Far North Queensland’s 150 most influential people: Part 1, 150 – 126
These are the people who have been the most influential in our region — from Cairns to Port Douglas and Atherton to Innisfail — in the past 18 months. See who made the list in part one of seven as we countdown to No1.
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A diverse group of people have proven influential in Far North Queensland over the past 18 months.
These people decided how the region emerged from Covid and the 2022 federal election, and contributed to residents’ understanding of these events.
Many of them are likely to decide how our region capitalises on future political circumstances and economic opportunities.
Of particular note, they will decide how the Far North interacts with local, state and federal election campaigns happening within the next two years.
Outside politics, they will flex their muscles in the Far North’s most important industries – operate our hospitals, exercise our justice system, deliver essential goods or build our roads and homes.
They will be the people we turn to in our pursuit of leisure and fun.
While others have simply followed their hearts, but managed to bring thousands along with them.
Here’s who pulls the levers, tugs the strings and shapes this city.
The second series will be published on Monday.
Part one of seven:
150. Frankie Hogan
Frankie Hogan is a community campaigner whose efforts earlier this year were influential enough to get Cairns Regional Council to reverse its policy on cashless transactions at its facilities.
The Mooroobool resident pounded the pavement, frequented local markets and went door to door to gather grassroots support for her petition.
And by doing so, she had 5000 signatures, one of the most well supported petitions submitted to Cairns Regional Council ever.
She was also a public campaigner against the Voice Referendum, which was trounced in Far North Queensland.
149. David White
Not your average “influencer”, David White is known for his educational yet entertaining posts about the Daintree River’s wildlife, particularly the “stars of the show” — the crocodiles.
Mr White is an educated defender of Far North Queensland’s wildlife and is often the lone spokesman for the misunderstood crocodiles, a task that he takes on with pride.
In two years the following on the Solar Whisper owner’s Instagram page has almost quadrupled to 90,000.
148. Sally Watson
As the boss at Shelter Housing Action Cairns, Sally Watson is a determined advocate for housing solutions for the vulnerable in the Cairns region.
She is also a board member of Queensland Government statutory authority Residential Tenancies Authority.
“I am interested in social justice and human rights,” she says on her LinkedIn.
“My experience lies in the development and promotion of policy responses to address social inequity generally, and housing inequity in particular. I also live in hope that before I die I will see the hands, thoughts and experiences of women reflected across our public policy arena.”
147. Perri Conti
Perri Conti is an anti-crime campaigner in Far North Queensland.
So, depending on who you are, she is either your most staunch defender or a thorn in your side.
Ms Conti has made public submissions to youth crime legislation law proposals and made representations on behalf of the Cairns community at a public hearing in March.
She has also been vocal about perceived failures of child welfare services in Queensland.
She also operates her own service for homeless youth.
146. Billy Gartner
Billy Gartner is the owner of Professionals Cairns and an influential figure in Edge Hill real estate who has 36 years of experience in the sector.
He is well connected inside and outside the industry and led a successful petition against Cairns Regional Council’s tenant tax, which was binned in June this year.
He was also influential in getting a controversial Edge Hill unit-block across the line in March.
He has been a staunch advocate for pro-investment policies to stop the bleeding of rental stock in Cairns’ market.
145. Marc Harbow
Marc Harbrow, director of Harbrow Mentoring, has provided important youth engagement work for several years and has recently been rewarded with back-to-back government grants to continue his efforts.
One of his initiatives, the Fire Project, engaged with almost 2000 children, many of them under the age of 12, in five months.
Mr Harbrow’s company works with children in Cape York as well as Cairns.
He is also influential in the Indigenous Affairs and business sector.
In November last year he hosted the region’s first Indigenous business expo.
144. Lucy Friend
Lucy Friend is a highly respected and busy woman despite being a quiet and modest achiever.
She is the environment manager for North Queensland Airports and a non-executive director at Terrain NRM.
She also dedicates a significant amount of time to multiple charities and NFP organisations; notably, she has been involved in local wildlife rescue for eight years – she’s often found nursing at least one native animal back to health.
In 2022 she picked up an old Queenslander house from Cairns and had it driven up the range to Koah to avoid the property going to waste, all while demonstrating the move as a cost-effective option for first homeowners.
143. Suzanne Rath
Suzanne Rath is the owner-operator of Cairns Allied Health business Wellness Embodied and a rising star in the local small-to-medium enterprise community.
Ms Rath was awarded businesswoman of the year by the Cairns Businesswomen’s club in July for her outstanding contribution to the business community.
She has also been recognised for her leadership in sustainable business practices.
142. Sheree Gall
Sheree Gall is the owner and operator of North Queensland Project Services, an end-to-end project management consultancy based in Cairns’ southern suburbs.
She is also the safety and infrastructure manager at Cairns Airport, and was selected by the Cairns Chamber to be part of its emerging leaders program for 2023.
Ms Gall has also been influential in Cairns gymnastics scene.
In November 2022, the South Cairns Gymnastics Centre was awarded a $2.3m grant from Cairns Regional Council for major upgrades and renovations – Ms Gall, the centre’s vice president, was behind the application.
141. Jiritju Fourmile
Jiritju Fourmile is a Gimuy Walubara traditional owner who is an influential force for environmental conservation, human rights and cultural heritage in Cairns.
In 2022, as part of landmark legal action against Clive Palmer’s Galilee Basin coalmine, he gave on-country evidence to the Queensland Land Court, marking a first for the court.
In November, Land Court president Fleur Kingham ruled in favour of Youth Verdict and the BimbleBox Alliance, for whom Mr Fourmile was a witness in Cairns, and Mr Palmer’s mine was rejected.
140. Jill Boltz
Jill Boltz, a former Olympian, is one of the most respected members of the Far North’s athletics community.
She is passionate about supporting youth through their athletics journeys.
Competing on the big stage has been difficult for Far North athletes due to resources and vast distances required to travel for events.
Ms Boltz is vocal about ensuring athletes in the Far North are reaping their fair share of attention from governing bodies.
139. Pip Miller
Pip Miller is a media and communications specialist who has operated her ownconsultancy in Cairns for almost three decades.
She is regularly engaged by high-profile clients in Cairns and has worked with many respectable organisations and large events, such as the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns Festival, Grass is Greener and Cairns Amateurs.
In September she co-ordinated the official launch of the Unity Team, the group that currently hold majority at Cairns Regional Council.
138. Cass Olholm
Cass Olholm is a physical training coach and Cairns business personality with an Instagram following of 362,000.
She is the co-founder of the Ground and is working on her own training app: Train With Cass.
Her earnings per social media post have been previously estimated at $875 to $1500.
137. Sally Mlikota
Sally Mlikota is the director of CBC staff selection and an advisory mentor with Aussie Locums.
Ms Mlikota, the former Cairns Chamber president and former Cairns businesswoman of the year, is a significant presence in the Far North’s recruitment sector.
She has been credited for excellent leadership in the business community through her various roles.
This year Ms Mlikota has been nominated to the council of RSCA, the peak body for the recruitment industry in Australia and New Zealand.
136. Oliver James
On the outside, Oliver James is the owner and operator of three reputable Cairns hospitality venues — Guyala, Caffiend and the Tattooed Sailor.
For those who know him well, he is a visionary and innovative force in the local hospitality sector, someone who can’t seem to sit still.
His menus are a biography of his culinary mind; his passion to see other businesses thrive, as well as his own, is palpable.
He is also a proponent for the revival of Cairns CBD as a viable hangout for locals.
He has recently commissioned artistic murals on Grafton St in order to return the visual appeal to a street he says truly belongs to locals.
135. Wayne Coutts
Wayne Coutts is the regional director of the State Emergency Services in Far North Queensland.
His teams have had no shortage of tasks in the past 12 months; in the 2022/23 wet season, the SES were involved in multiple hazardous recovery and search and rescue operations.
He is often the face of the vitally important messages sent to our people; urging them to prepare for wet seasons and the posibility of cyclones.
134. Vanessa Allen
Vanessa Allen is the director of ADhesive Communication, an advertising and media organisation in Cairns.
She has almost 25 years of experience in Cairns’ media industry and her business has worked with an impressive range of clients including Cairns Regional Council and Cairns Cars.
She is also the vice president of the Cairns Chamber’s management committee.
In 2022 she won small businesswoman of the year at the Cairns Businesswomen’s Club awards.
133. Sam Byrd
Edge Hill has become the locals’ option for a glam dinner date, bougie breakfast or post-pilates coffee.
A good portion of that can be credited to Sam Byrd’s two venues: NOA and Guerrilla, the latter he owns in partnership with Davy O’Rourke.
Mr Byrd has also moved into the business sector on the northern side of the Mt Whitfield range with Palooka and Stratford Deli Catering.
Twice he has thought to have a crack at local politics – he was even recruited into mayoral candidate Amy Eden’s team this year.
But he’s elected to bow out of the race, for now.
132. Tony Rossi
Tony Rossi is credited by experts in the Far Northern ecological and agricultural scenes as a shining example of sustainable farming practices.
Mr Rossi is a cane farmer from Aloomba who won the Prince’s Trust Australia Environmental Leadership Award in December 2022 for his employment of agricultural techniques that improved soil health.
Lucy Graham, director of CAFNEC, described Mr Rossi as a very influential figure in the crossover between ecological management and agricultural practice due to his leadership in environmental restoration and water quality management.
131. Francoise Lane
Francouise Lane is an Indigenous artist and the artistic director of the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, wherein she is responsible for directing the creative vision of one of the city’s most anticipated artistic events.
Cairns mayor Bob Manning, who said the 2023 iteration was the biggest to date, described the event as one of the fastest growing in the region.
Ms Lane is also an advocate for the protection of Indigenous artists from the illegal rip-off market that robs them of more than $54m every year across the nation.
130. Suellen Maunder
Suellen Maunder is the CEO and artistic director of the JUTE Theatre Company, of which she is also a founding member.
Her company, which promotes local artists and connects them with larger audiences, turned 30 in November last year.
Ms Maunder’s work, impact and presence within the region’s arts industry has been credited by Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch as very important.
129. Maryann Salvetti
Maryann Salvetti is a quiet achiever with big impact in the Far North’s agricultural industry whose work has been regarded as important by many.
Ms Salvetti is the managing director of Australian Superfoods NQ and Profeeds NQ.
She is also a director at CocNutZ Australia, Soy Australia and chairwoman of Far Northern Milling.
She is also the co-managing partner of the Salvetti Farming Group and co-managing director of North Queensland Tropical Seeds.
128. Lucy Karger
Lucy Karger is the program manager for the Wet Tropics Management Authority’s yellow crazy ant eradication program.
She has been cited by several politicians as both an effective program manager and an influential presence in the Far North’s environmental management sector.
In September the death knell was sounded for yellow crazy ants at sites in Mount Peter and Wrights Creek.
127. Jon Hasler
Jon Hasler is a prominent personality in the local hospitality industry, and is the owner of serveral venues including PJ O’Briens, Rattle N Hum, the Pier Tavern and the Crown Hotel.
As well as Cairns and Port Douglas, Rattle n Hum has a venue at the airport.
Mr Hasler celebrated the 10th anniversary of Great Northern Brewing Co in 2020 after he cracked the first keg in the world in 2010.
Great Northern is brewed in Yatala but based on Cairns Draught — a signature beer of the Cairns brewery that operated from 1924-1992.
126. Glen Jacobs
It’s a rare conversation about mountain biking in Australia, let alone Far North Queensland, that doesn’t at least mention the work of Glen Jacobs.
The director of World Trails is the mind behind some of the best loved mountain biking trails in the country.
Mr Jacobs and Denis Donaghy were the first brains and brawn behind the Wangetti Trail concept.
He’s also recently completed designs for the expansion of Smithfield Mountain Bike Park, and been an important figure in the region’s attraction of the Crankworx events.
Tourism specialists are seeing the lucrative nature of mountain biking, and have sought Mr Jacob’s participation to grow the scene in Far North Queensland.
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Originally published as Far North Queensland’s 150 most influential people: Part 1, 150 – 126
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