Born in Sydney in 1957, and raised by my Mother since the age of six, I was educated in State schools, completing year 12 in 1974. During my working life, I was a self employed guitar teacher, retiring in 2014.
My first awareness of environmental issues developed from my involvement in a progressive Christian church in the mid-1970s and the cookbook, Recipes for a Small Planet. A marriage and a son intervened, followed by a divorce and single parenthood until I met my current spouse, Leeanne in 1996.
As a result of Leeanne’s prompting, we attended a Greenpeace forum about the Anvil Hill Coal Mine in June, 2006. This kick started our passion for protecting the environment from fossil fuel extraction and, at that early stage, introduced us to climate change. We joined GetUp! in 2006, when there were fewer than 70,000 “members”, becoming participants in many actions over the years, such as the Walk Against Warming and Federal election campaigns since 2007. (I became convenor of the Get Up! Central Coast Action Group in 2018.)
Until December, 2013, we were living in Phillip Bay, Sydney, and established Sustainability Street Phillip Bay, an initiative of the Randwick City Council. We were foundation members of Climate Action Sydney Eastern Suburbs (CASES) and were involved with 100% Renewable Energy (now Solar Citizens of which I became Central Coast Co-ordinator in 2018), the Randwick Sustainability Hub and the La Perouse Precinct Community Association. We sustainably retrofitted our home in 2009/10 and opened it for Sustainable House Day in 2010, ’11 and ’12. We held compositing and wormfarm workshops there also.
After supporting Labor from voting age, followed by the Democrats, I evolved to the Greens after they were established in Australia in 1992, regularly handing out at polling places on all levels of government elections days. In 2012, I stood for the Randwick City Council elections as an independent on the Greens ticket, headed by Councillor Murray Matson, with the Save the La Perouse Market Gardens campaign as the major issue in my ward.
In December 2013, we moved to the NSW Central Coast as foundation members of the Narara Ecovillage. Sadly, that didn’t work out for us so it wasn’t until 2016 that I once again became involved in wider community issues after we bought a home in Empire Bay in December 2015. Leeanne and I became members of the Empire Bay Progress Association, Community Environment Network (CEN) and the Peninsular Environment Group (PEG). We helped run Woytopia, a sustainable living festival, in 2016.
I became actively involved in the 2016 election for the newly amalgamated Central Coast Council, supporting progressive independent candidates that helped to deliver a progressive Council. I was a member of the Central Coast Coast Council’s Community Strategic Plan Community Reference Group in 2017/19 and the CCC’s Climate Change Action Planning - Community Working Group in 2019. At the most recent Federal election, I volunteered for a progressive independent.
I have been involved in community education about climate change and renewable energy, co-running, with Leeanne, the Energymark course at our Phillip Bay home in 2010, co-running the U3A course Climate Change and You in 2017 as well as being a co-facilitator of a Solar Energy MeetUp Group for the 18 months until February 2019. I’ve started numerous Facebook Groups and Pages related to climate change, transitioning to renewable energy and sustainable living. The climate crisis, we are now experiencing, is at the forefront of my mind, as is the need for a rapid, but orderly, transition to a fossil fuel free future.
Leeanne and I moved to Bundanoon in December 2019 and were immediately confronted by, like all the residents of Wingecarribee Shire, the bushfire crisis. The wonderful community welcomed us and we were soon volunteering to help water and feed the surviving wildlife, a long term project, as we await the next soaking rain.
After many years of “sitting on the fence”, I finally jumped off and joined the Greens in January 2020, when I recognised that the only way to bring about the progressive change Australia needs is to join a truly progressive party which has representation in all levels of government as well as the policies that can bring about social, environmental and economic justice and equity for which I crave. It would be a great honour, and privilege, to be preselected for the Greens ticket in the upcoming Wingecarribee Shire Council elections and, if elected, represent its ratepayers.
Here are some personal references:
Kate da Costa Current Co-Convenor, GNSW Standing Campaign Committee former Secretary, GNSW.
To Greens Friends
I have known Greg Olsen since around 2016, as he became active in environmental and civic issues on the Central Coast. Greg quickly made it his business to find out what were the key local issues, and to inform himself about them. He assisted with organising events and rallies. He joined the executive of the Central Coast Community Energy Association, of which I am a co-founder, in 2017. My observation is that Greg supported the same causes and values as the Greens when he was on the Coast, and I am pleased to hear that he has joined GNSW.
Kate da Costa Current Co-Convenor, GNSW Standing Campaign Committee former Secretary, GNSW. 02/02/2020
John Duncan-Watt MBA, BSc.Agr.(Econ), Co-Convenor GetUp Central Coast Action Group (GUCCAG)
I have worked with Greg Olsen on various progressive activist campaigns on the Central Coast of NSW for four years. I first met Greg through our shared interest in the GetUp and together with 8 others we formed the GetUp Central Coast Action Group (GUCCAG) in 2018 with Greg subsequently becoming a co-convenor.
The GUCCAG has subsequently become one of the most active of GetUp’s community-based action groups with co-ordinators becoming part of GetUp’s core national communications group.
GUCCAG in early 2019 facilitated the establishment of a vibrant network of leaders of progressive activist groups on the CentralCoast including the Greens, Central Coast for Social Justice, Extinction Rebellion CentralCoast, Community Environment Network, Community Environment Alliance, Growing Urban Shade Trees, Lock the Gate Central Coast, Stop Adani Central Coast, Sea Shepherd Central Coast, Amnesty International Central Coast, Australian Conservation Foundation CentralCoast, Stop Seismic Testing Central Coast etc. The leaders, consequently, now have their own networking page; Central Coast Community Collective.
Greg stepped down from his co-convenor role soon after this was established to concentrate on assisting with the Federal election campaigns of two strong local independent candidates for respectively the Federal Seat of Robinson (David Abrahams) and a NSW Senate position (Rod Bower).
Greg’s strengths are his energy in bringing about progressive change and his associated strong networking ability to make it happen; he is fearless. He is an excellent listener with principles and ethical values firmly in replace to ensure a considered response. Making a home both in Bundanoon and with the Greens are entirely in character.
John Duncan-Watt MBA, BSc.Agr.(Econ) Co-Convenor GetUp Central Coast Action Group (GUCCAG) 29/02/20
Murray Matson, Randwick City Greens Councillor
I am delighted to support the pre-selection of Gregory Olsen as a Greens candidate in the 2020 local government elections for Wingecarribee Shire Council.
Greg was a strong supporter for the Randwick-Botany Greens (RBG) in the early part of this decade in Council, State and Federal election. He was a dependable volunteer who left a logistical hole for our group when he moved to the Central Coast, where he was also involved in local progressive politics, before moving to your area. I have no doubt that he will be an asset for you during the Wingecarribee campaign and that he would be a strong number one candidate.
I am acutely aware of his former contribution to RBG as I had responsibility for finding candidates and booth workers in the 2012 Randwick City Council elections. It was difficult as we were trying to run groups of 3 candidates in each of the 5 wards plus a team in the adjacent former Botany Council.
Randwick’s South Ward is always a struggle for us as it is very different to the more affluent areas of the LGA. It had a very strong rusted-on labor tradition that sees our own vote dropping to below 4% on some booths. There is a good independent vote but back then it was tied to a well-known local who had been a Councillor for decades. But Laperouse, where Greg lived, was a pocket of support for us because of its indigenous community and local contamination issues such as illegal dump sites.
We haven’t had an elected Greens Councillor elected in South Ward since 1995 when we successfully teamed a non-local Greens candidate with a popular activist running second on the group. In 2012 Greg was a local resident activist so we jumped at the chance when he offered to be another independent number two for us.
He proved to be a great candidate who could be trusted to articulate the issues and pull his weight where and when we needed him to. He helped in the staffing of the pre-poll roster and handed out the Greens HTV all of polling day at the Laperouse Public School booth. He followed up with another all-day effort for us on the same booth in the 2013 Federal election. Randwick-Botany’s loss is Wingecarribee’s gain. I will watch your campaign from afar with interest.
Go the Greens.
Murray Matson, Randwick City Greens Councillor, 0409-984-587
David Abrahams, Progressive Independent Candidate in 2019 Federal Election for Division of Robertson, NSW Central Coast
To whom it may concern,
I’ve know Gregory for several years and have been impressed with his energy and passion for a progressive Australia.
In 2016, along with me, Gregory became a involved in the Community Plan Central Coast. This was a grassroots, community based group of people endeavouring to develop a ‘peoples’ plan' for the newly formed Central Coast Council (CCC). He was responsible for drawing up the draft policies for climate change and housing. Later, as a member of the
CCC's official Community Strategic Plan Reference group, he was able to articulate these policies and influence the development of Council’s Community Strategic Plan. In 2017 Gregory supported and advocated for progressive candidates in the inaugural Central Coast Council election. Thankfully, the election result delivered a majority progressive Council.
In the 2019 Federal election, I stood in the seat of Robertson as a progressive independent. Gregory vacated his position as co-convenor of GetUp! Central Coast to volunteer to support my candidacy. He did this by assiduously setting up, monitoring and posting on several pages dedicated to my campaign. He also successfully staffed a pre-booth every day as well as on polling day.
Gregory’s commitment and dedication to progressive concepts, particularly action on the climate crisis, an expedited transition to 100% renewable energy, affordable community housing and environmentally favourable building constraints are palpable.
I imagine joining the Greens was a big step for Gregory. However, I feel it is entirely consistent with his demonstrated values and philosophy of, as he always says, social, environmental and economic justice and equity.
I have no doubt Gregory will be an asset to The Greens and their electoral success.
David Abrahams, Killcare NSW, 0450630181
Jo Muller Woy Woy, Secretary, Central Coast Community Energy Association Inc.
To whom it may concern,
I am Dr Heinz-Joachim (Jo) Muller, live on the Central Coast, NSW and I have been a member of the NSW Greens for about 20 years.
From early 2010 I was the treasurer for the Central Coast Greens for a couple of years. I am also the founder of the Centrals Coast Community Energy Association Inc. (CCCE) and active in various other environmental groups.
I met Greg Olsen about six years ago when he ran a workshop for a community organisation using a CSIRO climate change program.
Later Greg joined the executive committee of CCCE and Greg and I provided monthly community workshops about the benefits of domestic solar installations for more than a year. Greg and I also worked together in several local council working groups.
Myself being more on the introverted scale, I have always been impressed by Greg’s easy and witty way of engaging with people. In addition Greg is very capable of understanding complex situations and explaining them to others in an easy to understand manner. Whenever I worked with Greg, he has been full of enthusiasm and drive.
From our long discussions I understand the political and social opinions of Greg well and I could see that they are well aligned with The Greens’ principles and policies. Therefore I have always wondered when Greg would join The Greens. I am glad he finally has joined.
I highly recommend Greg for any function within The Greens where he has to engage with people and explain things in a convincing way.
Jo Muller Woy Woy, Secretary, Central Coast Community Energy Association Inc., March 2020.
Carolen Barripp, President Empire Bay Progress Association (EBPA)
To whom it may concern,
As soon as Gregory Olsen and his wife Leeanne moved to Empire Bay in 2015, he became an active member of the Progress Association and formed the Empire Bay and Districts Roads Action Group (EBDRAG).
As the convenor of EBDRAG, Gregory facilitated two community meetings attracting over 80 residents to discuss the condition of local roads and drains. He successfully lobbied the Central Coast Council and the NSW Government to jointly fund a $1.2 million reconstruction of Greenfield Road, the only access to the 2,700 strong community. This road is due for completion next month. He was also responsible for initiating works by Council to fix the drainage issues Empire Bay has been experiencing for decades.
Gregory was also instrumental in the organisations and installation of a solar panel system on the roof of the Association’s owned Empire Bay Hall, providing excellent costs savings to the Association. He conducted community presentations on how to reduce energy use and costs and co-convened a local U3A course - Climate Change and You.
Gregory was member of, and volunteered for, the Central Coast Community Energy Association (CCCEA) and Community Environment Network (CEN). He also served on Central Coast Council’s Community Strategic Plan Community Reference Group and Climate Change Action Planning Community Working Group.
Visiting Gregory and Leeanne’s house, I was always struck by his gorgeous vegie garden which dominated most of their garden.
They are both truly missed.
Yours sincerely,
Carolen Barrip, President EBPA 0418298620
