WE’RE counting down the top 30 most influential people who help make the Wynnum-Manly 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.
The list is only a sample and people are encouraged to suggest others.
Let’s acknowledge the people who help to make our community the great place it is.
The Wynnum Herald reveal five new people each day until we reach the final five on Wednesday, July 31.
Let us know in the comments what you think of the list and who you would include.
15. Gene Miles
The Wynnum Manly Seagulls change in fortunes going from cellar dwellers to a powerhouse club in the Brisbane Rugby League competition coincided with the arrival of the great Gene Miles.
Miles, a north Queensland product, arrived at the Seagulls in 1980 at a club which had been struggling for on field success but the man who would go on to play 23 State of Origin games for Queensland started one of rugby league’s golden eras.
The powerful centre, who played 92 games for Wynnum Manly from 1980 to 1987, helped the Seagulls claim three premierships in 1982, 1984 and 1986 and helped form one of the greatest club rugby league teams ever.
Miles would also go on to play 14 games for Australia and 73 games for the Brisbane Broncos.
14. Ken Edwards
Community groups and the volunteers who make them run are the engine room of communities like the bayside and Ken Edwards is definitely one of those people.
Mr Edwards has been the president of the Wynnum Manly Meals on Wheels since 1995, delivering meals to baysiders for more than 20 years.
Meals on Wheels deliver meals to people with a wide variety of support needs, not just meals for seniors. People may be in their senior years, recovering after hospitalisation, a major illness or surgery, a person with a disability, a carer, or needing assistance due to a special circumstance.
Mr Edwards has worked hard to ensure the future of Wynnum Manly Meals on Wheels, including a new base on Manly Rd in 2014, which is almost completely finished after funding through the Brisbane City Council as well as fundraising over the years.
He is also the president of the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia’s bayside branch which to those National Servicemen which helps look after those who have served.
13. Fr Michael Twigg
Iona College is one of the most prestigious schools in Brisbane and is located in Wynnum West with a total of more than 1600 students.
The school has produced key members of society in almost every area including sport, business, art and more and a big reason has been the leadership of Fr Michael Twigg.
Fr Michael Twigg, who is an old boy of Iona College, joined the school as rector in 2015 and has helped take the school forward to not only have impressive academic results but also to be involved in several community projects over the years.
He and Iona College also played a significant role in bringing attention to the importance of a Lindum Level Crossing solution in recent years, which resulted in funding being received for an upgrade earlier this year.
12. Tracey Vieira
Tracey Vieira was appointed CEO of Screen Queensland in February 2014, the latest role in a stellar career promoting the Australian screen industry in Queensland and the United States.
Ms Vieira moved to Los Angeles in 2004 where for the next 10 years she took on senior roles at Ausfilm, the industry-government partnership that connects the international screen industry with Australia’s screen incentives, talent and facilities.
At Ausfilm and later Screen Queensland she has played an integral role in attracting more than $1.5 billion in production investment in Australia, including Warner Bros. Aquaman, Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok and more.
She also played an integral role in the establishment of new $12 million film and television studios in Hemmant opened by the State Government earlier this year. The studios have already attracted several big productions in the next three years.
11. Paul Green
You can’t tell a story on the history of Wynnum Manly rugby league or rugby league in general without mentioning the name Paul Green.
The born and bred baysider was a star junior for the Seagulls before going on to win the Brisbane Rugby League Rothmans Medal with the Easts Tigers in 1993 and an ARL Rothmans Medal in 1995 with the Cronulla Sharks. He also had stints at North Queensland Cowboys, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels and Brisbane Broncos.
He would also play seven State of Origin games for Queensland and two games for Australia.
Green then turned into a successful coach leading his former club the Seagulls to their first back-to-back premierships in 2011 and 2012 before going on to win a premiership with the Sydney Roosters as an assistant coach in 2013.
He would then earn his call up to the NRL as a head coach with the North Queensland Cowboys in 2014 before leading the club to their maiden title in 2015.
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