also said the wider community had been supportive of him.
“(The response) has been really humbling – I’ve got a lot of really nice comments on social media and a lot of messages and phone calls,” he said.

His time in the council has been anything but dull – in 2022, he competed in a cage-fighting tournament to raise funds for the Young Veterans organisation.
However, Kahn said the chance of him competing in martial arts in the future was slim.
“I’ve certainly got no plans to jump back in the ring, I think I’m getting a bit too long in the tooth for that,” he said.

Along with his interest in fighting, he is also a spirited musician, often performing his solo acoustic sets around pubs and clubs in Gladstone.

Gladstone Regional Council Councillor Kahn Goodluck will likely be seen playing a few gigs when he steps down from his role. Picture: Supplied

“I’ll still be on the guitar and play a few gigs here and there,” he said.
“I’ve always loved music and it’s good for the soul.”
Former Gladstone Region Councillor Chris Cameron, who served from 2020 to 2024, is the current runner up from the 2024 councillor election as declared by Electoral Commission Queensland.

Originally published as Councillor reflects on the good, bad and the ugly after nine years