30 young guns from Gympie, Fraser Coast and Bundaberg
30 young men and women under the age of 30, from cities and towns across the region are making their mark on their communities, country and the world. Simply put, these are the best of the best.
Gympie
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From a drag queen diva to internationally-renowned athletes, the Wide Bay has no shortage of young talent across a broad area of expertise.
With ten finalists each from Gympie, the Fraser Coast and Bundaberg, these 30 outstanding young guns are the best of the best.
30 under 30: Gympie’s most impressive young guns revealed
30 under 30: Bundaberg’s young guns and most successful revealed
30 under 30: Fraser Coast’s young guns and success stories
Each were voted by their local communities as part of the People’s Choice poll.
This list is in no particular order:
Hannah Johnston
Hannah Johnston was awarded Young Citizen of the Year in 2022 at the annual Gympie Australia Day Awards for her outstanding academic achievements and contribution to the community.
The former St Patrick’s College student completed two university subjects on top of her final year at school.
Ms Johnston also received an early offer at the University of the Sunshine Coast to study an Associate Degree in Medical Laboratory Science.
This was all while she was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes, on top of pre-existing lifelong heart and medical conditions.
Kyle Schneider
Kyle Schneider said he was totally surprised to be named as Bundaberg’s most influential go-getter.
“There’s so many influential people in the region doing some amazing things, and I just have to say we are so lucky as a region to have such amazing people who want to get out there and do something,” he said.
Mr Schneider said he has been blown away by the positive response from people across the region, and he has felt very welcomed as Karda-Nay.
“I’m so proud to be from Bundaberg and am having an absolute ball and hope to see more people coming to the drag events and supporting local artists,” he said.
A a lifelong performer, Mr Schneider said it was his love for the art of drag and the mystery that comes with it that brought Karda-nay into the light, and now he is selling out events as a bright, funny and bold personality.
“It’s not always about the numbers and sold-out shows,” he said.
“It’s about knowing people are having the best time with you, it’s about how they feel.”
Sara Diana Faraj
Named the Fraser Coast’s Young Citizen of the Year in early 2022, this 21-year-old is kicking goals from setting world records to hosting community youth forums.
Sara Diana Faraj is the President of Zonta Hervey Bay and has set the record as the youngest Zonta president in the world.
In 2022, Ms Faraj was a QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program graduate, finalist for the Fraser Coast Business and Tourism Awards for Con Souvlis Young Achiever and the recipient of a Diverse Leaders Scholarship from the Women Leaders Institute.
Ms Faraj was also a Hervey Bay Queensland Youth Parliamentarian in 2021, and a co-author for community book Making Hervey Bay Home.
She has received various awards including a Four Lions Youth of the Year speaker achievement and bronze award for cultural contribution.
Ms Faraj is heavily involved in the Fraser Coast community, taking on roles as a community culture cafe volunteer, Environmental Committee member, St Vincent De Paul sleep out leader and Sports event volunteer.
Sam Klein
Sam Klein, 18, is a soccer super star in the making, having been recently selected as part of the Young Socceroos team in the 2022 Costa Calida Supercup.
The young midfielder made his A-League debut with the Brisbane Roar in January 2022 and was awarded a scholarship to Nudgee College in Brisbane.
He represented Queensland at the Under 11 and Under 12 levels and was invited to the Australian Under 17s camp in 2020.
After he began his sports career in England at the age of six, he returned to Gympie and joined the Diggers Football Club and then later the Columbia Football Club before joining the Sunshine Coast Fire.
Ky Woods
Three-time Australian Surf Life Saving Champion Lifesaver Ky Woods has been patrolling the region’s beaches since he was 14.
After following his dad into surf life saving at the age of 6, Mr Woods has made a name for himself at competitions against lifeguards from around Australia.
Mr Woods is also a patrol captain where he leads lifeguards on patrol and is often the first port of call in an emergency.
“If there’s an incident or problem that goes on, I’m the one that takes control and makes sure everything works out okay,” he said.
Xanthe O’Connor
In 2020, Xanthe O’Connor achieved her ultimate goal with the creation of the Hearts and Hands Signing Choir.
It’s an all-inclusive, all abilities choir that welcomes people from all walks of life and has provided a sense of community among the group.
She recently won the Individual Achievement Award for Autism Queensland’s Creative Future Awards, this has also seen her efforts recognised in the media.
Ms O’Connor is also a committee member of Special Needs Fraser Coast.
Last year she was named the Young Cultural Award winner at the annual Fraser Coast Australia Day Awards.
Caitlyn Shadbolt
At just 27, Caitlyn Shadbolt has become one of Gympie’s biggest stars, with her music known across the country.
Ms Shadbolt shot to fame after she placed fifth on X Factor Australia in 2014 and released her self-titled debut album the following year. The album peaked at number 50 on Australian Music Charts.
Ms Shadbolt returned to the Gympie Music Muster stage this year after the festival was forced to take a two-year break due to the pandemic.
She has more than 34,600 followers on Instagram and 57,000 followers on Facebook and is currently touring the country.
Lily Thatcher
Lily Thatcher followed her family into sports, and is now making a name for herself on the international soccer scene
“I was brought up with soccer – dad, brother, grandad all play and love watching it – I started as early as I could (under 6s) at local level and it just grew from then on,” she said.
She has already played for local representative teams including Bundaberg and the Wide Bay, and has competed at a state level.
She has been selected to play in England as part of the West Ham Academy Tour next year.
She hopes to build her career towards playing for a Queensland based National Premier League team, and hopefully make it to the A-League.
J’maine Hopgood
NRL star J’maine Hopgood started out as a junior for the Hervey Bay Seagulls and rose all the way through the ranks to play for reigning premiers, the Penrith Panthers.
But next year Mr Hopgood will pull on the jersey for the Parramatta Eels, the side the Panthers beat in the NRL grand final and their Western Sydney rivals, in a move he hopes will allow him to spend more time playing in the top grade.
Mr Hopgood had a sensational year for Penrith’s NSW Cup team, captaining the side to a premiership and being named the competition’s Player of the Year.
He was also named man of the match after the side beat the Canterbury Bulldogs 44-10, with Hopgood scoring two tries.
“It was awesome to be a part of,” he said.
Mr Hopgood said after talking with Parramatta coach Brad Arthur, he knew if he worked hard he would have the chance to break into the 17 and after being in the grand final, he knew the club was hungry to get back there and win.
Payton Jennings
Payton Jennings is a Nolan Meats’ livestock buyer who has been paving the way for women in the male-dominated industry.
With a keen interest in livestock and agriculture, Ms Jennings started work at the Nolan Meats Stock team after high school graduation.
“I worked in a few different places, but in January 2018 I went back to Nolan Meats, partly in the Stock Team, but mostly in the Admin Team as a Livestock Clerk,” Ms Jennings said.
After two and a half years, she jumped at the opportunity to start saleyard buying and has grown to be a successful woman in the industry.
Maddison Devine
Maddison Devine has made herself a recognisable face through her thriving jewellery business Jelly Bean Jane and Co.
What started as a childhood hobby in her grandmas craft closet, Jelly Bean Jane and Co. is now one of the premier handmade jewellery businesses in Bundaberg.
“I was about 18 at the time, I’ve always had a knack for the online content side of things,” she said.
In 2022 she took the leap and committed herself to Jelly Bean Jane and Co. full time and she now has over 2000 followers on Instagram, collections released monthly and a retail presence in bespoke boutique stores across Queensland.
Miss Devines said she was keen to grow the Cocktails and Clay workshops she hosts which gives people the chance to design their own earrings.
Clay and Play Parties will also soon be launched for children and adult functions.
Matthew Hauser
Former Hervey Bay triathlete Matthew Hauser is making a name for himself on the world stage.
In 2021, he competed at the Tokyo Olympics, with a huge crowd turning out to watch him compete in the triathlon events.
Mr Hauser’s mother Vicki said she was thankful to have the support of the crowd during her son’s event.
She said she couldn’t put into words how hard Matthew had worked to get to the Olympics.
“It has been a very long journey,” she said.
“With elite sport, people only see the top of the iceberg, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
Rugby star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, 22, played in this year’s State of Origin.
He began his rugby league career in the Gympie region, having been raised in Widgee.
Mr Fa’asuamaleaui played for the Gympie Devils juniors while attending James Nash State High School until he was signed by the Brisbane Broncos as a teen.
Today, he is the captain of the Gold Coast Titans and signed to play for the team until 2026.
Chern’ee Sutton
Arguably one of the regions biggest names in the artistic world, Chern’ee Sutton is a contemporary Aboriginal artist and proud Kalkadoon woman.
Her works have been featured across the globe on football jerseys, Commonwealth Games promotional material and in Parliament House.
Bonnie Quinn-Hennessey
Fraser Coast ballerina Bonnie Quinn-Hennessy has had an impressive career so far.
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, Ms Quinn-Hennessy is with the Queensland Ballet Academy.
Sofia Abbey
As co-chair of the Perseverance Street Theatre Company, Sofia Abbey is an influential member of Gympie’s creative scene.
Ms Abbey is completing her Bachelor of Creative Industries (Honours) at the University of the Sunshine Coast, where she has been a key part of many productions.
She was the recipient of the 2016 National Young Playwright’s Award and selected as a writer for the La Boite Assembly program in 2020.
Coco Suosaari
Coco Suosaari began dancing at just two years of age and has already gone on to win national and international dancing championships.
Her success has given her the opportunity to travel to New Zealand and take part in the Kairos Dance Convention with some of the best choreographers in the industry.
Henry Rider
Hervey Bay’s Henry Rider is a wheelchair basketball athlete.
This talented sportsman has volunteered as the Wheelchair Basketball Coasters president and captain and won the Fraser Coast’s Young Volunteer of the Year award in 2021.
His determination and love for basketball led him to achieving the council’s sportsperson of the month award in July 2019.
He also represented Queensland at the national junior wheelchair basketball titles in 2019 at Townsville.
Clancy Adams
Clancy Adams opened his own real estate agency in 2017 at just 22. He is now the sole business owner and principal of Ray White Gympie’s Property Sales Office and Ray White Property Management Office.
“We were initially branded as LJ Hooker and at that time I was the youngest ever sole business owner of a LJ Hooker Franchise,” Mr Adams said.
“I‘m now one of the youngest Ray White principals in the network.”
Lani Plath
Lani Plath has spent most of her life on the dance floor, since joining the Bundaberg Dance Academy at just two years old.
Her impressive career has led her to being awarded Most Promising Classical Dancer at the Bundaberg Festival of Dance Eisteddfod in 2021.
She has also danced for the Brisbane City Youth Ballet in 2017 as part of the production The Magic Faraway Tree and in the RB Corp Instructions production of The Hive.
“My favourite thing about dance is getting to travel around and meet new people and make the best memories as well as all the skills dance teaches you, not only technically but also life skills,” she said.
Keira Stephens
Gifted swimmer Keira Stephens started her sporting journey at the Hervey Bay swim club under coach Paul Jones.
She won a silver medal in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke at the 2018 Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championship in Cairns, and finished fourth in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke at the World Para Swimming Championships in London in 2019.
In 2021 she competed at the Tokyo Paralympics, taking home two bronze medals and an Australian record.
Dillyn Blackburn
Ms Blackburn started competing in rugby union at the Sunshine Coast and has been selected for the Queensland Country Women’s team twice and will compete later this year.
“I have loved the opportunity Noosa Dolphins have provided me,” Ms Blackburn said.
“My first year of rugby was through the school rugby union competition and without this opportunity James Nash State School provided, I wouldn’t have found a passion for this sport.”
Angeline Lowther
After joining the Bundaberg NewsMail team in November of last year she has been channelling her passion into telling the stories that matter and exposing the issues that affect the region.
She has recently taken a new position to move across as the sole Bundaberg-based radio journalist for Southern Cross Austereo and will cover much of the state.
Beth Mooney
Gifted cricketer Beth Mooney has pulled on the gloves to wicketkeep for Australia, but long before that she played the sport in Hervey Bay.
When she was 11 years old, Ms Mooney was identified as the best catcher in her team during zone trials in Hervey Bay, and was advised by the team’s coach to try wicketkeeping.
In 2020, Ms Mooney was selected for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, and named the Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World in 2021.
Tristan Sik
Rainbow Beach teen Tristan Sik is the founder of clothing company Sik Ladz.
In 2017, Mr Sik, then 14, was in a serious car crash where he sustained critical brain injuries. After a long road to recovery, he was able to graduate high school in 2021.
“I have always been passionate about looking good and having fun so I came up with the idea of a clothing brand about all the things fun people do,” Mr Sik said.
The blossoming brand has now sold more than 3000 shirts in its first year.
Ariah Goodluck
As one of Ergon Energy fault response crew electricians Ariah Goodluck is also keeping her workplace safe through her tireless work with her union.
She has won multiple awards through her work with the Electrical Trades Union including National Electrical Apprentice of the year and the Anna Stewart Memorial Award.
Hunter Murdoch
Generously giving his time, Hunter Murdoch has coached the under-12 runners up team and represented Maryborough Magic in basketball at regional and state under-16 championships.
According to the council’s website, Mr Murdoch was selected for the Basketball Queensland Future Development program where he attended a development camp for the top 40, under-14 male players in Queensland.
In 2020, Mr Murdoch was also selected for the Queensland Basketball team in the Australian Primary School Championships and was named Fraser Coast’s young sportsperson of the year in 2022.
Selwyn Cobbo
Rugby league legend Selwyn Cobbo starred in the 2022 State of Origin for Queensland, taking home a glorious win.
Mr Cobbo was a Cherbourg Hornet before he joined the Gympie Devils.
He now plays for the Brisbane Broncos as a winger.
Mr Cobbo is now a great inspiration for other young sports stars in the region.
Chloe Johnson
Chloe Johnson keeps herself busy as the woman behind Childers business Willow and Hide, president of the Isis Show Society and facilitator for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program.
Her handmade clutch business takes her across the country as she offers workshops for rural women and gives them the opportunity to make their own clutches.
Hannah Cullum-Sanders
Hannah Cullum-Sanders, 18, made her Hockeyroos squad debut in 2022 when she represented Australia in a four-game series against New Zealand.
The former Aldridge State High School student discovered her love for hockey at just five-years-old.
Ms Cullum-Sanders grew up playing hockey in Maryborough and represented the Fraser Coast until she was 17.
She now lives in Brisbane where she plays for Redcliffe Leagues in the Brisbane Premier League.
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