Burnett’s 30 most powerful people: Counting down from 30 – 21

From judges to school principals and heads of large organisations, here is the list of people who fill out positions 30 to 21 of the Burnett’s 50 most powerful people.

Kingaroy Power 30 - see who ranks 30-21 below.

The Burnett regions are changing at a rapid pace, but who are the personalities making the big decisions?

The South, Central and North Burnett Times is revealing its top 30 list of the region’s most powerful and influential people.

Here is the first instalment, counting down from 30 to 21:

30. Cheryl Dalton

Cheryl Dalton has been the CEO at South Burnett Care for more than seven years and has led her hard working team through a period of massive growth and reform in age and disability care.

After working as a local councillor for 17 years, Ms Dalton said “the stars aligned” when she found her place at SB Care.

“Because of the reform that was happening in age and disability care, they were looking for someone that understood community and social service, and parallel to counsel, I had a career in business with my husband,” Ms Dalton said.

“I‘d also been involved in a lot of community and government committees, so that all crystallised in this role.”

With the limited time she has to spare, Ms Dalton spends as much time with her grandchildren as possible and is on the board for St John‘s Lutheran School.

Ms Dalton has been shattering gender stereotypes all her life, becoming the first female pre-apprenticeship cabinet maker in Queensland alongside 1200 men.

Tina Torrens and South Burnett councillor Danita Potter at the Lions Park, Kingaroy – the location of the new Big Peanut statue. Picture: Dominic Elsome

29. Tina Torrens

When Kingaroy’s Big Peanut finally arrives and stands tall in the Lions Park, the community will have Tina Torrens to thank as one of the biggest proponents of the project.

The local business owner and filmmaker has been a driving force in the campaign to give the South Burnett community the nutty statue it deserves.

When she’s not campaigning for big statues, Ms Torrens can be regularly seen promoting the south Burnett community online, and assisting local businesses to improve their media and marketing strategies as part of her business – Torkit Business Solutions.

28. Andrew Kelly

From humble beginnings, Andrew Kelly has grown to run the largest law firm in the South Burnett, and is regularly seen both in the community and in the courtroom.

Mr Kelly first started working as a lawyer in Kingaroy in 1993, before taking over a new practice in 2003 – Kelly & Down – which would go on to become Kelly & Frecklington when now local member Deb Frecklington joined, before becoming simply KF Solicitors.

Far from being simply a small country law office, KF has under Mr Kelly’s direction grown to now have separate offices in both Kingaroy and Brisbane, and employ an number of lawyers across both teams.

27. Chatur Zala

It could be said Chatur Zala had a baptism of fire as CEO of the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council.

Taking over the role from well-loved veteran CEO Warren Collins at the end of 2019, few could have predicted the difficult year 2020 would present for Mr Zala.

With growing concerns of the effect a Covid-19 outbreak could have on the vulnerable community, Mr Zala, along with then Mayor Arnold Murray, made the difficult decision to introduce travel restrictions on the community.

Since then, Mr Zala has continued to provide strong leadership in the community, along with new mayor Elvie Sandow.

26. 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 from next year, Ms Bjelke-Petersen will have plenty on her plate to manage.

25. Theo Bellas

Being the largest High School in the North Burnett, Burnett State College has been the school where some of the region’s best and brightest have grown and flourished.

Principal Theo Bellas has lead the school for the past several years, and has been at the helm during some major changes, including the move to the ATAR system and guide the college through the Covid-19 pandemic.

With results from the school continuing to be strong, the principal’s influence on staff and students is clearly paying off.

the principal’s influence on staff and students is clearly paying off.

24. Ashley Roediger

When the ATAR system became the new senior high school metric, it was always going to be a bumpy ride for its first cohort.

Through in a pandemic causing chaos for the students, and you could be forgiven for expecting results to be impacted.

But incredibly, under Ashley Roediger’s leadership, the 2020 class of Kingaroy State High School shone bright,

with multiple students scoring about 95 – including two near perfect 99.

The principal is well known and loved not just in the school community, but also among the Kingaroy community.

23. Her Honour Nicole Kefford

Walking into her first legal studies class as a Year 11 student at Kingaroy State High School, Nicole Kefford had no idea she was taking her first step to becoming a successful barrister and district court judge.

Now with more than 20 years of experience under her belt, Judge Kefford hopes to inspire other young people in the South Burnett region to take a chance on themselves and not shy away from a future in law.

After she was approached to put in an expression of interest, Judge Kefford was appointed a judge of the District Court of Queensland in 2016.

The judge regularly speaks to young would be lawyers at Burnett schools to encourage them to pursue their dreams.

22. Kristy Board

The one-woman powerhouse behind some of the South Burnett‘s biggest tourism projects, Kristy Board has worked her magic again to score Kingaroy its long due spot in Australia’s ’big things’ hall of fame.

Beyond securing the peanut capital of Australia‘s very own big peanut, Ms Board wants to showcase the town’s history in a creative and beautiful way, reminding us where we came from as we grow and prosper.

On the subject of BaconFest, despite a tough year for community events, as Chief Baconeer Ms Board is in the process of building a bigger and better event than ever before.

Passionate about helping Kingaroy‘s food scene flourish, Ms Board is 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 also returns as a volunteer each year to facilitate action learning and deliver the local produce showcase for the region‘s future leaders and influencers.

21. Nina Temperton

As the Chief Executive Officer at South Burnett CTC, Nina Temperton is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to fighting for our most vulnerable.

Ms Temperton founded the CTC back in 1992 with just five employees and a few contracted teachers.

Now, throughout the South Burnett, the CTC has grown to 125 full time equivalent staff and 190 staff all up.

Ms Temperton was attracted to social work through a sense of injustice and recognition of the privilege she and many others have enjoyed in life.

“I think social work attracted me mainly out of a sense of enormous privilege that I‘ve always had, which isn’t to say I’ve had an easy life or was born rich,” she said.

“However, I had fantastic parents, fantastic support, a great education, and every opportunity to make the right choices.”

“I‘ve always just felt really strongly that everybody deserves that.”