Pauline Hanson pins hopes on an eclectic team

A former soldier, a marijuana oil-sipping kickboxing champion and an outspoken high school principal have all lined up to contest seats for One Nation.

Senator Pauline Hanson with One Nation candidate for the seat of Cook Brettlyn ‘Beaver’ Neal. Picture: Peter Wallis

A former soldier, a kickboxing champion who sips marijuana oil, a retired Balmain Tigers and Brisbane Bronco league enforcer, and an outspoken high school principal have all lined up to contest seats for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in the Queensland election on Saturday.

But perhaps the most exotic PHON candidate of all is the woman they call The Beaver, a former bodyguard to rock star Pink, who played rugby league for Australia and Great Britain.

Brett Neal, 35, who left her Warwick home at 15 to become a jillaroo in Central Queensland, is also a champion tent boxer, winning more than 200 bouts on the Fred Brophy show circuit.

Those rushing to ascribe a salacious meaning to her nickname may be relieved to learn it refers to a stuffed toy beaver she favoured as a child.

Ms Neal said she got close to Ms Hanson when the pair went to Cape York Aboriginal communities, sleeping under the stars.

“Pauline was down to earth, just like me,” she said.

PHON holds one seat, Mirani, in the state parliament and hopes to win the seat of Rockhampton with high-profile candidate Torin ‘Taipan’ O’Brien.

Senator Hanson said she was fascinated by her tour, including trips to the islands. “We camped out at Bamaga,’’ she said. “I had a car with a tent on the roof. Beaver had a swag. We cooked around the campfire. It’s not unusual for me. I’ve done that before. It’s beautiful. I’m a country girl at heart, right. I’m not a city girl.”

The pair met Indigenous community leaders, and found time to go fishing. At the time Ms Neal was youth justice manager at Doomadgee council. Ms Hanson said Ms Neal had a deep understanding of Indigenous culture and would be a strong challenger in the northern seat of Cook, held by Labor’s Cynthia Lui.

“I am very well known in the community,’’ Ms Neal said. “I’m young, with fire in my belly.” She said Ms Lui’s popularity plummeted after she moved her office out of the electorate to Cairns.

Ms Lui’s other challenger in Cook is nurse Tanika Parker who is the Katter’s Australian Party candidate. She is a 31-year-old ­Indigenous woman who is campaigning for health upgrades, ­especially in maternity care and dialysis treatment.

PHON holds one seat, Mirani, in the state parliament and hopes to win the seat of Rockhampton with high-profile candidate Torin “Taipan” O’Brien, a commonwealth champion in the brutal kickboxing sport of Muay Thai.

Mr O’Brien, 33, has had a broken leg, three broken ribs, a shattered right arm and multiple fractures in his left foot; hence he has a prescription for medical cannabis oil, which he says has eased the pain of his injuries.

He is campaigning for a low-emission coal-fired power station, new dams, and for cannabis to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme register to help bring down the price.

One Nation Party Leader Pauline Hanson with candidate for the seat of Keppel, Wade Rothery at the pre-polling booth at Cooee Bay today.

Contesting the seat of Keppel for PHON will be ex-rugby league player Wade Rothery, and former principal Christine Keys will run in Mackay.

Senator Hanson said her candidates were “real people” who could choose to campaign on the issues they felt strongly about.