International Women’s Day: Burnett’s 30 most inspirational women revealed
The Burnett is home to some of the most incredible women in the country, all making our region a better place through their passion, hard work and awe-inspiring talent. See the full list:
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The North and South Burnett boasts a host of women kicking goals in their chosen fields and paving the way for young girls and women to chase their own dreams.
In recognition of International Women’s Day, we have compiled this list of inspirational women from across the Burnett region.
Check out the full list of 30 women, who inspire their colleagues, friends and family every day.
Taliqua Clancy
Australia’s golden girl Cathy Freeman lit the fire inside Taliqua Clancy, who knew at just eight years old she too would one day be up on that podium representing her country at the Olympic Games.
Fast forward to 2021 and the star beach volleyball player is sporting a silver medal alongside Mariafe Artacho del Solar, after a fearless match against team USA.
Taliqua was raised in Kingaroy and quickly rose to stardom, reaching the quarterfinals at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, before going on to the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 2019 World Championships, and finally Tokyo.
At just 29 she is the first Indigenous Australian volleyball player to represent Australia at the Olympics.
Elvie Sandow
Elvie Sandow made history in 2020 as the first woman to be elected as Mayor of Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council and has since guided her community through major historical events, including the Covid-19 pandemic and Cherbourg suicide crisis.
At the end of last year Elvie led the charge to get her community vaccinated, with the threat of the pandemic looming large over the then-chiefly unjabbed community as Queensland readied itself to open its borders.
The campaign was a major success and left the community largely untouched, with a single hospitalisation.
Elvie has served her community in different roles at the council chambers for more than 22 years, and is determined to use her extensive knowledge to build on the work laid out by those before her.
Deb Frecklington
From lawyer to former Opposition Leader, Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington remains one of the region’s most influential residents and leaders in the South Burnett community.
After being elected to parliament in 2012, Mrs Frecklington went on to become an assistant minister under the previous LNP government, before being appointed leader in 2017.
While the LNP’s failure in the 2020 state election brought her time as leader to an end, she was appointed by successor David Crisafulli as shadow Minister for Water and the Construction of Dams and shadow Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing.
The Nanango MP hasn’t slowed her fight despite no longer being in the top job, and regularly takes aim at the State Government when she believes it is falling short.
Fiona Albert
From Olympic athlete to ultra-marathon runner to solicitor, there isn’t much Fiona Albert doesn’t excel at.
Fiona both graduated from the University of Queensland with a dual degree in Arts and Law and was named Australian University Sport Female Athlete of the Year in 2014, all the while in training for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
At the end of last year the 31-year-old all-rounder, who now works as a solicitor at JA Carroll in Kingaroy, was one in five Queenslanders to secure a coveted Jack Cranstoun Scholarship.
Kristy Board
Working her magic once again at the end of last year, Kristy Board and the ‘Kingaroy Needs A Big Peanut’ team finally secured the peanut capital’s rightful place on Australia’s ‘Big Thing’ tourist trail.
When putting on her hat of Chief Baconeer for Baconfest, Ms Board is in the process of building a bigger and better event than ever before after Covid caused chaos with event schedules.
Ms Board also fulfils her passion for the region’s food industry as a committee member for the Farm 2 Fork Collective, which improves the accessibility of locally grown and produced food.
After completing the Red Earth Community leadership program in 2018, Ms Board also returns as a volunteer each year to facilitate action learning and deliver the local produce showcase for the region’s future leaders and influencers.
Nina Temperton
As CEO of South Burnett CTC, Nina Temperton is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to fighting for our most vulnerable.
Ms Temperton founded the CTC back in 1992 with just five employees and a few contracted teachers.
Now the CTC has grown to 125 full-time equivalent staff, and 190 staff all up.
Ms Temperton previously told the South Burnett Times she was attracted to social work through a sense of injustice and recognition of the privilege she and many others have enjoyed, and hence dedicated her life to providing others with a helping hand in tough times.
Georgie Somerset
A trailblazer for women in agriculture and long-term advocate for rural and regional Australians, AgForce president Georgie Somerset is one of the biggest advocates for the region through her work.
The Durong cattle producer and AgForce president was last year named a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to primary industry, women and the community.
Mrs Somerset has paved the way for women in agriculture, most notably as AgForce’s first female general president. She was also a founding member and later president of the Queensland Rural Regional and Remote Women’s Network, vice-president of the National Foundation for Australian Women and an associate member of the National Council of Women.
She is also a board member of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland).
Sandra Morgan
As chairwoman of the Ration Shed, Aunty Sandra Morgan is committed to keeping the memory of Cherbourg alive for the younger generations.
Aunty Sandra grew up under the Aboriginal Protection Act and recalls life under laws that treated Aboriginal people like second-class citizens.
Through the museum, she helps people to understand what happened in the past and how that affects the present.
In 2011 she was one of 12 people from around Queensland that was invited to Parliament House in recognition of the volunteer work she does in the Cherbourg community.
Brittany Kugel
Brittany Kugel signed up as a showgirl upon returning from university to her hometown of Mundubbera, eager to get involved and help out in her community.
From this humble beginning, Ms Kugel rose through the ranks to reach the 2021 Queensland Country Life Showgirl competition and eventually walking away with the top prize.
Ms Kugel works as a registered nurse at the Mundubbera Multipurpose Health Service in the clinical areas of emergency, acute, aged, palliative, rehabilitative, outpatient, communication and cancer care.
She said she loved being able to give back to the community that raised her and care for them the way they cared for her as a child.
Kathy Duff
Kathy Duff is a whirlwind of pink throughout her community, never failing to support local events, meetings and key moments right across the region.
The fourth-term South Burnett councillor has politics in her blood, with her grandfather previously serving on the council and her brother having served on the former Wondai council.
Cr Duff is involved in countless community organisations and in 2019 received the prestigious Peak Services Butch Lenton Award for her work helping to rebuild the town of Proston.
Michelle Hansen
Despite clocking tireless hours into Hansen Kitchens and being a busy and dedicated mother, volunteer firefighter Michelle Hansen never hesitates when the call-out comes.
“Being a small-business owner, if I get a call I'll literally stop what I’m doing, go to the fire and I’ll come back,” she previously told the South Burnett Times.
“If it's nine o’clock at night, I’ll have a shower and go back to the office and work till late. Somehow you have to find the hours to catch up.”
Now part of the Malar-Booie Rural Fire Brigade, Ms Hansen was inspired to join the crew following a fire at her own Kingaroy property.
Cr Roz Frohloff
Cr Roz Frohloff has served her community in more than one role, working as a paramedic in the region for 20 years prior to being elected onto the South Burnett Regional Council in 2016.
She made the move to politics when she started to get burnt out as a paramedic, looking to continue helping her Nanango neighbours in a new way.
Cr Frohloff is a Nanango local through and through, making the move to the small community in 1989 with her husband and raising their three children there.
She is also the chair of the Local Disaster Management Group.
Nicole Kefford
Walking into her legal studies class as a Year 11 student at Kingaroy State High School, Nicole Kefford had no idea she was taking her first step to becoming a successful barrister and district court judge.
Now with more than 20 years of experience under her belt, Judge Kefford hopes to inspire other young people in the South Burnett region to take a chance on themselves and not shy away from a future in law.
After she was approached to put in an expression of interest, Judge Kefford was appointed to the District Court of Queensland in 2016.
The judge regularly speaks to young would-be lawyers at Burnett schools to encourage them to pursue their dreams.
Tanya Barron
Tanya Barron is the lady behind the speedway and the brains behind some of Kingaroy’s biggest tourist-attracting events.
Despite a difficult couple of years for the Speedway, Ms Barron was able to pull off the annual favourite Kings Royal this year, bringing in drivers and tourist from across the state.
In addition to being the driving force behind the Speedway, she juggles running her business, Kingaroy Equipment Sales, and raising her six-year-old daughter.
“It’s a bit of a juggling act but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
Rowena Dionysius
Peanut Van general manager and South Burnett Relay for Life committee chair Rowena Dionysius is a fierce advocate for cancer survivors in the region.
Despite Covid dampening events across the region, Ms Dionysus was able to run a Covid safe event and raise over $72,500 for cancer research, taking the South Burnett’s total fundraising over the past 15 years to more than $1.7 million.
As one of the committee members behind the big peanut, she also helped put Kingaroy on the map and put the town on Australia's ‘Big Thing’ tourist trail.
Cheryl Dalton
Cheryl Dalton has been the Chief Executive Officer at South Burnett Care for more than seven years and has led her hard working team through a period of massive growth and reform in age and disability care.
After working as a local councillor for 17 years, Ms Dalton said “the stars aligned” when she found her place at SB Care.
A woman who is passionate about people, Ms Dalton said she is incredibly proud of her team and gets a lot of joy out of seeing the impact SB Care has on the lives of so many people in the community.
“We make a difference to people’s lives. I just feel so proud and humbled to be part of what we do here,” she said.
Ms Dalton has been shattering gender stereotypes all her life, becoming the first female pre-apprenticeship cabinet maker in Queensland alongside 1200 men.
Tina Torrens
Kingaroy’s Big Peanut took years to become a reality, and now the proud statue is standing, the community have Tina Torrens to thank as one of the biggest proponents of the project.
The local business owner and filmmaker has been a driving force in the campaign to give the South Burnett community the nutty statue it deserves.
When she’s not campaigning for big statues, Ms Torrens can be regularly seen promoting the south Burnett community online, and assisting local businesses to improve their media and marketing strategies as part of her business, Torkit Business Solutions.
Karyn Bjelke-Petersen
It’s a name synonymous with the South Burnett and Kingaroy, but Karyn Bjelke-Petersen has made a name for herself in her own right as principal of St John’s Lutheran School.
Ms Bjelke-Petersen studied education at university and said it has always been her passion.
“I’ve always loved teaching and helping young children,” she said.
“It’s a wonderful privilege to be part of a child’s life and teach them skills that you know will help them on their journey to becoming a productive member of society.”
With school expanding to offer senior schooling, Ms Bjelke-Petersen will have plenty on her plate to manage.
Jane Erkins
Anyone who’s a local to Nanango will almost certain know or have heard of Jane Erkens.
The local real estate agent and community campaigner is one of the most recognisable faces in town, and regularly fights for the community’s interests.
Most recently, Ms Erkens has been helping struggling renters hit by the region’s rental crisis, which she said has had a devastating effect on families.
“They have no plumbing, a portable toilet, and she has four children,” she said.
“When she used to rent from us a little while back she was quite a bubbly person, she’d always come in quite cheery. But when she sat in here the other day, she was like a shell.”
Ms Erkens also lead the charge against South Burnett Regional Council’s decision to increase prices on standpipe water – immortalising the fight in song.
Edwina Stewart
It’s safe to say that Edwina Stewart is often the heart and soul of the community in Cherbourg, driving some of the most important changes in the community.
The community services manager has been in her rolled for many years, and is always thinking of new ways to improve the lives of the community.
She’s one of the big drivers behind the annual Cherbourg Rodeo to get locals talking, and also introduced the Memorial Tree.
The tree boasts leaves written by friends and family about a loved one whose life was lost to suicide.
“They’re not forgotten, they’re here with us.”
Senior Constable Sam Giles
Being a cop is a tough enough job on it’s own, but having listen to and deal with horrific cases involving children would arguably one of the most difficult tasks imaginable.
But Senior Constable Sam Giles not only pushes through the difficulties, but excels at making sure the victims are taken care of as best they can.
In 2020, Constable Giles became the first police officer to be awarded the Joy Kite Award for Exceptional Practices with Families.
Kingaroy officer-in-charge David Tierney explained the award was in recognition of her work during a difficult investigation, where she went above and beyond for the children involved.
“It’s very demanding work and Sam choose to do it not because she has to, but because she wants to,” Sgt Tierney said.
“She actually cares about the kids in the town. She wants to be not just a Detective, but a Detective in CPIU, and she’s that’s what her calling is – to help kids.”
Dael Giddins
There wouldn’t be a soul in Gayndah, and perhaps even the North Burnett, that wouldn’t know the name Dael.
While these days she’s the well-loved Gayndah councillor, Ms Giddins spent much of her life working for council.
For more than 42 years, she worked in rates, payroll, management supervising, office managing, and was briefly the acting CEO for eight weeks in the early 1990s.
Ms Giddins was also awarded Gayndah‘s 2015 Citizen of the Year award for her volunteer commitments to YMCA Gayndah, Rotary, Little Athletics and other groups.
Cr Melinda Jones
There would be few people in the North Burnett who are more passionate about the region than Melinda Jones,
Drawn to the region by the vast showing of community spirit, Cr Jones and her family settled around Monto 16 years ago – and fell in love.
Before joining the council, Ms Jones worked in tourism and disability services.
But in recent weeks, Ms Jones has become the face of a much sadder process, acting as Deputy chair of the Local Disaster Management Group, and helping many residents hit by flooding.
“With the last flooding event some of the residents of Dallarnil had to relocate what they could salvage into these three sheds, because they couldn’t go into their houses, and now these sheds have sadly been inundated by floodwaters,” she said.
“So some people have now lost absolutely everything.”
Chrys McDuffie
Inspired by the heartache witnessed during the 2019/20 bushfires, Kingaroy author Chrys McDuffie was determined to help in any way possible.
After a bushfire threatened to decimate her own property, Ms McDuffie witnessed first hand the terror and environmental impact of one of Australia‘s worst natural disasters.
“I‘d drafted my first series of children’s books and I just couldn’t concentrate on them at all,” she said.
“I felt compelled to do a little bit more, so I‘d actually written a poem and that’s how it started.”
“Just to recognise what people were going through.”
Ms McDuffie‘s launched “Daddy’s Little Hero” at the end of last year, a children’s book which tells the story of a six-year-old boy who wants to be just like his firefighter father.
As a mother of three and grandmother to five, Ms McDuffie draws inspiration from her loved ones and her career as the HR Superintendent at Meandu Mine.
Leanne Krosch
As the Head of Department for Senior Schooling and the RTO manager, in addition to overseeing all vocational education and training, Kingaroy State High School teacher Leanne Krosch has her hands full.
Ms Krosch‘s 45 year long career as a teacher speaks to her passion for the job and all the young lives she’s guided into adulthood.
Previously teaching ancient history, Ms Krosch now primarily teaches vocational education and training.
“The students here aren‘t all academic, so you’ve got to look at lots of pathways for them and provide for them,” she said.
“Their talents often lie in different areas.”
Ms Krosch started her teaching career in 1976 and has been at Kingaroy State High School since 2003.
“I love it. The people you work with, the students you meet – there are some amazing young people in the world and I think keeps you in touch,” she said.
Jeanette Walters
Leading a dedicated team of nurses, Jeanette Walters is the Acting Nurse Unit Manager for the Inpatient Unit at Kingaroy Hospital.
“Our nurses care for a huge array of patients, such as medical patients, surgical patients, and rehab patients,” she said.
Having worked as a nurse for about 15 years, primarily in Kingaroy, Ms Walters said the most rewarding part of her job is witnessing the healing process – assisting in the physical and mental recuperation of her patients and seeing them go from strength to strength.
“I love it when we‘re able to get those patients well again and to the point where they’re able to go home to the life they had before they got sick or injured,” she said.
“It can be really rewarding. Some people go through some horrific situations and spend a really long time in inpatient care, even in the intensive care unit in surrounding areas.”
Kirstie Schumacher
A Burnett local through and through, Councillor Kirstie Schumacher never did anything slowly.
At 19, Kirstie and her now husband Wayne built their first home, two years later started their own family operated drilling business in partnership with her brother and sister in-law.
Since then, they have diversified their operations to invest in their passion for agriculture, grazing cattle, growing peanuts and grain, and establishing their own avocado orchard.
Ms Schumacher quickly became a big name in the local business community, before sticking her hand up for a run at council – becoming the youngest member and bringing a fresh perspective to the chamber.
Terry Dunn
Going beyond her duties as the pool manager, ‘learn to swim’ coach and lifeguard, Terry Dunn invests a great deal of time and emotional energy into ensuring her athletes the best chance at success – while simultaneously making sessions an enjoyable social experience.
With 30 years of coaching under her belt, Ms Dunn can spot a rising star from a young age and will provide them with all the necessary resources and guidance to push them beyond their perceived limits.
Once an aspiring athlete herself, Ms Dunn‘s dreams of becoming an elite golfer were struck down when she was hit by a car.
Rather than letting that defeat her, she harnessed her skills and knowledge for the benefit of others, and in a month‘s time will see several young swimmers off the nationals.
“I was doing some teaching part-time and I loved it. I got under the wing of a really good head coach and learned my craft,” she said.
“I‘ve met some beautiful children, who I still know. I taught them to swim at four and took them to nationals at 13.
“And then to see them grow up, as they get older and have their own families. It‘s just the best job in the world.”
Leah Trott
For more than two decades, Leah Trott has guided Gayndah’s youngest through their formative years, with her school and community becoming more like “a family” than simply a workplace.
Her dedication to the job earned her the title of North Burnett’s best teacher for 2021, as voted by our readers.
Teaching was always a calling for Ms Trott, who said she made the decision to go into primary school teaching when she was in Year 11.
“I loved working with kids and wanted to make a difference,” she said.
Her teaching career started 26 years ago at Walkervale State School in Bundaberg. Two years later she was at Gayndah, and has been there ever since.
And it’s not just in the schoolyard she’s a star, with Ms Trott being extremely active in the community, being named 2022 Gayndah Citizen of the Year.
Danita Potter
A born and bred Kingaroy local, Danita Potter might have spent time all across Australia and the world through travel and work, but she always calls the Burnett home.
Ms Potter is a familiar face at many events across the region, not just in her capacity as a councillor but often getting involved herself due to a love of the region.
First elected in 2016, Ms potter quickly found her feet in the role of councillor and has become a strong voice for the community – particularly in her portfolio area of Arts, heritage and sports.
Outside of work Ms Potter is a wife and mother, making her constant appearances across the region all the more inspirational.
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Originally published as International Women’s Day: Burnett’s 30 most inspirational women revealed
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