21 of Burnett’s most influential and inspirational women for 2023
From politicians to sportswomen and business owners, they all have something in common. In celebration of International Women’s Day see 21 of Burnett’s most influential.
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The Burnett is home to some of the most incredible women in the country, all making our region a better place through their passion, talent, hard work and love for the community.
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In celebration of International Women’s Day on Wednesday, March 8, The South Burnett Times has compiled a list of inspirational women from across the region.
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These women inspire their colleagues, friends and family every day and have been nominated by the community.
Deb Frecklington
From lawyer to former Opposition Leader, Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington remains one of the region’s most influential women.
After being elected to parliament in 2012, Mrs Frecklington became an assistant minister under the previous LNP government, before being appointed its leader in 2017.
While the LNP’s loss in the 2020 state election brought her time as leader to an end, she was appointed by successor David Crisafulli as the opposition’s Minister Water and the Construction of Dams and Minister Regional Development and Manufacturing.
The Nanango MP regularly takes aim at the state government when she believes it is falling short of the community’s expectations.
Jane Erkens
The woman most likely everyone in Nanango knows or has certainly heard of, Jane Erkens, was sworn into the South Burnett Regional Council in May 2022.
Mrs Erkens was a Nanango real estate agent before being appointed to the council, where she campaigns for her community.
She is one of the most recognisable faces in town and regularly fights for the community’s interests.
Mrs Erkens has been vocal about the need to support struggling renters hit by the region’s rental crisis.
Hers latest campaign is for the community to be able to enjoy the Weir Water Reserve once again.
Leisa Green
This Nanango mum’s career shifted to the fitness industry last year and recently marked a milestone moment with the opening of her first gym.
Leisa Green has opened Leisa’s Fitness at 4 Railway Lane which is the first gym of its kind in Nanango.
Mrs Green began teaching yoga, boxing and bootcamp classes from a park, then a shed in late 2021 and has spent the past 18 months working to open a more properly equipped and larger studio.
The 42 year old said her passion for fitness began while she was working at a bank where she was encouraged by a friend to try out the gym.
Her classes include dance fit, Tabata, yoga, cardio, high and low impact classes, inside and outside.
Courtney Sippel
Courtney Sippel has made the South Burnett community proud since her national cricket debut in 2020 in the Women’s Big Bash League and continues to inspire young sportswomen.
It has been a fantastic 2023 season for the 21-year-old from Murgon, who is one of the leading wicket-takers in the Women’s National Cricket League, while playing strong in the Women’s Big Bash League campaign where she claimed 12 wickets.
Kirstie Schumacher
Ms Schumacher has become a big name in the local business community and was elected to South Burnett Regional Council for her first term in 2020, becoming the youngest member and bringing a fresh perspective to the chamber.
At 19, Mrs Schumacher and her now husband Wayne built their first home. Two years they later started a family-owned drilling business with her brother and sister in-law.
Since then, they have diversified their operations to invest in agriculture, grazing cattle, growing peanuts and grain, and establishing their own avocado orchard.
Growing up in Blackbutt, she is proud to be raising her children Decklan and Grace with strong country values.
A Burnett local through and through, Mrs Schumacher regularly supports local groups to write funding applications and always rolls up her sleeves to volunteer.
Danita Potter
Born and bred in Kingaroy, Danita Potter spent many years travelling and working across Australia and the world but she will always call the Burnett home.
Mrs Potter is a familiar face at many events across the region, not just in her capacity as a councillor but often getting involved herself due to a love of the region.
Her family’s ties to Kingaroy date back more than 100 years with her family running multiple local businesses from a butchery, to sewing, photography and tyre shops, a fuel station, a cream run and many more.
Brittany Holding
Wondai’s Brittany Holding has been commended for her tireless efforts advocating for female rugby league in the South Burnett.
She puts many hours into coaching, training and inspiring South Burnett players and volunteers at the Wondai Proston Wolves Rugby League Club.
Nyree Jones
Nyree Jones has been a South Burnett resident for more than 40 years and has been a familiar face at Kingaroy’s Generation Funerals since 2017.
Mrs Jones said her ability to interact at a very personal level with the families of loved ones in the facility’s care, became more of an honour than as part of her role.
She has been known to “find sunlight during many dark clouds” and as the branch manager she prides herself on having a wonderful team of employees and owners.
“I sincerely hope that my team and I can make a difference for our local families by giving those travelling through the difficulties of grieving the utmost compassion,” Mrs Jones said.
Elvie Sandow
Elvie Sandow made history in 2020 as the first woman to be elected as Mayor of Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council.
Ms Sandow has guided the Cherbourg community through many events including the Cherbourg suicide crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Towards the end of 2021, Ms Sandow worked to get residents vaccinated, with the threat of the pandemic looming large over the predominantly unjabbed community as Queensland prepared to open the borders.
The campaign was a major success, with just a single hospitalisation.
Ms Sandow has served her community in different roles at the council chambers for more than 22 years, and is determined to use her extensive knowledge to build on the work laid out by those before her.
Fiona Albert
From Olympic rowing athlete to ultra-marathon runner to solicitor, there isn’t much Fiona Albert can’t do.
Ms Albert graduated from the University of Queensland with a dual degree in Arts and Law and was named Australian University Sport Female Athlete of the Year in 2014, all the while in training for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
At the end of 2021, the then 31-year old was one in five Queenslanders to secure a coveted Jack Cranstoun Scholarship.
Kristy Board
Kristy Board and the Kingaroy Needs A Big Peanut team secured the peanut capital’s rightful place on Australia’s Big Thing tourist trail in 2021.
After being announced the chief baconeer for Baconfest, Ms Board built a bigger and better event than ever before for 2022.
Ms Board fulfils her passion for the region’s food industry as a committee member for the Farm 2 Fork Collective, which improves the accessibility of locally grown and produced food.
After completing the Red Earth Community leadership program in 2018, Ms Board returned as a volunteer to facilitate action learning and deliver the local produce showcase for the region’s future leaders and influencers.
Nina Temperton
As chief executive of South Burnett CTC, Nina Temperton is a powerful force when it comes to fighting for the rights and protection of the region’s most vulnerable people.
Ms Temperton founded the CTC in 1992 with just five employees and a few contracted teachers.
Today it employs more than 100 staff members.
Ms Temperton previously told the South Burnett Times she was attracted to social work through a sense of injustice and recognition of the privilege she and many others have enjoyed, and hence dedicated her life to providing others with a helping hand in tough times.
Georgie Somerset
AgForce president Georgie Somerset is one of the region’s biggest advocates.
Mrs Somerset is a role model for women in agriculture and long-term advocate for rural and regional Queenslanders.
In 2021 she was named a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to primary industry, women and the community.
Mrs Somerset has paved the way for women in agriculture, most notably as AgForce’s first female general president.
She was also a founding member and later president of the Queensland Rural Regional and Remote Women’s Network, vice-president of the National Foundation for Australian Women and an associate member of the National Council of Women.
She is also a board member of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland).
Kathy Duff
Kathy Duff brings a whirlwind of pink and smiles through her community and never fails to support events, meetings and races region wide.
The fourth-term South Burnett councillor has politics in her blood, with her grandfather previously serving on the council and her brother having served on the former Wondai council.
Mrs Duff is involved in countless community organisations and runs her own cattle grazing and timber business.
She has a keen interest in the equine industry including judging horses at local shows and exploring her passion for Silversmith craft.
Jay Rose
Rosegold Legal principal solicitor Jay Rose started her business in May, 2019 with the aim to provide access to legal services to anyone who needed it.
Ms Rose completed her studies at QUT and was admitted as solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in February 2004.
Ms Rose has worked all over Queensland, with a current focus in the South Burnett area, based in Kingaroy.
Sandra Morgan
Aunty Sandra Morgan dedicates her life to keeping the memory of Cherbourg alive for younger generations.
As chairwoman of the Ration Shed in Cherbourg, Aunty Sandra helps people to understand what happened in the past and how that affects the present.
She grew up under the Aboriginal Protection Act and recalls life under laws that treated Aboriginal people like second-class citizens.
In 2011 she was one of 12 people from around Queensland invited to Parliament House in recognition of the volunteer work she does in the Cherbourg community.
Tanya Barron
Tanya Barron is the lady behind the speedway and the brains behind some of Kingaroy’s biggest tourist-attracting events.
In addition to being the driving force behind the Speedway, she juggles running her business, Kingaroy Equipment Sales, and raising her eight-year-old daughter.
“It’s a bit of a juggling act but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
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Rowena Dionysius
The South Burnett 2023 Citizen of the Year award winner and the South Burnett Relay for Life committee chair, Rowena Dionysius, is a fierce advocate for cancer survivors in the region.
Ms Dionysus and her team raised over $120,000 for cancer research, taking the South Burnett’s total fundraising over 15 years to more than $1.8 million.
As one of the committee members behind the Big Peanut, she also helped put Kingaroy on the map and on Australia’s Big Thing tourist trail.
Karyn Bjelke-Petersen
It’s a name synonymous with the South Burnett and Kingaroy, but Karyn Bjelke-Petersen has made a name for herself in her own right as principal of St John’s Lutheran School.
Ms Bjelke-Petersen studied education at university and said it has always been her passion.
“I’ve always loved teaching and helping young children,” she said.
“It’s a wonderful privilege to be part of a child’s life and teach them skills that you know will help them on their journey to becoming a productive member of society.”
With school expanding to offer senior schooling, Ms Bjelke-Petersen will have plenty on her plate to manage.
Terry Dunn
Terry Dunn goes far beyond her duties as a swimming coach and lifeguard, spending a great deal of her time ensuring her athletes have the best chance of achieving their goals while making training an enjoyable social experience.
With 30 years of coaching under her belt, Ms Dunn can spot a rising star from a young age and will provide them with all the necessary resources and guidance to push them beyond their perceived limits.
Ms Dunn’s dreams to become an elite golfer were destroyed when she was hit by a car.
Rather than letting that defeat her, she harnessed her skills and knowledge for the benefit of others, and sees young Kingaroy swimmers off to nationals each year.
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