From politicians, community activists, environmental advocates, sporting heroes and those working to keep us safe there are many people who go above and beyond to make Caboolture a great place to live and work.
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Here are Caboolture’s 20 most influential people of 2021.
20. Paula and Bridgette Powers
Paula and Bridgette Powers have been rescuing and treating Pelicans and sea birds on the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay for more than 16 years. Known best as the Twinnies, they have helped rescue thousands of seabirds and rehabilitate them. They are also environmental advocates. They also protested for the return of the pelican nesting roosts on the Bribie Island Bridge.
19. Rodney Hansen
Rodney Hansen has dedicated much time to the community and mens’ mental health through his involvement with Men’s Shed. Mr Hansen through the Burpengary and District Men’s Shed helps make hundreds of childrens’ toys every year to hand out at Christmas. He was also instrumental in establishing the Moodlu Men’s Shed in 2018. Mr Hansen has thrown his hat in the politics ring many times, running for the seat of Morayfield as part of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party last year and Division 3 in the Moreton Bay Regional Council election.
18. Diane Oxenford
Bribie Island Environmental Protection Association (BIEPA) president Diane Oxenford has dedicated years to protecting and conserving Bribie’s environment. This includes lobbying the State Government to create better protections for the loggerhead turtle nesting grounds on the Island and other endangered species that “depend on this beach for their survival”.
17. Dr Ben Diggles
Dr Ben Diggles, from Banksia Beach, has been described as a pioneer in his field of marine biology. Dr Diggles has spent many years investigating practical and novel ways to improve water quality in the Pumicestone Passage. Dr Diggles implemented Australia’s first ‘Oyster Gardening’ project on Bribie Island — a community driven project, aimed at encouraging local canal owners to grow oysters and help re-establish the oyster reefs in Pumicestone Passage.
16. Craig Hewlett
Craig Hewlett has been a strong advocate for Caboolture for decades. Mr Hewlett has been the president of the Caboolture Community FM Radio Association for 21 years. Before that he ran a real estate business in King St for nine years.
He was the president of the Caboolture CBD Traders and Retailers group, no defunct and played a vital role in the creation of the Trail of Reflections art installations along King St.
The radio station has helped raise thousands of dollars for a range of community causes including the police memorial outside the new Caboolture Police Station.
15. Lakeisha ‘Lucky’ Patterson OAM
While her nickname might be Lucky, Lakeisha Patterson has achieved her goals through sheer determination and commitment.
The St Columban’s College graduate has won multiple medals for Australia since she first competed as an national para-athlete in 2014.
At 15-years-old she represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games winning a bronze medal in the 100m S8 freestyle event.
From there she sent on to compete at the Rio Paralympics in 2016. At that event she won two gold, three silver and one bronze and set a World Record.
She has won local Australia Day Awards, been honoured with an OAM and carried the baton as part of the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Patterson uses her experiences to inspire audiences to overcome life’s obstacles including school students, sporting clubs, charities and businesses.
14. Councillors: Adam Hain, Mark Booth, Tony Latter, Brooke Savige
The councillors looking after Caboolture and Bribie Island have their work cut out for them. While Adam Hain and Brooke Savige are seasoned councillors Tony Latter and Mark Booth were only elected in 2020.
These elected representatives have an important voice when it comes to approving development applications, particularly those that involve subdividing rural land for new housing estates.
13. Aunty Flo Watson OAM
The founding member of Reconciliation Queensland, Aunty Flo Watson was awarded an OAM in 2015 for her service to Indigenous communities across Queensland.
Aunty Flo, a Ghunghanghi Elder, has given many presentations across the Moreton Bay region particularly about reconciliation and National Sorry Day. She is heavily involved in many community groups including the Pumicestone Indigenous Education & Employment Council.
12. Reegan Pellowe
This inspirational young Caboolture man raised $20,000 in just 18 months for kids in need. Reegan Pellowe’s efforts earned him the Moreton Bay Regional Council Young Citizen of the Year award in 2021.
Through the Containers for Change program he has raised more than $20,000 – and donated all of it to a range of charities including Morayfield Child Safety Service Centre, helped buy school bags for The Breakfast Club, bought Christmas toys for kids in foster care and donated boredom bags for kids staying at the Redcliffe and Caboolture hospitals.
On top of this he has collected 3000 bottle lids for Lids 4 Kids to be made into prosthetics for children
Reegan’s motto is “Changing one kid’s life at a time”.
11. State Labor MP for Pumicestone Ali King
Ali King was elected to the seat of Pumicestone in 2020 but despite being new to the region she has made some big promises including $4 million towards the plan and design of a new Bribie Island Bridge. Other projects include major road upgrades, a new satellite hospital for Bribie Island and upgrades to school facilities.
10. Packer family
One of the region’s longest running family businesses – Packer Leather was founded in 1891 by Joseph Packer. More than 100 years later the business is still thriving from its Narangba base. Lindsay, the chairman of the board while three of his children look after the daily operations. The company employs almost 100 staff. Packer Leather are the exclusive producers of the leather used to make Sherrin Aussie rules balls and also supply the cowhide for the pink coloured cricket balls produced by Kookaburra Sports.
9. Fred Palin
FROM leading marine environmental initiatives to reconnecting indigenous youth with their sea country, Joondoburri elder Fred Palin has worked tirelessly to preserve Moreton Bay’s marine ecology.
His commitment to conservation and education has earned him the Environmental Award for 2020. “Over the past decade, Fred has been instrumental in a number of key projects in Moreton Bay including the Pumicestone Passage Shellfish Restoration Project at Bribie Island and Australia’s first oyster shell recycling facility in Ningi,” acting mayor Mike Charlton says.
Fred’s passion to reconnect indigenous youth with their sea country is evident in the work he does.
“It’s great to be an Aboriginal person who’s connected to their country,” he says.
“And it’s great to see that when we do make inroads to the community for help, in restoring some of these degraded systems, that the community will come to the call and help make a change.” Cr Brooke Savige (Div 1) commended Fred’s commitment to preserving the region’s marine ecosystem.
8. Robert Comiskey
Robert Comiskey, the director of the Comiskey Group, is behind some of the region’s biggest development projects. The most recent project is the Burpengary Station Village. The $40 million retail precinct is due to open in March with the community club set to open mid-year. The Comiskey group is also behind the Sandstone Point Hotel and Big 4 accommodation. These ventures and the major events and concerts held at Sandstone Point supply a major boost to the region’s economy and a massive tourism boost.
7. CSC Group CEO Kelvin Patch
The Caboolture Sports Club group employs more than 300 people across its four venues – The Caboolture Sports Club, Centenary Lakes Sports Club, North Lakes Sports Club and the recently opened Sports Central Caboolture. The group pays more than $10 million in wages every year and gives close to $2 million back to local community and sporting groups through grants. CSC Group was hit hard during COVID-19 but survived by introducing a takeaway menu.
6. Mayor Peter Flannery
Long time councillor Peter Flannery was elected as Mayor of the Moreton Bay Regional Council in 2020. Cr Flannery has already made it his mission to re-look at the planning scheme. Cr Flannery and the council played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic ensuring the economy kept ticking over. This included a rates relief package, fast-tracking major developments and offering discounts for business owners.
5. Moreton North Patrol Inspector Paul Ready
Moreton North Patrol Inspector Paul Ready has been instrumental in tackling various crime issues across the region including youth crime. Insp Ready has helped implement many initiatives that have helped curb crime including CCTV camera in King St.
4. State Labor MP for Morayfield Mark Ryan
Mark Ryan was re-elected to the seat of Morayfield in 2020. He had held the seat since 2015 and had previously represented the electorate from 2009-2012. Mr Ryan is the Police Minister. He played a big role in securing a new Caboolture police station and district headquarters and the new $13.7 million watch house which is under construction on King St. Mr Ryan has also secured funding for major upgrades to Caboolture Hospital.
3. Magistrate Peter Hasted
Magistrate Peter Hasted has constituted a Magistrates Court at over 20 locations throughout Queensland and is currently at Caboolture.
He was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1999 and as a barrister of the High Court of Australia in 2000.
From 1993 to 2014, Magistrate Hasted was a senior registrar of the Queensland Magistrates Court at Caboolture.
In 1999 Magistrate Hasted was awarded a Queensland Department of Justice Australia Day achievement medal for public service.
In 2014 Magistrate Hasted was appointed to the Magistrates Court of Queensland.
2. Federal LNP MP Terry Young
Terry Young was a long time small business owner in the Moreton Bay region before venturing into politics in 2019.
He was a joint venture partner of The Good Guys at Morayfield from 2001-2006 and ran several Drummond Golf franchises as well.
Mr Young was elected as the Federal Member for Longman in 2019.
Mr Young has made many big promises during his short stint in the Federal Government including one to get a second Caboolture PCYC up and running and delcaring North Harbour as a priority development area.
1. Sharin Geeves
For more than a decade Caboolture Community Action Group president Sharin Geeves has been helping Caboolture residents in dire need, including the homeless, hungry and broken.
Ms reeves started running Work for the Dole and male training programs at the PCYC in 2009.
After discovering a spike in the level of homelessness she teamed up with Hallen and Robert Crombie to do something about it.
Caboolture Community Action Inc was founded in May 2009.
It offers practical outreach, support and encouragement to people experiencing extreme hardship and homelessness. It connects people with housing support, court support, crisis support, household good and food relief.
It is a not-for-profit, run by volunteers.
CCA also has an op shop.
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