Source: Baby Boomers Lifechange
Interview with Leon Fleming
Q: Leon Fleming, you're now in your 60's and you're leaving one challenging job in Brisbane to take on an even more challenging job in Cairns. Tell us what have you been doing for the past few years and where are you going now?
A: I've been working with a local council for the last 17 years and while it's been very interesting and stimulating and challenging I'm getting to the stage where there's a sense of "I've done that before". So, before I stop working full time I'd like one more serious challenge and I'm going north in part for that reason
A: I've been working with a local council for the last 17 years and while it's been very interesting and stimulating and challenging I'm getting to the stage where there's a sense of "I've done that before". So, before I stop working full time I'd like one more serious challenge and I'm going north in part for that reason
Q: Why does working in Cairns appeal to you so much?
A: I first visited Cairns over 40 years ago. My parents in law lived in the hinterland of Cairns and I've been there many times since, In another employment position I frequently visited Cairns and I think it is one of the great cities in Queensland, if not Australia.
A: I first visited Cairns over 40 years ago. My parents in law lived in the hinterland of Cairns and I've been there many times since, In another employment position I frequently visited Cairns and I think it is one of the great cities in Queensland, if not Australia.
Q: What are you actually going to be doing up there?
A: I'll be working with a private sector consulting group, a group of about 50 people, mainly engineers, some environmentalists and there'll be 8 planners. They have offices in Cairns and Townsville and generally operate in the far north region.
A: I'll be working with a private sector consulting group, a group of about 50 people, mainly engineers, some environmentalists and there'll be 8 planners. They have offices in Cairns and Townsville and generally operate in the far north region.
Q: Will you be the senior planner up there?
A: I'll be the eldest. I'm not going to be the line manager, I'm more a specialist.
A: I'll be the eldest. I'm not going to be the line manager, I'm more a specialist.
Q: Will you be getting involved in new subdivisions or new major planning projects?
A: I hope so - it's one of the challenges of consulting, you've got to bid for them and win the work. There's a lot of interesting work in Townsville to do with James Cook University with the army barracks and the mining industry. In Cairns there's significant population growth and a lot of tourism activities along with a small industrial development which goes hand in hand with that.
A: I hope so - it's one of the challenges of consulting, you've got to bid for them and win the work. There's a lot of interesting work in Townsville to do with James Cook University with the army barracks and the mining industry. In Cairns there's significant population growth and a lot of tourism activities along with a small industrial development which goes hand in hand with that.
Q: What would you say to those people who would think that you're too old to be handling such a big pressure job?
A: They know naught.
A: They know naught.
Q: The know naught? Could you expand slightly on that?
A: Well, the manual labour age is no bar for essentially cerebral activities - thinking, reasoning, writing, desk based jobs, air conditioned office. Age is no barrier. I take my bench mark to be a supreme court judge, to retire at 70 and then to work on beyond that.
A: Well, the manual labour age is no bar for essentially cerebral activities - thinking, reasoning, writing, desk based jobs, air conditioned office. Age is no barrier. I take my bench mark to be a supreme court judge, to retire at 70 and then to work on beyond that.
Q: What benefits do mature town planners bring to a job that young town planners can't match?
A: Well especially for strategic planning or long term planning, you have the benefit of seeing a lot of plans you prepare coming to fruition, seeing the many twists and turns things can take, and to not be cocky, not think you know all the outcomes, but to plan in a deliberate way and allow scope for the unexpected to happen.
A: Well especially for strategic planning or long term planning, you have the benefit of seeing a lot of plans you prepare coming to fruition, seeing the many twists and turns things can take, and to not be cocky, not think you know all the outcomes, but to plan in a deliberate way and allow scope for the unexpected to happen.
