Communities, schools and individual volunteers keep Anzac Day commemorations alive
It was wonderful to see our local Anzac Day services so well attended this past weekend, as we marked 111 years since the Gallipoli landings. My councillor colleagues and I had the privileged of speaking at a number of services and reflecting with communities throughout the day, ensuring Council representation at every service in Goondiwindi, Inglewood, Texas, Talwood, Toobeah and Yelarbon.
I began the day at the Goondiwindi Dawn Service, followed by the Yelarbon Cemetery service and the march to the Memorial Park service, where I had the honour of speaking alongside the Rev’d Dr John Rolley and Yelarbon State School students, who had also prepared a wonderful Anzac exhibition. Later, along with my fellow Councillors, I joined the community in Talwood for the Last Post Ceremony and Sundown Service.
I’d like to thank all the individuals and community groups who have given their time to keep the meaning of this day alive and strong in our local communities. As Australia’s national day of commemoration, Anzac Day is always a deeply meaningful occasion - a chance for all of us to pause and reflect on the service and sacrifice of all Australians who have served in times of peace and war. It is a time to reflect on the enduring impacts of conflict, and the importance of working towards a peaceful future for ourselves and for generations to come.
In Yelarbon, we heard from researcher Duncan McLean, who has attended nearly every local Anzac service in the past 20 years. Duncan spoke about the life and service of Albert Turner MM, just one of the names engraved forever in stone on the Yelarbon War Memorial. The youngest of nine children, with grey eyes and dark brown hair, Albert was awarded a Military Medal for bravery on 18 June 1918. But he did not return home - Albert died of a shell wound to his legs on 3 September that year and was buried far away from his family in Somme, France. These stories help us remember that each name etched on a memorial is more than just lines in stone - they represent a real person’s life that was given - and sometimes sacrificed - to service.
On this note, I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate and make note of the contribution of Warwick military historian Deborah Wheeler, who has researched 51 WW1 soldiers from Yelarbon and the surrounding district and recently made their biographies available online for the public. I encourage residents to take the time to look through the publicly available information on the Southern Downs Military History website and read more about the stories of the servicemen and women from our region: https://sdmh.au/southern-downs-veterans.
Welcoming Queensland Country Tourism’s new CEO to region; strengthening cross-regional promotion
My Councillor colleagues and I met with the team from Queensland Country Tourism (QCT) last week, providing a wonderful opportunity to welcome the organisation’s new CEO, Sally Scott. Sally is a highly respected tourism leader, and her extensive experience will greatly strengthen QCT’s ongoing support for our region and their efforts to cross-promote destinations from the Central Highlands right down to the border. I’d also like to sincerely thank QCT’s outgoing CEO, Peter Homan, for his contribution to regional tourism across Queensland.
Last year, QCT had nearly half a million visitors to their tourism website. Notably, 10 Things to do in the Goondiwindi Region was their fourth most-visited page, highlighting the strong interest in what our community has to offer.
Visitors play a vital role in our local economy, and the success of events such as the recent sold out Goondiwindi Picnic Races are a perfect example of how our thriving events calendar draws visitors from across the state and beyond.
Goondiwindi Picnics race to success
A big shout out to the incredible volunteers and organising committee behind the Goondiwindi Picnic Races last weekend. With 3,500 people at the sold out event, it was a fantastic turnout and a wonderful day of country racing for our community. From the music, great food and drink, and Fashions on the Field to the courtesy bus service, it was a terrific effort and an impressive showcase of what our region can deliver.
Thank you also to the many local sponsors whose support helps make events like this possible. Council is also proud to play its part and support the Goondiwindi Picnic Races through our Community Donations Program.
New Terry White Chemmart Care Clinic is great example of local growth and innovation
We are extremely fortunate in the Goondiwindi Region to have access to such quality healthcare services and allied health professionals - with two outstanding pharmacies servicing Goondiwindi and with two more serving our communities in Inglewood and Texas.
Last week, I was delighted to attend the official opening of the expanded Care Clinic at Goondiwindi’s Terry White Chemmart to tour the new clinic space and learn more about the expanded clinical services the team now offer there. It was a delight to be able to see the new space and be joined by my fellow councillors as well as the Hon David Littleproud MP.
A big well done to Lucy Walker and her team - it’s fantastic to see a local business continuing to grow and finding new ways to support the health and wellbeing of our community. The demonstration of the innovative new electronic shelf labels was also impressive - saving the team valuable time and helping them to focus on delivering great care.
Community Updates from the Yelarbon CCC
I joined the regular meeting with the Yelarbon Community Consultative Committee (CCC) last week, where we had some strong discussion around recent Queensland Police Service matters - particularly farm security and protecting against fuel theft. I was impressed to hear that residents are using a shared WhatsApp group to stay connected, report concerns, and alert neighbours to suspicious activity. It’s a simple but effective way to support one another. I also want to reaffirm my confidence in our local QPS officers, who continue to do an excellent job with the resources available to them.
We also discussed the new mowing plan for Yelarbon town now the community mower is no longer operating. Those who attended the YCCC meeting received the updated map, and anyone else who needs a copy is welcome to contact Council.
In addition, we presented the new town drainage plan, designed to better manage water pooling given Yelarbon’s incredibly flat topography. In some areas, the fall is so minimal that even a parked vehicle on wet ground can change the direction of water flow - illustrating the complexity of managing drainage in the town.
A reminder that all residents are welcome to attend future meetings and contribute to the conversation. The next CCC meeting will be held on Tuesday, 9 June, at the Yelarbon Anglican Church Hall.
