Sunshine Coast’s 100 most inspirational women: Countdown from 100-76
To celebrate International Women’s Day we are turning the spotlight on inspirational women on the Sunshine Coast kicking goals in their chosen fields. SEE PART ONE:
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International Women’s Day gives the world a chance to stop and honour the daring sacrifices and inspiring stories of strong female figures.
From rugby league stalwarts to business gurus, the Sunshine Coast Daily is shining a light on the top 100 inspirational women in the region.
SEE THE LIST FROM 100-76 BELOW:
100. Lyn Saxton
Lyn Saxton’s unending commitment to the community and its environment has been nothing short of inspirational.
Her group Development Watch’s grassroots campaign over fighting the $900m Sekisui House project at Yaroomba for several years reached a massive milestone in February.
The Court of Appeal found three errors of law in an earlier decisionto dismiss the group’s appeal and approve the resort.
Ms Saxton said the court’s decision had “restored the community’s faith in democracy”.
99. Brooke Styles
TikTok influencer and wellbeing advocate Brooke Styles is one of the Sunshine Coast’s inspiring rising stars.
The young content creator has amassed 1.4m TikTok followers during her career and up to 223,000 fans on Instagram.
Ms Styles is known for her travel tips, DIY home renovations, modelling, and her work in the Full of Love Club which promotes self care, mental health and body positive online.
98. Rebekah Offermann
Rebekah Offermann has been instrumental in the real estate boom hitting the Noosa region, putting her in the league of some of the state’s top agents.
Ms Offermann has a business degree majoring in advertising and public relations and has been fine tuned in property under her father Tom‘s watchful eye.
The qualified schoolteacher’s annual sale figures exceed $100m.
97. Michelle Horn
Michelle Horn is a hardworking volunteer who rose through the ranks for her club created history in Sunshine Coast Rugby League circles.
Kawana Dolphins became the first senior club in 100 years of Sunshine Coast Rugby League to elect a female president.
Ms Horn said she hoped to become a trailblazer for other women in the code looking for leadership roles.
96. Kathleen Hope
SunnyKids general manager Kathleen Hope has been instrumental in powering the Sunshine Coast charity in helping those affected by domestic and family violence.
Ms Hope leads a team of case workers and volunteers and managers the charity’s other community programs, helping thousands on the Coast.
95. Judy Tomlinson
Glasshouse Country Tours chief executive Judy Tomlinson’s business acumen and love for the Sunshine Coast hinterland has been monumental for the region’s economy.
Ms Tomlinson began her boutique charter service offering personalised tours to the region and was also on the board of the Regional Development Association Sunshine Coast for two years.
Her years of being a semi-trailer driver and coach captain of local and interstate tours led to the beginning of Glasshouse Country Tours where she shines a light on local farmers and producers.
94. Nicky Baker
Voted as the Sunshine Coast’s best teacher for 2021, Kuluin State School’s Nicky Baker has helped mould the minds of young students for 28 years, 21 of those at Kuluin State School.
Preferring early childhood learning Ms Baker makes a promise to parents each year to not only help their children academically but also emotionally, so they can flourish into beautiful people.
93. Rachel Last
Travis Schultz and Partners associate Rachel Last has made her mark on the Sunshine Coast through her representation of clients in all matters involving compensation law.
Ms Last was named as a finalist in both the 2021 Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards in the Wellness advocate category and in the 2021 Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards in the Rising Star category.
She also volunteers with the Suncoast Community Legal Service and is an ambassador for the Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce.
92. Leigh Warneminde
Coolum District Coast Care Group president Leigh Warneminde has been a major influence on the Sunshine Coast in her environmental conservation.
Her expertise in loggerhead turtles helped immensely in the case against Sekisui House in Yaroomba and has been recognised in the past for educating the North Shore on localised marine debris.
In her role as president at the CDCCG, she has secured more than half a million dollars in federal, state and local government funding for revegetation projects, along with wildlife research and monitoring.
91. Ashleigh McCosker
Sunshine Coast mum Ashleigh McCosker’s tragic loss of her daughter Ruby Boston sent shockwaves across the state after it was revealed she was the first child to die with Covid-19 in Queensland.
Ms McCosker’s daughter Ruby had been born with the rare and incurable disease cockayne syndrome Type 2, which carries a life expectancy of up to seven years.
Ruby was unable to walk or talk.
Ms McCosker’s strength and devotion to ensuring her daughter was accepted in the community and live her short life to the fullest has been second to none.
90. Fiona Simpson
Sitting state member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson has worked tirelessly for her constituents in her illustrious career spanning back to 1992 when she was first elected to the position.
With more than 30 years experience in politics, one of Ms Simpson’s greatest achievements was becoming Queensland Parliament’s first female speaker in its 150 years after the Liberals’ win in 2012.
Before her career in parliament she was an award-winning journalist and included in the Queensland Young Women’s Christian Association’s list of 125 Leading Women in 2013.
89. Anna Owen
The new head of Sunshine Coast Grammar School has bold plans for the prestigious establishment after joining from Canberra Grammar School where she was principal.
In an interview with the Sunshine Coast Daily, Ms Owen said the school was in the process of creating its next strategic plan to focus on improving the school’s “green agenda” and have a “social justice” focus as well as providing a diverse space for everyone.
The school is in the middle of expanding its campus to accommodate the growing population, which Ms Owen said is a direct result of the influx of people moving to the Coast.
88 and 87. Paula and Bridgette Powers
Twinnies Paula and Bridgette Powers are synonymous with sea bird rescuing and treating after their decades of service saving wildlife in Australia.
The owners of Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue in Landsborough have been passionately helping thousands of birds from numerous species across the Sunshine Coast.
Their conservation work even brought them into orbit with Australia’s beloved wildlife warrior Steve Irwin.
86. Leanne Layfield
Sunshine Coast Chamber Alliance associate secretary Leanne Layfield has been pioneering the economy of the region for several years through her work in the local business sector.
A former Business Professional Woman of the Year, the new member of RDA Sunshine Coast is also a member of the 4556 Chamber of Commerce and worked previously with the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce.
85. Taylor Moss
Noosa’s Taylor Moss is hitting all the right notes in the country music scene.
In May 2012, Moss won first place in the Urban Country Music Festival before searching for inspiration on a writing trip to Nashville in 2018.
The young musician has just unveiled her latest single, Get It Girl, which has been streamed more than two million times and was also the number one ranked song in the country in January.
84. Jessica Popple
Jessica Popple works with Pippa Colman and Associates in family and succession law after working in a firm in Noosa’s hinterland following her admission to law in 2018.
Ms Popple has taken on many roles including vice president of events for the USC Law Association, vice president of administration for the Australian Law Students’ Association and volunteers at the Suncoast Community Legal Service since 2017 while having a position on its board.
She was a finalist in the 2017 Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards in the law student of the year category and is the current president of the Sunshine Coast Law Association and is the youngest District Law Association president in Queensland.
83. Julie Strudwick
After being hit hard during the Covid-19 staffing crisis, Sunshine Beach Surf Club general manager rallied around her staff when they needed her most.
Acknowledging the extra stress that was being placed on her workers due to staff shortages from coronavirus outbreaks, she made it her main focus to ensure they didn’t burn out.
Ms Strudwick said she was able to reach out to surf lifesaving members for anyone who wanted casual work to help offset the emotional impact of working overtime.
82. Samantha Harrison
Coolum hairstylist Samantha Harris and her business prowess is to be admired after turning her home based salon into a $900,000 a year business.
Samantha Harris grew her hair extension business after venturing into the online learning space where she boats 515 students enrolled nationally, all while growing her local appointments.
Her revenue was forecast to be about $900,000 for the coming year and the young entrepreneur now has a staff of four including a hair technician, personal assistant, social media manager and an apprentice.
81. Chelsea Emery
Principal lawyer of her eponymous firm, Chelsea Emery has been an advocate for criminal defence law since her time in Legal Aid in southeast Queensland which inspired her career path.
Following her admission to the legal profession in 2003 Ms Emery managed the Sunshine Coast office of the specialist firm before opening her own practice in 2010.
She has since obtained her specialist accreditation in criminal law while also having regular appearances in the Doyle’s Guide under criminal law.
She is a life member of the Sunshine Coast Law Association, has been a lecturer in criminal law at the University of the Sunshine Coast and has two solicitors who work in her firm.
80. Lauren Brisbane
Lauren Brisbane broke new ground in the dairy industry after beginning QCamel Milk in 2006, which distributes camel milk products across the country and overseas to thirsty customers.
The family had no dairy background and found themselves in a tiny camel milk industry in Australia and have gone onto be founding members of the Australian Camel Industry Association.
Over the years she has helped the Glasshouse Mountains business achieve organic status in 2018, with it being the only producer of commercial organic milk in the world.
79. Megan D’Elton
While aged care facilities across Queensland were buckling under the unprecedented waves of Covid-19, NoosaCare chief executive Meg D’Elton was pushing forward to make sure her clients were being looked after.
During aged care restrictions implemented balcony visits so families could safely visit loved ones, despite having 18 staff and 16 residents across both of their facilities contracting the virus.
Ms D’Elton is also on the front foot trying to help with the region’s accommodation crisis by proposing to build low-cost rentals on land next to the business owned adjacent to their Tewantin site.
78. Mel Anderson
Tourism Noosa chief executive Melanie Anderson had to weather the formidable storm of Covid-19 which wreaked havoc on holiday-goer numbers in one of Queensland’s most pristine tourist destinations.
Melanie has worked across the state in tourism but her work in the Noosa region helped the area earn the Top Tourist Town for Queensland in 2021 as the economy bounces back from the pandemic.
77. Catherine Molloy
International keynote speaker and communication expert Catherine Molloy has left her mark on the Sunshine Coast through her effective business and training strategies.
Ms Molloy’s business escapades began in the 1980s when she topped sales nationally with the Commercial Bank of Australia and Westpac.
After operating a successful real estate business, she moved to running an international training company which has won awards in leadership and sales.
76. Isabella Nichols
Isabella Nichols is a high ranking female surfer from the Sunshine Coast with a World Surf League ranking of 11.
The young Noosa and Coolum surfer rocketed into the tour spotlight after she claimed the World Junior Championships in 2016.
In an unrelated but otherwise fun fact, Ms Nichols featured in shark attack thriller The Shallows as a body double for Blake Lively.
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