Wide Bay’s most powerful people under 30 revealed | full list
Wide Bay‘s most powerful people are some of the youngest in the region, who have become the strongest advocates in business, sport and social media. Now, the faces of Bundaberg, the Fraser Coast and Gympie’s 30 most influential, can be named. Full list.
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From musicians to young business owners, the Wide Bay’s youngest and brightest are leaving their mark across Bundaberg, the Fraser Coast and Gympie thanks to an unparalleled passion in their field, innovation and determination.
Across the board, it’s becoming more apparent age is just a number, and anyone can achieve their dreams if they work hard enough for it - despite a global pandemic causing issues across many industries.
Find out who is having the biggest influence on the region in spite of, or perhaps because of, their young age:
Caitlyn Shadbolt, musician
Despite the music industry suffering a blow from the pandemic Gympie’s biggest music star, Caitlyn Shadbolt, 26, is powering through with promised new music on the horizon.
Ms Shadbolt shot to fame after she placed fifth on the sixth season of X Factor Australia in 2014, and subsequently released her self titled debut extended album in 2015 which peaked at number 50 on the Australian Music Charts.
To date, Ms Shadbolt has more than 33,000 followers on instagram and 56,000 followers on Facebook.
Julia Greenhalf, radio presenter
Bundaberg radio presenter Julia Greenhalf, 28, is one half of Bundy’s 93.1 Triple M breakfast show.
Ms Greenhalf took on the role as breakfast host alongside co-host Nik Stuart, in February, 2020.
Justin Bell later took over Nik Stuart as Ms Greenhalf’s co-host, where the pair were dubbed JB and Jules.
Ms Greenhalf entertains listeners through hilarious stories, showcasing the region’s best tourism offerings and highlighting the best local spots.
Chern’ee Sutton, artist
Proud Kalkadoon woman and Bundaberg Indigenous artist Chern’ee Sutton, 24, entered and won her first art competition at age 13 and has gone from strength to strength with her art.
Ms Sutton, who originally comes from Mt Isa in north Queensland, has received a number of awards and her most notable achievements include having designed the NRL’s Indigenous All Stars jersey for four years with the most recent being until 2021, and a joint project with the Australian Defence Force and the Royal Australian Mint to design an Indigenous Military $2 coin.
Tino Fa‘asuamaleaui, rugby player
Rugby star Tino Fa‘asuamaleaui, 22, was raised in Widgee in the Gympie region, where he began his rugby career.
Mr Fa‘asuamaleaui, who attended James Nash State High, played as a junior for the Gympie Devils until he was signed by the Brisbane Broncos as a teen.
From there, he went from strength to strength with his football career.
Today, he is the Captain of the Gold Coast Titans and signed on to play for them until 2026.
Elise Nicholson, social media star
Gympie social media star and model Elise Nicholson came from humble beginnings and went viral on the popular app TikTok in August 2021, after she posted a video from a terrifying ride at the Gympie Show.
She told the Gympie Times in 2021 she was only posting videos that had made her happy or that she wanted her friends to see.
“It didn’t really cross my mind to make a TikTok with the footage (from the ride) until one of my friends said to me, ‘It would be so awesome for people to see what it’s like up there, the people who were too scared to go on it’, I thought that was a pretty cool idea so I posted it,” she said.
Since then, the former James Nash student and model, who became known on the app as “carnival girl” has amassed more than 47,000 followers on Tik Tok and now lives in the UK.
Clancy Adams, real estate agent
Head of Gympie Ray White Rural Clancy Adams began his career fresh out of high school at the age of 17, and by 21 he was the top Sales Agent in Gympie, working for LJ Hooker.
The following year, aged 22, he bought his own property management business.
Less than a decade later, he is the Principal Sales Consultant for Ray White Gympie.
Charli Knott, cricket player
Hervey Bay-born cricketer Charli Knott, 19, bgan her sporting career with the Brisbane Heat while she was still in high school in Brisbane, and completed her final year while playing professionally for the Brisbane Heat.
In November 2020, she was reportedly the second youngest player in the team.
She completed her ATAR exams at Sydney’s SEDA college that same year, but sadly missed her school formal and 18th birthday celebrations with her twin sister Hannah.
Chevy Corbet, business owner
After leaving school in 2020 to pursue her dreams, 19-year-old Chevy Corbet is well on her way to achieving them.
After she completed a Diploma of Event Management at TAFE Mooloolaba in 2020, Chevy went on to work alongside Elton John’s management team for his Yellow Brick Road tour in 2020 as well as Ironman Triathlons prior to the pandemic drastically affecting the events industry.
When Covid struck, the events planning industry took a hard hit, but Chevy turned lemons into lemonade when she began her small business, Chevents - Special Occasions; an event management, wedding planning and styling business, servicing from the Fraser Coast to the Sunshine Coast.
In 2022, she is studying to become a marriage celebrant as she hopes to expand into the wedding industry.
Lucy Hamilton, cricket player
Rising cricket star and teenage Bundaberg cricket player Lucy Hamilton, 16, has a bright future ahead of her, despite only being in year 10.
In 2021, Lucy was named player of the final for her contributions to the Sunshine Coast Scorchers, as they beat out the Gold Coast in the Queensland Premier Cricket Competition at Robina.
In October 2021, Lucy entered the top Queensland cricket competition, Queensland Premier Cricket.
She is one of, if not the youngest player to make a debut in the competition.
Alice Benfer, musician
Gympie Country music star Alice Benfer, 28, came from humble beginnings when she started playing guitar and writing music while attending James Nash and Gympie State High School.
From there, she has performed at numerous events including the Gympie Music Muster, and had multiple songs reach number one on the Country Music Charts.
Her most recent chart-topper, Never Tasted Dirt, from her July album What Can I say was the third original song of hers to reach number one.
She told the Gympie Times in January she had been singing since she was seven years old.
Miss Benfer has performed at numerous events over the years, including the most recent Gympie Music Muster in 2019 - the last time the event was held before the pandemic began in 2020.
Sam Klein, soccer player
Rising Gympie football star Sam Klein reached the height of his career so far when he was selected to play for the Brisbane Roar in 2022.
Sam, who was awarded a scholarship to Nudgee College in Brisbane after he was accepted into the the Roar Academy and represented Queensland at the Under 11 and Under 12 levels, began his career with the Bradwell Bombers when he was six, when his family was living in England for a short time.
In 2020, he was invited to the Australian Under 17s Joeys national camp.
Robbi Jan, social media star
Daughter of Maryborough dentist Spike Jan, social media influencer Robbi Jan, 25, first rose to fame on Instagram, and her profile now has more than 232,000 followers.
Now based in Los Angeles, she runs a successful youtube channel called The Miracle Mindset, where she discusses mental wellbeing, business, life and motivation.
On Instagram, Robbi posts about fashion and beauty, fitness and life with her partner.
Troy Carlson, swimmer
Gympie teen swimming champion Troy Carlson has an impressive number of accolades under his belt.
In 2021, he won the chance to compete in the Tokyo olympics when he won gold was named as the sixth fastest Australian swimmer in the 2021 Australian Multi-Class, Australian Age and Australian Swimming Championships.
The former Sunshine Coast grammar student was also named national champion at the 2019 Australian Age Championships in South Australia.
Josie Desgrand, social media star
Influencer Josie Desgrand, 21, first gained a following after she documented her inspirational weightloss journey online, where she lost half her body weight (60kg) in one year.
As a result, she gained hundreds of thousands of followers on her social media page, @nolongerfatjosie, which she now uses to promote a healthy lifestyle and body positivity.
She recently gave birth to her second son, Ollie, in July 2021, and documented a six-week fitness challenge after she was six weeks postpartum.
At the time of publishing, her social media account has more than 131,000 followers.
Karen Boulton, young politician hopeful
Fraser Coast woman Karen Boulton, has dreams of representing her city as a government minister.
The aspiring politician was named Fraser Coast’s Young Citizen of the Year in 2019 and represented Maryborough at the Queensland Youth Parliament in 2020.
She told the Fraser Coast Chronicle in 2021 she hoped to establish a youth support centre on the Fraser Coast with the aid of the region’s local, state and federal politicians.
Isaac Cooper, swimmer
Bundaberg swimmer Isaac Cooper, 18, dreamed of competing in the Olympics ever since he was young.
In 2021, his dreams came true after he made the Australian swim team.
Mr Cooper competed in the Tokyo Olympics, where he placed 12th in the world and took home bronze for Australia in the 4 x 100 metre mixed relay.
In 2022, he was named Bundaberg’s Young Citizen of the Year.
Xanthe O’Connor, special needs advocate
Hervey Bay teen Xanthe O’Connor has been dubbed an inspiration to her peers, after she founded an all-inclusive, all-abilities choir in 2020.
Hearts and Hands Signing Choir, which she runs voluntarily, welcomes members from all walks of life and provided a sense of community amongst those who participate.
In 2020, she received the Individual Achievement Award in Autism Queensland’s Creative Future Awards for her role in creating Hearts and Hands.
According to Autism Queensland, Xanthe was non-verbal until she was eight, and her first form of communication was through singing.
Xanthe is also a committee member of Special Needs Fraser Coast, was Hervey Bay Special School 2020 school captain.
The following year she was named the Young Cultural Award winner at the annual Fraser Coast Australia Day Awards.
Michael Boon, businessman
Bundaberg businessman Michael Boon first opened Boon’s Crystals in December 2018, but less than 12 months later, was forced to expand to a building almost three times bigger.
Mr Boon told Newsmail in 2020 the inspiration to open the successful shop came during his honeymoon with his wife in New Zealand, but he had been polishing crystals since 2010.
Today, the business supplies a crystal for every budget, starting from 50c, and includes an area to buy tea or coffee.
Alec Braund, tennis player
Maryborough-raised tennis star Alec Braund, 18, hit a career highlight when he received a wildcard into the 2022 Australian Open Junior Tournament.
Despite a broken ankle in September 2021 which derailed some crucial training in the lead up to the match and Mr Braund not progressing past the first round in the tournament, he still made his mark.
At 14-years-old, Mr Braund represented Australia at the 2018 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in the Czech Republic and won the under 14’s Australian Claycourt Championships.
He is also a five-time winner of the Eddie Machin Award, a Tennis Queensland accolade that recognises the best junior regional athlete of the year.
Bonnie Quinn-Hennessey, ballerina
Fraser Coast ballerina Bonnie Quinn-Hennessey has had an impressive career, despite being under 18.
In 2015, she won the Suncorp Wish Upon A Ballet Star competition, and represented the Fraser Coast in Australia Ballet School.
In 2018, she and her teacher, Pamela Marshall, claimed the cultural awards at the Fraser Coast Australia Day Awards.
Today, Bonnie is with the Queensland Ballet Academy.
J’maine Hopgood, rugby player
NRL star J’maine Hopgood may play for the Penrith Panthers now, but it all started in Hervey Bay where the now 22-year-old grew up playing for the Hervey Bay Seagulls.
He first joined the Penrith Panthers in 2017 where he progressed through the junior grades while completing a carpentry apprenticeship.
He made his debut with the Panthers in May 2021, when he became the 600th first grade player on his 22nd birthday.
Connor Innis, hockey player
Gympie hockey star Connor Innis has a bright future ahead of him, after he was selected to compete in the Australian Under 18 national championships.
This put the 18-year-old in the running to compete at a national tournament in Cairns.
In February, Connor was selected as a shadow player for the men’s team.
The tournament runs from April 6 to April 14.
Rheed McCracken, paralympian
Bundaberg paralympic champion Rheed McCracken, 25, had only started wheelchair racing two years before he debuted at the 2012 London Paralympics.
There, he won silver for Australia in the men’s 100m T34 and bronze in the men’s 200m T34.
From that point onwards, Mr McCracken’s career has excelled, where he defended his silver medal in the men’s 100m T34 at the Rio paralympic games in 2016.
In 2021, he again won silver in the same event at the Tokyo Paralympic games, after he overcame a rib injury.
Sara Faraj, world’s youngest Zonta president
Fraser Coast young citizen of the year Sara Faraj has received a number of awards across academics, business management, marine science and sports, including on the soccer field.
She is also the President of Zonta Hervey Bay which works to improve women’s legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status through services and advocacy.
This makes her the youngest president of the club in the world.
To add to her list of achievements, Sara has received the Four Lions Youth of the Year speaker award, bronze award for cultural contribution and a community participation award.
Not only has she been a peer support leader, but she has been a House Committee member, community culture cafe volunteer, Environmental Committee member, St Vincent De Paul sleepout leader, Sports event volunteer, volunteer singer and volunteer debating coach.
Leonie Kingdom, musician
Hervey Bay folk singer Leonie Kingdom hit the ground running with her career, when her debut single Night Terrors reached number one on the Triple J unearthed charts.
Leonie, who is a regular artist played on Triple J, has performed alongside numerous indie artists such as Ocean Alley.
At the time of publishing she has more than 1700 followers on her Facebook page.
Hunter Murdoch, basketball player/soccer player
Rising Maryborough basketball player and coach Hunter Murdoch has an extensive sporting repertoire, on and off the basketball court.
He coached the U12 runners up team and represented Maryborough Magic in basketball at regional and state U16 championships.
Later, Hunter was selected for the Basketball Queensland Future Development program, where he attended a state development camp for the top 40, U14 male players in the State.
He was then further selected for the Queensland Basketball team in the Australian Primary School Championships in 2020.
Off the court, he is also a successful soccer player, having gone to England as part of the West Ham United Academy elite tour. His team were grand final winners in 2020 and 2021 where Hunter received Player of the Final Award in 2020.
Rebecca Greiner, hockey player
Bundaberg hockey player Rebecca Greiner has already achieved what most people dream of at the age of 22.
In 2018, she joined the Australian Hockey team, the Hockeyroos, at 19-years-old; though she would unfortunately withdraw from the Four Nations Ibaraki International Tournament in Japan after she fractured her thumb.
The Tournament was her debut with the national team.
However, the following year, she represented the Hockeyroos in the Hockey Pro League, where they took home silver.
Hannah Johnston, 2022 Young Citizen of the Year
Former St Patrick’s College student Hannah Johnston has a number of achievements under her belt despite only just having finished high school.
In 2022, she was awarded Young Citizen of the Year at the annual Gympie Australia Day awards for her outstanding academic achievements including completing two university subjects on top of her final year at school and her contribution to the community by providing private music lessons to young musicians in Gympie.
As well as her final year studies, she received an early offer through the University of the Sunshine Coast to study an Associate Degree in Medical Laboratory Science in 2022.
This was all while she was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes, on top of pre-existing lifelong heart and medical conditions.
Jonty Murdoch, athlete
Bundaberg athlete Jonty Murdoch is a rising star in many sports, including shotput and javelin.
He won gold in the 2021 Little Athletics Coles Spring Carnival in a number of events, including the Boys Under-15 Javelin, where he set a Queensland best performance of 55.36 metres.
This beat out the previous best from 2014, at 53.71 metres.
Rebecca Goulding, rugby and touch football player
Bundaberg rugby player Rebecca Goulding made the switch from touch football at the start of 2017, where she was fast-tracked into the Australian Rugby sevens team to compete in the Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas in July.
There, the team went into the final to face Canada, where the Australian team won 31-5 to claim gold.
She told the Courier Mail in 2018, she hoped the team bringing home gold would increase the sport’s popularity with other women.
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