Sunshine Coast’s most influential under 30 revealed
VOTE NOW: Which young gun under 30 is having the biggest influence on the Sunshine Coast. See the list and take the poll.
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From surfers and musicians to lawyers and business owners – the Sunshine Coast’s youngest guns are leaving their mark on the region thanks to a combination of hunger for more, ability to innovate and willingness to take the plunge.
The Sunshine Coast Daily has compiled a list of 30 of some of the most impressive community members under 30 years who are wielding their influence on our region.
It comes after the masthead revealed 50 of the most powerful people of all ages.
Find out who they are and scroll to the bottom of the list to tell us who do you believe is having the biggest influence on the region despite – or maybe because of – their young age.
Jenna Sanders, 29
She’s the driving force behind a century-old bakery that’s been transformed into a phenomenal tourism destination.
Ms Sanders, 29, has turned the Kenilworth Bakery into arguably the town’s most famous tourist attraction.
She’s a member of the Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce and a strong-minded community representative.
Besides, her doughnuts are delicious.
Jordan Barden, 25
Define Property Agents sales consultant Jordan Barden has been a high-flying achiever in the Sunshine Coast hotly contested real estate market.
Mr Barden, 25, was in 2020 voted as the Sunshine Coast Daily’s best real estate agent after he received almost 30 per cent of the agents in the running. The voting was compiled by Daily readers.
He started in real estate at 19 and has sold hundreds of homes so far in his six year career. His biggest sale was earlier this year with a $1.63m Buderim home.
Helped found Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce.
Isabella Nichols, 24
She’s the Sunshine Coast’s top ranked women’s surfer with a World Surf League ranking of eight, just in front of Keely Andrews.
The 24-year-old 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.
Jemma Barnard, 25
Jemma Barnard started at Travis Schultz and Partners firm in 2019 and recently became the youngest person at the firm to be named an associate.
Ms Barnard, 25, is a board member of the Suncoast Community Legal Service where she regularly volunteers.
At 19, she worked in strata management and was recognised as the youngest person in Australia to manage a large portfolio of residential and mixed-use properties.
The Chats
Young Coolum “shed” rockers took the country by storm just years after graduating with their hit song Smoko.
The group includes Eamon Sandwith, Matthew Boggis and new member Josh Hardy, who replaced founding member Josh Price.
The trio are set to embark on a national tour, including Noosaville, before heading across on a jam packed tour of the United Kingdom and Europe in 2022.
Harri Jones, 22
The Buderim racer has emerged as one of the most promising drivers in Australian motorsport.
Mr Jones, 22, has enjoyed a tremendous rise in the sport and has balanced his skills behind the wheel while studying mechanical engineering at the University of Queensland.
Mr Jones has also undergone an engineering internship at Sunshine Coast-based aerospace tech company HeliMods.
Tate McDermott, 22
At 22, Tate McDermott has emerged as one of Australian rugby’s brightest prospects, a status that’s been recognised through his six Wallabies caps.
McDermott, a Sunshine Coast Grammar School graduate, has remained an active alumni at his old school and inspiration to those coming through the ranks.
He won a Super Rugby premiership with the Queensland Reds this year.
Allycia Staples, 25
Disability advocate and artistic talent was nominee for the regional achiever at the Queensland Young Achiever Awards this year.
The 25-year-old Glass House Mountains resident was also a member of Australia’s first National Youth Disability Summit, attended online by more than 250 people.
One of her many hats includes work for Bush Kids, a disability service organisation that supports children aged six and over.
Ella Woodborne, 17
Teenage ecowarrior Ella Woodborne was named the Sunshine Coast young citizen of the year at the Australia Day Awards in 2020.
The former Sunshine Coast Grammar School student, 17, founded the Grammar Green Team to inspire others to make a healthier planet.
She is also a youth ambassador for EarthTech, a start up business that focuses on encouraging and supporting young people to develop technologies that can be used to combat environmental issues such as climate change.
Taylor Moss, 26
Noosa’s Taylor Moss is turning all the right heads in the country music scene.
The 26-year-old recently unveiled her latest single, The Chaser which has earned rave reviews.
In 2018, Ms Moss flew to Nashville on a writing trip and came home inspired. She is solidly booked out for gigs every weekend until October.
In May 2012, Taylor won first place in the Urban Country Music Festival Talent Search.
Zariah Lamont, 19
Teen entrepreneur Zariah Lamont already has five business ventures under her belt.
Ms Lamont, 19, was a winner of the 2019 Generation Innovation Business Award and launched her first successful start up, X&O MEDIA at just 17.
Since then, Ms Lamont has launched X&O MANAGEMENT and X&O MARKETING.
This year, the teenager is entering the hospitality industry with her latest venture, Zyped, a cocktail bar due to open up on Ocean Street.
Macca Reardon, 22
At just 14, Sunshine Coast’s Macca Reardon started his own business because he didn’t want an after school job.
Now at age 22, the young entrepreneur and Youtuber has a number of business ventures behind him and has worked in Virtual Reality content creation.
He is currently an Implementation Manager at Epos Now, a cloud-based software provider.
Mr Reardon and his team were also finalists in the 2015 Generation Innovation competition and raised $3500 to get their idea off the ground.
William Thompson, 29
Got started in professional insurance and risk management in 2014 and, after a stint with Suncorp and trip in the UK, joined his father’s business Thompson Insurance in 2018.
Helps small to medium business clients across the Sunshine Coast from construction and manufacturing to property owners and hospitality.
Helped form Young Professionals Sunshine Coast which later evolved into the Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce.
The former St John’s College student has been part of the Maroochy Chamber of Commerce executive team for the past few years and is an active Maroochy Surf Club member.
Sasha Parlett, 30
Sasha Parlett, 30, is the owner and director of RedHandedMedia, a rising Sunshine Coast based-production company.
This year Ms Parlett was chosen as one of 15 participants in The Refinery, an eight-week creative business incubation program designed to transform ideas into sustainable businesses.
Ms Parlett, an Indigenous woman, is also the co-chairwoman of Wan’diny NAIDOC and this year produced a series of videos with First Nations people and Elders who shared what this year’s NAIDOC theme, Healing Country, meant to them.
Jacob Corbett, 30
Jacob Corbett started his career in the legal industry at 26 with Bradley & Bray Solicitors and just two years later had purchased 50 per cent of the business to become a partner.
This year he bought out the rest of the business to become the sole owner at 30, just four years after entering the profession.
The former St John’s College student is on the advisory council for PEXA, which is the largest electronic conveyancing provider in the country.
He’s also one of the six executive members of the Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce.
This year he was announced as a winner of the Australasian Lawyer ‘Most Influential Lawyers – Changemakers’ (National) and winner of the International Advisory Experts Real Estate Lawyer of the Year (Australia).
He was also a Top 10 finalist in the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards for Commercial Law (National).
Tess Keightley, 27
Tess Keightley is most well known as founder of The Authentic Spoon, where she shares health and nutrition tips and recipes to her 22.4 thousand followers.
Ms Keightley started The Authentic Spoon as a bit of fun while studying, but her hobby has turned into a lucrative career.
At 27, Ms Keightley is now a dietitian for Tru Fit, by Married At First Sight’s Michael Brunelli, and the sole dietitian for Youfoodz, a nationwide health food delivery service.
She also works as a clinical dietitian for Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital, has released a recipe book and a successful nutrition podcast.
Karl and Justin Holland, 18
The Buderim twins are on a mission to save the honey bee population with an innovative business idea.
Karl and Justin Holland, 18, have worked in the honey industry for six years, and they’re ready to go one step further.
Communibee provides practical solutions to save the honey bee, starting in the Sunshine Coast.
Their business idea does not just solve a world problem but also won them last year’s Generation Innovation Challenge.
Nat Alise, 30
Nat Alise, 30, is a Sunshine Coast mum and rising Tik Tok star.
She shares videos about her day-to-day life, parenting and raising a family as a single mother.
The young mum also uses her platform to promote mental health, body positivity and advocate for the LGBT community.
A former cleaner, Ms Alise said in an Instagram post that she never imagined content creation could be her career but thanks to Tik Tok and her 1.3m followers she said she has her “dream job.”
Belinda Robinson, 29
Belinda Robinson, 29, is a Sunshine Coast criminal and domestic violence solicitor, who is also known for her appearance on the latest season of The Bachelor.
She was admitted to the Queensland Roll of Solicitors at just 23, and is next year enrolling in her fifth law-related degree.
“I have long term plans with my boss to become a managing partner of our firm and to open more offices state and nationwide,” she said.
“I am so honoured to live my dream every day helping people in such an impactful way and I can’t wait for my future.”
Ms Robinson is also an outspoken advocate for domestic violence victims and has been a part of several fundraisers and campaigns in the community.
Brooke Styles, 25
Beauty, lifestyle, travel and DIY influencer, Youtuber and model Brooke Styles is one of the Sunshine Coast’s rising stars.
The 25-year-old influencer and content creator has more than 1 million Tik Tok followers and 229k followers on Instagram.
She has worked with brands including Cotton On, Garnier, City Beach, Invisalign and Deliveroo.
Ms Styles and her fiance also have a popular travel page called We The Seekers, where they share travel tips from road trips around Australia in their renovated van.
She also founded the Full of Love Club, an online space to promote self care, mental health and body positivity.
Bronte Cresswell, 26
In 2018, at just 23, Bronte Cresswell founded her boutique social media agency, Dash of Milk.
The Maroochydore-based social media agency started life as She The Social but was soon rebranded to its current name and celebrated two years in business in February.
She started the business by herself but has grown to now employ a team of four which manage social media campaigns for 30 clients locally, nationally and internationally.
She also helped found the Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce in 2020.
The former St John‘s College student was also a youth ambassador of the Sunshine Coast Fashion Industry Association during her Year 12 studies in 2012.
Bindi Irwin, 23
It wouldn’t be a complete list of the Sunshine Coast’s young guns without Bindi Irwin and her brother Robert.
Bindi continues to make headlines around the world for Australia Zoo, her family’s wildlife conservation efforts and their TV show Crikey! It’s the Irwins.
The 23-year-old also and her husband Chandler Powell welcomed their baby girl Grace in March this year, who was born on the couple’s one year wedding anniversary.
Robert Irwin, 17
Just like mum Terri and sister Bindi, Robert has continued on his family’s legacy of wildlife conservation.
He has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon almost a dozen times and currently stars in Crikey! It’s the Irwins.
Robert, 17, is an avid wildlife photographer and has travelled the world on photography expeditions, including across Africa, New Zealand and Europe.
This year he won the Natural History Museum‘s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award with a drone image of a bushfire in Cape York.
Renee and Elisha Herbert
Boasting 1.8m and 1.6m Instagram followers respectively, Renee and Elisha Herbert took the modelling world by storm after being discovered by clothing brand Peppermayo while they were still in high school.
Now the sisters, who live in the US, have travelled the world modelling for some of the biggest fashion brands and magazines, including Grazia, Marie Claire and Maxim.
Last year the Herberts launched their own swimwear brand Jumelle, and donate five per cent of all orders to the Reef Restoration Foundation.
The sisters grew up on the Sunshine Coast and attended Unity College in Caloundra and while they’re often mistaken for twins, they actually are triplets with their brother Eric, a climate change activist.
Ryan Williams aka R-Willy, 27
The born and bred Sunshine Coast action sports star has made a living out of pushing the limit on both BMX and scooter.
Originally a scooter rider, the 27-year-old has found plenty of success in competitive BMX at the X-Games, debuting in 2018.
R-Willy was the first rider to win three straight X Games BMX Big Air contests with gold medals at Minneapolis 2019, Shanghai 2019 and Sydney 2018.
He placed second at the Aspen X Games in California this year in the Dave Mirra BMX Park Best Trick.
He’s also a death-defying member of Nitro Circus, performing at shows across Australia and further afield over the past decade.
Ryan has amassed an immense following on social media channels with 1.6m subscribers on YouTube and 1.6m followers on Instagram.
Kaylee McKeown, 20
The former Pacific Lutheran College student and USC Spartan swimmer enjoyed a massive Olympics debut in Tokyo this year, claiming three gold medals.
She won gold in the 100m and 200m backstroke and medley relay.
She holds multiple national records and is the world record holder for 100m backstroke.
She also competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
The swimmer has garnered a big social media presence, with 128k followers on Instagram.
Katie Wass, 29
Moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2010 and is the owner of Rise and Roar, a graphic design company.
She has been a business owner for eight years, starting her freelancing work under her own name before launching Rise and Roar in 2019.
She is one of the founding members and on the executive team of the Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce.
She has worked with several clients over the years including the Recovery Room, Stroud Homes Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast Equine Hospital, Badderam Eco Luxe Resort and Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce.
She has also featured on several podcasts and blogs promoting business and the creative industry.
She was approached by Canva to become a Canva Creator to create designer templates for their platform who have over 55 million active users.
Jett Kenny, 27
Jett Kenny is an Alexandra Headland surf lifesaver and has competed in plenty of ironman and surf sport events.
He is the son of ironman and Olympian Grant Kenny and Commonwealth and Olympic swimmer Lisa Curry-Kenny.
Sport aside, Jett has done modelling work and even appeared on reality TV shows such as The Real Full Monty, Dancing with the Stars and Ninja Warrior.
He’s also appearing on the second season of SAS Australia which starts on September 13.
The 27-year-old is well followed on social media, with 52.1 thousand followers on Instagram.
Josie Tully, 24
Josie Tully first dived into the world of accounting when she was 19 and is now a senior accountant at HeliMods on the Sunshine Coast.
She’s one of six executive members of the Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce.
The rising accountant is also a proud Gomeroi woman and is working with CPA Australia on an Indigenous accountants initiative, with a board to be formed.
Outside of accounting, Josie is an ambassador for World Gym Caloundra where she helps promote health and fitness and is a friendly face for members to speak with.
She received more than 300 votes to earn the ambassador role.
Angelique Hallett, 17
The teenager is the founder and director of social enterprise, Loving Hope Bears.
The organisation delivers teddy bears to those most in need at domestic violence shelters across the Coast.
She started the venture in response to research she conducted as part of her DeLorean Project at Glasshouse Christian College in 2019.
Purchases and donations by customers of Loving Hope have so far helped to distribute more than 300 bears to children across the Sunshine Coast living in shelters for victims of domestic violence.
Her efforts didn’t go unrecognised, being awarded the young citizen of the year award at the Sunshine Coast Australia Day Awards this year.
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