Bowls, Bulls, and Bravery: Barcaldine Regions Best
Australia Day in the Barcaldine Region is more than just a celebration; it's a showcase of the vibrant spirit and dedication that thrives within our communities. This year, despite the threat of rain due to Cyclone Kirrily, the towns of Alpha, Barcaldine, Aramac, and Muttaburra rose to the occasion, honouring an exceptional array of local heroes and events under cooler, albeit humid, conditions.
In Aramac, the festivities began with a community barbecue and social bowls on Thursday evening. About 50 residents gathered, creating an atmosphere unique to Aramac, with laughter and the sounds of friends catching up as they celebrated Australia Day.
Alison Woods, a stalwart of the Aramac community, received the Volunteer of the Year award. She has been instrumental in the Desert Rec Club, 65km east of Aramac at Lake Dunn, securing a grant for a new toilet block and organizing numerous events.
Riley Jorgensen with her award.
Riley Jorgensen was honored as Young Sports Person of the Year for her impressive involvement in sports, including reaching state trials for Cross Country.
File photo from Tayla’s 2022 Australia Day Nomination
Tayla Jackson was recognized as the Barcaldine Region Young Sportsperson of the Year for her high level achievements in camp drafting and barrel racing, and her role in organizing events like Barrels 4 a Cause.
Allana Parker, another luminary from Aramac, received the Regional Young Citizen of the Year award. Active in the Ballyneety Rodeo Club and Desert Rec Club, Allana's involvement extends to ICPA events, showcasing her commitment to community despite living remotely.
Alpha celebrated with a family event hosted by the Alpha Jockey Club. The day saw 12 teams compete in traditional games, with 'Dirt Diggers' unearthing victory for the day.
Jimmy McLelland, an 18-year-old bull riding talent from Alpha, was awarded Young Sportsperson of the Year for his international representation in bull riding. Jimmy represented Australia at the World Youth Bull Riding finals in Abliene, Texas, while back at home is is a member of the Australian PBR Junior Academy and the Great Western Hotel rodeo. Jimmy recently suffered a horse accident on his property and is undergoing intensive physiotherapy with hopes to ride again one day.
Georgia Welldon with her award
Georgia Welldon from Jericho, a dedicated school teacher and community pillar, was awarded the Regional Cultural Person of the Year. Her initiatives include taking on Chaplain duties, preserving Jericho School art show, creating the Jericho Street Library to ensure local children have access to enriching resources and creating an edible garden to use for students fund raising. “Our kids might live out west, but they deserve everything a city kid can get” said Georgia.
Barcaldine's celebrations continued into the evening with a dinner and trivia night at the local Bowls Club.
Jean Williams has been a long time contributor to the Barcaldine community, especially in the aged services. Her relentless work organizing and distributing services like Meals on Wheels is legendary within the town along with her long term commitment to running the 60s and better program. Jean was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for her volunteer work which also includes the Barcaldine Golf club and Show Auxillory.
Sophie Ham of Barcaldine was awarded a certificate of Recognition for Young Sportsperson of the year. Sophie explained that she is active in quite a lot of different sports events from running to horses, however her favorite sport is netball.
The Westech Field Days, a triannual event, were acknowledged as the Regional Community Event of the Year, underscoring its impact on community cohesion. “From bull sales to community groups catering, it is an event that helps out the whole community” explained Scott Counsell.
Both the Senior and Junior Sandgoannas Football teams won the Volunteer of the Year awards in a shared award. Football is such a big part of the regions community, it takes a huge amount of help and volunteers to organize each year. Simon Plumb from the Senior Sandgoannas committee said “it really started in 2019 when we gathered heaps of support from the community after the “League of their own” ball. Since then, we have pushed and had incredible support and success from the community, ensuring that a significant portion of raised money is put back into local no profit groups like Jenny Lockie and the Shop of Opportunity.”
The Prestigious Citizen of the Year:
Rhys Peacock with his Certificate of Citizen of the Year
The evening's climax was the presentation of the Citizen of the Year award to Rhys Peacock of Barcaldine. Since relocating from Longreach, Rhys has become an integral part of the community, contributing significantly through various leadership roles. His commitment to promoting the region and volunteering was passionately evident in his acceptance speech. “I don’t want to see things diminish in Central West Queensland, so why not put your hand up and volunteer,” said Rhys. He explained he has always been involved in some sort of volunteer work his whole life, even if it hasn’t been in executive roles. “[I want to] enlighten people to move to Central Western Queensland or surrounding towns” said Rhys. “I don’t think they really realise how good we have it out here”.
The Australia Day celebrations across the Barcaldine Region exemplify the power of community spirit and the extraordinary impact of its members. These individuals, through their dedication and service, have not only enriched their towns but have also set a shining example of what it means to be part of a vibrant, supportive community.
