FRESH SET OF EYES

LOVE or loathe Martin Winter, you have to hand it to the now departed Destination Gold Coast CEO.

Some might joke and say it wasn’t the toughest job going – it’s not like he was CEO of Destination Ipswich – but his was a high-pressure role with plenty riding on it.

He could be unneccesarily flinty at times but is also a sharp intellect and didn’t tend to suffer fools. At times, he butted heads with this newspaper, and then-Federal Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo in a robust but not destructive manner. And to be fair, he always accepted the role of the media was to report the news warts and all and his job was to continually paint the Gold Coast in a positive light.

He could have been more easygoing at times but everyone has their style.

The Gold Coast can be a pretty laidback, live-and-let-live place – and his robust personality and ability to stick to the courage of his convictions were something the city could generally do with having more of, whether you agreed or not. He departs with all the praise in the world for his successor and he should be wished well.