Did you know these famous people are from Gladstone?

Gladstone has a long history in Australia and these famous people have made their mark around the world

DAILY TELEGRAPH - Pictured is Kate Miller-Heidke outside the Sydney Opera House today. Picture: Tim Hunter.

GLADSTONE residents have plenty to be proud of with a great city, beautiful climate and waterways and these five famous people.

Kate Miller-Heidke

Kate Miller-Heidke was born in Gladstone on November 16, 1981, and has gone on to have global success as a contemporary pop singer.

Originally classically trained at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, her family moved to Brisbane when she was young, and she has gone on to release four hit albums since she launched her career in 2000.

The lead singer and songwriter with Brisbane band Elsewhere in 2002, she went on to release her first EP Telegram in 2004.

From singing Gilbert and Sullivan songs with Opera Australia, she has gone on to be signed by Sony Music, where she launched her third EP Circular Breathing in 2006.

He second album Curiouser, released in 2008, peaked at number two on the ARIA charts.

Since then she has gone on to produce multi-platinum hits Caught in the Crowd, and Last Day on Earth and receive several ARIA award nominations.

Miller-Heidke has also dabbled in opera in Australia and the UK, plus TV, featuring in ABC miniseries The Rabbits and The Divorce.

She represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, eventually finishing ninth.

James Henry Ashton

Founder of world-famous Ashton Circus, James Henry Ashton was raised in Gladstone, and tragically died while on tour in his home town at the Metropolitan Hotel on January 17, 1889.

His grave still stands today at the Gladstone cemetery.

Australia's longest-running circus, Ashton's has branched out into three circuses - Ashton Entertainment, Circus Joseph Ashton and Lorraine Ashton's Classic Circus - which are still run by his descendants.

For more than 160 years Ashton Circus and its current incarnations have entertained millions of Australians.

The Ashtons have also toured the world, performing in front of royalty in England and Europe, and at the Monte Carlo Festival of Circus for Prince Rainier.

 

Undated pic of motocross rider Jono Porter who died 09 Jun 2004 after an accident at the Australian Motocross Championships @ Coolum 06 Jun credit picPhil/Smith accidents qld motorcycle racing fatality he was 23

 

 

Jono Porter

The first Australian to do a backflip on a motocross bike, Jono Porter was born in Biloela on May 12, 1981 and later moved to Gladstone.

Recognised around the world, the factory Suzuki rider held the world records for distance jumping and was an X-Games Gold medallist.

In his early 20s, Porter also formed his own motocross team and established the company JPI Industries.

In 1994 he won the Australian 80cc championship and quickly caught the eye of industry heavyweights.

Progressing to seniors and becoming a professional motocross and freestyle rider, Porter won the Australian X Games, the Melbourne Supercross Masters and the 2002 Planet X Games.

With the world at his feet, and hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide, his life was tragically cut short on June 9, 2004, at Coolum, while leading the pack at the Australian Motocross Championships.

Just 23 years old, Porter was rushed to Nambour Hospital but died of multiple injuries after he was run over by multiple riders.

Frederick Woolnough Paterson

Former local councillor and federal politician, barrister, activist and unionist, Frederick Woolnough Paterson was born on June 13, 1897, at Gladstone.

Raised on a local pig farm, he attended Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland, before becoming a Rhodes Scholar at the world famous Oxford University.

After witnessing extreme poverty in Ireland and parts of London, when he returned to Queensland he joined the Communist Party of Australia.

He began studying law in 1923 and was admitted to the NSW Bar in 1931.

In 1944, Paterson made history on his third attempt when he was elected to federal parliament as Member for Bowen, Australia's first member of the Communist Party in Canberra.

While in parliament, he advocated for increasing nurse salaries, equal pay for women, implementing the 40-hour work week into law and capping rents in relation to income.

After leaving his mark on Australia's political, legal, union and activism movements, Patterson died aged 80 on October 7, 1977.

 

ALBUM LAUNCH: Hayley Marsten is coming to Bundaberg today with her debut album Spectacular Heartbreak.

Hayley Marsten

After being raised in Gladstone, the city has left an indelible mark on country singer Hayley Marsten.

In 2015, the singer-songwriter released her first EP Even, produced by legendary Australian country musician Bill Chambers.

Her very personal single Coming Home from her EP Lonestar reached number one on the KIX Country charts, with the album reaching the top of the Australian independent Labels Chart.

After crowd-funding and raising $17,000, in 2019 Marsten released her debut full-length album Spectacular Heartbreak on August 30.

At the 2020 Australian Country Music Awards, Marsten's debut album was nominated for Alt Country Album of the Year.