Burnett students achieve big in sport, arts, and vocational excellence
From sporting fields to science labs, art studios to Parliament House, we’re celebrating some of the Burnett’s brightest young people and their achievements. SEE THE LIST.
South Burnett
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Whether it’s in athletics, academics, agriculture, or the arts, these young achievers are proving that the Burnett is home to some of Queensland’s brightest rising stars.
In recent months, students from across the region have made their mark on state and national stages — breaking records, winning medals, and representing their communities with pride.
From WorldSkills gold medallist Brendon Newman, to record-breaking runners like Leggy Dioth and Bella Barrett, and trailblazers like Ian Saltner, whose artwork was selected for exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art — these stories paint a powerful picture of young people aiming high and achieving big.
Sporting Achievements
Several South Burnett high schools held their athletics carnivals during Term 2, with dozens of students setting new personal bests and breaking school records.
Nanango State High School student, Leggy Dioth, broke four school records in the 15-year-old girl age group, the 100m (12.99 seconds), long jump (5.03m), 200m (27.74 seconds) and the 32-year-old triple jump record (10.59m).
Jessica Tranter from Nanango SHS obliterated the 1995 14-year-girls discus record of 24.67m held by R Watson-Browne by throwing 33.34m.
Ada Kwiz went back into the history books and smashed the 1986 14-year-girls 400m record of 1:06.59 held by Sharon Sheridan, running 1:03.00.
Kingaroy State High School’s Jake Roberts broke the 13-years boys’ 400m record with an impressive time of 56.79 seconds, smashing the 1995 record of 1:01.10 previously held by his uncle, John Roberts.
He also set a new triple jump record with a leap of 10.98 metres.
Eligh Ballin from Kingaroy SHS threw the discus 46.64m in the 15-years boys category, breaking the 1999 record previously held by his family member, Matt Ballin.
Bella Barrett from Murgon State High School broke the 49-year-old 17-years girls’ 100m record with a time of 12.77 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 13.0 set by K. Simpson in 1976.
She also set a new 200m record, running 26.69 seconds and beating the mark set by K. Weler in 1990.
Connor Richards from Murgon SHS smashed three 18-years boys records; discus (37.5m), shot put (11.33m) and javelin (40.0m).
Tito Bligh, Darryl Ugle, Damon Cooper, and Will Smith from Murgon SHS were invited to participate in the 2025 Clontarf Interstate Challenge, an event which invites the “top young Indigenous rugby league talents” from Queensland and News South Wales to attend a three-day camp.
The Year 12 boys were able to train at the Titan’s facilities, observe the Titan’s Captain’s Run, and went head-to-head against the New South Wales team before the Titans and Sea Eagles game.
Taine Strong from Saint Mary’s Catholic College Kingaroy took out first place at the South Burnett Cross Country, competing against other 14-year-olds from across the region.
Leon and Sienna, from Burnett State College, were both selected for Wide Bay Rugby League teams, while Zoe Baker was named in the Wide Bay tennis team.
Levi, Jasmine, Raine, and Charlie, all from Burnett State College, travelled to Brisbane in March to compete in the Schools State Softball Trials.
In March, 16-year-old Brandy Durbidge from Saint Mary’s Catholic College travelled to New South Wales and Victoria to compete in barrel racing with her amazing horse, Billy.
The pair competed in four races over three days and came out on top in all of them.
Leadership and Excellence
Murgon SHS Year 12 student, Madison, participated in the Queensland State Budget Student Experience, held at Parliament House on June 24.
She was one of just 47 student leaders from around the state to attend the exclusive program, where students were invited to take part in interactive workshops and get a hands-on understanding of economics and fiscal policy.
Peter Anderson, Kaitlyn Barber and Brendon Newman represented the South Burnett during the first week of June at the WorldSkills Australia National Championships in Brisbane.
The event is Australia’s biggest vocational education and excellence competition, where apprentices, trainees, and skilled professionals showcase their skills and compete against their industry peers from around the country.
Mr Newman, who is completing an electrical instrumentation apprenticeship with Stanwell, won gold for Queensland in the Electrical Control category.
Dakotah and Tessa from Monto State High School are off to compete at the Ekka after placing in the finals at the Gin Gin Show.
Dakotah placed second in the under 15s Young Handlers’ competition and third in the under 15s Stud Young Judges competition.
Tessa placed third in the under 15s Prime Young Judges competition and second in the under 15s Stud Young Judges competition.
The Kingaroy SHS Cattle Show Team proudly represented their school at the Blackbutt Show earlier this year, with James taking first place in Handlers and Stud Judging, then going on to compete in the Sub Chambers where he was awarded Reserve Champion in Prime Judging.
Arts and Music
An artwork from Wakka Wakka man and Year 12 Murgon SHS student Ian Saltner was chosen to be included in the Creative Generation exhibition hosted by the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.
The exhibition is made up of forty finalists, and chosen from 480 artworks submitted from all across the state.
His artwork, titled “NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE, WE CAN’T BREATHE”, drew inspiration from his upbringing in Cherbourg, the experiences of First Nations Australians and the global outcry following George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Kingaroy SHS student, Charli, was chosen to play euphonium, a brass wind instrument, at the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Instrumental Music extension program.
MOST is a 10-day program for up to 80 musically outstanding students from across state secondary schools, which concludes with a Gala Concert the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.
Academic Excellence
The Kingaroy Hydrogen Grand Prix team took home the regional competition at Toowoomba for the second year in a row, completing an impressive 550 laps in the four-hour endurance race.
The Hydrogen Grand Prix program challenges students to design, engineer, build and race their own hydrogen-powered cars.
The win means the team qualified for the H2 Grand Prix World Championships in Germany later this year.
Mia De Guzman from Saint Mary’s Catholic College was awarded a prestigious TJ Ryan Memorial Medals for 2025, which is presented by the Queensland Government to support exemplary students in their pursuit of tertiary studies.
Ms De Guzman was Saint Mary Catholic College’s 2024 Dux and served as the College’s Student Voice Captain, and one of just 15 students from around the state honoured with this award this year.
This article was written with the assistance of AI.
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Originally published as Burnett students achieve big in sport, arts, and vocational excellence
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