Locals who are inspiring their community every day
From cancer survivors to local advocates, the Toowoomba community is full of residents who inspire and amaze us every day.
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Every day, locals who live with and around us spend their lives inspiring the masses and trying to make our community better.
From charity participants to those using their life experiences to advocate for others, here are 10 locals and groups who inspire us every day:
MJ Scanlon
Earlier in the year, Miss Scanlon had heard Base Services’ annual Hike for Homeless event was in jeopardy due to the pandemic.
Knowing the homelessness charity was in need of a boost, she devised her own fundraiser 50kms Closer to Change, where she would hike through the city to raise funds for Base Services.
“In fear of the (Hike for Homeless) being impacted by COVID-19, I decided to create my own way to show support on behalf of Fairholme,” Miss Scanlon said.
“It’s so difficult being homeless and not having security, I can’t empathise at all, I can only sympathise because I don’t know what it’s like.
“(The hike) is about getting people to look and realise there is an issue.”
Julie Shinners
In 2012 Julie Shinners was given a survival rate of less than 50 per cent after a devastating breast cancer diagnosis.
Eight years later, not only has she survived the aggressive form of cancer, she is now using her experiences and her voice as an ambassador for the National Breast Cancer Foundation to empower survivors and lend a hand to those currently battling.
Mrs Shinners noticed a bump on her breast during a routine self-examination on October 12 eight years ago and her gut instinct told her something wasn’t quite right.
“I had no family history of breast cancer whatsoever but I knew I should do something about it,” she said.
“I went to the doctor, was sent for a biopsy and got a phone call the next morning to say I had breast cancer.”
Blush Toowoomba
Club Toowoomba, which is the new brand of the sporting precinct that used to be the South Toowoomba Bowls Club and associated grounds, hosted 90 people for a special high tea at the renovated Gold Park Function Centre on Saturday.
Profits raised goes towards Blush, who supports women undergoing breast cancer in Toowoomba and the Darling Downs.
Organisation general manager Kelly Cassidy said she had been overwhelmed by the response from both residents and local businesses to get behind the event and Blush.
“We took over (the function centre) in September and here we are in October doing a beautiful VIP Blush event,” she said.
“It’s great to have so many of the local people here today to see what we can do in this space.”
Doug Mieklejohn
Doug Meiklejohn, 68, never saw his cancer diagnosis as a death sentence.
The prostate cancer survivor spent years of his life in and out of hospital beds, operating theatres, and waiting rooms and has lived to tell the story after the cancer was discovered during a routine blood test.
Now, during prostate cancer awareness month, Mr Meiklejohn is urging residents to have the test, and find support as early as possible.
Mr Meiklejohn said he was “lucky” to have received the diagnosis when he did.
Imogen Merritt
Kristie and Steven Merritt, parents to Imogen, 5, Bryson, 13, and Presten, 16, have created a tight-knit family unit since becoming parents and it’s something they value every single day.
But that close bond was forged through a lot of pain, and their fair share of challenges.
In 2014, barely a day old, their youngest child “Immy” was found to have a heart murmur and three months later was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease, Tetralogy of Fallot, which has caused four defects in her heart.
At just eight-months-old she had open heart surgery.
The family were told Imogen wouldn’t meet her teenage years if she didn’t have the surgery.
David McNab
David McNab joined a team of 29 riders cycling 1237km to raise money for the Wellbeing Out West program, an initiative of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Starting on October 3 near Amberley Air Base, Mr McNab rode close to 200km a day with the team, ending the journey in Longreach on October 9.
“It was a great week,” Mr McNab said.
“My brother-in-law had done the previous rides so I knew what it was all about and had been keen to try it out for myself.
“There was the physical challenge, but I knew it was about raising funds and awareness for mental health in rural and remote Queensland – which is a fantastic cause.”
Cheap Cars Toowoomba
Working closely with Cheap Cars Toowoomba, Lifeline Darling Downs identified the Crooks family as the recipient of this quarter’s car giveaway after their vehicle “blew up” four weeks ago.
The Crooks are now a proud owners of a second-hand Toyota Tarago, capable of fitting the entire family.
“It’s not every day you get help when you need it,” Mrs Crooks said.
Cheap Cars donate a car through Lifeline to a family in need. Judy Crooks with her two sons,
“I have these two boys with special needs, and I have another two girls with their dad who has terminal cancer and another boy and girl who are married – and three grandkids, so the car’s going to be perfect.”
Get Chopped
GIVEN the choice of $100,000 or a vintage car, what would you choose?
For Batlow’s Trevor ‘Tiny’ Begg the choice was simple.
After suffering through bushfires that ravaged the New South Wales country town, Mr Begg was overwhelmed with excitement to win an ultra-rare 1978 Ford Fairmont GXL hardtop courtesy of Toowoomba charity Get Chopped.
Charity communications manager Brendon Quirey said the organisation worked to raise funds for the region’s elite athletes to compete overseas and interstate.
When customers buy over $30 of merchandise they go into a draw to win a restored car.
Mr Begg purchased $150 worth of merch and his name was drawn out on Facebook live.
He got to choose between the cash prize and a restored vintage car, but the car was the only thing on his mind.
Mr Quirey said arriving in bushfire ravaged Batlow to donate the car was a surreal experience.
“The town itself was desperately in need of some luck according to everyone we spoke to,” he said.
