Richie Bates

37 Morehead Street
Bungalow Cairns Qld 4870

PO box 5
Cairns Qld 4870

P: 4035 5593

M: 0429 496 882

Background:

Born in Melbourne in 1965, I first came to work in Cairns in 1988. After further travel and work in North Queensland and the Northern Territory, I settled permanently in Cairns in 1990. I have owned a house in the Far North since 1994 and have been employed continuously with Queensland Rail for the past 17 years.

Community Participation and Membership:

• President of Cairns Cycling Club since 1994
• Foundation member of Cairns Sportsfest committee
• Member of the Australian Labor Party since 1995
• Member of the Tableland Sport and Recreation Association
• Member of the Gordonvale Pyramid Race committee
• Member of the Yorkeys Knob Residents Association
• Member of A Just Australia
• Local Delegate and Branch Councillor for the Rail, Tram and Bus Union

Attributes:

• Good communication skills with experience in public speaking and presentation.
• Committed to encouraging others and working in a team environment
• Passionate about recreation, sport and exercise
• Effective in negotiation
• Strong sense of social justice

Working Life:

After completing a four year Telecommunications Apprenticeship with Telecom Australia I moved to Queensland from Victoria in 1988 continuing my career in Telecommunications with QR.

During a year away from QR in the late eighties I travelled to the Northern Territory to work at the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap.

A brief cycling vocation followed with some elite competition and part time work in the bike industry before returning to far North Queensland.

I have been fortunate to be part of the transformation of Telecommunications Technology during my working life. In particular, the move from copper based analogue to fibre optic digital systems has been a significant learning experience for me while bringing about enormous changes in modern society.

With my fervour for social justice, union activism has been integral to my work, and I have spent many years as a committed delegate and advocate for this cause.

Sport:

Sport has always been a dedication in my life; I have played several sports socially and competitively since my youth including junior cricket and tennis. However, my association with cycling has been the most considerable with many years in competition, coaching, refereeing, club administration and development, and always with strong support for participation and vision at a grass roots level.

In addition, I have involvement in several other sports through committee membership and my children's activities. A regular weekly spot on ABC and 98.7 FM radio has also been a feature of my role as Cairns Cycling Club President.

I am keen to see the promotion of cycling not only as a sport but also as a safe recreation for health and fitness and viable transport option.

Accomplishments:

• Senior Telecommunications Technician QR (Cert iv)
• Member of QR Working Party to develop trade progression, training and assessment within Telecommunications.
• Successful in Subsidiary agreement negotiations for division with QR
• Delegate to RTBU national council
• Awarded Australian Sports medal 2000
• Cycling Queensland Masters Track Cyclist of the Year 2003
• Developed and conducted school cycling clinics program for Tablelands schools
• 2006 Cairns Cycling Club – biggest regional club in Queensland conducting 100 events per year.
• Children - Drew aged 14, Ruby aged 8

Contacts: Mob: 0429 496 882

Email: richie@cairns1st.org.au