WE’RE counting down the top 20 most influential people who help make Brisbane’s northern bayside community a great place to live.
There are so many people in our community who are doing great things and who are helping to make great things happen.
When I started writing these profiles one word which kept popping up was “passion”. Everyone on this list is passionate about their particular focus — whether it’s community, history, racing, music or education.
Not everyone is going to agree with the people I have put on this list, and I encourage everyone to contact me with their suggestions.
Let’s acknowledge the people who help to make the bayside community the great place it is to live.
20. Ben Laws
Ben is deputy principal at Bracken Ridge State School and has taken on some interesting projects to help bridge the gap between the school and the wider community.
In particular he has been involved with the implementation of The Fathering Project within the school — an innovative program to encourage dads to connect with their children and other dads.
A number of events have been held including a barbecue, a PT session, and a fishing night (which attracted dads and kids from 11 local schools).
Following the introduction of the program in 2016 the school was chosen as the lead school for The Fathering Project in Queensland.
19. Pam Verney
Pam is a long-time local resident and is a powerhouse in terms of her knowledge of local history.
Ask her a question about the story behind a street name or local park or even an old house, and chances are she’ll be able to reel off a whole heap of facts, or she’ll be able to find the information in Sandgate Museum, or will know someone who knows the answers.
In her spare time she is known to run a fitness class, which includes boxing, for a group of senior ladies.
18. Dr Paul Browning
Paul is headmaster at St Paul’s School and is passionate about education, making an impact on education and ensuring children are prepared and equipped for the future.
He often commentates in national media on issues including leadership, the direction of education, and how students will be best prepared to live in a vastly different world than that of today.
He also regularly speaks at education conferences and was invited by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Sutton Trust to speak at a global summit of educational leaders in Washington DC.
17. Stirling Hinchliffe
Stirling has been Member for Sandgate since 2015. He has been in the media recently dealing with local council corruption, but for the bayside area he has helped secure a new $5.8 million Fire and Rescue Station to be built in Bracken Ridge and a $6 million heritage restoration of Shorncliffe station.
Recently he took on board the concerns of Deagon residents to successfully push for a $2 million signalised intersection at Braun and Biarra Sts.
16. Tamara & Mark Wecker
Brother and sister duo Tamara and Mark Wecker of RE/MAX Property Shop are big supporters of many community events throughout the bayside suburbs and Bracken Ridge.
In 2016 they launched the Fun for All — 4017 campaign and organised a series of events to raise funds to install an all-abilities carousel on the foreshore.
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