Councillor, Alison Barry-Jones is one of the best known people on the Sunshine Coast. She, probably more than anyone else on the Coast, was persistent and political enough to excite public interest and take carriage of the community case for the presence of a university on the Sunshine Coast. As President of the Sunshine Coast University Association she worked tirelessly throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. She was visionary enough to understand the power of a university in a regional community and she remains a strong supporter and advocate for our further development.