Moreton Bay’s 50 most influential people 2022
From politicians, community activists, environmental advocates, sporting heroes and business owners; there are many people who go above and beyond to make the Moreton Bay a great place to live and work. FULL LIST HERE
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It takes leaders to build a community and Moreton is not short of them.
From the high-paid and high-profile to volunteers whose hard slog and passion has influenced hundreds, if not thousands, week list (in no particular order) just some of Moreton Bay Regional Council area’s most influential people of 2022.
1. Chris Allison, Qld Regional Manager Leisure Lewis Group
Lewis Leisure Group’s leisure venues include four family friendly hotels, accommodation and two retail outlets in Queensland and NSW. All venues have been incredibly successful and celebrate the outdoors, through open-air alfresco dining, lush landscaping or scenic views. The Belvedere Hotel at Woody Point in the Moreton Bay is one of these. Chris Allison has been the manager for 12 years now and lives locally with children attending schools in the area.
2. Hilton Misso, Sesame Lane CEO
Sesame Lane is a family-owned and run group of early learning services, proudly caring for and educating children for more than 33 years. Sesame Lane has 14 centres in the Moreton Bay Region employing almost 400 educators, teachers and staff and more than 2000 children from 1700 families. Hilton Misso is the CEO and often partners with businesses, schools, club, churches and charities in the region to help customers and the wider community.
3. Marlene Newcombe, Village Motors Group
Village Motors Group have been serving North Lakes, North Brisbane, Deception Bay and Mango Hill for more than 50 years. The woman behind this successful business is Marlene Newcombe, who has been in business on the peninsula for 52 years and started in a wrecking yard at the age of 18. Ms Newcombe said she loved living on the Redcliffe Peninsula and the “country town’’ feel you get when walking down the street. She enjoyed dining or having a coffee at the local cafes and restaurants, and knowing everyone’s name as they passed you in the street.
4. Lindsay Packer, Packer Leather
Fourth generation family member Lindsay Packer is the current Packer Leather’s chairman of the board. Packer Leather has been around for more than 130 years and is considered one of the most respected family businesses in the Moreton Bay. Six generations of the family have now lead the Packer Leather business, based at Narangba. Mr Packer has previously said his advice for being a successful businessman was to surround yourself with amazing people and family.
5. Brett Robinson, Traders in Purple CEO
Brett Robinson, CEO of Traders in Purple and founder of Ellison Capital, has more than 30 years of residential development experience. He has delivered residential and mixed use projects in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Moreton and the United Kingdom. He has delivered premium residential projects with Mirvac, Lendlease and other international property groups.
6. Adam Reynolds, rugby league star
The Broncos captain and halfback might have been born in Sydney, but he’s now a proud Moreton resident, living in Bunya. After a long career in NSW as a schoolboy and later with the Rabbitohs, he debuted for NSW in the State of Origin in 2016. Last year Reynolds became South Sydney’s all-time record points scorer, overtaking Eric Simms as Souths defeated Parramatta 40-12. In January it was announced he would become the 12th full-time captain of the Broncos.
7. Amanda Jackes, General manager Woodfordia
In 1986, as a then bright-eyed teenager, Amanda Jackes attended her first Maleny Folk Festival. Now, she is clocking up a decade as the general manager of the Festival. Held annually over six days and six nights, from December 27 through to January 1, more than 2000 local, national and international, artists, musicians and presenters put on more than 400 acts to an audience of over 100,000 people. Running the festival is a huge effort, as it’s one of the Moreton Bay’s biggest cultural events of the year.
8. Nigel Chamier, Chair Millovate
Nigel Chamier is the chair of the Mill at Moreton Bay, the area’s newest landmark destination which will provideoptions for large scale development across hectares of mixed-use space. Following two decades with JLL, he has undertaken a wide range of roles including as Chair of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation and Chair of the Games Infrastructure Authority. Mr Chamier was a Director of Queensland Airports Limited for five years, a Director of South Bank Corporation and Chair of the highly acclaimed $215 million restoration of Brisbane City Hall. His other current roles include Chair of Oxley Creek Transformation and The Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, and Deputy Chair of the ACT City Renewal Authority.
9. Mayor Peter Flannery, Moreton Bay Regional Council
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. He’s also a former Australian Army soldier and has lived locally for more than 27 years. He lives in Morayfield with wife Annemarie and their two youngest children.
10. Mark Power, Goodwill Projects
Mark Power has more than a decade of senior management experience within the hospitality and events industry. He is the managing director behind Goodwill Projects, a business responsible for various markets across SEQ including various Moreton Bay ones. These include the Redcliffe markets which are on every Sunday from 8am to 2pm, and the Caboolture markets.
11. Jackie Hinchey, REKO ring founder
Jackie Hinchey grew up on a sheep and cattle property in southwestern Queensland. After first finding a career and life away from the farm, her strong connection to the land drew her and her husband to Ocean View. There she started growing seasonal salad leaves, which eventually lead to her selling her salads at local markets. Her Really Fancy Salad is a weekly staple on plates in homes and restaurants all over Moreton and Brisbane. When the pandemic hit Ms Hinchey lost a lot of her customer base. That was how Reko Ring in Dayboro was born. Reko Dayboro is an online farmers market where you can source local products, pay vendors directly, and collect your goodies from the lane off Bradley St behind the Dayboro Hall on Saturdays from 11am to 12pm.
12. Petero Civioniceva – Football identity
Petero Civoniceva is a Fijian-Australian former professional rugby league footballer who got his start playing as a Redcliffe junior. He played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, in 2009 he broke the record for most international matches for Australia of any forward in history.
13. Vaughan Bullivant – Entrepreneur and tourism operator
Redcliffe entrepreneur Vaughan Bullivant built a $100 million-plus vitamins empire before becoming a tourism tycoon. The colourful businessman joined the ranks of Queensland Rich Listers after selling his Nature’s Own vitamins company for $137 million in 1997. He reinvested much of it in developing Daydream Island in the Whitsundays before selling the resort to a Chinese group for $30 million in 2015.
14. Rupert McCall, Australian Poet
Rupert McCall is an Australian poet of international renown. He is the author of six anthologies of verse that have collectively sold more than 120,000 copies. His resume features hosting roles for Channel 7’s The Great South East, 4BC’s Sports Today program and Channel 9’s Weekend Extra. He was also appointed commentator for Channel 10 at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. In 2013, as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, he received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the community, particularly as a poet.
15. Leisel Jones, Olympic Swimmer
Leisel Jones has been an Australian household name since she was just 14. In 2012 she was selected for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and became the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympic Games. There, she won her ninth Olympic medal, a silver medal in the 4×100m medley relay. While at Southern Cross Catholic College, she trained at the Redcliffe club in Scarborough where she was coached by Ken Wood.
16. Meade Murphy, Entrepreneur, Business Owner
Meade Murphy is the third generation of his family to have run Murphy’s Antiques and Restorations at Kippa-Ring. With more than 100 years’ experience, the Murphy’s have been industry leaders for generations, wholesaling antiques to licenced antique dealers throughout Queensland and northern NSW. Mr Murphy and his son Mason have won many awards for flood and storm damage restoration over the years. One of these awards was a Papal Blessing from the Vatican for the restoration of St Luke’s at Buranda after a hailstorm in 2014. This was their second international award for their skill, knowledge and passion for certified trade.
17. Mike Arieni, Managing Director, Solar Bollard Lighting
Solar Bollard Lighting (SBL) is an Australian owned business located in Brendale. Mike Arieni won the Moreton Bay Regional Council business award for the Best Exporter this year, for the third time. The company’s custom-built commercial-grade lights are now in 40 countries. Mr Arieni has previously said it took years of hard work to build his business and that he would work seven day weeks.
18. Pieter Kuiper, Managing Director – Elexon Electronics
Brendale-based Elexon Electronics was named Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Business of the Year in 2021 and also took out the inaugural Advanced Manufacturing Excellence Award. Elexon Electronics is an innovation company that specialises in the design, development and manufacturing of a diverse range of electronic products for niche export markets. Mr Kuiper is an accomplished engineer and project manager who has worked in specialised industries such as space engineering and robotics. He brought to Elexon his expertise and operational experience from companies like Dutch Space and Boeing Australia.
19. Gavin and Stephen Scur from Pinata Farms
Brothers Gavin and Stephen Scurr are fruit farming professionals, based in Wamuran, known for their commitment to product quality and horticultural innovation. Family owned and operated Piñata Farms started with a single pineapple farm in the 1960s. Since then their farms have spread around Australia, including in Moreton. They produce pineapple, mango, strawberry and specialty berry varieties. The brothers have positioned Piñata Farms as one of Australia’s leading fresh fruit producers, with wholly-owned farms operating from growing regions in two states. Other members of the family work in the business.
20. Fiona Holmstrom from STEM Punks
Co-Founder and director of STEM Punks, Fiona Holmstrom, believes STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education should be accessible for everyone. She believes helping children develop skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will prepare them for a future where they can make a difference. STEM Punks mission is to “Inspire Tomorrow’s Innovators” and teach children about 21st Century Skills by enabling a mindset of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Ms Holmstrom founded the world-leading STEM education program STEM Punks for students and teachers in her Samford Valley garage in 2017. She has won many awards for her work. In addition to being the director of STEM Punks, she is a mother of three children.
21. Ronnie Benbow from the Carer’s Foundation
Ronnie Benbow is the co-founder of The Carers Foundation Australia, based in Samford, along with her husband Michael. They began running carer retreats for unpaid carers 15 years ago when they realised that there was nowhere for carers to go when they were at breaking point. She said being a registered nurse with a degree in health science and a professional background in health care and personal caring has helped her understand the relentless demands and debilitating stress family carers are under. The couple decided to combine their professional skills and use their retreat facility to privately fund and offer respite and support for carers in crisis.
22. Melissa Redsell from A Brave Life
After experiencing the challenges and trauma of being a teen mum first-hand Redcliffe midwife Melissa Redsell started a charity to transform the lives of young mothers. A Brave Life supports young women facing a broad range of challenges from teen pregnancy to domestic violence, poverty, trauma and homelessness in Moreton. At Redcliffe Hospital, Ms Redsell said she saw too many young mums with no support. To help young Moreton mothers Ms Redsell founded A Brave Life in 2015 and recently wrote a book.
23. Dr Jon Hanger, Endeavour Veterinary Ecology (EVE) managing director
Dr Hanger is a key figure in Moreton Bay’s koala conservation as the managing director of EVE. It is responsible for the world-leading conservation program at The Mill at Moreton Bay, the only site in Australia successfully increasing koala population numbers year on year.
Dr Hanger is an experienced wildlife veterinarian who is well recognised and highly regarded for his research and veterinary expertise, particularly with koalas. He was veterinarian for the late Steve Irwin. He established the Australian Wildlife Hospital (now the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital) in 2003.
24. Matt McCracken, Caboolture Disability Network founder and advocate (posthumous)
The late Mr McCracken founded the Caboolture Disability Network in 2007 and was a major advocate for people with disability locally before he passed away in April this year. Mayor Peter Flannery paid tribute to him as someone who always pushed him to do more for accessibility in the region. He is a big part of why Mr Flannery wants to make Moreton the most accessible region in SEQ.
Mr Flannery said he knew Mr McCracken for 18 years and described him as an inspiration.
“I will always remember his work ethic and determination for real outcomes. He was never motivated by accolades like this, so his incredible commitment to our community was truly humbling,” he said.
“Matt always reminded us that inclusive infrastructure isn’t just about accessibility for wheelchairs, it also makes life easier for seniors, pushing prams, mobility scooters.
“I believe the reverberations of his life’s work will continue for decades to come.”
25. Ty Hermans, Venlo Holdings managing director
Ty Hermans started Venlo Holdings just more than a year ago. The Moreton company is based at Brendale with multiple international and national brands. Mr Hermans was a major advocate for the Moreton Bay City Vision and was chosen as a guest speaker at a recent lunch with business leaders promoting the vision.
26. Maree Adshead, Queensland Small Business Commissioner
Maree Adshead is an experienced advocate and small business owner. She spent 10 years in the legal profession, as partner of a tier-one national law firm. She co-founded and built her own successful software start-up businesses, receiving multiple awards for excellence in innovation. Ms Adshead has also been instrumental in helping others to build their own businesses. In 2017, Maree was appointed the inaugural Queensland Small Business Champion.
27. Graham Gibb, Volunteer Marine Rescue and Bribie Island Police
Mr Gibb’s decade-long service as a Senior Radio Officer with Volunteer Marine Rescue Bribie Island has not only seen him play a vital role in protecting those enjoying Moreton Bay and supporting the crews on the water, but also helps ensure the future of the organisation. He established and continues to lead the annual Emergency Services Expo at VMR Bribie Island, co-ordinating the extremely popular event to bring local emergency services together, as well as working with local schools and community organisations, engaging with kids and the wider public. He’s also an instrumental part of the Young Emergency Services Ambassador program, inspiring future generations to join the emergency services and Defence forces. Graham’s passion for helping others has also seen him working as a Volunteer in Policing with Bribie Island Police for the past 10 years.
28. Ann Brooks, Bribie Island & Caboolture U3A
Ann Brooks has served 12 years as President of the Bribie Island University of the Third Age (U3A), with membership growing from 460 senior citizens when she started out in 2004, and almost tripling by the time she passed on the torch in 2016. She has also served as Vice President and is now the Patron. More than 2000 members from across Bribie and surrounding areas are now part of the social and educational club for seniors, with a wide range of classes in many subjects run by volunteer tutors to help with mental and physical wellbeing. Ms Brooks also helped open the highly successful branches at Beachmere and Caboolture and manages the Masters and Apprentices annual art and drama exhibition held at the Bribie Island Community Art Centre (BICAS), giving more than 100 local artists the opportunity to showcase their work.
29. Len McCandless, Rosies – Friends on the Street team leader
Having been homeless from a young age, it was the help of support services like Rosies – Friends on the Street that helped Mr McCandless through the tough times, bringing safety and stability to his life. He is now paying that experience forward. Starting out as a patron volunteering with Rosies in 2017, he became a Team Leader and is now a Branch Coordinator. Mr McCandles works with many other services to connect with at-risk youth and is also active in his local community, speaking to different organisations to put the spotlight on what those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are going through. He also works as a disability support worker at Skylark House.
30. Malcolm “Mick” Klein, Caboolture Sports Club
Mr Klein established Caboolture Sports Club in 1994, funding its construction by working with venture capitalists and six local sporting groups across softball, touch football, cricket, dog obedience, soccer and rugby union. Under Mick’s leadership, they united to form an umbrella group to help support their different codes, and a place for them to meet and socialise, bringing the community together. He also served as the club’s first president, and helped revive Caboolture Cricket Club when it was threatened with closure in the 1980s.
31. Magistrate Peter Hasted
Mr Hasted has served as a magistrates at more than 20 towns 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, he was a senior registrar of the Queensland Magistrates Court at Caboolture. In 1999 he was awarded a Queensland Department of Justice Australia Day achievement medal for public service. In 2014 Mr Hasted was appointed to the Magistrates Court of Queensland.
32. 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.
33. Matt Ryan, from CareTech
Mr Ryan is the current CEO of three companies LAS (Local Alarm Solutions) middleware software developer. CareTech designs and manufactures nurse call solutions and RTM Cloud monitors electronic assets. The companies have offices and warehouses in Clontarf, while the PCB board manufacturing plant is in Underwood. Mr Ryan took out the Moreton Bay Business Excellence and Innovation Awards’ Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021.
34. Tiarna McElligott and Owen Ventre, IntelVest
Former Murrumba State Secondary College students Tiarna McElligott and Owen Ventre are the driving force behind IntelVest. It is the marriage of a radio transmitter, a processing unit, and a collection of existing electronic sensors, packaged into a light and flexible unit that can be incorporated into a firefighter’s turnout gear. The technology collects and relays back clinical data, such as pulse rate, body temperature, respiration rate, and blood pressure, along with environmental data, such as external temperature and dangerous gas concentration. The pair was 2021 winners of the Moreton Bay Region Business Excellence and Innovation Awards Youth Innovation Excellence award.
35. Greg Chemello, CEO, Moreton Bay Regional Council
Mr Chemello has 35 years’ high-level experience in property development and the public and private sector, but is best known for his high-profile role cleaning up the corruption-plagued former Ipswich City Council. In just 18 months he turned ICC around, before being poached by former MBRC Mayor Allan Sutherland in 2019 following the sudden resignation of then CEO Darryl Hitzman. Mr Chemello, who was also appointed the first director of the corporate-style board overseeing the Petrie Mill redevelopment, took up his CEO role only months out from the Council election. He has managed to put the ship back on course again despite those challenges and helped deliver a strong Budget earlier this year in the midst of global economic instability.
36. Dr Evan Jones, Morayfield Health Hub Founder/Investor
Dr Jones has more than 20 years’ experience in general practice and has a special interest in the management of diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease and skin cancer. He is also a scuba diving medical examiner, studied in the area of obstetrics and gynaecology and is a trainer of GP Registrars. But what really sets him apart from other medicos is his vast business experience. He has been director of six health clinics and played key roles in the establishment of clinics including: Caboolture Health and Wellness Centre; Health Hub Morayfield; Gladstone/Strathpine GP superclinics; Caloundra Radiology; and the expansion of the Golden Beach Medical Centre.
37. Wayne Bennett, iconic rugby league coach
A man who needs no introduction, the coaching legend is now Head Coach for the Dolphins.
The Redcliffe resident has famously also coached the Rabbitohs and Broncos for many years.
Widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest coaches, he holds the record for most grand final wins (seven) and most seasons with a single club (24 with the Broncos).
The former policeman will lead the Dolphins into their first NRL competition next year.
38. Leanne Kemp, Founder of Everledger (and former Qld Chief Entrepreneur)
The founder and CEO of Everledger, she is a prominent figure in the technology sector. She co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Manufacturing and is on the Global Future Council on Blockchain. She has won numerous industry awards including an Advance Global Australian Awards 2018 for Technology Innovation, and Innovator of the Year 2016 and 2018 at the Women in IT Awards (London). In 2018, she was appointed the first female Queensland Chief Entrepreneur in Australia, with her tenure ending in December 2020. She is an Adjunct Professor at QUT.
39. Allison McGruddy, My Berries
Ms McGruddy’s My Berries farm has taken fruit into the 21st century with innovative tech that has seen the company supply frozen fruits nationwide to independent grocers. In April she was named as the state’s 21st #eatqld Champion by the State Agriculture Minister. With her husband Stuart, a former executive chef, My Berries recently developed a freeze dried snack with 100 per cent local berries.
40. Garth Haslam, Westfield North Lakes
Mr Haslam is the man who keeps North Lakes’ biggest shopping centre running smoothly.
A highly-respected business figure, last year Mayor Peter Flannery appointed him a member of the Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS). He served as centre manager at Westfield Chermside, one of the nation’s biggest Westfield facilities, overseeing major changes such as ticketless parking in 2017. He is presently Scentre Group (Westfield’s owner) centre manager and regional manager – operations.
41. Lea Ea, ARROWES Engineering
She is a director and partner at Arrowes Engineering, which now has more than 40 staff after setting up in 1995. Under her leadership the company has become a well-known innovator in road construction safety methods including the world’s first automated cone truck which allows the familiar orange roadworks cones to be safely deployed. Ms Ea has helped forge strong partnerships with universities to drive innovation.
42. Professor Karen Becker (UniSC Moreton Bay Campus)
A professor of management at the University of the Sunshine Coast, after attaining her doctorate at QUT she went on to become a highly-regarded human resource management professional and academic and worked in both university and industry roles. She has a strong interest in developing graduates who can contribute to their chosen profession and providing research outcomes that address contemporary industry problems. In 2016 she was appointed as the Director – Research Engagement for the QUT Business School. Her research focuses on workforce development, unlearning, innovation and change in the workplace. Her work has been widely published in international journals and presented at academic and industry conferences.
43. Rob Comiskey, Director, Comiskey Group
The Comiskey family is one of the leading developers in Moreton, notably Sandstone Point Hotel, Samford Hotel, Beachmere Hotel and the Eatons Hill Hotel precinct. There seems to be a never-ending pipeline of projects backed by the Comiskeys. Just this week they submitted plans for a massive sport, recreation, dining and retail project at 90 Gympie Rd, Strathpine. Mr Comiskey’s father Paul founded the Comiskey Group and now he runs it with his brother David. After graduating with a Diploma of Architecture, he began his career in construction management for sandwich franchise Subway.
44. Sam Thaiday, rugby league great
One of the most-loved figures in the sport, Thaiday lives at Samford Heights. As well as his stellar career, the 32-Test forward (and a handy prop, lock and hooker) is well known as a family man. He has two children and after retiring in 2018 wrote four children’s books. In 2008, Australia’s centenary of rugby league and Thaiday’s sixth year at the top level, he was one of only three (then) players to be named in the Indigenous Australian rugby league team of the century. Despite playing for several teams he is best known in Queensland for his time with the Cowboys. His father is of Torres Strait origin and the family totem is the hammerhead shark. Despite his fame, he has spoken candidly about mental health challenges, dyslexia and his anxiety and confusion over his mixed-race heritage.
45. Libby Dunstan, CEO, Brisbane North PHN
Ms Dunstan has more than 20 years’ experience and expertise in senior health leadership roles and expertise in managing the strategic, operational and business operations of a number of groups in the not-for-profit sector. She is an expert in stakeholder engagement and management, project management, policy development and analysis, partnership development and supporting system reforms and health system improvement. As CEO of Brisbane North PHN, she and her team support medicos and communities across Brisbane’s northern suburbs, Moreton Bay Regional Council and parts of Somerset Regional Council areas.
46. Tony Murphy, CEO Redcliffe Leagues Club
Dolphins Group CEO Tony Murphy, who is nearing four decades with the club, played for the Dolphins between 1982 and 1986. He later moved into football management roles and then into operations, becoming Dolphins Group CEO in 2005 as the club expanded its asset base from $18 million to more than $100 million. His period at the top has included major milestones such as the opening of Dolphins Stadium and recent moves to become Brisbane’s second league team. Founded in 1947, the Dolphins are richer than most NRL clubs and has a staggering 40,000 members. It has a raft of business interests, including commercial property which deliver millions in rental income and kept it viable during lockdown.
47. Shane Newcombe, MBRIT
An astute businessman, he no doubt learned the ropes from mum Marlene, also a prominent local business identity. In recent times he has frequently made headlines as the head of Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism, which promotes and organises festivals, expos, has a tourism arm and even a media arm. Mr Newcombe draws no salary from the job and estimated he had volunteered 13,000 hours of his time on it. The local ratepayers’ association, however, has fought to disclose more details of MBRIT’s spending on individual events.
48. Bob Jones, Dolphins NRL Chairman
A retired financial planner with Jelich Jones Professional Planners, he has been a Committee Member of The Redcliffe District Rugby League Football Club since 1993 and a life member since 2000. Appointed director of the Dolphins in 1993 and its chairman in 2011, he came to Redcliffe from Gunnedah in northeastern NSW in 1975 to play with the club and has been here ever since _ except for 1977 when he went to Sydney to play for the Roosters in the then Sydney competition. The Dolphins are now a second-generation thing for the Jones, with his three sons having played in the senior grades.
49. 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, 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.
50. 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.
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