Power 30: Fraser Coast’s most influential people 2023
Who are the Fraser Coast’s ultimate powerbrokers, the heavy hitters shaping our region and, to an extent, our lives? Today we roll the next 10 most influential people of 2023.
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They’re the movers, shakers and makers of the Fraser Coast, and are playing a huge part in how it is overcoming the lingering challenges of the pandemic and shaping up for the future.
Today we reveal the second instalment of 2023’s 30 most influential men and women: those number 20 to 11 on the list.
Tomorrow, we will reveal the top 10 most influential people of 2023.
Part 1: Fraser Coast’s Power 30 of 2023 #30-21
This list is a subjective talking point, not a scientific guide. It is a way of celebrating and thanking those who are achieving big things, exerting their influence and or power, and moving our region into a prosperous future.
We welcome feedback from the public.
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#20 Ken Diehm
Ken Diehm has been the CEO of Fraser Coast Regional Council, which services a population of about 115,000, since June 2017 and has more than 34 years’ experience in local government.
He has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in Dispute Resolution, a Graduate Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Certificate IV in Real Estate Agency Practice, and is a Prince2 Certified Project Management Practitioner.
Mr Hiehm’s personal and career goal is to make a positive difference in the community he serves and in the lives of the people he works with.
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#19 Deborah Carroll
Deborah Carroll has more than 40 years of experience in the public health sector and has held key leadership roles across Queensland.
She completed her general nursing training in 1981 at Mackay Base Hospital, where she was recognised for her exceptional theoretical knowledge and nursing care.
Ms Carroll joined Wide Bay Health in 2006 as Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2014. She acted in the role of Chief Executive from October 2019 until her permanent appointment in May 2020.
From 2020, she played a leading role in the region’s response to the Covid pandemic. The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service offers a large range of hospital services, community clinics and aged care services to more than 225,000 people in the Bundaberg, Fraser Coast, North Burnett and Discovery Coast regions.
Ms Carroll has a Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) with Distinction, a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Nursing, and became an endorsed Rural and Isolated Practice registered nurse. She also has a Master of Health Administration and Information Systems and a Graduate Certificate in Health Service Planning.
She committed to a values-based leadership approach, focused on providing the best possible care for the Wide Bay community.
She received an Australia Day Award in 2014 for her exceptional leadership during the 2013 floods.
#18 J’Maine Hopgood
A product of the Hervey Bay Seagulls, NRL sensation J’maine Hopgood‘s profile is growing with every game as the rest of Australia begins to take note of how talented the 24-year-old is.
Known as “Mainey” to friends, his road to stardom has not been the easiest and in 2007 was marred by tragedy when his father Dale passed away from a heart attack.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Mr Hopgood said “Losing dad was hard, but it’s made me strong, resilient and humble about life”.
He credits his mother Anita as being his “rock” and inspiring him to push as hard as he can with his career.
Starting at the Penrith Panthers in 2021, Mr Hopgood was starved of first-team opportunities and a move to fellow western suburbs’ side the Parramatta Eels has allowed him to shine.
He played every match in 2023, and the Eels finished in 10th, just missing out on playing finals.
He has 13,000 Instagram followers, gained the prestigious honour of representing the Indigenous All-Stars in 2023, and was unlucky to miss out on State of Origin selection.
#17 Adrian Tantari
Proud son of an Italian migrant and father of three, Adrian Tantari has lived in the Fraser Coast region for more than 20 years.
After leaving school in Year 10 to help his mum pay the bills, Mr Tantari worked a wide-ranging assortment of jobs including as a grocery store shelf filler, aged care cleaner, retail storeman, factory hand, small business owner, club manager, library technician and government worker.
After re-educating himself to give his family a better life, he spent the past decade working on the roll out of many local community programs and projects.
After failing to win the seat of Hervey Bay in 2017, it was second time the charm for Mr Tantari in the 2020 state election, gaining an 11% swing from the electorate’s 43,000 voters,, and securing the state seat for Labor.
#16 Martin Simons
From the head of New Zealand's largest media company to CEO of Fraser Coast Tourism and Events, Martin Simons has had a successful career.
Mr Simons, a former journalist and editor, spent 16 years as the CEO of APN News & Media Ltd Australia and Wilson & Horton Ltd New Zealand, leading both company‘s newspaper, magazine and online businesses.
He said one of the biggest challenges of his role which he has been in since 2017, had been the marketing of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) to visitors who may not be familiar with the renaming of the island.
A graduate of Mackay State High School, Mr Simons’ drive to improve himself took him all the way to the prestigious Harvard Business School in Boston which he graduated from in 2004, upon completion of their Advanced Management Program.
#15 Nancy Bates
Best known as the long-time and first female editor of the Fraser Coast Chronicle, she was the driving force behind the region’s namesake and some of its greatest legacies.
In 1996 she was Queensland Telstra Businesswoman of the Year and in 2015, she was named Fraser Coast Citizen of the Year.
The awards have continued to come Ms Bates way in recent years; in 2020 she was awarded as OAM as well as being named a Queensland Great and in 2022 was given the John Gardiner Award for her contribution to Fraser Coast Tourism.
She has been instrumental in forming Mary Inc., a rapidly growing innovative organization that is focused on nurturing the continuing rebirth of the city heart, working with developers, council, other political entities, businesses and community. Mary Inc. incorporates Mary Poppins activities, the Cistern Chapel, city tourism, educational opportunities and urban renewal.
Using “her skills as an author to promote the city”, Ms Bates published a book about Maryborough’s Mary Ann, the first steam train to be built in Queensland – a replica can often be seen running joy rides through Queen’s Park – and was a patron of the Proud Mary‘s, a group which promoted Maryborough as the birthplace of Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers.
The group hosts the Mary Poppins Literacy Awards which, as a result of Ms Bates hard work, attracts entrants from across the state. This along with many other projects spearheaded by Ms Bates including the Gallipoli to Armistice trail and Cistern Chapel have revitalized Maryborough.
#14 Jan Hegge
If there anybody who is going to know the ins and outs of the Fraser Coast, it is Jan Hegge who, since moving from Brisbane 40 years ago, has called the region home.
A former small business owner who has worked in the government and not-for-profit sectors and served three years as an alderman with the Maryborough City Council, Mrs Hegge is the newest councillor to join the Fraser Coast Regional Council, taking over in September from Darren Everard who stepped down.
She is the representative of Division 7, an area which stretches from River Heads to Booral and onto K’gari.
She said she was motivated to run because of the skills she had acquired during her years working in the public sector and community space.
“When I saw there was a vacancy, having had some experience in council before, I just thought it was a good opportunity to make a difference in the community with the skills that I’ve gathered.”
Ms Hegge said she is passionate about homelessness and youth issues affecting the Fraser Coast and was keen to bring solutions to the table.
#13 Christine Royan
A leader within the movement for First Nations land recognition, Christine Royan is the secretary for the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation.
Ms Royan has been at the forefront for the fight for K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) to be returned to its tradition owners, the Butchulla people.
In 2022, the organization was successful when the Queensland government handed them back 22ha of the island.
For Royan there is much work to be done on K’gari and she said she hopes the 19 other packages of land are returned to the Butchulla people.
#12 Shelley Strachan
As the editor for several newspaper mastheads in the Wide Bay Burnett, Shelley Strachan is one of the most influential people in the region, guiding the flow of news to the community and advocating passionately.
After cutting her teeth as a cadet at The Gympie Times, Ms Strachan has risen through the ranks to play an influential role in the 50,000sq km and 310,000-odd people that comprise the Wide Bay and Burnett.
She has been an instrumental guiding hand in the careers of multiple young journalists, through dedicated mentorship and unparalleled insight.
The decorated editor has taken home multiple PANPA Community News Brand of the Year awards, the News Corp Achievements in Regional Journalism award and most recently the Regional Local Campaign of the Year at the 2022 News Awards.
With a combined readership of more than 130,000 people Ms Strachan oversees The Gympie Times, The Fraser Coast Chronicle, Bundaberg Newsmail, South Burnett Times and Central and North Burnett Times.
#11 Bruce Saunders
No matter which side of politics you sit on, few can argue Bruce Saunders hasn’t been key in getting Maryborough back on the map in the Brisbane decision room and setting a standard for local advocacy in parliament.
A former radio announcer at Longreach, Gladstone, Rockhampton and Maryborough, and recently as an ice cream shop owner, Mr Saunders has 25 years of experience as a small-business owner.
He has been the Labor member for Maryborough in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2015, is a member of the Together Union for public servants in Queensland and said he “loves” the electorate which became his home in the 1980s.
“I like the people and I like working for the people of the electorate. I like being with the people and listening to the community.”
Since being elected, Mr Saunders has helped deliver projects including the return of rail manufacturing through government contracts to Downer Rail, major funding for Howard Police Station, a performing Arts Facility for Maryborough State High School among other projects.
Being a Labor MP with a Labor government in power in Queensland, Mr Saunders has access to and the ear of some of the most powerful people in Queensland.
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