Manly runs in my veins. My family’s roots here stretch back to the 1920's when my grandfather, Francis James, founded James Bros Butchers on Belgrave Street. My parents, Bill and Robin James, instilled in me a deep sense of community - Dad through his fundraising with the Manly Lions Club and Manly Golf Club, and Mum through her decades of volunteering with Meals on Wheels, the Manly Hospital Auxiliary, and establishing the first Toastmasters in the area. Born at Manly Hospital (yes, the local joke is true!), my childhood was spent swimming at Little Manly and Fairlight, and Manly Pool, swimming in Queenscliff lagoon and Manly Dam, playing on the rocket in Tania Park and bush walking to the fisherman’s huts at Dobroyd. I went to Harbord school and then Balgowlah Heights Primary whilst attending Sunday School at Manly Congregational Church. Ballet lessons were at Miss Meldrum’s Ballet Academy in Gilbert Road, tennis at the Bareena Tennis Courts in Balgowlah Heights and I got my bronze medallion (just!) at the Manly Baths (before the ‘big storm’ washed it away) and this idyllic upbringing shaped my love for this incredible place. Community engagement has been my life’s work. As a Fellow of both the Public Relations and Marketing Institutes of Australia and an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, I ran my own PR agency for over 30 years, working with major corporates, not-for-profits, and government agencies. My husband, Jeremy Bingham, practised as a solicitor for over 40 years in NSW specialising in local government, development and town planning matters and more than 20 years service as a local government Councillor for both Hunter’s Hill and Sydney City Councils including 3 years as Lord Mayor of Sydney from 1989-1991 reinforcing our shared commitment to public service. I was first elected to the former Manly Council in 2012, the newly formed Northern Beaches Council in 2017 and re-elected in 2021. 2025 marks my fourth term as Councillor for the Manly Ward and I’ve served four one-year terms as Deputy Mayor, chaired the Little Manly Community Precinct, served on Council’s Traffic Committee, and acted as a Coastal Ambassador championing Manly’s unique environment and ensuring a strong voice for Greater Manly. Good For Manly has an established presence on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn and I encourage you to connect with us there where we share the latest news and views of the community Manly isn’t just where I live—it’s who I am. Together with my fellow Manly Ward Councillors, Sarah Grattan and Bonnie Harvey, I’m committed to protecting and enhancing this extraordinary place we are privileged to call home for generations to come. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance to you. Cheers |
