SOME call it south-east Queensland. Our mayor Jon Raven calls it Greater Logan. And in a tongue-in-cheek gesture that’s got them all in a frenzy, he’s re-named neighbouring regions in a way that makes more sense … to us.
What do other mayors think?
Nobody really cares, but we asked them anyway…
The mayor might not get everything right, but there’s no doubt he has Logan front of mind.
When speaking about the city on a regional and national stage, Jon Raven’s pitch has become familiar.
He never speaks ill of our neighbours, but he’s renamed them to our advantage.
And there’s a published map to drive the point home.
To the north of this great city, we have the Logan Economic Zone where Cr Raven said Logan people go to make money.
The mayor of this local government area (LGA) calls it “Brisbane”.
“That’s where 60 per cent of our working population leaves the city every day to go to work,” Cr Raven said.
“Most of them go to the Logan Economic Zone, and then they bring money home to spend on local businesses.”
To the south, there’s Logan Shores – a coastal place where tourists flock and Logan residents cool off in the water – commonly known as the Gold Coast.
Logan Shores mayor Tom Tate said he loved the idea.
But in true Logan Shores fashion, Cr Tate has more glamorous dreams.
“Surely, there has to be a TV show built around that theme,’’ he said.
“I just want a cameo role, slowly driving the esplanade in my Ferrari and handing out theme park brochures from the car.
“Bring it on.”
We also have West Logan, or Ipswich for those who live there.
On the other side of the city there is Bayside Logan, or Redlands, mainly because it’s Logan’s “easiest access to the bay”.
But it seems the Bayside mayor Jos Mitchell isn’t as chuffed with Cr Raven’s plans.
Cr Raven has renamed Moreton Bay the Logan Peninsula; Toowoomba the Logan Ranges; Lockyer Valley is now Logan Downs; Somerset is Agricultural Logan; and the Sunshine Coast is the North Shores of Logan.
North Shores mayor Rosanna Natoli said that, following rigorous checks, she could confirm “the Sunshine Coast name still stands”.
“I do sympathise with Logan wanting to latch onto our region’s success and our stunning coast and hinterland – who wouldn’t?” Cr Natoli said.
“Perhaps if Logan feels so strongly about hanging onto our coat tails, it could rename itself Sunshine Coast Far South.”
And, of course, we can’t forget about Logan’s Lookout – the city’s hinterland.
It’s also referred to as the Scenic Rim, providing a great view of the state’s south-east corner.
The mayor of this LGA, Tom Sharp, said “everything looks good from Logan’s Lookout”.
He even offered Cr Raven a tour of his domain.
“We are very pleased to look down on our neighbours from the majestic peaks of our spectacular region,” Cr Sharp said.
“We that live within the Lookout as his humble subjects look forward to the announcement of his royal tour so that we can show him the pleasures of his kingdom and he too can look down on his castle from a different perspective.”
That brings us to the region in general, which you might have heard called “south-east Queensland”.
Well, unsurprisingly, Cr Raven calls it something else.
“Logan is literally the crossroads of south-east Queensland,” he said.
“You can’t move people or products through our region without coming through our city.
“This isn’t actually south-east Queensland, it’s the Greater Logan Region – why wouldn’t you name it after the beating heart of the region?”
Cr Raven said these Logan-centric names were great for community spirit.
Plus, they’re catching.
“I’ve actually heard the mayor of Gladstone, Matt Burnett, introduce himself as ‘the mayor of the Port of Logan’,” Cr Raven said.
Mayor Burnett isn’t the only one.
Cr Raven said the names were also a great way to change the city’s reputation.
“It’s also about very proudly putting a stake in the ground and saying: Logan is the centre of the universe,” he said.
“It allows Logan people who often do things outside the heartland to proudly say they’re from Logan.”
