Kirsty carries heavy load for a good cause

When Kirsty Rourke straps on a 20kg backpack this week to hike up Australia’s tallest alpine peaks, her thoughts will be with the young people who need a dignified place to live.

Kirsty Rourke will trek the Kosciuszko National Park as part of the 10 Peaks Challenge.

WHEN Kirsty Rourke straps on a 20kg backpack this week to hike through snow and rain up Australia’s tallest alpine peaks, her thoughts will be close to home.

The chief executive of the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation (CBIC) is joining a small group of other local business people in the 10 Peaks Challenge to raise funds for Youngcare, a charity that provides accommodation for young people and prevents them ending up in unsuitable housing such as aged care homes.

For the 36-year-old, providing dignified housing for people with disabilities is crucial. Several years ago her mother Jenny, 66, had the first of several strokes that left her incapacitated.

“She spent three months in hospital and there was a real deterioration in her mental health in that time,” Rourke says. “The food and the environment did not help.”

Rourke says thankfully her mother now has a full-time carer at home, providing support for dad Phil who continues to run his own concreting business. “I can’t imagine what it would be like if she didn’t have that,” she says.

Rourke says that just as she didn’t want her mother to spend an extended period of time in hospital, she didn’t want to see younger people end up in aged care homes.

“They should have a choice about where they live,” she says. “Being surrounded by loved ones, having drinks and meals together, laughing and making memories is so special for her and us. Which is why I want more people to have the same opportunity.”

Kirsty Rourke

Rourke concedes she is more of a “pool and resort” girl than a hard-core hiker, but has undergone a rigorous training regimen that has included gym, pilates, running and rowing.

“I don’t remember the last time I went camping, but I did the 140km Ocean Road cycling classic with my dad last year,” she says.

With forecasts of rain and snow, Rourke is preparing for a gruelling time on the trek that also will include senior lawyer John Kettle, Suncorp executive Cassandra Hunt and Brisbane Economic Development Agency boss Anthony Ryan.

The 10 Peaks Challenge will take the business elites amongst the gorgeous alpine scenery of the Kosciuszko National Park, crossing the famous Snowy River and camping out at the base of Mt Kosciuszko.

“We have to carry a backpack with a tent, rations and a Bunsen burner because no open fires are allowed,” she says. Rourke has already raised almost $60,000 with donations able to be made up until the end of June.

Kettle, who is McCullough Robertson’s head of international trade and competition in Brisbane, says he would be enormously appreciative of any help from donors.

The Irish-born international law expert is seeking $20,000 in donations for the trek, with more than $5000 already raised.

Kosciuszko National Park

He tells your diarist his rigorous training regimen has included walking backwards and hikes up Mt Coot-tha. “It is quite serious,” he says. “It could be snowing when we get down there but that is just like Ireland so I will be right at home.”

Rourke, an ex-lawyer, is also taking support for Youngcare to the investment community. She says (CBIC), which she has helmed for the past two years, is now partnering with Youngcare to build assisted living units for young people in Brisbane. Sites have been picked out at Everton Park and East Brisbane for the developments.

Youngcare says that currently, there are 28,000 young people with disabilities enrolled in the NDIS that are searching for an appropriate place to call their own home.

ANCHORS AWAY

The movers and shakers of the yachting sector will converge on the Gold Coast on May 20, for a glamour event as part of the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show.

The “All Hands on Deck” Yacht Crew and Owners Party will bring together many of the top identities of Australia’s superyacht world including Francesca Rubi, who starred in Season 8 of reality TV show, Below Deck. 

Francesca Rubi

The event has been organised by players in the industry including Aurora Yacht Logistics’ Jason Roberts, Leigh-Smith Yachts’ Ryan Leigh Smith, Steve Sammes of Mulpha/Sanctuary Cove Marina, Boat Works boss Tony Longhurst and Rivergate’s Steve Fisher. 

Gold Coast luxury boat builder Riviera will unveil its latest creations at the boat show including its 4600 Sport Yacht and 78 Motor Yacht at the show.

This year officially marks 10 years since Rodney Longhurst bought the struggling Gold Coast boat builder and turned it into one of Australia’s greatest export success stories. The 78 Motor Yacht, which has a price tag of $6m, is the largest production boat ever built in Australia and the crowning achievement of Longhurst’s success. 

Riviera has already received 12 orders for the boat. Last year the company sent $20m worth of vessels to the US in its biggest ever shipment to the world‘s biggest economy.

SOLAR BOOST

Sydney-based MPower will acquire a solar farm in North Queensland for $8m from Kawa Australia Developments as it expands its investment in renewable energy.

The Lakeland Solar and Storage Project located in Cooktown Shire includes the solar facility and a lithium-ion battery storage.

The project, which has Origin Energy as its major customer, was financed through NORD/LB, one of the largest commercial banks in Germany. 

MPower chief executive Nathan Wise says the acquisition provided an established renewable energy asset that will increase the company’s revenues from day one. 

Lakeland has been in operation since 2017 and benefits from a long-term power purchase agreement with Origin Energy until 2030.

The project has an expected remaining operating life of approximately 20 years. MPower intends to deploy its in-house engineering team and capability to deliver operational improvements, including upgrades to infrastructure. MPower also will take responsibility for the operations, maintenance and asset management of the project.

Queensland is accelerating towards its 50 per cent renewable energy target, and now boasts numerous large-scale renewable energy projects operating or under construction.

This represents $10.7 billion of investment, 7,900 construction jobs, 5,774 megawatts (MW) of clean energy and more than 13.8 million tonnes of avoided emissions each year.