SNEAK PEEK: #38 on Gympie’s most influential list of 2020

We introduce the third person to make the list of those in the region with the most power and influence in 2020

Gympie’s Power 40: Number 38 – Rosie Fitzgerald

#38 ROSIE FITZGERALD

 

DETERMINED Kilkivan businesswoman Rosie Fitzgerald is pulling no stops in her plan to bring aged care housing to one of the region's largest rural districts.

As president of the newly-formed group Kilkivan & District Community Care Association, Ms Fitzgerald is number 38 on The Gympie Times 2020 list of most powerful people.

Ms Fitzgerald, driven by her own parents aged care needs in the region, is gaining vast and serious backing in her plan to bring an aged care facility to the district.

 

Rosie Fitzgerald has community backing to set up an aged care facility in Kilkivan. Photo courtesy of Landline

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In a March meeting in Kilkivan, the Association announced a $10,000 donation from local enterprise Wangella Farm to help "fast-track progress" of the project.

Following, Gympie Regional Council voted unanimously to support the project pending further developments, while Ms Fitzgerald helped thrust the issue into the national debate in a Landline article earlier this year.

 

 

Kilkivan & District Community Care Association president Rosie Fitzgerald speaks at the meeting in March.

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Ms Fitzgerald has since used her connections to enlist the help of QUT post-grad marketing students who will examine the strategic steps required to get the project off the ground.

Ms Fitzgerald is also well-known in the region for her previous work in the Kilkivan Great Horse Ride, which draws more than 1000 riders annually.

Ms Fitzgerald owns the prominent Kilkivan Country Bed and Breakfast built in 1911 by David Lacey Jones, the grandson of the founder of the David Jones department stores, who went on to become the first Shire Clerk of the then Kilkivan Shire Council.

 

This list is a subjective talking point, not a scientific guide. We welcome feedback from the public. It is about the 40 most powerful and/or influential people in the Gympie region. How strong and broad is their influence? A special committee of community leaders from various walks of life have voted on who should be on this list and in what order.

Is there someone you think should be on the list? Email your contenders to [e-mail] or comment below and tell us why.

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